TheHairLossCure

J4, Below is a re-post you might want to check out. BTW I definitely recommend you talk to your doctor about starting Propecia! --------- Hair transplant surgery has come a long way over the years. Not only are more natural and even undetectable results achievable, but we also have techniques available that can expand the donor area to levels that were once considered impossible. This is all good news for patients suffering with hair loss, but many of the risks associated with transplanting young patients remain. In the fog of new technologies and marketing, sometimes people lose sight of the fact that hair transplant surgery addresses a progressive disease. Since, there is no hair loss cure (aside from my handle), I feel it is healthy to periodically revisit the discussion of surgical hair restoration for young patients Treating young patients is a delicate topic. If a patient begins hair restoration when he is too young, he may find his progressive hair loss surpasses his donor hair supply. To compound this issue, future hair loss is not easily predicted in young individuals. Many patients who begin their hair procedures too early regret this as their hair loss worsens. Some surgery patients wish they had opted for a less aggressive treatment and still others wish they had not done surgery at all. As a general rule, the younger one is at the onset of male pattern baldness, the more hair they are likely to lose. Patients with advanced hair loss in their twenties should be cautious with restoration surgery, even with state-of-the-art procedures. Young guys with lesser degrees of baldness may be good candidates, but they too must be cautious about the procedure and the potential for future loss. Most patients should try treating his hair loss with medical therapy before considering hair restoration surgery. Treatments such as finasteride, minoxidil, etc. can slow down or stop hair loss. Hopefully these therapies may halt the progression long enough for the patient to identity the ideal solution (or simply move on as the case may be).

Do bad docs know they are bad? Interesting question. Some do, and they don't care. Others simply do not know any better.

Some older approahes to strip harvesting might be outdated, but Follicualr Unit Transplantation via strip certainly is not.

It is not uncommon at all to have delayed growth at 3 months. You should see initial growth between months 3 and 5. "Big changes" will likely be observed during months 5-7, with continued thickening past the year mark. Try not to worry, but if you need to rant, this is a good place to do it Many have felt the same anxieties.

At 19 yrs old, it will be difficult to determine what you worst case senario is for hair loss. There is not alot to go by except your family history. This is only a limited clue, as the genetics of hair loss are not predictable. If you've yet to lose any hair and your hairline is just naturally high, medical therapy in not a good choice. Given your age, I would suggest that HT is not a good choice either.

Some people just have a congenitally high forehead. Like you, many of these individuals do not even suffer from pattern hair loss. You can transplant hairs to build a new frontline in such cases. It is OK to get "aggressive" with hair line location, as long as you do not have a great potential to lose hair later in life. How old are you, Fr3dr1k?

Gosh Bill! First you ask me to change my name then you question my unquestionable HT authority Seriously, I would add that my comments were made under the premise that we were discussing a limited number of grafts. FUE's impact on the donor seems proportional to the number of extractions. When you can spread a limited amount of extractions through the donor zone, the result can be quite nice indeed. Of course, in your early 20's it is better to consider the MEDs vs the FUEs.

Hi JoJoJo "But does the FUE method leave any visible scars on your head?" FUE does scar, but in the right hands it can be very hard to detect the donor area. For a small number of grafts, FUE can be an idea tool. Still, at 23 years old, I suspect medical therapy will provide the best balance of risk and reward given your relatively limited hair loss. It will not hurt to do some photo consults with the docs you are currently looking at. I imagine this will give you some better insights into your treatment options.

Ha ha. I don't know why I found this so funny, but I neary choked on a baby carrot when I read it Having said "there is no hair loss cure" in 2 of my last 5 or 6 posts, it would seem that I am having an identity crisis.

"I was hoping there would be some sort of medication out there that could help it grow back faster and making it thicker." There is no miracle cure (yet), but propecia and rogaine are time-tested therapies. Talk to your doctor about a Propecia script. Minox is over-the-counter. Some patients, perhaps 5-10%, are all-star responders to these meds and regrow some hair. But most likely you will at least stop your progression for a good while. That was my experience. No regrowth, but no additional hair loss either (for several years in fact!) "I heard that some people use both propecia and rogaine together and has great results? Is this true?" I have heard that too, but there is no real hard data to my knowledge. It is reasonable to suggest that these therapies may have a synergistic effect. In other words, 1 and 1 = 3. But, even if 1 and 1 = 2, you are in a better situation than if you made no attempt to treat your loss

2 things come to mind here: 1) Try the minox, you might be happily surprised. Some respond very well, even in the frontal area. 2) Get some opinions from the top surgeons. You may find that you need fewer or more grafts than you thought. This might inform your decision to go with FUE, strip, or to simply wait and really check out the medical therapy options instead of surgery.

Are you interested in a smaller session because you feel you will require only a few hundred grafts to meet your needs? Or are you simply trying to save money? If the former is case, I recommend you check out FUE for a small session. Dr. Rose performs this procedure, as do other reputable physicians, like Dr. Feller and Dr. Harris. If the later is the case, it is probably better if you wait, save the money, and try to meet your goals in a single session if possible. This is only general advice, as I do not know the intimate details of your medical history and hair loss situation

Also JoJoJo, I noticed your age, 23 yrs old. I recommend you check out this thread: Young Patients and HT

Jojojo, On Propecia: You probably will not get your hair back with this drug, but there is a good chance you can slow down the loss or even halt the pattern completely. I strongly recommend you look into it further. On Transplants: Hair transplants hinge with the idea of "donor dominance." Donor hairs grow on the back and sides of the head and are resistant to hair loss. Even very bald men retain hair on this part of the scalp. Donor dominance dictates that some hair is genetically blessed to grow for a lifetime, regardless of the area on the scalp that it is relocated too. This phenomenon enables the process of hair transplantation surgery. Men with baldness can have donor hair surgically redistributed into areas of baldness, knowing that this new hair will not succumb to the hair loss process. Natural hair is relocated in hair transplantation. This does not necessarily mean that hair transplant results will look natural. In the early days of HT surgery, physicians used 4 and 5 mm biopsy punches to remove "plugs" of hair bearing tissue from the donor site. The plugs were then implanted into the balding areas. As you can imagine, this left tremendous scarring on the scalp. Moreover, the densely haired grafts, when placed into thinning or bald tissue, stood out as "dolls hair". Transplant surgery evolved into the strip excision method whereby an ellipse of hair-bearing tissue is excised via scalpel from the donor zone. The incision is closed with sutures or staples to reducing the potential surface area of scar tissue. Unlike the "plugs" and open donor harvesting where the donor is littered with circular punch scars, the strip method leaves a single linear scar on the back of the head. When expertly handled, the incision can heal as a faint surgical line. In the infancy of the procedure, strips were cut into large grafts. Some physicians realized the aesthetic benefits of using smaller grafts. This movement led practitioners to what is known as follicular unit grafting or Follicular Unit Transplantation (FUT). In this process, naturally occurring follicular units of 1, 2, 3, or 4 hairs are carefully dissected out of strips under microscopes. The process acknowledges the way hair naturally grows and thus has the potential to produce an undetectable result even under close examination. Further developments in the field have lead to harvesting techniques whereby strip excision and strip scarring can sometimes be avoided. The generic term for this surgery is Follicular Unit Extraction or FUE. During Follicular Unit Extraction, follicular units are harvested from the donor site one by one via a tiny surgical tool, punch, or needle. As with FUT (strip), the units are placed into small incision over the area of hair loss. Both approaches can be used to exclusively manufacture follicular unit grafts. The follicular unit graft is essential in creating a natural appearance in hair restoration surgery.

Hair transplant surgery has come a long way over the years. Not only are more natural and even undetectable results achievable, but we also have techniques available that can expand the donor area to levels that were once considered impossible. This is all good news for patients suffering with hair loss, but many of the risks associated with transplanting young patients remain. In the fog of new technologies and marketing, sometimes people lose sight of the fact that hair transplant surgery addresses a progressive disease. Since, there is no hair loss cure (aside from my handle), I feel it is healthy to periodically revisit the discussion of surgical hair restoration for young patients Treating young patients is a delicate topic. If a patient begins hair restoration when he is too young, he may find his progressive hair loss surpasses his donor hair supply. To compound this issue, future hair loss is not easily predicted in young individuals. Many patients who begin their hair procedures too early regret this as their hair loss worsens. Some surgery patients wish they had opted for a less aggressive treatment and still others wish they had not done surgery at all. As a general rule, the younger one is at the onset of male pattern baldness, the more hair they are likely to lose. Patients with advanced hair loss in their twenties should be cautious with restoration surgery, even with state-of-the-art procedures. Young guys with lesser degrees of baldness may be good candidates, but they too must be cautious about the procedure and the potential for future loss. Most patients should try treating his hair loss with medical therapy before considering hair restoration surgery. Treatments such as finasteride, minoxidil, etc. can slow down or stop hair loss. Hopefully these therapies may halt the progression long enough for the patient to identify the ideal solution (or simply move on as the case may be). Sorry if I am beating a dead horse but, as I said, I feel it is healthy to revisit the discussion of HT surgery for young patients.

Hair transplant surgery has come a long way over the years. Not only are more natural and even undetectable results achievable, but we also have techniques available that can expand the donor area to levels that were once considered impossible. This is all good news for patients suffering with hair loss, but many of the risks associated with transplanting young patients remain. In the fog of new technologies and marketing, sometimes people lose sight of the fact that hair transplant surgery addresses a progressive disease. Since, there is no hair loss cure (aside from my handle), I feel it is healthy to periodically revisit the discussion of surgical hair restoration for young patients Treating young patients is a delicate topic. If a patient begins hair restoration when he is too young, he may find his progressive hair loss surpasses his donor hair supply. To compound this issue, future hair loss is not easily predicted in young individuals. Many patients who begin their hair procedures too early regret this as their hair loss worsens. Some surgery patients wish they had opted for a less aggressive treatment and still others wish they had not done surgery at all. As a general rule, the younger one is at the onset of male pattern baldness, the more hair they are likely to lose. Patients with advanced hair loss in their twenties should be cautious with restoration surgery, even with state-of-the-art procedures. Young guys with lesser degrees of baldness may be good candidates, but they too must be cautious about the procedure and the potential for future loss. Most patients should try treating his hair loss with medical therapy before considering hair restoration surgery. Treatments such as finasteride, minoxidil, etc. can slow down or stop hair loss. Hopefully these therapies may halt the progression long enough for the patient to identify the ideal solution (or simply move on as the case may be). Sorry if I am beating a dead horse but, as I said, I feel it is healthy to revisit the discussion of HT surgery for young patients.

Sometimes the doc will design a widow's peak since it can create a look of a lower hairline without using too many grafts. In other words, the peak is low but the rest of the hairline is higher on the forehead. This approach has it's advantages as it saves grafts for other areas of the scalp. But, if you have good donor hair and meet the criteria for a lower and perhaps straighter hairline, there should be no reason not to go for it. Just remember, you and your physician should be thinking short term and long term, with whatever approach you choose.

Chimin' in a bit late here...oh well Nervous Nelly, "Rogue hairs" - love that phrase. All, This is a great discussion. To me, a soft hairline is one with an irregular pattern of single-hair grafts on the leading edge, with increasing density (in terms of hairs/graft and grafts/cm2) moving into the frontal third. At this point, I think it goes without saying that single hair grouping are necessary for creating a natural hairline. But what about patients with very coarse hair? Can a SINGLE hair unit look pluggy on a patient with coarse hair? A single hair is in no way a "plug," but in patients with coarse hair we do run the risk of a "surgical" looking hairline. The hairs can be too wiry for the front row and the exit points can stand out. What to do? The lovely feathered patterns and designs that are so natural looking for most patients can be difficult to pull off for those with coarse donor hair. There are many ways to approach this issue, each with its benefits and drawbacks: 1. Graft Selection Grafts need to be carefully examined and identified prior to placement. What may look like a single may actually be a double with a hair in the resting phase. We should assume the elite hair restoration clinics will use high magnification to identity and/or manufacture singles for the front row. Magnification also helps in sorting the singles best suited for the leading edge. Keen knowledge of the donor zone is necessary to locate the finest hairs for the front. It should be noted, however, that hairs cycle and appear differently at different times. This may present a challenge. 2. FUE The extraction of nape hairs (or other hairs that tend to be softer than the clusters found in the traditional strip harvest zone) is a valid solution to the coarse hair dilemma. But we have all seen people with hair loss in the nape area or recessions in the posterior hairline. Therefore, these hairs should be considered transient for some. The patients at greatest risk for loosing nape hairs are those with the potential for extensive hair loss. In other words, the patients at greatest risk tend not to be the best candidates for HT in the first place. 3. Dense Packing Placing grafts closer together on patients with very course hair is another possibility. Indeed, the coarse hairs that may have stood out with low density can be blended away in a lush carpet of tightly packed singles. The hairline should be undulating but dense enough so as not to draw the eye to any one hair. This is not exactly the transitional zone seen in nature but, in the absence of the perfect donor source, we can rely on the art of illusion. 4. Injuring grafts Single hair grafts can be selectively injured to create a softer look up front. Since the object of hair restoration is to create the appearance of more hair with finite donor source, this approach should be utilized sparingly.

"And Hairlosscure. The only kind of Charecteristic that I have seen and that is with chest and back hair on this particular patient is it's length doubled from what it was on the chest. This does not have to be overmarketed. But for some depleted donor patients it has been a viable option." I think it is important to look at how BHT is presented in general, not by just Dr. Woods. While Woods may be forthcoming about the procedure, I have noticed that others are promoting Body Hair as something bigger than it is. Moreover, it is not always applied for the depleted donor cases. That is of concern to me, since patient expectations tend to be out of line with the reality of BHT. Again, I am not referring to Woods. Timetested's case is certainly an interesting one; a significant transformation indeed.

Andy, That is the beauty of top hair restoration surgery! Unlike systems, concealers, etc, a HT is low maintenance. Enjoy

Bill, I believe you are correct that the strip is removed in 2 parts. There are many studies that suggest that graft survival diminishes if the grafts are out of body too long, regardless of the storage solution.

I have heard that Dr. Keene sometimes does large sessions, strip I believe, over 2 days. I would be interested in hearing more about this.

Jo, I agree with you. I was merely harping on a subtle point. "I have yet to see a single body hair result where the hair took on the characteristics of scalp hair." Nor have I.

I do not think claims about BHT challenge the idea of donor dominance. Body hair proponents claim that the grafts continue to resist the effects of DHT after transplantation; this is in accordance with the idea of donor dominance. In theory, the grafts will then begin to grow longer on the scalp, taking this "queue" from the recipient zone. So, whatever regulates *length* would be "recipient dominant." This actually does not negate the idea of donor dominance. Regardless, I imagine there have been hundreds if not thousands of BHT procedures done at this point. It is rather unsetting that we've yet to see any substantial results from this sort of surgery. Quite frankly, there are better solutions to hair loss that Body hair.

If you are one of the rare patients that has pronounced side effects from Propecia, do not worry. Simply stop taking the drug and the side effects will subside. You could also consider cutting the dose in half. You should be fine though. Most are.