LaserCap

Your results look uniform. I think you are right, you may have gone on to lose more native hair. Had it not been for the transplants, you would be in worse shape. Now, the question becomes, is the native hair still there? Why not go on a medical regimen, (Propecia, Rogaine, PRP, Laser), and do it for a good year. Take good photos and see what happens. Worse case scenario, you lose a year. Bet to say you may return to have as close a density as to what you had 5 months post op.

It seems that your hair is rather short and the contrast between the color of the hair and the color of the skin is not helping. Not sure about Finasteride. You are in a better position to answer that. Let me explain. Why did you decide to start the med? Were you thinning? Who put you on it? If you were not thinning and started the med, the question then becomes what loss would you have had - had you not started the med. If you were not supposed to lose any hair in the interim, not sure why you started in the first place. Considering your history, I think being on Finasteride is the best thing you ever did. I would also encourage you to consider Rogaine, Laser, PRP. All of these modalities work in different ways and are thus synergistic. Let me ask you. If you were to stay the way you are for the rest of your life, would that be OK? Deciding on meds is huge. It is a big commitment. If you eventually stop them, not only do you lose the benefit, you lose the money you invested. The question then becomes, what loss will I have. Given your history, it is likely you will lose. How much? Who knows. Considering limitations of donor area, particularly on those that have advanced patterns, I again, believe you should be on medical therapy. With generics and all that is now available, it is very affordable. And, you will never achieve the density you currently seem to be enjoying just by transplants alone.

Awesome and natural.

Just like anything else, PRP is yet another modality to help you with retention and enhancement of the native hair. It can have an effect throughout the entire head, particularly if done by someone that actually knows what he's doing. I say this because there are plenty out there using so little or not often enough, that the result is negligible. If done correctly, however, it can help reverse the miniaturization of the native hair. It can also help speed up the results of a transplant procedure. And, if combined with laser therapy, it can have an even greater effect. You may also want to check into PRP. Al

If you really think about it, we are only helping a handful of people. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoy participating and value what we, as a communal group, are trying to achieve. Many people out there need help in one way or another. Lucky are those who find the site...that are doing the research.....That does bring up a question. What are we doing to promote the site? How can we truly become a source of information to all that are considering hair transplants? It is unbelievable how many still think that plugs are state of the art.

Awesome, like always.

I just went through all the answers posted on this topic and I think, overall, it represents a bit of what is believed about laser therapy overall. It does work at the cellular level, and it is yet another modality to hair combat hair loss. It is synergistic with other modalities and you will lose the benefit if you stop it. It is recommended to do 3 times per week for 30 minutes each time. The only cap that does have studies is LaserCap. The array of 224 diodes allows for optimal results. There is also a 300 diode unit that drops down in the occipital area. This cap is ideal for patients that are thinning in the donor area, (experiencing global thinning). The laser comb by Hairmax that came out years ago was the first to get FDA approval. Once the approval is given, no one else can get "FDA approved." The can get "released." The problem is this modality is the fact that the doctors selling these products do not know how to market them. Go to a consultation and see what say and and do. Did they scope? No! So, if you have a decent set of hair, for example. You are shedding big time and end up purchasing a unit. Do you think that 6 months later you will see a difference? NO. If they do scope, however, you now have a base line to compare the same area. How many times have I seen dejected patients only to get really excited when they confirm that miniaturized hair has actually improved in caliber. Dr. Alexander and Dr. Arocha do sell LaserCap. Have a consultation with them to learn more about these units. The most important thing in my opinion is to take photos and keep records. This can take 6 -12 months to really see results. And it works great when combined with PRP, at least for what I've been able to observe so far.

First, let me say, you do a good job covering. You are smart to style your hair to the side. The hair shingles and give you the sense of density. That being said, you have diffused thinning throughout the pattern and it looks like a pretty good size. Additionally, you are expanding the pattern, particularly to the sides and back. That means that there is more loss to come. Fortunately, however, there is a lot of miniaturized hair that has not left the building. The first thing to consider is the halt the loss and hope to enhance the hair you have. Has anyone spoken to you about medical therapy? (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP). Most believe Propecia and Rogaine tend to be the most effective in the mid back. A few basics of hair transplants. Hair in the front grows forward at an angle. Hair in the middle, similarly, grows the same way. Thus, there is shingling and that's why the front and middle always tend to look fuller than the crown. In the crown we all have a whirl, (swirl), and the hair grows away from the point. The hairs are not working together and makes the area look thinner. So, if it is normal to look thinner in the crown for everyone, leave it alone and let the meds do their job in that area. So, if you are considering transplants, concentrate them in the area that you see, (and others see when they are talking to you), in the mirror. To have full access to your donor area I would consider doing both. First, FUT. It is less expensive. Do as much as you can. Start in the front and have the doctor concentrate the grafts as much as possible to make an impact. Have the doctor work back until he runs out of grafts. Allow a year to see the results, (transplants and meds), and reassess. At that point, you may consider FUT or FUE pending elasticity and a few other factors. Ultimately, and to look fuller, you may finish with SMP. This helps minimize the contrast between the hair and the skin. Good luck and please research. Look at photos. HUNDREDS before making a decision. If the doctor you choose is good, he'll be excited to show you his work.

This is a serious topic and one that merits a bit more discussion. I am guessing that historical info helps here. If it's successful 100% of the time, it should be successful every time a procedure is done. But, how can you tell? Well, magnification and other considerations.......Is doing a test area, particularly when dealing with a condition other than a hereditary one, a good idea? Of course! Once you see the take you can then decide if the procedure is worth the risk. Now let's take a normal, every day procedure, (no dealing with a medical condition other than a hereditary one). Many things need to happen before a viable graft is transplanted. First, it needs to be harvested. Did the doctor go all the way down the the base of the follicle? Once out, was it manhandled and damaged because of the way it was dissected? How about at the time of placing? Was the graft squeezed too hard? Was it placed at the right depth? I am aware cases that, without fail, were unsuccessful. No take. Non whatsoever. The doctor did a second procedure because he actually felt bad for the patient. The second one did not work either. Doctor had been doing this for 30+ yrs. Could never figure out what the issue was. This is the reason why I don't place a lot of value on semantics. If you've been doing this for 50 years but have been doing it wrong for 50 years, guess what? It is all about results. Photos. So, do your homework. Review HUNDREDS of photos before making a decision to move forward with a transplant procedure. Donor is limited. Treat it like gold and allow an expert to help you. I realize trust is a big thing but anyone can say anything at any time to convince you.

So many things about this post....First the consultation. I'll bet, if you go to different offices, you will get many points of view. Many factors involved.....The Doctor, the staff, have they had any work on that particular month, they prefer FUT over FUE because they have no experience? You can actually question EVERYTHING..... The donor is the donor. It's common sense. If you have a small head, small donor. Larger head, larger donor....but larger pattern as well. It is all relative. The one thing that was not mentioned was elasticity. Most believe the donor is very specific but, if you consider FUE, (look at photos of various clinics), you'll notice that they will typically harvest from top to bottom and from side to side. So, to say that your donor is only in the area within the strip they are considering harvesting, its questionable.

Melvin, good report. I see this frequently with people just coming into the industry and trying out ARTAS. Techs will harvest, make recipient sites and place. This brings up a question I had not thought of before. Is there a local agency that can regulate this? So, say, for example, you become aware of a practice where the harvesting is done by a tech and not a doctor. Can you call someone to come in and do a surprise visit? I am guessing the practice can always say that the tech is working under the umbrella of the doctor......Thoughts?

It should, depending on how much native hair you have. This is a fiber that adheres to the hair and it makes it thicker looking. It also takes away the contrast between the hair and the scalp, depending on your hair color. Much tougher to conceal on a blond person. I would wait a week post op to start using, but ask the doctor, he can guide you. Now, that's where the hair is located. If you are considering hairline work and get to experience some redness down the forehead you can use some mascara. There are some make-up artists at the mall. They use the stuff day-in day-out and can also help you.

If you had sex the day of the procedure......Houston, we have a problem. If not, the hair should return. Many believe the hair in the donor area is the strongest hair there is, (and it's permanent). That's why that is what is used to do transplant procedures. There are so many combinations of hair, (thick, medium. thin), and even colors. Some darker, some lighter. And where are they located. Typically the caliber of the hair located in the hairline area is far thinner than the hair right behind the front. So, to answer your question, it depends. Where did she pull it from? The next time you are with the girl, pull out her hair...see if she likes it. Bet she will stop doing it again.

With such a great review, hopefully, the doctor will allow a free procedure down the road or he gave you a break in the price. Nice job. What I gather from your excerpt is the fact that you did research, reviewed photos, and did the numbers. Many doctors out there are so conservative and are still under the belief that, to achieve density, multiple procedures are required. The only thing you did not mention was the use of meds to help you with retention of the native hair. Did he prescribe anything for that? Lastly, hairline design. He kept you a bit on the conservative side. Good. Let it grow and see what you think. Down the road, if appropriate, you can ask the doctor to bring it down about a cm, it will frame you better.

Good point about the crown and the use of medical therapy.