10 months on Fin, 5 months on minox 10%

There is not much more you can do except wait for the medications to do their job. It takes a very long time to treat hair loss. This first year you are basically only finding out if you can arrest your hair loss. It takes longer before you will know if you can reverse any of it.

Stress can make hair loss worse. Stressing out over your hair loss can make your hair fall out.

I question the 10% Minoxidil. Here in the U.S., the strongest formulation available through legitimate channels is 5%. So when I see people stating they are using a formula greater than 5% I tend to be suspicious of the formula they are using. More isn't always better. Sometims "more" can do more harm than good.

I've seen a few companies make the 15% version of minoxidil and it has been getting good reviews, although I am not sure if it is truly more effective than 5%.

The recommendation for minoxidil is to use it 2x daily, so using it once per day might not being making its effect. So I would increase the usage if I were you.

Also, finasteride does not work for everyone sadly and you might be the unlucky 10% or so that it doesn't arrest hair loss. It is also possible that your hair loss might be attributable to something other than male pattern balding, which you should go to a physician and get a health/physical check up to make sure everything is ok.

You should have noticed some form of improvement over the 10 month course of using finasteride especially at the 6 month mark, as most studies have shown significant improvements by that point. It is possible that the product you are using might be faulty, although since you have gotten from a physician, it might be something else.

You could use TOPIK hair fibers to cover up your balding spots if it is becoming extremely self-conscious out in the public. I have seen some amazing results from before/after pictures of people who apply it correctly. The difference is almost night and day of movie stars wearing make up or not.

Hopefully your new prescription will give you results.

Best Wishes

Thanks a lot and I hope that the new brand would prove effective.

There is another issue that has been bugging me for quite a while. In few months time I will be travelling to US to pursue my Masters. I will not be able to afford the doctor consultation charges or the medicines in the US. However, the same medication (Finasteride and Minox ) is available for a very affordable price for me in India. So please suggest me on the options

-- can I carry with me, atleast a 6 months supply while coming into the US.
-- or is it better to get it mailed from India through a courier service like DHL.

This might not be right forum for posting this question, but I have read a few forum posts with people posting pictures of their meds like Finapecia imported from india.. So any one with experience of getting them mailed from India or carrying them while entering the US, Please chime in ..

From my own experience I can tell you Minox 15% is most likely a scam. It was the biggest mistake for me to switch from regular KNOWN brands like Kirkland and Rogaine to some garbage "Dualgen 15%" that you will find on ebay. That mistake cost me more than 30% of my hair in a few months. Even Dr.Lee's 15% Minox was just as crappy for me. You're paying 10 times the price for something that's not proven to be of any benefit -over the regular 5%- or might be some garbage formula that doesn't even seem to contain Minoxidil. Stick to Kirkland's or Rogaine/Regaine.

Depends on airline restrictions - so I would just call your airline and ask them what the security parameters are for bringing drugs over state.

Most schools in the US require you to get some form of insurance, either through the school or through a private company, so you would most likely be covered for the testing. However, that does not mean the insurance will cover the prescription.

Best bet would be to just have somebody you know send the medicine over, as it will probably be vastly cheaper imo.

I usually base my opinions on reviews as consumer reviews are the closest thing we have aside from clinical studies of an unbiased perspective. The link is to a 15% minoxidil solution with retinol and DHT blocker formula by Perfect image solutions. Once again, I have no clue if this product is better than 5% but a quite a bit of the reviewers said they switched to this product after not having success with the 5% version and got results. Whether they are companies reviews to ramp up sales, I do not know. But the price factor is pretty ridiculous, at the same amount of 5% minoxidil I currently use, it would cost me 3-4x more than the kirkland brand - extremely costly.

Sadly I am not seeing an improvement in my hair thickness..instead it got thinner in the front and the top especially in the past three months.. Washing hair is a chore.. each time i run my fingers when I am washing it, about 5 hair comes off.
I am not able to evaluate if I am really loosing so much hair. I heard people saying that loosing 100-200 hair per day is normal. What I am seeing while I shower is about the same.. But then, the hair thats is growing back is not thick enough as the hair that's coming off.. I see thick shafts stuck to my fingers when I shower and this is killing me each day. Should I wash it less?

5 hair from washing your hair is nothing! I still lose probably around 20-30 hair from showering and am still seeing improvements from taking the meds.

I think what you need to realize is that losing your hair is not the end of your life. If you notice many doctors, they are fine with how bald they look! It's really a sort of confidence that you only attain by making other parts of your life better.

I would definitely got a physical for a 2nd opinion once you get inside the states to double check if the cause of your balding is MPH. I'm starting to get skeptical if you have not seen improvements after that many months of treatment.

Good Luck!

How many weeks does the 15% Minoxidil last?

Thanks Bromin

By 5 hair I mean I loose 5 hair each time I run my fingers no matter how many times I do it during my shower.. So it's alarming.. If I start to count the actual number of hair I loose after each shower, I will probably go mad.I sometimes wonder how my hair still looks ok when it's dry and it kills me to come to terms with the fact that it's not going to last long and not going to look the same in a couple of months.

I will probably go for a medical check up here in the coming weeks but since I take vitamin supplements everyday, I doubt if there is a deficiency in that area.I am trying hard to keep my stress levels low by having short haircut and currently using a styling product that keeps my hair from being a mess when I go outside. One day it looks ok and the other day I see that I am clearly loosing ground.. Everyday is war

Howardroarke, if you want to try Minoxidil I suggest you buy a small amount first! Don't buy it in bulk yet. You may or may not suffer from side effects like fatigue or nausea which would not exactly improve the quality of your life.

Never mind that. Misread OP

Should I keep using Minixodil in the front?

I have been using Minoxidil in the frontal part too and especially in the frontal portion of side part where I felt I was loosing more hair.. But I have been noticing that the hair in that area where I have been applying more liquid has thinned a lot and lost density in the past month to the point that I can count the number of hair there..

Is it better to stop using Minoxidil in the hairline and use it only in the crown , mid and frontal scalp where it is known to show results? Any one who had similar experience with frontal thinning due to minox usage and later regrown a better quality hair? Please drop in your comments..

Had a short haircut and it looks awful

Got my hair shortened after a long time and as expected, it looks horrible. My corners have receeded like hell. I can only hope that the minox has done this to grow back thicker hair. if not, I am screwed. Close crop will be my only option in a few months and I think I don't have the head for it
Please tell me if it's better to stop using minox on hairline and use it only on my mid scalp and crown. Or should I wait to see if it grows thicker hair? It has been 5 months since I started using minoxidil...