Cheddar

This is a unique case because the patient appears to have exceptional donor hair quality (high volume and graft thickness). This outcome would not be possible for every diffusing patient.

It’s necessary to help reduce the extent of future surgeries.

Looks good. Do you have a photo of the crown?

If you are taking Dut or Fin purely for cosmetic purposes, then my suggestion is to stop both for minimum 3 months so it can exit your system before conceiving. There is absolutely no logical reason to RISK harm to a baby for a cosmetic medication. This is my personal opinion and l would not take any chances. All the best!

5 week update: No noticeable side effects and feeling good. Week 4 was rough, but I’m fairly certain that the aching symptoms were related to passing a kidney stone (it would be really unfair to blame Fin for that!). I’ve been feeling fine ever since. Shedding appears to have decreased although it hasn’t stopped completely. Going to continue with 1.25mg daily.

Nah looks good. Enjoy your full head of hair!

UPDATE on my last post: I passed a kidney stone a couple days after my last post, and although passing the stone was not fun, l no longer have any “ball ache” or discomfort of any sort! I’m not yet 100% certain, but l think the ache was being caused by the start of passing the stone. So far I’m symptom free and everything is back to normal. I’ll provide an update in a few more days.

If you’re looking for an honest opinion, l would say that the new hairline does look high considering you can still see where your original hairline was. That being said, you may still have some swelling from the surgery in the front, so your “final” hairline won’t be evident until the swelling is 100% gone. It doesn’t look bad though and donor supply may have limited how aggressive you could be.

4 week update: 1) Started feeling what some people refer to as “ball ache” this week. Feeling a little discomfort and aches in the testicals. It’s not too severe and definitely manageable, so l plan to continue taking the medication. If the ache continues through the holidays l will likely see my doctor to discuss. 2) l have noticed a decrease in shedding hair while combing and taking a shower. May be a coincidence, but it is significant. This positive sign definitely makes it easier to live with the slight ball ache for now.

I’ve never been able to understand these types of hair transplants. This guy had a full, great looking head of hair before and l see virtually no difference in the after pic.

2 & 3 week update: Still nothing to report, which is good news l guess. No noticeable side effects. Still taking 1.25mg daily (splitting 5mg tablets). No noticeable changes to hair density or volume, but it is still too early of course.

This forum is a great resource if you take the time to read the many threads and topics. Many users here have spent years researching before making a decision on surgery. Posting photos will be very helpful to get feedback from the community. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult for anyone to give useful advice.

1 week update: Nothing to report. Feeling good and no noticeable side effects. Will continue taking 1.25mg daily.

Thanks for the positive encouragement. It should be noted that I received the prescription from a hair transplant surgeon. I have informed my family doctor, who is aware of my full medical history, of my decision to start Finasteride and she has given me the green light.

Yup, I’m guessing there might be a lot of discussion here both for and against Finasteride. I’ve made my decision based on my own feelings about the drug and my goals, so we’ll see how it goes.

I have been experiencing hair loss for the last 3 years and I have been struggling with the idea of using Finasteride to treat my thinning hair. I’m in my late 30’s and not ready to go bald. I am experiencing diffused thinning and according to a few hair transplant doctors I have seen in person, l am an “ideal” candidate for Finasteride. Like many of you, I have been doing research on Finasteride (for a few years) and have come across many of the success and horror stories. I am not prepared to lose any more hair, so despite my fears of side effects and the risk of “PFS”, I have decided to fill my prescription and start on Finasteride. 5mg generic Finasteride cut 1/4 daily (1.25mg) First dose Nov 26, 2017 I will keep a diary of my progress in this thread with the hope of being able to help anyone else who may be struggling with the idea of taking Finasteride. I will give honest and unbiased feedback, and possibly before and after photos depending on how I progress. This forum has been a great resource for me over the years, so this is my way of giving back. I am excited by the prospect of halting my hair loss and hopefully regaining some density, so here we go! Day 3: So far, no noticeable side effects or changes of any sort. Feeling nervous and excited.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Just to clarify, the HT doc recommended the 5mg tablet cut into 1/4 so the Rx would be 100% covered by insurance. It works out to 1.25mg dose, but he did mention that 1mg is “standard” and the extra 0.25mg should not be an issue. He suggested I can also try 1/4 tablet every other day if I’m concerned about the extra 0.25mg and sides. My pharmacist believes my family doctor meant to prescribe 1mg tablets cut into 1/2 (0.5mg). Either way, it doesn’t make me feel any better knowing my family doctor was so far off. I’ll be starting 1.25mg (1/4 tab) every other day to see how l tolerate it and eventually up it to a daily dose. I’ll keep everyone posted.

My family doctor prescribed 2.5mg daily and a hair transplant doctor prescribed 1.25mg daily. I’m very confused. Can anyone provide some insight on the correct dosage? This will be my first time on Fin. Thanks.

You’re not a candidate with such fine hair, high hair/scalp contrast and small safe zone. You MIGHT be able to restore your frontal third, but the coverage won’t be dense. The honesty in this thread may sound harsh, but I’m sure you came here for truthful opinions.

Could be, but l have been quoted approximately 2000 grafts minimum for my frontal third by each doctor l have seen. All other doctors l have met with anticipate continued progressive hair loss and minimum two surgeries, so maximizing my donor supply is important. My understanding is FUT is better in this regard.

I asked the doctor why he recommended FUE and his response was “my fine hair provides low quality donor supply”. I asked if FUT was an option and he said no, he will not perform an FUT on me. He is a very credible doctor on this site with outstanding results. However, l found him to be very insistent and dismissive with my questions. I did not feel comfortable asking more questions regarding this because it appeared that he had his mind made up....which is what has led me here for further clarification.

I have been visiting top docs recommended on this site about my mpb hair loss. Recently l had a doc say that l am a better candidate for FUE, NOT FUT, due to my donor supply (laxity is not an issue). I was surprised by this because l thought it was usually the other way around. Any thoughts about this?

Has anyone tried or familiar with topical finasteride? Apparently it is available through H&W and they claim significant decreased risk of side effects.

Doesn't seem like this guy even needed a transplant.

Looks good!