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.
