SERIOUS

It might do a lot more than you think... Just never stop it, since aggressive MPB runs in your family. You might realize after a while that finasteride was able to at least keep the hair you have, which is A LOT. Don't judge finasteride by how much you will regrow hair... maintenance is already a big thing... considering that for the first time in history, we have a medication that actually works. Good luck p.s. you might want to add generic minoxidil to you regimen if you're able to be consistent with it. It is really cheap and you can find it everywhere i.e. amazon etc. Finasteride "and" minoxidil are proven to give better results as a combo, than one or the other alone.

Innermind, H&W refused to perform surgery on that patient as you can see in that other thread http://hair-restoration-info.c...66060861/m/637100532

JSSeaDub06, I think you should just relax a little bit... By "trying" everything to see if "that" works, you're just going to mess with your body and achieve the opposite of what you want in the end. You are already on generic finasteride as I understood from another thread? Then I would just keep going on finasteride. The importance is stability with such hormonal drugs. Every time you change dosage or change drugs, you create hormonal fluctuations that will lead to some shedding phase, which means more hair loss for a while. Why taking such a risk? Just stay on proscar, same dosage, for a loooong time, and possibly add minoxidil eventually if you're able to apply consistently at least once a day. Good luck... and chill a little bit

The answer is YES. ...but only if this person is your identical twin. Hair transplantation between monozygotic twins is indeed possible, but I doubt your twin would be willing to sacrifice his own donor hair for you. As for receiving a hair transplant from another regular person (alive, or dead), it is theoretically possible, but the risk of taking strong anti-rejection medications for life far outweigh the benefits of a hair transplant...

This guy has a nice and low hairline too and look at these thick sideburns Dean Koontz probably get them from canada

Hi East, sorry to hear about your story, but before anything, here is 3 important questions : 1- Who was the doctor and at which clinic (name, city, country) 2- When was the date of the surgery, and when did you have the stiches removed? 3- How much did you pay for the procedure? Also, if you want the best advices for your case, it would be necessary to include pre and post-op pics of your situation... Best of luck

It may take from "at least" three to nine months to tell if Minoxidil is working... Minoxidil will accelerate the growth cycle of your hair, hence the shedding phase in the first months. That should be a sign that minoxidil is actually working. This can be surprising: the hair growth cycle is accelerated and fall at a faster rate since there is more hair rushing in the telogen (shedding) stage at the same time. Good news is that the anagen (growing of a new hair) stage is preparing underneath, and you should see a new phase of growth, with thicker and healthier hair soon. Obviously, if you are not already on finasteride to accompany your minoxidil treatment, I would start tomorrow! If you start finasteride, I would start with a gradual dosage for the first weeks (smaller dose, few times a week), then gradually stabilize at 1mg or 1.25 per day (or every other day) after a month. That way, you will most likely cancel chances of adverse effects. Good luck

Well on this pre-op pic you can clearly see that he was an advanced norwood 6-7, with an OLD transplant on top. On this post-op pic you can see that he had a total of about 35,000 grafts transplanted. A long strip was extracted from the back of his head, to the neck and down the whole spine in the back. His mustache was also extracted. Great work.

SOME MINOXIDIL FACTS: -The idea of using Minoxidil topically to grow hair was discovered by chance. Minoxidil was originally developed to treat hypertension, but patients taking Minoxidil started growing unwanted hair. This side effect led to the testing of topical Minoxidil to grow hair on balding men and women. -Why Minoxidil works remains a mystery. Minoxidil is a vasodilator and may increase the blood supply to the follicles, although recent studies by L'Oreal suggest that Minoxidil works by activating PGHS 1 (Prostaglandin Endoperoxide Synthase-1) which helps promote hair growth. -Since it is applied locally, Minoxidil is relatively safe as negligible amounts are absorbed in the bloodstream. -In the late eighties, a pharmaceutical company in the United States, Upjohn, today known as Pharmacia & Upjohn developed Minoxidil hair loss lotion (Rogaine in the US ??“ Regaine outside the US) Clinical trials were carried out and within a few years, Minoxidil was approved by the FDA as THE FIRST treatment for hair loss. -Once the patent for Minoxidil expired, various Pharmaceutical companies started manufacturing generic Minoxidil. -Topical Minoxidil is Clinically PROVEN to help with hair loss in a staggering 4 out of 5 men and women. -Regrowth of new hair, improved volume & thickness have been seen in more than half of all users in clinical studies worldwide. -Using Minoxidil continuously should, and has PROVEN in many trials & studies, as well as millions of users throughout the world, delay baldness considerably and promote new hair growth. Best of luck

With all respect Spex, minoxidil solutions efficacy is not related to it's alcohol content (the alcohol being just a vehicle). This is just a myth and has been proven wrong countless times. The mechanism by which minoxidil PROMOTE HAIR GROWTH is not completely understood yet, but while it does not stop hairloss on its own (because it has no hormonal modulation properties) it DOES promote hair growth (nothing to do with its alcohol content). The efficacy of minoxidil has been verified scientifically soooo many times, and is one of the only 2 treatments approved worldwide by health organizations for hairloss, having been through countless scientific studies. Minoxidil undeniable efficacy as to promote hair growth is an old scientific fact. It just works. Obviously, in the specific case of male pattern baldness, just promoting hair growth would be a weak solutions for the long term. But coupled with the use of Finasteride, it is the best and only proven "combo" to help stop or slow its consequences.

Hi Eman, What you should consider at this point is a plan of action from a professional (physiotherapist, or a very good chiropractor that does physiotherapy as well) to minimize damages done to the intervertebral disk, and to slowly rebuild the area. After inflammation is completely gone, which may take a long while (I suggest treatments from a physiotherapist or a chiropractor that uses ultrasound therapy, not only a "cracker", to accelerate the process) the focus should be on reinforcing the muscles of the back and abdominal region, as well as stretching exercises of all sorts for legs and back. The logic behind this plan will be that after the muscles of the trunk are very strong (not only the big muscles, but also all the small ones that are rarely solicited, the ones we don't work with gym exercises) and the back and the legs flexible, the intervertebral disk will now be surrounded by a new stabilized environment, and will be protected against other shocks in the future. Your own stabilized back and your own flexibility will be the best protector of any future low back problems. One thing that can help to a great deal when in a "crisis" will be a lumbar protective belt. Not to be used forever because it can weaken the back and do the opposite of the rebuilding plan, but very useful every time you need to lift something heavy in the future (never move out your heavy furniture without it!). Obviously, deadlifts and roman bench back exercises at the gym should be avoided from now on, and replaced by more adequate exercises that reflects your new condition. Your back will always stay sensitive, but with such a plan and new precautions, you should be eventually able to live a perfectly normal life, with very few low back pain episodes. Good luck

Thanks for the answers everyone!

I was wondering if giving blood to the red cross, let's say like 500 ml, short before a hair transplant surgery would be a problem? (like a week before). Anyone?

I was wondering if giving blood to the red cross, let's say like 500 ml, short before a hair transplant surgery would be a problem? (like a week before). Anyone?

Best advice you could receive at this point would be to start living your life again and stop obsessing at every details until 12 months post op, and stop listening to a few posters that completely lost objectivity regarding Armani. This hairline seems to mimic nature very well, much more than the one you posted with your idea of a repair, or that old Shane pic. Shane from Armani has since then received a transplant to break this triangle pattern and make his hairline wavy and uneven, as far as I know. Once you will start to style your hair, this uneven hairline might be a blessing, and will avoid "the robot effect" that actually screams transplant. Good luck.

Thank you Joe for keeping us informed of your awesome results after all this time. Nice to see that hair transplants can be durable and a success after many years. I would like to take this opportunity to ask you a few questions: 1- what are Hasson and Wong recommending for post operative treatments for the recipient area? vitamin E oil on recipient area? Emu oil? Just letting it go with no specific treatments beside mild shampooing? 2- do you personally use minoxidil? 3- How long after a transplant should we wait before using minoxidil again? 4- can using minoxidil in other areas than the planned recipient area be a problem before and after a surgery? Or should we stop it all over even in non-recipient areas for a while? thanks in advance for your answers!

Hairmanredsox, Thanks for your response. We are all looking forward to hear from dr. Distephano soon, and some of his patients as well, with result pics from all angles. This surgery is out of the norm, that is why I'm more than curious for these questions posted above to be answered. I would like to take the opportunity to add a 7th question to the list: 7- Who are the best candidates for such a procedure? (for instance, would those with a crown that is not completely bald, or that have a thousand grafts transplanted with a "see through" look, be candidates?) Thanks, looking forward for the answers

I have to disagree Leeson. It always depends on your level of motivation towards your hair reconstruction goals. People that enters the hair transplantation roller coaster better use all the "proven" tools to help them keep the hair they already have and avoid a future crash. But as you said using it twice a day can be a drag if you're a busy person. I use it only at night but with a double dose. I noticed something through all these years of observing and studying the hair loss field and its solutions: usually, people with "wow" results that lasts for the longest are the ones committed to use finasteride "and" minoxidil... and those with "ok" result that kinda look good are the ones not using meds at all, or using one or the other. Using the 2 in synergy is more ambitious and leads to more ambitious results. As I said earlier, you never realize the extent of the efficacy of minoxidil until you stop it. I would say the same for finasteride.

Latinlotus, of all the thousands of treatments invented to treat hairloss in the last hundred years, there is only "2" substances that were proven to work (through countless scientific studies and numerous clinical studies with human subjects) and that met worldwide pharmaceutical and health organizations standards: Finasteride and Minoxidil. Minoxidil is so "old" and its results worldwide known that its effectiveness cannot be questioned even by the best doctors and scientists. But as imissthebarber said, it works differently than finasteride, and is more a hair growth promoter than a hairloss stopper. Therefore, the synergy between finasteride and minoxidil is a very interesting one. Usually, people do not realize the extent of minoxidil efficacy until they stop to use it and start to lose what minoxidil was able to keep for all these years...

My feeling is that you did not take finasteride and minoxidil to stabilize your hairloss before planning your surgeries. My advice would be to start medication. The fact you will halt or slow your hairloss will be your greatest encouragement. Greater than any words.

A lot of wisdom in that post TheEmperor. Thanks for your objectivity and knowledge.

I came across this post about the Total Crown Renewal procedure, and decided to start a fresher one, with what I think are relevant and important questions. I hope Dr. DISTEPHANO and/or one of his representatives can clarify this procedure for all of us, and I hope that actual patients who received that surgery could speak up as well. here are 2 important links that explains how this impressive (but controversial?) procedure is done, and some result pictures: flechet tissue gain and triple flap some total crown renewal results (This procedure should NOT be confused with the disastrous Fleming/Mayer flap surgery. Please read the links). My questions are: 1- With such stretching of the side and the back of the scalp; could this produce a change in the HEAD SHAPE? By that I mean, like a face lift modify the face, would this surgery, by pulling skin and hair that are usually on the sides (with its "specific hair orientation") look somewhat WEIRD or different than normal when it's on top of the head? 2- Could this surgery completely compromise future strip surgeries by eliminating elasticity of the scalp? 3- Would'nt this surgery stretch any old scars from previous strip surgeries to a great extent? 4- Would this triple flap last step (after tissue gain / scalp extension) leave the patient with no other choices than wearing long hair to hide multiple scars? 5- Are ALL or at least an important portion of the follicular units lost (through this complex surgery) used to be transplanted on other areas in the same procedure? or are they just wasted? 6- Can we see after pictures of this procedure FROM THE FACE AND SIDES AND TOP, rather than only from the back? Thanks in advance for your answers