aim4hair

Hi Spex,

 

Can this is be possible after taking finastride for more than 2 years now. What is an alternative here...

 

Sandy

im sure spex could help you more with that, but as far as i know, sides can hit you any time it could me right away or after couple of years. There is no timeline for sides though.

So if you haven't been taking anything new recently which could be the reason of the hives the most likely it is from propecia.

I kinda disagree here, you know some ppl just don't like getting sympathy from ppl around them.

Persona!ly for me i act around friends like hair lose dosen't bother me at all. I even make jokes about it sometimes and they think i just don't care a bit, and if i ever feel anybody feeling sympathy or sorry for my hair lose i try to avoid them.

That's just infront of friends and family of course, matter of fact is hair lose is affecting me alot but i keep it to my self and ppl around me thing i really don't give a damn about it. I think it's just diffrent from one person to another.

Hey Future_HT_Doc,

Any new findings or info about HST ?

I have been reading alot about it lately, and it seems like most doctors don't deny the fact that HST is scarless or at least gives very minimal scars, but they deny the re-growth theory, and they claim that HST is almost scarless because Gho just split hairs by using needles as small as .5 .6 mm, and the hair which was splited will grow back in the donor..

My question is, if it's as simple as this, why don't other HT doctors use .5 .6 mm needles and give their Clients the option of having a scarless HT (even if the density in the recepient area not as good as other traditional HTs). Im not saying they should give up using .75 .9 or 1.0mm needles, they can use both and let thier clients decide which op they wanna go for.

You know MANY ppl specially with advanced hair loss don't really care about density since they will be sporting the buzz look and all they look for is a procedure that can give them a hairline and the 5 o'clock shadow look without losing the option of shaving to the skin (since guard 1 or 2 would still be considered long if your hair loss is advanced). And this is why many of those go for the tattoo option. Right now i beleive the only op which can gives this option is HST and there is a famous dutch singer called dean saunders who is nw6 and just went through HST for that look and he is still shaving to the skin.

I just beleive that if other HT docs gives this option they would make so many more people go through HTs .

Please let me know what's your openion as i always respect your thoughts.

Many thanks Spex, the tips you sent are great

Actually, when i got for my HT, im planning to take couple of weeks off from work, so i was thinking maybe staying a week after my HT in the same city might be a good idea first for healing before getting home and second for tourism.

But im not sure, would tourism be ok after a FUE ? like can I just wear a hat and go site seeing and just cruising around the city ? or I should just stay home and rest ?

Hello All,

I just have a question, if i decide to go for FUE in diffrent country and i have the flexibility to stay there for a while before travelling home, what woud be the ideal time to travel after FUE ? I mean a tme where you won't look so weird without a hat ? also if i decide to stay for 1 or 2 weeks is it ok if i go out site seeing and enjoying the country ? without doing any heavy activity ? or it's better to just stay home and don't put any effort ?

Regards,

for me, when i do my HT i plan to stay for the country im doing the HT in for a week or 2, and i think by that time specially if you go for FUE, you shouldn't face any issue goig out without a hat (even through you still would have some red spots but don't think they will be that noticable).

IMHO any drug you take most likely will create some sides, if it's not in the short term then it is in the long term, as you know propecia is still considered new and has not been really tested for the long term.

However, if it's guranteed that the sides would go once you quit the drug then it could be worth taking the risk, but looking at the side effects from propecia site:

"In clinical studies for PROPECIA, a small number of men experienced certain sexual side effects, such as less desire for sex, difficulty in achieving an erection, or a decrease in the amount of semen. Each of these side effects occurred in less than 2% of men and went away in men who stopped taking PROPECIA because of them."

The above part is OK, since it mentions that sides wll go away once you quit the drug, but then the next paragraph:

"In general use, the following have been reported: breast tenderness and enlargement (tell your doctor about any changes in your breasts such as lumps, pain, or nipple discharge); depression; decrease in sex drive that continued after stopping the medication; allergic reactions including rash, itching, hives, and swelling of the lips and face; problems with ejaculation that continued after stopping medication; testicular pain; difficulty in achieving an erection that continued after stopping the medication; male infertility and/or poor quality of semen; and, in rare cases, male breast cancer. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away."

Looking at the possible permanent sides makes it not worth the risk for me, the second paragraph does not even mention the percentage of people who reported or suffered from those sides.

I just can't beleive we still don't have an FDA approved drug similar to propecia that can be applied directly on the scalp instead of taking a pill that can effect your whole body.

I read that applying rogaine only once aday will give the same result, is that true ? Or it has to be applied twice ?

Any thoughts !!!

I have seen a pretty bad result on other forum where the guy got infection. He claims that he did it with dr. Rahal, but im not sure if his claims are right.

But anyways, in my opinion dr. Rahal is one of the best FUT doctors in the world, along with Hasson&wong and few others.

I have always had fairly thin hair (from my mother's side) and a high hair line (from my father's side) but until 6 years ago the fact that I had started to recede further was never mentioned by people I know; in fact, even I didn't notice it as it was receding so gradually! However, around 5 years ago, people started commenting on my hair line more frequently, therefore I also become more aware of the situation. This was when I was 27 (I'm now 32).

 

I have always been extremely confident in my work life and appearance, so when it started dawning on me that I was thinning, I simply shaved my head grade 1 and shrugged it off.

 

That was 4 and a half years ago. Ever since then the comments on my baldness have increased and ultimately my self confidence has plummeted, so much so that it has cost me a relationship (who always skirted the conversation about my hair, but every now and again slipped up, causing me more anguish and a further drop in confidence).

 

2 years ago I found a good look by wearing certain hats which went well with the outfits I was wearing, however, I wear suits to the office where hats are out of the question, and in many social environments - restaurants, pubs, bars, etc. hats can be seen as socially unacceptable and I dreaded the moment I would walk in and the bouncer/waiter would ask me to remove my hat.

 

Around the same time as I started adopting hats, I decided to try and take matters into my own hands by searching for "cures" to my ever increasing baldness. Firstly I tried the Belgravia Centre to look into Minoxidil and laser treatment, who were actually very helpful and informative. Unfortunately I was told that although it would help to thicken and maintain my remaining hair, it would be unable to regrow hair in the follicles which had stopped producing hair; this to me was unacceptable as I wanted to replace the hair at the front of my head, not over-compensate the remaining hair I had.

 

The next option I tried was with Advanced Hair Studio who I believe, from reading posts in this forum, many of you have already had poor dealings with! The experience for me was dreadful. I was quite excited about going for the consultation as their "strand-by-strand" technique certainly didn't sound like "a wig" on their website.

 

The salesman there was very forceful and seemed very put out that I wouldn't be parting with ?4,000 there and then (obviously that's when the alarm bells started ringing!), I then read more AHS reviews online and was shocked and appalled at the treatment and service many clients had received. That's when I started to realise just how ruthless the hair treatment industry really is!!

 

I'd reached a very low ebb by this point as I truly couldn't see a solution to my problem, that was until I found Spex's website and started reading all of your posts in the forums... The information provided has given me a light at the end of the tunnel, and even before booking a consultation, I already felt a huge weight off my shoulders that there actually IS something I can do about my hair loss!

 

It's been a year now since I decided to do something about my hair and chose which solution would best fit my situation. I have therefore decided to write this step-by-step blog to show you my progress over the coming year.

 

My current routine is: Regaine 5% twice daily, which I have been using for 6 months, and I will now be adding the following into my routine:

 

- Nizoral Shampoo every other day.

- Alpecin Shampoo on alternate days.

- 1mg Finpecia daily.

 

From having several conversations with "Spex" (what a great guy!) I have decided to also go for 3,500 - 4,000 strip surgery with Dr Feller. I'm hoping to book this in for either September or November, providing I can get the time off work.

 

I have also included some pictures... The first two show where I was in May 2011, and the last three show where I am after a few months growth and 6 months of just Minoxodil. I plan to put more photos up once I have been in the routine of Nizoral, Alpecin and Finpecia for a couple of months.

 

Thanks all and take care for now!

Dear Morgan,

i can see that your hair was pretty much improved in the last 2 images, was this improvement just with rogaine foam ? because in your post you mentioned that currently you only using rogaine and you will be adding propecia and nizoral shampoo.

if this is the case then rogaine worked pretty good for you...

Hello Guys,

I have a question, what if i do an HT and then after the healing time, i start shaving my hair to grade 1 or 2 (FUE technique) on both recipient and donor area and kept shaving till like month 6 or 7 and then let my hair grow since the transplanted hair should be stronger at that time.

is that even possible ? would shaving the hair in the donor and recipient area after the healing but before the hair start growing effect the progress of the growth ? would it affect the recipient area at all ?

I always keep my hair short, so i was thinking if i go for an HT i'll keep shaving after that so it shouldn't be much noticeable.

Hi Spex,

On norwood scale, what level is morgan ?

Thanks,

I agree with spanker, if you go with strip you will never be able to cut your hair short (in case if you dont like the results or the density of your new hair).

Alright i managed to secure the funds - around 9000 Euro for the procedure - I have now limited my choices to 2 docs:

 

1: Dr. Bisanga

2: Dr. Feriduni

 

It feels like these are both quality docs - no doubt - this also reflects in their prizes Bisanga isnt on this networks recomended list - thats about the only difference.

 

Anyways - i received some mighty impressive material from Dr. Feriduni - and it looks like he himself has gone through my description and my pictures and from that evaluated what he feels needs to be done - 2500-3000 grafts FUE.

 

The correspondance to Dr. Bisange has been through his Scandinavian associate "Fredrik" - who has been evaluating my material - he came up with the same - 2500-3000.

 

I feel very close to making a decision and booking a date - i just want to be a million percent sure im deciding on the right clinic here - so i made up some final questions for Dr. Bisangas representative - Fredrik:

 

 

I'm ofc planning on asking Dr. Feriduni the same - but did I miss anything - is there something more I need to know beforehand? Or is there simply nothing to worry about with these 2 docs?

 

Anyways thanks again for your input - it has been invaluable to me

 

Regarding the drug - propecia/Finasteride - I don't think its for me - after having to already restrain me and my girlfriends budget - selling the idea of me taking a drug that might kill my sex drive, didnt excatly pan out Also these side effects just simply seem to severe, and I'm already a bit of a hypochondriac, so...

 

My appointment with my local HT doc was postponed, so I'll wait with the final decision untill I hear back from him.

 

/Sebastian

Hey man, any update ?

Also since you are not planning to take propecia, are you gonna use rogaine (foam or liquid) ?

Concealer is not for me.

 

HST is pretty interesting. I wonder how far away a legit and acception HST option is?

 

Body hair? I'm actually having laser surgery to remove the hair from my back now.

I think now it's been evaluated by a famous FUE doctor in America and he is going to visit dr. Gho soon to verify the claims and if things workout then i think it will come to the states soon.

If you are going to be nw7 then i would advice you to stay away from FUT, strip could give great density but if you reach to nw7 no donor area will give you enough coverage so you might want to consider buzzing your hair or at least keeping it very short but you won't be able to do that with a strip scar.

You can go for FUE for now and then when you run out of donor supply, you can do BHT, BHT could look natural on crown coverage.

Or you might wanna give HST a look, they claim that the grafts taken from the donor srea will grow again and they gurantee a regrowth rate of 85% in the donor, and if this is true, you can use the hair again in the future giving you more donor supply and reducing scars. Of course there is no enough results about this technique and no other doctors validate it yet, but at the same time no one could proove it wrong yet, so you might wanna do your search and see what you think.

If you gonna stay on rogaine and propecia forever, i say most likely you will not end up being nw7 though unless if the meds dont work for you at all. So i beleive you are in a good situation.

I've been using Propecia (as well as Rogaine twice daily and Nizoral 3 times a week) since Late march now, originally on 1mg for around a month (until i noticed sexual side effects, mainly complete loss of sexdrive and ability to get a real erection). Since then, I was on a 1/4mg daily dosage, which seemed to work ok, my sexdrive had returned, though if i'm honest I think it is less frequently occurring. However, recently I've found that my sexdrive has depleted again, as well as the ability to get a full or spontaneous erection. As well as this, my hair loss hasn't been slowing down either, the hairline is still receding. I really don't know what to do, I feel hopeless. 22, losing hair and can't even take the medication to halt DHT. I'm worried that if i stop, I'm going to lose a lot of hair in the next few months.

What do you all suggest I do?

I've been considering switching to Saw Palmetto daily instead, but I've read a lot about it and it doesn't seem to be that useful for hair, even though it tackles DHT.

Dude, if you are getting sides like that on as little as 1/4 mg a day then quit this stuff ASAP. Beleive me you will feel way more depressed being impotent (god forbid) than being completly bald.

Stay on rogaine and the shampoo if they are not causing sides, and you can do an HT after some years.

Many doctors recommended in this site are really good with FUE.

for a FUE only doctor, i would say dr. keser in turkey is one of the best, but he does not do mega session in 1 day though, he does maximum of 700 graft per session, but there is no waiting between sessions, so for example you can do 2800 graft in 4 consecutive days. i think he charges 3.5 euro per graft.

Hope all goes well... Dr. Keser is on the top of my list for FUE.. i've never seen a bad result from him as for traveling after procedure, i guess it's alright but it's better to ask dr. keser about that, usually doctors will give you a pre and post op instructions that you need to follow to get the optimum results, all those details should be mentioned.

Money is not a factor for me nor the procedure or the post op process.

My main concern is the SCAR (both strip scar or even white dots FUE scars), right now im shaving my head no guards with a trimmer, cause i really hate the look of thinning hair, the thing i hate about that there is almost no hairline so i really wanna do something about it, but the problem is that if i go for an HT i will lose that option forever, even with FUE you cant shave with no guards. And nobody knows what the future is holding, im 29 right now and i might go nw6 or 7 in the future that means no future HTs will ever satisfy me, so if that happens i would like to shave and move on.

So to sum things up. The only thing stopping me from going for an HT is the scars. That's why im kinda considering HST since the tool they use is 0.5 to 0.6 mm and the donor regrow with no scars (even if it does not grow again 0.5 or 0.6 will make huage diffrence than 0.75 to 0.9mm... Just like 0.75 to 0.9mm makes huge diffrence than 1.0mm or more. Another option i have is to wait for Dr. wesley scarless procedure but nobody knows if this even gonna be available.

EDIT: i forgot to mention that im not gonna use propecia, so for sure im gonna loser more hair in future (unless if rogaine works by itself) so avoiding scars is needed for future planning

The way i see it, is if you fear the sides that much, then don't take the med, the thing is our mind is complicated, and if you fear something too much chances are you might not feel normal taking it even if you dont really get the sides... some ppl experience some sexual issues even without taking any meds and in many cases there is nothing wrong with them and it's just in their heads. Alot of ppl take propecia without even searching or caring about the sides and they don't get them. But having said that some ppl do get sides even if they don't think about them.. So it's really upto you.. You can try rogaine, who knows it might works for you..

FUE heals faster than FUT since there is no cutting and stitches involved... There is also this HST (not alot of documented results about it though) which they claim that it even heals faster than FUE since the drill they use is like .5 to .6 mm.

So it's all up to you, you can go with one of those option if you are not willing to go through along recovery periods.

Also i beleive the FUT recovery time is depend on how good the doctor is.

Dude honestly ur hair looks great. Stop worry about it and enjoy your college years.. Once you start being obsessed about your hair your life will turn!! Now for ppl who really got thin hair or bald spot at your age they have the right to stress about it but for you, your hair still looks great, so dont take any meds before you make sure that you really balding (not just getting a mature hairline).

The thing i like about his hair yesterday, is how he was able to have the sides and back really short with no problems. Seems like his FUE scars are not noticable at all.