KO

You're probably a NW 3/4 A, because most of your loss is frontal receding and no crown loss. Meds are a must to retain the hair you have and prevent future loss, so you should try them. Frankly, I think if you do not have side effects you should still take the drugs permantently even if you feel they are not helping because they slow down the rate of loss

0 grafts. Seriously, you look fine.

Yep, been taking it well over a year now. I just want to keep what I have....

This is a very valid comment. In India people openly make comments about your looks straight to your face, which westerners take as offensive. I get it everytime I visit India. Hair loss in India is something to be mocked, it's brutal. Shaved heads are also uncommon. Going bald in the US is much better than going bald in South Asia and perhaps East Asia. I feel for the guy, I've gone through the same with the same reaction. Get on the finasteride buddy.

Absolutely incredible.

I'm not qualified to comment, given my own question in this thread, but I'll forward my opinion regardless. My humble opinion is that you're an "ok" candidate if your density/laxity are average. You seem to have a 5/6 pattern, with a thinning bridge, and most of your hair loss concentrated towards the front, with some crown loss. Frankly, similar to Jotronic and perhaps Dutch. I think your candidacy will depend on the density/laxity of your donor. Good: You have a light skin/light hair match. Most hair loss is in the front, which is easier to solve your sides look reasonably high, and the balding area tapers away at the parietal humps. Bad: Density/Laxity is unknown Top of parietal humps/bridge is thinning. I think you should continue taking finasteride - why? Even if you don't grow more hair, you can help prevent your donor from thinning out, which can and often does happen. So I think the starting point is always finasteride. To document your hair best, you should take a front shot, left side, right side, back and top, in identical lighting and identical hairstyle.

This is a very nice result. On this photo you can see that the patient had some thinning at the top of the sides, and no grafts were implanted here, but this area has thickened up in the after pic. Is that because of medication?

Can you post pics of top, sides, and crown prior to the operation? It will provide a reference point for both you and the forum followers. Who did the procedure? Good luck and keep us posted!

bump...

There is actually no evidence either that finasteride causes a shed. It has only been reported by a small number of users and is anecdotal, much like the claim about finasteride and shockloss which has been made by HT surgeons. Furthermore, no one has stated that fin strengthens the hair, however, after an HT, native hair can go into telogen, and it is at this point where androgens are believed to be most active, as a result, in theory, it would be optimal to be on fin at this point. Even if the shed happens, (which is unlikely), it is temporary, and will have no bearing on the hair transplant.

How about: Dr Bradley Wolf? I'd like to see more results from him, perhaps Dr De Reys as well, but I haven't found many from him yet. Dr Radha seems to be a very good find.

I appreciate the responses. I have used minox before, didn't really do much, and I didn't like the way my hair looked afterwards. But maybe it deserves a second shot. Any other opinions?

Remember in Fue, you're going to make a few thousand cuts into your scalp, and I believe your hair goes into telogen in response to that stress. I believe between early anagen and telogen is when the hormones can make a big impact, so I think that's a great time to be on fin. I could be dead wrong.

Actually, it's probably better to start before rather than after. Dr Rassman has noted on his blog that it helps with shockloss. These propecia sheds are not really common btw.

Usually patients are disappointed in their HT, and everyone is telling them "that's a great result for xxxx grafts". In this case, the patient is happy and others are disappointed. LOL.

Yeah the growth is good, but you need a different hairstyle, cut it shorter, even if it is thin, it'll look better.

I understand that for a patient with advanced loss, 3000 will not do a great deal. That being said, does that really look like 3k?

have you taken preventive medications such as finpecia?

I have been on the HL forums for a while, but I finally decided to post pics. I am age 25/26 and have been on finasteride for 1.5 years now, and while I don't feel like it's doing much, comparing photos from the past year or so indicates that I have held on to what I have, so tap on wood, may it continue. I'd like to get an opinion from the HT vets whether an HT is a realistic option for me. My hair quality is coarse and wavy, like South Asians, and donor looks decent, but obviously, top is bad.

Yes, I think it is disappointing. I'm wondering if the lack of medications like propecia has an effect on outcome.

If you have hair you want to keep, you should take propecia. Side effects are possible, but uncommon, and you won't know until you take it. That's all there is to it.

Hey, your case of a huge FUE procedure is quite rare for this forum, and I suspect many will have an interest in following it. In case you're in favor of it, you should create a blog on this site so it will be easy to track your progress. Best of luck!

Propecia doesn't cause side effects that very night. You're making a sad mistake buddy. I hope it works out for you. If you do go the HT route, then you should post your pics on here. Good luck!

What you could do is get FUE done over the frontal third to create some definition, and buzz it down. I don't know how common it is, but Dr Umar has done similar I believe.

What you could do is get FUE done over the frontal third to create some definition, and buzz it down. I don't know how common it is, but Dr Umar has done similar I believe.