JakeVig

Yeah I am also glad you asked the question because when I see shedding I see either black heads or white ones. Unfortunately I would assume that one of them is permanent hair loss - would anyone like to chime in on which one it is?

Cal, within 1-2 weeks the redness and scabs should be gone, with some people it will be gone a lot sooner. I had a problem because I had short hair already and needed to shave down the recipient area so for a long time it was really noticeable. I was lucky enough that I planned for 3 weeks off work and with a bit of help with Dermatch and Toppik for the first week and just Dermatch for the next couple of weeks no one was none the wiser. If it wasn't for the fact that I had to have my recipient area shaved I would definately be ok to go back to work by the second week. Hope this helps!

Hi John, In the UK you can go to the doctor that spex recommends on his website (http://www.hair-help.co.uk) he has been on Finasteride for over 10 years and so is very knowledgeable on its effectiveness. I would recommend that you just get Proscar and a pill cutter and cut it in 1/4's as it will be a lot cheaper in the long run.

I would be careful about deviating from the recommended finasteride dosage used in the clinical studies. From this chart: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/hairlosspage/dutas_analysis.jpg You can see that the amount of DHT that is inhibited by Avodart is depended upon the dosage, I have tried to find a similar chart for Propeica but cant, although Dr Rasman gives his recommendation that indicates that the half-life or Propecia is only 5-6 hours so you may be affected on the days you do not take Propecia: http://www.baldingblog.com/2006/07/14/appropriate-propecia-dosage/

Jagdish, I believe that donor area thinning is that your density in your donor area becomes thinner as you grow older. You may have already noticed this as your donor area is not as think now as when you were a teenager. This is natural for everybody as you can tell that older people do not have as thick hair in their donor as younger people. So my guess is that this will have a negative impact on your available donor grafts as you get older.

Dr Ron Shapiro of Minnesota, Dr Cooley, Dr Bernstein and Dr Keene are just some of the doctors inside the US are apart of the coalition and are considered the best in the world. If you are in the U.S. already and are close to any of these doctors mentioned above I believe there is no real reason to travel to Vancouver unless you require a megasession. My personal belief is that Dr Ron Shapiro is considered to be the best in the world for hairlines and H&W are considered the best in the world for performing megasessions. Having said that 3-4000+ grafts are routinely performed by most leading doctors and it would be almost impossible to tell the HT results from the doctors in the coalition apart, as they all are capable of producing excellent results. My personal opinion is to have consultations with the doctors in the coalition that are closest to you and go with the one that you are most comfortable with.

Ok, there is a good chance that the Doctor would never have heard of Propecia, every doctor that I've been to has had to look it up and read over the side effects while Im in the room. Chances are if you are not that bald they are not going to want to take the risk of you having side effects and will choose not to prescribe it for you. I've had to reassure each of them that I have already been on it for a while and that Im not experiencing any of the reported side effects. I naturally go into the consulation telling them all about the drug so they think I know more about it then they do, saying stuff like that I know of the side effects and because of its short effective life that the side effects will be gone after 1-2 weeks of stopping treatment, etc. Out of the 3 different doctors I've been to, I've never been turned down a prescription yet.

Well other than that there are some clinical studies that laser therapy (i.e. laser comb) is effective at retaining hair and stimulating a small amount of growth in some patients. Although it wouldn't be as effective as Minox/Propecia. There is Nizoral which is about the only shampoo that can reduce DHT it is also excellent for curing dandruff if that is a problem for you. Other than that people who can't or do not want to get on Propecia can sometimes benefit from Revivogen though your mileage may very on that herbal solution.

ifloss, That is an amazing transformation you got there, and at only 6 months you must be ecstatic! It is hard to believe that you got that coverage from just 2600 grafts!! I checked your weblog and it looks like you also have got yourself quite an extensive regimen there, it appears within that mix you have found something that works. Do you have any thoughts on which part of your regimen has worked best for you thus far? Congratulations on your results so far, definately keep us posted on your progress!

If your hairloss is typical for a 26 yo than it doesn't sound that bad, I would only recommend you just start on Propecia as Minoxidil is very messy to apply twice daily and is a life sentence. Although having said that my hairloss started around 22-23 with a mild recession and later developed into NW3 with a noticeable thinning in the crown by 26, at which point I decided I was going to have a HT. Unfortunately at such a young age they did not want to consider putting any grafts into my crown, so I decided I needed to start using the most effective meds available if I wanted to see any regrowth in my crown again especially at such a young age. Which is why I have now switched to Avodart, Minoxidil and Nizoral 2%.

Is that the same thing as hair multiplication? have you got a link anywhere?

Yeah shockloss is always a concern when trauma is applied around native hair. There are 2 types of shockloss temporary and permanent, if your hair is in the last cycle of shedding then it may be lost forever, if its not then it is thought to grow back between the 6-8 months range. There are a couple of things you can do to minimize shockloss, 1 is to get on Propecia as it is thought to strengthen and maintain existing hair - it may even help you achieve some regrowth. The other is to go to a good doctor who uses small minimally invasive incisions which will minimize the trauma to the recipient area. With H&W I believe you have that area covered. Good Luck, An online consultation should be sufficient before flying over there only once for surgery. I did the same for my HT with the Shapiro Medical Group.

I think 5 months may still be early to tell, but if you provide some pre and post op pictures we maybe able to visualize your concerns better.

It is best to have the applications of Minox at least 8 hours apart. As for the 1ml dosage a lot of us here use more than that to cover our hairline and crown i.e. between 1.5-2ml per application. Remember Minox is meant for the scalp (i.e. not hair) to be effective, so be sure to rub it in the scalp as much as you can.

Stevo, Unfortunately Minoxidil and Propecia work differently, Propecia will not help you hang on to the hair that Minox helped regrow or maintain. Minox is not a DHT blocker it helps hair regrow by increasing the blood flow to the follicle. Although truthfully they are just beginning to understand why Minox helps regrow hair. The answer is a clear no, Propecia will not help you keep the hair that Minox helped grow or maintain. I wouldnt recommend that you start Minoxidil unless you plan on staying on it indefinately (or as long you want to have hair). From my own experience I started with Minox for 1 year with no effect, I later switched to Propecia for 2 years and my hairloss continued it was only until I started using both did i notice my hairloss slow/halt and I might actually have gotten some regrowth for the first time. So my belief there is a synergetic effect of using both at the same time. But yeah I don't plan on stopping the messy Minox application until I no longer care about my hairloss (can't see that happening) or hair multiplication becomes a commercial reality. Hope that helps

Hi dhuge, Good Luck and let us know what Dr Feller says. I hope you don't push for an aggressive 21 yo hairline at your age though. Keep us posted on the incoming results of your first HT.

Well I know that doctors perform HT's on burn victims to regrow hair: http://www.ishrs.org/PressRelease_HumaneStoryVersion_08-02-04_WEB_FINAL.htm They also put grafts in scars and they still grow, so I don't think it matters where on the skin you place a graft it should still grow.

I doubt its the alcohol since some doctors recommend minox on the recipient area for faster growth. But I've read that you should wait 3 months before colouring your hair in my post op instructions so it must be something.

We'll whatever your story is for some reason you have a very pessimistic view on HT's, Im guessing this is from personal experience since it appears that you have recently been *awoken*. I'll try to reply to your stated facts: We'll you probably can't predict what the end result will be for yourself but fortunately we are able to examine the scars from previous patients. The tricho closure from good doctors in all the cases I've seen appears it ranges from completely undetectable when combing through the donor area to a pencil thin scar of up to 1mm in thickness. So to minimize your donor scar you should go to a good doctor and follow their post op directions dilligently. Yes your surrounding native hair will continue to fall out just as it would've done even without your HT. To minimize or halt further hairloss there are clinically proven hairloss meds which are recommended by most leading surgeons. There are also laxity excercises that you can do pre op to improve your laxity and theoretically final scar size. Im not sure which country you are living to be thinking that 'Bald is in'?? As for the buzz cut I agree that they are more accepted but I bet if you ask balding men with buzz cuts if they would prefer to have hair instead my guess is most will say yes. We'll this forum is run by Pat who has had a positive life changing HT experience. To make this forum possible I believe he is sponsored by the highly ethical and quality surgeons listed in the coalition. Im not sure where you get the *marketers* from, I don't see any here? in fact the rules of this forum bans and edits commercial posts. Overall I am thankfull for this forum of invaluable information on not just HT's and real patients experiences and results but also for the invaluable information on pre/post op care, support group, hairloss meds, vitamins, future technology, etc. There are also more "good" results from real patients from all NW scales. Who here thinks that 3000-5000 grafts will get them an unreceeded hairline? only unimformed people who consult unethical surgeons (i.e. people who have not researched forums like these). A blackened smokers lung is also not visually aesthetic to look at but what does it matter if no one can see it? Tricho closures do make the scars looks smaller and can be just as effective for someone with good laxity. The mechanics are pretty simple you are trying to stretch the scalp, the better the laxity the less the tightness. please refer to the paragraph on hairloss meds above. I'm glad you don't have experience with the primitive HT's of the 80's and early 90's. But having a HT even today will not guarantee a good result. There are only a handfull of surgeons that can perform an excellent and trully undetectable result. With this comment I will assume that you fell prey to a 'hairmill' that actively engages in unrealistic and unethical marketing. I believe its your negative experience with these outfits that have shaped your negative view on HT's. Please correct me if I am wrong. This is the exact opposite of what this forum is about. It provides invaluable information that the quality of the surgeon is a huge factor in your final result and what to expect with the limited no of grafts you have left, etc.

We'll the latest news I have heard about with the 12.5% lotion from Dr Lee can be read at the end of the product description: http://www.minoxidil.com/12.5_1.htm This quote indicates that he may be still working on it:

I will agree that some few people can pull off the shaved look and still look good. I wish I was one of them, but sadly this is not the case for me. As for this forum, it is contributed by real patients showcasing their real results. In many cases they use the words "the best decision I have ever made" to describe their life changing experience that their HT has given them. I am sorry you did not experience the same satisfaction, perhaps you were not a good HT candidate to begin with. Did you go on any medication to halt or slowdown your hairloss? this may have prevented you from requiring multiple HT's.

basskat64, If your hair is very itchy start using Nizoral 2%. I wish I used this sooner myself because I was literally scratching my hair out. This is the only shampoo that has worked for me.

Ty, We are all in the same boat as you buddy. If you're worried about the application making your recession more noticeable than concealers like Toppik/Dermatch will help. It looks like there are advancements in the Minoxidil department to look forward to in future. It appears that Dr Lee of http://www.minioxidil.com is perfecting a 12.5% non-greasy quick dry solution that should be ready in the near future!

Hi Golden if you're 30 and only have started the process of going bald in your crown I would say that you are in a pretty good position. The first thing I would do in the meantime is to get on the meds. At least Propecia and for Maximum possibility of regrowth add in Minoxidil (Rogaine) to your regime - they are the only 2 meds that have been FDA approved for hairloss. Note the meds are a life sentence, you will need to stay on the meds if you want to retain any hair that they have helped you keep or regrown. I am also using Nizoral 2% shampoo which is known to reduce some scalp DHT which also might help. Now you only want the opinions from the best doctors, I would recommend that Ron Shapiro from the Shapiro Medical Group be one of them (http://www.shapiromedical.com), I can vouch that he really has your longterm interests at heart. The only concern I have is that if Bosley is even turning you down for a HT that should be raising some alarm bells - as they are not know for turning down patients even younger than 20. Now surgeons do not generally want to touch your crown because for the best cosmetic effect, your limited no of donor grafts is best used in your hairline and midscalp area. Hope this helps and good luck, let us know what you find out.

Hi actionradar, Ahh, the shedding phase is a killer for everyone (I am currently going through it myself), it might affect you more than most because you will have a lot to lose and gain in cosmetic appearance with your HT. But knowing that you went with doctor Keene you will be guaranteed a great cosmetic appearance in the end. Its going to be a tough time for us, which is why I like seeing other peoples results in the meantime that have gone through to the other side, i.e. 1 year post op :-)