LaserCaps

It's till being used for healing purposes - and effectively. Unfortunately, and I've seen this throughout the industry, (when it comes to hair). most do not know how to do it. If you hear "come back every few weeks..." run the other way as fast as you can. Or, take photos, communicate...and when the results do not happen, ask for your money back. A few, however, are getting great results throughout the entire head, (even the front) and with a time lapse of 1+ years. PRP is doing two things, reversing the thinning and getting faster results if done at the time of the transplant procedure.

You are young. Very dark hair and light scalp. The contrast is making it look worse than what it is. Yes, you are in the process of maturing your hairline and your corners are developing. Some hair in that area is in the process of miniaturizing, (just look at the strands, some thick and some not so much). A bit premature? Perhaps. Your last photo, (without you holding your hair), still shows a strong juvenile hairline. Keep an eye on things. If you see a pattern developing, (refer to the Norwood chart), I would then get started with some medical regimen to help you retain.

Unfortunately this is not a regulated industry and generalizing is truly dangerous. "The more clients, the more experience the doctor and..." not necessarily. I've met what some people call "pioneers" with questionable results, (or no results at all). So, you may have a lot of experience, but if you've been doing it wrong your whole life.....guess what? I guess you do have a lot of experience in doing it the wrong way. When we talk about "do the research," we fail to mention all that's entailed. Yes, review photos of results, and look for cases similar to your own. But, have you asked the doctor, "where did you learn to do transplants?" Fellowships in hair are hard to find. There are only a handful in the US let alone with world. Most clinics will tell you, "our doctor is board certified." In what? Physical therapy? Why would you want a physical therapist to work on you? In a world of technology where even techs are now doing some, if not all of the surgery, it is truly important to research everything. You brought up "pictures so they are not fake." and while you are addressing something totally different, it does merit making a comment. The photos should be those of the doctor's work and nothing else. Some out there show photos issued by the manufacturer of the unit that have nothing to do with the doctor but they use it because of their association. Lastly, the Doctor's job is to do what you want but also to keep you from doing things that will result in unnatural work. Mills will almost always end up doing that the patient wants, (hairlines in the middle of the forehead, etc). Eventually - an unnatural result will lead to negative threads.

What are you doing medical therapy wise? Considering SMP might be a viable option. Post photos of your sides. There could be grafts there you could use. How about beard and chest?

Aside to the great advised you've already read, two things to keep in mind. Rogaine contains alcohol which is drying the scalp even more - more flakes. It is important to recognize the med is systemic, That is, you can put it on any one spot, and rub it in. The med is absorbed and will help the entire head. You can change the spot daily. This should help. Next is to use a shampoo that has no alcohol. May be alternate baby shampoo to the regimen you're already doing.

What part of the Country are you in? Is travel an option? Photos of beard area, including neck, would be nice.

Sure you can. While there seems to be minor thinning, it also seems you are dealing with contrast issues. The idea of moving fwd with SMP is not a bad one. Not sure, given the photo if you are also dealing with miniaturization. PRP, Laser, Rogaine, Fin or a combo of these may not be a bad idea. I would give them a year to measure what you can achieve with them, Based on the result you can then decide if it is worth it for you to continue meds long term. I would start investigating family history of hair loss.

Oh, and it is likey the crusts, (dry blood) - along with hair is just falling off. This is normal. Hopefully you are scrubbing off by now.

If you lose a graft, you'll know immediately. You'll start bleeding. And, if it happens, it will be within a day or two post op. In the overall scheme of things, however, it will have no impact on the outcome. Typically a doctor will work uniformly through the area. Thus, if there is uniformity - and all of the sudden you see a blank area, (no hair), either the graft was lost or it didn't take. Keep this in mind when you go for your 6-12 mo post op visit.

It is evident this is not a concern for her otherwise the subject would have been brought up already. And while 3 months is not a long time, if this does develop into something more serious, you can bet this might become an issue. "Why didn't you tell me? You could not trust me?" I can hear it already. Be up front and confident. If you don't put a lot of emphasis on it - she won't either. You may even want to tell her you are sharing this with her because you actually care for her......Good luck.

If they work, why not? Consult with your doctor and see what he says.

Overkill? Perhaps. Have you spoken with the doctor about it? That's the first thing I would do. If Fin is helping you retain, why bother? Or is it to confirm what else - if anything - you can accomplish? So then the question becomes - what are your goals? It is a fact Dutesteride does block alpha 1 and 2. It'll be interesting to find out what your doctor's thoughts are...... Lastly, the mechanism of action of all existing modalities is totally different and thus there is synergy when used simultaneously. If you are curious about Dutesteride, why not give some consideration to the other ones as well?

It is a fact most do not know anything about PRP. They will ask you to return to the clinic every few weeks to do it again. Disappointment 3-6 months later when the patient sees no results and now want their money refunded. There are some, however, that can offer PRP that actually works. Again, this is all part of the research.

There are two types of loss. The type you see and the type you don't. What you do see - in the sink, pillow case, etc, is normal. The follicle gets tired of producing hair and it goes into a dormant period. The hair typically returns 3-4 months later. We refer to this as shedding. Most are under the belief 100 hairs a day is normal. Hair loss is different, you don't see it. Go under a bright light and look at your temporal areas. You'll notice some strands thicker than others. Some are so thin you can't hardly see them. We refer to this as miniaturization. Eventually the hair withers away and disappears. This is hair loss. The medication is intended for you to keep what you have. In some instances, however, it can help the miniaturized hair to grow stronger, (thicken up). It looks like regrowth but it isn't. Nothing regrows hair. It is enhancement of the native hair. And, if it's going to happen, it will take a good year. So, take photos every 3 months and keep track. If you like what you see in one year - now you have a decision to make. Is the result worth taking the med long term and understanding - if you stop - you will resume losing hair.

A couple of things to keep in mind. If you've shown the propensity to lose, the loss will continue. The donor area is finite and limited. So say you use fill in the crown and use all your donor. You then lose the entire frontal area. At that point you'll be saying "why did you put all the grafts in the crown? Now I have nothing to fix the front - and everyone can see it." I think it is important to recognize it is the front you see when looking in the mirror. It is also the area others see when they interact with you. So, what to do? Medical therapy, (Propecia, Rogaine, PRP and Laser) are the modalities we refer to when dealing with this condition. The mechanism of action of each of these is totally different and are thus synergistic when used simultaneously. They tend to be far more effective towards the back. I would encourage you to consider doing them for 1 year and reassess. If you do experience enhancement of the native hair, you can then consider if keeping the effect is worth doing the regimen long term. Sometimes I wish we had a hair crystal ball....but since we don't I would avoid transplants for now.

You are starting to dip in the back, but not sure how far given the haircut. I would let your hair grow a couple of weeks and re-post. It would also be nice to get photos of your entire head. Is this how you typically wear your hair? Are you doing any type of medical therapy? How about family history?

It happens. What if the doctor was in surgery? I do agree, someone from the office should have called to either explain or reschedule. I am curious to learn, why did you pick this particular doctor? Was it because he is near to you? Often it is the convenience that drives patients.

Thanks Melvin, Seems you still have a lot of native hair - which hasn't left the building. The modalities we typically refer to when dealing with this debilitating condition are Finasteride, Minoxidil, PRP and Laser. Meds tend to be most effective towards the midback and back. Taking this into account perhaps you could consider...... The are a few concepts involved in all of this. First, donor limitation. In an advanced pattern it is likely there will not be enough donor to allow for a full set of hair. If you've shown the propensity to lose, you will continue losing. Hair in the front typically grows forward at an angle. So does the hair in the mid scalp. In the crown however, we all share a whirl. It is be weakest point for all of us. It is important to be age appropriate and pattern appropriate work, So, when you interact with people - what do you see? Typically the front. When you see yourself in the mirror - what do you see? The front. Thus, working the frontal area will always serve you well. If you are thin in the back, given the pattern you are showing, it will only add to the naturalness. Why not allow meds to work that area in the meantime? A year later, if you are happy with the results in the front, you can then work farther back into the pattern, (understanding you will need to stay on the meds if they're working). This approach would allow you to do this on a step by step basis. So my question at this point would be, what are your goals? What are you trying to accomplish? How do you like to style your hair? Do you prefer long or short? How do you feel about the use of meds long term?

No, I don't think so. I call the FUE the glorified technique. If you think about it, this has been around since the 50's! Do you remember the plug? Same issue but a log bigger punch. Now its' more refined...which brings another issue. I think most understand that a punch .9mm or less will leave no visual scar. There are scars, mind you, but so small that the naked eye can't pick them up. And, the smaller the punch, the less "meat" around the follicle. So chances for damage is greater. FUT, heartier grafts. I think both have their pros and cons but both can be used depending on the goals of the patient. If military and can not afford to have a scar - FUE. If you are going to leave the hair long, perhaps FUT would be a better option. In subsequent procedures the doctor will typically re-excise the original scars so there is always one remaining. Eventually there will be no more give. When this happens the patient can then choose FUE. This way the patient has access to the entire donor area.

They are both viable options. It depends on many variables. The basics, however, deal with your styling options. To give you an example, supposed you were military. Typically they keep a very short haircut and can not afford to have a scar. They would likely choose FUE to avoid the linear scar. Mind you, with FUE you will have scars but, if the harvesting was completed with a .9mm punch, (or smaller), the scars would not be visible to the naked eye. If you plan to have your hair plenty long, FUT might be better suited. You could do many procedures with FUT until you run out of elasticity - at which point you could then move forward with FUE. This way you can take advantage of your entire donor. Go ahead and post a set of photos of your entire head. I am certain many members will share their thoughts and experience with you. Are you doing any type of medical therapy to help you with retention of the native hair? What goals do you have? What are you trying to achieve?

We were seeing great results. Currently on hold, (FDA). We hope to resume in the next 6+ months.

Have you noticed how fine the hair seems to be in that area? I call it highly specialized hair. Nowhere in the body do we have that caliber hair other than in the peaks. I would dissuade you from addressing those points for now. The donor is far thicker than that and it will stick out like a sore thumb. Right now you look normal. Leave it alone.

It is never a good idea to just address one side, (in case you do decide to work on the temporal areas. Eventually the same thing will happen to the other side. From the angle of the photos you posted it seems you have little to no loss elsewhere. Perhaps you are just maturing your hairline. I would leave it alone for now and consider medical therapy to help you with retention.

It all depends on what you've done up to this point and how self aware you are. I can understand a patient who has used a system for a long time and is now transitioning to transplants, (there is a big difference in density between the two). I would check with the clinic. It will depend if FUE or FUT. Change tape to clips. Hopefully you have some native hair the system can attach to.

As many of you know my son graduated from medical school and started his residency program at a hospital in Houston. We were living in Washington State at the time but this event prompted us to relocate. As of this past Monday I have resumed my duties as a consultant for Arocha Hair Restoration. Feel free to reach out if you do have any questions about hair restoration and I will gladly share my opinion. I can also ask the doctor on your behalf.