JakeVig

welcome to the forums irvchilichill, You are among friends here and we all know to well the physcological effects that hair loss can have. I would agree with john to stay away from the chains. You dont want anyone but the best and proven surgeons to mess with your head. Many of the best independent surgeons are even cheaper than the chains so its a win-win. Having said that a NW5 at 27 could be a problem as you may not have enough donor hair to maintain a satisfactory result in the future. First thing you should do is to get on Propecia and if you can stand the daily regime indefinately Minoxidil as well. As a NW5 I dont believe you will be happy with your results with only 1900 grafts. I would consult a few of the good ethical surgeons listed in the coalition here to work out a game plan for you now and into the future. Most of the consultations can be done online and are free. Most excellent doctors now employee the tricho scar closure that lets hair grow through the scar, so after a couple of months if you leave your hair longer than a #2 buzz cut it should not be an issue. Basically if you post your pictures (you can edit out your face) we can give you a more accurate assessment of how many grafts you will need. Although I can tell you from experience that you can take comfort in the advice of many of the top surgeons listed on this site as they really do have your long term interests at heart. This forum is a valuable research tool, I suggest that you go through and take a look at many of the patient photos listed here to get an idea of the cosmetic result that can be achieved with the no of grafts. Hope this helps.

BAL, From my research I believe that you would have achieved all of your growth by the 6-8 month mark. After that the new hair will only thicken which is what gives the improved cosmetic effect.

blues77, at 29 you could be in danger of not having enough donor supply to give you complete coverage. If you are getting sides of Propecia I would try going every other day as Propecia is still the most effective FDA approved drug for hairloss and in preventing shockloss from a HT.

68cm2 is low density. Normal density varies between 80-100cm2. You're still in the lucky group of not having to deplete your donor supply.

dhuge, I actually think that you have a great head for the shaved slick look. Well with a breakdown like that Im not suprised that you got 3's on your hairline - as you have an unusually low count for 1's and 2's. On the plus side that if thats your average distrobution your going to have pretty good coverage with your limited no of grafts. Maybe FUE will not be bad for you as they will be able to find and extract 1's for your hairline and the rest for everything else.

Hi Blues77, How old are you? After being on this forum for a little while I know that Dr Rahal is an excellent Dr and you will not go wrong with him. Well I guess you know how many hairs you have in the bank so I guess its up to you where you want to spend it :-). The hairline and midscalp area has a more cosmetic benefit so it definately a wise choice to have your first HT there. Also most of the meds are more effective in the crown so putting that off till later may let you make more efficient use of your grafts later. You do seem to have diffused thinning so shock loss is a real concern. I would definately get on Propecia if you're not on it already. Apart from that I think that you're in very capable hands with Dr Rahal and you should be able to rest easy on his advice.

Greg you and I are in the same shoes. I am also 27 working in a corporate environment. I ended up taking 3 weeks off to get my HT done, I told everyone that I was going on a holiday in the states (which was actually true :-). I believe I needed the 3 weeks off work for no one to notice because I had to shave down the thinning horseshoe behind my tuff so I could get some density added there. So my real problem was the uneven hair length behind my front tuff. The recipient area healed well within the first 7-10 days. Apart from that the shaved area around the donor was also noticeable because I didnt leave my hair long before the procedure. At the end of the day, I just added some dermmatch for the first 2 weeks back at work (3 weeks post op) and no one had a clue. From then on it has been undetectable ever since. As for now, 3 months post op - everything is good, the new hair is a little thinner and lighter but really no one would be able to tell the difference at all. I was also worried about the new hair being noticeable but in reality it grows back so gradually that no one would have a clue that anything has changed between one day and the next.

jackisback, Avodart is not FDA approved for hair loss at the moment so you are going to have a hard time finding a doctor to precribe it for you. I got my HT doctor to prescribe it for me. If you are unable to get one than you can also get a prescription online at: http://www.medicalwellnesscenter.com/ Avodart does have more potent side effects than Propecia and has a longer half-life meaning it will take a while before the side effects will go away if you discontinue its use. Also The Phase III trials have not completed yet , Otherwise we would have heard about it :-).

A couple of things: I cant see how a HT can get much better than recreating the natural grouping of FU as it happens now. The only things that could improve I believe are creating a better illusion of density with a limited no of grafts and creating an even more undetectable scar. Hair Multiplication or Hair Cloning will increase business as doctors will be able to have more hair to transplant. Your last point is valid one what happens when you lose the rest of your hair and run out of donor. The only prevention for this at the moment are the meds which are clinically proven to at least slow down the hair loss. But if technology improves like you say and Hair Multiplication or Hair Cloning becomes a commercial reality than we have nothing to worry about as we would have a near limitless donor supply. But without technological advancement than it is best to take a conservative approach because the worst thing about signing up for HT's is when you run out of donor supply and are unable to make corrections.

Hairbank I believe you got it wrong. I don't believe Minoxidil is a DHT inhibitor at all. I believe it works by allowing a better blood supply to the follicles. There does exist Minoxidil based products (read: Xandros and Revivogen) that combine DHT inhibitors like Azelic acid (which is believed to prevent nearly 100% of scalp DHT forming where applied) with the Minoxidil solution. I believe this is the reason why hair gained with Minoxidil will not be kept with Finasteride as they work completely differently.

This is an all to common story with HT patients. They undergo a HT to with unrealistic expectations to restore their once youthfull hairlines. I imagine your story would be very common in places like Bosley where they have untrained sales people armed with dubious photos being paid commission to get you in the chair. Dr True has had some negative feedback during his tenure with Dr Elliot so this story is not unconceivable. Though I have to ask after 4 previous transplants of what sound like mediocre results why would think that the next one would restore a full head of hair? Despite him telling you what you wanted to hear, did you see any photos or patient results with the results you expected? Though I would imagine it would've been a lot harder to weed out the truth in the mediocre age of HT's without the Internet being as prevelant as it is today. Your story is also troubling in the fact that you underwent multiple HT's in a short period of time as a young hairloss sufferer. Were you on propecia at the time? are you on propecia now? In a time when many people are moving away from hair systems to HT's are you happier with your system? What NW are you now and would you consider another HT in future?

Hi thaman, Welcome to the forums, when people use NW2 or NW3 to describe their baldness they are referring to the Hamilton-Norwood scale, an example of which you can find here: http://www.regrowhair.com/general-hair-loss-topics/the-hamiltonnorwood-scale/ Basically its just a chart that illustrates the degrees of baldness with men that have Male Pattern Baldness. You can use generic minoxidil which comes in a liquid form which is normally dispensed with the supplied eye dropper. The most common use of Minoxidil would be 5%. The problem with Minoxidil and Propecia is that they are treatments that must be taken indefinately in order to keep the hair that it has helped grow or maintain. So only if you are prepared to use the meds indefinately should you consider it. You will need a prescription for Propecia though you can get Minoxidil over the counter. Because you are so young it is best that you get on the medication now and see how you fare after a couple of years. You have found a great forum with a wealth of information here, take your time and do your research so you can make an informed decisions regarding your hairloss. Hope this Helps!

Thought it might be an interesting read: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060830/wl_uk_afp/afplifes...lthhair_060830141011

Robo, I was joking about the zigzag scar, your not going to get anything other than the most efficient line that would produce the least tension and scarring. As for the donor scar just in the back, that is restricted to the no of grafts you want. You have to measure how many cm you want the line to be, if you can allow for 10cm at 1.2cm high and you have good density of 100cm2 then you can hope for 10 * 1.2 * 100 to give you around 1200 grafts. If you work hard on the scalp excercises to increase your laxity you may be able to get a 1.5cm high strip in which case you could expect nearly 1500 grafts. If that is all you need then you can get away with a scar that is mostly at the back.

Hi John P, Good to hear about your experience with Dr Epstein, he has many happy patients over the years so Im not suprised you had a good one as well. We would like to see your results. If you do not have any before pics you should ask Dr Epstein as he should still have your pictures on file.

You looking to style your scar Robo? If that were possible I think I will go for a zig-zag design next :-)

Well the 2 scars in the back is not a great idea because they would both compete in the same area for laxity. Laxity is the reason for doctors to generally not be able to harvest more than a 1.2 - 1.5cm donor strip. Also getting hair on the sides is good because it will mean more donor is available and will make the sides appear less dense so it is less obvious that you are thinning on top. Personally since my first procedure was only 1300 grafts, I could've gone for FUE but I opted for FUT since I am young I will likely require more HT's in future and I want to go for maximum yield with the limited donor supply I have. Also I do not want to buzz my hair in the future (hence the HT), so not being able to shave my head bald again was not a problem for me.

just pointing to ad sponsored sites, I believe he has done this before!

Thats a good attitude to have RoboNick. You're not rushing into anything as you are aware that it is a lifelong comittment. You can of course consider FUE which avoids a linear scar. I still have not seen anyone with a shaved head (#1 or #2) with FUE so Im not sure if it is at all visibile or not. P.S. If you do find a cure for hairloss can you let the rest of us know about it :-)

Hi joe, I have currently been taking Avodart for about 2 months since 10 days after my HT. I needed to get on an aggressive regimen because I was experiencing a lot of hairloss while I was on Propecia. At the moment I believe Im still experience some shedding I am still hopefull that the shedding will stop after a few more weeks and to expect some positive results in 3-4 months. With Avodart and Xandros (with Azelic Acid) and Nizoral 2% Im trying to stave as much DHT from my scalp as I possibly can. It really should be a last option in any regimen as it has not yet been approved for hairloss yet and there are no long term studies on it. Also it is considered a 'dangerous drug' compared to Propecia because of the way it works. I would think very hard about your decision to start taking Avodart. It has a 6 month effective life so if you get any sides with it, it will likely be a long time before they subside. You can read a number of Avodart patients feedback here: http://xenicalwtloss.hypermart.net/AvodartPatientTestimonials.html I only took it because I was having aggressive hairloss under propecia in the last few years. Also I am young so if the hairloss continued like this it would be likely that I would not have enough donor hair left for an acceptable cosmetic appearance in future. I am not holding my breadth for hair multiplication in the next 8 years so I decided I needed to do everything to stop my hairloss now. In conclusion I dont think I have achieved much regrowth off Avodart but I do believe my hairloss has at least slowed compared to Propecia - though it is really hard to tell after only a couple of months. I would also like to hear other peoples experiences from using Avodart here.

Congrats skit, You got a mega session with one of the best. With 4769 grafts be prepared to meet a new you in a few months :-). Definately keep us updated on your progress we would all like to witness your transformation as well!

Hi Troy, Yep you're right your hair definately looks a lot thicker at that length, it even looks good too. Personally that would me my desired length if that were my hair! Your 9 month pics are an improvement on your 8 months pics. Whatever shedding you may have had previously looks like has stopped. Keep us updated with what SMG says in October.

Hi Abid, Your doctor's advice sounds ethical in that he is recommending for you to get on the only FDA approved meds for hairloss and to postpone your HT as you are still too young. I do not agree with his assessment on FUT (strip). It is true that you will not have a linear scar with FUE (you can still get moth bite scarring though), but with the tricho closure from an *excellent* doctor the scar will not be visible even under most buzz cuts. Also FUT has a better yield than FUE and if you need large numbers FUT is the only option. Take his advice get on Propecia. If you can stand the regimen indefinately get on Minoxidil as well. I would still be on the search for an excellent doctor if I were you - I have never heard of any good doctors from Pakistan and have seen some horrible HT's with FUE's.

799simonb, The initial shedding from Propecia is actually a good indication that it may be working. You should give it about 6-12 months before you judge its efficacy. I gave it about 18 months and most of my hairloss within that time before I switched to Avodart. Unfortunately Im about 2 months in and experiencing shedding with Avodart as well. This may be just more hairloss but Im going to stay the course as it seems to be the most effective medication available. You should also be using and anti inflammatory shampoo like Nizoral as well as it provides the optimum scalp conditions for Propecia to work. You can read about propecia shedding here: http://www.hairlosstalk.com/productreviews/men/propecia/ Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

80-90cm2 at the front are you sure? I've never heard of anyone being able to transplant that density before. It does look good though, you must be ecstatic with the results!