Rossybop

5 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

I wore a hair system for 25 years. But with your amount of hair I personally can’t see why? All the best. 

Its looking and feeling worse as the days go by. How did you get on with the hair systems? I've been looking online, some of them seem to look wonderful, thick and full.

6 hours ago, Duke1984 said:

I went to Saifi a few years ago I remember chatting to you. I’ve been on finasteride for about ten years and rogain foam now and after chatting to a doctor he has suggested changing medication to dutasteride and oral monoxidil. What sort of side effects did you get when you changed medication ? 

You can PM me. Any time I posted about side effects on fin or dut here, my post gets deleted. There's a degree of censorship on the public forums here. 

9 hours ago, Berba11 said:

The issue though is that you don’t know if you’ll get a good 4-5 years out of it. You’ve been off the meds for less than a year, which isn’t very long. You don’t know if your hair loss will suddenly pick up speed. 
 

Of course it’s noticeable to you, just as my own areas of ongoing hair loss and weakness are noticeable to me (even if less so to others). The question is whether it makes best sense to pull the trigger now or to exercise a little more patience in order to better plan for the longer term. To me it’s a total no brainer - better to wait for a bit and see where your hair loss is heading now that you’re off the meds. I’m saying wait for 5 years, but giving things an extra 12 months to see where you’re at and try and get a handle on where you might be heading would be wise. In the meantime you can look into various surgeons & take consultations etc and make good use of that time. 

I won't be able to wait 5 years without doing something about it. Its doing my head in and definitely thinning out. I'm thinking of going for hair systems instead.

10 hours ago, mr_peanutbutter said:

could you post your hairstatus before and directly after ht?

Its one one of my threads from December 2020 bro. Type in Saifi 2040 FUE or something like that. You'll see it there.

12 hours ago, Willforhair84 said:

It’s been on your mind for nearly 2 years , just do it. Looks like will require only 1000 grafts 

It will either be another HT or a hair system at this stage.

14 hours ago, Al - Moderator said:

Just to be clear. You are losing hair around and behind the transplanted hair but not the transplanted hair itself. Is that right? 

I don't know. I'm sure I'm losing hair around and behind the transplanted areas but if I'm being honest I really feel like the transplanted areas have thinned and depleted more than any other part of my scalp.

15 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Have you tried oral minoxidil? IMHO I would not get another transplant at this stage. Going by your pics I think it just needs to be styled more. How old are you can I ask?

I have not tried oral minoxidil. Its hard to style it because its so thin, it just leaks weak and inconsistent and generally not great whichever way I style it. I'm actually thinking of trying hair systems instead. What do you think? I'm 33, ill be 34 in a few months.

17 hours ago, Berba11 said:

Your current situation is still very, very good from these photos and I’m not seeing any need to get another HT yet. 
 

Personally I would give it plenty more to time see how things develop. If you lose hair quickly, then another HT will at least be worthwhile. If you lose hair very slowly then you know things are stabilised somewhat and can proceed on that basis. 
 

What you don’t really want to do is get a small HT now and then lose more hair quickly and need another one. Chasing down hair loss with constant surgeries isn’t ideal if you can help it. 
 

As it stands, no one would know you’re losing hair (unless you deliberately try to expose the weaker areas as in these photos) and it seems there’s no reason to make any hasty decision in terms of shaving it or getting another HT. 

Nah man, my hair generally looks bad and I can't really style it properly at all.

I'm thinking of trying hair systems for a couple of years instead.

4 minutes ago, Berba11 said:

Your current situation is still very, very good from these photos and I’m not seeing any need to get another HT yet. 
 

Personally I would give it plenty more to time see how things develop. If you lose hair quickly, then another HT will at least be worthwhile. If you lose hair very slowly then you know things are stabilised somewhat and can proceed on that basis. 
 

What you don’t really want to do is get a small HT now and then lose more hair quickly and need another one. Chasing down hair loss with constant surgeries isn’t ideal if you can help it. 
 

As it stands, no one would know you’re losing hair (unless you deliberately try to expose the weaker areas as in these photos) and it seems there’s no reason to make any hasty decision in terms of shaving it or getting another HT. 

To me its noticeable and its really bugging me a lot. Its definitely a lot worse off than it was 2.5 years ago.

It feels thin and sparse too. I would be much happier to buff it up and make it thick and full. If I could get a good result with 1500 grafts and get another 4 - 5 years out of it before needing my next top up I'll go for it.

19 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said:

ah this may be a reason to not getting any more HTs unfortunately

That being said, this potential 2nd HT has been at the forefront of your mind for years and years now, so feel like you have to do something regardless

Yes you're right, it might be a good reason to avoid getting more HTs. I think some hair systems that I've seen online look very good but the maintenance costs and commitment are immense. Cost is like €3,000 a year.

I had a 2,040 FUE transplant with Saifi in December 2020. Results were great for about 18 months then I started noticing my hair was not looking as good. I used finasteride and minoxidil for 3 years until July 2023 but then jumped on dutasteride in July 2023 - October 2023. I quit the meds because of awful sides. Now I take no medication.

Should I get another HT or would I be as well off shaving my hair? How many grafts would I need? I've thought about hair systems, maybe they'd be good, but the maintenance is a bummer.

Thanks.

Any update?

I might go to Sikos myself. Did he put you on finasteride or dutasteride?

I might go to Sikos myself. Did he put you on finasteride or dutasteride?

1 hour ago, Big Rome said:

what dosage of fin were you on? topical or oral? 

I was on 1.25mg almost every day for 3 years.

In July 2023 I stopped fin and immediately started taking dut 0.5mg about 5 days a week. I got side effects almost immediately, and the side effects worsened over time.

In October 2023 I stopped taking dut because the sides were too dangerous and disruptive. Since then I have not taken any medication. Thankfully the side effects have been fading and I'm over the worst of them now, but I'm still not back to 100% and I believe it takes dut 6 months to wash out.

On fin I always had sexual sides but they were tolerable.

Since quitting dutasteride, the improvement I made on dut has been lost and I'm now at a stage where my hair loss is and appearance is very annoying to me again.

12 hours ago, jjalay said:

In your shoes i would stay on medication and wait. You dont need a second hairtransplant right now as your hairloss may progress further.

I am thinking of going back on fin and min but I think I should wait a while for the rest of the dut to leave my system before I consider taking another 5AR again.

5AR sides can be devastating and irreversible.

I can style my hair where it looks ok and generally not too bad but the thinning bald spots are frustrating and I know that eventually things will be very transparent. I'm now very limited in my styles.

I had 2,040 FUE grafts with Dr Saifi in December 2020, then aged 30. That story is elsewhere here on this forum.

I started finasteride in July 2020 and Regaine in January 2023.

At first my results with Saifi's transplant were great, and I got amazing benefits from fin and min; thicker hair, hair loss slowed etc.

However about 18 months into fin treatment I was losing more hair again. It seemed to lose its efficacy. But I kept taking it. The first transplant was never perfect, but it initially seemed very good.

4 months ago I was so worried about my hair. I felt my first transplant didn't look as good and I knew fin was losing efficacy, so I started on dutatseride daily.

Dutasteride thickened my hair and stopped my hair loss fast, it was amazing, I was in great shape with it, but the side effects were unbearable and they worsened to a state of crippling severity so I came off dutasteride and I would never touch it again.

However I've been shedding and my hair loss is definitely visible again. (Thankfully I've been recovering from dut sides).

I'm now on no meds at all. I'm now 33 years old.

I can do a second transplant with Saifi in February 2024. What should I do?

Go for a second transplant now or wait another 1 - 2 years to see how my hair loss develops before having another HT?

Maybe I am not a good candidate for a second transplant and I should forget about it?

If I chase more transplants, how many grafts will I need for my second procedure and how dense can I go? I know I can use 3's and 4's to transplant into the mid scalp.

Its behind the hairline/mid scalp that seems to be getting attacked hard lately.

Pictures of what my hair is like are attached.

Thanks.

3 hours ago, BurnieBurns said:

If you had no sides on fin I can't conceive how you would again. Fin doesn't 'lose efficay' the hair loss can just eventually catch up due to increasing severity in age despite lowering DHT. In many people, finasteride only noticeably slows down hair loss. you're better off stacking it with oral minoxidil. If you  want to live dangerously you could also look into adding pyrilutamide. 

There's always new treatments in the pipeline but waiting on those is a fools game many have become bald during over the past decades. 

I might just hop back on fin and minox then.

@BurnieBurnsI had sides on fin but they were mild - moderate. They were tolerable sides. The usual suspects; runmy semen and lowered libido. I actually didn't mind the lower libido because I've never had a partner before so a high libido is frustrating for me. But at the same time I don't want to castrate myself, I need the relief of an escort every once in a while.

@ThePerseverantWarrior 1) I was on 0.5mg capsules, I took them on average appx 5 days a week.

2) I noticed my reduced libido and weaker erections within a week. The week I decided to stop, my erection capacity was very weak, libido very low and orgasmic sensation was weak too. I did not feel comfortable experiencing these effects.

19 hours ago, Eli_Avdikian said:

Were you taking dutasteride daily ?

 

Most days yes, on average I suppose about 5 days a week (0.5mg capsules).

I found plenty of reputable looking sources that suggest dut has high risks of sides.

Even the warning in the Avodart Package says

"Side effects may persist after stopping usage."

PFS victims seem rare but they may be more plentiful than we think. Men often suffer in silence. Penile dysfunction, penile shrinkage and infertility are subjects that many men will not speak of openly.

Male sperm levels are apparently plummeting.

I met people online who claimed to be suffering from PFS and I don't believe they are delusional, whereas big pharma have good reason to brush it under the carpet.

My own experience of finasteride was of tolerable sides, sides that weren't awfully disruptive.

However my experience of dut was immensely terrifying and highly disruptive. If you experienced what I experienced on it, you would now know that these drugs are potentially very powerful.

2 hours ago, duchaine said:

So True.
I think that most of the "sides" are noceto effect.
I don't know if I am "genetically lucky" or if it is my mind, but I see that my libido and my erections increase the first weeks after duta injections.

The sides are certainly not nocebo. They are very real. A massive proportion of fin and dut users have watery semen - myself included.

I had mild sides on fin for 3 years. Dut was another level altogether. Total impotence and genitals shrivelling up for no reason, and I am not the type of person that psyches myself into side effects.

1 hour ago, Melvin- Admin said:

The mind is powerful, and no doubt reading horror stories is making it worse. Side effects are real, I’ve experienced them. But I also experienced psychological effects from the side effects that persisted longer than the actual side effects. The most powerful sexual organ is your mind. 

Sexual desire comes naturally, if you try to force it while dealing with side effects you’re going to fail, and only make yourself feel worse. This could turn into a vicious cycle that could turn into performance anxiety. 5mg of cialis is something you should start taking now, it helps with blood flow, good for work out pumps. It certainly helps with any issues you might be experiencing.

But use it sparingly, as you don’t want to become psychologically addicted into believing you need it.  You’ll rebound soon enough. Another great thing to take is maca root. That’s something you can always use. It’s good for your virility. The side effects will go away, just let it rebound naturally and don’t try to force it.

I've pretty much recovered which is great. But defo not going back on dut.

Wondering now should I just go back on fin and minox. 

Took 13 days to heal and I had to train my mind to stay positive and focused on healing when suffering from the dut sides.

I came off dutasteride because of horrendous sides.

I have now recovered from the sides but won't touch dut again.

Fin lost a lot of efficacy on me after 18 months or so.

Should I go back on finasteride and minoxidil? If so when? Should I give my body a rest seen as I've only recovered from dut sides having stopped 2-3 weeks ago?

Am I now more at risk to getting sides from fin?

When will new treatments hit Europe and what will they be?