mattj

The only way to be sure is to examine the area closely (or get someone else to, if that's easier) and see if the hair is still in place. If it is then the graft hasn't been lost. Of course this doesn't guarantee that the graft is in good health and will grow in the future. All I can say is that what you're seeing isn't unheard of.

If a graft is lost then there will be bleeding from the empty incision site. However, it isn't unheard of for a bit of blood to ooze out within the first hours after a procedure. It's impossible to know what it is that you're experiencing. Can you still see a hair within the site of the blood? I wouldn't expect the saline spray to give enough force to dislodge a graft. If a graft has been lost, then there would be another reason for that.

It would be helpful if you could post some photos to show us how your hair looks now.

Lookin great! Definitely one of those results that demonstrates how natural a hair transplant can be.

Sounds like you have only minor frontal loss. Can you show us some photos?

All the best for your scheduled procedure!

I'm glad you posted a shot of your donor. I think you possibly have some thinning in that area and the density is below average. With 11 months to go before your wedding, I question whether it's a good idea to go ahead with a procedure at this time.

Could you post photos from before the procedure to show how bald you were? Ideally we would also see how you looked immediately post-op (or at least within the first week) to show grafts placement. It might be redundant of me to say this, but it's far too early to judge. It's too soon to judge the density within the area you're concerned about and it's also too soon to tell if the angle of the grafts is incorrect.

For your level of hairloss, I agree with those who have said that at least 4500 grafts would be needed. I'll refrain from commenting on the type of procedure you had as it's hard to say with any certainty on the basis of the photos. It looks to me like you had patchy growth from the procedure. A disappointment to be sure, but looking at it with positivity, you only used a small number of grafts which should mean that you have plenty of donor left.

What you're describing sounds like something that is very normal and unrelated to your HT. I often feel that pricking sensation in relation to hairs on my scalp, and my face and basically anywhere on my body. I'm betting a lot of people can relate to this. Even my girlfriend has mentioned it. I'm not surprised that it's stopped now as it's always very temporary.

From what I've read, the half life isn't that long (6-7 hours), but despite that the drug can suppress DHT for several days.

The hairline really benefited from advancing the temple points too. Very nice result.

Surgeons are always happier if their patients have had success with Finasteride before surgery. Like Spex says, hairloss is progressive, so it's very possible that you'll lose more hair in the future. But it isn't essential. I used Fin for many years, and then I stopped and there was no difference. I was fortunate.

Whatever your native hair looks like is almost irrelevant, as you're seeking hair restoration because you're unhappy with your hair. That's the bottom line. If you can live with it how it is then that's a good way forward - if you aren't happy then whatever it looks like now is something you're aiming to leave behind. You're in a fortunate situation with all of this time available to you and I would say grab the opportunity and go with it. A procedure in early 2018 would still leave you with at least 6 months and the majority of patients see a lot of growth during this period. The only drawback would be that you will look a bit worse than when you started for a few months out of your travel time. Totally unavoidable. The difference between how you look now and how you look after the surgery will depend on how big the treated area is. I'm guessing you're going for FUE. Basically, you're in an enviable position that most HT patients would kill for. You've chosen a great surgeon so I think the time is right and you should go for it.

I've not heard of many guys going for those tests, so this piqued my curiosity. Did you cut the dose in half?

If you had only tried Propecia on a daily dose, then I would say to try it ever day, or every three days - but you've already done exactly that. It might be the case that a weekly dose just isn't enough to see any benefits, as you would be spending time with the drug completely out of your system. As you've already tried the reduced frequency that we would have advised you to try, I don't think you have anything to lose by trying the weekly dose. Echos is correct, Finasteride has been shown to be effective at lower doses so rather than taking 1mg per week it might be more effective to halve the tablet and take 0.5mg every three days. I think you're more likely to have success with the lower dose rather than reducing frequency of the dose any further than you already have.

Some transplanted grafts might not shed. It's impossible to know what percentage will as it varies from person to person. It's possible that you'll still shed more as you're only two weeks post op.

A Norwood 2 is very low on the scale. Are you happy to post photos so we can look at your situation? Surgeons will ask about family history of hairloss, as well as what age you started to lose your hair. This gives some idea of how far your hairloss might progress.

Frankly, the scar will be minimal whichever of these two doctors you choose. I represent Dr Rahal and I know that he produces very minimal scars, but having been around this scene for many years I know that H&W are also one of the best in the business. Just be aware that your own physiology will play a part in your eventual scar. Scalp laxity is important and both doctors will emphasize that performing exercises to increase scalp laxity will be an important pre-op step for you to take before your procedure.

The 'normal' timeline has the transplanted hairs falling out, to be replaced by new hairs beginning at around month 3. This description of how the post-op period goes is accurate for the average patient (and it's best that HT patients prepare themselves for temporary loss of the transplanted hairs) but the reality is that in many cases, the transplanted hairs don't shed and do continue to grow. It's definitely nothing to be concerned about.

Definitely too soon to worry or make any kind of judgement on the success of the procedure. It would be helpful to see pre-op photos. If your crown was totally bald before the op then you've already seen a lot of growth. Pre-op photos would let us see if you've lost more hair since the procedure. I've got a feeling that your loss might have accelerated.

You've had a happy experience already. I wouldn't base your decision on whether your previous surgeon has good recent reviews. His reputation is the same now. He's still capable of giving you a great result.

Hi JohnCasper: We thank you for the positive words! Dr Rahal has been getting stunning FUE results for many years now, but FUT remains a good choice for many patients; especially those with more advanced hairloss.

How many milligrams did you used to take before changing? Was it the full 1mg three times per week? Another possible option would be splitting the dose to 0.5mg three times per week. That would keep the medication in your system with more consistency, but at a lower dose which could reduce side effects while maintaining efficacy.

I got a headache from the first paragraph...