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Paulygon

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  1. Paulygon
    seems possible
  2. Paulygon
    excellent article.. An interesting point was that that after FUT "The natural flow has been eradicated". Although I wasn't aware of that; it simply is not a concern for me. Is that a concern for anyone else?
  3. Paulygon
    does anyone know if most of the volumizing products share the same active ingredients-- that is, are those shard active ingredients responsible for the volumizing benefit--- and would that make one product simply equal to any other that has the same percentage of the active ingredient?
  4. Paulygon
    if you check out my story.. i was NW5 (so bald) and my doc's strategy was to build a new hairline for me and let the meds fill in the crown. in my AFTER picture, that is only the Finasteride and Minox working to do a pretty great job filling up the crown. before HT 6 month crown
  5. Paulygon
    wouldn't it be worth the extra effort to get it legitimately (through a Doc and legit pharmacy) rather than to risk being sent non-effective or fake finasteride? I've never ordered online; I'm a bit wary of the risks.
  6. Paulygon
    Thank you!! That answers alot. Is there any indication from that picture of Matt Lauer that he does not take propecia? Would you expect that his crown would be more filled in if he were to take Propecia-- or is it just a wild guess?
  7. Paulygon
    I was NW5A in 2012, have had HT and am on Finasteride and Minox (also since 2012).. if you look at my Before/After pics.. there is a HUGE positive difference in my appearance.. but I AM STILL SHEDDING.. which almost doesn't make sense.. I've been having a hard time trying to understand what that shed indicates.. it is a continuous shed (not just something that was happening during the first 3 months of treatment). But how can there be such a continuous shed and a great improvement in amount of hair on my scalp? Scientifically, like the article above suggested, it has to do with shed rate. It still sucks seeing these hairs shed every day, and clogging my bath tub drain (every 2 weeks).. or seeing the hairs on my fingers after each Minoxidil application... Look at the pic.. it is unbelievable that I transformed from bald to "not bald" but am STILL SHEDDING.. what the heck!? the article posted above suggests that maybe the shed actually means the drugs are working-- who would've thought!? is it possible that the sheds indicate that the hair loss cycle is being reversed..? btw, I think that the best way to determine shed rate (save for collecting all your shed hairs every day, which is impossible to do) is to do hair density mapping every 6 months at your HT Surgeon's office. I don't think this is standard practice.. but should be.
  8. Paulygon
    Ahh, this helps! Thanks Blake!
  9. Paulygon
    That looks Fabulous bro! Looks like we've had the procedure around the same time - it is a wonderful thing that these transplants are turning out so well. Gotta love technology & the 2010's!
  10. Paulygon
    I have had tenderness which lasted for 3-4 days. I realized that it was because I was wearing a nylon jersey while playing basketball (I jump up/down alot because I am a rebounder) which caused the nylon jersey to scratch against my nipples, causing tenderness and irritation. This scared me a little (I initially thought it was early signs of Gyno!) but lasted only 3-4 days and was better. I never wore that jersey again without a cotton t-shirt underneath and all has been fine. Moral of the story: There may be some causality or coincidence with the sore nipples that you have not identified. You might be jumping the gun and blaming Propecia/finasteride for something that is not finasteride's fault. Though, I do commend you for being in tune with how your body feels and taking all symptoms seriously.
  11. Paulygon
    Does anyone recall Dr. Rassman's study on Propecia.? I think he said that Propecia stays in your body for about 4-5 days.. so if you miss a few doses, it won't have any negative effect... hsrp10's comments on absorption reminded me why absorption is so important.. i have the bad habit of skipping doses (probably because of Rassman's study from several years ago).
  12. Paulygon
    In the USA propecia/finasteride is available by prescription only; so you would need to consult a physician to get a script. Rogaine/Minox is an FDA approved med for hair regrowth that is available without prescription, and thus, you do not need to see a doctor to start that topical medication. That being the case, a person would be wise to discuss any health issues, medication changes or general health changes with a physician. I am aware of this new public health terminology, self-care, but to most people "self-care" includes consulting a physician at the pivotal point of medication changes... especially when an Rx is required for one of the medications. With excellent forums like this, and all the knowledge on the internet, we are empowered to make bigger decisions (ie. medication changes) on our own... this is a personal choice. Now, if you want to be extremely prudent... why not get a full physical before starting the meds? This way, a year or two after you start your new meds (rogaine, propecia), you can compare to your baseline from before you started the medication regimen.. Or, maybe you can even get a hair density map as a baseline (via microscope by an HT surgeon), and then compare a year or two later to see if your hair density has increased. My HT surgeon (Parsa Mohebi) checks my hair density every year to monitor the state of my hair loss at different regions of my scalp. This is recommended to all HT patients, and I think everyone on this forum should have a similar chart (hair density map) that they regularly update (ie. every 6 months to 1 year) in order to be aware of how their hair loss is progressing.
  13. Paulygon
    thanks rev!! anyone else have any thoughts?
  14. Paulygon

    Paulygon commented on Paulygon's gallery image in Member Albums

    thanks friend!
  15. Paulygon
    Awesome post bro-- I will have to watch Heat and look for Piven.. Did you ever see him in Seinfeld playing George Castanza in the show "Jerry" they were pitching to NBC (see pic).. Do you think that was that Piven's real hairline or was it cosmetically decreased to be a NW6? Is it similar to what you saw in Heat?
  16. Paulygon
    true.. get past the ugly duckling phase post HT... which is about 3-8 months long IMO. for me toppik, started fooling me into thinking i was fooling everybody else that i have hair.. in other words, relying on toppik, i allowd my hair get to a really terrible state where hairs were sparse located (low density) and i would just put toppik in wishfully thinking people wouldn't notice my hair loss... many years ago, I had this interview at a law firm; the interviewer just kept looking at the train wreck (mostly toppik mixed in with a low density of native hairs) on my head the whole time.. what an ass.. funny thing is, he was totally bald.. you'd think that other hair loss sufferers would be more sensitive to one's feelings.. what was I thinking.. I should have had the HT done years sooner!
  17. Paulygon
    The attached pic was taken this morning.. I drew blue stars around the hairs to indicate what seems to be DHT-resistant (?) native hairs located far below my strong post-HT hairline. What am I supposed to do with these hairs? I tried shaving them, which is an odd thing to do.. they keep growing back as a stark reminder of a hairline of days past. Should I pluck them? Part of me feels wasteful to shave or pluck any scalp hair because we only have a finite number of donors available. Are these actually DHT-resistant hairs? (or perhaps they are just dying a slow death to DHT and I shouldn't trust them) Maybe I should have them removed with FUE and transplanted to a region that actually NEEDS them (ie. my crown). Or, are there too few of then to impact my crown? Or, would it not be worth removing them with FUE because they are sensitive to DHT but just not as sensitive as the other native hairs that have already fallen out? Would FUE leave scars in those regions (any scarring in that region [my forehead] would be UNACCEPTABLE to me).
  18. Paulygon
    I think I paid a $500 when I reserved my spot with Mohebi. Due to personal circumstances, I ended up deciding not to do the surgery in 2011 and got a full refund... Then in 2012, I went back to Mohebi, paid the deposit to reserve a spot on standby, and got the surgery done. But, in your situation, whenever I hear the words "Western Union" I get a bit nervous..
  19. Paulygon
    Yes! I asked my surgeon to elaborate on the details of how they budget the limited # of donor hairs and if there is a formula they use to determine the density they want to arrive at in HT's when filling in an area.. for example, I compared a guy who likes a mohawk style to a guy who like a professional clean cut hair style.. and I asked Dr Mohebi for his inputs. Here is my surgeon's answer in : How to budget hair in hair transplantation – Hair Economy I think this is interesting stuff... Also, I pay around $45 for haircuts nowadays because my stylist is also an excellent illusionist!
  20. Paulygon
    such a cool thought though- i love innovative thinking! It just that something like that seems like it would nearly double the cost of hair transplants. The HT cost is prohibitive enough for many people already, so I would think it all comes down to economics. I agree with a prior poster-- the way to do this is to save up your vacation days, etc. Or just deal with telling people the truth. I work remotely and gave my my boss a heads-up about my procedure. My surgeon (Dr Parsa Mohebi) offers stand-by surgery at a discounted rate (ie. you fill in when there is a cancellation) -- I had signed up for that stand-by list and his office called me about a week or 2 prior to surgery to tell me that there was an opening-- A soon as I got that option to get the surgery done, I talked to my boss and got his 'OK' for being out for a day or two. And, since I work remotely, healing, bandages, awkward appearance was not an issue.
  21. Paulygon

    Paulygon posted a gallery image in Member Albums

    From the album: After HT native hairs are out of place

  22. Paulygon

    After HT native hairs are out of place

    Images added to a gallery album owned by Paulygon in Member Albums

    this picture shows some native hairs that have been DHT-resistant and are out of place.. they reside far below my post-HT hairline. I am seeking advice on how to deal with these "lonely" hairs in an effort to optimize my appearance. (I had a successful HT with Dr Mohebi in Los Angeles in 2012 that took me from NW 5A to my current condition. Also on meds.)
  23. Paulygon
    when I had my first HT (FUT) done my doc and I planned to wait about a year to see results from the first, so we know where to fill-in and fine-tune. He gave me the option of FUT or FUE for the second. I am still deliberating which. Each has pros vs. cons. What are you leaning towards? What about your doc's advice? If you were to get FUE, how many grafts would you get in? More than 2800? Anyhow, I'd def. wait, if possible, to see results from HT#1 so you know what you're working with and where to fill in gaps.
  24. Paulygon
    Hey Jotronic, This topic came up in another thread- and I'm not sure if you will see it-- but now that I'm curious, I have to ask (hope I don't annoy anyone asking a similar question in 2 threads)-- but your input is like Gold to some of us.. so here goes: In your patient's BEFORE pic, he kind looks like Matt Lauer.. I am attaching a pic of Matt Lauer that shows his recent hair loss status. If Matt Lauer were to get a hair transplant, could he be as lucky in getting as good results? I'm guessing not because Lauer's donor region does not appear to be as high quality as your patient's pic. How much hope would there be for someone in Lauer's case, compared to your guy? I just wish there was a better way of predicting expected results.
  25. Paulygon
    That is one heck of a transformation after just 1 procedure- lucky guy! In the BEFORE (posted originally by Jotronic and re-attached below), the patient looks kind of like Matt Lauer.. makes you think... if Matt Lauer were to get a HT, would he be as lucky in getting as good results? My guess would be no because (per the pic I put up) Matt Lauer's donor area is not quite as dense and doesn't seem to have as good-quality hairs as the patient. It's funny how this hair loss crapshoot is so based on LUCK. For example, my brother has no hairloss but I got the hair loss genes in the family. But then, at least I've been lucky that my donor region has alot of good quality hairs and can compensate to a degree for my DHT-uber-sensitive native scalp follicles. Then I was lucky that I found this community, read the right articles and picked the right surgeon to go to for my first Hair Transplant procedure. I'm lucky that the Doc is located in Los Angeles and I can have him maintain my hair density distribution for the rest of my life (at least that is the plan). Bottom line is, you can only control certain things... Don't stress over what you cannot control.. and do your due diligence (ie. research, consultations with several docs) when picking a route for tackling your hair loss issues. It amazes me how often I see people freaking out just a couple weeks after their HT operation... claiming that they see no signs of hair re-growth, or blaming their docs for not putting in the # of grafts that was promised. (way too soon bro!) We tend to freak out alot about our hair.. we just gotta realize when to chill out. The main point of this post was to get opinions on whether someone with the Matt Lauer density could achieve as good results as the patient posted by Jotronic. Any thoughts?
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