mikenguyen

Firstly, I would like to say thank you to everyone for your comments either they are encouragements or criticisms. Especially I would like to send a big thank you to HTSoon and hsrp10 for following me to this thread. I knew that my decision would receive a lot of criticisms but I am always open for more ideas and opinions. I made this decision knowing that I will need to have multiple transplants later in my life to fill in the bald patches that will come in the future. This is an investment that I am willing to make. I am at a critical part of my life where I need to be the most confident. I completely understand why doing my first transplant with FUT is more logical but since I always wear my hair at the back short, I don't think that it is a good option for me at the moment. Furthermore, I think that the first transplant is the most important and I want to choose a surgeon that can create a natural looking hairline and truly understands the Asian hairline. This led me to Dr.Diep and his amazing FUE results. While Dr.Diep told me that he can go lower with my hairline, I want a conservative hairline which is 7cm from the mid eye-brows. This would take less grafts and will give me a suitable hairline later on in my life. In terms of my donor area, my hair is quite thick which will give me better coverage with fewer grafts compare to someone who has thinner hairs. When I go and cut my hair, my hair stylist always has to cut my hair at the back and on the side much thinner because my hair is too thick and puffy. Dr.Diep told me that he could go up to 8000 grafts with my donor area. In terms of treatment, I will start using Lipogaine minoxidil next week. My plan is to see whether it would halt or at least slow down my hair loss. From your comments, I will definitely give Propecia a second thought. I have always been scared due to the side effects especially if they are permanent. I am planning to get married and have kids in the next few years and I don't want anything that messes with my hormones to the point that I don't have sexual desire or is unable to have kids. I know that the sides are rare but can you guys give me some more information about this drug and some of the sides that you guys might've experienced? Dr.Diep also told me the importance of Propecia and Minoxidil to halt future hairloss. Starting next week I will start using Lipogaine shampoo 3 times a week and Lipogaine Minoxidil once a day before bed. To HTSoon, my head is shaped weirdly that's why I never wear my hair too short. I have a longer skull that shapes upward and the back of my head is short of flat (my parents let me lay on my back too much when I was a baby . If I buzz my head, my head will look somewhat like an alien head shape

Long story short, I am 23 years old and has been dealing with MPH for over 5 years now and I am currently a NW3. Here's the link to my previous thread where I talked about my hair loss and what led me to the decision of having a hair transplant:http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/185401-23-seriously-considering-hair-transplant.html Today, I had a chance to meet Dr.Diep in person and we had a great conversation. It was a little crazy because for the last 5 years I have been watching Dr.Diep's videos on youtube and today I was in his office talking to him in person. We decided that I would undergo a hair transplant using the FUE method. He drew my hairline and I thought that it was not too aggressive or too conservative. From the mid eye-brow to my hairline will be around 7cm, which is on the high side for Asian males. However, I have always had a big forehead and high hairline my whole life so having a conservative hairline is not a problem for me at all. From the skype consultation that I had with Dr.Diep a month ago, he estimated that I would need around 1500-2000 grafts. However, after today's meeting, he said that I would need around 2000-2250 for good coverage. This is due to the fact that my head is big and my temples receed more that what he expected from the photos. What made me very happy today is the fact that he said that I am a great candidate due to the fact that my hair is very thick and strong. He said that I would be able to achieve a great result. I have booked my surgery date to be early July this year and I am counting down everyday now. My plan now is to start using Lipogaine Minoxidil since I am not going to try Propecia at all due to the side effects. I know that I am a young patient but this is a decision that I have put a lot of thought into. I did my research over the last few years and I know that I would need to have more surgeries down the road. I feel that this is a good time for me to start using treatment and to have my first transplant. I strongly feel that Dr.Diep will give me a natural looking hairline that I can build upon later on in my life. Below will be some photos of today's visit with Dr.Diep. I hope to gain support from the members on this site, especially Dr.Diep's patients.

Lipogaine For Men For Sensitive Scalp - It seems like I can't find propylene glycol in the ingredient list. Is this the same product that you use? I noticed that there is another version with the red label. This one apparently cause less itching since it is for sensitive scalp. When you apply the minoxidil, do you only apply it to the balding area (in my case the front) or do you apply it all over the scalp? Thank you so much

Thank you for the insights HTsoon. I will definitely follow your progress and there's no doubt that your result will be amazing. I have scheduled an in-person consultation with Dr.Diep in 2 weeks. I am excited to finally meet the man and I look forward to speaking with him in person about my hair loss. I will keep you updated of how the meeting goes. Regarding minoxidil, did you experience any side effects with this drug? http://www.lipogaine.com/lipogaine-for-men-sensitive/ - Is this the minox that you are currently using? Also when you use minox, do you apply it only to the balding area or all over your hair?

I understand your point and I will keep this in mind when Dr.Diep draws the hairline for me. From my consultation, Dr.Diep told me that I can choose anywhere from 1500-2000 with 2000 being optimal for a great result. He trust his ability to create a natural looking hairline not just for now but for years down the road. From your case, I am absolutely impreased with the hairline that he transplanted on you. I think that it looks very natural and fits your face perfectly. I think that I will start to use the Lipogaine shampoo again soon and I will probably add biotin too. I am still undecided on minoxidil since it is a long term committment and that the results will disapear once I stop using the med. Dr.Diep also told me that a patient usually have around 8000-12000 grafts to work with. Would my donor area look weird if I choose to do more procedures in the future? How would you rate your experience with Dr.Diep?

Thank you for your reply HTsoon! I was very excited to see your reply because I know that you are a Dr.Diep's patient. I saw your posts and I am truly impressed your results considering that you were a Norwood 6. I know that going forward I will have a lot more questions to ask you and I am hoping that you would provide some assistance for me. After seeing your question regarding family member's hair loss pattern, I went back to look at my family members to see the trends. All my uncles and my dad have great hair and there is no sign of hair loss in their cases, only mature hairlines. However, when I look at my grandpas (mom and dad's sides), they are both Norwood 6/7 right now. I managed to get this photo from my grandpa (from mother's side) when he was 40. I could see that he has a very similar hair loss pattern to me. Considering that he was 40 and still at a Norwood 4 (I think?), I feel that I might be in good shape to have my first surgery soon. Here are the photos of my grandpa when he was 40 and now:

Thank you so much hsrp10, I will take your comment into consideration. I do understand that the right route to go is to do FUT first to maximize my donor area. However, I am leaning towards FUE due to the little amount of scarring. I will talk more to Dr.Diep and develop a plan going forward!

Thank you guys so much for your replies! I just had a skype consultation with Dr.Diep and I had a very good conversation with him. He took time to answer all my questions and he was heavily leaning towards FUE. This is also what I want to do since I usually wear my hair short at the back. Taking into consideration forum member's and Dr.Diep's advices, I will start to use minoxidil soon. I am not going to use propecia since I am afraid of the side effects. I will probably meet with Dr.Diep in person next month because I feel that it is necessary for me to talk to my doctor in person before surgery. I know that I am still young and will lose more hair in the future but I feel like I am willing to take on that risk and financial hit. I feel like my donor area is quite dense which will give me a number of grafts to work with in the future (this needs to be determined by Dr.Diep). I am looking to start on minoxidil and have my surgery next summer or next winter. (I will be 24 then and I feel that it would be a good age to have my first surgery). I am willing to listen to comments, criticisms because I want to hear more from experienced members of this site. I know that my decision is not ideal but I think that it would be the best investment for me.

Hi everyone I am a 23 years old Asian male that have been suffering from MPB. I've been seeing my hair falling out a lot in the showers for the past 4 years and I could see my hairline receding over time. I could see that my temples were receding since I was in my early years of college (~19 years old). My dad is not bald but both of my grandfather are very bald (Norwood 6-7). Currently, I think that I am at Norwood 3 stage and I am seriously considering a hair transplant in the next year. I have a big forehead so it looks very weird with the receding hairline. I think the fact that I have a big forehead cause my hair loss looking worse than it actually is. However, I have to say that generally, my hair is very thick and I live a healthy lifestyle. The fact that my hair is thick has given me the ability to cover up my receeding hairline. However, when I play sports or when my hair is wet, the receeding hairline is very noticeable. The receding hairline has affected me throughout my college years and it has been stressing me out every day for the last years. I feel insecure playing my favorite sports because my hairline would show when there is wind. I would be scared to dip my head in swimming pools or to go to the beach with my family. It is affecting my life tremendously and I think that it is time I do something about it. Right now, I am not using any products because I am afraid of the side effects. 2 years ago, I used the Lipogaine big 3 shampoo but the ketakonazole caused my hair to dry out so I stopped. Recently, my hair has been falling out quite a lot in the shower so I will be going back to using the Lipogaine shampoo since the ingredients are all natural now. I've read a lot about MPH and hair transplant over the last 4 years and I was able to find Dr.John Diep with my excellent recommendations especially from this site. I am having a skype consultation with him tomorrow and I am very anxious since this is the first time that I have taken a step in the direction of having a hair transplant. I took some photos in early 2015 because I was considering a hair transplant then. However, I was too young so I decided to wait. In this thread, I will attached my photos back in early 2015 and my current photos so you guys can see the difference. I made my hair wet and combed it back to make the hairline clearer. With these information in mind, when do you guys think that I would be ready for a transplant? Do you think that I am a good candidate for hair transplant? Would you recommend me to go with FUE or FUT? I generally wear the hair at the back of my head relatively short so I heard that the FUE would be more suitable? How many grafts do you guys think that I will need? Can you guys give me and estimate of how much the total cost of the procedure would be? I know that I am a new member but I truly believe that the members on this site can help guide me in the right direction. Thank you so much for taking your time to read my thread and I hope to get some replies from you all. Please look below for the photos of my hair. Early 2015 Current