hoose

thanks Eman!

does anybody know the approximate cost of the blood work for a HT? I have to meet a yearly deductible before coverage kicks in and i never go to the doctor or get sick so I would basically have to pay for the bloodwork out of my own pocket?

been on Avodart for 2 years and 4 months; was on propecia for 5 years prior to that; I feel Avodart has essentially stopped my hairloss; maybe even strengthened my crown a bit; Propecia had worked well prior to Avodart but i feel that MPB was still progressing, albeit slowly; i started with 2.5 mg/day for 10 days to get it in my system; then just .5 mg/day; i have had no sides with Avodart or Propecia;

dazed,

location of the doc should have little consideration in your decision to go to a specific doctor to get a ht; you will be willing to travel to the other side of the world to get a repair; sounds like you have a coalition doc who is fairly close though(under 500 miles);

chargedup;

the work looks very clean and refined; your probably going to want to have another surgery down the road to add more density though; the 3000 grafts will provide a nice cosmetic improvement and it will look natural but it covered a large area so it appears that it won't be very dense;

imun,

you mentioned you had 1600 grafts in the top/crown area; all in all, that is not a lot of grafts for that area; the crown can "eat up" a lot of grafts. so really you had 2100 grafts covering a large area; that is not a large amount of grafts for that large of an area; i don't think the results are bad per say, just not dense; a coaltion doc should be able to give you the density you desire

duncan;

i have been on heneric avodart for 2 years and 3 months after being on propecia for 6 years; i take .5 mg/day; i feel it has helped me maintain better than propecia; no sides either

honestly; i would definitely cancel with mhr asap; even if you lose your deposit; the money lost will be miniscule down the road when you consider future repairs, additional surgeries etc by going with mhr; i would consult with coalition docs on this site; i'm thinking right now i would hold off on a ht; 1000 grafts will not make a big cosmetic differance on you;

do not even consider it; stick with a coalition doc

i've been on avodart for almost 2 years after being on propecia for 5; I feel I have benefited from it; i thought i was slowing losing ground on propecia; on avodart i feel i'm manintaining, even in the front; i have not had any side effect; Bill gave you great advice and you should take that into consideration.

i just use avodart; i tried the liquid a long time ago and it was a hassle and messy so I dropped it; thought about trying the foam though

increasing the dose will not improve the results; studies show that 1mg is the optimal dosage; if you want better results Avodart may be the way to go; however, it is not FDA approved for hairloss and if you get side effects, it could take longer for them to clear up; FYI, I have been on Avodart for almost 2 years now and it has improved my results after being on Propecia for 4 years.

I just seen the 1 year pics; I was looking at your 6 month pics when I posted above; actually looking at the 1 year pics I think that 1700-2000 should be enough to give you good density;

mhr is famous for "low-balling"; they give you less grafts than you should get so you will come back for more; actually you didn't get butchered by any means; basically, they didn't give you enough grafts to create a decent density; I think a coalition doc could give you a good result with a 2nd pass; I'm thinking slightly more than 1700; maybe 2500 ish; just an estimation; consider yourself lucky that you didn't get butchered by them

"He was confident that he could recreate my hairline and fill in the frontal area with a ~1,500 graft HT. He would lower my hairline a bit (I've always had a high hairline), and fill in the front area two inches back from the hairline."

Red,

1500 grafts would not be enough; you would not be happy with the density; I would say you would want at least 2500+ in the frontal 1/3 to provide a decent cosmetic differance; also you need to get on finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) to maintain your native hair; I would consult with some other docs;

IMO, I would not get a ht at this time; i would get on Propecia/Proscar; IMO you just have a mature hair line;

I would say that a "shaggy" style is do-able if you have a lot of native hair left are able to get a decent density HT; I remember this one dude on this site a while back that had a shaggy hairstyle who had a HT; he had blond hair and it looked very natural; you could use this product called Surf Hair to give the illusion of more density also.

IMO that frontal tuft will not provide a significant cosmetic value; however it looks like you are benefiting from the drugs and have stabalized your hair loss; 4000 grafts in the frontal 1/3rd should give you a nice cosmetic improvement;

that amount of grafts plus the fact that you still have some native hair will provide a nice result, with good density;

1. as long as the generic brands have the same active ingrediant--minoxidil, and same % of minoxidil, it will make no differance; they are essentially the same.

2, I would say generally no; gyno from propecia is a rare side effect;

Bleachcola

Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) and minoxidil (Rogaine) are the only FDA approved medications for hair loss. IMO Finasteride is the most important med because it inhibits DHT and stabalizes/slows down the hair loss process. Finasteride should be the foundation of your hair loss meds. IMO adding Minoxidil when you are already taking Finasteride can provide a slight "boost" giving a synergetic effect.

johngarrett,

death from a HT surgery should be the least of your worries; there is a greater risk that you would die in a car accident traveling to your HT destination than from the surgery itself.

palerider,

There is no hard and fast answer on when the right time is; yes there are individuals on this site who had HT's in their early 20's; as a general rule though, that is not the ideal time; mainly, you want to make sure your hair loss has stabalized before you get a HT; at 24, chances are you are going to loss more hair in the future; IMO, I would get on finasteride and wait at a few years to see if it stabalizes your hair loss; with your diffuse pattern the finasteride/minoxidil combo may make a big differance; I have had no side effects with finasteride; for the most part the side effects are rare/miniscule;

at 2 months, you can't damage the grafts in any way by wearing a hat;

it looks like you have Male Pattern Baldness; I think at your age and your diffuse pattern of hair loss, you would be an excellent candidate for Proscar and Minoxidil; the combination may regrow some hair and will at least stabalize/slow down your hair loss; if you can stabalize your hair loss, you could be a candidate for a hair transplant when you preferable get older