Thehairupthere

If you haven't started already, you should consider using propecia and rogaine to stop any further loss, and you may be able to regrow some miniaturized hairs. 3000 grafts would make a significant change in your appearance and it should be able to cover most of the top area but not sure if it will cover the crown. You may want to go in for an additional treatment after one year to add extra density, but you will see a huge difference in your appearance from the initial treatment. Depending on your donor and skin quality you may be able to do more than 3000 grafts in the first treatment, but you should consult with a surgeon on these matters, preferably in a face to face consultation.

If you experience shock loss, they should come back after 4 months if they were healthy before the transplantation procedure. If they were already miniaturized or unhealthy then they may not come back, but the surgeon would more than compensate for that loss with the new transplanted hair.

It's not necessary to shave the recipient area, it depends on the surgeons' preference, but many do not shave. It won't cause you to lose any grafts.

When you have the 2nd transplant you will appear thinner at first because when the doctor makes his incisions he's basically giving you a hair cut so you will look thinner, but that hair will regrow back. If you still have native hair in the area you are transplanting then yes you can shock those out again. The amount of time doesn't make a difference in that sense, the reason doctors ask you to wait at least one year between procedures is because they want your scar and scalp to heal properly, but it won't make a difference with the shocking.

Minoxidil shouldn't damage your hairline, what you may be experiencing is the initial shedding phase from the finasteride and minoxidil which usually occurs in the first 3 months, but regrows a few months later. Also like we said the hairline could simply be receding as the medication doesn't work in the hairline region. Some people do see hairs regrow in the hairline, but it's quite rare compared to those who see stabilization or regrowth on the top of your head and crown. The vitamins certainly can help, they are not equal in terms of success as minoxidil and finasteride, but biotin and saw palmetto are good supplements to try, but if you are using both minoxidil and finasteride I don't believe you will see a noticeable difference in your appearance. The shampoo you are using is probably fine, I would suggest getting something that does not have alcohol in it, but something natural so it's less harsh, and won't dry out your scalp. Nizoral shampoo is ok to use, but again if you are using finasteride and minoxidil I don't believe you'll see much of a difference with the shampoo, but it couldn't hurt.

Do you not like the way it looks because you are using the liquid solution for minoxidil? If so you can buy rogaine foam which dries within a few minutes and has been seen to work better than the regular minoxidil (rogaine) formula. You should use it consistently at least once a day but twice is obviously better.

You did the right thing by starting finasteride, but 6 months is really the minimum time before you start to see any difference. It usually takes at least 6 months for you to see a noticeable change in the amount of thinning, and about 1 year before you would notice hair regrowth. So do not stop using it, and adding the minoxidil will only help more. You should also know that these medications tend to not work in the hairline region, but it is still very important to continue as your hairline can still recede further back. After using these medications for a few years you can consider going to a specialist and discuss a treatment, but right now you are very young, and typically doctors would like to see how your hair loss pattern develops until you are at least 21 at the earliest, and then consider a small treatment to the affected areas. Dermatch is a cosmetic that gives you the appearance of having thicker hair, you are basically coloring your scalp, but I would not suggest putting it on your hairline where there is no hair, only in between thinning areas as it would be more noticeable.

I don't see any photos, please attach some to this thread and we'll be able to give you a rough estimate.

Both. At this point you may still have hairs that haven't sprouted yet, or are very small and you don't notice yet. It's way too soon to be worried; you should follow up with your doctor in another 2-3 months and see how it progresses, but even then it's not finished thickening up.

At 20 weeks (5 months) you should be seeing growth. This is by no means the finished result, you have about 6-7 more months until you see the final result, so the growth and density should improve drastically as the year goes on.

I am not familiar with how you looked prior to the first treatment so I'm not sure how much of an improvement you have experienced. You may require more treatment to reach your goals, so if you post your before photos we can have a good look at the result of this treatment. It is common for patients to go through several treatments in their lifetime, but that depends on the balding pattern that the patient has. 2700 grafts is a good amount of grafts, but again, depending on the extent of your hair loss it may not be enough to get that "full" look, but that doesn't necessarily mean your surgeon did a poor job. I would consult with them again, or another recommended surgeon from this site so you can get a proper assessment.

What Takingtheplunge has stated is absolutely true. It is very normal to see increased shedding with finasteride for the first 3-4 months, but it is only temporary, you will see improvements by 6 months but any regrowth or very noticeable results will occur closer to one year.

Momo81 from what I see it doesn't seem like you are a candidate for surgery because you seem too young for it , in addition to the probability of experiencing a lot of shock loss in that area. If you haven't already, you should start propecia (finasteride 1mg) and/or Rogaine Foam (minoxidil) and that can actually regrow hair in the crown region, where I assume from the video is your area of concern. You also seem too young to have the procedure done in the crown, as most surgeons will want you to wait until you are close to 40 years old, due to the possibility of greater hair loss in the future, and not having enough donor supply to give you a proper hairline, forelock etc. If that area is really bothering you, there are some cosmetics you can use to hide it such as Toppik, or Dermatch.

Many surgeons will recommend doing scalp exercises as it allows your scalp to be more elastic, which in turn makes it easier for them to harvest more grafts as well as helping in the healing process for the scar. Sometimes it's not necessary for the first surgery as your skin is at it's most elastic, but if a patient is going for the 2nd or 3rd time, it would be even more beneficial to do so. It really does work, and you should do it for about 5-10 minutes a day for about 2 weeks before surgery.

The standby rate is an opportunity for patients to save some money if their schedule is flexible. For instance if there is a situation where a patient had to reschedule due to a serious illness like the flu, or had a death in the family that day would then be considered a standby date, as you are taking over that spot on a relatively short period of time. The time frame changes from situation to situation so sometimes it could be a weeks notice and sometimes it could be 2-3 days, but you can always inquire about such a thing during a consultation or giving the practice a call.

JHerandz as a person who has also experienced hair loss at a young age, I know how difficult that can be on your personal life. From the photos it seems that you are a good candidate for the treatment, and if you were interested in getting it performed you should consider going in for a consultation with a recommended surgeon from this forum. The FUE is an expensive procedure, but many doctors offer standby rates if you are flexible with your schedule, as well as payment plans which can make the procedure much more affordable. Judging from your photos I would say you would need somewhere between 1500-2000 grafts give or take a little bit, but that number would be clearer once you meet with a surgeon. Good luck

If you have a prescription that says Propecia on it, you can only buy propecia as it is one milligram. To get the generic in the US you would have to have the prescription say finasteride 5 milligram as there is no generic alternative for 1 milligram yet, but you could get a 1 milligram from certain websites that cell the generic form. There is no difference between those medications, other than the dosage, so be sure to only be taking 1 milligram per day. If you have a thyroid problem, that could be a cause of hair loss, but even if you did that does not mean you need to stop taking propecia. You should consult with your doctor about getting a test to check your thyroid if you are worried. If you get the 5 milligram tablet you should only cut it into quarters and take on piece every day, unless instructed otherwise by a specialist. It is true that when you cut the pill it does not cut equally in terms of the dosage, but you are still likely taking about half the dosage of the medication, which would be more than double the normal daily dosage.

I do not know what your age is but you seem like a relatively young, guy possibly in his 20's? If you are, than transplanting into the crown is not an option at this point, as you are too young and do not want to deplete your donor supply for the crown instead of the frontal portion of your head. Typically surgeons will defer surgery to the crown until you are around 40 years old, and would definitely want you to start on rogaine or propecia as soon as possible. You may experience hair regrowth with the medication but like for most people it should at least stabilize your hair loss. There are side effects to the medication but they are quite rare, and if you do experience them you can stop the medication and return to normal in a few weeks once it leaves your system. After using the medication for at least 6 months you should get re-evaluated and then possibly a smaller procedure for the hairline, corners and possibly forelock, but you should be conservative as you are experiencing quite a bit of thinning without any medicaiton yet. I believe the doctor you are going to see is going to recommend a similar approach but do some more research and you'll see this is the correct approach to follow.

If it's been 3 months post surgery than the pimples are the first sign of growth, so that is very normal.

Drawing the line and actually transplanting in a line are two different things, some surgeons just draw the line and use a staggered implanting method, some draw out the staggered line and follow that. The reason for the staggered line in transplantation is because hairlines are not straight or perfectly round, that is usually the first sign of a poor procedure. Hairlines are naturally uneven and this staggered implantation provides that look.

I think what you are reffering to is called "capping" which can occur with FUE and what makes it less efficient compared to the FUT strip method. If that occurs than the follicle cannot be used.

There is still shock loss with FUE as the incisions and method are exactly the same as the FUT procedure for the recipient area. The difference occurs in the donor area which does not get a strip removed. So yes you will experience some sort of shock loss but if the hairs that are present are healthy they should grow back, but the unhealthy miniaturized hairs may not survive.

I as like many others on this form know what it is like to go through a situation like this, but for a woman they can be especially difficult. Minoxidil usually takes anywhere from 4-6 months to start working and by that I mean you would notice less hair falling out at the point, and possibly new hairs growing, but the process for growth can take closer to one year. The results from the biopsy will be very important if you are considering hair transplantation, as certain conditions can prevent you from being a candidate for the procedure. There are cosmetics that you can use to mask the thinness that work quite well, such as Toppik, and Dermatch, they simply color your scalp and give you the appearance of having thicker, fuller hair and wash away in the shower. Consult with a specialist once you have your results and if you are interested in this type of procedure you can ask them about it.

The number of grafts you were told sounds about right, it depends on where you are thinking of transplanting. You are not a candidate to transplant in the crown, you are only a candidate to transplant to the hairline, temples and corners at this point. You should use minoxidil and finasteride to help regrow hair in the crown or at least retarding the loss. I would say anywhere from 1400-2000 grafts would be appropriate depending on the design and if they are planning on dropping the hairline in the front and how far down.

The length between procedures depends on how well you are healing so it could be earlier than 8 months, you just have to consult with your doctor. The reason for waiting is that the doctor also wants to see the growth of those hairs as to plan ahead for where the next grafts will be placed and what areas will require more attention. You can transplant into the same area later on with the FUE procedure or with the laser treatment, you just need to let the skin heal the proper amount of time before doing so. If you were to remove the hairs by FUE you would have white dots, that would resemble someone tapping you on the forehead with a white pen. Very small dots. These dots can tan with sunlight so over time, they do become less noticeable, but in these types of procedures people tend to re-transplant those hairs in a newly created pore right near the original spot, so it will cover up that area. Those dots would be more noticeable if you were too simply remove the grafts and not transplanting anything back in.