Retin-a with minoxidil update.

[joseph49853]

I had tried the Petroleum Jelly trick, as well as applying minoxidil to a warm slightly wet head. Both methods greatly increased absorption, but rarely grew any new hair. However, the best thing I have ever tried was Retin-A (Tretinoin.) Nothing has ever worked this good. Now going on my fifth month, and the results are absolutely miraculous. Almost overnight very evident tiny vellus hairs developed and went terminal.

I was looking at pictures of myself at 19 years-old, and I actually have the identical hair vitality, fullness, and thickness. In fact, looking at my scalp from just six months ago, and my hair looks ratty by comparison. I'm just so happy with the results. I can no longer see my scalp anywhere on my head, including the crown. People now remark about my hair, and ask if I'm doing anything differently.

However, here are a few added instructions, and a few caveats. Expect to shed a fairly good amount of skin in the first month. Expect your scalp to take at least 3-4 weeks to fully adjust to the effects of Retin-A. And don't expect to use Retin-A every day on your scalp, it has the potential to burn and damage your skin. I use Retin-A with minoxidil every other day, at best, and only apply minoxidil an hour after the Retin-A.

Although, unlike minoxidil, expect the changes that Retin-A leaves behind to be slightly more permanent. You're actually changing the completion of your skin by increasing vascularity. In other words, your scalp will continue to be susceptible to increased absorption and sensitivity long after discontinuing Retin-A.... so use with the utmost care.

 

[tchehov]

Very helpful, thanks.

I've tried the petroleum jelly recently and noticed some increased absorption, mainly by a rapidly charged heartbeat. Might pick up a tube of Retin-a soon.

 

[hairwegoagain]

Just use it sparingly...getting too much on the scalp can result in a red, stinging, cracking mess.

 

[Phillip]

im interested in knowing more about this.

which one did u use?

dr lee's?

 

[joseph49853]

Very helpful, thanks.

I've tried the petroleum jelly recently and noticed some increased absorption, mainly by a rapidly charged heartbeat. Might pick up a tube of Retin-a soon.

That's how I judged increased absorption while using Petroleum Jelly as well. I initially noticed an elevated heartbeat, and some slight chest pains. But after a few weeks, there was only a slight overall benefit.

Although, with retin-a, beside increased thickness and coverage: my hair is much shinier, it now stands more at attention, and the ends no longer look frayed. I'd imagine the Retin-a removes skin compaction and allows far greater access to the hair bulb. It basically unclogs the follicles like no shampoo ever could.

Just use it sparingly...getting too much on the scalp can result in a red, stinging, cracking mess.

You're absolutely correct. In this case, a little bit goes a long way.

im interested in knowing more about this.

which one did u use?

dr lee's?

I was given an opened tube by a family member using it as an acne treatment. Although, I do plan on buying a new tube eventually. I also don't suggest buying any prepared solutions with Retin-A included. There's a potential for reduced absorption. And if you do experience great irritation, there's no way to remove the Retin-a from the mixture.

Instead you should buy a cheap generic tube of Retin-a and give it a shot. Apply the minoxidil an hour or so after the Retin-a. You can find great prices by searching Froogle for "tretinoin." Expect to pay $15-25 for a 20g tube. There's also probably no benefit going higher than a .005% tretinoin concentration, or so I'm told.

Again, I certainly don't want to present this as the ultimate miracle hairloss cure. But if you're a really good responder to minoxidil, you could probably expect some amazing results. And if you're a poor responder, perhaps this will help to somewhat increase your odds.

And please, if you do decide to try Retin-a, be sure to come back and post in this thread. It would be of huge benefit to everyone.

 

[Phillip]

Very helpful, thanks.

I've tried the petroleum jelly recently and noticed some increased absorption, mainly by a rapidly charged heartbeat. Might pick up a tube of Retin-a soon.

That's how I judged increased absorption while using Petroleum Jelly as well. I initially noticed an elevated heartbeat, and some slight chest pains. But after a few weeks, there was only a slight overall benefit.

Although, with retin-a, beside increased thickness and coverage: my hair is much shinier, it now stands more at attention, and the ends no longer look frayed. I'd imagine the Retin-a removes skin compaction and allows far greater access to the hair bulb. It basically unclogs the follicles like no shampoo ever could.

Just use it sparingly...getting too much on the scalp can result in a red, stinging, cracking mess.

You're absolutely correct. In this case, a little bit goes a long way.

im interested in knowing more about this.

which one did u use?

dr lee's?

I was given an opened tube by a family member using it as an acne treatment. Although, I do plan on buying a new tube eventually. I also don't suggest buying any prepared solutions with Retin-A included. There's a potential for reduced absorption. And if you do experience great irritation, there's no way to remove the Retin-a from the mixture.

Instead you should buy a cheap generic tube of Retin-a and give it a shot. Apply the minoxidil an hour or so after the Retin-a. You can find great prices by searching Froogle for "tretinoin." Expect to pay $15-25 for a 20g tube. There's also probably no benefit going higher than a .005% tretinoin concentration, or so I'm told.

Again, I certainly don't want to present this as the ultimate miracle hairloss cure. But if you're a really good responder to minoxidil, you could probably expect some amazing results. And if you're a poor responder, perhaps this will help to somewhat increase your odds.

And please, if you do decide to try Retin-a, be sure to come back and post in this thread. It would be of huge benefit to everyone.

Why would buying premade solutions like from dr lee reduce the absorbtion? Did you see some kind of study or evidence to suggest that? Unless the mixnodil somehow degraded the retinin A it should make no difference. Plus, its one less thing to apply if its already mixed.

 

[joseph49853]

Why would buying premade solutions like from dr lee reduce the absorbtion? Did you see some kind of study or evidence to suggest that? Unless the mixnodil somehow degraded the retinin A it should make no difference. Plus, its one less thing to apply if its already mixed.

Minoxidil can be applied as many times as twice a day. At best, Retin-a can be applied once a day; although, I wouldn't recommend more than once every other day. As you can see there's a huge conflict and discrepancy here.

And if Retin-a were to cause skin irritation, you would need to discontinue its usage. Except, with a Retin-a/minoxidil mixture, you'd be forced to discontinue minoxidil as well. And discontinuing minoxidil for any period of time would defeat the whole purpose of trying to regrow hair. For this reason alone, it's a very bad idea, and quite frankly illogical.

Incidentally, most doctors are able to get around medical pricing laws by combining ingredients. This just might be the case with Dr. Lee's minoxidil/Tretinoin mixture.

There are also other biochemical factors involved. Combined with minoxidil, Retin-a has the potential to become degraded, based on how well the mixture is compounded. If you're so inclined, you can search Google for a more complete answer, or even this very site. The subject has come up at least a dozen times.

Good luck.

 

[Phillip]

Why would buying premade solutions like from dr lee reduce the absorbtion? Did you see some kind of study or evidence to suggest that? Unless the mixnodil somehow degraded the retinin A it should make no difference. Plus, its one less thing to apply if its already mixed.

Minoxidil can be applied as many times as twice a day. At best, Retin-a can be applied once a day; although, I wouldn't recommend more than once every other day. As you can see there's a huge conflict and discrepancy here.

And if Retin-a were to cause skin irritation, you would need to discontinue its usage. Except, with a Retin-a/minoxidil mixture, you'd be forced to discontinue minoxidil as well. And discontinuing minoxidil for any period of time would defeat the whole purpose of trying to regrow hair. For this reason alone, it's a very bad idea, and quite frankly illogical.

Incidentally, most doctors are able to get around medical pricing laws by combining ingredients. This just might be the case with Dr. Lee's minoxidil/Tretinoin mixture.

There are also other biochemical factors involved. Combined with minoxidil, Retin-a has the potential to become degraded, based on how well the mixture is compounded. If you're so inclined, you can search Google for a more complete answer, or even this very site. The subject has come up at least a dozen times.

Good luck.

I can't challenge the possibilty of degradation if it exists. Yet there is a simple solution to prevent stopping minoxidil all together if u encounter irritation. You simply use two different minoxidils.

If you get irritation from the product with retinin A, u simply switch to the normal one for awile. If You u have a special high concentration of minoxidil (more than 5 percent) u could just mix a small batch as long as u mixed it right since i dont think they offer retinin a except in xandrox 5 percent. This way you could use it when not experiencing irritation.

 

[joseph49853]

I can't challenge the possibilty of degradation if it exists. Yet there is a simple solution to prevent stopping minoxidil all together if u encounter irritation. You simply use two different minoxidils.

If you get irritation from the product with retinin A, u simply switch to the normal one for awile. If You u have a special high concentration of minoxidil (more than 5 percent) u could just mix a small batch as long as u mixed it right since i dont think they offer retinin a except in xandrox 5 percent. This way you could use it when not experiencing irritation.

Hey, that's cool. Whatever it takes to grow hair is what it takes. Just make sure you report back with results.

 

[I_Hate_DHT]

joseph49853 thanks for the info.

I have a few questions,

Do you apply Retin-A directly to the scalp, right? Is retin-A a liquid like minoxidil or a cream? And when you apply minoxidil one hour later, is retin-a completely dried out?

Thanks.

 

[joseph49853]

joseph49853 thanks for the info.

I have a few questions,

Do you apply Retin-A directly to the scalp, right? Is retin-A a liquid like minoxidil or a cream? And when you apply minoxidil one hour later, is retin-a completely dried out?

Thanks.

For me, applying the minoxidil within a few minutes of the Retin-a -- at times -- caused stinging and irritation. I also worried about it extending coverage, and having minoxidil seeping past the hairline. But you can definitely apply it within a few minutes and probably be fine; in fact, I've seen it recommended.

And Retin-a comes in a cream, liquid, and a gel... I'm using the cream. I would imagine it gives the best potential for absorption, but you could probably use any version and be fine. Maybe someone a little more experienced could better chime in on that one. You massage it directly into the scalp and you're good to go.

And just remember: a) a little Retin-a goes a long way b) applying Retin-a to a wet head can further increase absorption and skin irritation, so be careful.

 

[RSG]

Joseph, are you using any sort of DHT inhibitor?
Also can u plz post some pics.

Cheers

 

[joseph49853]

Joseph, are you using any sort of DHT inhibitor?
Also can u plz post some pics.

Cheers

I'm sort of inhibiting DHT off-and-on. I have a good supply of finasteride left to finish. I probably use around .25mg daily of finasteride. I haven't been keeping track, but I probably have been using finasteride for around 4 years, minoxidil for 2 years, and minoxidil with Retin-a for around five months. It all starts to become all one rote blur after a while. And sorry, but I don't own a digital camera.

 

[JWM]

I'm jealous. Retin-a has ALWAYS made my hair look awful after a month or two of use, and I have tried every type (creams, lotions etc.) Basically my hair just looks thinner wherever I apply it.

FYI, I'm not a good responder to minoxidil, but since Retin-a works on a completely different mechanism I doubt that's relevant.

 

[joseph49853]

I'm jealous. Retin-a has ALWAYS made my hair look awful after a month or two of use, and I have tried every type (creams, lotions etc.) Basically my hair just looks thinner wherever I apply it.

FYI, I'm not a good responder to minoxidil, but since Retin-a works on a completely different mechanism I doubt that's relevant.

Damn, sorry to hear that. I realize it could just be me being super lucky. Many people don't even respond as well to minoxidil either. And there's such limited practical information out there on Retin-a and minoxidil for hairloss. Only that the results continue to be so dramatic made me want to share my results. Almost as if someone turned on the same hair switch that existed in my late teens. I'd simply be interested to see if anyone shares in this success as well.

 

[JWM]

I guess one man's junk is another's treasure eh?

Congrats on your success.

 

[Strat54]

I’ve been using Retin-A for 6 months only in my hairline and temples and I think I’m regrowing more hair on my temples than on my crown and vertex.

Retin-A is the only extra topical I used on my temples, so I just began to apply Retin-A solution to my crown and vertex.

I do think it helps.

 

[torontomike]

I had tried the Petroleum Jelly trick, as well as applying minoxidil to a warm slightly wet head. Both methods greatly increased absorption, but rarely grew any new hair. However, the best thing I have ever tried was Retin-A (Tretinoin.) Nothing has ever worked this good. Now going on my fifth month, and the results are absolutely miraculous. Almost overnight very evident tiny vellus hairs developed and went terminal.

I was looking at pictures of myself at 19 years-old, and I actually have the identical hair vitality, fullness, and thickness. In fact, looking at my scalp from just six months ago, and my hair looks ratty by comparison. I'm just so happy with the results. I can no longer see my scalp anywhere on my head, including the crown. People now remark about my hair, and ask if I'm doing anything differently.

However, here are a few added instructions, and a few caveats. Expect to shed a fairly good amount of skin in the first month. Expect your scalp to take at least 3-4 weeks to fully adjust to the effects of Retin-A. And don't expect to use Retin-A every day on your scalp, it has the potential to burn and damage your skin. I use Retin-A with minoxidil every other day, at best, and only apply minoxidil an hour after the Retin-A.

Although, unlike minoxidil, expect the changes that Retin-A leaves behind to be slightly more permanent. You're actually changing the completion of your skin by increasing vascularity. In other words, your scalp will continue to be susceptible to increased absorption and sensitivity long after discontinuing Retin-A.... so use with the utmost care.

Excellent post @joseph49853 Great advice, just wanted to ask for a bit of clarification. You say you use Retin-A with minoxidil every other day, but are you saying you only use the Retin-A every other day but use the minoxidil every day? Or, do you only use both every other day. And do you recommend anything like petroleum jelly with the retin-A for flaking? Thanks in advance!

 

[SteveTabernack]

Excellent post @joseph49853 Great advice, just wanted to ask for a bit of clarification. You say you use Retin-A with minoxidil every other day, but are you saying you only use the Retin-A every other day but use the minoxidil every day? Or, do you only use both every other day. And do you recommend anything like petroleum jelly with the retin-A for flaking? Thanks in advance!

Thread is from 2006 mate.

 

[torontomike]

Thread is from 2006 mate.

I know, I realized after lol oh well, guess these guys are no longer active on here but I think I got my answers regardless, thanks for getting back!