SugarHighs

If Equate doesn't help, I'm going to try the brand name.

Thanks, Gille. I'm discouraged to learn that the transplanted follicles shouldn't need minox after maturity, because that still leaves me without an explanation why my recipient area seems to have lost some density. I'm going to switch from kirkland to Equate Minoxidil 5%, as I've read some reviews where users are claiming Equate is more "liquidy" and less prone to flaking up than kirkland.

Hey Gille, On one of the other forums you wrote that you believe minoxidil use can impact transplanted hairs, upon discontinuation. I have a question about that. I was using 1ml twice per day on the recipient area, from 3 weeks post op until about 2.5 months post op. I then gradually scaled back to .75ml 2X per day, then to .5ml 2X per day, and finally to .5ml 1X per day over the months. Would you speculate that the transplanted hairs became reliant on the initial higher dose of minoxidil, and that reducing the dose over the following months could have impacted the overall density? I really wouldn't expect that to be the case, because of the hairs coming from the back, but maybe it is? I guess the more succinct question is - is minoxidil really dose dependent, and if so, *how* dose dependent? Should the user see a noticeable difference in growth between 2ml vs 1ml/day?

I had 2800 FUE also, and I had redness for the first 12-16 weeks. It pretty much went away around 3-4 month time frame.

Hi, has anyone tested this and gotten any empirical results to report? I was able to get my hands on some legitimate Avodart (mfg by GSK in the UK) and I'm thinking of joining the .5mg per week club. Thanks, Sugar

Hi Northwest, It's been about 6 weeks - have you noticed any effects yet? Effectiveness, sides, et cetera? I am thinking of joining you in this experiment, while remaining on 1mg fin per day as well. :)

I'm curious if anyone's tried both brand Liquid Rogaine, and Kirkland long term at different times? I'm wondering if there is a difference in the inactive ingredients, and if it's worth a change. Or are all the ingredients and measurements identical? Kirkland is just a little too scratchy. I also wanted to try 5% Minoxidil with glycerin instead of PPG, but there doesn't seem to be any reputable source for this in the US. A web site used to sell "Essegen-5" but it's been shut down by the FDA /feds.

Looking good, Anouar. Honestly, you are one of the few lucky ones in my opinion - you are good-looking enough a guy that hair is secondary. Even in your immediate post op photos where your head is shaved, you're very good-looking. So try not to stress about the hair too much. May I inquire about your Avodart dosage? Do you take .5mg per day? More/less? I'm considering adding a small once/weekly dose of Avodart to my finasteride after reading that some have had success with that.

Hey Haider, That's an interesting consideration. I didn't think of that, mainly because the minox is usually dry by the time I hit the pillow. If nothing else, I'll be changing my pillowcase a lot more often now. Thanks, Sugar

Hey guys, I will post an update soon. Thanks for being patient. Sugar

Janna, How about the appearance in the recipient area? If the FUE patient had 50-60cm2 density transplanted, could he expect to see a fairly consistent density at a #1 buzz? Or is there a noticeable difference between the native and recipient areas, even at that length?

I'm wondering how my density will look if I buzz my hair down to a #1 clipper. Any opinions? I will ask Dr. Rahal's opinion in person next weekend, as well.

The thinning of my native hair has not been that extreme, in my opinion. It is thinner in the front center forelock area, but the far greater area of concern for me is the recipient area, particularly on the right side, which was covered in greater area. I'm on Propecia, 1mg per day.

I have very little growth in the recipient area, especially on the right side. I am going to meet with Dr Rahal in one week to see what the way forward is. I believe I will almost certainly require a hairline repair now. I will post some photos next week, when I will have photos taken by Dr. Rahal (once they are available) and also by my brother. The problem is the hairs at the new hairline have grown, but the areas above that (recipient areas) are now almost hairless. The lady who has cut my hair regularly for the last few years has even noticed it. On some days it looks ok, but others I no longer even want to go outside in daylight, which is a problem I never had before the procedure. I won't yet say to avoid FUE - however I do want to get Dr. Rahal's opinion on what happened here, and also on a way forward.

Thanks, Mickey and Hariri. I used the foam once per day for a bit, and it relieved the itch, but it caused even more thinning out of my recipient area. I am using liquid minox now, once per day at night. This has alleviated the itch, but my recipient area is still very thin.

Thanks, Janna. It would be weird if I were allergic to minox, because I don't remember any problems in the first few months. Perhaps I've developed an allergy? In any case, my patient adviser recommended dialing down to one application per day. And also to try Rogain foam. I've been using Kirkland Minox, however I may try Lipogaine prior to the foam, because it's less itchy. The plan is too wash my hair no more than 8-10 hours after the minox so as not to allow the situation to become itchy. If I still have the problem, I'll discontinue minox completely, but I'm kind of worried that I've got hair dependent on it now. In retrospect, I wish I never had used it, or had only used once per day. Since the follicles are DHT resistant, I would imagine they should grow back hairs once the irritation factors are removed? Or can dried minox permanently damage a DHT resistant follicle? I would certain hope not - that would kind of be a pretty big flaw in a product designed to grow more hair.

Hey Sean, It occurs many hours later, usually at the end of the day when I'm taking my shower. Did you experience anything similar with the Foam? Or any general itchiness in the reipient area?

What's weird is I have always associated itchiness with DHT attacking the follicle - but these follicles in front should be resistant to DHT as they came from the back/side.

Yes, but I wouldn't say that there is necessarily a correlation. We just don't know.

Thanks, Pup. I've posed the question to the patient advisers - minox twice, once, or discontinued. The thing is, I've used Kirkland Minox since two weeks post op, so it would be weird if it only became a problem for me in the last 3 months. I agree that the hairs from the safe zone should not ever really become minox dependent, that would be strange.

Hey Pup, Thanks for the reply, and you do make a good point there. I will check with Dr Rahal on Monday to see if I can dial down from minoxidil twice per day to once per day. Previously, my patient adviser said I could do that, but I had only be doing so once in a while. I'm going to check if it's ok to go to once per day permanently. I am just a little worried that there may be minox-dependent hairs there.

A couple more photos after a haircut. The missing density is more visible here.

I've also had a lot of itchiness in the recipient area. I am not sure what this is from, but probably I would assume dried minoxidil at the end of the day? Instead of scratching this area, what I have done is gently shampoo it after getting it wet - but that also has the grafts shedding. Does anyone else experience the feeling of itchiness after minoxidil dries, and then a subsequent shed of some grafts (not referring to native hair). ? Thanks, Sugar

Another one, illustrating the right side, thinning going toward my original hairline. The photos make it look a little better than it looks in the mirror.

Hi Folks, I wish I had better news, however my recipient area has continued to get thinner. Each time I shower and shampoo, I have grafts from the recipient area shedding. Dr Rahal called me and discussed that this may have to do with some of the transplanted hairs going dormant. But at this point, it seems that there has been no noticeable maturity since month 4.5 and only a progressive thinning. Up until last month I was able to disguise the recipient area with the native hair from the frontal third, however it's now so thin, that my scalp in the recipient area is very visible in any light. Dr Rahal and his folks mentioned that no matter what happens, they will take care of me. That definitely makes me feel better. My only real concern there is that we don't really know why this is happening, and I'm a little concerned that if I went through another procedure, that the same poor growth may happen again. I don't know if I have the emotional stamina for that. But in the meanwhile, I'm trying to stay patient and positive. In about 2 weeks, I will have high-powered camera, and be able to take much better photos to illustrate what I am saying - look for these around the 15th-18th or so of this month.