Ronald

Proscar, used to treat the prostate, is 5 mg of finasterside, so 2 mg will not be a big deal.

Just take 1 mg tomorrow, no biggie.

Yeah, sorry for not being more clear.....I had 2200 grafts on the front and am planning on taking Rogaine for crown.....just not sure when, which is the point of my original question #3.

Yeah, thats a really good point especially when it seems that fin has better long term efficacy than initially thought. I am a wierd case as well because I started to lose my hair at 17 but have not lost very much over the last 8 years (2200 grafts worth and have been on fin for 1 year). In general, the earlier you start, the more aggressive the MPB is....

This is such a tough choice for me......because money is not an issue (not because I have lots but because Im a good budgeter) and as you mentioned, there is synergy between the 2 since they act differently......

I am 3 mths post op and my scar still feels tender so I am waiting before that goes away.

Dr. Rahal, as you mentioned, wants you to lay off the weights for month.

I like the idea of doing two things:

1) Starting with lighter weights

2) Increasing the weights gradually using Dr. Rahal's 1 mth guideline and your feel for how your donor area feels.

hey aaron1234,

Good advice with the fin, I am taking it now.

Since you don't see much thinning now, would you wait to try Rogaine or try now. My concern is that I dont want my body to get used to it too early when my crown balding is minimal.

Thanks for responding aska.

Your comment perfectly captures why I am having so much trouble deciding.

The only reason I am considering Rogaine is because 2 coalition docs told me there is thinning....and is also why I asked the other questions I did, to prepare for the future.

I have been researching many topics about hair loss and since my balding is currently affecting my frontal area, I have not really paid much attention to information regarding crown baldness.

Two coalition docs have told me that I have some crown thinning and I can see a small bald spot when I snap a picture directly in harsh light. I have 3 questions Id like to ask:

1) Given that I am 25, does this early thinning mean that I will eventually lose all of my crown hair? How can one make an educated guess about how much crown hair I will lose?

2) On average, how many grafts does it take to treat crown baldness?

3) I am taking Propecia now and I'm considering Rogaine but I do not want my body to become resistant to Rogaine at a time when my thinning is minimal. Should I start Rogaine now or wait?

Also, letting ur hair dry naturally will make it look thicker!

spin266,

I live in Canada and it costs only $3.99 a bottle but it is smaller than most shampoos. Regardless, it is a VERY fair price given how well it works I say.

To answer your question about where to buy it in the US: Since L'Oreal Paris is a common brand name, I would go on a shopping adventure in your area to hunt for it. I would try:

Walmart

Local pharmacies

Hair salons

Take someone you love, grab some lunch, then go home and try it out using the method I suggested, see how awesome the results are and then come back on this forum and tell us about it!

L'Oreal Paris thickener shampoo and volumizer for men.......AMAZING difference.

Make sure u let it sit on ur scalp for a few mins though and rince off well.

http://www.lorealparis.ca/_en/...eet.aspx?code=HCa7_2

.....the general cutoff for hair transplant surgery? I know that doctors will make assessments on a case by case basis.....but in general, what happens after 25 years old that makes it the general cutoff age?

.....the general cutoff for hair transplant surgery? I know that doctors will make assessments on a case by case basis.....but in general, what happens after 25 years old that makes it the general cutoff age?

They tried implanting artiifical hairs before but it caused infections and is now illegal in some countries.

Scalp tattooing is another possible alternative but there is not a lot of info on it. Ive heard it looks ok when done well but looks bad otherwise. I still havent found a good one.

Scalp reductions also used to be common but are less so now because they do nothing in the long run and reduce scalp laxity which takes away from the number of grafts that can be transplanted.

I think what you do should depend on your scalp laxity and donor area availability.

If those are favorable, then you will have more options.

I know its annoying when people type this, but I think a qualified hair doc would be in a better position to answer your questions.

I thought I was the only one that cut my own hair!

Comparing to your blog, there is a huge difference.

Looks amazing......the general public wouldnt have a clue about your scar I say

I have been researching getting tattoo dots to camo my scar in the event that I become a NW7.

If done properly, it would likely allow for anyone to buzz down and look ok.

At the moment, I have not found a place I would say 100% I would goto.....but I continue to do research.

If you still have donor left, you could potentially FUE the scar.....200-400 grafts is what it usually takes.

Thanks Bill, will do for sure when I can post my pics.

Assume the patient has 225cm2 of area to cover, the frontal 2/3rds would be 150cm2. At 30 follicular units per cm2, that's a total of 4,500 grafts.

Based on the threads I have read, there seems to be a big misconception regarding the size of the NW7 area, as most say around 200 cm2.

It is actually the crown of a NW7 that is 200cm2, the TOTAL area in a NW7 is closer to 400 cm2.

See this article by Dr. Bernstein:

http://www.bernsteinmedical.co...voiding-pitfalls.php

I recently and accidentally bought that L'Oreal volumizer for men and I must say it works great!

I scrub my hair with it, let it sit for 2-5 mins, and let it dry naturally and the results are AMAZING.

Glad to hear others have been raving about it, esp since its so cheap!

Thanks Jason for the further clarification.

For SMG:

Is the price per FUE graft $6 for both small and large sessions or only larger ones?

One coalition doctor said I was a NW 3 another said I am NW4A.

I disagree with both and I think I am a NW3A.

This goes to show you that there is a lot of judgement involved in diagnosing and treating MPB. So I want to get some ideas on distinguishing between NW and NWA.

Look at page 50 of the book "Hair Transplantation" By Dr. Unger and Dr. Ronald Shapiro

http://books.google.com/books?...20transplant&f=false

For #1 of major requirements, do you think ALL islands are included or just unusual ones (since they use the word usual)

For #2 of major requirements, do you think "balding" means scalp showing or any degree of miniaturization?

The only reason Im wondering is because I want to know if Im NW or NWA.....but I dont have access to pics right now.......

If you look at the Norwood scale on that page I referenced, I look like a NW 3A but also have the little frontal forelock island of a NW4 (but minus the bald crown as seen in the 4 since I mostly look like a 3A).

SO yeah, Im confused........thoughts?

I agree that this is a very interesting discussion, to the point that it drove me to sign up and participate!

I know we prefer our patients to be at least 25. However, we do the occasional 23-24 year old.

Although each case is different, 25 seems to be the general rule of thumb. I have always wondered why that is. Does hair loss tend to stabilize after this age? Is it easier to predict one's hair loss after 25?

We end up repairing so many of these young men by 27-35 because they just look unnatural...hairline too low, hairline too dense, temple points overbuilt, donor over-harvest via FUE, recipient area scarring, ridging, cobblestoning, wide/raised scars, etc...

What you describe sounds like repair work done on account of poor technique (cobblestoning/recipient area scarring) and/or poor planning (hairline too low, over-harvest via FUE) as opposed to someone who got a ht done too young, since a 70 yr old with these issues would be driven to have repairs done.

I believe a conservative transplant with proper technique on a 20 yr old would not yield these issues.

I know Ive been arguing FOR but I want to provide another argument for AGAINST. I have seen some NW7s with so little hair that you can barely see that they have any, which would make their scar noticable if they got FUT.....Jason did touch on this point in his post and rightfully so. I once sat behind someone with this pattern.....

This is almost precisely what I've always intuitively felt, and have tried to verbalize recently. Well said; agree 100%. And I agree with Jason that in having such a prognosis on someone to use FUE is the *perfect*, if not only, solution.

Im glad someone agrees with me! I have always intuitively felt this way as well but since I have been a lurker for a few years, I have never had to put my feelings into words.

When I finally had to do so, it was REALLY hard to properly explain how I feel....after re-reading my post, the words really didnt come out that smoothly but its such a hard thing to put into words.

I think I edited that post 3-4 times hahahaha.

Regardless.....I believe some coalition surgeons share our sediments.

Ive seen many many NW 7 patients with good hairlines and balding crowns.....I really hope BB finds one so he can have more hair during his 20's.