To Arfy and vocor

[oms]

First of all i will respond to arfys questions. i have been on minoxidil (xandrox) for 4 months now. I have noticed a slight improvement in my hair however the hair at the front of my head has gotton thinner due to using xandrox, in my opinion. I have been on propecia since july 2002. it has not had any noticeable effect as yet. some people i have spoken to say it takes a year for it to have effect, some say it only works for a year. However the most common view for most people seems to be that it works for a maximum of 3 years after which people begin to shed heavily like before. Now a question for you both, and anyone else who would like to respond of course. Vocor, you have mentioned that if i were to get a hair transplant i should get all over coverage as this will help prepare for future loss. however could this not lead to a great deal of shock loss as areas of hair will be disturbed by implanting donor hair? Plus i was also wondering why it is that younger people go bald a lot quicker than older people, any thoughts on this? I dont know what to do anymore. no other male in my family is bald, i for some reason am, i had pinned all my hopes on the solution being getting a HT in the next couple of years, however many of you seem to think this unwise. I am getting depressed again as there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, i can imagine future generations of my family who will all have hair and look at photos of some bald guy from time past and ask their mum who the hell the slaphead was. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[oms]

First of all i will respond to arfys questions. i have been on minoxidil (xandrox) for 4 months now. I have noticed a slight improvement in my hair however the hair at the front of my head has gotton thinner due to using xandrox, in my opinion. I have been on propecia since july 2002. it has not had any noticeable effect as yet. some people i have spoken to say it takes a year for it to have effect, some say it only works for a year. However the most common view for most people seems to be that it works for a maximum of 3 years after which people begin to shed heavily like before. Now a question for you both, and anyone else who would like to respond of course. Vocor, you have mentioned that if i were to get a hair transplant i should get all over coverage as this will help prepare for future loss. however could this not lead to a great deal of shock loss as areas of hair will be disturbed by implanting donor hair? Plus i was also wondering why it is that younger people go bald a lot quicker than older people, any thoughts on this? I dont know what to do anymore. no other male in my family is bald, i for some reason am, i had pinned all my hopes on the solution being getting a HT in the next couple of years, however many of you seem to think this unwise. I am getting depressed again as there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, i can imagine future generations of my family who will all have hair and look at photos of some bald guy from time past and ask their mum who the hell the slaphead was. any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest]

I remember the first time I learned about hair transplants through an infomercial on TV, I thought I found the ultimate solution to my problems. It really sucks when you finally realize that it is not a perfect solution, and serious risks are involved. Especially after you get turned down by some of the best docs, because you're too young. In the end it's all about self-esteem, and ht is does not hold the monopoly on restoring it. Try working out for example. Are you sure no other male in your family had a receding hairline? If so, maybe yours is not due to genetics, and something else is involved. Don't despair - because there always is a solution.

 

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic''. Arthur C. Clarke

[vocor1]

oms:

I wouldn't get too down. Maybe the only one in your family losing hair, but certainly not the only man losing it.

And at a young age it sucks even more. Believe me, I understand.

And then comes the notion of the HT. A cure for all our problems, right?

Wrong. It is a risk. But you have to ask yourself which risk is better for you to take?

You might get shocked, but I didn't. I tried to be as prudent as possible, and I still filled in the temples some (but did not lower the hairline).

But the thing is that I don't think I screwed my future. That piece of mind is worth a lot to me.

Don't lose hope. You have to believe that you can make it through tough times and emerge stronger.

So your friends and family have it easy, and you have it harder. So what? Show them that you cannot be defeated. That you will perservere. That you will meet any challenge and with best judgment, proceed forward on a course of action with clarity of thought.

I always fall back on, "Knowledge is Power". Nowhere can it ring any more truer than here. You get educated and make a good choice and you'll deal with the consequences if they arise because you made the best decision possible when the decision was there to be made.

At least you made a decision. You didn't sit there and sulk.

I can't make this all happen for you. I made it happen for me so I know a fundamental change in attitude can occur within you.

The first step is believing that EVERYTHING can change as long as the decision we make are thought out and not fear or impulse driven.

Knowing that the possiblility to change everything exists is the first step, getting educated on how to make that change for you is the next step, and realizing that change is the final step.

Hey, not everything has gone perfectly for me. I may have part of my scar redone because it didn't close as small and nicely as the rest of it did. Okay, so what, I approach that problem, tackle it, and move on.

I don't know if this is the type of feedback you wanted. I'm NEVER going to "RAH! RAH! RAH!" anyone on an HT. I hope I'm done transplanted hair for good. Only time will tell, but I'll handle it.

All I can say is I feel things are better today than yesterday. Maybe it was the HT, maybe it was a change in attitude that went along with the process. It doesn't matter, the change occurred.

But again, the first step is that I believe it could occur, I made an informed decision, and let the cards hit the table.

I suggest that you follow a similar line of thinking when approaching a successful attitude to treating hairloss.

Best of luck.

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

If the worst question is the one never asked, then the worst answer is the one never shared.

[arfy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>some say it only works for a year. However the most common view for most people seems to be that it works for a maximum of 3 years after which people begin to shed heavily like before.

This is not correct.

 

If I could recommend a couple of things...?

 

First, stay on Propecia. This is a good idea whether you get a transplant or not. You will continue to lose hair otherwise. With Propecia you have about an 80% chance of stopping the progression. It's extremely important to stop the progression.

 

Hair transplants are not the cure to hair loss... they are an imperfect solution, with limitations and drawbacks. One of the limitations is that transplants are only a good decision for a certain group of people who have certain characteristics. They are not a "one-size-fits-all" solution. Even then for those certain guys, hair transplants are far from perfect, IMO.

 

I'm not all that familiar with your situation, except that you are a younger guy (22...?). This doesn't mean that you can "never" get a transplant. It just doesn't seem to be a good idea for you at this time. Post your photos in the "Ask a Surgeon" forum and see what kind of replies you get. If a doctor discourages you, it is not a negative thing. You may have too much hair (how can that be bad). The doctors who discourage you are trying to protect you, so you won't get screwed up by getting a transplant when you really shouldn't.

 

Keep up with your medication, and keep learning about transplants. Be patient, and in the mean time, continue to educate yourself on transplants.

[oms]

Thanks for the advice guys, nice to know there are people who will try to help others when they are feeling down. I will try to keep my chin up and continue to do research for a couple of years yet before i make any future plans on a HT.