Skin care. Aging. Wrinkles.

[Nyoco]

To follow up on previous post. That goes for any topical 5ARs. Some guys use creams and liquids with finasteride mixed in. While effective you dont want your family exposed to them even though the risk is low. Make sure you change your pillow case often and if your wife is pregnant dont let her touch any of your hair products that may have it.

Thank you Matsuo for pointing that out.

My wife is trying to get pregnant ( we first tried this past month and we are hoping still...). My protocol for keeping things away from her is to move all my hair products that have dutasteride or finasteride in them to our guest bathroom that isnt in use at the moment. I microneedle in there and make sure everything is clean. She is also a Dr so she is aware of 5ar inhibs and doesnt touch any of my stuff that may have it but id suggest anyone using 5ar inhibs to make sure your significant others or family members dont touch your products. You dont want your wife or child using ur hair spray that has duta in it obviously.

Hello GG, if you´re trying to get your wife pregnant I would suggest getting off the Dutasteride immediately due to the possible birth defects, I know you´re applying it topically but there might be a chance of it going systemic and I wouldn´t want to risk my child´s health.

Topical dutasteride with microneedling in treatment of male androgenetic alopecia | Request PDF

Request PDF | Topical dutasteride with microneedling in treatment of male androgenetic alopecia | Introduction: Male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss in men. It accounts for more than 90% of all cases of alopecia... | Find, read and cite all the research you need...

www.researchgate.net

"It is believed that systemic absorption after mesotherapy is equal to after oral DST because the scalp is highly vascular"

 

[Matsuo Munefusa]

GG, some good advice for you. Honestly man your attitude in the thread has been a little funny. It's not that many of us think we're "manly men" and won't push ourselves through ridiculous regimens for our appearance. Me personally, I don't have enough time. I am a father and I run a business that grosses over 150k. I devote my free time to training and helping my family. It just seems very selfish to me to be so concerned about your appearance.

Well, you'll see when you become a dad, what is important and what is completely irrelevant

 

[gotgame]

Hello GG, if you´re trying to get your wife pregnant I would suggest getting off the Dutasteride immediately due to the possible birth defects, I know you´re applying it topically but there might be a chance of it going systemic and I wouldn´t want to risk my child´s health.

Topical dutasteride with microneedling in treatment of male androgenetic alopecia | Request PDF

Request PDF | Topical dutasteride with microneedling in treatment of male androgenetic alopecia | Introduction: Male androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is the most common type of hair loss in men. It accounts for more than 90% of all cases of alopecia... | Find, read and cite all the research you need...

www.researchgate.net

"It is believed that systemic absorption after mesotherapy is equal to after oral DST because the scalp is highly vascular"

It is true that DHT/5 AR is needed during male sex organ development so if woman was exposed to significant levels during the critical period there is a risk of birth defects. They gave monkeys a high dose of finasteride and it resulted in birth defects which is while 5ars are a catagory x during pregnancy. That is why the box insert has to say that and why some physicians would recommend stopping

The very prudent move is for the male to stop all 5ARs before conception, throughout pregnancy and during breast feeding and then make sure no one is household is exposed after.

With that said, the amount of 5ar found in semen ( at max daily oral dose) is about 1/750th of the dose needed for birth defects and there has not been a case of accidental exposure either via the handling of pills or via semen which has resulted in a birth defect reported in the literature that im aware of.

With that said, i dont want to be a case report, so she and I are refraining from sex during the 5dht critical period which is about 5-9 week GA. The non steady state half life of duta is about 5ish days ( steady state is about 30-40 days).

If any guy is concerned about ther 5ar use and pregnancy id suggest stopping before even attempting to conceive. Oral dutasteride at a steady state would require you stopping about 4 months in advance

 

[gotgame]

GG, some good advice for you. Honestly man your attitude in the thread has been a little funny. It's not that many of us think we're "manly men" and won't push ourselves through ridiculous regimens for our appearance. Me personally, I don't have enough time. I am a father and I run a business that grosses over 150k. I devote my free time to training and helping my family. It just seems very selfish to me to be so concerned about your appearance.

Well, you'll see when you become a dad, what is important and what is completely irrelevant

I Completely understand.

In my opinion it doesnt take much time with the things i mentioned above. A few minutes a day for skin care ( retin a, face wash, moisturizer) and about 10 min a week for microneedling if doing it weekly. I spend more time on ProM a week then that lol.

As with anything in life one has to figure out what is most important. When i have a family they will ofcourse be my number one priority however i hope to still have time to go to the gym ( maybe ill make a home gym to save time).Some people may consider going to the gym and lifting ( and AAS) to change ones appearance as selfish ( few hours a week). Sure you could make the "health" arguement but many guys want to look muscular not just be fit/healthy. Some guys opt for the "dad bod" and say thats healthy enough. To each his own.

I think that if any hobby or anything not necessary takes away from the important things in life like family then one needs to reconsider what there priorities are.

As for me at the moment, I dont have children yet( possibly very soon...gf is late... ). I do work about 60 hours a week 6-7 days a week. When i have a family i hope to decrease that to about 50 hours a week. I still anticipate having a few minutes a day for skin care/ overall appearance though.

 

[aphextwin]

Have any of you guys ever had a TCA peel? You talk about helping you ski look radiant.

 

[muscle96ss]

GG, some good advice for you. Honestly man your attitude in the thread has been a little funny. It's not that many of us think we're "manly men" and won't push ourselves through ridiculous regimens for our appearance. Me personally, I don't have enough time. I am a father and I run a business that grosses over 150k. I devote my free time to training and helping my family. It just seems very selfish to me to be so concerned about your appearance.

Well, you'll see when you become a dad, what is important and what is completely irrelevant

Feeling good about oneself is essential for mental health. If something will improve how you feel and your mental health, you can easily find time to get it done if you are good with time management. It clearly isn't a priority for you as you stated(and I'm not sure why you are even in this thread considering so); but to judge what is a priority for someone else or call them selfish because you think differently is quite shallow.

 

[maldorf]

I Completely understand.

In my opinion it doesnt take much time with the things i mentioned above. A few minutes a day for skin care ( retin a, face wash, moisturizer) and about 10 min a week for microneedling if doing it weekly. I spend more time on ProM a week then that lol.

As with anything in life one has to figure out what is most important. When i have a family they will ofcourse be my number one priority however i hope to still have time to go to the gym ( maybe ill make a home gym to save time).Some people may consider going to the gym and lifting ( and AAS) to change ones appearance as selfish ( few hours a week). Sure you could make the "health" arguement but many guys want to look muscular not just be fit/healthy. Some guys opt for the "dad bod" and say thats healthy enough. To each his own.

I think that if any hobby or anything not necessary takes away from the important things in life like family then one needs to reconsider what there priorities are.

As for me at the moment, I dont have children yet( possibly very soon...gf is late... ). I do work about 60 hours a week 6-7 days a week. When i have a family i hope to decrease that to about 50 hours a week. I still anticipate having a few minutes a day for skin care/ overall appearance though.

Good pont. I bet if you asked your wife/girlfriend if she'd rather you drop some of your lifting and be home more or stop your face regime, she would choose for you to cut back on the gym.

People might look at me with my Porsche 911 and think I'm selfish. It doesn't cause us any trouble. Its all about what the family can handle.

 

[maldorf]

Gg, bit off topic, how does you're wife feel about your steroid use? She is a doctor too, wondering how that impacts things. My wife didn't like it, but tolerated it because it was my choice. She was even nice about things when I had my heart attack and didn't say "told you so".

 

[lcsulla]

I Completely understand.

In my opinion it doesnt take much time with the things i mentioned above. A few minutes a day for skin care ( retin a, face wash, moisturizer) and about 10 min a week for microneedling if doing it weekly. I spend more time on ProM a week then that lol.

As with anything in life one has to figure out what is most important. When i have a family they will ofcourse be my number one priority however i hope to still have time to go to the gym ( maybe ill make a home gym to save time).Some people may consider going to the gym and lifting ( and AAS) to change ones appearance as selfish ( few hours a week). Sure you could make the "health" arguement but many guys want to look muscular not just be fit/healthy. Some guys opt for the "dad bod" and say thats healthy enough. To each his own.

I think that if any hobby or anything not necessary takes away from the important things in life like family then one needs to reconsider what there priorities are.

As for me at the moment, I dont have children yet( possibly very soon...gf is late... ). I do work about 60 hours a week 6-7 days a week. When i have a family i hope to decrease that to about 50 hours a week. I still anticipate having a few minutes a day for skin care/ overall appearance though.

Any suggestions for dark under eyes? Would retin a work?

 

[gotgame]

Have any of you guys ever had a TCA peel? You talk about helping you ski look radiant.

I have not ever done that. I know a few guys who have and it certainly improved the appearance of there skin. Right now the retin a and exfoliation is working well for me.

 

[gotgame]

Gg, bit off topic, how does you're wife feel about your steroid use? She is a doctor too, wondering how that impacts things. My wife didn't like it, but tolerated it because it was my choice. She was even nice about things when I had my heart attack and didn't say "told you so".

Shes a cardiologist and anything i do or have done with regards to supplementation she is aware of and it doesnt bother her at all. She doesnt even say " oh is that healthy??" she just says ok. I share all my blood work, mri scans and ct scans with her and she knows i take health very seriously.

I am currently go to a TRT clinic and im on 200mg of test a week. Ive injected in front of her before and she has asked if i wanted her to do it for me.

She knows some of my buddies who are on legit AAS cycles and she doesnt lecture them as she knows they are being safe and she has done echos on a few of them upon there request.

She does NOT work out at all. She doesnt believe in doing exercise/gym..she would rather garden for hours, play with dogs at park, go for a bike ride, go hiking. We are certainly different in that regard but she is also very healthy and not overweight.

 

[gotgame]

Any suggestions for dark under eyes? Would retin a work?

Im not sure. It may help by increasing collagen content a bit. I used to have dark under my eyes and bad wrinkles. that gradually went away after fellowship when i started getting more sleep without having overnight call in combination with retin a and thick moisturizer but i dont know which one if any helped.

 

[aphextwin]

Shes a cardiologist and anything i do or have done with regards to supplementation she is aware of and it doesnt bother her at all. She doesnt even say " oh is that healthy??" she just says ok. I share all my blood work, mri scans and ct scans with her and she knows i take health very seriously.

I am currently go to a TRT clinic and im on 200mg of test a week. Ive injected in front of her before and she has asked if i wanted her to do it for me.

She knows some of my buddies who are on legit AAS cycles and she doesnt lecture them as she knows they are being safe and she has done echos on a few of them upon there request.

She does NOT work out at all. She doesnt believe in doing exercise/gym..she would rather garden for hours, play with dogs at park, go for a bike ride, go hiking. We are certainly different in that regard but she is also very healthy and not overweight.

You found a diamond. How did you fine the winning lottery ticket....lucky

 

[Reporich]

My Dermatologist told me the best bang for your buck to use Roc moisturizer. It’s not real cheap but it’s available at Costco! About $30.00 for two tubes and it really works!

 

[gotgame]

My Dermatologist told me the best bang for your buck to use Roc moisturizer. It’s not real cheap but it’s available at Costco! About $30.00 for two tubes and it really works!

Many of the Roc products have retinol. Retinol is certianly better then nothing with respect to wrinkles. Retinol being a vitamin A deriv is ofcourse fat soluble and is decent at getting through the top layer of skin the strat cor. and retinol can in itself bind to some receptors and work at boosting collagen ( i think it works mostly by messing with collagenase and preventing breakdown of collagen), many people believe that some of its primary benefits are that it gets converted into retinoic acid ( essentially retin a.) So in many ways retinol is like a "prohormone" but yes..it does bind to receptors even without converting over.

If you have the option id personally use retin A plus normal moisturizer if thats an option. If not then a retinol base is a good start.

 

[UsmcOldSchoolMuscle]

Thank your for sharing your experience as I learned a lot and now have further options to add to my repertoire.

Nothing wrong with taking care of ones skin and in fact I find it off-putting and quite ridiculous when a guy thinks himself "tanned and jacked" and yet his face looks like the skin of the woman from "There's something about Mary".

 

[greaser13]

I'd be curious to know what you use for microneedling. Is there a particular brand you recommend and does it irritate your scalp or face?

 

[gotgame]

I'd be curious to know what you use for microneedling. Is there a particular brand you recommend and does it irritate your scalp or face?

I use a Dr Pen A6 unit. I chose that one because it was wireless and not too expensive. It works well. I cant speak to other units and im sure there are many other brands that work equally well if not better.

I had been keeping an eye on microneedling research for the last 10 years or so. Theres a lot of fads and gimmiks in this sorta arena so i wanted good data before i tried it. There have been quite a few well done studies both relating to hair and to collagen done.

My reasons for doing it for my hair are two fold.

1. Signicantly increased penetration of topicals such as dutasteride and minox through the epidermis. Some may say ohh but you dont want the duta to go systemic! Relax.. its still a large molecule compared to finasteride and if some goes systemic then so be it....but by using duta with microneedling i believe you will a get more to do the target 5AR enzymes in the dermis then if you just took it orally or if you just applied it topically without microneedling.

2. The act of microneedling has shown to significantly increase vegf and wnt which are imporant for hair growth. There have been well done studies showing increase hair growth from microneedling alone without the application of topicals. It wont work for everyone but it certainly filled in my mid scalp and crown.

As for question as does it irritate my scalp or face. The answer is " a bit" but thats depth dependent. If you are going 0.5-.75mm then its gonna be slightly red for an hour or two but by the next morning it looks fine. If you go 1.5mm to break up scar tissue then it imagine it may be irritated for a day or two. My scalp is a bit sensitive to hot water the next morning after doing 1.5mm.

If you apply retin A during the face microneedling you can expect increase irritation.


The data has shown something like 4-500% collagen synthesis in the face for a few months after microneedling session among other good data. Look for yourself online at pics of people who used microneedling for scarring,wrinkles and discoloration. You do NOT need to be drawing blood to get results. You will see pics of some very aggressive people. I have drawn blood before on my scalp but that was when i was trying to go deeper to break up some scar tissue from cutis gyrata ( which worked).

Most guys will start seeing results on there faces after the first session but really seeing good results after 4-6 sessions and giving your body a chance to heal.

 

[Reno911]

My regimen:

When outside: always a 30 or higher SPF on face and bald head, hat, sunglasses (wrap style to cover crows feet, not aviators or wayfair style)
*the above is WAY underestimated area of importance by most people.

Botox/Dysport combo: every 6 months. Started botox 16 years ago and it used to last 1 year, then 9 months, now 6 months.

Halo Laser: 1x per year (spendy but makes a huge difference). https://sciton.com/physicians/halo/

Pre Bed: rotate EOD: topical Baxil (hyrolaunic acid) and 5% retinol eye cream

Vampire Facial: PRP micro needled in. (I've done this 3 times in the last 2 years)

Might be doing PRF in the future which is like PRP but uses the fibrins instead of the platelets.

 

[gotgame]

My regimen:

When outside: always a 30 or higher SPF on face and bald head, hat, sunglasses (wrap style to cover crows feet, not aviators or wayfair style)
*the above is WAY underestimated area of importance by most people.

Botox/Dysport combo: every 6 months. Started botox 16 years ago and it used to last 1 year, then 9 months, now 6 months.

Halo Laser: 1x per year (spendy but makes a huge difference). https://sciton.com/physicians/halo/

Pre Bed: rotate EOD: topical Baxil (hyrolaunic acid) and 5% retinol eye cream

Vampire Facial: PRP micro needled in. (I've done this 3 times in the last 2 years)

Might be doing PRF in the future which is like PRP but uses the fibrins instead of the platelets.

The topical baxyl works well for u? I hadnt thought of using that. Ill have to look into that and see what they use in that specifically. It may be a larger molecule than most topicals but id be interested in hearing your feedback.