Cospine

I have fine hair as well. I think its more the quality of the doctor rather then any one specializing in fine hair. And you need to have realistic expectations as there are limits with finer and lighter colored hair. I would be conservative on the hairline. I've had a very good result and great experience with Nadar but he's in VERY high demand and tough to reach/schedule surgery.

Thanks. Have to admit there is some disappointment and fear due to the lack of strong progress between months 4-5. I thought I had great progress from months 3-4. I'm still overall happy with the results as I know it will get at least 20-30% better. I have fine lighter hair and always understood that density appearance would be tough. I just need the hairs to thicken up more. At looking at other people's progress pics from month to month, I realize their overall hair grows faster than mine. I may have trimmed the midscalp hair a little since the HT but not much and haven't trimmed the transplanted hair at all....and it's been 5 months. All opinions are welcome. If the hair growth is marginal/low, I'd like to know.

I've hid behind hats for almost 3 decades. The last 10 years definitely more so. I'm 5 months post HT and why I have good/fair progress on growth, it's still hard to not be in a hat in public. It's partially b/c I still need more growth but more so that's been a deep habit for a long time. And, truthfully, I always look better in hats even with hair. I still think I may wear hats often even if I if my hair growth turns out to be very good. Probably something I need to work on. It almost got to the point of a having two personas as I look fairly young for my age and that hat protected that image of myself (even with the front part of my head being pretty much bald I still looked 5-8 yrs younger than my 52 age without a hat). I definitely am more confident today without a hat but it hard to let that security blanket go . Lol. Baby steps of getting out in public without the hat is helping. I had a date last week and the girl couldn't believe my age....she couldn't get over that I looked like I was in my 30's ....be it with a thinning hairline. Hah. And I've heard that a few times over the last few months. Having some hair has really helped with formal situations or events that I avoided or didn't feel as comfortable at previously. I always had a rule at least after age 30. Let dates, dating app pics, friends, new people you meet first see you without the hat. Even if you're meeting them for the first time with a hat on, I'd make sure to take it off and let everyone see the balding. That way the fear is gone of being exposed and it helped with more authentic relationships as you're not hiding a big part of your appearance. The longer you wait to show your hair, the more shameful it is!

And Month 5

A little disappointed in growth from month 4 to month 5 but over all happy with the results. I'm letting the top grow out and maybe that's why I see the lack of density and the slower progress from month 4-5. I think all the new hairs have sprouted and now it's about thickening and density. Any thoughts? Below are pics from before surgery and month 4. Positives - I'm definitely feeling more comfortable with hat off....I hid behind the hat for years. Dates are asking how I look so young for 52. And people are telling me to grow out my hair now....before they said shave it.

Balding at an early age can impact a man's confidence. It's happened to many of us in this forum. And woman can be just as shallow regarding looks and appearance compared to men. I started to thin at 21 but wasn't able to get onto fin until I was 26 as it was a fairly new drug in the 90's. I was able to date and hook up with plenty of hot girls in my 20's with a hairline similar to yours. I had a gf that looked like a young Charlize Theron....same hairline as yours. I was 24. Was there some insecurities about my hair? Absolutely, If I let it get to me....and I had to fight through that. You're confidence impacting you much more than the hairline......and ALL woman love a confident guy and are pushed away from a guy that's lacks confidence. You're not bald...not even close!! Know that. Stop concentrating on what you don't have and concentrate on what you do have or what you can improve with yourself. Woman love height as well and I know plenty of guys that are less than 6' that are able to find beautiful girls....myself included. Get into great shape...hit the gym. Dress a little better. Try growing out the hair a bit. Focus on education, reading, hobbies, setting yourself up for a career/future. Being the Alpha that you may want to be involves way more than just hair! Eventually, I married a beautiful (and crazy- LOL) girl and have beautiful children. Food for thought..........If you don't think you can get the girls in the 9-10 range because of the hairline, you probably can't get them with a perfect hairline. And girls in the 9-10 range are a major pain in the ass...not worth it in my experience.

Agreed. Stay persistent. Subject line needs to show that you're ready to go and have done all of your homework. You're email need to have GREAT photos and clearly presented questions and information about yourself. Bullet points. I wouldn't write a novel. He can do 3k grafts in one day and that may be the best option to get on his schedule

The good news is that post op you can probably hide your scalp with the a surgical cap?

Month 4 and definitely getting better. Still a few areas that are growing pretty slow and need to keep my eye on. Nadar told me that a few small areas didn't have the great blood flow during the surgery. Not as much density as I hoped for at this stage but I'm pleased thus far and feel quite a few hairs budding at the scalp. Nader said that the density fills in at months 6-8... thinking the hair shafts get thicker and more new hair growth is visible. The last 2-3 weeks I've seen quite a big difference in the appearance. People are telling me I should grow it out.....which is a great compliment as before they said to shave it. Hah. Feels good. And I'm letting it grow.

I've been on Fin since I was 25. I'm 52 now. My hair loss was really limited to the frontal area for a long time...probably until around 40. Save grafts for the vertex and crown....it will thin out over time

3 Month update The redness has substantially faded and barley noticeable. It's nice to take off the hat more now Definitely seeing growth and feel a lot of small hairs sprouting. But there are a few areas that growth is minimal and the hairs don't seem to be growing Still hoping for more density with new hairs and thickening of the existing hairs. I know its common to see a very noticeable difference in months 3-4. The pimples area constant. Having to keep my scalp very clean. I take a hot towel and wipe my scalp and this usually relieves/pops the pimple. This may not be ideal but the pimples often do go away on their own and I feel the tiny hair sprouting and growing once the pimple is relieved. Donor area looks better but still thin in a few areas. I expect this to grow in over the next few months I expected more shedding as started oral minox at week 2. I was not using topical minox. Will probably need a haircut to the recipient area to even some of the hair length. I started TRT again as stated in another post. Very low dosage and will stop if I see hair loss or if I can't keep the labs in normal ranges. I'm 52 and it really helps me mentally and psychologically Overall, I think I'm looking good. Any thoughts on the progress? Am I more of an early grower?

I'm three months post HT and good results so far. I stopped TRT after my ht but have experienced some of the effects of not being on TRT....some depression, low libido, lack of energy. I decided to start TRT again but to monitor very closely and be very conservative with the amount of TRT. My Dr asked if my hair loss accelerated with TRT before my ht and I don't believe it did. BUT....my hair loss was fairly substantial before I started TRT. I was at 120mg TRT before my ht. I'm doing 60mg 2x per week now to avoid high peaks. I will pull all the tests for TRT after a month and make sure I'm within normal ranges i.e. less than 950. If I can't keep it in the normal range, I'll have to stop and find some alternative therapy to help with natural testosterone production. I'm also going to be very mindful of hair loss and watch closely. See the chart I received from Dr Nadar on Anabolic index rating factors. I've stopped energy drinks, creatine and Whey protein. Bottom line, TRT will most likely impact hair loss.

You're in much better shape than I envisioned. No need to panic as nearly all are gone. Just keep up the process listed above....I would use the shower to soak the remaining scabs and massage a little longer than before.

Considering you're in day 14 and the grafts are fully secure, you should be able to use the shower with light pressure. I would really soak the scalp as you want those scabs soft. I would massage them scabs for 10 min. Per you're question above, I don't believe this is the healthy for the grafts and could jeopardize their survival. Maybe one of our board doctors can lend their opinion. Include a pic so we can see the scalp and the scabs

Pure negligence that the Dr abandoned you post op. I would was more than 1x per day but making sure the you are soaking the scabs....they will turn a slightly different color being more white along the outside, then massage with a foam soap and I would go longer than 5 min, then rinse.....you should see flakes of scabs in the rinse. You may need to massage with the foam a little harder? I used this for my spray but you can use water. Spray every 15 min, keep a towel around your neck. Spray every hour once you go to bed if you have to. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007M1ZQM2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details If you're not seeing progress in a few days, maybe go to a local hair transplant DR and explain the problems. They will most likely help you even if there is a small fee.