Silicone massage hair brush

I have been using this silicon hair Bruch for the past 3 months and I must say that it seems to be working for me.

I have stopped with the minoxidil because it was too annoying to apply it twice a day, always running around with a stick scalp, it was just not for me.

As I only take Finasteride once a week (that's my regimen), my hairloss started ramping up again so I had to take some measures.

This brush cost me 3 euros on Amazon and the silicon is quite soft which doesn't hurt the scalp and there is evidence that the massaging stimulates the vessels the same way that Minoxidil is suppose to do.

So if you think, you are actually acting directly on one of the roots causes of the hairloss without any side effect and at a much cheaper price. 

According to some articles I read, Scalp exfoliation makes way for fresh skin and hair follicles to grow healthy hair. Many people pay more attention to their hair rather than their scalp, but the truth is that a healthy scalp will produce healthy hair.

Some of the benefits of exfoliating the scalp 

• Removes buildup
• Encourages hair growth
• Promotes shiny hair
• Prevents dry scalp/dandruff
• Improve Blood Circulation

I am definitely convinced of the benefits of the hair scalp massager and it will remain in my hair regimen. 

Silicone massage hair brush

Finasteride as an hair loss solution

Finasteride

This is a very important topic for me as medication is only used as a very last resort.

So taking a drug (finasteride) that is prescribed for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to treat hair loss (alopecia) was something that was totally against my way of living.

What is Finasteride?

Finasteride, sold under the brand names Proscar and Propecia among others, is a medication used mainly to treat an enlarged prostate or scalp hair loss in men. It can also be used to treat excessive hair growth in women and as a part of hormone therapy for transgender women. It is taken by mouth.

How does Finasteride work?

Taking finasteride leads to a reduction in scalp and serum DHT levels; by lowering scalp levels of DHT, finasteride can maintain or increase the amount of terminal hairs in the anagen phase by inhibiting and sometimes reversing miniaturization of the hair follicle. Finasteride is most effective on the vertex but can reduce hair loss in all areas of the scalp.

Side effects 

Side effects are generally mild. It may increase the risk of certain rare forms of prostate cancer, and some men may experience sexual dysfunction, depression, anxiety, or breast enlargement. Finasteride is a 5α-reductase inhibitor and works by decreasing the production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), an androgen sex hormone, which makes DHT less available in key tissues like the prostate gland and scalp. It inhibits two of the three forms of 5α-reductase and can decrease DHT levels in the blood by up to 70%.

Sexual dysfunction

The 2010 Cochrane review found that compared with placebo, men taking finasteride are at increased risk for impotence, erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, and ejaculation disorder for the first year of treatment; the rates of these effects became indistinguishable from placebo after 2–4 years and these side effects usually got better over time. Another 2010 review found that when used for hair loss finasteride increased rates of sexual problems. A 2016 review of 5α-reductase inhibitors for prostatic hyperplasia found that sexual dysfunction was 2.5 times more likely in those who used them. Another 2016 review, a meta-analysis found that sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, and reduced ejaculate, may occur in 3.4 to 15.8% of men treated with finasteride or dutasteride. This adverse effect has been linked to lower quality of life and can cause stress in relationships.[45] There is also an association with lowered sexual desire. It has been reported that in a subset of men, these adverse sexual side effects may persist even after discontinuation of finasteride or dutasteride.

The conclusion is that Finasteride causes short-term sexual dysfunction in some men and this for me raises a red flag.

My personal experience 

As I mentioned above, taking medication it's only an option as a really last resort.

But as the hair loss was progressing and following my doctor advice (see my post about consultation), I decided to give Finasteride a try.

I started taking Finpecia 1mg, a cheap Indian Finasteride generic tablet daily and after 6 months I could perfectly see that the hair loss had stopped and that actually there was some regrow. There were some peach fuzz little hairs sticking out in places where there was nothing before.

The worst part was about to come. After those 6 months I started having some of the side effects that are described above. Reduced libido, anxiety etc. As soon as I started having the first symptoms I stopped taking Finasteride immediately. The doctor that recommended Finasteride told me that those cases are extremely rare but after some research I got to the conclusion that actually were not that rare and could occur in about 15% of men.

I took those first symptoms serious and never took Finasteride again in my life.

It's true that those peach fuzz hairs are gonne but also my libido is back and that's how I plan to leave it.

I was taking Finasteride along with applying Minoxidil, which I kept doing until today, so it's hard to say if the hair loss stopping was due to Minoxidil or Finasteride or the combination of both but either way for me Finasteride is a no go due to the possible side effects.

Minoxidil

This post is dedicated to Minoxidil, that magic solution that nobody really knows how it works, but it does.

What is it?

Minoxidil was developed in the late 1950s by the Upjohn Company (later became part of Pfizer) to treat ulcers. In trials using dogs, the compound did not cure ulcers, but proved to be a powerful vasodilator.

How does it work?

The mechanism by which minoxidil promotes hair growth is not fully understood. Minoxidil is a potassium channel opener, causing hyperpolarization of cell membranes. Hypothetically, by widening blood vessels and opening potassium channels, it allows more oxygen, blood, and nutrients to the follicles. This may cause follicles in the telogen phase to shed, which are then replaced by thicker hairs in a new anagen phase.

It makes sense to me.

Minoxidil is available in different forms (foam and liquid), brands and concentrations (2%, 5% and 10%).

My experience 

During past years I have tried a lot of those different brands and concentrations.

In my particular case Minoxidil works regardless of brands or concentrations.

It's true that some brands seem to work better than others but it's hard to say because there are some times we lose more hair depending on the season, hair phase and stress.

Personally I buy the cheapest generic solution available at the closest pharmacy. Quite simple.

I have also tried the original Rogaine in liquid and foam and personally I didn't feel much of a difference.

Actually I think Rogaine it's not as good as the other generic products (Kirkland, etc) and it makes the hair greasier. Many other bloggers share the same opinion.

If we take into account that the first generic versions of Minoxidil are in the market since 1996, it's more than enough time to refine the product.

Regarding concentrations, the same, I have tried 2% and 5% and I can't tell the difference. At the moment I am using 2% as I have the impression I don't need more than that.

If the ´how it works´ explanation above is correct, by using a low concentration solution now, it gives me room to increase the concentration in the future if it's required.

Again, each case is a case and you will need to try different concentrations until you find the most appropriated for you.

Apparently there is also some debate on the how often and at what time of the day should one apply Minoxidil.

My personal experience tells me that if one applies it once a day is more than enough, regardless of the time of the day.

Side effects 

It's true that after a couple of weeks of start using Minoxidil I had the impression that my face was swollen but it might be only the hypochondriac side of me after reading the instructions.

I have been using Minoxidil for 8 years now and I don't feel any side effect besides greasy hair when using some brands.

1 year after FUE hair transplant

One year has already passed by since I had my FUE hair transplant procedure.

Here's a picture of the before and after the FUE transplant:

As you can see, I forehead is huge and the receding hairline was just making it worse. After the hair transplant I basically reduced the forehead in 2,5 cm in average along the hairline.

For a man, hair loss is absolutely terrifying and for me was not an exception. On my early 30s I have started having some hair loss and obviously I started my own research about hair loss on books, Internet and scientific papers.

There is a lot of information available on the topic, maybe too much, not all of it credible and also a lot contradictory information.

You will find bloggers recommending a specific product, scientific papers other products, internet articles explaining that nothing works.

Like many guys out there, I ended up confused, frustrated and getting bold.

In two things everybody seemed to agree, there are two group of root causes for alopecia:

Group 1-event based (infection, stress, poor diet, trauma, other diseases)

Group 2-pattern hair loss (genetics)

I am not a scientist and I am probably simplifying the topic too much but that is how I see it.

To be effective in this fight against alopecia we need to address both groups.

For the Group 1 the solution is obvious. It is the group where we have more control over. An healthy diet with exercise, no stress and smoke free should keep us away from this root cause.

Regarding the Group 2 the story is totally different. There is a lot of research going on and its a multi billion industry but in practical terms there is nothing solid. It involves genetics, hormones and other factors that are currently still extremely hard to control.

After over 50 years of research the only two approved drugs to fight hair loss are Minoxidil and Finasteride, which actually were not meant for. In both cases, the drug was being used to treat other medical conditions (ulcers) but as a side effect the scientists realized that there was some unexpected hair growth.

Up to this day, the mechanism by which minoxidil promotes hair growth is not fully understood.

If a multi-billion industry is not able to understand, how can I?

One thing was apparently proven: minoxidil and Finasteride work.

Okay, what do we know so far?

-Healthy lifestyle promotes healthy hair follicles

-Minoxidil works

-Finasteride works

It is also common sense that our bodies are all different and react to foods, supplements and drugs in a different way.

So, at this point, I needed to discover what was the right regimen for me.

I have spent 6 years trying several products and regimens to stop hair loss and I finally found a way to not only stop but actually regrow some hair.

I have tried several approaches, hair loss diets, hair supplements, Minoxidil solutions and Finasteride tablets.

I had periods where I had a regimen of hair loss diets, Minoxidil solutions and Finasteride at the same time, periods with only two of the methods or simply one at the time.

Hair loss diets and hair supplements resulted quite useless. Seeds and vitamin tablets might work but the impact is minimal. To my knowledge, to be able to see some positive results, a human would need to intake industrial quantities of zinc, biotin, iron, and vitamin c and d.

The next thing I have tried was Minoxidil.

In my particular case it worked. After a few weeks of using Minoxidil daily I notice significant less hair loss.

Normally I would see lot's of hairs on my pillow in the morning and after taking a shower but after start using Minoxidil that was not the case anymore.

During the next years I have tried several different brands (Kirkland, Rogaine, Regain, etc )and concentrations (2% and 5%)and personally I don't feel much of a difference.

I tried stopping using Minoxidil for some time but after only a couple of weeks the hair loss comes back so in my particular case, yes, Minoxidil is effective and I need it regardless of the concentration or brand.

My current regimen is basically just using a generic Minoxidil spray. Honestly, at the pharmacy, I normally ask for the cheapest 5% Minoxidil solution.

9 months after FUE hair transplant

9 months have passed since my FUE hair transplant.

Before I went through the procedure, one of my main concerns was if it would look natural.

In my particular case, I believe that Dr Lupanzula made an extraordinary work and my hairline looks absolutely natural.

During my first appointment with Dr Lupanzula we discussed the importance of having a natural hair density in the recipient hairline area.

My request as a client was obviously to recreate a really dense hairline but I was alerted to the fact that it wouldn't look natural in the long run.

As Dr Lupanzula told me, the best approach for hair restoration is to mimic the hair density of the rest of the scalp.

Honestly I couldn't be happier with the result.

The hairline restoration looks super natural and no one could ever tell that it happened.

The picture on the left was taken 1 day before the FUE hair transplant and the picture on the right 9 months after the FUE hair transplant.

It's very noticeable that besides a tanned skin, the hairline moved in average 2 cm, which considering my large head and the used 2000 grafts a pretty good result in my opinion.

6 months after FUE hair transplant

6 months have passed since my FUE hair transplant and 4 months since I resumed my Minoxidil regimen.

The new hairs are getting stronger day by day, there is an obvious overall evolution in terms of thickness of the new hair.

Since my last post I went a couple of times to the barber and each time the same concern, that the hair is handle carefully.

I am getting less and less paranoid with the situation but I still have some concern, which I think is perfectly normal.

The hairline restoration and the overall hair looks great and my confidence is high. The hair transplant was totally worth it.

Here are some pictures of before and 6 months after my FUE hair transplant.

6 months after FUE hair transplant front view

6 months after FUE hair transplant front view

6 months after FUE hair transplant side view

Before FUE hair transplant side view

3 months after FUE hair transplant

3 months have passed since my FUE hair transplant and 1 month since I resumed my Minoxidil regimen.

The hair looks thicker and fuller than 1 month ago, partially because of the Minoxidil, partially because the hair is longer and obviously makes it look fuller.

I have a big forehead and short hair doesn't really look that good on me, so I am pretty happy with having the hair longer again.

The new hairs are getting stronger day by day. There is an obvious evolution in terms of thickness on the new hair.

I went to the barber for the first time since the hair transplant. I was really scared of this moment because barbers have the tendency of pulling the wet hair while cutting so I warned the barber to go easy on it and only cut on the sides to make it even. So he did and everything went well.

I know I might sound a bit paranoid, specially after 3 months, but I really want to make sure I don't screw it up. At the end it was a huge investment in all senses. 

The most important is that I resumed my day to day routine without any type of limitation and I have regained my confidence back.

Looking forward to see the evolution during the incoming months.