LaserCaps

Did you do FUT or FUE? Did the clinic give you both verbal and written pre and post op instructions? The clinic/doctor will have a protocol to address these issues. Typically 7-10 post op you will notice some of the crusts start falling by themselves. You can then get in the shower and let them soak. You car start using the tips of your fingers to start massaging the area. Go ahead and contact the clinic and find out what they prefer.

There is a tendency in this industry to always give more value to the frontal area, particularly during the first procedure. Two things. You can never make mistakes by addressing the front. It is the area you see when you look at yourself in the mirror and it's the area people see when they interact with you. Understanding that the donor area is finite, (and limited), make sure you are content with the results up front and then move farther back. If you start working your crown, and then continue loosing hair, you'll end up with an island. Since this is an abnormal looking patter, you'll have not choice but to chase the pattern and waste more grafts. Eventually you'll run out of donor and get stuck in a difficult situation. The medical regiment becomes crucial. Once you confirm it is working, you can then move forward with the crown understanding that you need to stay on the meds long term, (forever).

If you've shown the propensity to lose, this will continue. That's a fact. A medical regimen is a must if you want to increase density with transplants. The color of your hair is lighter which allows for less contrast and ultimately a fuller set of hair. The curl also provides more lateral coverage. Visually your donor also looks good but visiting with a doctor so he can evaluate you is key. What goals you do have? What are you trying to accomplish?

That will depend. FUE or FUT? If FUE, which is what I gather, I would wait until you wash all the crusts off and the clinic gives you the OK to return to normalcy. After that you can do whatever you wish. If you have black hair and light scalp, it is likely you will look thin due to the contrast. As the hair grows, you should look very much like you do now. It will be a good year before all grafts mature. By definition, you should look fuller at that time. Are you doing any type of medical therapy to help you with retention of the native hair?

Besides agreeing with everyone's comments, a couple of things you should be aware of. Typically a matured result takes a good year. Yes, it will take 3-4 months for the hair to start getting going, but the hair will be very thin. It will mature with time. Remember, it will be the hair with the highest caliber as it came from the donor area. The point I want to make, however, does deal with the possibility that one side does end up weaker than the other. Make sure to go to all your appointments. Normally 3.6 9 and 12 months. This tends to vary by clinic but try to make them. In the event that there is an issue, the clinic can not say "it was your fault, and you never came to any of your appointments."

That happened a long time ago....

No no....you did not get my point. I agree there are nuances. But this should not preclude any doctor from doing the work. All they have to do is mimic what the native hair is doing to allow for the most natural result. I am certain there is no "degree" in nuances. Just comes from experience.

Black, white, Asian, Hispanic...We are all the same and the same techniques apply. What the doctor needs to do is to mimic the native hair and do the apertures accordingly. I find it offensive, (and ignorant), to recommend a particular doctor only because he may share the same nationality.

This brings up what I find a lot of people lacking.....Confidence. I recall visiting with a Cowboy early in my career. Guy looked great, cowboy hat and all. Should have seen his demeanor change when he took the hat off. Face turned red and you could see an apparent change even in the way he acted. Others, however, despite the baldness, could care less. It will be the spouse, or partner who will insist he does something about it. In my own case, I had never heard of hair restoration. It was not until I became a consultant that I learned how this debilitating condition can affect so many people. My grandfather was bald and I wanted to be just like him. But, I did find it easier to talk to patients with than without hair. In this industry you better have some.

If it was worsened, despite the med, perhaps the med is just not doing anything for you. Before putting the meds to rest and allow MPB to take over, you may want to look into adding other modalities to the mix. Rogaine, PRP and laser. Good luck.

The med is intended for retention. Typically you start noticing this after a few weeks. If you are going to experience enhancement - that takes about 1 year. The intended dose is 1mg tab per day. But since Merck lost the patent, Proscar is only available in 5mg by quartering you get about 1.25. I say "about" since the tab is not pre-scored so this can vary. Now Finasteride is also available in 1 mg. So try to get that to avoid the hassle. There is a difference between shedding and hair loss. Most believe 100 hairs a day is the norm. The follicle gets tired of producing hair so it takes a vacation, (dormant period). That hair will return. Hair loss is different, you don't see it. Under a bright light look at the hairs on your temporal areas. Notice each strand. Some thick and some not so much. Some you can't hardly see. We refer to this process as miniaturization. Eventually the hair withers and disappears. That's hair loss. So, if you do experience enhancement, it is those very fine hairs that will start thickening. Seems like regrowth - but it's not.

Yes. Actually - to any of the modalities available to combat this debilitating condition. The recommended dosage is twice a day to experience the full effect. So using daily should not be an issue unless you are experiencing some skin condition.

Also the size of your head. The only issue - the pattern is also that large. Lastly, a self immune system. This can have a huge impact on candidacy.

The whole premise behind the use of medical therapy is to help you with retention and perhaps enhancement of the native hair. So, after doing your do diligence, you do decide to move forward with the med, it is for you to stay on it forever. If you stop, you will lose what you would have lost. So it does not do you any good to start and stop. A waste of money and time. Ask your doctor about the use pre and post op. Typically 7 days but each clinic has its own protocol. 5% is recommended for men. I would use the foam as the liquid is greasy.

Caps....hmmm. OK. Avoid something that can catch a graft and pull it out. But you're on day 4 now. By now it makes no difference. But for those of you who have yet to start the process.......Have the staff show you how to place it. Start by placing the edge on your forehead and let the back just drop into place, (if baseball cap). Honestly, I would probably just wear nothing. Let everyone see. They may even strike up a conversation. Funny, when I first was introduced to this world, (and during my first couple of procedures), I was bandaged. It was funny driving home and everyone just glaring. I did look like a mummy.

Great work

Sure. Propecia is the brand name, Finasteride is the generic name. Soon after patients started taking Proscar (5mg), they returned to their doctors with more hair. Merck then did a study and soon there after Propecia came out as a 1 mg tab. When Merck lost the patent, they suggested taking the 5mg tab and splitting it. That's Finasteride. The side effects reported at the time were less then 1%, (less interest in having sex). This has been greatly debated through the years and every year, it seems, more light is shed on the subject. I am certain there are plenty of members in the forum who will be happy to share their experiences with you. For myself, I have been on the med for 30+ years and expect to continue. The med can help with retention and enhancement of the native hair. Most believe you have to give the med a year to see the total effect. Rogaine/Minoxidil - oily, greasy. Also available in a foam - a lot easier to use. The med is systemic. That is, if you put it in any one place, it will affect the entire scalp. Tends to help with retention. Typically effective for about 7 years and then it loses some of its efficacy. If you do decide to get on the medical regimen, consider staying on it for a long time. Getting on and off is just a waste of time and money. So say the med is very effective and you end up enhancing some of the native hair. If you get off of it, you will lose whatever you would have lost during the time you took the med. PRP - Platelet Rich Plasma. Blood is drawn and put in a centrifuge. This separates the blood. Typically it will be used with a binder and reinjected. If done properly, it can help reverse the thinning and help with retention. Most clinics have no clue how to do it - so do some research. Laser is yet another modality to can use. External and now available in cap form which can be hidden with a baseball cap. It uses diodes and the intermittent light helps promote blood to the area which can lead to more nutrients. Quite effective when used with PRP.

You are fairly young with a very advanced pattern. It is important to realize, if you've shown the propensity to lose, you will continue losing hair. Currently you are well demarcated in the back but there is plenty of native hair you can save. Getting on the medical regimen is of outmost importance, (and stay on it). It does not do you any good to be on it and get off of it. Say you are on it for a year. Not only do you retain but also get some enhancement. Then you get off. You'll end up loosing what you would have lot in that time period. So, let's pretend you would have lost it all, that's exactly what will happen. The opposite is also true. I wish we did have a crystal ball at times. The good thing here is you have lighter color hair and light scalp. So, if you do end up doing any transplants, the lack of contrast will end up helping you. I do think, however, you have unrealistic expectations. There is simply not enough donor to give you a full - dense - set of hair. But, if you do some homework/research, you could end up with a very natural "realistic" and pattern appropriate result. Go to the mall...and look at people. Better yet, look at yourself. Look particularly at class 6 patterns and the way they lose. They tend to keep a bit on the forelock/front, lighter density through the mid scalp and and empty crown. So, concentrating grafts in the frontal area and blending some to the area right behind it should be the main focus. This not only will help frame your face but will will give you a pattern appropriate design. Keep in mind the front is what people see when you interact with them. You did mention Rogaine provided some success. I would consider getting on all modalities for 1 year. Take photos every 3 months. Rogaine, Propecia, PRP and laser. Then, based on the results, you can then decide what to do. If, however, you are adamant about having a full set of hair, I would leave things be and take a vacation. You could consider SMP.

Once the sutures are removed if FUT. Check with the clinic. For FUE I would give time for everything to heal. Typically 2 weeks but, again - check with the clinic.

Each clinic/doctor has its own protocol and you should follow it. Keep in mind some doctors are more conservative/cautious than others. With FUT, for example, most recommend 7-14 days and avoid weights for 6-12 mo, particularly those affecting the neck area to avoid the scar from widening. FUE is different. With FUE there is no linear scar and the post op process is a lot different and quicker. Some doctors feel most people are OK within 3 days and can resume normal activity. Others 7-14 days which may be overkill. Once the graft is in place, it can not move. If there are gaps within grafts and the result ends up thin, it is because the doctor placed the grafts that way. No such thing about grafts moving away from each other. If the doctor said, 2 weeks, I would encourage you to follow his instructions. If something does go wrong in any way, he can not blame you as you did everything he asked of you.

No issues. You are dealing with the whirl and contrast. Get a piece of paper and draw a dot. Now draw a cross so that it intersects the point. Well, that's exactly what happens in the whirl area. The hair grows away from the point. So. if you were to put the pencil right on the dot and start drawing lines away from the point, how many lines would it take to fill the paper? TONS. Hair in the front and mid section grow forward at an angle and thus there is shingling - which helps to provide coverage. Because of this concept, everyone shares a whirl, the weakest point on the scalp. You have dark hair and light scalp. This contrast makes it seem worse than what it really is. If it bothers you look into SMP or just use a camouflaging agent like Toppik.

Listen to Gatsby.....Each area of the head has very specialized hair. The hair that comes from the donor area is perhaps the coarsest you have. It will stick out like a sore thumb and then regret. Try a medical regimen that might help you not only with retention but perhaps even enhancement of the native hair.

Try Costco online. About $24 for a 3 month supply and a bit less if you're a member. These are 1mg tabs

My first question, what did you experience with Saw Palmetto? If your results were "terrific," I would stick to it. If not, make the switch and give the med 1 year to see what you experience. It typically takes this long to confirm if there will be enhancement of the native hair. And, if you get off of it, you'll lose what you would have lost had you not been on the medication.

All modalities have been around for years. All you suggest has already been done - and it's well documented. If the med had just been introduced, I would give some merit to your comments. Bet in the next decade will find more pro and against info regarding the use of meds.