aw33

Yes I forgot to add that as well; a better appearance of fullness is achieved when the hair color and scalp color match closely.

Thick, black, coarse, wavy hair creates the best appearance of "fullness". Many guys can try a 3' guard but few can use a 2' guard, so experiment with your hair cuts and see how deep you can go. I do think you can go for that hair style in the link you've posted. An HT can only be successful in the hands of a good surgeon - to be honest, your choice worries me. As you probably know already, a hair transplant is not a standard procedure that every Doc graduating from med school can perform, it takes a lot of skill and experience. An HT at the hands of an incompetent Doc can leave you with incorrectly-placed grafts, depletion of donor hair, a big donor scar and grafts not coming in to grow hair. I hope you made your decision only after plenty of research. Good luck.

An HT done by a good surgeon will change your appearance and life forever - I say this based on results I have seen produced by top Docs. Has your hair loss stabilized? Are you on meds (Minoxidil/FInasteride)? How long have you been losing your hair? What do you hope to achieve? Have you done some research on any potential Docs?

30 days isn't an adequate amount of time to evaluate this drug. I personally saw thicker hairs and less hair falling out by month 3 and I saw my best results 1 year into usage. I haven't personally experienced any major side effects but I have seen some guys post that their side effects did not go away after they stopped using the drug - there's no way to be sure that these guys were claiming the truth but I have seen a small number of guys post this. According to the drug makers, sexual side effects disappear some time after stoppage of usage.

I think that amount of grafts CAN create a nice balance in your front. Who was your surgeon?

I don't think it is normal. Keep on using it and see what happens to your hair and how the side effects turn out. If it does turn out that you are getting some strong sexual side effects, you might have to stop using Finasteride, but once you get to that stage, you can discuss the issue with a qualified physician. Good luck

This qualifies as a diffuse pattern, right?

Never seen a person with an HT gel their hair. This patient's hair looks outstanding - goes to show you just how well the work had to be done for his hair to look this good gelled.

Go to your local pharmacy and if they happen to be from an international source, then so be it.

Woah, your case really interests me; I have almost the same pattern as you had when you started. I've lost my crown and temples but I still have a strong mid-section like you had and I still have my frontal forelock. You say you had your first HT at age 24, that's really interesting - at that stage, how long had you been losing your hair and how long had you been taking Finasteride? How exactly did Finasteride benefit you, how long did it work for? I am also losing a bit of ground with Finasteride and although I am a NW3V right now, I think I might be headed for a NW4-5. Weren't you worried about the potential harmful effects of Dudasteride? Did Dr.Feller recommend it for you? Thanks and good luck, your hair looks outstanding!

Alright, thanks for your valuable insight Doc.

You have a lot of hair around the thinning areas. A hair transplant at this stage would be very risky, as there is no way to make sure that the native hair does not fall out. Wait a couple of years and if your hair loss has stabilized then, go for the HT. My pattern is almost identical to yours, I have less hair and my crown and temples have thinned out. There are some hair styles out there that you can use and benefit from greatly. I used to do a "high and tight" cut, it was an attempt layer my baldness and make the thin and thick areas look even. I can't use that cut anymore because of my crown but you can try it. Here is the link for how it looks: http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&source=hp&q=high+and+tight&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=6a5a05a31a92c896 Now I just let my hair grow out and keep it short like Jason Statham's: http://www.google.ca/#hl=en&q=jason+statham&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=jason+sta&gs_rfai=&fp=6a5a05a31a92c896 When I do need a cut, what I do it first buzz my entire head with a machine and then shave the sides and back off - this gives a good layered effect to my head and minimizes the baldness by a high degree. Try different cuts as an HT just isn't right for you at this stage - with the right cut and the right grooming, you shouldn't have to worry about an HT for a long time.

Any type of hair CAN be placed on the scalp, in that sense, it CAN work but that doesn't necessarily mean it should be placed there. Hair on the scalp is different from other hair around your body. In my own case, body hair is weaker, easy to pull out, wavy and the foundation is extremely weak. Most surgeons don't use body hair unless it is a last resort. However, there are some surgeons that use it frequently, one name I have come across is Dr. Umar and his patient results are quite nice.

Speak to your Doc and make sure that it is Propecia, that is causing this. Your Doc might prescribe you something but if you have no other choice, quitting Propecia might solve this issue.

So you took Propecia but you gave up after 4 months? Were you not seeing anything? Was it at least slowing down or stopping your progression? If you go through an HT, you need to keep your exsiting hair.

If you had been taking Finasteride since age 18, for 7 years, you would have been a good candidate for an HT. Even without the drug, for a person with hair loss at a young age, you have not lost A LOT of hair, so I really believe the drug would have helped you maintain a lot of your lost hair and it would have made you ready for an HT at this stage. Get on the drug and use it for at least 1 year and evaluate the results. Being young and without use of Finasteride is a bad combination for an HT and most ethical surgeons would tell you this and have you take the drug.

I get residue the next morning when I wash my head.

Well, even if your pattern did closely resemble that of father/uncle/grandfather, would that be a chance your willing to take? Would that be a chance an ethical surgeon would be willing to take? A shaved head looks bad on many people, I personally don't like the way it looks either so I came by with a new style. I buzzed the top of my head where the hair is thinner and I shaved the back and sides of my head where the hair is thicker and this produces a layered and fine looking pattern. However, I'd be much more not interested in putting so much time and effort into my hair and would rather focus on other aspects of my body/face. For instance, these days I just buzz my hair and my head looks like Jason Statham's, with a fair bit more hair. I try to focus on grooming well and keeping myself in top shape. I personally have never tried a concealor of any sort. I sweat a lot, the wind in Toronto is unpredictable and I go through many different types of activities throughout my day so I just don't bother with them. If your hair really bothers you that much and if you can go about your day with Topikk on then by all means go for it. The main thing essential for a successful HT is stabilization of your baldness. There are 3 ways that your hair loss can be stabilized: 1. Finasteride 2. Age (For example, a 50 year old who has stable hair now that he has been gradually losing his hair for the past 25 years) 3. Only hair loss experienced is a matured hair line (In some men, the only form of hair loss they encounter is a receded hair line and nothing else) If we had a way to successfully stabilize hair loss indefinately then I'd be the first one to go under the knife for a transplant. Since we don't, we have to use the best alternatives which for now involve taking Finasteride for a long time so that it can slow/stop your MPB. As for you being afraid of the drug (which is understandable, my father asks me all the time about what the drug may cause in 20-30-40 years from now), there really isn't much you can do. You can either take the drug and try it out for some time (1 year to fully evaluate results) or you can avoid the drug and let your hair loss progress. Since your a NW4A at such a young age, I am going to assume that your father, uncles and grandfather mostly have NW6 patterns. There is no guarantee but there is a good chance that you too are destined to become an NW6 - a hair transplant at that stage is difficult and expensive. Depending on your donor hair, you might need as many as 6000-8000+ grafts to achieve a decent look and the price can run you in at over $20,000. Think hard about it and make your decision. If I was in your shoes, I would go for it. GL

4A pattern isn't bad. Genetics are hard to fully comprehend - you cannot simply base your future pattern on your father. My father lost his hair around age 25, is 5'6 and weighs 140 lbs. I am 6'3, weigh 210 lbs and lost my hair at age 17. You never know what your future holds for you. It isn't as easy as simply getting another HT once you further develop your hair loss pattern - an HT is expensive and it isn't easy to go through. Are you afraid of using Propecia because of all the negative reviews of it you have seen ONLINE? Think about it, even if all of those reviews were accurate, even if you could find 10,000 negative reviews about Propecia, just imagine all the positive reviews of the drug that people don't post. Most people that benefit from a drug don't scour the net looking for places to post their stories, they simply keep using the drug and keep quiet unless they are asked directly (like many of us here on these forums, including myself currently telling you my positive results with the drug). Based on what the drug makers themselves claim, if only 2% of the people taking the drug in the study got affected by the side effects and if you see 10,000 negative reviews, you can just imagine the number of people that have benefited from this drug. The only thing that causes Male Pattern Baldness is your genetics. According to current science anyways.

Hey Zack, Losing your hair at a young age is tough. I am going through it as well - I was 17 when I noticed my hair thinning and today, I am 20 and I am still going through it. The best single piece of advice anyone in the world right now could give you is to get on Finasteride. If it wasn't for Finasteride, I STRONGLY believe that I'd be a NW5-6 right now but instead I am only a NW3. The lower your NW pattern, the better your chances of obtaining adequate HT results - for instance, I have a better chance of restoring my hair and having a "fuller" look with an HT as opposed to a NW5 who would need a lot more work done to achieve that same look. Finasteride is available as Propecia and Proscar and there are some other brands as well. Proscar is a 5mg version which you cut into 4ths and it is quite affordable. Propecia on the other hand comes with just the right dose (1mg) and it is a bit more expensive. They are essentially the same thing. You can also try Rogaine 5% foam if you haven't already tried it, it is said to work quite well for young men who haven't been losing their hair for a long time. Wearing a hat is fine - almost everyone here has worn them to cover up their baldness. What I'd recommend is a different hair style - try a few different ones and see if you can find one that suits your current state. If you find that growing your hair out is not an option due to your level of hair loss, then just buzz it. Your too young for an HT and the thing about Propecia and Rogaine is that while it can help you significantly improve your current situation by helping you to keep your existing hair or slowing down your hair loss, in the majority of men, it will not grow back a lot of hair. So unless you happen to be one of those lucky few that grows back a significant amount of lost hair with Finasteride + Rogaine, your best case scenario for the present is being able to keep your existing hair. It really is out of your hands for the time being but the good news is that if you get on Finasteride and wait a few more years for your hair loss to stabilize and if you have decent donor hair characteristics, a hair transplant can help you to greatly improve your appearance. Don't worry too about something you don't have much control over for the time being. I could tell you that there are women out there who don't care about hair loss, who look for things beyond your physical appearance but the truth is, most women who are around your age do put A LOT of emphasis on looks. Don't think much about it and try to find a decent hair style, otherwise buzz your hair. Wear a hat and take it off when you need to without thinking twice about it. Focus on your career and on your fitness. When the time comes, you can be ready for a good hair transplant that can give you what you are looking for.

If you have hair loss, don't take the chance. Don't use excessive water on your scalp and don't use high-powered showers that pound your scalp. Play it safe.

An HT at such a young age without Finasteride? Is it just me or does that seem very unethical of your Doc to do? Without Finasteride, you have no way of stabilizing your hair loss - unless it stabilizes by itself, which isn't likely as you've had hair loss at such a young age, you will need further transplants to cover up the areas that might bald if you stop taking the drug. You should have tried the drug before your HT. You really can't do much - keep using the drug until you are 100% sure that there are significant side effects, at that point you can discuss your options with your Doc.

The liquid version is known to cause irritation in some men and is known to be hard to use. Use Rogaine Foam. I get mine on eBay, if you need help looking for a legit source there, send me a msg and I will direct you to the person I purchase it from.

5 weeks isn't a long time. FYI hair falling out is normal - thin hair falling means MPB is taking its course. Give it a year - for the majority of people it slows down MPB or puts it to a complete halt, so if your not having any side effects, just keep using the drug and evaluate it's effectiveness thereafter.

Looks like I have misread - my apologies.