England

A couple of notes in favour of Finasteride: 1 - If you did have an adverse reaction, you're probably in the tiny minority of patients who this applies to, and you have not seen continued side effects since stopping taking the drug. This is important, as people who do see side effects generally see them go away upon stopping use. 2 - How are you sure that Finasteride was causing the problem? There are thousands of causes of temporarily low numbers of red blood cells, which may well have affected you and could have gone away regardless of whether you stopped taking the pills or not. 3 - I've taken Finasteride for a decade now and my blood work is completely normal and has been through all stages. I've seen no noticeable side effects 4 - To the guy suggesting FUE as an alternative, it's only a good option when you supplement it with something like Propecia to prevent further loss.

Just to add to this thread, I've been on Propecia regularly for the past.... 9 years? I've barely missed a day. Recently had a baby boy and we conceived on first attempt. Baby is extremely happy and healthy, so don't worry guys!

Thanks everyone for the kind words - really appreciate it

2 Months 2 Months 2.5 Months - Back to pre-op state 4.5 Months 4.5 Months Pt 2 4.5 Months Pt 3 5 Months After going out with zero product in my hair for the first time in 7 years, I encountered extremely strong winds, and actually enjoyed it: 5 Months 1 Week The bottom line is, even if I didn't see any more growth from my hair transplant, it has already changed my life. Before, I would spend half an hour styling my hair, using all kinds of product to hold the comb-over in place, and be worried any time I sensed even the slightest wind. If I ran out of product, I didn't go out. Going out in any kind of strong wind simply wasn't an option. I am now 5 months and 1 week in, I can style my hair in 2 minutes and I no longer need any product, whatsoever. I finally enjoy wind for it's cooling and refreshing qualities instead of being constantly nervous about my hair. I seem to find the hair is getting thicker and thicker every week - I can't wait to see how it continues to develop over the next 7 months. Cheers

Basically, yes... although with hair and hair transplants nothing is ever certain! :-) One word of caution though - there are two types of shock loss. The temporary shock loss is the one we've been discussing, in which all of the hair is strong enough to grow back afterwards. However, if you have any hairs which are on their 'last legs' - which would soon fall out and disappear anyway, the hair transplant may push them over the edge and they may not return. To put things into perspective for you - as I mentioned I'm now 5 months post op, and for the first time in 7 years I'm able to style my hair in 2 mins, with no product, and to walk out in any wind with no problems. Even if I see no additional growth from here, I'm already delighted. You may not see exactly the same growth rate, but I would be surprised if you didn't have some improvement by 5 months. Are you having FUE or FUT? Generally FUT growth occurs sooner, and also growth is often quicker if this is your first surgery. Cheers

I would say that even in a worst case scenario most people tend to have recovered from any shock loss by 5 months. In my case, it was 3 months at which point any sign of shock loss had disappeared.

Hi Splashin I've replied on my thread so as to not hijack this one. Cheers

Hi Splashin, Decided to answer on here so as to not hijack the other thread. Here are the main reasons I selected Feriduni, but I will say from the start that I believe Bisanga to be an excellent surgeon, who would also make a great choice for anyone considering FUE: 1 - Case studies. As well as preferring the design of Feriduni's hairlines, he was also able to show me hundreds of studies of people with similar hair to mine who underwent a similar procedure, during our consultation. I didn't get to see any during my consultation with Dr Bisanga. I also met some patients in the waiting room prior to my consultation with Dr Feriduni, and spoke to some of his former patients online. 2 - Approach. I felt that Dr Feriduni was very interested in hearing what my specific requirements were, and creating a strategy based on that, whereas the impression I got from Dr Bisanga is that he had decided what he was going to do before I even opened my mouth. Dr Feriduni also took a more scientific approach to the consultation itself, using digital equipment to evaluate my donor (displaying it on screen) and the special mask to calculate the ideal hair line. While the consultation with Dr Bisanga was over within say 15 minutes, the consultation with Dr Feriduni was far more in-depth and detailed, lasting probably 45 mins. 3 - Environment and Personality - the clinic, the staff, and the doctor all seemed more professional and amenable to me, which perhaps doesn't count for much - but it counts for something. Not only did it mean I had absolute trust in the ethics and honesty of the clinic & doctor, it also gave me great confidence going into the procedure that if anything went wrong it would be handled properly. That isn't to say that anything about Dr Bisanga or his clinic was unprofessional, I just felt more at ease at the Feriduni clinic and in the hands of Dr Feriduni. Best of luck.

Between months 1 and 3 I had some shockloss - my hair definitely reached a point worse than pre-op at around 2 months, but it quickly grew back and at 3 months I was back to square one. I'll be posting some pictures from 2 months to 5 months this weekend so you can check it out for yourself.

Hey Santhosh, I had FUE surgery 5 months and 1 week ago. After 3 months I found my hair was back to my pre-op state, albeit a lot shorter because I shaved by head for surgery. Now, after 5 months, I've already seen a life changing improvement in my hair, and I know that I should continue to see growth for at least the next 7 months.

Fair comment - hadn't read the updated warnings since I started on Propecia 7 years ago. At that time it was stated that any sides would go away after discontinued use. I've checked around and seen the updates that were made later. I wasn't trying to hide any info, as you make out. It's important to put the side effects into perspective. It remains the case that only a small percentage of men get side effects and the vast majority of those who stop taking the drug see their side effects go away.

Hair loss is progressive. Whether you have surgery or not, your hair will continue to fall out and get thinner. If you have surgery, you thicken up a particular part of your scalp / hairline - and this is usually permanent. However, the rest of your hair (not touched by surgery) will be unaffected, and will continue it's progressive fall-out. This means that even though the surgery has filled in the original gaps you have, your natural male pattern baldness will create new gaps in the future. This isn't an effect of the surgery, it's an effect of your genetics :-) The 2 solutions to this are medication (Finasteride) to slow or stop this natural process, or further surgery once it occurs. This is why you have to plan for your long term future when thinking about a hair transplant. You have to factor in future loss and ensure you have sufficient donor to deal with it.

I would certainly consult with him, he is recommended on this forum. I would also consult with other surgeons, as I mentioned. You can view real patient experiences here: Healing and happy with 3320 grafts in one session with Dr. Madhu - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients 15 Months after HT done at Dr.Madhu's Hyderabad - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/159366-my-hairtransplant-dr-madhu-29-01-11-a.html http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160065-dr-madhu-hyderabad-india.html http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/161476-just-got-my-hair-transplant-dr-madhu-heres-my-experience-promised.html http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/162158-3400-grafts-dr-madhu-08-08-2011-need-your-feedback.html#post2275121

I've seen, and read the link you provided. It does nothing to change my mind, whatsoever. I stand by everything I said. Every clinic, no matter how good or bad, can present itself in a positive manner. The 'award' 'he' won was for: It has nothing to do with surgical hair restoration. The award also seems to be for the corporation, not for a specific doctor. I hope you take my advice :-)