bonkling

This is a great topic, and it's my main speed bump in pulling the trigger. I'm 30, NW3, have been on meds for years, but I'm slowly still losing ground. Will the meds and a conservative transplant keep me satisfied for years to come? Maybe. Will I suddenly lose a lot of hair quickly and not have the donor to facilitate a restoration? Also maybe. Not knowing where we will end up is terrible, and not knowing how effective any one thing will be is just difficult in general.

Hey all, I have a surgery with Dr. K in July, and I was wondering if anyone could give me advice on where to stay, and how long for? Dr K has suggested a total of 4 nights, one before, and three after (I think) - and two hotels near his clinic. Has anyone been to either of these hotels? And should I stay a bit longer? I don't plan on hiring a car, or doing too much to be honest. Just want to get the surgery, and head home. Thanks all.

Hey everyone, Thanks so much for the advice and reassurance. It makes me feel a lot better seeing similar stories and worries, and it is starting to get exciting. Thanks again

Hey all, I have a surgery in a few months, but now that's it approaching, I'm starting to worry about, well everything haha. My surgery is with Dr. Konior, so I am extremely lucky, and have ZERO worry about him as a surgeon. I'm over the moon to have been able to book in with him. I'm more-so worried about me. I'm 29, and am about a NW3. I've been on finasteride and minoxidil for about 3 years, and it has slowed my loss, considerably, but it's still happening slowly. I also have veeeery extreme balding on my dad's side. I.e. dad is a NW 7, and my older brother is a NW 5/6 in his late 30's. (Mother's side has kept their hair). I'm worried, as I'm clearly predisposed to balding, and even though I'm on meds, I'm slowly losing still my hair - but I'm committing to a transplant. Dr. K didn't express any real concerns, but out consultation was only via photos as I am in Australia (there are no reputable surgeons around to even have a consult here). Has anyone grappled with similar worries? I.e. will it all be for nothing? Sorry for the ramble, a bit on my mind at the minute 😄

Amazing, absolutely amazing, mate. Very happy for you! I'm seeing Dr K in a few months myself, and I'm in a similar situation to you regarding age, meds, loss, and so on. Did Dr. K mention anything about future loss management or the like? I only ask as I have an extensive family history of balding, and it always has me second guessing. Again, congrats

Hi Laser, I'm a bit older (early 30's) - so I think it's loss. My frontal sides/temporal points seem to have thinned, and I'm not sure if it's characterised as MPB - or maybe a more un-patterned alopecia.

Hey all, Just wondering if temple thinning is a standard character of traditional balding? My temples have grown quite thin, and I'm scheduled to have a transplant, but I'm worried it may mean I have a different class of loss that could hinder my results. Just for clarity I mean the temporal points (I think that's the correct term) - i.e. in line with the eye brows. Thanks in advance!

From this point of view, hair transplants are unfortunately always a risk. No one can know for certain what their loss will progress to, some people don't even seem to follow their family history. It's good you are on medication, but as you said, some people continue to lose hair even on meds. It's really quite tricky. Your best bet would be to opt for a very conservative approach, and seek out doctors who have great surgical techniques to minimise scarring.

I second this. I've seen Dr. Path have good results from comparatively low harvests. Would be interesting to see if there were more patient posts to verify.

Hey all, I'm currently having a massive shed of hair, and it's really become noticeable. After every shower I can gently pull on parts of my hair, and have strands upon strands seemingly fall out with zero resistance. For reference I've been in Fin & Minox for 3+ years, and no other changes. Does this potentially mean I'm losing the battle? Don't think I've ever had it this bad. Thanks everyone for your advice.

This is a very good point, BeHappy. I'll readily admit I obsess over things that people don't seem to notice. Of course. But we must remember, a hair transplant is never guaranteed. None of us know for certain how our loss will progress. Sure, a patient could wait until they are late 30's and then have a good idea of how extreme it is, but then they may miss out on their late 20's-30's with something that makes them self conscious. I don't feel like any patient can rule out a complete shave with a HT, as who knows what it will end up like down the road.

I'm not too sure why, but people on this forum seem to be really against scarring. I've seen bald/buzzed men with FUT scars, surgery scars, and just general scarring on their head. When I do, I think, hey, that's a scar, then never even think about it again. I'd wager most people are like this, and I am yet to come across anyone in person that actually cares about scarring. Having a thin, linear scar at the back of your head isn't going to turn you into a monster.

Hi everyone, Is there any way patients who don't have clinics near them can be assessed for DUPA? I would like to get a HT, but I want to understand my loss pattern I believe DUPA runs in my family. Though, I don't have any clinics near me, and I'm told it's difficult to tell from photos. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

I've been visiting a dermatologist every 6 months for the past few years, to which I have pictures taken that are free of my error-prone photography. The only recession is slight temple recession, but everywhere else my hair appears to be stronger and more full. Admittedly, I may have overestimated my progressive loss since taking the meds as I obsess over my hair quite extensively.

Thanks Laser, That makes sense, I hadn't really considered another side of it. Just for reference, I've been on fin and minox for about three years. My recession has slowly progressed since I started. I'm confident in saying it would be a lot worse if I wasn't on the meds, but I don't think it's stopped it completely.

Hey all, I'm considering a HT, and am at a NW3 (late twenties). I've been on meds for a few years, and my hair loss has progressed slowly since I started them. Bad family history in terms of loss, i.e. all males are essentially bald. Any recommendations on how many grafts I would need to fill the corners or if surgery is appropriate? I'm also starting to thin in the temples and sides, is this a typical MPB symptom? Or is this more reminiscent of a different type of alopecia? Thanks for any input!

Hey all, I saw an article the other day that claimed whilst weight-training can increase DHT production, cardio can actually reduce it. I've seen this echoed before, so I decided to do some research. The current state of the literature suggests that all exercise, weight, cardio, mid and high intensity, all increase DHT. Studies have even been conducted which tested low-mid level endurance training, and found a significant relationship between DHT and exercise. Has anyone heard anything similar? Just thought it was interesting myself, as I had been almost avoiding weights due to believing cardio was better for my mop. Though, I am unsure as to whether the increase in DHT could accelerate hair-loss or not, as not much research set out to investigate that.

How long have you been on them, do you mind me asking? Do you think they've successfully kept the loss at bay?

Damn, this one hit home haha. Legit my life, can't remember a time where I wasn't legitimately thinking about hairloss all day, every day. Congrats on your surgery mate, it looks incredible!

One of the positives, is the compound medication is really cheap. I think I get like, 100 pills or three months worth for about 70 bucks. It contains: finasteride, minox, biotin, zinc, and a couple of other vitamins. Let us know how you go!

It's posts like this that make me glad I found this site. Both my older brother, and father, who are late 30's and 50's, both have a thin donor that would not facilitate a transplant. If I was to get one, as many surgeon's have suggested I can, then I wouldn't be surprised if within the next 5-10 years it starts falling out. I feel like younger patients need to be told details like above, as a lot of doctors simply state that the donor hair which is transplanted will last forever. I've seen many people on forums express the same as BeHappy, and some wish they never bothered with a HT.

He is the leading physician of the dermatologist I go to for my hair meds. I'm on a compound medication containing this oral minox, and finasteride. They claim that there is an inhibitory characteristic of topical minoxidil, and oral completely bypasses this. Whether this is true, or not, I am unsure, as I haven't cited any legitimate research pertaining to oral versus topical, and their mechanisms. They always seem to be trialing new treatments at that dermatology clinic, and are often doing clinical trials. I've never personally been consulted by him, but the derm at the clinic was good. She actually talked me out of a transplant in favour of trying to keep my hair with medication. But yes, it does all seem very gimmicky from those sites.

Hey all, Just wondering if anyone knows if dermarolling/micro-needling works without topical minoxidil at all? I currently take oral minox in a compound medication with finasteride (one pill with both in it), and i wasn't exactly sure of the minox/micro-needling mechanism. Is it purely advantageous only with topical minox? Or can it be used with oral, or without any? Apologies if this is a dumb question. Thanks : )

Some really good answers here. I wonder, happy and Gil, do you think if a person was headed to a NW 6/7, being on finasteride would be enough to keep the donor hairs strong enough? As I understand they are relatively resistant to DHT, so a reduction in DHT production may facilitate enough donor for a transplant?

What did you end up doing with your loss, Gil? Did you continue to wear a system, or move to a transplant?