A method was created in 2005 to identify minoxidil, a hair growth ingredient, in products using two types of capillary zone electrophoresis, and it found that most products had about 2% minoxidil.
Dutasteride's half-life varies with dosage, and lower doses can be effective with fewer side effects compared to finasteride. Some users report different side effects with dutasteride and finasteride, and extreme dosages of dutasteride are unnecessary and potentially harmful.
The conversation is about someone considering a hair transplant due to ineffective hair loss treatments, with suggestions ranging from trying a hairpiece to continuing with medications like finasteride and minoxidil, and waiting for new treatments. Some advise against a transplant due to the extent of hair loss and the cost, while others share different views on the effectiveness of transplants and non-surgical options.
A user in France is frustrated because three dermatologists refused to prescribe finasteride for their hair loss, suggesting it's not androgenetic alopecia (AGA) and offering expensive vitamin treatments instead. Other users suggest buying hair loss treatments like minoxidil and finasteride from various online pharmacies and considering a gender-affirming care physician for more understanding treatment options.
The conversation discusses the use of dutasteride and finasteride for hair loss, with a focus on starting with low doses of dutasteride to match the DHT suppression of finasteride. It highlights the longer half-life and potential side effects of dutasteride, as well as the preference for finasteride due to its availability and research backing.
Scalp biopsies are crucial for diagnosing hair loss conditions like Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia (DUPA) and retrograde hair loss, as treatments like finasteride and dutasteride may not be effective if other conditions are present. Combining PPAR-GAMMA agonists with retinoids could improve treatments for conditions like Lichen Planopilaris.