HairKlepto

With only 2300 grafts to fill in that much receding and lower your hairline substantially, I'm not sure I would expect it to get too much thicker. You definitely look like a new man, but I would expect a follow up surgery to fill it in more. Maybe I'm wrong, but those 2300 grafts were stretched quite a bit. You seem like an early grower. I usually have awesome growth at 4-5 months too. How do you like the hairline? Hard to tell from the photos... Is it soft? Does it have macro and micro irregularities? How do your friends and family think about it?

Ok, you are correct. It is 89% of the people with side effects that persisted were sexual in nature or simply met the scale criteria (it does not distinguish); I edited my response. The 96% persistence is still significant and would indicate that when this side effect does occur it is in most cases persistent after stopping the medication. The other study showed a mean persistence of 40 months which is a long time after discontinuing the drug.

Ok, you are correct. It would be 89% of the people who already had side effects..

While I appreciate what you are trying to say here, I think it's clear that any one getting a med would have to do it from a dr. anyway. He is asking for people's personal experience having taken propecia and then taking something like viagra. Furthermore all a dr. would quote is the bogus 2% side effect profile of propecia after he/she looks it up in his/her 10 year old text book and tell him it's safe.

Having been to about 50 different doctors to treat various pain conditions I won't go into, I can tell you that dr's don't know crap from crap. They know what drug reps tell them and very few of them actually read any journals or do research on medications. By all means talk to a dr. but they often prescribe what is familiar to them and not what is always best for the patient. Do your own research as well... Read patient reviews of drugs (they have whole sites devoted to this)... Learn the differences and what is going to be safest for you. You get the true side effect profiles. I've studied drugs of all kinds, as well as their side effects profiles for several years, and there is a wealth of information out there. It amazes me how dr's will prescribe a dangerous drug that is less effective just because it's popular. If they did an ounce of research they would know there are 10 drugs that do the same thing that are much safer. Dr's also don't know crap about stuff like maca which is well proven in studies because it's not preached to them about from hot drug reps.

Here is another study from the journal of sexual medicine although it focuses on the duration the side effects for those who experienced them. It shows the persistent effects even after discontinuation with a mean of 40 months before cessation. It is one of the studies being referenced in the lawsuits against Merck. Persistent Sexual Side Effects of Finasteride for Male Pattern Hair Loss - Irwig - 2011 - The Journal of Sexual Medicine - Wiley Online Library

I'd recommend taking maca instead. It is very effective. I can tell you this from personal experience and it well proven in studies in both humans and rats. It is amazing stuff. I'd also recommend cialis over viagra as viagra can be annoying with a 4hr window. Be warned that cialis can cause sudden blindness or deafness. Best to stick with something natural like maca. You need to take it for a few days or so to get the effects - it's not an instant hit like the viagra. You need to cycle on and off it though. Do your research. If you want a quick start do red or black gelatinized maca. Take half a teaspoon to 2 tablespoons a day. Always take a week off per month and 3 days off per week. Ultimately it's best to get healthy... Stay away from the pharmaceuticals -- including propecia -- and get your body healthy. ED is usually related to a circulation issue, but can be caused by numerous things like thyroid, blood pressure, testosterone levels, etc. A checkup might be helpful. I suffered ill effects from propecia, but am healthy again with any boosters of any sort. Although I hit up the maca once in awhile. Not only does it make your junk work better, but orgasms and such are off the charts.

I just have to keep my hair longer. I can't go anything shorter than an 8-guard. As I've gotten older I start to care about it showing less and my wife says she never sees it when it's wet but I've seen part of it stick out before, so anyways. As far as SMP, I've just seen so many people get SMP then go and put hair into it anyway because they weren't happy with it. Also SMP can change to green or blue and also if you ever wanted to dye your hair blond or something it wouldn't match. Also we don't really know long term what will happen with SMP. A lot of the photos i've seen of it are really lame. There was one just posted. I think it's pointless unless you just make the whole thing black or something whereas this was meant to look like hair. Looks real stupid to lift up your hair and see a bunch of dots. I'd almost rather it look white lol. Having it solid black makes more sense because if it shifts then it wouldn't be as visible as white. Ultimately I just want to put hair in it and may do a few hundred grafts in this upcoming surgery.

It's interesting because I could almost swear that Hasson Wong, Armani and others professionally style the hair of the clients before they take the photos because they always have the slickest hair styles. No indicator on the quality of the work of course, but just something funny I've been thinking about. I rarely see any young hip hairstyles in any of the shapiro photos. Ron shapiro is doing my upcoming surgery so not trying to know the clinic or anything. They get what they get as far as hair styles of patients.

yeah long term is key. It's chasing the progressive hairloss where things can sometimes start to look unnatural, get costly, add increased risk with additional surgeries, etc. After my first and second surgeries I was pretty happy. The third really messed me up a bit although I couldn't even tell until I looked at old photos and I was like dang that didn't look as good as I thought and I needed a fourth to fix that one. My fifth had to fix a few things from my fourth although a big improvement was obtained by it and now I have a sixth with Ron Shapiro coming up. I am fairly happy now although I want to fix my right temple a bit and add more density to the corners. It is quite a journey. I've been at this over 10 years now. I also have a wide scar that revising hasn't helped. I plan to put hair into it at some point. Wide scars are very stressful because you have to worry about swimming and cutting your hair too short, fighting mma if you do that kind of thing like me, etc. Also it is not surprising that you are happy with your decision and really you answered my question beforehand.. You said you had a hairline that you were really unhappy with and the idea of being stuck with that made you really unhappy so you weighed the risk and decided it was worth it for you. Some people don't weigh the risks and they think it's a safe thing. The don't realize the stress that comes with it. First of all anyone that goes to a random surgeon is just asking for a horrible result in my opinion. It's the same when people get nose jobs - a lot of them end up with whacked noses. It's a risk they task and sometimes the risk isn't worth. I've seen nose jobs go bad from the best surgeons. I've seen every surgery go bad. Let's take your transplant for example... Perhaps some aspect of it doesn't come out quite right... Maybe someone notices you had a transplant... Now it's on your mind anytime you interact with someone. We have to be honest with the stigma that comes with transplants. It makes people feel awkward just looking at them. Who wants to know they make others feel awkward. It's nowhere as accepted as breast implants or something like that. Everyone is different too. I was married for years and had multiple surgeries and my wife didn't even know I had one until I told her and she was surprised, although my second wife was able to figure it out quickly because she had known friends who had them. Eventually I told her anyway what she already figured out. But you went with a great surgeon and sounds like things worked out well for you. I am happy I got my surgeries. I have a huge head and looked ugly with it shaved. It was worth the risk for me and I love having hair I can style however I want.

I think this is the largest single session i've ever seen from Ron... Is this a shift in approach?

Will be awesome to follow your journey man! Good luck. I'm sure it's going to look great.

I don't see it on the site anymore... Unless it's changed in the past month or so, Ron charges $5.50 per graft. I think Paul charges $4.50. They used to have a 50 cent per graft travel, but they did away with that. I think it's $500 off now the whole procedure. The rates may have changed, but that's what they were a month ago. The $4.50 was from the site which was outdated per Matt, so maybe you are looking at 5 a graft with Paul. They are both awesome though. I think it goes to $3 after 2000 grafts, but they can give you the exact quote.

Amazing as usual. Looking forward to my proc in july with Ron.

Looks very natural bro.

Well, I don't tell people to avoid them per se. I tell people not to get them unless they really really hate being bald. I would recommend to anyone considering one to shave their head for awhile and see how they feel about it. If they feel they have an ugly head and are very unhappy about it, then maybe they should investigate and see if they are a candidate. Otherwise, it's just not worth it. If your result isn't totally natural you will have to worry about it every single time you talk to someone. You will have to worry about what people say behind your back and you will have to worry about swimming and your scar showing (you may get a wide scar), the cost, continued hair loss, relationships and explaining it to them, and so on. A lot of people look worse after transplants... That's a fact. Maybe they don't care what the opposite sex (or same in some cases) thinks, but often we think transplants look better than they really do. Some people look absolutely horrible. This site is full of hair transplant fans pretty much, so pretty much assume you are getting the top percent of people that are happy. Look all of the net and you get a clearer picture of the horror that can happen. This guy for example (bless his heart) has lived in a prison for 12 years. He could have shaved his head and felt like a man without a hat on. Now he has to get a transplant just to feel normal. Hopefully he can get the right surgeon and maybe he will be way happier than even before his first transplant. It can change your life for the better, but you have to be really sure it's worth the risks involved. At least up your chances by saving your money and choosing the best surgeon possible.

Ok, so the sample size is small.. But 89% makes it very easy to see how significant this issue is. There are also other studies out there that like you said show much higher numbers. If it was 10% I would definitely say the sample size would render in insignificant. Just read the comments for example regarding the study.... If you look at just those lives that were ruined, not including the plethora of what you can find online. Of course of lot of these people are suing Merck now like I said. Anyway, I won't go on about it, but people who take this drug do so at serious risk. Even people who do well with it, I really worry for them and the long term side effects. I took a slew of medications for 12 years, so I'm not just being a pharma hater. I even took propecia for a short while but discontinued after research. I hope people who have done well continue to do so.

You can check out the article here: Propecia (Finasteride) Permanent Sexual Dysfunction Risk Hair loss medication, Propecia (finasteride) may be linked to a side effect of sexual dysfunction, a problem which may not go away after treatment has stopped, researchers from George Washington University reported in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Propecia is a popular medication taken for male pattern hair loss. Michael S. Irwig MD, who works at the Center for Andrology and Division of Endocrinology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, prospectively monitored 54 adult males, average age 31, who had had three or more months of finasteride-associated sexual side effects. A side effect that continues for over three months is described as "persistent". All the men were healthy at the start of the study, and had never had any problems with sexual functions; they had no medical or psychiatric conditions and had not used oral prescription drugs before taking Propecia for male pattern hair loss. All the men in this study were checked and rechecked for 14 months. 96% of those who were reassessed still had persistent sexual side effects; some of them also had changes in cognition, genital sensation, and ejaculate quality. Dr. Irwig found that 89% of the 54 men met the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) of sexual dysfunction, which rates sex drive (libido), arousal, penile erection, ability to orgasm, and orgasm satisfaction. In an Abstract in the same journal, Dr. Irwig concluded: "In most men who developed persistent sexual side effects (≥3 months) despite the discontinuation of finasteride, the sexual dysfunction continued for many months or years. Although several rat studies have shown detrimental changes to erectile function caused by 5 alpha reductase inhibitors, the persistent nature of these changes is an area of active research. Prescribers of finasteride and men contemplating its use should be made aware of the potential adverse medication effects." source: "Medical News Today." You can also find a report on abc news citing the same study, commenting on 96% of men experiencing permanent effects. Not to mention there are numerous people suing Merck right now because of it's side effects. People often site the % of people with total ED, but this study focuses on any type of sexual impairment.

A study on this... Here is a synopsis: All the men were healthy at the start of the study, and had never had any problems with sexual functions; they had no medical or psychiatric conditions and had not used oral prescription drugs before taking Propecia for male pattern hair loss. All the men in this study were checked and rechecked for 14 months. 96% of those who were reassessed still had persistent sexual side effects; some of them also had changes in cognition, genital sensation, and ejaculate quality. Dr. Irwig found that 89% of the 54 men met the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) of sexual dysfunction, which rates sex drive (libido), arousal, penile erection, ability to orgasm, and orgasm satisfaction.

If you want an 89% chance of some form of sexual impairment and a 96% chance that the effects may persist a year or more after discontinuation then propecia is a good option. Otherwise shave your head and accept your going to be bald. You are too young for a hair transplant. I would wait for your hair loss to stabilize. Rogain only works on your crown and might be a good option. Before too long hair doubling will be widespread and you will have unlimited donor to work with.

I've had itchiness. It was never a big deal and went away. It could be eczema, but if you want to be sure just go to a dermatologist and have it checked out. Most likely it's nothing. Give it a few months... Unless you see gunk or something, it's probably nothing.

Go to Ron Shapiro. He is great with Repairs. Or Hasson/Wong. When you says scars... Are you talking about strips scars, or scars where the grafts were placed? Hair from the back of your head will tend to be more coarse than from the front. The hair will have a thicker caliber. Good surgeons often will choose the finest hairs out of the lot for the front, but that's pretty much the way it is. Also if you have too much scarring, the hairs don't grow in correctly and they end up being crooked and crinkly. That is because the hairs are growing through scar tissue. Also sounds like you have some poorly angled grafts which are common. Needing more than one surgery to get where you want to be is not uncommon. I have had five and while some of it was for progressing hair loss, others were for correction. Not sure why you would have redness. That should be gone at a year tops. Have you had flaps or other surgeries done? Do you have multiple strip scars? All hope is not lost... People have come back from horrible transplants to have awesome heads of hair. Armani is a huge rip off... like 10+ a graft. I can't believe I once dreamed he would be my surgeon some day. You can go to Ron Shapiro (SMG) or Victor Hasson (Hasson/Wong) for $5 or so a graft. These guys are tops in the world. Granted its strip, but sounds like you already have a strip scar so not a lot of benefit to FUE after that. Wearing a hat for 12 years - that's a prison man. That is no way to live. Spend the money with one of the world's best surgeons and get it fixed. In your situation, it only makes sense. Going back to Armani would just be craziness. Even if it was free, I wouldn't do it. I'll make your search simple (Ron Shapiro, Victor Hasson, Bisanga, Feriduni, Lorezno)... Just pick one and you one of the best in the world. Do your research of course , but wish I'd known about these guys when I started. Best of luck man. I know what it's like to be self conscious about your hair. I tell people all the time to avoid transplants unless you really really hate being bald. People never listen though. Let's get you fixed up!

Glad to see things worked out for you this time around!

LOL at the homosexual thoughts one. Although Mirapex for example can cause OCD and gambling compulsion as crazy as that sounds. People even won lawsuits because the proof was so strong. But, it affects dopamine so that makes sense as far as obsessive/compulsive behavior. Everything is a risk... We take risks with hair transplants for those of them who have them on here. Medications are a risk and there is nothing wrong with taking them or not. Just personal preference. Before posting originally I looked at all his posts and none even talked about propecia. Maybe I missed something.

I agree men will get ED for lots of reasons and some will even blame propecia when it's something else. But it can cause ED and I was saying it was wrong to blast the guy for informing others despite what the actual percentage is. Would you say 1% vs 2% is similar or would you it's a 100% increased risk. Don't have the numbers in front of me but they are published. Ive taken propecia and it didnt give me ED but seemed to affect my sex drive. I stopped taking because of other people's experiences combined with the other effect I experienced. Its tempting to take it even now but in general anything that stops or alters a biological process will have possible negative effects on the body. As for unreported, they combine other data sources. For example they can take numbers from a domestic shelter and see what percent of woman reported the abuse. Then they form rough estimates.