Hello all,
So I am a 44 y.o male who just had a HT a couple days ago and had some questions. I think I have been slowly balding since I was probably 20. Around 2015 (36y) I decided to do something about it and got an (expensive) consultation interview with a very famous new york city specialist and ask him what my options were in regards to operations and medications etc. It was then that I first learnt that I was what they call a 'diffuse thinner'. The doctor did not want to operate saying I was not a good candidate and asked me to go on Finasteride. Within a month of taking that medication I was getting serious depression and things downstairs started getting a little iffy, if you know what I mean. The whole experience soured me a bit on the hair restoration industry - what with this very leading specialist saying I was a no hope case for transplants and his prescribed medications turning my world ... soft. In any case my balding had always been fairly slow so I pretty much did nothing about it anymore frustrated with that episode(took no medications anymore) till recently.
Over the past year I got the itch again to fight this battle so I decided to visit a few other doctors to see what their opinions on my case would be. I consulted with three other well known guys (well recognized on this forum as well). All three of them roughly said the same thing - yes I was a diffuse thinner, BUT, given my poor experience with Fin previously, yes they could do a transplant on me. My donor zone was pretty limited in all their individual views - it would only have to be a FUE as I had no more than a supply of approximately 4000 grafts lifetime. All three of them basically suggested the same conservative number - 1200 for the first procedure to reconstruct some of the hairline carefully and to add some density where possible in the frontal areas. All three of these guys have a pretty decent reputation so based on convenience and timing and general gut feel, I chose one of them and 5 days ago I had my first hair transplant with 1200 grafts and got a PRP injection to boot as well!
So with all that back story, here is my question to all the knowledgeable folk on this awesome forum. At some point over the coming weeks I suppose I will go into shock loss. Here is my worry now - It is my understanding that shock loss can hit us diffused cases a bit harder. While I feel that my general balding had slowed down a lot since turning 40 I am kind of worried that this shock loss phase could kick start a renewed phase of permanent loss especially since I have never been on medication.
So should I go in on Oral Minoxidil now? Since I only have about 2500 or less bullets left for future procedures I cannot risk a seriously depletive permanent shock loss. But then Minoxidil is supposed to cause some loss too initially right? For a new user going through shock loss, would the compounded loss from the new medication throw off my remaining at risk hair. Should I wait to get on the Oral Minox till the shock period is over? I am kind of only considering the oral because of the know itchy scalp issues of the topical and since Ihave an extremely sensitive scalp I am pretty sure the topical would trigger me. What would be the ideal time for me to get on this?
Thank you for reading my essay.