Cheddar

2 year update:

I have been off this site for a while, but I wanted to drop in and give an update on my experience with Finasteride.

I was experiencing diffused hair loss and visited three hair transplant doctors that have been reviewed on this site.  All three recommended that l start Finasteride daily.  I didn’t start right away because l was concerned about side effects, but after another year of continued hair loss l finally gave in and filled my prescription because l was afraid of losing my front hairline.

I began taking 1.25mg of generic Finasteride (5mg tablet split into quarters) in November 2017.  It has now been 2 years and I am still taking the medication.  Below is a summary of my experience:

- l did not notice any significant shedding when starting Fin - everything just seemed to stay the same.

- l started to notice less hair falling out in the sink about 6 months after starting.

- No noticeable side effects other than significantly less semen volume by the 6 month mark, and this has not changed after 2 years.

- No noticeable changes to sexual function after 2 years (l was very paranoid about this when l first started, but l can honestly say everything “works” perfectly fine).

- My hair loss has completely stabilized. My crown has not thinned any further and l still have a distinct hairline.

- Unfortunately l did not notice any new hair growth as some people have experienced taking Fin.  It would have definitely been a bonus since I’m a diffused thinner and l could use the added density.

- No noticeable change in existing hair quality. It doesn’t really look or feel thicker to me, but my stylist has said that my hair seems thicker.  Ok, I’ll take her word for it....

Overall, my experience with Finasteride has been positive and it definitely helped put an immediate stop to my hair loss. Although l have not necessarily grown more hair, l have not lost more hair which is a huge win for me.  Other than reduced semen volume, l have not experienced any sexual side effects, or any other medical side effects.  You can certainly add me to the list of people who “wish they had started earlier”.  I don’t blame myself for having concerns and reservations to try Finasteride, but I’m just glad that finally started when l did. 

Thanks guys. So I didn't get ripped off, from what I'm reading on your reactions he did the 1700 grafts. It's just that 1700 was too little. It's odd, I wonder why he just didn't advocate more grafts. I even asked him on the day of the op if he needed more grafts to go ahead and I'd pay for them after the op, he said no 1700 was plenty. I also am not sure why he said he couldn't implant more at one time due to the blood supply, other than he was just covering up his own lack of skill. On the plus side everything is mostly even, and I can't detect any scars at all so I guess I'll treat it as a starter surgery. Although it sucks to have to go through post surgery again.

 

I did previously do an email consult with Dr. Rahal, who I really liked his before/after pictures, but he was very expensive and a long trip. I may look into him again. I'm going to peruse the doctors recommendation board to see if there is anyone good in NJ as well, as it's really difficult to travel and take time off.

 

BTW this was Jeffrey Wise in Wayne NJ, so everyone knows to stay far away from this guy. I agree about the "snake oil salesman" description from Magnumpi, these guys wined and dined me and promised me everything, but when the result was in he didn't care at all to stand behind his reputation.

Dr. Rahal would be a great choice! If you can’t afford him right now, then wait. Don’t rush into anything until you can do it right. Distance should not be a factor in your decision since this is something you will have to live with for the rest of your life. There’s no point wasting any more valuable grafts on a subpar transplant.

Unfortunately it’s not a good result after 12 months. The crown looks ok and natural, but the front is not good. You would have needed approx. 1700 grafts to fill in the front alone with good density. You should look for a highly reputable clinic to fix this.

Any clinic that offers groupon deals should be avoided.

OK you guys win lol, managed to get an appt with Rahal in two weeks for a final consult.

Good decision! Keep us posted on the outcome.

Too late lol. He doesn't do FUT in Toronto yet and apparently my scalp would need some serious massaging to handle it.

But if FUT is the better course of treatment for you then wait a few months to do scalp exercises and make time to go to Ottawa. HT disasters are a dime a dozen and you’re spending a lot of money. Don’t prioritize convenience over quality and long term goals.

OP needs to see his doctor before blaming Minoxidil.

FYI - I’ve been on Fin for 6 months and no sides, so being quick to blame meds is irresponsible.

Well thats scary. Can you elaborate please, I will only see Dr. Rahal the day before the surgery and I'm assuming I will have had to pay the entire balance by then.

For example, l was told by two H&W reps that l was a candidate for either FUE or FUT. However, upon meeting Dr. Hasson in person, he said absolutely no to FUT due to elasticity issues. Imagine if l had only learned this the day of my surgery!

At Rahal, l was quoted x number of grafts for FUE and FUT. When l met with Dr. Rahal in person at his clinic, he had a very different approach to my HT plan that resulted in much fewer grafts. Again, l would have been extremely upset to learn this on the day of my surgery.

Bottom line is had l booked my HT after only the rep assessments, l would have received entirely different recommendations/plans/expectations the day of my surgery. At least now l have met each doctor in person and l know exactly what to expect when l walk in.

I have also had in-person consultations with H&W and Rahal. Just a little advice....Tara at Rahal is fantastic, H&W reps not so much, but you MUST see Dr. Rahal and Dr. Hasson in person before you make your decision. The docs will ultimately make the final call on your HT strategy and it will likely differ drastically from what you were originally told in the consultation (especially at H&W). Very frustrating and you may end up very disappointed!

Outstanding result!

On a side note, did this patient dye his hair previously or did he go grey in the year between transplants?

I feel bad for this guy. The original transplant was brutal. The repair is good, but unfortunately the hairline does not look natural. I think Dr. Rahal did the best he could with the mess the other doctor created.

4 month update:

PROS:

I have noticed much less hair falling out in the sink when combing. Overall hair loss seems to have slowed considerably (possibly stopped). Also, my existing hair quality has improved significantly giving the illusion of more hair. It definitely appears thicker and I’ve received some compliments. I am quite impressed with the results after only 4 months.

CONS:

No noticeable new growth/regrowth. I understand new growth is rare, but l still hope to improve my crown density over the next 6-8 months. No significant sexual side effects except l have noticed a slight decrease in semen volume. There is definitely less than before taking Fin. I have no issues with my ability to “function”.

I will continue to take 1.25mg of generic Fin daily and I’ll provide another update in a month.

@Legend007

Seriously, you shouldn’t be getting a hair transplant. To be honest, it seems sketchy that Diep would even agree to do the work on you.

Anyway, good luck with your decision.

I started taking Fin 3 months ago and no side effects, and no plans to quit any time soon. It seems to be working well for me and actually wish I had started earlier. Just my 2 cents on the topic.

3 month update:

So far I haven’t noticed any changes - positive or negative. I haven’t experienced any noticeable side effects and everything feels normal, but I also haven’t noticed any changes to my hair. I have noticed maybe a little less hair in the sink when combing, but I haven’t seen a change in density or new growth.

I believe 6-12 months is the point where results (if any) will be more noticeable. I plan to continue with 1.25mg daily and will provide another update in a month.

Do you take finasteride? Were there any concerns with shockloss? You still had a significant amount of original hair.

It’s really difficult to give advice and answers to your questions without seeing actual photos because everyone’s hair density and thickness is different.

It sounds like you might have diffused thinning and receding temples. Have you tried Finasteride to help stop further loss?

Thanks so much for the quick response!

 

I have sworn-off Finasteride/Propecia since it has been reported that some of the side effects have been long-lasting or even permenant even after stopping taking the drug in rare cases. I’d rather shave my head than take even a 0.1% chance of some of those effects being permenant.

 

That basically leaves me with Minoxidil, then. I’ve checked eBay on your advice and it does seem a little cheaper. Is it safe to buy from eBay though? Is there nowhere else you can get this chemical cheap?

I felt the same way as you about Finasteride when l had as much hair as you do on my crown. Then l continued to lose my hair and quickly reconsidered Fin to (hopefully) prevent myself from developing a bald spot. Desperate times will call for desperate measures - trust me on that! Fortunately I have been responding well to Fin and l started about 2 months ago.

Hair transplants, and cosmetic surgery in general, is a business - it’s not traditional health care. Doctors will favor and have some bias toward what best suits their skills and ultimately their business.

I was also like you, confused about which procedure would be best for my hair loss. I’ve done A LOT of research and met with several top HT doctors. Based on their feedback, and my own research on the pros and cons of each procedure, the answer becomes clear.

I asked and the patient had been on Fin for years prior to surgery. Of course there is the possibility of further loss, but I would say that in this case he would have more hair than when he began, even if all native hair was lost.

Agreed, the result looks good. What was Dr. Rahal’s assessment of this patient’s donor hair quality? Fine, average, ideal?

I’ve been receiving several PM’s to elaborate on the types of side effects I’m monitoring. So just to clarify:

6 weeks in:

- no sexual side effects of any sort (everything is functioning as normal)

- no mood swings, depression or insomnia

- no brain fog or issues with concentration

- no joint pain or aches

- no major shedding (l believe my hair loss is slowing down, but it has not stopped completely)

Initially I was very apprehensive about taking Fin, maybe even a little scared due to the risk of side effects. However, up to now it has not had an impact on my life whatsoever. In fact, l am really looking forward to hopefully experiencing some positive results with my hair in a few more months (all going well).

I hope this helps answer the questions many of you have been asking.

6 week update:

Still no noticeable side effects. Feeling normal and well. Also, no noticeable changes to my hair. I don’t think I’m losing as much in the sink in the morning, which is a good sign. I’m still hoping to see some density improvement and even some new growth (if I’m lucky)!

This is an especially stunning result for a patient with diffuse loss.

 

Was this patient taking Finasteride or receiving any other treatment (eg: PRP) prior to the surgery?

Mikey and Mav,

 

I should have added that Dr. Doganay has worked and made things right with his previous clients as well. Please keep in mind that we've given Dr. Doganay over 2 years to prove himself and many of his newer patients have posted examples of their excellent results and he's been presenting new examples that look great. He is also much more involved in the procedure and the technician that was messing things up is gone.

 

Sometimes there's a broken cog in the wheel and you have to fix things to get things working again. Should Dr. Doganay be punished forever even though he made things right immediately and has been proving it ever since? I don't think so.

 

Personally, I think based on all the patients we've seen and examples of his results, that we should give him another chance. Physicians who are removed because of a problem should have a chance to make things right. And we waited a long time to make sure it was really fixed. If we waited only 3 to 6 months or even a year, I'd agree that we should wait. But it's been over 2 years now.

 

What does everyone else think?

 

Bill

My vote is a strong NO.

There is no place in the medical industry for “standards to slip” or “broken cogs”. This is surgery, and standards MUST remain HIGH at all times. 3 months, 6 months, 2 years, 10 years....it doesn’t matter. Patient trust has been broken.

In my opinion, allowing a doctor with this reputation to be recommended on this site will tarnish this site’s credibility.

Finasteride is your best bet for exactly your situation. I’ve just started taking Fin about two months ago and no side effects to date. I’m keeping a journal of my progress if you want to check out the thread.