u/HopFrog8

Hello everybody,

It has now been one year and two months since I began following a protocol based on topical minoxidil 5% (Biorga) applied once daily and a 1 mg finasteride tablet (Biorga) taken every day.

The three pictures attached document my progression: the first was taken before starting the treatment, the second at the six-month mark, and the third at fourteen months.

I have been remarkably consistent with both medications. The only minor deviation concerns minoxidil: while I typically apply it at 10 PM, there are evenings when I do so closer to midnight or, on rare occasions, around 1 AM. Nonetheless, not a single application has been skipped.

The results have genuinely changed how I feel about my appearance. Hair compliments from women have become a rather pleasant and recurring occurrence: something I would not have imagined a little over a year ago.

I will admit that starting finasteride required some courage. The prospect of side effects was daunting, but my crown had thinned to the point where I was beginning to resemble a tonsured monk, and that ultimately tipped the scales. I decided to proceed under medical supervision and monitor my health closely. During the first three days I experienced zero libido, unusual bursts of energy, and consistently woke at 4 AM, a strange and unsettling stretch. After that brief adjustment period, however, everything normalized entirely. Since then, I have not experienced any adverse effects from finasteride. If anything, I say this as someone who trains in weightlifting, I have noticed a modest but appreciable improvement in muscle mass and leanness: gaining muscle has become noticeably easier, while fat accumulation seems almost nonexistent regardless of my caloric intake.

The one side effect I could genuinely do without is the hypertrichosis induced by minoxidil. Facial hair has increased across the board, and the same applies to arms, back, and chest: not exactly the aesthetic direction I was aiming for.

One aspect worth mentioning for anyone considering this protocol is the shedding phenomenon. I experienced two distinct phases of accelerated hair loss: the first around the second month, the second around the eleventh. Both were quite intense, intense enough, in fact, to make me genuinely question whether the treatment had stopped working altogether. I very nearly lost hope on the last occasion. In hindsight, these episodes were simply part of the process, and pushing through them turned out to be the right call.

Crown

Temples

All things considered, I am very satisfied with the outcome and more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the protocol.