Thehairupthere

Welcome to the forum. It appears that you are experiencing some thinning throughout the top of your head, appearing like an early 5A. With the medication you're using that should stabilize that loss and should keep much of that native hair. As expected the hairline has receded even with the medication but from the photo I see here, which is not a great angle to see the entire area you want worked on I'd say you would need around 2000-2500 grafts. If you can add additional photos of the hairline and temples that would make it easier to determine how many grafts you need. You should see a doctor in person though to get a better evaluation that way they can inspect your donor supply as well as really see the area being worked on. Dr. Feller is highly recommended.

I don't believe these shampoos are very beneficial for you, but something like propecia should help keep as much native hair as possible, just like rogaine, but I have seen better results with propecia as opposed to rogaine. Again, both the medications in most cases do not work in the temple region, but they should help you stop any further loss, but with that being said, some people continue to see their hairlines recede as the medication works best on top and the crown as opposed to the frontal 1/3 of your head.

Your hair can thin early on so I wouldn't be alarmed, but again for the area that you're applying it, the chances of you actually seeing growth are very unlikely. Using Nizoral wouldn't hurt, but if you're experiencing a lot of itching and redness on the area you’re applying the medication, I would suggest stopping the Rogaine because it may be irritating your scalp and that's not a good thing if it's persistent. You should apply Rogaine foam when your hair is dry, not wet. It's ok to only use it once a day, the chances are greater for seeing regrowth if you use it twice daily.

Welcome to the forum. Judging from your photos it seems like you have quite thick hair in the frontal third of your head. The temple regions are not likely to return with the use of minoxidil or finasteride. Those medications tend to work for the top and back of your head, but still can positively effect the hairline, but it's rare. The shedding you're experiencing is common with the use of minoxidil and finasteride it's a temporary loss that should come back, it tends to happen between 2-4 months of usage and will improve closer to 6 months. If you want to restore your temple regions the only way would be to have a transplant, but with that being said, I don't believe you're a candidate at least from these photos because your hair seems quite good and moving the hairline and temples lower may not be appropriate. If you are noticing thinning throughout the top of your head, I would suggest using the minoxidil on top as well, not only on the temples as that's the area that you should see an improvement and stunt any further hair loss.

Absolutely. You usually see people only do the frontal region because they do not have enough donor to effectively cover that area, but there are others who have enough donor to cover the crown as well as the front. Replenishing the crown requires many grafts and sometimes people must use their donor hairs efficiently and sometimes that means only working on the frontal and top rather than the crown.

Many doctors use two sets of sutures one internal, which is a self dissolving stitch and an external one which is a normal stitch (some also use staples). Only using dissolving stitches can certainly cause the scar to stretch.

Your doctor should be taking the donor from the exact same scar line that he gave you originally rather than a new scar entirely; If the scar was thicker than normal, he may take the entire scar out and redo it and perhaps you should take some more precautions this time around such as no exercise or strenuous activities for at least 2 weeks.

Yes you are safe to go at this point usually for the first 4 weeks you need to be careful not to get sunburned on the recipient area. I would still urge you to apply protective lotion to the areas that were worked on just to be safe.

If you're itchy you should use benadryl, but talk to you doctor first.

You can fly the next day.

Welcome. From the photo you put up I'm not sure you should consider transplantation at this stage. It seems that you have thinning through the middle of your head being a norwood 4A possibly a future 5A, but I believe you would experience a lot of shocking from a procedure. I would recommend starting on medication such as finasteride and minoxidil which can help regrow dormant/miniaturized hairs and stop any further hair loss. Do that consistently for one year and then reevaluate your status, before considering surgery.

Seth,

Welcome to the forum. Based on the photos I see that you are going toward a very high norwood stage possibly a 7 and it seems at the very least a 6. You seem to be thinning at the sides as well, which can limit the amount of donor hair you can use. You should take this one step at a time, and the first step in your case should be to use medication such as rogaine foam or propecia or both in conjuction to help stop any further hair loss and also giving yourself the chance of regrowing dormant/miniaturized hairs. You should use these medications for at least 1 year and then reevaluate with a recommended surgeon from this site to determine the next steps. If the medication stops further hairloss, you could do a procedure but it will most likely need to be on the conservative side because of possibility of losing additional hair behind the transplanted hairs, and the overall number of grafts you have available to use (which again I think is on the below average side). Definitely consult with a recommended surgeon about this, and try the meds first before any surgical options.

Nothing to worry about they will grow normally, sometimes grafts just start growing right off the bat, most people only have a little bit if at all, but again you have nothing to worry about.

Probably best to use preventative medication such as minoxidil and finasteride for one year first to see if your hair loss has stabilized and then reevaluate with a recommended surgeon.

Having the procedure without propecia is fine, but it is certainly recommended to use rogaine (minoxidil) to help keep as much native hair as possible. Since you had the side effects with propecia you shouldn't consider using it again, but rogaine is a safe topical foam that is a DHT inhibiter just like propecia but without those potential side effects. That medication will most likely not help the hairline but it works very well on top and the crown of your head. It should help you stop further hair loss and can regrow dormant hair. It usually takes at least 6 months to notice any difference so you do need to be consistent about it and use it daily. Without using medication you still can have the procedure but you will most likely go on to lose much more native hair and your surgeon will have to take that into account when designing your hairline, because he will have to be slightly more conservative to accommodate the anticipated hair loss in the future.

The transplanted hairs are permanent so they will not fall out in 5-10 years. You may go on to lose native hair as you age, that's why you see people going for more procedures to fill in those gaps, but medications such as propecia and rogaine can drastically limit the amount you actually need to replenish.

I'm not sure what formula of minoxidil he gave you, but if it's the normal 5% kind, you can simply switch to rogaine foam which dries very quickly and doesn't leave your hair greasy. Switching shouldn't cause any issues, as it's the same medication.

The scar is technically in the shape of a smiley face, but you won't see it if you keep your hair long enough. Usually 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch of hair length does the trick and unless the scar heals poorly it should not be noticeable with a #4 or #5 on a clipper.

A 4 or 5 on a clipper will hide your scar well, I don't suggest going lower than a 3. I would wait to use a clipper for the first few months after surgery though because the scar hasn't healed yet and the clipper may still show the scar at that point. Tell your barber to use scissors and around 5 months is when you can start using the clippers again.

I'm not sure but again they would tell you over the phone or email.

I would suggest speaking to your doctor first about the side effects. A lot of times using half a dosage a day or 0.5 milligrams can still stabilize your hair loss (but unlikely to regrow anything), but the chances of having the side effects diminish significantly. It's better to take half a dosage daily then skipping days. If it still persists after that, I would stop and only use rogaine foam.

It depends on the doctor you choose, some shave others do not. When you are making an appointment ask them what they typically do.

Yes it's possible to do it, but you should consult with a doctor to see what you should expect. More than one treatment will most likely be needed as you're transplanting on completely bare region. 24 years old is young but it can be done in certain situations. If you are not experiencing any natural hair loss anywhere on your head and you just have a high hairline than it shouldn't be much of an issue, but the design should still be somewhat conservative just in case you go on to lose more hair in the future. The success rate is just as high as any other procedure transplanting hairs, it just depends on which method you choose FUT or FUE where the total yield differs.

And, yeah, don't bother with propecia - it's not worth it in your case.

 

All the best.

I couldn't disagree more. You clearly still have hair on top of your head as well as a lot of miniaturized hairs. Propecia can save most of it, and possibly regrow some dormant hair. Also the area above the donor area where it's starting to thin can also be improved with the medication. Dr. True and Dr. Dorin will speak to you about that.

If you're experiencing the side effects then don't use it, you can use minoxidil (rogaine foam)instead. Also if you were to start either of those medications you should expect to see increased shedding between 2-4 months, which is temporary so don't be alarmed when that happens, it will come back and become healthier.