TorontoMan

I’m happy I didn’t have enough money the first time I consulted with a random doctor Downtown Toronto. He had a proper clinic but was a general plastic surgeon and had little to no experience with transplants, he would have done fucked my shit up. At the time I was sold and convinced with them. But when they hit me the 12k price tag, I realized I couldn’t get it done yet. Eventually I started researching, and realized that if I was able to get it then, he would have seriously fucked me up. Not even him, his artras machine and a tech 

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 ?

2 hours ago, fabofly said:

Melvin, I am a big fan but you are being hard headed and arrogant if you think paying 2k USD for 3,000 grafts vs 20k USD for 3,000 graft is not extremely attractive to many and justifiably so.

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" 

14 hours ago, GE90 said:

Could anyone provide any recommendations on where to source the best topical finasteride solution?

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. 

1 hour ago, rabesal said:

First time posting here guys. I am hoping to be more elaborate with my experience but I wanted to get a quick opinion from forum users. I am now almost 8 months after having 3000 FUE grafts. I do have a family history of NW 5/6. I am now 35 years old and have been losing hair mostly in my frontal third for few years. i underwent my transplant and have been instructed to go on minoxidil and finasteride. My question is: is it important to do both ? My surgeon told me that finasteride is recommended but some side effects can occur mainly in terms of libido. I would like the best form of treatment. He also told me that combining both can have a better combined effect. What do you guys recommend. I am posting this here because i will be sharing my experience shortly and i am going to post some photos now too for you to give me your opinions. I just wanted help making a decision on treatment and whether you guys had any troubles taking the finasteride tablet? 

Thank you all. 

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? 

15 hours ago, Bax said:

Thanks man! I received 3200 grafts with the DHI technique!

Are you on medication? 

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

1 hour ago, BeHappy said:

This person is classified as a NW 4. You need to take a look at some actual NW 7 people and remember that at some point earlier in their life they had a full head of hair. Then imagine if those NW 7 men had a hair transplants when they were at NW 3 or NW 4. Do you still think those men would be able to continue having transplants to keep full coverage? I'm attaching a picture of Steve Balmer to give you an idea of the difference in the amount of hair between him and the NW 4 patient who got 3225 grafts.

 

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! 

1 hour ago, SpareHair said:

Before photos here 

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 

On 6/9/2020 at 6:02 AM, Gabreille Nelson Mukhia said:

Finasteride is the one medication that can prevent baldness from progressing. Minoxidil, multivitamins, PRP therapies, Meso therapies, laser therapies, herbal remedies, headstands etc. have never and will never substitute Finasteride. 

Finasteride decreases the production of dihydrotestosterone from testosterone. This in turn stops further miniaturization of hair. People do take Dutasteride and Saw Palmetto extracts that can help prevent further balding.

Anything else (Minoxidil, multivitamins, PRP therapies, Meso therapies, laser therapies, herbal remedies, headstands etc.) can only be counted as supplementary. From increasing blood circulation, providing nutrition and stimulating the roots - they can help in other miscellaneous ways.  They will never control the production of DHT in any manner.

I wish I could scream from the rooftops about the importance of Finasteride to everybody! This one simple pill can save us from so much of mental stress and multiple procedures. 

Also, the medication is demonised and it's side effects exaggerated beyond proportion. In our experience, we have hardly seen anyone have real side effects with the medication, i.e, at the prescribed dosage of 0.5 to 1 mg. The very few cases where patients complained about erectile issues, decreased semen, decreased libido, drowsiness, chest pain etc. all proved to be psychogenic. Almost in all of the cases where the side effects were reported, they stated only the side effects that they had read about.

In almost all cases Finasteride plays an important role. Only after a certain age, once the baldness stabilizes, the intake of Finasteride can be reduced significantly or stopped. 

Do you agree with me?

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 

On 6/5/2020 at 5:06 PM, gillenator said:

Here's the thing...shock loss is unpredictable, period.

What we do know is that diffused hair is the most susceptible to shock loss...but it's the trauma to the area induced by the recipient incisions that are made...the more incisions that are made, the higher the level of corresponding trauma....in addition, the more existing native hair there is in the area, the more there is that can be potentially shocked.

The good thing is that you are having a good reputable surgeon do the procedure.

And like you said, you are having terminal hair grafts replacing the ones that can be lost.

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 ?

12 hours ago, Tb12 said:

January 8th 2020- June 8th 2020 

Exactly 5 months since my 2600 Graft procedure with Dr Bloxham and so far I couldn’t be happier, anxious to see it in a couple more months. 

Congrats man what a change ! 

5 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

That’s how much I grow lol, it’s the DHT, that’s why his beard is incredibly thick.

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

Thank you for all the suggestions 

1 hour ago, ADuckwithNoHair said:

Try reviewing H&W and Dr. Rahal's cases to find patients like you - relatively young with only minor hairline recession. I have seen some such cases on their sites and I think for you there's potential for a noticeable cosmetic improvement. IMO the two things you should think about are using your grafts wisely with consideration to future loss (maybe a physical consultation with one of the clinics would be useful) and obviously cost.

You have great hair and you're doing well to start on Fin and Minox at such an early stage of hair loss. About aches "down there" on Fin, I had those for a short time early on as well, and they went away 100%

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