Dragonsphere

It appears the areas closer to the FUT scar is where there could be a higher likelihood of scar tissue creation due to the surrounding tension which makes complete sense. From the description @Killian is planning to do a further round punching into any scarring that does appear from the FUE. If the regeneration rate of the second round is the same, e.g. 70% regeneration on the first attempt then on the second attempt the same rate (which would mean an overall regeneration rate of 90%+), could we not consider this to be a cure? It would turn a 6k donor area into a 30k+ donor area. Hell, you could always do third, forth etc.

Looks like the scarring is mostly limited to the FUT areas. It sounds from your description that FUE area is healing better. We are still in the early stages of understanding Verteporfin and you (and thanks again) are the second person whose results have been shown online. If there is scarring in the FUE area, would you theorize that these scars could be punched into at a later date with verteporfin, essentially improving the results.

3rd that

It does not go systemic. That is the whole reason as to why men can take it. If it went systemic you would have gyno, osteoporosis, muscle wastage, ejaculatory issues. It is an off prescription topical commonly available. Unlike finasteride where the side effects are real (most of the time) the worst you will get Alfatradiol is scalp irritation. Anyhow, it is not an extremely effective product.

This would be interesting, especially for those of us who have already had FUEs in the past. Dr Bloxham's patient regenerated hair in a revised FUT scar so it is likely, if not certain, that you would see similar results.

Respectfully, what further update are you waiting for? He advised less than two months ago he has found a volunteer but a date has yet to be confirmed. It can take several months from interview to the schedule date of the procedure as with any HT operation.

Have you considered El Cranell Alpha? As mentioned previously, it is topical anti androgen with confirmed efficiency and a proven safety record. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3412238/ It essentially speeds up the process of the conversion of testosterone to estradiol via aromatise which, of course, reduces DHT. It does not go systemic so the side effects are limited to irritation. You can buy it from Amazon.de or Ebay. There is more to hair loss than just DHT, I know this from my own experience and from consulting with leading dermatologists, yet some form of dht reduction is vital in any hair loss prevention regime.

Efficacy and safety of topical finasteride spray solution for male androgenetic alopecia: a phase III, randomized, controlled clinical trial - PubMed (nih.gov) While scalp/ follicular DHT levels are probably the same for ether method, serum DHT was markedly reduced more when the drug was taken orally. Follicular DHT levels will have little influence in respect to libido issues and erectile disfunction. We should absolutely consider topicals in individuals who get systemic side effects from the oral equivalent.

When you can you say you can't take Propecia/Dutasteride I assume you mean orally? Why not take the medication topically which should greatly reduce the chance of any side effects. LLT does work, but the effectiveness of the treatment is minimal. A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials of United States Food and Drug Administration-Approved, Home-use, Low-Level Light/Laser Therapy Devices for Pattern Hair Loss: Device Design and Technology - PMC (nih.gov). You could also look at Ell Cranell Alpha a topical anti androgen. It is moderately effective as shown in studies. To be completely honest however, unless you are prepared to take a 5a reductase inhibitors in some capacity you will only be delaying the inevitable.

I agree. Could the regeneration rate vary between responder? Would a larger session, i.e. 4000 grafts, result in less regeneration? Could Dr B's patient be a hyper responder? However, to be more positive, the following needs to be noted. 1. We don't know if 0.4 is the best dose to use. It was certainly better than 0.3, which in turn was better than lower doses. 2. We don't know if the 18 month results are the peak. 3. Could we keep doing rounds of scar revision for complete donor recovery. Let's say the regeneration rate is 50% and you have a 5000 graft surgery. 2500 grafts are initially regenerated. You then FUE in the remaining scarring which results in 1250 grafts being regenerated and so on and so forth. @Killian experiment will help shed light on the first of these questions. At the end of the day, it's all biology and if you can trick the human body to prevent fibrosis then I don't see why this could not be a surgical cure. It doesn't necessarily have to result in unlimited donor, but what if we could double or triple the donor amount available. The latter of these would essentially mean anyone who is not a diffused Norwood 7 could achieve an aesthetically full head of hair.

Could we infer from this that this is something you are considering if the initial test is successful? If you FUE into existing scaring there is no reason why this would not lead to hair regeneration as shown in Dr Bloxham's revised FUT patient or the man who regenerated follicles in the open wound on his beard. On a separate note, thank you sharing your results with us. There is a long road ahead with Verteporfin and your results will shed much light on the optimal dose for humans.

Something I don't exactly understand, why is he FUE'ing around the scar area? Is it into scarring from previously extracted hair taken via FUE to see if they regrow back?

He used 50mg?! I hope he doesn't grow a foetus on the side of his head.

Do you have a link? I wonder how long after the injection the second pic was?

I wouldn't say the only hope. Don't forget about Dr Bloxham's trial with three patients. Even if no further trials are conducted, another doctor would pick this up eventually. The sooner we have more data, the quicker this will be implemented as standard. Verteporfin also seems to becoming more of a thing with wound recovery checking Realself. Hopefully @DrTBarghouthi can share the photos as it would be another giant leap in the right direction.

Nothing to do with that. There just isn't enough evidence for it to be incorporated. We would probably need at the very minimum 5 cases of it working effectively before doctors start incorporating it. It would be unethical to advertise it when we only have one complete case report for FUE. This is why Dr Barghouthi is not openly advertising it as part of his clinic. As promising as the results are, it would be insane for a doctor to unnecessarily stake their reputation on it. One thing is for sure, once a few doctors start incorporating it into their practice, it will spread very quickly. We just need more results.

Browsing some of the results on this forum, I have noticed that transplants for people who have coarse hair tend to have the illusion of greater coverage. Of course this is obvious, but I am wondering of how much of an advantage is it? I have seen results with patients who have had half the number of grafts from the same surgeon yet achieve superior results than patients who have fine hair. Typically speaking, would patients who have this favourable hair characteristics usually only require half the density to achieve the same result? I myself have very coarse hair and before starting preventative therapy had significant loss in a Norwood 5 pattern. With gel my hair looked essentially empty and yet without it, I received comments on how thick it appeared.

All comparative studies show a greater increase in hair density for Dutasteride than Finasteride. You also need to considered that the donor area although more resistant to DHT is not immune. Many Noorwood 7s thin in the donor area and some do not. Dutasteride would likely prevent this. You can look at your family history to see what is likely going to be the end result for you. The side effect rate is essentially the same for both drugs. Castration reduces all androgens not just DHT. Finasteride will take you levels of DHT to near that of a castrate, Dutasteride far below. However, you will also have a mild but statistically significant increase in Testosterone whereas castration results in a dramatic drop. I think the concerns with oral minoxidil are understandable but if you are a responder, topical should work just as well. I agree with everyone else that your hairline is fine, it wouldn't even class it as mature. I would focus more on reducing the horse shoe pattern at the back. Consider the angle most people will view you from, the front (you have got that taken care of, the sides (your sides have not dropped for now) and the back. Not many people will be viewing you from the angle you have to taken the pics from. Hopefully with Verteporfin, you could wound into the donor scars and regenerate hair. Even if the regeneration rate is as low as 30%, with your remaining donor hair that should be enough to hit the magic 8k number of grafts.

Have you thought about having an SMP to add further to illusion to the density? Because you have hair in the area, it will help to give more of 3D look. You should also look at adding Dutasteride and oral minoxidil. This will help safeguard you against not only MPB but also senile alopecia as you age. The latter is something many people don't take into account. You could also look a chest hair and possibly leg/arm hair hair as filler. Out of curiosity, how many more grafts assuming you had an unlimited supply, would you guess would be required to restore you hair to a point where the hair loss would be ascetically undetectable?

Dr Bargouthi would be able to do this, as confirmed by his previous post advising it was done on someone not participating in the trial. He isn't advertising it, I imagine, as it would be unethical to do so. If you were going to do this, it would be the most sensible option to go with the doctor who has used the medication before and has a reliable source.

Nothing you have posted I disagree with. I am saying people shouldn't drop preventative medication with the expectation this will be a cure. Let's say the regeneration rate is 60%. If you genetically disposed to be diffused Noorwood 7, a 60% regeneration won't turn you into Elvis. The question, as far as I am concerned, has gone from 'Does Verterporfin work?' 'To what is the regeneration rate?' There is also the question of optimal dosing.

I understand your point of view. The last potential cure I remember was something by Shiseido which was nearly a decade ago. I have zoned out since. What differentiates Verteporfin is that we have actually seen results in animals with skin closely resembling humans and in actual humans themselves. Not to mention it is already FDA approved, so we know it works in some capacity. What was the last failure that even came close to this? If hair loss is not having a profound effect on one's mental health, maybe wait 1.5 years? By then we will have the results from all three of Bloxham's patients, Dr Bargouthi's next trial and maybe some midway results from other doctors. What we should be discouraging is people thinking they should cease hair loss medication or get aggressive surgeries due to Verteporfin's potential.

People who go to cheap clinic by enlarge don't do their research; they don't take into account the possibility of botched jobs. The average HT patient has no concept of things such a donor density. I have a friend who went to a clinic in Turkey. He had 3000 grafts dense packed which considering he is/was a Noorwood 2.5 in his 20s, is not strategic. He keeps his hair on the sides at a grade 3 and was under the impression that all the transplanted hair grew back in the donor area. This particular example is indicative of the level of understanding the average HT patient has who has not done their due diligence.

I meant in terms of where people will go for their hair transplant. Verteporfin will not impact that but yes, people who have botched procedures will no be screwed up permanently.

People who go to hairmills will still go to hairmills. People who do their research will go to reputable surgeons. Nothing will change even if verteporfin works as well as we all hope. There is far more to a quality hair transplant than donor supply as you have correctly advised. I want a natural age appropriate hairline, with correctly placed graphs. A $1500 dollar package deal would not achieve this, regardless of donor supply. An example of this is plastic surgery, where there is no donor supply. There any many people who will go to dodgy clinics to save money for lets say rhinoplasty. Those who do their research won't and will go to a reputable surgeon with a history of solid results.