scar5

Don't let it scare you - as I said, the whey connection is such speculation and there are so many variables in the hormone picture, it will drive you crazy. Just get your DHT checked. When I said I am "20percent over" I mean that there is a normal range or "band", with an upper and lower limit for DHT. Mine registered, measured at 11am, at 20% above the highest mark on the range defined as normal. What did I do to lower it? I take propecia, finasteride, as a generic form called fincar at an average of 1.25 a day- probably closer to 1 given the crumbly mess I make chopping it up. I haven't rechecked my DHT, but knowing my DHT was so high gave me more confidence t go ahead with propeciaand after holding on to some hair (or at least thinking I have succeeded in holding on to hair, I have definitely noticed I am going backwards again recently in the crown area. Good luck By the way, your doc may ask you why you need a test - and your answer may influence how much you pay for the test or if insurance might help.

DHT dehydrotestosterone - a metabolized offspring of testosterone that sticks to our follicles like barniclles on a boat, slowly killing the vulnerable ones, can be measured and u can be aware of its level in u with and without meds during intense training, during breaks and when on whey and when off it. That is a lot of tests for sure, but even if u do a couple u might get a picture. There are some members on this board that seem to know about this stuff in more detail and some who think the connection between DHt and training is negligible, even bogus. I don't know if anyone can say what causes the shed and whether whey has any part in it. Testosterone does raise with training and supplements, if they do what they say that should do, obviously play a part, mess with the general picture. It's harsh that muscling up should take a toll on our hair given that we wanna do it to compensate but I think being huge isn't necessary just being leaner on ur own personal scale is the way to go. Anyway, hopefully someone will chip in. My DHT levels are 20 above the highest limit for "normal" men. No wonder I was visited by the balding Gods at 18!

Get your blood checked for DHT. Establish your base level DHT and work from there. Listen carefully to what they tell you about the test times as DHT levels vary throughout the day. Research. Don't give up.

Oh my, you sound so much like me, bargaining with the devil, and I know that no amount of talking will stop you from knocking on the the devil's door for more! OK here comes negativity so don't take it badly..there is good news at the end. If you shave your head, do you really think one month is enough to coolly and calmly reflect on whether the buzz/shave suits you as you go into the rest of your life? Especially with the clock ticking, the prospect of salvation through an HT, a contract and a clinic waiting for you, and the prospect of a bunch of students checking out your head (and do not discount other teachers! Staff room is just as dicey and education is a hotbed for bullying albeit a more subdued and clever form) I am assuming you are considereing strip here, because if its FUE (and a really good FUE) its a different game physiologically and psychologically. You always can retreat with FUE if its done right. With strip, you are married for life. If you are like me, when I first shaved my head (and God help you if you are) you will CHANGE your mind about your hair daily. It looks good, it looks crap, It looks OK etc.. you will be on such an emotional roller coaster it you wont know whether you are going up or down it. Reasons to be positive You are in a great position. Your scalp has no line across the back of it. In my opinion, one month is not enough to determine whether it is worth throwing that away. In fact it will probably be less than one month unless you wanna cancel a minute before the scalpel goes across the back of you head. If you must do HT now, do FUE and make sure it is a damn good one. Otherwise, buzz the head, take the meds and chill!!

This sounds dodgy. Top Doc said shaving is no problem? Top Docs don't talk like that, they know better. My Fue scars, btw don't cause me a problem at all, but I may be lucky. No FUE doc has ever guaranteed it. You say the results are poor, how did you assess this if its just 12 months and you have already shaven your head? 3000 is a pretty decent sized FUE, so do you mind telling us what kind of instuments were used. 1) a hand/manual punch? 2) An electric rotary punch? 3) needles or other instruments? 4) Were you told the size of the outside diameter of the punch. All 'top docs' should tell you that because they all know that punch size has a bearing on scarring As for dots. Now I base this purely on pics, but it seems that it might be much easier to hide pixilated FUE dots with micropigmentation than a strip scar. pigmentation is a risk though and you would want to do MUCH more research than you did with this FUE 'top doc' you speak of.

I had mine tested and i was 120% - in otherwords, 20% over the upper limit of what is considered normal. BE AWARE that your DHT levels fluctaute throughout the day! Mine was tested at 11am, said to be pushing it. I was told 9Am -10Am is best! It would be great if there were are reliable DHT home test. Background My MPB is chronic. I don't know if there is a scale for MPB aggressiveness, but on the Scar5 scale of say 1-6, 6 being bad) I was a six! or at least a 5.5. Receding temples at 18, by 19 minaturized front, Nw3 at 24. I'm 47 now. (going on 14!) In 2005, after having dropped Dut (side-effects), losing the hair I had maintained and grew, I decided to approach Fin (Propecia in the form of the generic Fincar (I chose Fincar because it seemed to be the one that didn't require prescription and could be ordered straight off the net)) Just before I started dosing up (1.25mg a day) I took a test. I got so many things tested I can't remember. But the biggie was DHT and the result was interesting, or rather confirming my worst suspicions. If only I went of prop when my first doc recommended it way back in 1994, I would probably not be on this board being such a bitch. Saying that, recently, I'm losing again.

yep. i don't know why either, and I don't know if Prop is helping my hair too much or not but I got an increase in sex drive, less semen, but an increase in drive. take 1.25 fincar. PS I got a loss of sex drive with Avodart however before that.

Oh my....semantic short-circuit?, overload? My brain is hurting and definitely damaged ..too many transplants. Let's see, 1) 'Yes, leave the option behind, if you don't mind the thin crown/horse shoe combo' 2) 'No, DON'T leave the option behind if you DO mind. ..so.. never leave the option behind UNLESS you DON'T mind.. Does that make sense?

For 'Good scar', Grade 4 is the law... Qualifications 1) Skin color/hair color contrast is not too bad 2) Your donor hair may thin as you age, making scar disguise harder 3) a very fine scar may be depressed, accenting it 4) If you grey, it will help you certain skin types (caucasion) 5) FUE near the scar will make the scar harder to 'cover' but easier to disguise if buzzed, tattooed and FUE'd into later because the pixilated effect of the FUE lessens the contrast (as long as the scar isn't depressed, but that's a risk) and frankly its a dumb strategy to pursue IMO And, I think it's a bad idea to have strip if you have already started FUE and you're are satisfied with the way your scalp heals with it, but it is your call so good luck.

Simple question, simple answer. (I came across this web surfing in a 'what if?' moment. ) Q: Should I shave my head? What will I look like with a bald head? A: If you're a guy, and don't have any huge scars, yes - go for it! If you're still not sure, ask your barber/hair stylist. (://mitchross.com/blog/index.php?itemid=230) It was just an everyday question from a random poster to an everyday kinda blogger with no hair transplant knowledge and I think it represents the best possible starting and finishing point for all those beginning their navigation through the HT world. NEVER LOSE SIGHT of it! Male Pattern Baldness = MPB Hair loss medication (Success/Side Effects over time) = M Hair Transplant Results themselves over the long term = LT (The HT itself is solid but the surrounding hair changes) Prognosis for Hair Multiplication in next ten years = HM MPB + M + LT + HM = Uncertainty So...never leave the option to buzz or shave behind, UNLESS... you don't mind a thinning crown and horseshoe. (and if u r here, I guess u do, at least now)

Any strip vs FUE discussion must point to a little (BIG) question about the telogen hair and their fate in strip transplants. At anytime, we all have, on average, about 10% of our hair in a telogen state. Telogen state is the stage in which the hair is detached from the bulb and is either waiting to fall out or has fallen out of the hair shaft. Then the hair bulb will wait 2-3 months before creating a new hair and the anagen stage then commences. We lose about 100-150 hairs a day through this process. In a strip transplant, the 'vacant' telegon follicles get thrown into the bin because the cutters cannot see them even with microscopes. It is an astonishing and embarrassing insult to all hair transplant consumers and forum readers that this phenomena is not discussed, especially considering the fact that FUE transection rates are continually, and critically, pointed out. This loss of hair amounts to up to 10% of your donor available hair - that's 400-500 grafts in a megasession!! This, obviously, has nothing to do with strip scars, and whether there are good or bad ear-to-ear scars. Another is peripheral incision transection. It is simply impossible to cut a 60cm line across the scalp and not transect hairs. THe industry standard is said to be 5% - in other words, we try to kill only 5% of the hairs we pass along the road. If any strip clinic wants to prove me wrong, I stand corrected. I by no means an FUE cheerleader as the same economic pulleys and weights that load the dice in strip also apply - just in a different way.

Good thinking. Why waste your precious grafts by burning them with a laser? Scarring - whilst being a case-by-case thing, is also generally much better (as in less noticable) on the forehead than in the traditional donor zones. I've had FUE and strip removals of pluggy and misangled hair on the hairline and behind it. The strip scar is visible, but more because of skin buckling at the seam, than the scar itself. The FUE holes are fine. As for replanting in the same holes, well my docs have never wanted to do it. It seems they prefer to plant the hair a few mm away from the extracted sites, some of which were sutured, others left to heal by secondary intention. ( just left as open wounds) The new slits you'll be wanting will presumably be a lot flatter for a more ideal flatter lie and I understand you are speaking of the actual surface point of exit, not the underlying tissue, but still, all the docs I've spoken to didn't wanna do it. Back to your noggin, I also think that damage to some of the extracted grafts is not to be unexpected, but still, I think it's worth a shot at extracting and replanting, even a few by trial at first.

Unless they are deliberately farming for the finer types of hair that inhibit the nape - Dr. Umar does this for 'softening' of the hairline, they would probably ease off the extractions as they approach the perimeter. For a start, NW 7s can lose this hair in this zone during advanced MPB, and that suggests it may thin oiut even earlier than that. Secondly, the remaining hair can look very thin, very fast on the sides of the neck looking from the side as you have a flattish horizontal plane to look at. (Depends on skin-hair color contrast too) Thirdly, the finer hair, whilst possibly helpful for hairline is less useful for illusion. In my case a further complication arises as the hair-otherwise straight- starts to coil into a messy knot right at the tip of the bottom. (the inverse of the widows peak, so to speak) so I imagine the extraction angles are hard to guess here.

All scarring is, if you've read forums for a while, I'm sure you will agree, something we are told is a matter of individual patient characteristics. Nevertheless, you are quite right to point out that there is (has been?) a belief that lower is more dangerous. I have had strips from forehead to just above the nape and FUE all in between. I am caucasian with fairish skin. I think FUE extracted from below the 'hood' is OK as long as it's in the safe zone. My FUEs sites are hard to spot and must be looked for if my skin is shaved but the first place they show up is down there. On the otherhand, my best strip scar, which many docs have praised, is also way down low. Basically, I can say in my experience, yes, scarring might be a fraction more noticeable, but in the bigger picture, still negligible if you are an average patient and the doc uses small punches. i.e. up to 0.8mm in outer diameter.

I apologize for going off topic, and I agree with TC17; if I wasn't concerned about a balding crown whilst sporting a horseshoe of hair at the back I wouldn't have a problem at all with my scars.

Docs don't like doing it unless it's 'their thing' do to speak. As for techs doing extractions to alleviate them, it is not as straight forward. From the ISHRS, posted on the the technicians website (make of that site what you will!) The ISHRS has put out a statement regarding non-physicians excising follicles, they are against it in any form. So the companies that are selling Automated FUE devices, and telling doctors that it is ok to hair transplant technicians to do the extractions during FUE are not giving accurate information. Check with your state laws before buying any of these devices thinking that the techs can do the the procedure.

Absolutley, as Dr Lindsay said a week or so back, "And scalp laxity is like a box of chocolates....you just don't know until you excise the strip how loose a scalp will be. As closure tension has a direct relationship with scarring..., " I know he was referring to another point at the time, but it is a pertinent truth. My best and worst scars came from the same doctor!! A lot of people say that the strip scar is a non-issue for years after they get it. (some start even weeks/months after their first procedure) I understand that, because for about 8 years I didn't care too, as I could hide it. There was no web back then, but it WAS a non issue. 15 years later I was in a terrible place because of scarring.

Dare I say it. Notwithstanding Dr. True's excellent and refined work, in my humble opinion, I find the above to be slightly understated. (especially the 'somewhat' comment) If I had a signature it would probably be like... I don't cheer FUE for any other reason than that it offers a line of retreat 10 years down the track. I have issues with FUE only clinics too. As I presently understand it, FUE cannot be extracted by technicians in most American states (law, plus 'slippery-slide-effect') compelling the doctors to perform the extractions, which in turn shifts the emphasis to strip, which in turn shifts the emphasis to minimizing the scar..etc. if you get my drift.

I remember when Japanese fuel-injected cars started to replace carburetor models in my local market in the 1980s. I was impressed by the badges on the side of the cars that said "Fuel Injection". It only occurred to me later to when I studied WW2 airplanes that in the that Japanese/German aircraft were fuel-injected, turbo-charged, methane injected, bla bla.etc. etc. in the 1930s!! As for hair. My first HT was 1988 and I distinctly remember mt doc saying big things were 'around the corner'. Very soon Propecia came and that was/IS big news, no doubt about it, but other than that. However, imagine how many balding patients signed away their right to ever buzz/shave on account of the possibility that technology would augment their HT(s?) to keep it(them?) viable as DHT continued on its merry way and the only thing growing was the patients getting increasingly desperate and isolated.

Your loss and thinning has stabilized? Is that what you are saying? You are no longer losing any hair? I'm sorry if I misunderstood. Well, it does look like you have lost most of your density from Nw0-Nw6 and perhaps even some nape thinning. At your age, that definitely points you away from the world of HTs, but intriguingly, you have, as I understand managed to stop the loss now. Still, with the amount you have lost, even the best scalp FUE and salt 'n pepper color scheme (what I would recommend for a NW4/5 your age) wouldn't save you. And that is assuming the finasteride keeps keepin' on. I don't want to give you any false hopes, but just for the sake of exhausting all possibilities, i would ask, "How is your bodyhair? Has it been thinned from using propecia?" You've certainly got decent beard hair. If, and I say a big 'if', you kept the fin going and continued to maintain, even improve over the next few years, perhaps you could look into a BHT/beard hair/FUE combination for a 'low-density-kinda-sprinkling of very flat hairs' type transplant to give you some texture to your scalp. You have a good head shape and skin tone for a baldy guy. Anyway, that's my take on it. Generally, HT is not for you in a conventional sense, but a combination might help. Whatever you do, don't give yourself a strip scar to worry about.

I hate these arguments as much as we all do. And yet once again, we gotta say it, just to try to keep that greedy big ball rolling its way into the corner that goes you know where Spex raises the usual points but I want to show another take on things. I put numbers up there. #1 - 'Just' less visible - Well, that is the whole point. It is the one and only thing about FUE and it is JUST brilliant if it is only true. That is the question. But if it is true it is the shit we want. I personally believe it is true. My FUE scares are not invisible, but they are unnoticable. My strip scars are very noticeable. Image cattle feeding in a paddock, scattered. Now line them up in a smiley line. #2 - a and b are really the same thing. It is not pointless!!!! There IS a point to this logic. Say you grow your hair out with an HT while you still have enough native hair, and the drugs are still working. It's all good. Then in mid-30s the drugs wear off, you start losing more, you grey. Now the compass points towards are very low buzz. With FUE you can do it. No guarantees? Of course, but with strip? Depending on your skin and hair tone, a shadow of hair can really help frame the face if shaven. I do agree, however you are risking it planning to shave from the onset, but the risk is more to do with the recipient to native area miss-match than the dreaded white dots that characterized FUE up to the early 2000s. #3 -Same as the last part of point #2 #4 - Difficult. No FUE-only clinics have reps here to argue their case. Research is extremely difficult. In all my years I have only my own experiences and intuitions that I try to reconcile with the fleeting chats, hearsay etc. and I think we are all in the same boat. I think it is wrong to throw out the cards that say, 1) "FUE is not scarless, therefore, strip and FUE are the same" , so I better get strip 2) FUE scarring is unpredicatable, therefore dodgy, so I better get strip? 3) FUE suits small procedures, I want lots, so I better get strip

haha:) I am the evil bastard you will meet in your job somewhere. I can't wait to meet you! You are the kind of person that really makes me salivate! I will be nice to you often and I will not let you forget that scar, and I will not let you forget I have the power to tell everyone in your office the reason you got it!!! Including those sweet people over there who are really unassuming. You don't care about the scar, that's great!!! Good for you, just think about millions of years of evolution and competitive behavior among males and tell God you don't care about the scar! I don't mean to be the tough love guy, and I know I am pretty bad at it, but it is my way of saying, be careful about what you tell yourself. HTs can be good, but never think you can bluff your way out of it.

4 weeks ?? Madness. At 4 weeks you have NO idea of what your scar will look like. Stretching begins to take place way after this and for many months Color changes a year later. Shockloss to the area below the scar takes many months to recover, and in many cases there is a thinner area of growth immediately below the scar that stays, giving the impression that the scar is wider than it really is. All these factors would (or should) influence the doctors decisions about where to place the grafts. Was the doctor that told you 'four weeks' this one of the recommended HT doctors on this site?

Not that it will save any of us, but that is sweet! My nomination for HTN's new comment-of-the-month award.

Surgery will not slow down your male pattern baldness. You will simply continue to loose more hair if your genetics dictate it, and loosing at 23, it would seem likely to continue. Sorry, surgery is not a panacea for propecia..woops, :)Like that one? But the good news is that your propecia is working (and not giving you side-effects?). You can save loads by buying generic propecia and chopping it up. It's not that expensive. As for surgery, well, the devil is in the details.