Mycroft

The Acell is a definite benefit based on my experience because it increases the longevity of the treatment as well. Recipient area looks great so far. I started seeing improvements from PRP alone around the three month mark, and there was still a decent amount of native hair left in your case as well. Based on Steve's one month photos I think he may be on track to see some early improvements.

Interesting case. A modest number of grafts but it definitely solidified the patient's facial framing and seems to have done a very good job of reinforcing against future loss. Was it only the frontal area that was worked on or were some grafts placed in the midscalp as well?

You've had some great results thus far. Even if you end up undergoing a surgery you will probably need a fraction of the grafts to achieve your goals with a much better end result. Are you just looking to increase density or were you thinking you might reshape/lower the hairline also?

I have read the same thing about the scar. Honestly, some doctors quote even longer. Looks like there isn't too much redness lingering in the recipient area and native hair looks to have weathered the transplant pretty well. I am always impressed by doctors who manage to produce good results without shaving the patient's head. Even with the infection I doubt most people would give your head a second glance right now, which is awesome.

What? The area the doctor worked in was limited to the frontal area from the looks of it, and there is a large amount of barren area that now looks fuller than any of his native hair.

I really appreciate the chance to see differing hairline designs on different patients side by side to see how their patterns and head shape impacted design choice. I'd love to see more of this sort of thing.

Very obvious improvement in the temples. The PRP worked very well for me in that area as well and I'm still seeing growth at the six month mark. I am particularly impressed that the patient managed to achieve this without Finasteride. Any idea if he is using Minoxidil?

Thanks for the temple shot. The scar looks pretty good prior to the FUE, so I have to imagine the revised result is impressive. I assume a few hundred grafts went into the donor and the rest was the temple work?

Yeah, this is the one I found. Awfully steep pricing at nearly $100 for 300ml and they want you to use it twice a day. That seems like it would get extremely expensive very quickly, especially in comparison to Minoxidil.

I had to Google this after you mentioned it, so of course I have no firsthand experience. Initial reading indicates it isn't statistically superior to Minoxidil, but what's interesting is that the self reports for Adenosine seem more favorable, with subjects reporting thicker, stronger hair. Hard to say if this is just wishful thinking or not, but it would be interesting to see if this was the case. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a great source for the stuff other than an Asian import on Amazon that seemed to cost a pretty penny. If anyone knows something I don't, please let me know.

I think you absolutely can based on my own consultations, but I agree with Spex that an ethical surgeon will insist that you've been on medication for a bit first unless (barring side effects). I also think, as a patient in this scenario, that you'd want to choose a surgeon with a solid history of working on diffuse thinners. Some surgeons seem to have no issues working with this kind of patient, but I've seen others shy away from diffuse thinning because avoiding transaction makes a difficult procedure that much more complicated.

This. The idea that you would stop taking the medication because you find the idea of taking a small pill daily to be a hassle seems a bit silly.

I had some very good results from Dr. Arocha's PRP alone, so I'm very interested to see how your transplant progresses. Based on what I have seen, the PRP could lead to earlier growth and possibly a quicker disappearance of scalp redness. Keep an eye on your native hairs and areas where no hair was translated to see if you can gauge how well you are responding to the PRP itself.

Why are you looking to stop the meds? Have you been experiencing unpleasant side effects?

Speaking of the donor, unless I'm misunderstanding some of these grafts went towards scar repair. Are there 5 month pictures of the repair job or is this a bit early for the results due to implanting into scar tissue?

If you're in Houston, call Dr. Arocha for a consultation. I responded to your private message as well, but just to reiterate I would strongly recommend at least consulting with him since I can actually vouch for his PRP technique and his main office is right in your backyard.

How often are these places recommending that you have a treatment? 5K over three years isn't all that crazy, but 5K over a few months is a more significant expense. The procedure is simple compared to a transplant, but technique definitely matters. The same mindset of "don't cheap out unless you want cheap results" is still applicable.

Unless there's more that this picture isn't telling us, I think Melvin is the voice of reason here. Are you sure that you aren't maybe battling a touch of dysmorphia? Your hairline looks pretty full in this photo and the adjustment you're mentioning is so minor, especially in light of how much work you've had done previously. I don't want to sound like a jerk, but who is going to notice this proposed change other than you?

Hey guys, I had posted my results in another thread over in Open Discussion, but I thought I would consolidate and update my poor pictures with some of the before/after photos the clinic was kind enough to share with me. If I miss any information recapping, the original thread will be linked under "Patient Results" I had initially stopped by to consult with Dr. Arocha about surgery. After taking a look at my hair he recommended that I try adding PRP+Acell to the Finasteride and Minoxidil treatments. I had been on Finasteride 1mg daily for around three years by this time, and Minoxidil for several months. The doctor felt that my generalized thinning might benefit from the treatment, so I agreed to give it a shot. We also discussed the possibility of LLLT since all of these things seem to be more effective when used in conjunction with one another rather than standalone treatments, but I wanted to evaluate the PRP first since there were already a number of variables in the mix and budget was a concern. That was back on 11/5/18. I went back to his office last Monday, 4/8/19 around the five month mark, so the after pictures are from then. A couple of things to note: 1. To reiterate, I am also on Finasteride 1mg and Minoxidil twice daily. I added dermastamping a few months ago, which I do once a week with 2 mm needles. 2. Dr. Arocha performed PRP+Acell injections into my scalp around five months ago. In theory I will continue to receive benefits up to the twelve month mark if not a bit longer, but twelve months is what the doctor recommended for maintenance. He did confirm that a booster session could be beneficial for to accelerate "lagging" areas like the corners in the front, but he didn't feel that was in any way necessary unless I was feeling impatient. I decided to see how things progressed without the booster this time. Most of the PRP injections were done in the frontal area with just a little in the crown. 3. I am actually a redhead of sorts. My hair is that kind of dark auburn color with red highlights mainly visible when the light catches them. As a result, my sprouting hairs tend to be very light, fine, and nearly invisible before they thicken and darken up to the deeper brown-red of my more mature hairs. There are actually a bunch of them growing in the hairline and corners that you can't see in these photos, and based on my experience thus far there's a very real chance they may end up becoming terminal. We'll find out. 4. All pictures are taken without any kind of concealer or special product other than the leave-in conditioner I use after showering. The photos were all taken in the same spot, same lighting, with the same camera. If anything, the lighting does me a few favors in the before pictures as you can see from the harsh lighting pictures. Hair is combed back in both pictures, but I think it was just a tad longer in the "before" images. I hadn't actually realized how rough the crown had started to get, so I'm grateful to be able to see my scalp from angles I'm not usually privy to. It's still lagging a bit, but in fairness it was looking rough to begin with and the PRP injections were not concentrated in that area. Beyond obvious regrowth and filling in of sparse areas, the thickness and strength of the existing terminal hair seems to have improved quite a bit as well. It seems to have much more volume and strength to it at the moment, and I think that actually comes across in how limp my hair looks in some of the before pictures. PRP treatments can be somewhat treacherous territory because based on my research there is absolutely no standardization for how it is performed. Technique, equipment, etc. can vary wildly from place to place and that means if you're going to try it you absolutely need to go somewhere reputable that can show you a history of good results. There are a couple of doctors on this site that fall into this category, and based on my experience I would highly recommend speaking with Dr. Arocha if you're looking to give PRP a shot. Clinic Photos: Patient Photos in Harsh Light (Please excuse poor quality)

I would be interested to see this if you end up doing it. I've seen great results from African American patients in conjunction with a hair transplant, but photos for other hair types seem less common.

If dermastamping qualifies I will piggyback off what Cosmo said. I have seen a number of impressive results from dermastamping in addition to using it myself, and I definitely think it works. As with all solutions some folks will respond better than others, but I think part of the reason there isn't more hype around it is because it takes time and consistency in addition to being uncomfortable. Much like personal fitness, I feel like this trade-off turns most people off early on before they give it enough time to see results. Even on paper, it is a hard sell. The idea of stabbing yourself in the head repeatedly to promote hair growth is a little tough to swallow conceptually, I have been very curious about peppermint oil. I have seen some research suggesting that it could be more effective than minoxidil in regrowing hair, but the data is far from conclusive. Fortunately, it's extremely cheap so I wouldn't lose much trying it out. I may experiment with it at some point without dropping any of my other treatments, but I think I'd like to run the LLLT experiment first. I absolutely don't think home remedies are a replacement for medical grade solutions, but some of them may be beneficial as a secondary booster.

Yeah, from a scientific standpoint it was not ideal, but at the time my before pictures were taken things had gotten pretty bad and I wasn't sure I could afford to wait months to run more thorough experiments. If budget had allowed for it I might have thrown in the laser as well, but I'm grateful that waiting will allow me to do a more thorough evaluation if I choose to incorporate that. Very pleased with my results at the moment. Still considering some surgical revisions in the hairline but I wanted to give this regimen 12-16 months to see how the results mature and progress. I am still seeing new sprouts at the hairline and it is entirely possible that they may turn terminal.

I posted my personal results in a thread just above yours. Results vary but Spanker is right about it working best on miniaturized native hair based on my research and personal results. Take that as you will.

1.5 mm is typically the recommendation, usually rolling once per week. Personally I am experimenting with 2 mm to see if that does anything to stimulate additional regrowth in the worst areas. I am going over each area six times in multiple directions. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. Minoxidil applied directly after, but do NOT do this last part if you're prone to side effects.

My research on this specific subject is still in the early stages, but I have definitely seen some good scar concealment work so far. How were you looking to wear your hair after the procedure?