kaliber

I actually do not have any pictures of my scar.  I attempted to take a picture for you but I can't seem to find it.  I had a different plastic surgeon in Jax remove my sutures since Dr. Charles office is four hours away and she thought he did an excellent job.  I can still feel the internal sutures as I don't think they are completely dissolved yet.  It feels like there is a raised section of my head where the scar is, but I'm struggling to photograph this area.  I can barely get my friends and family to see the scar when I show it to them.  In a few months, when I update the rest of the pictures I'll get someone to run a comb through my hair so we can get a better idea of the quality of the scar.  I hate to say this, but it does seem like I'll get close to that "pencil thin" quality scar that people claim does not happen.     

Just wanted to at least add this last photo.

I figured I would post the before and after pictures of my procedure for the community. I thought about having a hair transplant for a long time and Dr. Charles and I stayed very conservative with our approach, but I'm still expecting great results in a few months. I had a very receded hairline, and if you look at my Propecia album from 10 years ago you'll see it has always been extremely receded but has since stabilized thanks to Propecia. And yes, the penis works just fine.

I thought about getting this procedure since I was 26 (currently 35), so it is bizarre to finally be on the other side of having a hair transplant. The procedure was fairly painless. I didn't mind the anesthesia at all, but the last hour of the surgery became slightly uncomfortable because the donor area was tender and I was still on my back as they were inserting the final grafts. Apart from the first two nights where I definitely needed the painkillers to lay down on the donor area, recovery was a breeze.

I had another doctor, who works with a plastic surgeon in Jacksonville, take out the sutures and both she and my hair stylist( who is from Miami and has seen a lot of bad transplants) believe Dr. Charles did an exceptional job with the donor area. It's honestly a pain in the ass to attempt to find the donor area to show family and friends-- I believe that is a very good problem to have.

I have nothing but good things to say about Dr. Charles and his staff and I hope the final results match the quality of my procedure. My first contact with their office was in 2011, so to say that they were patient and took time to answer all my questions is an understatement.

Overall, the procedure was fun! People back home cannot believe how clean and minimal the procedure appeared when I drove back to Jacksonville the following morning.

I am not going to update every month, but I will update at month 4 or 5 as the results begin to manifest. My fingers are crossed that I am a fast grower, but I've read enough of these threads to know to trust my doctor at this point and enjoy the recovery and growth, even if my growth is on the slower side of life. I added more pictures, but they did not show up for some reason. If anyone is interested, they are in my photo album.

Videos of my procedure can also be viewed at drglenncharles on his Instagram page if you are interested. I look pretty dumb, but if it helps you it's worth it If anyone in Florida is considering a hair transplant and has any questions please feel free to message to me.

I am as well as I'm meeting with Dr. Charles tomorrow.

I would love feedback on these two blog pieces I wrote about hair loss. They contain about everything I have learned and also share my story and heartache regarding hair loss.

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I just wanted to share these with you guys. I hope they are helpful and I would appreciate any feed back.

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No, I get my prescriptions from a doctor and pick them up at a pharmacy. I am not taking a generic, it's the real deal. I never buy this stuff online but prescriptions are much cheaper in Korea.

I take .5 mg of Avodart a day. I never had any "shed" on propecia or avodart. My hairline just keeps going back and I'm getting very thin on top. My erections are much more common on Avodart than they are on prpecia although propecia did not really give me strong side effects. I just think I'm someone who doesn't respond to any of this crap. I'll give it six months as I gave propecia a year.

I wanted to update on this blog. I have had rapid recession from the temples and extreme thinning on the top of my head. I've been on Avodart for two months and I'm committed to atleast 6 months(I know a lot of people will tell me a year but I'm so bald I'm getting to the point where I would rather shave my head).

My new question is this, did anyone else experience a deterioration of their hair before it improved when using avodart. I do not mean a shed, If I had a shed I would be relieved because I would know my hair responds to this stuff.

I'd also like to report I've experienced no side effects from Avodart and I did occasionally have problems with propecia and proscar.

Regardless, your thought s would help.

I'm afraid I'm not improving. I started avodart two months ago and not only is my recession worse but my crown and mid-anterior region look horrible. I can literally feel how thin the area is when I touch it. I'm still hoping I'll see Avodart kick in soon.

Yup, let's make fun of the people who don't get hair transplants for sex.

Dude, if you're never going to be sexually active then just go full on castration. Avodart ain't nearly as effective as that.

If I can't have sex I can at least keep my pride lol.

Avodart inhibits the activities of 2 types of 5 alpha-redutase enzymes where Propecia only inhibits 1 type, that is the reason Avodart (Dutasteride ) is supposedly more effective.

 

Probably not as effective as Aaron's suggestion though

-Sure, I've read that. But we want to look at DHT levels for the scalp right? .5mg of Avodart(dutasteride) inhibits Scalp DHT by 55% while Propecia inhibits around Scalp DHT by 35%. Of course, I've also read that 2.5mg of dutasteride inhibits Scalp DHT by 82%.

So, here are the new questions? Is the optimal dose of dutasteride 2.5 mg? Does a 55% inhibition of scalp DHT look significantly different than 35%. There is a 20% difference but could we distinguish a qualitative difference from looking at someone's head?

My profile has a very well documented year plus of propecia treatment. I was still losing in the vertex so I made the switch to avodart. First of all, no one has sex with me so I don't care about erection difficulties. Personally, less distractions in life resulting from sexual urges would allow me to focus on nobler (education, career, etc) pursuits.

However, I would like people's opinions on Avodart. I know it's not FDA approved for hair loss but there seems to be reasonable evidence that it blocks more DHT than finesteride. Is it worth the switch? Is Avodart truly more effective for hair loss. For those who do care about side effects, are the side effects much more noticeable than propecia. Any thoughts or comments on this drug would be appreciated. I have read several things on the web but I find the members of this site to be much more knowledgeable and experienced on hair loss treatments.

On propecia, my right side seems to be receding quicker than my left side. This might just be the attack of our genetics which medication may not be helping. However, I'm also losing in the vertex so be thankful avodart is working for you in other areas. I just switched to avodart and I'm looking forward to the science experiment with my hair loss. I hope I get the results you shared.

I've decided on Dr. Charles.

So I was quoted 7300 for a 1500 to 1800 hair transplant to help fill in the recession on the front of my head. I wanted to take a conservative approach and I'm not looking to drastically lower the hairline. This is from a well respected hairloss surgeon in Tampa. Any thoughts? Here are some pictures below. I've been on propecia for about a year and I have pictures posted if you are interested.

Also, are there any recommendations on Surgeons in Tampa, the state of Florida, or South Korea as all would be viable locations for me.

I think I note improvement.

I originally started both propecia and rogaine at the same time but because I moved to Korea I stopped the Rogaine. However, since I started it again about a month ago I noticed severe shedding and what was once getting better deteriorated quickly. However, a heavy shed should mean a heavy return. At the end of the day, it's just hair anyways and since I'm already going bald no reason to quit this train until I atleast reach one year.

Regardless of what happens this feels like a fun science experiment. Thank you everyone for your help and support and comments!

First two pictures are from a year ago. The third picture is from either April or March of this year.

I started propecia back in January and I added minoxidil seriously about 2-3 weeks ago.

I've always had a very receded hairline but it's the hair loss on the top of my head that has me really concerned.

6 months of propecia. I'm not quitting I'm just doubting things are getting any better or that they have even halted hiar loss.

Einstein-I thought that was weird too. I wonder if that is a result from spinning on my head a lot during my breakdancing years. Thanks for the observation and my hopes are that my regiment at least halts my hair loss. I might get a minor fue procedure in the future just to fill in the temples some. I don't mind having a receding hairline. I think it looks good with age.

Women for the most prefer guys with hair. I know most of the women in my life like me better with hair but when my head was shaved from my navy days there were women who thought it was sexy as hell. It was neat because it was like a whole other type of women were attracted to me.

I think most women prefer hair but at the end of the day it's all how about how you talk to the ladies.

I think you gave up too early homey. You should lose hair at first but that is because it is preparing to grow back in stronger and fuller from what I understand.

I think I am experiencing a shed because I've goten really thin on top in the last month since I started taking medications. I heard if you shed you are having a strong reaction to the medications which is a very good thing in the long run.

Plus, I notice hairs on my hand when I shampoo or scratch the top of my head. As I stated before, I will take these medications for a year before I consider hair transplant surgery and I'm well aware these medications will probably not help with the hairline. I can rock the high hairline though so I'm not worried about it. I just don't want lose anything on top.