outhere

Hi guys, I finally found a good (recommended) hair transplant doctor and recently had my free consultation. The consultant had a look at my hair and gave me some practical advice. I was told that I would not be able to have a hair transplant for at least 5 years (I'm 21 now) because of my young age. Whilst a bit frustrated at first I was glad that I had found a group which was actually concerned about my welfare rather than my money. I was also informed that the best thing I could do now was get on Propecia/Proscar now and start using Rogaine or something similar, and that I should go and see my doctor about getting a prescription. So I went to go and see my family doctor, whom I have been seeing for nearly 20 years and asked for a prescription for Propecia. Without even looking at my hair, he firstly said "You have plenty of hair, don't worry about it". After explaining that I knew my hair was thinning rapidly he said that he would refer me to a dermatologist which I am seeing next month. He then said: "The dermatologist will tell you what the problem is, it's no doubt just a scalp problem causing the loss, and it can be fixed and your hair will grow back. Guys your age don't lose their hair. Relax." After a friendly debate over weather or not I needed the Propecia prescription or not he concluded: "Look at Bruce Willis, he lost his hair and everyone still thinks he's sexy. I don't want to prescribe a hormonal drug to a young man of your age" At this point I knew he wasn't going to give me the prescription so I pretended to agree with him and off I went. I was so furious that he wouldn't even listen to my concerns, firstly saying that I wasn't losing hair and then saying that it didn't matter if I did. I drove down the road and found a young doctor whom I had never seen before and got the prescription in 5 minutes. Of course I am seeing the dermatologist still in one month because I'd like as many opinions as possible. I understand that my original doctor was concerned about my physical well-being but what about the emotional effect of losing your hair? Any feedback would be an interesting read! Thanks

Thanks for the info guys, I will put it to good use. It's funny you mention Dr Martinick as I was just reading through newhairclinic.com.au and her credentials. It seems like she will be my best bet. Thanks again

Hi guys, After a recommendation from this forum, I went to the doctor to discuss my pre-mature hair loss (I'm 21). I was hoping to get a prescription for Propecia or a similar product available in Australia. When I discussed my hair loss with him, all he wanted to do was refer me to a skin specialist he knows, which I will be visiting next week. My first question is: should I be going to a skin specialist to discuss my hair loss or a general doctor? I told him that hair loss for me is genetic and in the family but he was concerned about if there were any underlying issues which needed addressing, which could be causing the loss. He also warned me about the potential implications of taking a hormonal affecting drug for an extended period of time, or even the rest of my life. He also said that it was particularly concerning because I was so young, and that these types of products haven't been around long enough to see the long term effects on users. What are your thoughts on this? I have been seeing my doctor for my entire life and he has never been wrong about anything he has ever given me or recommended in the past. I am very anxious to stop the hair loss as soon as possible, but his words have now got me even more worried about what to do. Having said that, he informed me that the idea of a hair transplant is a good one if you can find the right doctor and there are no infections or problems. But I particularly want to stop the hair loss now and the thought of a hair transplant is still on the agenda but from what I've read in this forum, I need to also try my hardest to keep the hair I have. Any advice or comments would be much appreciated, thanks!

Hi guys, After a recommendation from this forum, I went to the doctor to discuss my pre-mature hair loss (I'm 21). I was hoping to get a prescription for Propecia or a similar product available in Australia. When I discussed my hair loss with him, all he wanted to do was refer me to a skin specialist he knows, which I will be visiting next week. My first question is: should I be going to a skin specialist to discuss my hair loss or a general doctor? I told him that hair loss for me is genetic and in the family but he was concerned about if there were any underlying issues which needed addressing, which could be causing the loss. He also warned me about the potential implications of taking a hormonal affecting drug for an extended period of time, or even the rest of my life. He also said that it was particularly concerning because I was so young, and that these types of products haven't been around long enough to see the long term effects on users. What are your thoughts on this? I have been seeing my doctor for my entire life and he has never been wrong about anything he has ever given me or recommended in the past. I am very anxious to stop the hair loss as soon as possible, but his words have now got me even more worried about what to do. Having said that, he informed me that the idea of a hair transplant is a good one if you can find the right doctor and there are no infections or problems. But I particularly want to stop the hair loss now and the thought of a hair transplant is still on the agenda but from what I've read in this forum, I need to also try my hardest to keep the hair I have. Any advice or comments would be much appreciated, thanks!

Hi guys, I'm about to go and see my doctor tomorrow about using Proscar / Propecia but I just wanted to clariy something to make sure I have it right: Proscar is a finasteride tablet prescribed to treat enlarged prostate glands? and... Propecia is the brand name for the finasteride tablets pescribed to treat hair loss? Is Propecia the best known / trusted brand? I was also wondering if it's available world wide, as I'm in Australia. And lastly, any idea on how to actually pronounce 'Propecia'? Thanks a lot!

Hi guys, I'm about to go and see my doctor tomorrow about using Proscar / Propecia but I just wanted to clariy something to make sure I have it right: Proscar is a finasteride tablet prescribed to treat enlarged prostate glands? and... Propecia is the brand name for the finasteride tablets pescribed to treat hair loss? Is Propecia the best known / trusted brand? I was also wondering if it's available world wide, as I'm in Australia. And lastly, any idea on how to actually pronounce 'Propecia'? Thanks a lot!

Thanks for replying Mahair and John Se, I appreciate your feedback. I was aware that there would always be corporations acting as the face of ??specialists' but it wasn't until your post Mahair, that I realised just how important it is to choose the right doctor. I assumed that any so called specialist in this field would be required to have vast experience but after doing some more research today, it's really opened my eyes. Even though I have become aware this, it still seems like a daunting process trying to weed out the good doctors from the so called specialists. Everything I read online I end up asking myself, is this a paid sales pitch or the real thing? Some Australian doctors have websites I have been reading, and they look very similar to the webpages I was looking at earlier (the companies you were talking about) so it's still a task. But from what I understand, you are saying I should only consult directly with doctors and not ??specialist hair groups' and then leave my options open from there? John Se, I agree with everything you said. I know I am the only one that cares about this, but it still bothers me a lot. I have a lot of self pride, but even more surface pride and it's something which I'm just going to have to deal with. After your Proscar recommendation, I've just read a lot on the drug and think it would be perfect given the circumstances. My only question in regards to it, is should I consult a professional before I begin using it? And another final point, in your reply you said ??Results: choose a good doc, and you will have results...your only problem is your young.' .... What did you mean by this? Thanks guys.

Hey everyone, This is my first post to this community and after reading a heap of all of your questions, answers and support ??“ am very impressed and pleased that I've joined you all! I'm 21, male and from Australia and am suffering from pre-mature balding. I had noticed early signs when I was 18 and 19, but in the past year my hair loss seems to have gotten a lot worse, considering my age. It got so bad that 6 months ago I ordered GLH or ??Good Looking Hair' as it is referred to and I have been using that once a week to cover my balding and thinning crown. I use GLH so well, that even my girlfriend who I live with ??“ can't tell that I'm balding on top. For the time being, it's definitely doing its job and I honestly would be lost without it (and no, this isn't a cheesy testimonial!). The problem I have now is that every single time I wash my hair to not only clean it, but also remove the entire GLH agent, I look at the back of my hair and it is noticeably getting thinner and thinner every single month. So while the rest of the world seems to think I have a full crop of hair, I'm stuck with this dark little secret which seems to be the only thing I ever think about all day. When I discussed this with my hair dresser, he told me there were other real alternatives such as medication and hair transplants. After reading through a lot of local and international articles and reports on hair replacement medication, they seemed to be what I was looking for. However, all of them seem to mention that the daily routine of scalp massaging. For me this seems nearly impossible due to the GLH product in my hair. Of course, I could wash it out and stop using it and start on the medication but to the rest of the world I would go bald overnight. I'm stuck between saving face and trying to help my natural growth. Furthermore, a lot of the medication mentioned also includes a long expectancy waiting time and a lot of ??maybes' for things to go right and also state that as soon as you stop using the particular medication, you will go bald again! I know there is no quick fix and that this will always be an on-going process, but I really want something which will give me the best possible results in hopefully a relatively short amount of time. Which brings me to the possibility of a hair transplant (I'm sorry if I'm rambling on). I am not concerned about the cost associated with the procedure but more about its effects and success. I have plans to go and see a specialist hair group sometime in the near future but wanted some real advice from real people just like you, without the hard sell. 1) From what I've mentioned, do you guys think it's what I should be looking at? 2) Like you, I value my privacy above all other things. Is this the kind of procedure (hair transplant) that I could have done without the knowledge of friends and family around me? 3) And for those of you who have had transplants, did you get the results you wanted to out it? Thank you so much, I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say ??“ I really appreciate it!

Hey everyone, This is my first post to this community and after reading a heap of all of your questions, answers and support ??“ am very impressed and pleased that I've joined you all! I'm 21, male and from Australia and am suffering from pre-mature balding. I had noticed early signs when I was 18 and 19, but in the past year my hair loss seems to have gotten a lot worse, considering my age. It got so bad that 6 months ago I ordered GLH or ??Good Looking Hair' as it is referred to and I have been using that once a week to cover my balding and thinning crown. I use GLH so well, that even my girlfriend who I live with ??“ can't tell that I'm balding on top. For the time being, it's definitely doing its job and I honestly would be lost without it (and no, this isn't a cheesy testimonial!). The problem I have now is that every single time I wash my hair to not only clean it, but also remove the entire GLH agent, I look at the back of my hair and it is noticeably getting thinner and thinner every single month. So while the rest of the world seems to think I have a full crop of hair, I'm stuck with this dark little secret which seems to be the only thing I ever think about all day. When I discussed this with my hair dresser, he told me there were other real alternatives such as medication and hair transplants. After reading through a lot of local and international articles and reports on hair replacement medication, they seemed to be what I was looking for. However, all of them seem to mention that the daily routine of scalp massaging. For me this seems nearly impossible due to the GLH product in my hair. Of course, I could wash it out and stop using it and start on the medication but to the rest of the world I would go bald overnight. I'm stuck between saving face and trying to help my natural growth. Furthermore, a lot of the medication mentioned also includes a long expectancy waiting time and a lot of ??maybes' for things to go right and also state that as soon as you stop using the particular medication, you will go bald again! I know there is no quick fix and that this will always be an on-going process, but I really want something which will give me the best possible results in hopefully a relatively short amount of time. Which brings me to the possibility of a hair transplant (I'm sorry if I'm rambling on). I am not concerned about the cost associated with the procedure but more about its effects and success. I have plans to go and see a specialist hair group sometime in the near future but wanted some real advice from real people just like you, without the hard sell. 1) From what I've mentioned, do you guys think it's what I should be looking at? 2) Like you, I value my privacy above all other things. Is this the kind of procedure (hair transplant) that I could have done without the knowledge of friends and family around me? 3) And for those of you who have had transplants, did you get the results you wanted to out it? Thank you so much, I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say ??“ I really appreciate it!