Donditot

On 8/11/2023 at 7:36 PM, BaldingEye said:

Who said Dr Couto only takes patients on Finasteride? I think you are confusing Dr Couto with somebody else out there. Dr Couto takes any patient. In fact, he took my case even though he knew I would NOT take Finasteride. He has many other cases without Finasteride.

And my result has been wonderful, at least I am over the moon with my new look.

 

Well, he said that to my brother and many other patients.

I have been using Scandinavian Biolabs for nearly a month now, and I'm not sure if I'm imagining it or not, but I'm experiencing significantly less hair loss compared to before. However, it's worth mentioning that I'm also taking Saw Palmetto capsules, Pumpkin Seed capsules, and Priorin vitamins. Therefore, I'm unsure whether the improvements are due to these supplements or any of the products I mentioned, as I started using all of them simultaneously. I apply their Biolabs serum before bedtime, ensuring it stays on for at least 6 hours, hence the routine.

36 minutes ago, BackFromTheBrink said:

I can understand why you wouldn't want to try it again if it caused you mental health issues.

Without finesteride (or dutasteride) your hair loss will probably continue. 

The question you have got to consider is what will you do if you have a transplant, exhaust your donor and then your loss continues where you've not had grafts - in the midscalp and crown? Are you willing to risk an unnatural hair loss pattern?

You raise a valid point about the potential consequences of hair loss treatments and transplants. My priority is to avoid any adverse effects and achieve the most natural-looking results, if possible, but I do understand that this is not the case, without meds. I was thinking worst case scenario, I could cut my hair short to about 3-4 cm, as long as I have a nice hairline, and the rest could be my native hair, yes with some thinning but smp along with it. Maybe it´s just wishful thinking.  Or maybe I will just say f...it and let me go bald, cause I am getting so tired of this whole hair loss situation. The problem started when I was on and off topical minoxidil..sadly

1 hour ago, Gatsby said:

Take the clinic’s advise and continue with Finasteride at the dose you can take and oral minoxidil but give your donor 12 months to see how it responds.  Postpone the surgery. Your hair may even grown back a little if you are lucky. You don’t want to be looking back in two years and regret not doing this now. A hair mill would just tell you what you want to hear and take your money. This is coming from someone who has been through this. Learn from my mistakes scar free. Plus it will cost you nothing. All the best.  

Thank you for sharing your advice and personal experience regarding my situation.

Your suggestions along with other friends on this platform have given me valuable insights into my options. I also understand the importance of avoiding hasty decisions and being cautious about hair mills. It's reassuring to hear from someone who has gone through a similar experience and learned from it. I am stuck between going another round with finasteride or topical ( just damn hard to get the topical to Norway, way too strict) Wish I had the balls (pun intended) to just go for another round of the meds. I have them in front of me, yet so far away🫡

Thanks again for your encouragement🙂.

15 minutes ago, BaldBobby said:

you never had an HT before?

No never..

1 hour ago, A_4_Archan said:

I would even if you wanna go for it just get on to medication and see how you respond to it and if your body can tolerate it or not...in your case medication will play an important role..it can also make your donor healthy ..so do this first and than after few months reassess your situation ....and than take your decision ...

Unfortunately, I am still afraid of going down the finasteride route. I am not sure if it was the meds the last time that gave me depression or the fact that I start losing my hair. Just the depression was so severe and scary. 

5 minutes ago, A_4_Archan said:

I can understand your concern but i would ask you to take a 2nd opinion of one more surgeon...i don't want you to fall from a frying pan into the fire...i am not frightening you my friend but looking at this pic it really seems like you are nt a candidate ...

I appreciate the honesty, thought the thing is, HLC actually told me the first time over Whatsapp by looking at photos that my donors were not good and that they didn't want to do the surgery.  Then I went to a Norwegian clinic, and they examined my donors and said they look ok, not great but ok. I reached out to HLC again and told them this, and they said to come to the clinic and we shall see. I did, and once I arrived and they did check he did say, they are not the best, but we can do this. However, he also said I should consider meds as I will have progressive hair loss. I know for a fact that my donors aren't the best, I can see it and it´s clear. My concern is what will it look like if I do this, now it´s even harder to accept this than before. I can live with having a nice hairline, and some donors on my head along with SMP, but as it seems from you guys, maybe thats not even gonna happen with my donors. Are there any examples like mine on this site so I can see how bad it´s gone or can go?

15 hours ago, Stoner said:

You have a lot of hair that is miniaturised. Those can be saved if you hop on a DHT blocker (finasteride or dutasteride) and strengthened by minoxidil too. My advice would be to get on finasteride (and minox) and re-evaluate your situation in some months' time. If you do that then you can then probably get a HT with good results (ideally it would be best to wait around 12 months for finasteride to work its miracles). If you go for a HT without being on medication I am afraid the result will not be satisfying; it is no wonder most of the reputable HT doctors require their patients to be on fin/dut for some months before they can even be considered eligible for HT. I am surprised HLC did not ask you that.

Patience is key in this game: if you can get on medication, wait a bit and then have your HT you could see great results at the end of this process. If you rush to have a HT without medication I am afraid you are going to regret both the money spent, and, most crucially, the result you will get. Remember, having a HT without yet being a good candidate for it can simply be a waste both of your money and of your remaining hair in your donor, which, if strengthened with meds, could be of far better use. Realising this and the patience needed is really the heart of it imo.

Thank you for your message, I agree with you and I know my hair is miniaturized, but let´s say I start with Fin or minoxidil, probably topical, and after 12 months, how is that gonna help my donors, and one day I stopped with the med? Will my donor's hair weaken again?  I am really just desperate at this point, and as I said, I know my donors aren't the best, but worst case scenario I could have 3-4 cm, with SMP. That´s at least what I am thinking, and I know this is a desperate act, but..I´m lost at this point. 😑

On 8/3/2023 at 9:04 AM, A_4_Archan said:

@DonditotFrom this picture of your donor (though pics can be deceiving ) it seems you are not a good candidate for HT ...sorry for my words but i don't know how HLC accepted you case and how they gonna perform on you...your donor looks very sparse and scattered 

I know my donors are not good, and this is also worrying for me as I don´t know what to do. I just don´t want to be bald.

11 hours ago, BaldV said:

post some donor pics please

My donors are weak as you can see, and they also said the same thing. Can get a maximum of 3800 grafts.

9 hours ago, A_4_Archan said:

@Donditothlc is a good clinic...plz post some do or pics...and did they advice you to be on medication ?

They did advise me to either go for Finasteride or minoxidil/oral or topical.

I know I probably should do that. Just not 100% sure yet. Really not wanting side effects. It´s a tough call.

However, really looking forward to getting this surgery done now. It´s been a very rough year, losing lots of hair, because of starting meds and stopping. The worst thing you probably could do to your hair.

Right now, I am at HLC Ankara Hotel in Ankara after having my consultation. I must admit I feel very comfortable proceeding with my surgery here in December, and it's already booked. The whole setup seems incredibly convenient, with the clinic, hotel, and restaurant all in the same building. From the moment I was picked up at the airport and led straight to lunch, they have taken excellent care of me.

During the consultation, it was decided that I will receive between 3200-3400 grafts over two days in December. I have also considered taking hair loss medication, and based on the doctor's recommendation, I am contemplating starting with finasteride. However, I experienced some side effects when I tried increasing the dosage to daily, so now I'm a bit unsure whether to continue on that route.

Regarding the outcome of the surgery, I desire a conservative hairline that gives me a natural and full look. I don't want the hairline to be lowered to appear younger; instead, I want to restore a fuller head of hair. I have also decided to postpone addressing the crown until another occasion due to having a relatively "weak" donor area.

I am looking forward to the surgery in December and I'm excited to see the results. The feeling of being in good hands here at HLC Ankara gives me confidence. Any tips or advice from others on what I should consider before the day?

Right now, I am at HLC Ankara Hotel in Ankara after having my consultation. I feel comfortable proceeding with my surgery here in December. The setup seems incredibly convenient, with the clinic, hotel, and restaurant all in the same building. From the moment I was picked up at the airport and led straight to lunch, they have taken excellent care of me.

During the consultation, it was decided that I will receive between 3200-3400 grafts over two days in December. I have also considered taking hair loss medication, and based on the doctor's recommendation, I am contemplating starting with finasteride. However, I experienced some side effects when I tried increasing the dosage to daily, so now I'm a bit unsure whether to continue on that route.

Regarding the outcome of the surgery, I desire a conservative hairline that gives me a natural but with density. I don't want the hairline to be lowered to appear younger; instead, I want to restore a fuller head of hair. I have also decided to postpone addressing the crown until another occasion due to having a relatively "weak" donor area.

I am looking forward to the surgery in December and I'm excited to see the results. The feeling of being in good hands here at HLC Ankara gives me confidence. Any tips or advice from others on what I should consider before the day?

7 hours ago, RobertoDeNiro said:

I hope everyone is having a great summer.

I update after 4 months.
I touch many little hairs and I feel the hair is gaining thickness.
And the donor right now I could say that it is spotless. The socklosse I suffered is history. My wife tells me that how is it possible that they have taken 4000 grafts from back there, she says that it doesn't show at all. That makes me happy, very happy.

Things are going slow but I have great feelings ☺️

 

 

 

A small comparison of my donor at 2 months versus at 4 months now.

 

Looks incredibly good so far! Are you on finasteride? I know Dr.Couto only takes patients who is on Finasteride, which is a shame because his work is so good.

On 7/25/2023 at 11:01 AM, A_4_Archan said:

Just short of 3 months...Has to attend a function day before yesterday and had a fade cut and clicked my picture just to see how it looks when clicking normal pictures(used powder wax for styling) so i thought to share it over here as am seeing some more growth and am really feeling excited...😊

That´s pretty good! Congrats man! happy for you! No sides from fin and how much are you taking if I may ask and for how long?

A little update

So, after months and months of depressed state of mind, losing my hair, and sleepless nights, I have decided to try finasteride again, to give it another shot.
I also have a consultation with HLC Ankara in 2-week to see if I can have surgery in November.

I do have Oral minoxidil at home along with Finasteride, but I will only use Finasteride for now along with serum from Scandinavian Bio-labs, and with hair supplement.

Super nervous for the consultation and for giving the medication another shot.

6 hours ago, BeHappy said:

Are you on any medications that could be causing hair loss? I'm asking this because medications that have side effects of hair loss may make you lose hair all over your head which would make the donor area be thinning.

 

 

No, I am not on any medication. Stopped with Finasteride for almost a month now. Was on it for around 8 months before side effects kicked in. Now, I`m just taking vitamin B, rosemarin oil, dermaroller once a week and scalp massage.

7 hours ago, PizzaWolf said:

@Donditot I wouldn't give up until trying oral Minox combined with a topical anti-androgen. You have a lot of thinning hair covering your entire scalp. That hair could make an amazing recovery, possibly to the extent that you might not feel you need a hair transplant anymore. If after treating your hair with medication you are still interested in a hair transplant, you will be in a much better (and safer) position.

Good luck.

6 hours ago, Johnny129 said:

Go down the topical fin/ dutasteride route. I've already had a ht about 5 yrs ago and my hair has thinned considerably since. Went to see several docs in person about another procedure but my donor makes me intelligible for a ht and due to scarring in donor I cant shave my head so I thought all was lost. Been on topical dut for around 4 months and the growth has been better than expected

4 hours ago, gillenator said:

If I was in your shoes I would set-up several in-person consultations with several very experienced HT doctors who can provide you a comprehensive microscopic examination of your entire scalp…that’s the best place to start rather than draw so many conclusions based on photos.

Guys, I really appreciate this from you, it does really help to get some other ideas and thoughts from people with some experience or information and it does motivate to not give up. Thank you once again.

7 hours ago, Donditot said:

I would definetly consider this if it could help, but my whole head hair is thinning, That would be lot´s of spraying on the scalp wouldn´t it?

Guys, I really appreciate this from you, it does really help to get some other ideas and thoughts from people with some experience or information and it does motivate to not give up. Thank you once again.

16 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Have you considered switching to topical finasteride? 

I would definetly consider this if it could help, but my whole head hair is thinning, That would be lot´s of spraying on the scalp wouldn´t it?

19 hours ago, PizzaWolf said:

I'm not a medical expert, so don't take this as gospel.

But your photos appear to show what might be a condition known as DUPA, a generalized thinning across the entire scalp, including your donor area.

Dr. Lorenzo in Spain is known to have successfully performed hair transplants on men with this condition, but I believe he was reliant on them taking oral Dutasteride for a lengthy period of time before agreeing to surgery.

Since you've had side effects from topical Minoxidil and oral Finasteride, have you considered flipping that around, i.e., taking oral Minoxidil and topical Finasteride? You may want to consider something stronger like topical Dutasteride to help mitigate the aggressiveness of DUPA.

There's also unapproved treatments like RU-58841 that may be worth looking into.

I believe the general consensus is that DUPA needs to be aggressively treated before attempting any surgical restoration, and even then it carries significant risk that many feel is too great in the longrun.

Thank you for response. I will be checking my head scalp over the next few days. I am also afraid I might have DUPA because it´s weird that my donor area is also so thin.

Regarding medication, I could be willing to try topical finasteride, but nothing oral as I really didn´t fancy the side effects I got from Fin. My hormones went all crazy and I´ve never experienced anything like this.

If I do have DUPA, then I will just leave and go bald, because it would just be way to much over the long run as you write. My life will definetly never turn back to what is once was for sure.

Thank again

Hi guys.

I am 41 years old, and for the last year I have had probably the worst periode of my life. I started losing hair little by little for about 6 years ago, and started with minoxodil for almost 4 years and then stopped because it made my hair dry and scalp irritated. Then I started with Finasteride for a year ago and was on 1.25mg mon-friday for almost a year before the side effects kicked in ( depression, low mood). Now I have been without Finasteride for over a month. I have lost more hair than ever and I am really depressed.

I was in contact with Dr.Saifi in Polen and HLC in Ankara/Turkey.

HLC told me to send them info and photos which I did, and after they got that; I was told, quote:" Your hair have a lot of miniaturized hair on top and donor area and hair transplant would not bring any improvement. The only chance you have is good scalp micro pigmentation which can help you a lot. We do recommend that you do your research about SMP."

The would go on and recommend me a SMP they work along with in Switzerland. ( I haven´t contact them for SMP)

I have also sent my photos to Dr.Saifi to hear his opionion but I understand that my donor area is bad and since I won´t be taking any medication, I am afraid my battle is lost.

I will probably try to take PRP, and my vitamins and hope that the steam cells technology will be a solution in the near future.

Anyone else with this problem of mine and what did you guys do?

I am really depressed and don´t know what to do anymore. My life quality has just gone from 80% to 10% in a hearth beat.