Hi. I read some threads in this site but could not get appropriate information for me because my situation is quite different from ordinary male pattern baldness patients. My sexual identity is quite androgynous and that means that while alopecia is really terrible thing for me, the feminizing effect and sexual sides of hormonal treatments are relatively less threatening to me. Of course, I don't want to get sides and I will stay with ordinary medications while they are enough to hold my hairs. I'm in about NW2 and started dutasteride and minoxidil recently. I'll wait for the results and I think the lost areas can be covered by hair transplant. However, if I lose far more hairs than now, I think some radical approach will be needed.
The point is, I want to know the medication that brings the least sides among the medications that are powerful enough to suppress hair loss. I know that any such medication will bring some nasty side effects. However, gyno, the most terrible side of hormonal changes seems to be avoided by breast surgery. If I remove most of my mammary glands, gyno is unlikely to occur. Feminizing effect and sexual sides are not good but better than alopecia. There can be other sides but I think if I plan appropriately and receive doctor's help, it'll be possible to avoid really terrible ones.
My questions are:
1. Is topical spironolactone not effective enough even with large doses?
2. Alfatradiol seems to be used only in very low concentration(0.025%, in Ell-cranell). Is there no way to use it in large amount? Is it not likely to be helpful?
3. Is there anything topically applied and powerful enough? What about topical progesterone or estrogen? I mean I'll use them in large doses. I want to know about topical ones first because they may minimize the sides that I have to endure.
4. If there's no topical one that is powerful enough, I have to think about oral spironolactone and estrogen. If I reduce 20~40% of my androgen by spironolactone and replace that amount with estrogen, will it be quite effective? I think I will not continually do this kind of thing, but do this occasionally for 2~3 months each time.
Of course if I do this kind of things, I will talk with a doctor about the effects of hormonal changes. However, I think it will be hard to know whether each medication will be effective on hair or not. That's the reason why I post this thread.
The point is, I want to know the medication that brings the least sides among the medications that are powerful enough to suppress hair loss. I know that any such medication will bring some nasty side effects. However, gyno, the most terrible side of hormonal changes seems to be avoided by breast surgery. If I remove most of my mammary glands, gyno is unlikely to occur. Feminizing effect and sexual sides are not good but better than alopecia. There can be other sides but I think if I plan appropriately and receive doctor's help, it'll be possible to avoid really terrible ones.
My questions are:
1. Is topical spironolactone not effective enough even with large doses?
2. Alfatradiol seems to be used only in very low concentration(0.025%, in Ell-cranell). Is there no way to use it in large amount? Is it not likely to be helpful?
3. Is there anything topically applied and powerful enough? What about topical progesterone or estrogen? I mean I'll use them in large doses. I want to know about topical ones first because they may minimize the sides that I have to endure.
4. If there's no topical one that is powerful enough, I have to think about oral spironolactone and estrogen. If I reduce 20~40% of my androgen by spironolactone and replace that amount with estrogen, will it be quite effective? I think I will not continually do this kind of thing, but do this occasionally for 2~3 months each time.
Of course if I do this kind of things, I will talk with a doctor about the effects of hormonal changes. However, I think it will be hard to know whether each medication will be effective on hair or not. That's the reason why I post this thread.
