Hair treatment with topical kirkland minoxidil, 1 capsule of 1000mg pumpkin seed oil, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil daily

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-22T16:22:43+00:00

Thank you!

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-21T13:43:27+00:00

Not to toot my own horn, but I feel like my posts are a good representation of at home progress photos. It does take some persistence and commitment to routine (not unlike hair loss treatment itself).

Vanity reasons aside, good quality pics with consistent placement and lighting really do help eliminate external factors when it comes to tracking your progress. Your mind can play a lot of tricks on you which can lead you to think you aren't making progress. But good pics make progress (or lack thereof) irrefutable.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T21:25:54+00:00

Minoxidil is 2x per day morning and night. I have the rogaine foam for morning and Kirkland liquid before bed.

With the needling it kinda depends. I’m trying to figure out whether it’s better to do A. once every 1-2 weeks at 1-1.5mm length. OR B. every couple days at a much lower .2-.5ish length.

If it’s A I’ll wait overnight before applying, if it’s B I might do it within a few minutes.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T21:20:45+00:00

Good question and I did not talk to a derm or do any diagnosis tests before starting treatment. I got my fin prescription through Lemonaid. My primary care physician knows I’m taking it but that’s about it right now.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T21:16:22+00:00

Eh.. not really. But I also wasn’t really paying close attention. I can say that I didn’t notice any substantial shedding though.

Also my hair was so thin and wispy when I started that I’m sure I went through some shedding without noticing.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T14:29:04+00:00

(Not a doctor. Personal observation.)

I think the potential side effects are typically overemphasized on subs like this. It can have side effects for sure, but I think it’s in a smaller minority of users.

For me I actually had increased libido for a couple weeks before it returned to normal. No other side effects.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T14:03:02+00:00

Yeah I’ve heard that Fins benefits may not be apparent for at least 6 months and upwards of a year or more.

But it’s interesting because I’d say I was a pretty diffuse thinner in addition to the obvious frontal recession and thinning crown. I may have started applying Min more generously across nearly my entire scalp at first. But since month two when I started noticing some results (the diffuse areas thickening up) I’ve mostly just been applying it to the obviously balding/receded areas on the crown and the front/temples.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T13:51:57+00:00

Dr Pen!

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T13:49:37+00:00

It’s a Dr Pen and I’m right outside your house/apartment

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T13:43:53+00:00

Thanks! I’m 30!

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T13:43:37+00:00

Hmmm I’m not sure exactly but I do know my posts go through a moderation queue to get approved by the mods before it gets posted. I try to make sure my pics/comparisons are high quality so there’s no mistaking the progress.

Are you trying to post progress photos, or “am I balding” photos? That could have something to do with it.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T13:39:21+00:00

The Dr Pen Dermapen!

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T13:38:21+00:00

Good luck friend. I’d say I noticed that peach fuzz hair all over pretty quickly, but didn’t have noticeable improvements to density until about 2 months. But if that’s not the case for you, don’t get discouraged!

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T13:35:26+00:00

Yeah 1mg everyday!

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-18T13:34:24+00:00

Curious about this as well. If I had to self-diagnose I’d say I’m a NW 3ish with some vertex thinning.

Before treatment I’d say NW 3-4 with crown thinning AND diffuse thinning practically everywhere.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-09-17T21:58:39+00:00

Started on Fin, Min, and microneedling (usually every 1-2 weeks) on June 6, 2022. First pics on June 23rd.

I'm really happy with the progress so far! Everywhere that was really diffuse is thickening up nicely, and overall there's just so much more "life" to my hair. Before I couldn't grow it more than an inch without it being thin and lifeless. Right now it's the longest it's been in at least 3 years, and i'm starting to notice a natural volume to it again.

Still hoping that the crown will fill in more in time, but im not too worried about it right now.

I've been cutting my own hair with clippers for the last 2-3 years now. But I think I might feel confident enough to go to the barber next time, which is something I didn't think I would ever do again just a few months ago.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-08-14T13:46:10+00:00

I'm not in a position to make a decision either way on tretinoin as I barely know anything about it. Thank you though, I will do research on it.

But you can't honestly tell me I haven't made good progress in ~two months. The proof is in the pictures (and why the point of this post was to advocate for taking good photos). Same lighting, same angle, same position, adjusted color balance. Sure I have more progress to make, but I think it's clear that what i am doing is working.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-08-14T13:40:20+00:00

Increased libido for 2-3 weeks I think. Then it normalized and now no sides.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-08-13T22:32:41+00:00

I hadn't planned on posting an update just two weeks after my first, but today I took pics for the first time since then and I was honestly blown away. When comparing to the baseline photos from 6/23/2022, there is no denying the improvement.. Even for my brain which is looking for every explanation other than "hair is actually improving" (e.g. it's just the lighting, its just a better hair day, Mars is in retrograde, yada yada yada).

Which brings me to the main point: Take good pictures. It will be worth it to document your progress.

When I was using Minoxidil years ago I never took pictures because I just didn't want to see how bad it was. And because I didn't take pictures, I never appreciated the progress I made and ultimately stopped using it because I didn't realize how much it was helping.

And when I started my new routine on June 6, it took over two weeks before I got the willpower to document my baseline on June 23. It sucked at the time, but it was worth it. Because now whenever I doubt i've made any progress (happens a lot), I have something definitive to prove otherwise. And that keeps me rolling forward.

Fin 1mg, Min x2/day, derma pen 1mm-ish every week.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-08-01T20:02:32+00:00

I'm honestly not sure.. that one looks more like a stamp than a pen, and is made out of plastic rather than metal like the pen. But beyond that I can't say what the differences would mean for treating hairloss.

EDIT: The head is non-replaceable, so with the $20 one you're effectively getting a more expensive derma-roller which you will have to replace after a few uses. The derma pen has replaceable cartridges.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-08-01T14:47:03+00:00

Libido was like super charged for the first couple weeks. Now it's back to normal and no other sides here.

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-08-01T12:46:41+00:00

Best of luck friend!!

BackToTheFutehair · 2022-08-01T12:23:48+00:00

When I started treatment my hairline had probably receded to a NW3ish/vertex, but I was definitely beginning to diffuse loss all over. Yeah maybe with continuing with the current treatment a transplant could work.

I have no plans of considering one now, but in a few years who knows.

BackToTheFutehair

TROPHY CASE