Johnson

I think this is going to be huge and here is why: Lots of us here place our focus on stem cell research and some new surgical techniques. Although there is a lot of coolness about stem cells, the reality is that the most realistic thing to come out soon is going to be a new drug. Given the link that has been found between this prostaglandin and men with hair loss, it seems very likely that we might have a winner on our hands here. We can hopefully see this type of drug stopping hair loss to the same degree as propecia. But it seems much less likely that these drugs would bring old follicles back to life. I think they could probably revive "almost dead" follicles like propecia does though. Now dont get me wrong. I would love to find out that these drugs can turn a NW7 into a full head of hair, but I think this would be really hopeful thinking. My guess is that DHT causes hair loss through a chain of events. Probably the last event in the chain is for Prostaglandin D2 to get released or somehow held in the follicle. Therefore, these PG2 inhibitors would probably have the same beneficial hair loss effect as propecia but would avoid the change in sex hormones since they would kick in at a later stage in the chemical process of hair loss. Now I dont know for sure about the mechanism I just wrote about but it seems reasonable. Does anyone have an actual name for one of the drugs currently under testing? I am trying to research more.

I have a feeling PGD2 inhibitors are going to be the next huge thing in hair loss drugs. I am trying to get more info on them and haven't found much yet other than they are currently under testing now to treat asthma. Once they come out, I'm sure they will get used off-label for hair loss assuming they indeed work for hair loss. My guess is that these drugs will be similar to efficacy to propecia with few or no serious side effects. I'm anxiously awaiting the results of these trials and would appreciate and more info anyone has.

The way I interpret this post is "I am losing my hair. I am not willing to do anything about it. Why can't I get it back without making any big sacrifices?" The bottom line is you are losing hair and you have the option to do something about it but you aren't taking it. You seem so devastated yet you refuse to go through with ANY means of treatment whether it be medical or surgical. I guess you really don't want your hair back THAT badly. At some point you have to make a sacrifice if you really want it, and if your hair were in a condition like mine or many others then you would probably become a lot more willing to make that sacrifice. You are not there yet. Face it, stem cell isn't here yet and you might be 60 before you have that opportunity. And my bet is that it will be very expensive at first when it comes out so if you cannot afford a transplant currently you might be well into your senior years before it becomes practical to you. Are you willing to live with your worsening hair loss during that time or do you want to fix it using what is currently available (and works)? Now I'll tell you why this post irritates me a bit. I have been losing my hair since age 19 and am now 29. I would need probably more than 20,000 grafts to get really nice coverage (not possible) and this is in addition to the grafts I already have. You are 40 and only need 2000 grafts? I would LOVE to be in your position. You have it much better than many guys and don't even realize it. You are married first off. Imagine being a teenager/twenty something who is still trying to find a girlfriend and having half your hair. That is how I have spent my 20's. I didn't just accept it and then complain about having no hair though. I did something about it and while it is not perfect I know at least that I have made some calculated sacrifices towards a better satisfaction in life. I was on propecia for more than a year, but finally gave up on it due to side effects. We each are willing to accept certain things and maybe not other things, but you have to do SOMETHING if you want to stop the loss. I have had 3 FUT's (just had my third) and the scar in the back is an accepted sacrifice for more hair. Even though I am younger than you, I feel like you are in some position I was stuck in at about 22 years old. Wanting my hair but not willing to make any big sacrifices for it. Well eventually you might lose more hair like we tend to do and realize that the price of NOT making the sacrifice is no longer worth it. Like I said, I really don't think you are there yet. Do I like having a scar on my head? Did I like spending tons of money which many of my friends never had to spend because they never had this problem? Of course not, but that is just the luck of the draw. This is my situation, I have accepted that and done what I feel I need to do to counteract it with the technology that is currently available to us. My suggestion: Continue monitoring your hair loss and researching all LEGITIMATE tools against hair loss that can be utilized. These "vitamins and shampoos" are not solutions PERIOD. As the old saying goes "no pain, no gain".

This is not true. There are doctors on this website in this price range and cheaper. You will just need to look at the international docs. I'm going to Dr. Madhu in India and it is only $1.10 per graft. There is also an even cheaper doc in Pakistan.

Well after starting this thread and researching more I am really leaning toward shaving especially since I didn't shave during my first 2 surgeries and I want to see if this improves the outcome at all. One problem is I can't "be a hermit" for a few weeks like some of you since I have to be back at work exactly 9 days after the surgery. My current plan is to cut my hair at the 8 day mark to somewhat even things out. I'm hoping there will be enough hair to hide the redness somewhat since I am not transplanting into a bald area and just adding density. I'm sure there will still be some scabs though which seems unavoidable.

I don't see why it would matter whether the doctor can see better if the end result is the same. The doc charges more not to shave so I would be compensating him for the loss in extra surgery time (I guess that is the reason for the increased cost?). Is there some reason why shaving would even matter then or is it just to make the doc's life easier (and mine way more difficult)?

You shaved all of it off including the donor area? What about the scar? Were you able to conceal it?

Ok I'm going to have another FUT and this time I have the option to get the front recipient hair shaved or not. My doc told me the yield goes up slightly (3%?) if I get it shaved. The main problem is I really do not want to be seen looking really strange for MONTHS after the surgery. Kinda defeats the whole purpose even if it is temporary since everyone will know I had something big done. I don't see how I could possibly explain it away. So basically I am still struggling with what to do. I would like a good yield but I cannot imagine looking "freakish" at work for a long time especially since I work with the public. I cannot wear a hat either. Did anyone else choose not to shave and still come up with good results? Or is the result really that much better to make the humiliation worth it? Also if you shaved your head for the surgery, how on earth did you explain it?

Ok thanks I guess I was just worrying too much since we always waited for about a week for my other surgeries from what I remember.

I am getting my 3rd FUT next week and they told me they will do a hair wash one day after surgery. In my other surgeries they never did it this quickly? Is this safe? It sounds crazy to me. He is a recommended doc on this forum though and has good results on his website. I haven't used him before though. I just keep worrying it will wash off all the grafts or at least some of them. Should I just not show up for the washing or should I trust it is ok?

I wanted to show the improvement I have seen after exactly one year on finasteride 1.25 mg/day. I started on 7/27/10 and it is now 7/27/11. I have used it every day except for a few days skipped last month to test if my sex drive would increase. I feel my sex drive might be lower on it but I'm not completely sure. I have also noticed a slight increase in fatty tissue in the breast area but it is not bad enough to stop the propecia at this point. I don't have "man boobs" or anything, but there is a slight increase there. As far as my hair, you can be the judge. I think the improvement in my hair is worth whatever other potential side effects. Let me say also that I have had 2 hair transplants but that was several years ago long before I started the finasteride. I was also on rogaine for about 5 months from Jan to May 2011, but I stopped due to the hassle and lack of noticeable results. I have attached 6 pictures. 3 before. 3 after. The befores have "1" in the name and afters have "2" in the name. It should be easy to see which is which.

If you guys read the story, he was not on propecia until 3 months prior to surgery. So this result is due to a combination of the surgery and propecia. It is impossible to know for sure how much was due to the surgery alone. Also the growth was complete by 6 months not 1 year. It occurred between the 4 month and 6 month marks. This would have been 7-9 months on propecia which fits within the expected range. Amazing results though.

Mine are also blue and oblong shaped. If it helps, the manufacturer of mine is Teva on the label. This is my first bottle of it, so I don't know what other shapes it might or could come in. They could look different from a different manufacturer though.

I just read about a new drug called Eucapil that supposedly prevents further hair loss and strengthens remaining hairs when applied topically. Right now it is only available in the EU and has not yet been approved for sale in the U.S. I'm not sure if it is possible to order it online and ship to the U.S. It appears to have benefits similar to Propecia, but without any side effects. It doesn't work in the same way as Propecia though. From what I read on the website it doesn't change DHT levels but instead it somehow blocks DHT from entering the hair follicle. Full results are seen after about 12 months. There are some pictures on their web site. http://www.eucapil.com Has anyone ever heard of this before? What do you guys think?

The patent expired on Jun 19, 2006. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=594304