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! 

37 minutes ago, MazAB said:

Definitely do not get a hair transplant. But if you are planning on doing it at some point, first see how well you progress with the Minoxidil / Finasteride combo. You need at least a year to know how well of a responder you are. Then, and only then, if you plan to move forward, find the best clinic for hairline reconstruction, as you will not really need to address any other parts of your scalp or temple points. If you do it, you need no more than 800 to 1000 grafts as you are no more than a Norwood 0.5, HAHA!

Follow my Journey with Eugenix and Dr Arika Bansal!

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.

36 minutes ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@DaMoce9,

Not only as a patient advisor for Dr. Rahal, but also as an educated patient with more than 15 years in the field, I'm inclined to agree with Dr. Rahal.  You aren't necessarily too young for a hair transplant however, your hair loss is only nominal.  In cases like these, Dr. Rahal often chooses to wait to see what to see what genetics are going to do rather than act in haste and densely pack your hairline to restore your hair as it may have looked when you were 20 if that makes sense.  While most men (including myself) want our hair back yesterday, sometimes waiting is the best strategy to ensure you not only get the best immediate result, but the best long term result.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

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

2 minutes ago, mavigo said:

How old are you? Your hair looks great. I would first do the meds for at least a year but preferably 2 before considering 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

5 minutes ago, BRITA-XL said:

Give it a year on meds and review the situation, see how you feel then. Say you was to have a low amount of grafts implanted, it wouldn’t match the native density you have already, it might not even frame you’re face as well as it is now. Just a couple of things to think about. 

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. 

30 minutes ago, Rawkerboi said:

Please name the surgeon who gave you a quote of 2500 Grafts? 

Where was he planning to put all those Grafts? On your forehead? 

You don't need a HT, still if it bothers you then, 700 or max 1000

@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.

13 minutes ago, BRITA-XL said:

You don’t “need” any grafts, if you always had a higher hairline then you’re good as you are. Don’t risk messing it up ! As you’re just about to start fin/Minox it’s very possible you will be able to escape the hair loss reaper 😉

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.

23 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

0 save your money and take a vacation. Your hair is mint 👌

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. 

8 hours ago, 2fast2FUErious said:

2500 grafts? Where in the world would all those grafts go? I’d say 1000-1500 max depending on where you place the hairline.

@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.

2 hours ago, duckling said:

yes you can experience shedding again, it will depend on your hair (which phase they are in hair growth cycle). Below is explanation of shedding:

1)Minoxidil changes your anagen phase by making it lengthier and it makes telogen phase shorter. So if hair were already in telogen phase for you then they will quickly go to the shedding phase. And new hair will grow soon.

2)Finasteride will remove hair in catogen phase and telogen phase and you get back those hair in anagen phase again soon.

3)Due to the 5 month gap there is possibility you have got now some more hair in catagen and telogen phase which finasteride will shed. and also there is chance that minoxidil did not work  so no shedding was seen in some areas in which fin helps you.

Appreciate the info, thanks a lot!

Hi everyone,

I've been on minoxidil for about 5 months, so I'm past the shedding phase there. I'm planning to start combining with finasteride very soon; is there another shedding period that would occur, or would the fact that I went through the minoxidil shed already prevent that?

Hoping for the combination of the two will give me some improvement on my hairline and buy me 5-10 years before opting for a transplant. I'm only a Norwood 1 for now, so would rather try meds first.

I'm definitely looking forward to following this, because I'm in the same boat. I have been on minoxidil for about 18 months and just got prescribed finasteride which I'll be starting as soon as I get it delivered. I figured I'll try min + fin for a year and see how I like the progression before deciding on a transplant. (Being 31, I want to make sure I'm not over-harvested if I decide to go for it). Got quoted for roughly 3,000 grafts at some Turkish clinics which sounded very high to me. Found a Canadian surgeon who quoted between about 800-1000 which sounds a lot more reasonable to me, but the price is somewhat high in Canada.

From what I've gathered, a transplant for me at this point would likely mean roughly the same number of grafts as your procedure, as I have similar goals (fill in the temples to a certain degree, restore density in the front). Like you, I don't feel I really need to lower my hairline all that much, as looking at pics in my early to mid 20s, it's always been a little higher. (Sounds like an advantage).

Best of luck on your progress, I look forward to seeing more and I'll definitely consider Dr. Nader based on what you've shared so far, and what is likely to come.

Would you mind sharing the cost of the procedure with him?