futureresearch

Nice, this is gonna be awesome! Appreciate your thorough updates!

It's way too early to be worried about hair growing. Give it a couple of months man. So many people have this experience where they overreact in the first couple of months, if you've followed this forum you'd see it's common knowledge a hair transplant is a 12 month journey and the first couple of months are sometimes even worse than baseline.

I also recommend learning to cut your own hair. I started cutting it myself and it made a huge difference. I used to hate going to a barber while my hair was thinning, plus cutting your own hairs means you can learn how to make adjustments to minimize thinning. I used to use a higher guard on my frontal third since it was thinner so it would look as thick as everything behind it. Haven't been to a barber since pre-covid, it's a game changer.

You'll definitely make mistakes along the way but it'll teach you a lot in the long run. If you have significant other they can really help out too.

20 hours ago, Odysseus said:

Thanks for mentioning this. I started oral finasteride at the end of June. I wasn't noticing any sexual side effects at all, but I was also taking 5mg Cialis (Tadalafil) daily for its general health benefits. I ran out of Tadalafil recently and I'm currently waiting for my resupply shipment. Last night I was with a woman that should have had me as hard as a rock, but my dick was worthless. Fortunately, things still went very well (I played it off as "No, tonight is all about you"😅). My mind has been racing all day trying to figure out if my issue was because I'm out of Tadalafil or because of a Finasteride side effect that took 90 days to kick in. I feel a lot better having read your comment. Those pills had better get here soon!

By the way, I don't think my dick issue was a "nocebo" case. For those readers who don't know, "A nocebo effect is said to occur when negative expectations of the patient regarding a treatment cause the treatment to have a more negative effect than it otherwise would have." Believe me, I didn't expect Mr. Friendly to let me down the way he did. 🤦‍♂️😄

Trust me, it's likely the fin. I was on fin for over 3 years and was always finding excuses for why my erections weren't as strong (alcohol, not into the girl enough, stress...). Got off of it for 9 months to see what would happen and felt like I was 15 again lol. Didn't even realize I wasn't getting morning erections while on it till I got off.

16 minutes ago, 4chanhue said:

Ended up getting sides(ED related) with the first application. Lasted about a week, getting back to normal after 7 days or so. I think my body just can't tolerate DHT inhibitors at all. Planning to give up Xyon for now.

Are you planning to do anything to maintain hair? I have the same issue with DHT inhibitors as well but feel like I don’t really have any alternative solutions so trying to see how others deal with it.

13 hours ago, wadsef said:

I went to Mwamba 2 months ago. I'm too lazy to do periodic updates, but I've been taking pictures. I'll make a big post including the pics once progress starts with my post-shedding regrowth. Once there are actual results to review, I'll be an honest take on his results with afro hair.

I would recommend chatting with him if it's free. He's very knowledgeable, personable, and will listen and respond to you sincerely (if you're able to get him on a call). My talks with him were unlike many of the other surgeons that I had consultations with, and those talks were the reason why I chose to go to his clinic.

To be explicit: I consulted with Dr. Mwamba based on the recommendations of this forum and others, but I chose him for the procedure off of the strength of the consultation call as compared to other doctors that I spoke with. As an aside, my consultations with Dr. Bisanga and Dr. Diep, stood out as exceptionally bad.

 

After working with Mwamba, my perspective is that he handles afro-textured hair pretty frequently, and he's extremely experienced in how to handle it -- especially the extractions. I know first-hand that he works with afro hair because there were a several other black patients coming in and out (for follow-ups etc.) while I was there. The doctor and I also talked for hours about the precise details of the operation, and he explained basically everything he was doing (to me and to one of his newer techs) while he did it. He was also in the operating room for the entire +30 hours of my three day procedure, which shows dedication.

However, Dr. Mwamba's clinics are pretty mismanaged with regard to their business communication and aftercare follow-up. It seems like anything administrative that doesn't involve Mwamba personally is completely hit or miss. I'd rather not go into detail unless prompted because I did have a good experience at his clinic. Maybe the poor communication is because I have to interact with the clinic and staff in English and they are bilingual native french speakers, but it's still hard to excuse. Also, I haven't heard from his office since the procedure besides a couple questions I asked his staff a few days later. They've also ignored a couple of my messages. The spotty communication and admin is a massive negative, but so far that's the only thing I could possibly complain about. Everything else was top quality and gives me optimism about my results.

P.S. Mwamba kept insisting that I buy these really expensive French hair shampoos from him. I caved and bought them, and --shockingly-- they cured my lifelong dandruff problem overnight. Dandruff prevention is absolutely NOT the reason Mwamba told me to buy those products, but it's a pleasant side-effect, I guess 🤷🏿‍♂️
 

Glad to hear the transplant went smoothly. Really looking forward to seeing how it turns out, hope you update us! I consulted with him a year back so I agree he’s pretty knowledgeable, but you’re right it’s really hard to communicate with them after.

Did you do it in ATL? I’m based there so would make things considerably easier if I didn’t have to travel lol

On 6/3/2023 at 8:53 AM, Ajamilo said:

from an objective point of view where emotions are not involved, this is not true. he has gained the expertise because of his skin color most likely - Just like Biasanga and Lupanzula. to claim otherwise is either proof of ignorance or not being truthful. 

I don't really want to discuss this here, but sometimes when I see double standards, I just have to point it out.

1) first and foremost. The fact that you use the congo card is just ridiculous and just shows simple ignorance. The fact that a person chooses to perform operations in Congo or open a clinic does not give you any title to Afro hair. why not give the same title to all thousands of doctors and clinics in Europe who works daily with European caucasian hair and promote them to be expert in Caucasian hair? because it is not logical. This is downgrading of African peoples. as if we should not have the same criteria as other continents. 

and for your information, this is not a new phenomenon. There are several Turkish doctors who travel to African countries such as Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Somalia, etc. and stays there over longer periods to perform surgeries on people. In other words. This is nothing special and this is one of the worst argument I have ever heard. 
 

2)

I don't really want to discuss Mwamba because it's obvious for an objective person that he doesn't master it.

when it comes to Bissanga. I have a great admiration for him and simply believe that he is easily the top 5 doctors in the world. but he has not gained that status on the basis of afro hair. but rather because he continuously gives good results on people with Caucasian hair and that it is proven through various forums with real patients who explain their experiences and provide monthly pictures, etc.

but using your feelings and coming up with arguments like, he has a very large portfolio on Afro hair on his website doesn't make the argument any better than a person arguing that HOI are experts in African hair and has a large portfolio on Afro hair. 

I think one need to see continuous results from real patients with the same hair type on different forums and see pictures and monthly updates as his Caucasian patients with good results before we can give him this tittle. 
 

@MsAyeBeeCat:

I have been in the same 
situation like yours and know how it feels to get a botched surgery. Just remember that this is not your fault. saaaadly we do not have the same opportunity as those with other hair types. Just be careful with who you choose to do the next surgery with. 

If I were you I would have performed a biopsy even if it result in a small scar. you can cover it easily compare to us men who fight DHT daily with medications.

I'm glad someone said this cause I completely agree. I also have afro hair and when looking people constantly tout Mwamba, Bisanga, Umar and Lupanzula so I'll check their site and see very few if any black patients posted. The only thing I noticed is they are all black themselves. I think they are brilliant doctors but to tout them as experts for afro hair seems like a disservice to black patients everywhere if we can't even hold them to the same standard of hair mills who actually do post results of black patients.

This is the exact reason why so many black patients are running a gamble to go to places like Asli Tarcan, because they actually see results anecdotally and from the clinics. I've asked constantly why those doctors are touted as Afro experts and have yet to see a lick of proof. I can find more results from other doctors like Diep on this site who are still very expensive so I don't think cost is the only factor here. I will happily take back my opinion if anyone can provide any proof because I am more than willing to pay for quality but seems like results for black people is severely lacking on this site.

Any updates? Also thinking about going to Arocha soon, was there a waitlist? Also how's the donor?

I have afro hair as well and am considering a transplant and I was just passing by and wanted to say even though you're worried about cobblestoning and growth you may not be satisfied with, you have amazing hair and curls. I hope you're not letting the unsatisfactory results impact your perception of that

Hi everyone,

I am looking for a doctor to do Afro hair. I’ve heard people say Mwamba and Bisanga, and previously Diep. I know both Mwamba and Bisanga are great surgeons, but I seem unable to find any evidence to back up why people point to them when they refer to Afro hair as well. Is it because they have Afro hair themselves? There aren’t many published results for them with Afro hair and I’ve seen a couple of threads where the results weren’t great for Mwamba.

I’ve seen some positive results for Dr. Arocha. I’m only worried because it seems many of the posts seem curated and there aren’t too many patient reviews.

I’m just hoping someone can guide me so I can make an educated decision based on data.

Thanks!

Looking strong! One benefit of losing my hair early is I was way more motivated to take care of myself in other domains. I spent much more time lifting than I should have in college haha. Luckily I still ended up getting a degree and a good job 😁

45 minutes ago, Tej123 said:

people who get sexual side effects from fin usually have excess body fat and don't take care of their health such as doing exercise and eating healthily  which is needed to have a good hormonal balance 

Absolutely ridiculous. I’ve been working out since I was 18 and am pretty lean and muscular. Let’s not assume we’re medical researchers here.

5 hours ago, helpthisguypls said:

Very much in the same boat here. I'm gonna wait for the Pyrilutamide results. If they look promising I'll keep at it with the hope of stabilisation and no sides. If they flop (as I have come to expect), it's time for the chop

Yup hopefully there’s a breakthrough someday, the hair will be missed haha

5 hours ago, Gatsby said:

If I knew now what I knew then I would never have had a hair transplant at all. I would have shaved my head. End of story. My recent hair transplant was more about hiding the scars and damage from the first surgeries when I was a kid as it was about hair. If I didn’t have the scars from this now I would have stuck with my shaved head and SMP. No drugs, shampoo, hair cuts, thousands and thousands of dollars spent, etc. Surgery is always a last resort. I strongly suggest you consider going down this path rather than having surgery. All the best! 

That’s good to know! Thanks for the advice, i think it’s what I’ll end up doing if these sides don’t subside. I’ll take a closer look at SMP and see what I  can do.

Thanks!

On 4/20/2022 at 5:39 AM, Gatsby said:

Well it happened again! 🙄 A few weeks ago I felt like my libido had been extremely low for a couple of weeks. I put it down to stress as I have been working crazy hours over the last few months. After another week of waiting nothing had changed and my libido and interest in sex had flat lined. So two weeks ago I ceased taking finasteride 1mg Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My objective with finasteride was to keep my donor hair strong and to prevent future senile alopecia. At this stage I have my holiday booked for Thailand only nine days away so I've decided to just let it rest until I get back. The last two days I have to admit my libido has begun to start getting more than just curious! 😍😉 It's also in line with how long it took my libido to return after the first time I stopped the drug - about 10-12. I may look at topical finasteride when I return.

Hey Gatsby, just had a question. I’m 25 and also experience side effects from fin, both topical and oral. Was wondering, would you still have gotten a transplant at 25 without medication given everything you know now or would you just have made peace with it. I only ask because I have a lot of hair now but will likely end up a norwood 6-7 in the coming years and have started shaving my head in preparation the last year but am having great difficulty getting used to it and my dating life has certainly suffered a bit. Just wondering if I should just accept my new world order haha or would you keep up the fight using transplants and minox at 25?

I’ve thought of fue and smp but people seem to often discourage doing both so I suppose there’s a reason for that. On the plus side I have a super thick beard haha.

Thanks!

On 2/25/2022 at 5:31 PM, bobbleboy said:

Thanks for the feedback @futureresearch. So to clarify, these ball ache symptoms didn't begin until I started going down, and ultimately off fin altogether. Prior to that the sides were just a general low libido and lessened sensation in the groin area. 
Did you ever have the ache or any of the symptoms START when you went off fin?

I don’t think I’ve had it while going off. 

54 minutes ago, bobbleboy said:

@futureresearchSo I've been on it for about 3 years. It was recently, within the last 2 or 3 months, that I started going down in the dosage (because of sexual sides) and am now off it altogether. Hoping the ache subsides. It's not unbearable, I'm just VERY aware of my perineum haha. 
But also congruent to this feeling has been frequent urination. So I'm a little concerned that my prostate or something just enlarged as a reaction to going off Fin. 
 

Ahh I see, you’ve been on it for a while. It takes a couple of months for symptoms to subside once you get off I hear, which has been the case when I come off fin too. Definitely is a good idea to let a doc know just in case but it will most likely subside in time along with a reduction in other sexual sides.

For me the ball pain goes away even with continued use of finasteride. I think it is one of those things that occurs when your body first gets used to it. How long have you been on?

1 hour ago, GrowNewHair said:

It's in gel form.

Fairly easy to apply. One pump will give you this small amount of gel (about an inch long). It can cover the entire scalp if you apply very small amount for each area. 

I haven't microneedled for a while. So no, I didn't microneedle while using this topical fin.

 

Cool, thanks for the info!

Thanks for the update! I’ve been curious about this new formula but a bit skeptical as well. Wish they would just lower the dosage since if any does happen to go systemic, 2.5mg would be way worse than the normal topical dosages.

I had a question, what form is it in? Like a gel or liquid? And how easy is it to apply? Also do you dermaroll or anything? I used topical fin after dermarolling accidentally and that increased systemic absorption by a lot.

Yes I’ll get a good consultation before anything, the thin spots I believe are just what happens if my hair is short and curled, which happens in the back if I let it grow out after a haircut and don’t comb. The top is fine since I’m always messing with it to get it to look right. Either way, it’s good to know it is a possibility. I’ll see if I can figure out a tolerable medication plan in the meantime.

Thanks for the reply. I tried topical finasteride a couple of months ago and developed side effects again in a month. I’ll look into oral minoxidil and dutasteride but with the latter I am expecting that it will also lead to side effects despite the molecular size theory. Medication is probably my best bet so happy to take a look at any options.

Here are some pics of donor as well. My hair curls tightly if I haven’t combed in a while which you’ll see in one of the pics. Also I currently have alopecia areata and dermatitis, have gone to a derm to address that.

Again sorry about the quality of pics, my goal really is just to determine if I have any options or ways to hold ground until there is a new treatment given my experience with side effects related to current treatments.

Hi all,

I am 25 and have been losing hair since I was 18. I was on fin from age 20-23 but I had side effects all throughout and decided I should stay off. Currently I am using minox though I know it is not a permanent solution. 
 

I know it is generally not recommended for young people to get transplants without meds as they are likely aggressive candidates. Is there no alternative in that case? I’ll attach pics and show some ideas I have.

My hair type covers a lot of thin spots when grown out as you can see below. I also have a decent beard. I was wondering if fue, beard, and smp would work. I would do FUT but I worry that the scar would be too raised as my body is prone to doing that. As for shaving my head, I have done that and am not a fan of the look, my head is quite wide and long and I used to be bullied for it as a kid though I can accept it if I have no other options. Money wouldn’t be an issue and I would make sure to find a top surgeon, so far I am thinking Dr. Diep or Bisanga but would like to hear your guy’s input as well. Also I wouldn’t do this until about 2 or 3 years as I want to see how my hair loss stabilizes off fin and also hoping a new anti androgen would get approved though I know this is unlikely.

All the pics are with same hair loss, just hair grown out.