ca_hairloss

Hey Folks, I would really appreciate if you could please take a moment to sign this petition. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/193425069 This petiton asks the Governor of California to take steps to protect what remains of the old growth forest in the Mattole watershed in Humboldt County, in Northern California. I would also request the moderators to do anything they might be able to do to promote this. Sorry to post something off topic, but guess is a very important one. Please help !!

I was doing some more research on this and came across this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finasteride This says.. Finasteride is not indicated for use by women. Finasteride is in the FDA pregnancy category X. This means that it is known to cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Women who are or who may become pregnant must not handle crushed or broken finasteride tablets, because the medication could be absorbed through the skin. Finasteride is known to cause birth defects in a developing male baby. Exposure to whole tablets should be avoided whenever possible, however exposure to whole tablets is not expected to be harmful as long as the tablets are not swallowed. It is not known whether finasteride passes into breast milk, and thus should not be taken by breastfeeding women. Finasteride may pass into the semen of men, but Merck states that a pregnant woman's contact with the semen of a man taking finasteride is not an issue for concern.[2] I have been taking 1 mg twice a week since Jan 2007. My wife had a miscarriage in June..I am hoping that this was not the reason... Should I stop taking the pills for the time being, anyone ? Thanks for you valuable input. I also read this... Some users, in an effort to save money, buy Proscar instead of Propecia, and split the Proscar pills to approximate the Propecia dosage. Doing so is generally considered unadvisable if women of pregnancy age are in the household; this is because finasteride, even in small concentrations, can cause birth defects in a developing male fetus. But the ones that I have are 1 mg tables so is not an issue I believe....

I was doing some more research on this and came across this... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finasteride This says.. Finasteride is not indicated for use by women. Finasteride is in the FDA pregnancy category X. This means that it is known to cause birth defects in an unborn baby. Women who are or who may become pregnant must not handle crushed or broken finasteride tablets, because the medication could be absorbed through the skin. Finasteride is known to cause birth defects in a developing male baby. Exposure to whole tablets should be avoided whenever possible, however exposure to whole tablets is not expected to be harmful as long as the tablets are not swallowed. It is not known whether finasteride passes into breast milk, and thus should not be taken by breastfeeding women. Finasteride may pass into the semen of men, but Merck states that a pregnant woman's contact with the semen of a man taking finasteride is not an issue for concern.[2] I have been taking 1 mg twice a week since Jan 2007. My wife had a miscarriage in June..I am hoping that this was not the reason... Should I stop taking the pills for the time being, anyone ? Thanks for you valuable input. I also read this... Some users, in an effort to save money, buy Proscar instead of Propecia, and split the Proscar pills to approximate the Propecia dosage. Doing so is generally considered unadvisable if women of pregnancy age are in the household; this is because finasteride, even in small concentrations, can cause birth defects in a developing male fetus. But the ones that I have are 1 mg tables so is not an issue I believe....

There are 1 mg Finasteride available in India..if you can get them from there...but again, they are not over the counter... They cost around a dollor for 10. The medicines are manufactured by Cipla, so is not a generic brand I beleive. I am sure there are other manufactures with simlar costs. I also googled just now and saw http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finasteride Also, read this there... Some users, in an effort to save money, buy Proscar instead of Propecia, and split the Proscar pills to approximate the Propecia dosage. Doing so is generally considered unadvisable if women of pregnancy age are in the household; this is because finasteride, even in small concentrations, can cause birth defects in a developing male fetus.

Hi Sahil, I hope you are able to find the best doctor around and get a wornderful HT done. All the very best !! I do not intend to remind you of the unfortunate thing that has happened to you, but would be very helful if you can post your most recent picture...(If you have already posted the most recent pic somehwere on this forum may I request for a link ?, I was not able to see it...) Your experience and photos might help many of us to take the right decision... Thanks again and all the very best..

This is fantastic....must have costed a lot though... From many posts in the forum I have seen that most of the times a single HT does not suffice...would it be correct to assume that everyone mostly needs atleast 2 HTs ?? I am 33 and started lossing at 31...anyone minds taking a guess at how many FUTs I might need if I were to go for HT... (pic attached) Also, is it correct to say that there are chances that donor area will not grow hair back ? (pardon my ignorance folks)...

Hello ISO, I know this is 3 years later - How are you doing ? Are you still on this forum ? Please do let us know how you are doing.... I am in my research stage...- Thanks in advance..

From what I know Sahil posted his pics 15 days after the HT, was that not a bit too early ? Does anyone know how Sahil is doing now ? Any recent pics from him ?

Hi Folks, I am 33 yrs old and started loosing hair around 30 to 31, I visited India in Jan 2007 and did some quick research and reached Dr Rajput. I initially consulted him by email. I sent him some photos by email (which I will post here too). After seeing the photos he said that my hair is too weak for an immediate HT. He suggested that I take multi-vitamins and Finasteride (twice a week.) The medication was supposed to be a term called cyclic medication where each medicine is taken only twice a week. He also asked me to apply a lotion like Rogaine that you get in India, twice a day. Later I happened to be in the same city as his clinic and did visit him for a consolation before coming to the US. He prescribed almost the same medicines and I have been taking the medicines since then. He did mention to me that a well planned HT was always better than a hasty one. I was glad that he did not tell me to get one done immediately, as I might have done it then (was not much aware of any risks) I think he was honest with his opinion, I have heard of some crooks who would mis guide you for money. After taking the medication I must say that I did see a little improvement in the bald patch. Definitely not enough (or nowhere near enough) to avoid a HT. Dr Rajesh mentioned that he has consulted many patients by email, all free of cost and in many cases only the medicines have worked and did not require HT. I am assuming that those must have been cases where there was minimal baldness or was just the very beginning. Till recently I was sure to go back to him some where in the next year or so to get my HT done. But now, after visiting this forum for some time and seeing review from Salil (was that the name ?), who got his HT done from Dr Rajput, I am not sure if I should get it done from Dr Rajput. I have requested Dr Rajput for some referrals and am hoping to get at least a couple from him. But I do believe his medicines might help someone who has just started balding (very minimal), mainly the Finasteride sees to work I think. I am in California and will be visiting Vancouver in a week or so. I have requested a consultation with Dr Hassan and will see what his opinion is. I am sure there is a lot of difference in the cost. Dr Rajput's HT might be around 2500$ to start with and Dr Hassan 7000$ to start with. But yes, definitely the quality of treatment and the experience with Dr Hassan must be superior. I do not mean to say that Dr. Rajput is not good, just that he might not be as experienced as Dr Hassan. I have not yet completely ruled out getting it done from Dr Rajput. At this point I am doing my research (mainly through this great forum-. Also, not yet decided whether to do the HT or not. I am looking for what questions I should ask the doctor (Dr Hassan.) I will be searching for the questions on the forum, but if anyone could let me know a direct link that would be great. Couple of questions /concerns (personal) that I have at this point is. 1. From what I have read recently in this forum, it looks like after HT the scar from where the hair is taken (donor area) remains as a permanent scar and does not go away , Is that true or did I get it wrong ? 2. Again from what I have read here, it is possible that the bald pattern increases further and this would require further HTs (1 or 2 maybe). At this point I "might" be able to afford an HT, but not sure if I can afford it in future again. So that is something I will have to think thru. 3. Is there something like "weak" hair ? 4. If yes, is it advisable to go for HT for someone who has weak hair ? Any suggestions/comments are welcome. Anyone here with a successfull HT from Dr Rajput ? Please find attached some of my photos from the past and present. I have been taking Dr Rajput's medicines since Feb 2007 and almost regularly (atleast 90 to 95% of the times.) I think I will continue atleast till another 6 months to see the results.

Hi Bill, In case you happen to read this thread... You had once before replied to a question that I had on cost of HT. I had asked you if you might be able to tell me how much Dr Hassan charges ? I am for some reason not able to see that reply of yours anymore. Do you mind letting me know once more please ?

I have also visited Dr Rajesh Rajput in Mumbai. Like Karan, I too am taking Rajput's medicines. I definately have seen a change. As mentioned in the post at the link below, he said that planned ht is much better than a hasty one and asked me to take medicines before I do the HT, thus helping my hair get stronger. I am not sure how strong they got but there seems to be a little improvement. I have pictures from Jan and June 2007 also posted at the link below. http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/746...731063533#8731063533 Karan, how long have you been taking his medicines ? any improvement ? got any pics ? I also agree that Canada and US is better for HT but unfortunately is something too expensive for me. I will be visiting Vancouver (Canada) next month for offical work and that is where Dr Hassan (Dr used/recommended by the admin Bill), but I might not be able to spend the kind of fees that his treatment required -

Hi Folks, I too had visted Dr Rajesh Rajput when I had gone back home in Jan 2007. I have posted some details with a couple of pics..no hair transplant done yet, currently am on medication and am thinking whether to do hair transplant or not...dr Rajesh's site speaks of the rate and are pretty good compared to the US rates, one of the reasons the rates are lower is cause everything is generally cheaper in India compared to the US. Not sure how good or bad a doc he is. As Sahil mentioned Rs. 1,20,000/- is around US$3000/- . I am not an expert and just hope that Sahil's transplant works fine for him. I was thinking that I should get my HT done by Dr Rajesh but now am not sure -... Am thinking if I should visit Dr Hassan in Vancouver,,,but I am sure that will be atleast 8 to 10,000 USD $. Not sure if I can afford that much. ....

Hi NN, Thanks for your reply. hmm...I cannot completely rule out the any marketing efforts here... here is what I was told, after taking the vitamins plus the finepcia and applying the hair tonic my hair should get a little stronger and thicker/denser and this should prepare my hair for the surgery... There are other discussions in this forum about the same doctor.. From what I talked to him he seemed to be quite ok to me...(I am not an expert though) Regards,

The previous photo was from Jan 2007 and the one here is of June 2007

Hi, I started lossing hair around 2 to 3 years back. was around the time we got a baby, so not sure if it was anything related to the lack of sleep during that time - I had quite thin hair even before and was lossing quite some hari but guess they were growing back also...but then 2 years back or so started getting bald.. When I visited India last in Jan 2007 I consulted Dr Rajesh Rajput, he looked at my photos and said that my hair was too weak to do surgery...and so recommended that I take some medicines first to make them stronger....he has even mentioned that I might not need restoration if the medicnes work out well enough (as it is different from case to case I believe) ...all this was by email as I was in Bangalore and he even prescribed medicines by emailll all at no charge.... But then later as I visited Mumbai I met him personally also. where in he again prescribed almost the same medcines ( slightly differet I guess...)...he said that a well planed hair transplant (mini graft I beleive is the term he used) is always better than a hastly one... Anyways, I have been taking the medicines now alsmot 90% of the times and have seen a little imporvement (I wish it had worked completely)....am planning to try for atleast another 6 months or so... After this if I see good recomendations for the doc I will probably go ahead and do the grafting from him...not yet sure - Anyone, anything to share ? Please do let me know !!! And yes, for folks who have just started lossing hair his medicines might be worth a try...specially as he might prescribe over email also if you are not in Mumbai... The medicines are quite affordable also...around 100$ for 6 months or so...mostly vitamin suppliments and a small dose of finepcia...along with an indian version of something like Rogaine. (again very reasonable cost) I hope the medicines help someone who has very little hair loss - and does not have to undergo grafting .... I wish the work even better for me !!!!