DaMoce9

Hi everybody, just figured I'd share an update/thoughts. I got a couple more quotes from respected clinics just out of curiosity - have used Fin the past month, zero side effects - and one clinic said they would only do a small procedure > 500-700 grafts, if at all and another quoted me at 2,200 grafts. It's crazy how wide the gap can be. Just goes to show, always get multiple opinions, then decide what you feel most comfortable with. I think that in a year from now, if I went the route of surgery, I'd definitely go with a more conservative procedure. Anyway, sticking to the meds routine for the next year before re-considering, just thought I'd share.

Hi everybody, I came across this today and it sounds very interesting. Just thought I'd share, maybe see if anyone else has heard of this, or has been tracking it. A small study (31 patients, male and female with androgenic alopecia) showed hair regrowth after a daily application of a topical solution containing hemp-derived cannabinoids for six months. No side effects reported. Male patients saw an average of 15.07 hairs/cm2 increase of hair regrowth - average increase of 246 per cent. Female patients > 16.06 hairs/cm2, average increase of 127 per cent. Would be great to see a larger study of this. Probably would also need a study to see if this can be used in addition to the traditional medications (min & fin). One would think if they could be safely combined, that would produce even better results? Anyway, I've included the links to the full study and an article summarizing it. Hopefully it's a big breakthrough in the field! https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37305187/ https://nationalpost.com/news/weed-hair-growth-and-a-small-study-that-researchers-claim-showed-superior-results

Hey everybody, just got my meds today so I'm officially on Day 1 of adding Finasteride to my routine. I'll post updates through 3 month intervals (if I remember :P) so I can get some feedback as it comes along. If all goes well, maybe it'll convince some other people in a similar situation to give the meds a try first before considering surgery. Thanks again everyone for the informed opinions. Love the sense of community on this forum!

I guess it's so true that we're always toughest on ourselves . Gotten some good perspective by so many folks in this thread.

@Turkhair I'm aiming more to improve/maintain density in the front. Looking at my pics in my mid 20s I always had some temple recession, which never really bothered me too much.

Thank you for the input. I'll give the meds a try for a good long time for sure before turning to surgery.

31. Yep, I just ordered my meds, so I'll be getting them shortly. Will try them out for 1-2 years, then re-evaluate things.

Update: Since I had already scheduled a consultation with Dr. Rahal's clinic in Ottawa, CA I went ahead and sat in on it, just for info. I was quoted 1,500 grafts (high density in the front). Didn't feel any pressure, I was encouraged to try the meds for a year and see how I feel after. 1,500 grafts would be charged at $6.50 per graft, so $9,750 CAD + tax. Anyway, all this to say, will try min+fin for a year first before considering anything. Appreciate the input, everyone

Thanks, @BRITA-XL I think that's what I'm gonna do. Might very well end up that I'm happy with the result after a year and won't even be thinking about surgery until years down the line.

@Rawkerboi Hair Transplant Medical Centre, which is in the Toronto area (not sure if it was a patient coordinator or a doctor, but Dr. Feld and Dr. Castillo handle the procedures there. Also got a quote of 2,500 grafts from a Dr. Gupta at SureHair (He did mention that he doesn't do any procedures below 2,500). Dr. Ashlin Alexander (also in the Toronto area) seems fairly new, haven't seen much of his work, but I so appreciated the fact that he didn't push for a lot and in fact encouraged me to try meds first for a year. He said IF he were to work on me today, max he would do would be 1,000, but more likely in the 600-800 range, given my age (31) and the fact I always had a higher hairline and he wouldn't want to overdo the temples in case I need the grafts down the road. Just for my information, do you know any good surgeons who would do a smaller procedure at a decent price? Travel isn't an issue.

Thanks @BRITA-XL for the input. Yeah, in fact one doctor whom I felt very comfortable with (Dr. Ashlin Alexander) pushed me to try the meds first and that IF I were to proceed, that he would go very conservative given my age (31) and he wouldn't round out the temples too much. He said maximum he would do in my case would be 1,000 but more likely in the 600-800 range. I found some pics from my mid 20s to give you the idea that my hairline was always higher and I always had slight recession in the temples, which never bothered me. And to your point, a year on Fin/Minox may very well give me a result I'm satisfied with. Anyway, thanks again, I really appreciate the community here, been very friendly so far.

Haha, I appreciate it bud; still bothers me a little, but this has been planned a while. I'm saving up for the day I feel I really need it, it's not a priority right now. Good to get some honest opinions from the community though. I think the doctor that quoted me on the conservative side is a way better option, because he''s echoing a lot of what I'm reading here.

@2fast2FUErious LOL that's exactly what I was asking myself. Even in my limited research, I was able to estimate I probably would only need 1,000 to be happy with the result. I'm not looking for any miracles, just a slight improvement.

Hi everyone, I'm at about a Norwood 1, maybe bordering on 2 I'm not sure 🫣 Anyway, I've gotten some quotes from surgeons for potential transplants and I'm not sure what sounds too high or too low in my case. Some places have quoted roughly 2,500, while another suggested a more conservative approach, between 700-1000 grafts. I've always had a higher hairline so I don't really care about lowering it all that much, just wanna get more density in front and fill in the temple recession somewhat. I don't know if anyone can help from these pics, but if you have experience/knowledge, what would your best guess be in my case? FYI, I'll be starting finasteride shortly to add to my minoxidil/laser cap routine, so I'll want to see my results with that after about a year. Might turn out I'm happy enough with it not to go for surgery right away.

Appreciate the info, thanks a lot!