FiveHead

Just wanted to make sure all you guys (& gals) get a chance to check out my operation. The play-by-play is down in the "HT Experiences" forum, listed a few lines down from this one.

Just wanted to make sure all you guys (& gals) get a chance to check out my operation. The play-by-play is down in the "HT Experiences" forum, listed a few lines down from this one.

Danger, I think you should take the lack of replies here as a strong indication that Propecia/Proscar and Minoxidyl are the only two things that actually make any difference whatsoever. All that other stuff, in my opinion, is snake oil. Shampoos and conditioners can make your hair APPEAR thicker, but all that other stuff is sketchy, at best. Just a waste of money, in my opinion. Anything that legitimately can stop hair loss, or cause regrowth would survive scientific scrutiny. So far, just Propecia/Proscar & Minoxidyl meet that hurdle. Don't be fooled by anything that claims to be "all Natural", as if that alone means it is good for you. Crude oil, coal, and acid are also "all Natural", but I sure as hell wouldn't want to injest any of those, would you?

Rest assured that Toppik will not have any influence on whether or not Propecia will work for you. It would be like saying, "If I use hairspray, or hair gel, will it keep Propecia from working on me?" Toppik is not medicinal in any way. It is purely a cover up. Like I said, it is like using hairspray. More accurately, it is like sprinkling Parmesean cheese on your plate of pasta. (Your hair is the plate of pasta ... Toppik is the Parmesean cheese.)The fibers in Toppik get trapped between your existing hairs and give the impression that you have more hair. Nothing more. Nothing less. Propecia works systemically by blocking DHT. You could put a vat of vaseline on your head, and it wouldn't change the effect that Propecia has. (Although I wouldn't recommend it .)

WebPro - I think you are pretty safe in ordering from DrugStore.com. They are the internet presence for Rite Aid Pharmacy ... so I doubt they are playing any shenanigans. Other websites may not be so reputable, but they could still be sending you unexpired Propecia ... it just may be short-dated. In other words, it only has a few days or weeks to go before it expires. Then again, you could have the same problem if you went to a small little mom-and-pop pharmacy that doesn't have enough customers to go through its bottle of Propecia on the shelf. I didn't mean to create a panic, here, all I'm saying is I feel better picking it up locally. Since 1 mg of finasteride is such a tiny amount, I would guess it would be more vulnerable to environmental effects, like heat, cold, light, and age. DrugStore.com is as good as anyplace you'll find online, though.

Yes, legally, you do need a prescription to get Propecia/Proscar. I'm sure there are websites that may sell it to you at an elevated price without a prescription, but I wouldn't do it if I were you. First - taking Propecia without a doctor's knowledge could mask the early warning signs of Prostate Cancer by screwing up your PSA test. Prostate Cancer is a very treatable disease if it is caught early enough. Understand me here, because this is an important point ... IN NO WAY DOES TAKING PROPECIA CAUSE PROSTATE CANCER! What I'm saying is that it can give your blood test a false reading if you are taking it and your doctor doesn't know it. Secondly - getting a prescription from your doctor is a piece of cake. Most of the time your doctor would even give a free sample for you if you are trying it for the first time. This can be your regular Family Doctor, or it can be your HT surgeon. Third - And this one is just my opinion ... I would rather get the medicine from my local pharmacy than from some mail-order or internet site that I have no idea how old their supply is, or how it has been handled. All pharmaceutical products have expiration dates because they lose their potency over time. Yes, we need fresh drugs like we need fresh produce! Also, all drugs have handling information on them, like what temperature it should be stored at, etc. Some drugs are more sensative than others to temperature and light exposure, to name just a few factors. If they are exposed to extremely low temperatures (like in the back of a UPS truck in the north during winter, or in the belly of a cargo plane at altitude) they can lose potency. The same can be true at high temperatures ... like that same UPS truck in the south in the summer. Exposure to light can do the same thing. I'm not sure how sensative Propecia is to these factors ... but its something to keep in mind. And, oh yeah ... its good to have a Prescription for it.

Sorry Danger, I don't have the answer ... but I, too, would like to know what the answer is. I doubt I'd ever want to shave my entire head, but since I'm an athletic guy, I'd like to keep my hair short. I know we should keep it a little long right after the HT to keep everything hidden, but once everything grows in (on top) and heals (in back) - how short CAN we go without being noticable?

The taste. But seriously, do a search for most of these questions ... as they've been answered many times before. I've asked my fair share of stupid questions, though, so here's a quick answer: Toppik is applied to dry hair, and attaches itself to your existing hairs to create the illusion of more hair. Couvre is applied to wet hair, and colors your scalp to create less of a contrast between your head and your hair. Most people seem to prefer Toppik. I just ordered my first batch, so I can't give a report yet.

I, too, heard the radio ad on the other day ... but I was driving and didn't have the capacity to write down the number. The ad DID INDEED mention the first bottle was free. Anyone get that number? I've never tried it before, but for the price ... it can't hurt.

I can't talk about CyberDrug, but I would be concerned with ordering any pharmaceutical product online. Not for fear of being cheated (although getting Pakistani drugs might make me nervous). Actually, I'd be concerned about the temperature stability of these drugs. If you read your bottle of Propecia, or Proscar, or whatever ... they say: "store at room temperature, 15-30 degrees Celcius (59-86 degrees Farenheit)". Some drugs can withstand heat and/or cold. Others cannot. When you order online, these drugs are then shipped to you. If they are shipped to you via AirFreight, they are most certainly subjected to temperatures below 59 degrees F ... because the temperature at altitude drops WAY down. If you live in the NorthEast, like me, you know the temperatures are WAY below 59 degrees F right now ... and will be for another three months, at least. Conversely - the summers in the south get significantly above 86 degrees F ... especially in the back of the UPS truck or mail delivery van. Just something to consider.

I'm four months shy of my 31st birthday and considering getting my first HT. Various consultations place me at about 1000 grafts for now. My question is this: How long should I wait after the procedure before being active in sports? I'm talking about fairly active ... specifically playing hockey. Its a competitive league, but there isn't a lot of hard checking or brawls ... but I occasionally get knocked to the ice. If I became active too quickly, what would I be risking? Losing some of the grafts? Widening the donor scar? Is a week enough? 10 days? Help me out here. I'm taking a week off of work following the procedure, but not sure if I should be waiting longer than that before continuing to play sports.

I'm four months shy of my 31st birthday and considering getting my first HT. Various consultations place me at about 1000 grafts for now. My question is this: How long should I wait after the procedure before being active in sports? I'm talking about fairly active ... specifically playing hockey. Its a competitive league, but there isn't a lot of hard checking or brawls ... but I occasionally get knocked to the ice. If I became active too quickly, what would I be risking? Losing some of the grafts? Widening the donor scar? Is a week enough? 10 days? Help me out here. I'm taking a week off of work following the procedure, but not sure if I should be waiting longer than that before continuing to play sports.

I can't be the first person to notice that your doctor has a very famous name, can I? I would have thought that Barry White would make for a better OB/GYN than a hair transplant surgeon. Barry White may promise to sing to you during surgery ... but be careful what he does once he gets you under the ether! Yeah, just kidding. Any other doctors with famous names? (I'd prefer to sit down with Dr. Jennifer Anniston or Dr. Brittney Spears. )