thatoldchestnut

Thanks, sort of?

Hey guys, I figure the majority of you are probably not all that interested, but it's almost exactly 3 years since I started finasteride after my first visit to the forums (as you can see from my join date; my "12 month update" was actually posted quite late). To that end, I decided to continue my documentation of upkeep/improvement, even though I know mine is certainly not what would be classed as a particularly dramatic transformation. I have been extremely consistent with taking 1.25mg fin (generic) daily over the past 3 years as well as using Nizoral 2-3 times/week. The minoxidil, I must admit to being a bit lax with at times, but generally I use 1-2ml once per day (twice if it's convenient; I use liquid so if I want to style my hair early in the day, I tend not to). I must admit I am quite surprised in that I believe I have seen continued improvement right up until the present day. As you will see from the pics, I think the right temporal angle has almost completely closed which is a significant difference from where I started (not that it was ever in drastic shape, but still). I have a cow's lick on my right temple which makes for a relatively sharp angulation, but the impression is clear nonetheless. The left temple will never recover to the same extent but it too, appears to have improved a decent amount. Overall I consider myself very lucky to be still tolerating the medication well and to have essentially stopped worrying about my hair. Of course it's something I still monitor reasonably frequently (as demonstrated by my relatively active presence here ) and may address in the future, but for now, at 33 years old (in April), I know that I have zero grounds for complaint! Wishing you all success in both your hair-related endeavours and otherwise, TOC N.B. Hair has a little left-over product in it and is wet with minox which accentuates thickness a little.

Happy for ya JLD. Here's hoping the 2nd round is as big of a success. Then, hopefully, easy street for a good few years, eh?

Couldn't agree more. Result is undeniably excellent but I, too, was struck by how aggressive this restoration is!

Wait longer, save more. This is your head/hair and the results are permanent.

Lovely work, certainly seems the patient's goals were achieved and nice to see some longer-term maintenance!

Post #62 shows the 12 month result. Not that 12 months is always the "finished article" in all cases, but it's very likely to be representative of the final result in most cases. I don't agree that 9-12 months is the period of most growth, I would say 4-6 (and perhaps even sooner, most "wow" results I have seen are typified by early growth), but that's based entirely on my own anecdotal observations. Personally I don't think this result is optimal. However, that is entirely up for debate.

Appears to be a comparison of dry (fuller)/wet (thinner) pics, which given the conditions, is to be expected. How long have you been on fin? Could be down to normal shed cycles making it appear thinner at the mo? If you've not experienced any sides on fin you certainly could switch to dut i suppose. I wouldn't take your pic/account of what's happened as conclusive proof of fin losing effectiveness by any means. Just my opinion though

Have to admit (forgive me erkso, in no way intended to be offensive or a knock on the doctor per se) that this result strikes me as a bit of a disappointment. I appreciate you had fine hair, but from that starting point, with ~70fu/cm2 this just isn't the result I'd have been expecting. This seemed to me one of those "slam dunk" cases, though that may say more about my own ability to assess what makes a case slam dunk than the quality of the result in this instance. I certainly wouldn't call it a failure or anything of the sort, but I'd have been expecting a lot more in your shoes. Perhaps that's just unrealistic, though! Regardless, certainly looks natural to me (r.e. your mentioned concern) and ultimately, you're happy and that's what counts.

Can only echo these sentiments. I dare say if I went out of my way I might be able to find something but generally speaking, I can't say I've ever heard a bad word said about Konior. This is in stark contrast to nearly every other physician recommended here.

You should go for the Alec Baldwin in 30 rock look, swept up and back (not slicked) with a slight side part. Distinguished AF. Insane result man, enjoy life!

My completely unprofessional opinion? Don't pursue hair transplantation unless you're willing to commit to meds, not with that level of loss and what appears to be a below average/weak donor. Think you'd be setting yourself up for a long, expensive road to unsatisfactory results (ofc, dependant on pre-op expectations).

This is an absolutely beautiful result. I dare say there are many patients who would kill for such progress after 12 months, let alone 4. The immediate post-op pics reveal extremely accomplished, meticulous work and you have every right to be thrilled with what the surgery has yielded thus far. It beggars belief to imagine that this result is only going to improve! One of the best UK-based doc cases I have ever seen.

I'll defer to you man, you're the one living with it! I certainly didn't mean to cause offence, was just pointing out that I would spot them instantly. I don't doubt what you say is true and that the average joe would be unlikely to suspect a thing.

Gotta agree with Gast, design is on point and the haircut is lookin' crispy. Enjoy life, no more HTs for you, young man!

Superb results. However: Is total nonsense. The scars are very obvious.

Congratulations on your procedure and I am happy that things seem to be progressing smoothly thus far. Taking Finasteride is not nearly the risk you seem to think it is. If you are particularly afraid of permanent side effects, don't be. I wouldn't mind betting you're many, many factors more likely to get knocked down and killed crossing the street than you are likely to develop permanent side effects taking a low dose of fin. If you're not concerned about permanent side effects then you are being wildly irrational. If you experience side effects and are unhappy to continue taking finasteride: desist; problem solved. I realise you are a young man and that people are required to show an element of sensitivity in relation to your case but it beggars belief that someone of your age, with your degree of loss, should be encouraged to embark on this kind of procedure without medicinal support.

Beautiful work, as always.

Looks like it should be great Gatsu. I remember your previous thread discussing this potential procedure and although I tentatively suggested Lupunzula for this, I'm curious what made you choose him over Keser? Particularly since the work Keser did was absolutely outstanding (based on pre-ops here!). All the best, TOC.

H&W really are the masters of cases like this, bravo!

I'm almost always very impressed with Dr. Cooley's work. I think with such a solid foundation to build on you should be in for a great result!

Konior really is ridiculously good. Congrats!

Nice to see a good FUE from Dr. Rahal - impressive transformation!

There is insufficient data provided to conclude the above, at least in the graph presented. To make such a blanket statement would assume that all patients respond to finasteride identically, experiencing both the same initial and continued efficacy. We know this to be fundamentally untrue, both anecdotally and statistically. Consider the example in which several of the men who took finasteride over the 5 year period were poor, or even non-responders (due to age/progression of hair loss or other physiological factors); the data has now been significantly skewed in a self explanatory fashion. I'm not categorically saying your statement is incorrect (frankly i haven't researched it enough to consider myself that well informed on the matter), but it certainly seems likely that it is. Regardless of the underlying sentiment you proffer, it is lucidly based on what appears to be a fallacious extrapolation of the data presented. Further, one need only consult the Rossi study for several examples of men who serve as a direct refutation of your conclusion. Therein lie clear examples of men for whom finasteride retained its efficacy for a period of 10 years.

Not to mention the fact that meds weren't used for the majority of the "ht journey" on a patient who's a diffuse nw6 thinner. Seems like poor planning and poor decision making. A lot of confirmation bias going on ITT.