tymman

Yo Dr dinaSOURPUSS- Have a coke and a smile... Thinking or anyone in California - if you are willing to travel try doing consults with the two doctors listed on this site, in San Diego. I had my HT done 3 days ago. I am amazed at how quickly I am feeling better, I guess I can say recovering!!! I am at this point very optomistic about the outcome. My expectations are not set extraordinarily high but - I don't have that "is it gonna work?" feeling I use to get with "snake oils", and with LASER LIGHT TREATMENT. Hmmm? I just realized not too many people have rally heard about LASER LIGHT TREATMENT, I'll post something in the Q&A section. But if it's your first HT (like me) do the research and LEAVE NO QUESTION UNASKED!! Right on AILENE!!

Goose- HAVE YOUR SON LOOK AT THIS ENTIRE WEBSITE!!! It's awesome seeing your concern but, bottom line is- He is the one who has to look at his head everyday.. He really needs to see what other hair loss sufferers are going through before he can understand what options are available. What works for me or KG or Rob may not be what will work for him. Get him doing the homework now so he can decide what will be his best approach. Also have him talk to some HT doctors, get thier advice (you don't want to commit to ANY SURGERY just yet, but see what they are saying. Have your son look at the photo albums on this site also, he will get a glimpse of what he might be looking at in the future. And one more time- take something internal to stop DHT, use something external to stimulate new growth but be prepared to use it for life! We are all pretty much saying the same thing!

Goose- I feel your son's pain. I started loosing my hair at 22. I started noticing a thin spot on my crown in the begining of the year(feb/march96). I saw alot of hair falling out over the next few months. by the end of the year(nov/dec96) I had a 2 inch bald spot. I started using rogaine/monixidil at that time. I used it for four months, I tought it wasn't doing anything plus I hated putting on everyday!!!! I stopped using it apr/may97. I noticed by the middle of june my crown bald spot was getting shinnier and bigger! a few months later my hair line started to show signs of "see through". I tried every snake oil in this country(nioxin, ?nizoral?, thickening shampoos, AVAcore, saw palmetto/vitamins) none worked. I moved to the Philippines and tried the what they had out there, none worked. by march 99 I decide to try FINASTERIDE(Propecia/Proscar) used it for a year expecting to see new growth but didn't get what I wanted, I did notice not as much was falling out after 3-6 months of using it. My DHT must have been on the warpath cause a couple of months after stopping Propecia I had handfulls of hair coming out in the shower. My roomates used to tease me by collecting the hairs after I showered and taping them together, then leaving them on the coffee table with a note "these belong to you". My point is this - your son can use Propecia and Minoxidil. Do not expect a dramatic return of the hair line or thickness on the crown. The best he can do is stop the advancement of balding. If I would have stuck with the products and followed thier directions when I used them I would not have had so much loss. Minoxidil can stinulate hair follicles to grow, thier survival dependes on continuing the use of the product- INDEFINITELY!!! Procpecia(FINASTERIDE)/Proscar can slow and eventually stop the hair from falling out by reducing DHT production. Using the products is going to be costly and always indefinitely, that may be why the doctor told you to do nothing. I personally would love to be at those first stages of hair loss and restart the treatments. I would not have gone through all the heartache, I spent more money on "snake oils" than I would have on a solid regimen of Minoxidil & Propecia. Alot of people don't like the thought of treatment for the rest of your life, but the fact is there is no cure for baldness, it is progressive, and there are only ways around it. Now I am 31 and I have just had HT done 2 days ago, it is a little painful but the benefits will be awesome. And even with the HT I still am going to use Minoxidil/Propecia to combat mother nature(DHT). If you want to show your son what to expect (or something like it) if he does nothing, then look at my photo album. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t= In the mean time your son can use some cover up products like TOPIK. These are day to day temporary quick fixes. They wash out in the shower. So far in my opinion to stop balding - stop DHT with Propecia, try to stimulate hair follicles with Minoxidil. Look around this forum and research HT doctors, if that is the route your son decides to take, there are many good ones talked about here! Best of luck!

kg007- I'm two days post-op. My doc warned about shock loss, he then showed me the hairs he thought would be most likely to suffer shock.We looked at them under 50x magnification,I could see they were the hairs that were thin,unhealthy,and on thier way out. In his experience these were the types that did exist before HT and fell out after HT. He does have 20years experience and has seen it happen, granted one doctors opinion is not the be all-end all answer... I am only two days out but feel very optomistic of the outcome. If you are planning to do a second HT look at my photos, I show the hairs that he felt were going to fall anyway, he shaved them before the HT, and grafted over the same area. I plan to keep my pix updated monthly. ps- I am 31 and in good health, I have quit smoking, I do exercise at least 30min 3times a week, I take a multi vitamin, I take PROPECIA and use Minoxidil. I do have a family history of MPB, most of the males before they hit 30-35, mine started 10 years ago. My HT was 2100-2200 total transplanted to front and crown. -Ty

Thinking & Rob - let me clarify my rambling from earlier. I first used Minoxidil for only four months. about three weeks after I stopped, I noticed a more signifigant amount of hair loss. I have discussed this with four doctors, each of them believe the natural hair loss and the positive effect of Minoxidil made it look more intense than it might have been with out ever taking it. I mean to say the minoxidil will stimulate growth adn if you stop using it the hair that benefited from it will fall out, read the statements in the instructions. I didn't mean to say it sped my hair loss, although that's what came out. If you do use either of the products read the statements on the products instructions, they do say: "you will likely loose the hair you have gained within 12 months of stopping treatment". This staetment would lead us to believe the hair gain is dependent on the products. Diego - I would say go for the two products, many people benefit from them. The FINASTERIDE is meant to slow and or stop further hair loss by blocking DHT. Minoxidil is meant to help stimulate hair folicles to grow. You already had the transplant, keep the healthy with minoxidil and finasteride.

Diego- I'm like Robert , I started minoxidil when I first started noticing hair loss(9 years ago). I used for four months. I felt it wasn't working and stopped! The resulting hair loss was so intense I panicked!! I moved to the Philippines about a year after my hair loss was noticable. I tried every "snake oil" in Asia!! I moved back to the US three years after that and started taking Proscar. I took it for six months (no side effects) but didn't see my hair growing back so I stopped. AGAIN I saw a lot/accelerated of loss!! My problem is I didn't understand what the products were really doing and what the benefits could be. Propecia/Proscar/FINASTERIDE- should stop your hair loss within the first 18months of taking it. Minoxidil/Rogaine can help the hair follicles that are still healthy to grow and act as a blocker for DHT in other follicles. That is what they are supposed to do. I have not had any bad side effects since I started using these products again. I FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!! Their benefit is going to be noticable after a year, but once you start taking them -YOU MUST CONTINUE!! I saw acceleration in my hair loss when I didn't follow the directions and stopped using the products. Minoxidil & Finasteride are the only two products that are APPROVED by the US FDA, they have been tested and evaluated to produce the good effects that you hear about. The one and only draw back- you must use them for the rest of your life! Any hairs they have benefited plus the hairs that were doomed to fall out anyway, will look like your hair is falling faster if you do not follow the directions and don't continue using them. If you have side effects, talk to your doctor about them. I know that sounds intense, but consider the money it costs for you hair transplant and all the different products that you might be considering now, Minoxidil&Finasteride are proven to do what they say. My bad experiences were my lack of understanding and impatience. Hair loss itself takes quite some time to notice!! I noticed a thin spot 9years ago on my crown. One year after that I had a two inch bald spot and my hair line was receeding!! I did not follow the directions for Rogaine and stopped using it after only four months. My point is this - you can use these two products because they are intended to stop your hair loss where it is. Continue using them as directed and they will benefit the healthy hair and cut back on your DHT, that means they will AT LEAST slow down your hair loss. Some people have noticed regrowth from these products, it can happen. I wouldn't be focused on that aspect, just concentrate on stopping DHT NOW!!. As for the propecia, ask your doctor or pharmacy if they can get FINASTERIDE. it is the clinical name of Propceia/Proscar. BE PATIENT!!!