trying2moveahead

OK, you're right...we did not answer his original question. However, if someone was to ask me if I liked their shoes while a bus was bearing down on them, I would likely yell "get out of the street!" instead of commenting on the shoes! Anyway, how can anyone actually reply otherwise?? I guess we should say; drink-on, cirrhosis man!! Seriously though, what is sound advice in this situation? The presumption that this type of drinking is OK because it's "expected in college" is rediculous. We're talking 10-15 beers a night almost every night of the week here...10 TO 15 BEERS!! You simply cannot consume alcohol in this quantity without causing serious and (likely) permanent damage to your body, no matter who you are, what you think your tolerance is, or what school you are going to....case closed. Will it have an impact on the effects on Propecia or Rogaine? Give me a break!! trying2moveahead [This message was edited by trying2moveahead on September 05, 2003 at 02:53 PM.]

Unless this is a prank post, you describe a well established alcoholic by any standards. I would try going at least 1 week without to try to test myself. Please, consider help soon! trying2moveahead [This message was edited by trying2moveahead on September 03, 2003 at 01:23 PM.]

All normal, healthy hair has three life stages of growth, rest and fall-out (someone else will need to post the medical terms...I always forget them!). That means approx. 1/3 of hair is either nearing or in the fallout stage at any given time. But every hair his actually on its own schedule so (obviously) there's not a sudden loss of 1/3 all at once and only a relatively small number is normally seen at one time if you're looking (most go unnoticed). I would think the the numbers of hairs you mention is nothing to worry about, but let's see what other posters (and maybe MD's) say. trying2moveahead

Ken- Couple of things that concern me: 1st, I do not see anything that demonstrates or illustrates your claims in your photos that you've posted. Circling an area and stating something like "this is all new" is not sufficient in my mind. 2nd, your before and after photos look absolutely the same to me....exactly the same. But, at the same time, I would not expect to see a change because totally healthy hair grows about 1/4" a month. Anything brand new at 7 days would likely be extremely short (no more than 1/16th of an inch) and likely very, very fine (is this what you hoped could be seen?). 3rd is actually more of a question. Have you worn a hairpeice or system before and then stopped (especially one that attatched to or weaved into the side hair)?? If so, it seems highly possible that any new growth you claim to have along the top of the side hair (where you have circled) could be regrowth after experiencing "traction allopecia" secondary to the system. Thoughts? Also, I cannot recall if you said you are taking Propecia or not. trying2moveahead

Ken- It is important to point out that many folks here are VERY self-educated in hair loss and its causes. Most of this education stems from the school of hard knocks, much like what you experienced with your earlier HT work (for which I do understand your pain....been there too!). Also included in this school of hard knocks is the world of magic potions, home-brewed topicals, and miraculous oral treatments or cures that fail to work and only succeded in separating the user from his money. I, for one, become extrelemly annoyed when someone starts repetatively posting that they have somehow unlocked the secrets of hair loss in their own kitchens, when the entire scientific community has otherwise failed or have had only moderate victories (Propecia being at the top of the victory list). Constant, unrelenting posts about topical lemon juice and vitamins essentially overwhelmed The Bald Truth site at one time and I really hope that does not happen here. trying2moveahead

This was just asked in another thread, so I'm cutting and pasting that same response here.... In the LA area you've got Dr's Rassman and McClellan over at NHI who are doing all-FU work. I just had my second procedure of 1700+ by Dr McClellan this month, which will be adding density to a 1200+ FU "repair" procedure he did over one year ago. Although I have no problem whatsoever in recommending Dr M or NHI, I would not limit myself solely to a certain geographical area to make my decision on who will be doing my work. trying2moveahead

The only other forums I frequent are: http://www.hairlosshelp.com (busy site) http://www.thebaldtruth.com (pretty darn dead these days) I can't say they're geared towards alternative treatments overall, but there are topics other than HT's on them. trying2moveahead

It is my understanding that Propecia is FAR more effective than Rogaine ever was (although I still use both). I had moderate balding in my crown that Propecia did a pretty darn good job filling in. I'm pretty sure that it has also significantly slowed thinning on top and the upper/front of my side hair (which has been tied into with FUT to build high temples), however it is still slowly creeping back and down there....slowly. I've been on Propecia for 2 or 3 years and will NEVER stop unless it suddenly stops working and everything suddenly falls out. Has taken a little "lead out of the pencil" but has not been a problem (slightly reduced drive but everything works fine when it needs to!). Can it regrow any of your hair? From what I understand, maybe. Especially if it has been recent loss. There has been one apparent documented extreme case of total regrowth with a very bald patient, but I believe this was a rare case. I think it is on the http://www.newhair.com website somewhere. Lifetime commitment? Yes. As long as you want to sustain whatever effect it had. Lifestyle change with physically taking the pill? No. Unless popping a tiny peach-colored pill once a day (bedtime for me) constitues an unacceptable lifestyle change for you! On another note, I agree with the posters that stated you should concentrate primarily on the front 1/3 of the scalp. It looks to me like you do not have enough supply left for widespread coverage. You must know that the best you could probably attain with any restoration is an very thin (but natural) appearance, yes? On a positive note, your previous grafts along the front are certainly not the "pluggiest" I've seen (I had some much bigger!). It looks to me like it is possible to retain some of the smaller ones and not remove all of them, then surround them with FU's. The bigger ones can be redistributed as Arfy (one of the wisest posters ever) said. You know, I kinda even like the general hairline shape that they currently form, although it would be helpful to see a from-the-front, eyebrows up shot. Is that possible? trying2moveahead

In the LA area you've got Dr's Rassman and McClellan over at NHI who are doing all-FU work. I just had my second procedure of 1700+ by Dr McClellan this month, which will be adding density to a 1200+ FU "repair" procedure he did over one year ago. Although I have no problem whatsoever in recommending Dr M or NHI, I would not limit myself solely to a certain geographical area to make my decision on who will be doing my work. trying2moveahead

It's been over a year since my last procedure and I'm actually becoming a littly sketchy on the instructions I rec'd for the days immediately following surgery. Plus, my last procedure was an all-FU procedure which may require different after-care than what you had done. If I recall correctly however, I was not supposed to really touch the area at all for a significant number of days, then was allowed to gently rub in the shower (using a special shampoo or graftcyte) to remove any scabs that were totally ready to come off anyway. I'll become very familiar with the after-care instructions in a couple of days, however! I'm having another FU procedure early next week! Anyway, try to relax and divert your attention for a bit. I know it can be hard and I sense you're somewhat nervous and apprehensive about all this. Try not to obsess too much and give things a chance to heal properly. However, reconfirm what exactly you should be doing as far as rubbing, etc., with your MD/office/clinic. Did they send you off with wriiten instructions? trying2moveahead

Woops! This is the "ask a Dr." forum isn't it? Perhaps I'm speaking out of turn! I'm certainly not a Dr! Your questions are best answered by an MD...either here or by calling the office where you had work done. trying2moveahead

OK, I think if you're seeing the thin scab crust with a hair or hairs poking through it out both the top AND the bottom of it, you are OK. If you see a clump of tissue with hair only poking out the top of it, I think that would be a problem. It is a bit early for general shedding, which occurs more around the 2-3 week mark, but I think I remember some hairs coming out when the scabs came off too. Are you sure they want you rubbing already? I remember having to gently pat the area only in the shower and for several days. trying2moveahead

Wait a minute! He said grafts coming out! Did you mean to say the hairs themselves or the entire graft (including the surrounding tissue)? As Microprose stated, shedding the hairs is normal and to be expected (most or all will shed and regrow in approx. 3 mos.). If you're losing entire grafts, that is a problem! Please clarify! trying2moveahead

The one picture up so far does not reveal a problem of hair loss at all (I would love to have your hair!). Granted, the picture is taken far away and indoors in relatively dark conditions. You do have a very low hairline so any thinning you have must either be in the crown area or it is diffuse and widespread(?). There's no indication of a receeding hairline at all. Can you provide any better pics? Has anyone actually ever commented on your hair thinning? trying2moveahead BTW, I think the photo would be a great "provide a caption" photo with the shot glass, deer-in-the-headlights look and the office setting!

Hats is a non-issue (wive's tale). Might be some stress fall-out as a result of the move to Hong Kong....hard to say. Was/is it very stressful? Stress fall-out tends to regrow after a while. With the weather/water issues...I tend to think these might effect the texture/condition of your hair and not the actual growth of it. If it's now more coarse and brittle it may appear as if it's thinning. Perhaps you had softened water where you lived and now you don't(?). Try a leave-in conditioner for a few days and see what happens. In any case, sounds like it's time to start the Propecia in the event there's some MPB in play as well. trying2moveahead

Yeah, Matthew's got it right. Although I think the rersulting blemish at the base of the hairs is almost as important as the number of hairs (not to detract from the number of hairs problem!). If the follicles are not microscopically dissected there is a relatively large mass of tissue surrounding the follicles. Traditional methods use a coring punch to remove...well...a "plug" of tissue where this mass can fit inside. Sometimes this mass sits too high and sometimes too low. This tends to heal poorly and often results in what has come to be known as "cobblestoning". Those performing the best all-microscopically dissected FU procedures insert the 1, 2 and 3 hair follicles in a tiny slit incision that heals way better than the traditional methods (there's no surrounding tissue to deal with). I have both types on my head and can speak to this first hand. trying2moveahead

I've been on Propecia for a couple years now and have had good results, even though some noticeable shedding occurs almost constantly and significant shedding occurs every 3-4 months. All hair has 3 constantly repeating life cycles of growth, rest and fallout. Average folks never notice the fallout stage much because every hair is on its own schedule and the fallout is staggered. I think that starting Propecia sets a bunch of hair on the same schedule because growth started at the same time. Therefore the shedding phases seem more pronounced than when not taking Propecia. Just a layperson's theory though! I say keep using it and just focus on overall results and try not to stress over the sheds too much. trying2moveahead

Wive's tale all the way. DHT speeds up the balding process! trying2moveahead

I had work done by Dr McLellan of NHI who is based in LA and am quite pleased with the results. However, I'm concerend with the fact you posted "emergency consultation" in your post. I would caution you to slow down a bit and do your homework, regardless of who is recommended here or anywhere. HT's are not something that should be done hastily. Can you provide a little background on your situation? trying2moveahead

Well, wet hair often appears thinner than dry hair, so that's not really a big deal in itself. However, the extreme mood/opinion swings between feeling you have "perfect" hair on some days and are rather bald on others seems a bit odd. Do you experience extreme mood/opinion swings with other things in your life too? Might be worth seeing someone about if you do. Anyway, if you are truly experiencing MPB hairloss, the Propecia/Proscar & Rogaine is the way to go. trying2moveahead

I would not risk missing that many days. I would see if your local pharmacy would be willing to supply you with a few for this period. You may need to tell your MD office and they may need to call, but it should not be much of a problem. trying2moveahead

My impression is that it is not shock loss as a result of the HT. It's been far too long since the procedure. Sounds like loss from another cause. She needs to see an MD or dermatologist. trying2moveahead

Yeah, I agree with the above post. You certainly should NOT experiment with medications outside the supervision of an MD. Sometimes medications can even have an oppsite or "rebound" effect if the dosage is too high, too low, or given in the wrong circumstances (which likely applies here, since Propecia is mostly used in men). In addition, experimenting with any medications can be dangerous! I am simpathetic to the fact that female hair loss is even more traumatic than MPB, is more mysterious and is harder to treat. Your frustration is understandible, but PLEASE DO NOT try such desparate measures on your own! tryin2moveahead

I've been on Propecia for a couple of years now and this is what I've come to believe about the periodic episodes of significant shedding while on Propecia.... Normal hairs have 3 repeating life cycle stages which are growth, rest, and fall-out. Persons not on medication have hairs in every stage at one time and the normal shedding is barely noticeable. When someone starts Propecia, it puts a bunch of hairs into the same stage at the same time. Therefore, all these hairs reach the fall-out stage at the same time and a significant shed is experienced. I've grown to expect (and even welcome) a significant shedding phase every 3 - 4 months now (they used to cause me great anxiety). trying2moveahead