TorontoMan

Just wanted to know if anyone out there has a good strategy with applying minoxidil while using concealers often. I aim to apply rogaine 2x a day, and on some occasions when I go out I apply concealers. Recently I’ve found that dialing back the amount I shampoo my hair works better for me, but washing it with just water doesn’t clean out the concealers entirely, and I hesitate to apply minoxidil because of it. I just feel rubbing in the concealers into my scalp isn’t a good idea. does anyone have any suggestions for other lighter shampoos they might use? Would baby shampoo be a good option that doesn’t do to much to my hair but strips the concealers out of the scalp? Anyone else have this issue ?

Well of course it would be more attractive lmao.. if it were actually more common to be able to get a great result with 2k rather than 20k... but you've missed the point that it clearly isn't the case. Even the worst clinics in Turkey are more expensive than 2k for 3,000 grafts so im not sure how you've made that comparison. At the price you're almost certainly going to someone who's price is that low because they do not have enough demand. "if you think hiring a specialist is expensive, try hiring someone for cheap"

Google compounding pharmacies near you. Ask them if they will compound finasteride in a topical formula. In Toronto there are plenty that do it, you just need to send them in your prescription if finasteride that you got from your doctor. You could also tell them the concentration you’d like.

My only advice would be to start a low dosage. It seems for many guys 1mg/day is overkill. Try a dose as low as 0.25 every other day, see how you tolerate it long term, and if it’s working then great. If not you could go up marginally. great result btw, who was the doctor?

Unreal man, only 6 months!! congrats & your donor looks untouched

Recently read an article that suggests 0.25% concentration of topical finasteride decreases dht in the scalp at about 70% similar to that of 1mg oral, while reducing systemic dht by only 20-30 percent. Does anyone have any experience with topical finasteride? Any experience with this concentration?

Are you on medication?

Don’t think so you just have asian hair which is usually thinner

You’re definitely right if everyone who has AA will reach that point. My father is 64 and went as far as a NW4 pattern. His hair is generally thinner throughout now which is normal given his age, but we laugh that if he got a transplant now he’d look 20 years younger

I know we all like to fall victim to clinics marketing their results on YouTube, especially that of dr. Couto, but if a result like this is possible with that many grafts, are we getting to a point where transplants are good enough to suffice for restoration? it seems to me that this guy will get complete coverage even if his loss continues. Is this rare? How far could someone expect their donor area to take them? i ask this of course because if hair transplants could give us all our coverage back, we likely wouldn’t ever medicate, even with less density. Are there a lot of cases where patients opt out of medication and just play their chances with donor management ?

Congrats you look amazing!

That was only 1500 grafts ?

I could answer for H&W, yes they do have technicians who do the extractions. The doctor is involved in originally discussing the plan with you, I.e graft total, where to draw the hairline etc.. and then after his technicians are done creating extractions, the doctor comes back into the room to make incisions for where your grafts will go. After he’s done, another group Of techs will place the grafts in. this is a pretty consistent practice Among many of the top surgeons. Only a handful do the extractions themselves, dr. Diep is one that I know that does it. However, consulting with dr. Hasson, rahal, Bisanga and eugenix, they all have technicians who do the extractions. this isn’t a problem, if H&w are putting out consistent results, they have a good team behind them. If you’re choosing H&W, you’re going with one of the best in the world. as for everything else mentioned, someone else may be better equipped to answer. Whether you should do it now, depends on long term medication use & and family history to try to see where you’ll be headed down the road. A lot of the good FUE results I see here, guys could shave their hair down to as little as 0.5 and it’s hardly noticeable. Look up mike thurston on YouTube, he had an fue done and keeps his hair very short, so that could be an example of the expectations

You wrote “in our experience” and “we” who are you writing on behalf of ?

Unreal for 5 months, congrats man

I’m in a very similar situation and was quoted 2,000-2,500 by doctors when I consulted online and in person. Did you take medication to maintain your hair to that level ?

My father in his mid 30s, and my father now at 65. Receded to a Norwood 3 id say, with the M shaped hairline.. then stopped receding, just over time his hair has thinned slowly, which I’d say is quite normal given his age. But for the 30 years in between he didn’t lose much ground. Crown is thinner but still has enough hair in the mid, I even think if he cared enough, which he doesn’t, he would be able to recover most his hair with a transplant now

Perhaps they'll get closer with DNA manipulation within 20 years, they're begun doing some other interesting things with it.

I agree

In my case, do you believe there will be some level of predicting the loss and getting ahead of it? I ask because around the temples of course there are hairs that are just holding on but its been obvious to me for a few years that eventually they'll go. So if he transplanted right to the points where the hair is stronger, and replaces the weaker thin native hairs I believe it would create a cosmetic improvement. Is shock loss generally something someone should worry about if they haven't chosen a good surgeon, or is more a physiological thing ?

Congrats man what a change !

Is there a correlation to how thick your beard is and your MPB?

Thank you for all the suggestions

Thanks for the reply. I consulted with Dr. Rahal in person, because thankfully he also operates in Toronto. All other doctors including H&W, Bisanga, Diep, eugenix and a couple of others I reached out to online and for the most part they all told me roughly the same thing and the general consensus was 2-2.5k grafts would suffice and the final count would be something we would agree on day of surgery. As for Dr. Rahal, he looked at my head briefly and estimated that he wouldn’t go more than 2,500 grafts. Maybe the pictures don’t depict it well but there is some further recession past the hairline, mainly in the temples. Anyway they all directed my attention to the possibility of further loss, but I’ve been told that my donor area is above average. (one of rahals consultants even estimated 8,400 grafts, but I honestly don’t know how he derives that number and won’t go off it until a surgeon tests, and measures it correctly, to tell me how much is in the bank) But you’re right, at this point I’m trying to weigh the potential for a cosmetic improvement with the conservation of my donor for the future. It’s a tricky business. May I ask how long you’ve been on meds and what dosage ? Has it worked to stabilize for you ? Any noticeable problems ? cheers

Thank you so much for your input. Yeah I'm definitely going to continue minoxidil I don't have problems applying it and I hope that I continue to have a healthy relationship with finasteride. & yes I am grateful for the extent of my loss up until this point and I'm happy I discovered this forum to level my head and ground me. As for shock loss, I had this concern and brought it up with Dr. Rahal and he told me there is always potential for shock loss depending on the individual, do you think in my case the chances are heightened because he would have to insert some hairs around some of my native hairs? I've seen some cases on his website and youtube videos where he restores hairlines of patients in a similar situation, and my assumption has been he works around native hairs and transplants new ones to increase the density of the hair line. I imagine along the actual front, transplanted hairs would replace my native hairs, and he would work through some native hairs behind the temple points, does that sound about right? The photo I'm posting I took just now prior to this write up. I washed my hair this morning and when I shampoo (i usually use nizarol), my hair always looks fuller with more volume.@Melvin-Moderator I believe you once mentioned that you wash your hair more often as it gives you this effect as well? Do you have any other suggestions for the amount someone should be shampooing their hair, or other thickening techniques? Is this generally what dry shampoo is used for, because I bought a product but am pretty confused as to what purpose it really serves.