GrowPlease

I wanted to ask everyone what they thought about starting up minoxidil again. I used to use the stuff for about 1.5 years with very good results and I stopped using 2 months pre-op. I haven't used the stuff now for 6 months total and I've been told that my thinning might be due 1 of 3 things: #1 minoxidil dependent hair dissappearing. The reason I didn't want to start up again was b/c of annoyance of use and also I didn't want the transplanted hairs to become minoxidil dependent and have to use the stuff for the rest of my life.... #2 Avodart shed #3 shockloss from the surgery or a combination of the 3 But if its true that my thinness is due to minoxidil dependent hairs dying than I'd def. be willing to start up again to try to salvage any of those dying hairs or at least speed up the growth of my grafts. Do you guys think I should start it up? The rogaine foam looks promising. Remember I havnen't used minoxidil for 6 months now...should I start up right away or give the grafts some time to kick in? Any comments suggestions would be awesome! Thanks again everyone who's dropped me line and for listening to my story.

Hey thanks specks and bank for the encouragement. I wanted to ask everyone what they thought about starting up minoxidil again. I used to use the stuff for about 1.5 years with very good results and I stopped using 2 months pre-op. I haven't used the stuff now for 6 months total and I've been told that my thinning might be due 1 of 3 things: #1 minoxidil dependent hair dissappearing. The reason I didn't want to start up again was b/c of annoyance of use and also I didn't want the transplanted hairs to become minoxidil dependent and have to use the stuff for the rest of my life.... #2 Avodart shed #3 shockloss from the surgery or maybe a combination of the above 3 things But if its true that my thinness is due to minoxidil dependent hairs dying than I'd def. be willing to start up again to try to salvage any of those dying hairs or at least speed up the growth of my grafts. Do you guys think I should start it up? The rogaine foam looks promising. Remember I havnen't used minoxidil for 6 months now...should I start up right away or give the grafts some time to kick in? Any comments suggestions would be awesome! Thanks again everyone who's dropped me line and for listening to my story.

I know nik...it wasn't too bad to me either pre-HT....I was just greedy!! The 1950 grafts were taken from 22cm x 1 cm strip from the back and were placed in the frontline I'm guessing in a 12cm x 6 cm area in the front from what I remember. Can't say that I see where the grafts were placed too! But I'm going to try to believe in what everyone else is saying and just wait....

I also wanted to mention that the pre-HT are taken wet with gel in my hair. My hairloss was almost undetectable if my hair was dry and I combed it forward. The post HT pics are taken with my hair dry.

Thanks for the words of encouragement bay and Joe. I just want to let everyone know that Hasson and Wong really do care for their patients. Shortly after my post, Joe called me and we talked on the phone extensively to address my concerns. I thought that was very proffesional and speaks very highly of the caliber of the type of business H&W offer their patients. Even though I'm still acting like a freaking maniac right now...I really appreciate the call and effort on H&W part. I went ahead and found some pre-HT photos, the one's I sent into H&W for my consultatation about 2 months pre-HT. And there are some photos I just took about an hour ago. I know I've been bitching a lot lately...but these pictures are just depressing me. And I know you guys probably think I'm retarded for getting a HT in the first place. I guess I was just being greedy and wanted that teenager hair line again. But I think you can appreciate that my hair was thicker pre-HT than 4.3 months post op. I'll try to remember the 2 steps backwards thing Joe. Well...I'll try to check out that foam minoxidil...but where can you buy that stuff Bayshore? is it found at the same places you buy regular minoxidil? I refuse to loose this battle and I'm going to do everything I can to get that damn hairline back. so the regimen starting tommorrow will be: avodart 0.5 qday nizoral shampoo daily minoxidil 5% start once a day at night MSM supplement 2000 mg daily ultra nourishair 2 tabs daily wow that sounds like a mouthfull... thanks again you guys for the support. I hope that you guys can understand my pains....

I don't have any pictures in between, but as you can see my hair was pretty decent before my HT. I had Dr. Hasson put in 1950 grafts to strengthen the frontline. I'm 4.3 months post op and I'm currently waiting for my hair to get back to even pre-HT days...as its currently a lot thinner right now.

HEy man...You're hairline looks really good 4 months out considering the amount of grafts you had done and the hairline you started with. If you've grown that much at 4 months...thats a lot better than me...there should be alot more to come from what I hear. Also, I do feel you with lowering the hairline. I'm just a tad bit older than you 27 and I would kill for a thick low hairline. I guess thats why we pay the big bucks for this surgery

Man...how do you guys make the time pass? I keep looking in the mirror every second I can and look for new ones to sprout and wondering to myself if I made the right decision to have a HT. Man this is killing me....I know gotta keep it cool...but its just so frustrating with the insecurity thinking what if these hairs don't grow and I dont' get the density I want AAAUUUGGGHHHH ! ! ! just had to vent...going to hit the gym

I bought the MSM and ultra nourishair at GNC over the weekend. Man I hope this HT works. I'll be crushed if I spent almost 8K just to have hair that looks almost as good as my pre-HT hair. That would just suck. Anyways...keep you guys posted. Thanks for the help.

I hope you guys are right. I'll keep you guys posted for this so called explosion thats suppossed to occur on my head....hope it happens soon. Thanks again

You actually raise a good point G. I was on Minoxidil for almost 2 years everyday. That could probably contributing a lot to the thinning hair. Although the hair was still thinning even after becoming minoxidil dependent. oh well...hope I don't need more grafts. But 1950 grafts in a 6 X 12 cm area just in the hair line is a decent amount isn't it? I mean, its not like there was no hair there to begin with... Thanks for the support

Thanks bay, I appreciate the help. I'll try that stuff. MSM, biotin, and nizoral again. I guess I can pick that stuff out at GNC this weekend. I am seeing some growth right now. Not just as much as I'd hoped. And of course there's always that fear that this is it and I'm that rare person with huge amounts of shock loss that won't come back. No one wants to be that HT horror story. I guess thats why I went with H & W. they're suppossed to be the best! Thanks again. happy growing!

Hey Bayshore, just took a look at your blog...looks like you're growing really well. I'm happy for you man. I'm just waiting to when I can get to pre-HT status. Than hopefully the growth will take off. Looking good buddy.

No, I'm actually not taking anything orally right now. I used to use Nioxin/nizoral topically but since I made the switch to avodart and I thought that was supossed to block 95% of the DHT systemically and I thought using the other products were unecessary. What is that MSM stuff? I just heard about that on this forum. How much do you have to take a day? Do you guys think I should I should even bother? I mean I'v already not taken anything for 4 months now. I think I might get back on the nizoral now that you guys mention it again. Hopefully I am a late bloomer. But I do agree with you, I think when you get a HT and you have okay hair to begin with you tend to expect more. I mean, I expect the front line to be thick and Dr. Hasson told me that "it should be really thick." I feel like those words have been carved into my brain...so I guess I'm expecting a lot. It just hasn't happenned yet. I'd say that I can safely go around w/o anyone thinking that I had a HT and that I'm thinning at the front line. ugh..not what I thought would be the case at 4 months but at least I don't look like I had brain surgery anymore

Thanks for all the quick replies. I did stop using Minoxidil after the HT. One of my reasons for getting the HT was so I could wean myself off minoxidil. I hated applying that stuff. Every now and than people would ask me why I put grease or oil in the front of my hair. That stuff would thin out my hair even more and I couldn't stand using it. You know, I started using minoxidil + propecia about 2.5 years ago and had amazing results. I'm talking about having almost a full hairline after 6 months of the combo and I only used it on the frontline. BUt after a year of so...the hairline started to fall out again. It just kept on getting thinner and thinner even while staying religious on the regimen, granted it never went as bad as it did before I started the drugs but sure enough it continued to recede. And I do trust in Dr. Hasson. I did my research and was deciding between him and Dr. armani. I decided with Hasson b/c I could only find tons of positive info. out there on him. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures. It looked so bad after the HT that I really didn't want to remember it. I prolly should have taken some but did not. So here I am, with this wait. One question tho...there is still the possibility that there are lots of grafts that have not yet begun to sprout at my stage right? (4.5 months) I do see some sprouting...mainly on the left side of the hairline...but there are areas on the right that almost have nothing there but I'm sure Dr. Hasson made incisions there. oh well...thanks again. hope this stuff works cuz at this point my hair looked better before the HT.

Hey guys I'm new. I'm 27 years old and I had 1950 grafts put in in a 6 x 12 cm area in the front line with Dr. Hasson on June 19th 2006 to create and strengthen a new hairline. I didn't really have it too bad, I could comb my hair forward and no one would notice that I was loosing hair but I wanted a thick hairline which was getting fairly thin. I've also made a switch from propecia to avodart on post op day 1 and now I'm about 4.25 months post op and my hair in the front still looks thinner than before my HT. I've been reading the posts that the take off should happen at around 6 mos but its pretty depressing to have thinner hair at almost 4.5 months than before I went for the HT. I'd say shock loss was pretty bad for me. I decided to go for the HT b/c I was sick of applying minoxidil 2x a day and the promise of a thick hairline just sounded so nice. Anyways, just wanted to vent a bit. thanks for listening.