Wow, Sorry I took so long to respond...I'm a newbie : )
Yes my age...I am 31 years old and my hairline has been slowly disappearing ever since the end of University. I was getting really tired of trying to hide my hairlilne in the morning so I decided to get the surgery done. I haven't noticed thinning in an other specific area, but my crown has been slightly visible ever since puberty.
I am taking 1mg of Propecia (finasteride) daily. I started about 3 months prior to the surgery on Dr. Rahal's advice to help keep the folicles in my crown area strong.
Although the research I have done indicates that Propecia is not as affective on the hairline as it is on the crown, I thought that the idea of reducing the amount of DHT in my scalp pre-surgery sounded like a good idea. I thought that this might help maximize the yield of permanent hairs in the recipient area. I plan to keep taking 1mg of Propecia (finasteride) daily for the rest of my life.
It has been two (2) weeks since the surgery and I had my stiches removed today. I also started on Rogaine 5% topical solution. Dr. Rahal tells me I will be using the Rogaine for about a year to help encourage growth in the recipient area.
After a year we will do a re-assesment to figure out if I need a touch-up or not. Dr. Rahal said that given the number of graphs it is unlikely that I will require another transplant but I'm a perfectionist...
I typically wear my hair pretty short because I play a lot of sports. There is a slight waviness in it when I have had it long in the past (once). The recesion and asymnetry of my hairline is especially noticeable when my hair is long, so that's also another reason why I keep it short. It's such a bummer when my hair is a little longer and people tell me that it looks good - I wonder what they would have said if I pulled my bangs back...
We won't know the full effects for a year, but so far this has been an excellent experience for me. Thanks for all your support guys!