thatoldchestnut

Very nice result

Continues to look fantastic, the salt and pepper looks great too imo. How do you feel you've held up overall Spanker? Any detectable thinning behind the grafts etc?

The frontal aspect still looks spot on. Not trying to put a downer on how great it looks; just curious because I haven't seen many posts from patients like yourself that didn't "need" an op after they get this far out from their procedure

I have been using generic finasteride for a year now and have had good results as far as I can tell (http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/182496-12-months-finasteride.html). I don't claim to know categorically that there is no difference. That said, I don't buy into the sentiment that brand name propecia is somehow "better". Here in the UK they prescribe generic to people who actually need the drug for prostate trouble, I don't think they'd be doing that if they were worried about the efficacy/quality of the medication, just my opinion.

Stick to propecia daily. No real excuse for not doing so if it's not giving you sides. Just get into the routine of taking it first thing in the morning or last thing at night (or whenever suits, naturally). I would leave it to a medical professional to categorically state that it was the case, but in my opinion if you're slacking off significantly with your regimen that could well be a reason for the drug's apparent ineffectiveness.

Best of luck to you.

I really don't think that anecdotal conjecture about generics not working as well is all that helpful. If you're getting it from a reputable source then there shouldn't be much issue. Most people wouldn't think twice about buying generic ibuprofen, same concept.

Well on the way, hairline is immaculate. Hope it's what you wanted

Just a completely superb result, you must be over the moon!

Going to Dr. K is about as close as one can come to guaranteeing a successful HT imo. Try to relax and enjoy the coming months

Agree with Stig, man. A lot of those horror stories are just anecdotal nonsense I'd say, shedding is normal in the early going. Stay the course and trust that fin is very, very likely to work for you

All the best.

Spanker's was FUT, tremendous though!

Thanks all. I am pleased and hopefully medication will continue to allow me to mimic Toto and "hold the line" for a good long while yet

I've seen guys with what looks like normal hairlines with moderate or even no real loss but thinning on the top like this guy and worse. The problem is that it isn't talked about much but you said it is common. I think you're right so why don't we see more cases like this? Again, good job!

I think it's because cases like these, while equally important, simply don't have the "wow factor" that a case involving stuffing 2k+ grafts in the frontal third does.

Congrats to the patient though, nicely done docs.

Looks great, Shanson

Just wanted to post something to mark my one year anniversary since starting propecia on the advice of you fine gentlemen

I'll preface this by saying I know that my hair loss was never that bad to begin with, but it was definitely creeping into distinctly noticeable territory and overall, I'm glad I sought your advice and took action when I did. I think I would say that overall I have had a pretty positive response to finasteride (I take generic 1.25mg/ed) and minoxidil (circa ~8 months, at least once nightly and sometimes twice a day).

I think I have experienced some relatively decent regrowth and overall my hair is in good shape. Honestly when you're looking at your hair every day it becomes difficult to take objective stock of whether you're actually noticing improvement, whether hair is miniaturising or regrowing etc. I'm still somewhat frustrated by the uneven nature of my hairline and my temples, but generally speaking I realise that I should just be thankful for what I have and that meds seem to be working for me thus far. I did experience some mild side effects (watery semen and slightly lower libido/erection quality) but these have been more or less imperceptible or subsided completely.

I still might do something to improve my hairline in the future but for now I'll just hope that my hair continues on what seems to be a positive trajectory and that the regrowth persists. Taking pictures to document is not an exact science and i prefer to keep my hair long (I had it cut right at the start of this process) generally speaking so these pictures are not necessarily "apples to apples" comparisons, take them for what they are. (My original thread/Only "baseline" shots: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178446-seeking-multitude-advice-29-year-old-guy.html)

2-3 Months

I realise these images are not perfect but I actually lost most of my older pics when I got a new phone, they give you a decent idea of where I was at, though.

12 months (Near as makes no odds, anyway )

So yeah, my natural widow's peak exaggerates it, but as you can see the left side is still markedly worse than the right (which almost looks completely full imo when not pulled back) but there is quite a bit of what I think is regrowth that I can see on that side (and a little on the right, too). Incidentally, my hair is semi-damp in some of these, it's still blonde.

Thanks again for the advice HRN and I hope the pics are not too enormous/numerous

I'd say that what people were estimating before sounds about right tbh. 2500 would have been my guess for a dense frontal restoration. You won't need an average of 60-70 grafts/cm2 to achieve a dense frontal third though, pretty sure 50ish would suffice. Best of luck

So true Spanker

Always makes me balk when people talk about stable hair loss in people who are not on meds.

It's funny, actually. Just goes to show provided you don't go from a very high NW to some kind of super-juvenile hairline (which is obviously not really possible but you know what i mean), most people won't even notice. I knew Eriksen was receding but had completely forgotten just how bad his hairline had become. Now when I see him on TV i still think about the fact that he has a somewhat receded hairline but I was completely oblivious to the fact he'd had work done.

Same goes for Cesc, i pointed out to people that he had definitely undergone a HT and everyone said i was crazy. Just goes to show how much attention people generally pay to this type of stuff.

Congrats Dutchie, rest up and wait for that H&W magic to start!

srs guys. High hairline but with thick hair looks really great. Dont think we should strive for lowering it that much.

Not sure if you mean this in relation to Sudeikis specifically but I should note that I don't see a problem with the height of his hairline at all. I agree with you, thick hair and a slightly higher hairline definitely looks good!

It's the temples and the way they've receded that just doesn't seem to marry up with what's on top. I could be completely wrong and wouldn't claim to know, just looks very odd. The only other person I can think of with even remotely similar temporal recession is David Beckham, though in his case it's significantly less pronounced. Perhaps it's just a quirk of Sudeikis'/Beckham's hairlines, though

Surprised no one has commented on this after all the clamouring for Rahal to post more comprehensive restorations. Admittedly the pictures are not the best but looks a very solid result, all in all. Potentially more to come too, given it's only 8 months and as I understand it (anecdotally) the crown tends to be a little slower to "bear fruit".

As an aside, I'd be curious to know how this patient's donor was evaluated. Am i correct in thinking it's a little on the weak side? To me it looks like it could be "average" at best.

Oh man that gif has put a spell on me. Must...look...away...

On a non-RVB related note; am I crazy or is Jason Sudeikis wearing a wig? Was watching horrible bosses last night and I could not take my eyes off the guy's hairline (shameful, i know ).

He literally just looks like a bald guy with a super thick thatch whacked on top of his head. Opinions?

I don't think it's that thin is it? Hard to tell from the photos but the hair is extremely dark on fair skin.

I think if you're content to stick with your current style (which i dig, personally ) then you're not really in need of round 2 because the hairline is not fully exposed and what's there is dense.

Just my opinion

Funny vid, shaved does suit you, would recommend some facial hair to complement it though