GHTJourneya

After my hair transplant I received a paper indicating that I should start getting oral minoxidil (pill) on the 3rd day, and finasteride on the 10th day, while I should start washing my head on day 8, slowly increasing the friction and by day 10 I should start to apply more pressure to remove the scabs. However, my intervention was 2 days long, and by mistake I received that paper indicating that I should start everything one day earlier than I should have, hence I started oral minoxidil on the second day (starting from the next day after the entire operation was completed). What is your experience with restarting minoxidil or finasteride? Would it matter that I ended up starting oral minoxidil & finasteride a day earlier than what I was supposed to? I guess it's oral so I hope it won't really affect anything, same with finasteride... but your experience would help! Thanks

I increased the frequency of microneedling from 1x/week to 3x/week and I noticed a significant improvement in terms of growing new baby hairs. It is uncertain if these baby hairs will grow to their full potential, but nevertheless I have seen some good improvement. I can say that minoxidil 10% with azelaic acid & microneedling can be very efficacious together, way more powerful than just using a 5% minoxidil foam twice a day. Laser caps prevent telogen effluvium, which might make a difference in some individuals, whereas in others there might be no difference at all. Hard to tell you if my laser cap helped me, since I have been using so many other things.

I agree, it might be extremely difficult to go from a NW4 to a NW0, even if you have 3-4 hair transplant sessions and even if you follow everything mentioned. I mentioned 5-6 years and micropigmentation, because I know how much time it takes and how difficult it is, but I mainly wanted to give that title to this post because I want people with NW4 to be optimistic and help themselves as much as possible. But totally, I would say that one can go down 3 NW levels after some years, if you go down 4 levels you have to be a hyper-responder. Keep in mind there are people that are hyper responders and are not members in this forum

(if this section is not related to this, I would like to ask the moderators to move this thread to the appropriate category) For 18-60 year olds STEP 1 - Evaluation: The very first thing you should do is go to a dermatologist and ask for an evaluation including a blood test (dht & free testosterone) to figure out what is causing your hair loss and if you have high levels of dht. Your doctor will most likely give you a prescription: finasteride 1mg daily (or dutasteride 0.5mg if you have diffuse thinning, or a combination of both) & minoxidil 10% with azelaic acid which is a more potent agent. STEP 2 - Preparation: While you are on finasteride/dutasteride & minoxidil, you will have to book with a top surgeon, like FueExpert, De Freitas, or Pinto, as there are long waiting queues and it might take up to 2-3 years to get an appointment. Be prepared to do more than one operation, if needed. This is perfect because by the time you will have the operation, your hair will be thicker and you will gain some ground back. STEP 3 - Optimise: There are plenty of anecdotal reports that RU58841, Breezula, or Castor Oil may improve your condition, but don't go crazy over these options. What you need to do is buy a dermaroller (ideally 1.0mm long , use it 3x/week but not too hard, you need to have plenty of time to heal between each session, also wait for 30 minutes before you apply any topicals). In addition to that, make sure you do not have any vitamin deficiency, (if you have an issue get a supplement with iron, zinc, vitamin B6 & D3, extracts are not necessary). You also need to use a good 20mg/g Ketoconazol shampoo 3x/week, the rest of the days just use a normal one, don't go crazy here either. STEP 4 - Optimise more: You may want to add an early PRP session, alongside with a good LLLT cap, one with. >270 diodes, 3x/week for 30 minutes or so. Make sure you are consistent with these. When the day of the operation comes, be loud and clear regarding your dream hairline. You might want to use beard hair for the crown part, or do micropigmentation around your donor area, if it is too depleted. I would expect to move down one level from the medication (i.e. if you are NW3 -> NW2, within 2.5 years) and another 1.5 level with each transplant session that you take. It is likely that you will land with a NW1 or NW0 after 5-6 years, maybe sooner if you are a little above average, maybe way sooner if you are a hyper responder. Good luck, never give up.

Yesterday I was 7 days post-op, and without realising I kept on sipping water, accumulating 10-11 Liters of water in my system. I think I felt a bit dizzy or lightheaded during the night, although I was not entirely sure if it was placebo, or if it was the oral minoxidil pill that I am taking. I do feel constantly dehydrated though, that's why I am drinking. I know that it is not alcohol or coffee, but can this affect the outcome of a hair transplant? I read somewhere that if sodium levels go down, the brain cells swell and push against the skull, which got me a bit nervous. Blood pressure, oxygen levels and heart bit rate all good, though.

I did not have pay a deposit for my second intervention. But I was insisting, saying "I want another one, please give me another one, what do I have to do, who do I need to contact now? Tell me I need to know now!" like a child, so I am sure they were pretty convinced I am going to pay, but nevertheless they didn't ask for anything. I was hoping I would be able to have a perfectly straight line, hence I booked the second one. I think the current one still looks a bit like a flying eagle, but I am under the impression that when it grows it actually goes a bit lower, due to the different angles the hair grows at, plus a tiny bit of thickness, or curve if you wish. I have a PRP/evaluation session in three months from now (included in the price), so it is very likely that I will know more about my second operation at that time.

I was told I needed 2500, but then actually used 2812, and I was not charged for the extra grafts. However, I was so happy with the operation that I immediately booked another one without knowing if I need it or not, just to make my hairline straight, or increase density. I am not sure if that played a role. I liked Dr Freitas results on youtube, constant uploads, all great. I think they look extremely dense and beautiful. I liked FueExpert in Madrid and Dr. de Freitas in Valencia, and they both have long waiting times (around 1.5 years), and strict protocols. Pinto is also great but has fewer posts, Fereira and HLC do not have as many videos on youtube.

27.5 years old, I added more info to the original post. I will share more pictures as well

I edited the original post and added some info regarding the grafts. I do have more photos and I will batch post them later I booked the procedure 2 years ago, it looks like the price back then was personalised for me, and it was 3.5 EUR/graft for the first 1000 grafts, and then 3 EUR/graft for the remaining grafts, paid in 2-3 instalments, prior to the procedure. I think it is a steal for the quality that I got, and I would recommend getting in touch with them in order to get an evaluation. I was on Finasteride even before contacting the clinic, about 2 years prior to the procedure, and the doctor did not change my medication, nor had any further requirements. After the operation I got something very similar to that, using primarily finasteride, alternating a couple of days with dutasteride, due to my diffuse thinning. Keep in mind I was requested to have a blood test 2-3 weeks before my operation, and both my dht & testosterone levels were very high, even when I was on finasteride. I am happy with the medication I was prescribed based on my blood test results and my current condition.

I would like to share my experience with my HT process with Dr. de Freitas. Age: 27.5 Grafts: 2812 Singles: 370 | Doubles: 1582 | Triples: 824 | Quadruples: 36 Hairs per graft: ~2.19 I booked my operation with Dr. de Freitas on the basis that he is a world-class creme de la creme surgeon, and produces very good results, as seen on Youtube. The clinic looks fantastic (and futuristic), the pre-operative and post-op protocols are very strict and detailed which I liked a lot. Dr. de Freitas himself and his world-class team took extremely good care of me. I am extremely happy with how the process went. So happy, in fact, that I immediately booked another operation, which was not necessary at all. I was under the impression that I was a NW2-3, but during the hairline design process I was put under some bright lights and I was told that I have some diffuse thinning and that I have a big head which I had not realised until that very moment. For this reason, we could not make the hairline perfectly straight in one session (which is what I everyone hopes for), so we ended up with a more natural, but still straight-ish design and we decided to make it even more straight in a second intervention (although that might be unnecessary for many). I loved the design process and the protocols involved, dr. Rafael has a pretty relaxed vibe and has a good sense of humour, too. As much as I wanted to be a bit lower, I trust Dr. de Freitas and his wonderful team and I am convinced this was the best decision we could take. Tip: During the first night I somehow managed to remove my travel pillow while sleeping, but I put it back soon after I realised, and I did not dislodge any grafts. For the second night, I tied a knot using the corners of a wrapper-diaper pad so that I could not accidentally remove it while sleeping. It worked wonders. Please use a travel pillow with clips or tie a knot like I did. Here are some pre-op and post-op photos, I will post updates as it progresses.