Maxxy

Well done guys! I'm sure you'll both do excellent jobs. I have to agree with Bill on this one, the fact that Future_HT_Doc hasn't had surgery and whether he is or isn't suffering loss should be a none issue for his role (remember guys, a photo may tell a thousand words but it doesn't always tell the whole story). Where as it may be ideal for a football/soccer referee to have played some games, it isn't a necessity in order for him to do his job of moderating, decision making and advising the players.

As Sparky has stated, the waiting time for each clinic will vary - though I'd expect to wait at least 2-3 months for most of the clinics on this site unless you're willing to be squeezed in or accept a cancellation.

Dr. Charles, Thank you for the reply. If a patient receives absorbable sutures (which of course are not removed) when do you feel it is safe to apply products to the donor? I'd also like to hear other peoples opinions on the above question.

Bill, I've read of donor itch many times but I honestly can't remember suffering it the first time round. I do have some Aloe Vera gel so I'll take it with me - I've also ordered some Mederma, can't hurt I guess. Thanks

Hey Monkey, I don't believe it's a dangerous thing to say. In starting a thread the OP/viewers can expect to read peoples opinions and mine is that ruling out Finasteride without trying it is a mistake. I didn't try and change his mind nor would I ever try to do so, I agree with you that anyone thinking of trying a new drug should be aware of any and all possible side effects and take them into account before making a decision. Also, I think you'll find most if not all the doctors on this and other hair loss sites along with clinics around the world will recommend a patient tries Finasteride if they still have native hair to lose, where as my words were only my opinion, your statement would mean their advice is dangerous. All that said, I respect your opinion and I'm sorry you had a negative experience with the drug.

Hey All, I'd appreciate everyones opinions on the best way to care for the donor area immediately post-op (ie keeping the wound moist, letting it dry, how often to wash, applying oils/gels etc) please.

Darren smith, I think writing off Finasteride without at least trying it is a mistake and as I have said many times in the forum, I believe having a transplant without first stabilizing or dramatically slowing the loss is something you will only regret. Nizoral, Nizorelle and Revita are all shampoos that contain the same active ingredient ketoconazole. Here in the UK you can buy Nizoral and Nizorelle from the chemist and Revita can be purchased online. Nizoral contains 2% ketoconazole where as Nizorelle and Revita contain 1%. It is advised that you only use Nizoral 2% 2-3 times a week, however Nizoelle and Revita are safe to use daily. Both 1% and 2% have been found to show similar results. Ketoconazole acts as a DHT inhibitor (albeit a weak one), It's been long time since I read anything on Ketoconazole but I believe in studies the 2% concentration was found to be as effective as 2% Minoxidil.

As 1982UK has stated, Minoxidil (Rogaine) is the only real proven option open to you if your mind is made up regarding Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar). You should be aware though, that Minoxdil like Finasteride is also a life long commitment. You could also consider trying ketoconazole (Nizoral/Revita). The only clinic/doctors I'd consider in the UK is the Farjos' in Manchester.

I've read of people taking Finasteride in twice per day doses but I've never been keen on the idea myself. I take my MSM during the day (no set time) and my Finasteride at 12 am every night. I don't know if it's detrimental or not but personally I don't like the idea of taking multiple pills in one go.

Hey Bill, Yeah, I'm sure he isn't ignoring me and my post is in no way meant as a slate on Dr. Charles, I'm just a little disappointed that I didn't find out the answers to my questions in time as I was really interested in using this product post-op. I did consider phoning the clinic but didn't feel the question warranted a phone call so emailed instead. The only place I have found this product is online from the USA (though I didn't search for long), so it's too late for me to get it delivered anyway but I would still be interested in learning more.

Well I must admit I'm fairly disappointed with the lack of responses. I have asked in this thread, sent a message to Dr. Charles on here and emailed Dr. Charles' clinic yet still have no answers to my questions. That being said, I know Dr. Charles and his clinic will be very busy and perhaps PanamaJimmy is the only guy out of 303 views that has used the product. Oh well, onwards and upwards. I have decided not to use H2Ocean spray and will stick with a simple saline solution instead. I appreciate that Dr Charles at some stage was using this product with good results, however, I don't feel comfortable using a product which seems that very little people have experience with and without instructions on how to use it. As I haven't heard anything back, I can't even be sure if Dr. Charles still uses or recommends its use.

The reason some clinics ask for them [HIV, Hep C tests] is obvious so I won't go into that but the reason some clinics/hospitals ask for them and others don't I guess comes down to personal choice. I believe this will be the same across the board, some transplant clinics don't require them while others do. I've never had an operation in the hospital but I'm guessing some will more thorough then others, the same would go for other clinics providing all types of cosmetic surgery (I'd imagine).

If the follicle did not produce a hair then there is no hair to create a pore (opening in the tissue). If you mean will the incisisions made to place the grafts be visible, then no they shouldn't be. Using today's techniques most people will show no signs of surgery (in the receipt), however, there will be some scarring though it shouldn't visible at least not easily even if there is no growth

Welcome Thehair1, Hairs are produced by and grow out of follicles. If after a transplant the follicle isn't producing any hair it is either severely damaged or hasn't survived. I read of a case recently where the follicles/grafts had been placed to deeply and the hair was unable to reach the surface, some of these grafts were later worked on which allowed healthy hair to reach the surface. I believe the aforementioned cases are very rare and if after say 14 months the graft/follicle isn't producing hair you can assume it never will and is dead.

Hey Guys, I realise Dr. Charles is a very busy man and can't reply to every post or private message directed at him, however, if I'm to use this product I really need to order it in the next couple of days. I would really appreciate it if any of Dr. Charles' patients who have had some experience with this product could reply with details on how it is to be used post-op and how often. Failing that I would love to hear of other products that have been used in the receipt post-op (not including GraftCyte).

That truly is astounding, it's difficult to comprehend how different this lad's life may have been had he not found a talented surgeon willing to help. It just goes to show what can be achieved in the right hands. Well done Dr. Feriduni.

Wow Megatron, that looks really nasty (sore). Glad things are getting better.

Sunny, Although I agree that a healthy diet is ultimately the way to go and that what Sparky is describing shouldn't make a any difference, a quick search on Google using the words "diet and hair loss" will bring up vast amounts of information indicating there is a lot more to it than the above quote. I have also read posts from doctors on here warning of the dangers of dieting. I'm only going off what I have read and the fact that many clinics will ask about your diet. Some clinics even inquire about your diet on forms which suggest to me, they feel it [diet and hair loss] is a common enough issue that needs to be ruled out. I'm not speaking about Sparky's case here, but personally, I wouldn't want to change my diet a great deal post-op until my hair had came in. I'm not suggesting that your final results would be any different, but early post-op (1 - 52 weeks) would be a really bad time to suffer a shed brought on by diet. That being said, if the changes were gradual and sensible I wouldn't be overly worried.

I don't believe anything you're describing should do you any harm. I'd treat the 3 weeks as a blimp and return to your normal pre-op regime but thats just me.

I'm sure you'll be fine. Personally, I would try and keep everything how it was prior to the transplant, at least for a few month months.

Sparky, To tell you the truth I'm not sure, I don't even think any of the doctors could tell you with a great degree of certainty. I do know hair loss is often a noted side effect in calorie restrictive diets.

I think you'll be fine, just be careful. There's a reason why a lot of clinics inquire about recent changes in diet during consults.

I suffered recurring pimples in the receipt from around month 1 to 6. It was only one or two at a time and they were fairly short lived. To ease them you could try applying a warm face cloth to the area when they appear; Distilled witch hazel may also reduce their occurrence and help with any redness.

Sparky, I'm not sure if it will affect your final result but sudden and/or drastic diet changes can cause hair loss.