MattyNJ1

Hello everyone, just thought id pop in and see how everyone is doing with their own HT journey....hope all is well! and thought id post a 4 YEAR update on my own... So i will be at the 4yr mark next month, I just turned 53 in September, and Iam still hangn in there!. My HT has kept me satisfied for the most... part for my needs, and served me well. Because i know someone will ask, I stopped Fin/Minox about 10 months ago, I deff had just about every bad side you read about, but i stuck with it, until i just kinda missed my old raging libido and..well just don't feel comfortable being on any meds for long periods of time. IMO the Fin deff brought my HT across the finish line for me. I did have hair fall/loss in the months to follow after stopping, but i monitored it carefully and it stopped at a point where I was okay with the trade off.... The photos are just some random recent pics post Fin...and iam okay with where iam... like i said im 53 and feel im doing pretty good. My crown is deff going to need another surgery im thinking maybe next year as the Fin really grew most of the hair in that area, so its a bit thin back there now that i stopped, but i brush it fwd and pull off the illusion just fine lol...at this age and in this crazy world with all things considered, i count my blessings.... So then..how's everybody in these crazy times? hope all is well....any advancements in the HT world since 2017???? I can only hope. Any top FUT surgeons in NY/NJ area? there weren't back when i got mine.... Anyways no regrets for me, as iam better now than pre surgery, so that's all that matters! Thanks

thanks, i was scratching my head on this one....had to look to see if i was on my own thread or not lol

thanks yours as well! cheers

About 1yr 7 months since my HT with Dr. Gable. Sorry about ghosting some of your questions, been busy with life in general. So here is my takeaway from my HT, Finasteride usage, and my personal hair loss experience. Iam very happy that i put myself through this process, No regrets, the results i got, restored that gut wrenching feeling we all know about, (when we start seeing our ugly scalp in the reflection of the mirror), back to a feeling of satisfaction and confidence...I love not really thinking or worrying about my front hairline receding any more, and that feels great. I feel Dr. G was a little conservative with my hairline, as i would've liked to have it slightly lower, and a tad more in the temples, but i let him make the call on the final design. But as a HT surgeon, Dr. G, and the procedure were fantastic. Iam probably not one of this sites "WOW" before & after stories, but at nearly 51yrs old iam more than okay with the state of my hair at this point in my life. Its true what Dr. G and others have stated, IT TAKES MORE THAN A YEAR....iam just now still seeing visible thickening and maturing and naturalizing of the transplanted hair. I would also caution people about shock loss, as i experienced ALOT of shock loss, and it took a long long time to grow back. That was the only scary 'low point' I had post procedure. Finasteride: I went back on Fin shortly after the HT, despite having some strange reactions the 1st time around. This time low dosage EOD. I didn't get the visible hair growth right off the bat like the 1st experience, but stuck with it and still take it now only 2x per week. Look...idk how some ppl claim this drug doesn't give them sexual sides, and iam not calling them a liar however, in my case, it absolutely has many side effects that i acknowledged, monitored and dealt with. Very clear, side effects, not cognitive dissonance or paranoid delusions...just very apparent sides. ED, was one of them....no more morning wood was the eventual 1st obvious side effect. FIN comes with a price, while FIN was not growing my hair, (this time) i (believe) it may be stopping it from falling out and getting worse (fending off dreaded DHT) . So i stayed on it, despite obvious drops in libido, ED, and even some genital shrinkage.....however it would always seem to cycle. There were Eb & flow, highs and lows. And to be clear, never any permanent effects as i stopped here and there for just a few days or a week and everything seems to come back to normal. I settled into a twice a week dosage that seems to be the middle ground now where i dont see any shedding and my libido is normal. I also with out a doubt notice that Fin + Minoxidil in my case work to grow new hair, they seem to be synergistic, for sure. One without the other wont seem to produce for me.... So that is my experience, and anyone using this Rx should know that there is a possibility of these sides, however i think the nightmare cases are rare and are the exception rather than the rule... At any rate, these are my results taken in the past week or so, (some wet some dry) I grew my hair quite long on top, as ive been building a off grid cabin in the middle of nowhere so i dont cut it much, but you decide for yourself....Good luck to anyone considering HT, i do think it is a great option for most people with hair loss, and Dr. G is a great choice for surgeon....maybe ill be heading back for some temple work and crown in the future....till then I wish you all good luck with your choices and your road to happiness.

Touch and go for the 1st 6 months,..9 and 10 were good months for me though. I plan to write a progress post in December @12 months. Looks like you are doing really well with yours! i believe we both had our HT's the same day if im not mistaken...although i think you have more done mine was 2500... This was at the 6 month mark. I was back on fin for about three months trying to recover a lot of shock loss from the procedure, which I think was a good decision at that point in time. I will post a full report in a couple of months seeyah then! happy growing!

Looking great! month 9 & 10 are big months....?

lookn good

No i never pulled any out with tweezers...seems to risky for me lol..but yeah every time i shampoo there are tiny hairs in the suds...my native hair is over 2" long so i know its the transplants continuously releasing small hairs in the resting phase bc they are ready to sprout new permanent hair.....funny i never read anything about this in all my research, no one talks about this.

i posted a similar question in a recent thread. At about 3 months post HT, i noticed what i referred to as a "2nd shed"...i started getting alot of stubble in the shampoo after a wash, as well as fall out in the sink from running my fingers thru my hair....and i still am at 4 months. Turns out its a GOOD thing. My take on it is, these new transplants are spitting out these small follicles that are in a resting phase to make room for the new permanent hair about to grow. You will start seeing more growth.

My Dr. recommended it...ive been taking it about 6 months...couldn't say if it helps or not...

Thanks ...got it. If i go back on Fin, i will concider .25-.50 MTW and see if at leasts stops the hair fall...

Can you explain the procedure? This is the plasma injections? Thanks

Thanks for the positive sentiment UK...?

I just finished reading a few articles trending about Cellular therapy, or Acellular matrix as an alternative to Finasteride. The doctor(s) claim in the article that this "Hair regeneration" shows noticeable improvements in hair miniaturization becoming thicker...And that many are using it to avoid the side effects of Fin. The injection applied once, in 15 months claims to be consistent with its patients regrowing hair in the "long resting phase" Anyone have any input on this procedure?

what is MWF??