Topical Finasteride verses Oral Minixidil

[Kevboy]

If you had a choice which one would you prefer to use out of topical finasteride and oral minoxidil? What benefits does one have over the other?

 

[Bigmac]

I would choose the topical, the newer versions that contain both minoxidil and finasteride. Getting the best of both with one application. Are you thinking of switching from the oral Finasteride or adding something extra to your regimen?

 

[Kevboy]

Will do a bit more researching on both. I think my hair is holding its own but not much with regrowth so was thinking of adding something or changing if it was a better option.

 

[don1966]

Where can you purchase topical fin With minoxidil in it in the UK?

 

[Bigmac]

Hi Don.
It can be purchased from here.

Topical Finasteride: Finasteride & Minoxidil 6% Solution SEM | hims

Topical Finasteride: Finasteride & Minoxidil 6% Solution SEM

www.forhims.com

 

[don1966]

Thanks Bigmac.

 

[don1966]

Bigmac I was just wondering if you could add the topical fin/minoxidil and also take oral fin small dose or would that be to much?
My crown seems to thinner than it was even the transplanted hair seem to be thinning.I don’t know if it’s a seasonal shed or what but it’s a bit concerning.

 

[Bigmac]

It could be a shed. Transplanted hair can thin over time. I know others who take a mixture of meds but I’d suggest asking Dr Farjo for his medical opinion.

 

[don1966]

Thanks Bigmac I’m going to phone them on Monday.

 

[Bigmac]

Sounds good. I don’t think there’ll be any issues.

 

[don1966]

I’ll let you know thanks again.

 

[Kevboy]

Did you start using it? @don1966

 

[don1966]

Hi Kevboy no I haven’t purchased it yet still deciding on it to be honest,just sticking to oral Fin an minoxidil foam.

 

[Kevboy]

Sound like me, not sure which way to go and sticking to fin right now. Does the foam case any skin irritation for you?

 

[don1966]

No I’ve had no issues with the foam at all,I like it actually it’s like a styling aid for me.I’ve used it for about 10 years now.

 

[lightmare]

Hi Kevboy - first I'd say that I agree with Bigmac, in theory a 2-in-1 would be super convenient, and might be worth a try if you aren't sure you'd get skin irritation from it.

I haven't tried that yet since most topicals I've tried give me bad skin irritation. Instead I have been on oral minoxidil 2.5mg daily in the morning for 2 months now. I also use lipogaine (thanks to you and Bigmac for the pointer!) at night since 4 months ago and it is easy on my skin. Using a less irritant minoxidil mixture + an oral minoxidil should (hopefully) give me a good combination of maintanance/regrowth and no skin irritation. I also take oral finasteride daily. Still too early to assess results but fingers are crossed.

As far as a choice between topical finasteride vs oral minoxidil, there's no need to pick between one or the other. Topicals vs orals have different side effect profiles and everyone's physiology is different, so you might need to experiment if you're having side effects of some kind on either a topical or an oral drug.

One thing though is that the molecular weight of topical finasteride is ~380 I think which mean it can still go systemic, just in smaller concentrations, so you can still get sides from it but the likelihood should be reduced.

 

[lightmare]

The other thing for me personally is that I have so much miniaturization all over my scalp that it really takes a lot of topical to cover such a large area, so I use up topical solutions pretty quickly. The oral drug should in theory reach every one of my hairs (even where I can't see the miniaturization happening yet) so that is another advantage the oral drugs have. The flip side is that they can have significant (but almost always reversible) side effects.

 

[Kevboy]

I have read other people saying they got sides from the topicals but too a lesser degree. I guess we do not know until we try it. Has there been a drug that people take to offset or treat the sides?