KamCal

I understand JOBI. I know Hairbank is taking it EOD but he started it that way. I am not sure if any one took the risk and lowered the dosage after being on it everyday for a while. I think I am going to be the first one. Maybe a doctor's input on this could benefit many of us who are hesitating to lower the dosage. Thanks. KamCal

I have been on Proscar 1/4 tablet (1.25 mg) for about 4-5 months and it is working great for me as it has completely stopped my hairs from falling out. However, I am experiencing some side effects, such as reduced sex drive, reduced amount of semen, and some other side effects. I am thinking of switching to every other day regime. I know that finastride half life is 48+ (about 72 hours) and even if you take it every other day, it should work just fine. However, here is my question: Has anyone here tried swtiching to ever other day regime after taking proscar or propecia evey day for a few months? Did it really work just fine or did you experience some hair loss once you switched to EOD regime? How did your body reacted to lowering the fin dosage? Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am seriously thinking of lowering my dosage. Thanks. KamCal

I completely agree with everyone as I am going through the same experience. The 3 to 6 months period does suck...... I am at 4 months post op. KamCal

fs, You are looking pretty good for only 3 months. As Bill and other have mentioned, avoid looking at the mirror if possible at all. This is a very gradual process and if you don't have patience, you get discouraged. I am still getting ingrown hair pimples which is def. a good sign . I just got one in my hairline yesterday. So sttuff surely are happening. Happy growing to you. KamCal

NN: Thanks for your words of encouragement. I know I should wait at least 4 more months. FS: Thanks. You are looking pretty good yourself for only 3 months. As Bill and other have mentioned, avoid looking at the mirror if possible at all. This is a very gradual process and if you don't have patience, you get discouraged. I am still getting ingrown hair pimples which is a good sign . I just got one in my hairline yesterday. So sttuff surely are happening. Happy growing to you as well. Bill, thank you also for your help and support to everyone. I have more pictures in my weblog if you'd like to take a peek. Thanks. KamCal

Thanks NG2GB and NoBuzz. I know 4 months is way too early but for some reason I was hoping to see some result over the transplanted area by 4 months mark. My hair does look fuller overall and with a better quality but I am guessing it's because of the proscar I am taking. Well, nothing I can do at this point but to just wait another month or 2 to see what will happen. NG2GB, honestly I have not shaved my head since 2 months mark so I cannot answer that question. But when I use a comb to lift my hair and look at the scar, it does look a little red. It should fade away gradually and I am not concerned that much about the scar at this point since the shockloss is returning and I can hide the scar. At this point, I don't experience anymore itching in the donor area. Maybe a little numbness. Thanks. KamCal

Hello Eeveryone, I have added my complete 4 months photos to my weblog as well as to this photo album. Please feel free to comment. It is still very thin over the transplanted area. What do you guys think? It is easy to get concerned. I guess I am in the frustration mode according to JOBI!!

Yes, you do need a passport to go to Canada. KamCal

Thanks Bill, NG2GB, and Pushing. I am really excited and can't wait for the next few months. Should be really exciting..... Pushing, you are right. I do have a wierd loss pattern. I didn't know what to do with those hairs in the front. Dr. Hasson gave me two options: 1- get rid of them with laser. 2- shave them with a machine like shaving my face. I don't think I get rid of them with laser. I probably will end up shaving them. However, I am waiting for my transplanted hair to grow to see how they blend in. Dr. Hasson said if I comb my hair from back to front I don't need to shave them as they will blend in nicely. But, if I comb from front to back then they become noticable and need to be shaved or removed. Thanks. KamCal

Thats a very good question. I don't have answer to that right now since I let my hair grow since month 1 to camoflauge the shockloss in the donor area. I will buzz cut my hair with 12 mm clip sometime this week and that should give me a good overview of the donor. However, we should remember that at 3 months post op the donor area has not healed completely so it would not be fair to make any judgement at this point. I am happy I did not experience shockloss in the recipient area as it is obvious by the photos. I am happy at this point. I think right now, my hair look slightly fuller than my pre-op photos. What do you guys think? So, this is a turning point for me KamCal

I've just updated my 3 months photos in the photo album as well as in my weblog. Please let mw know what do you guys think? It appears to me that the temples and the crown are lagging behind compare to the mid scalp section. Well, I guess that's normal for 3 months?!! KamCal

ng2gb, I did a little bit of scalp exercises prior to my surgery. I know I should have done more. I was planned for 4000 grafts but we could only get 3664 due to the lack of laxity. So, yes that was the max we could get out of that session without the risk of scar stretching. I remember Dr. Hasson's comment on my hair characteristics that my hairs are coarse but he didn't give me any rank as in on a scale of 1-10 nor did I ask him about that. He said that I am a good candidate and I trusted his judgement. I had a great experience. I just have to wait for my final result. I am glad to hear you are doing your HT with Dr. Hasson. He knows what he is doing and you will be in best of hands. oh..yes, we also did take a look at previous patients' photos that had similar loss. Particularly, I wanted to look at their hair lines. BTW, I just updated my weblog. You can check my progress at 3 months post op. It is still too early in the game to see the final result. Again congrats on choosing Dr. Hasson for your surgery. KamCal

ng2gb, Stop using Rogaine (Minoxidil) 3 months before your surgery according to H&W pre-op instruction. KamCal

kg007, Your third HT pattern looks pretty much like mine. I had mine with Dr. Hasson about 3 months ago. I will post my 3 months photos this Saturday. Wow, you have used 8100 grafts over the course of 3 procedures. Thats awesome number of grafts. I was told that I do not have that many grafts due to lack of laxity. Hopefully, the med will not lose its effectiveness. Happy healing and growing.... KamCal

kg007, I am about 3 months post op and have suffered shockloss as well. I did use DermMatch and it does a wonderful job for me. No one can even notice the scar and the shockloss even from very close. I started using it from 1.5 month post op up until now. I apply it in the morning and wash my hairs with shampoo in the evening before going to bed. I asked my clinic to see if that is OK to leave it on for 12 hours and they said I can do that as long as I wash it off at night. Great product for concealing the scar and the sockloss. KamCal

fixing-it, I did mine with Dr. H. in Oct. and I used my credit card for the surgery, restaurants, and for the car rental. I used my credit card for the tips as well. Never needed to use cash. KamCal

I have recently ordered revita shampoo. I am almost 3 months post-op. I see some minor growth from my HT. Is it OK to apply revita shampoo on my scalp 3 months post-op or should I wait untill after all the transplanted hairs grow. My concern is that revita might be too harsh for my scalp at this time. Any thought? Kam

Steve, When I had my surgery 2 months ago at H&W, they didn't give me the breakdown of 1's, 2's, and 3's. But, I have to say that I didn't ask for it either. However, I did ask for the hair count and they told me that approximately 25% of my grafts were 3 hair follicles and based on that they gave a good estimate of my hair count. Most of my grafts were 1's and 2's. I have to also say that those numbers really doesn't matter to me as long as the final result is good, which H&W have proven themselves over these many years. KamCal

2 month Update: I have updated this photo album as well as my weblog. Please feel free to comment. I see some small tiny thin hairs on my scalp. Not sure if they are my original hairs growing back or they are the transplanted ones. I doubt to see any result at 2 month mark. So I guess they are my native hairs growing back. What do you guys think comparing to my pre-op photos? Still the recipient area is pinkish. But considerably less. KamCal

I am 2 months post op. My recipient and donor area is still numb. My donor area still sore. Both areas definitley NOT feeling normal like before HT at this stage. The shocked hairs around the scar haven't grown back yet!! I know the shocked hairs will grow back in 4-6 months post-op. But, how about the numbness and the sore? Are these normal? Thanks. KamCal

Steve, Congratulations on your HT with Dr. Shapiro. The first 10 days are the hardest because of the damn staples, esp. at night. After that you will be just fine. Try to relax these days. I, too, look forward to seeing some before and immediately after photos. Again congrats. KamCal

Glock, I have the same issue as you did. The majority of my grafts were also 1's and 2's. So we could only get 5663 individual hairs out of 3664 grafts. My hair is also very coarse. At first, I thought I am not going to get good density with those individual hairs. Now looking at your result I don't think I should worry about it that much. Your result gives me alot of hope. I am looking forward to next 12 months. Thanks again for taking the time to put this video together. KamCal

Got it.....Thanks Joe for your continous support. And thanks FS for your quick respond. Happy healing and growing. We both will look very different around the spring/summer time.....Enjoy..... Regards, KamCal

Glock08, What a great video; really really emotional and inspiring to many hairloss sufferers on this forum. Your HT result looks just GREAT! Enjoy life with your new look..... Regards, KamCal

Thanks Fallenstar for sharing your feeling. I am in the same boat. I still have to wear a hat at work though because of the shock loss around the scar. I just ordered some Dermmatch today. Hopefully, it will do a good job at concealing the scar. Also, I decided to let my hair grow a littile longer for a while since I plan to take off my hat at work. I don't know how everyone will react!! So, we'll see. One question: I am running out of the special shampoo Dr. Hasson provided as I am approaching the 2-month mark. Can I switch back to my regular shampoo that I used before HT? Or should I go buy some baby shampoo? Thanks. KamCal