What is the point?

[oms]

The only cure seems to be castration which seems to defy the purpose of men wanting to keep their hair in the first place. Getting a transplant when you are at the peak of your life, late teens through 20s, seems to be ridiculous as you will lose more hair, need more transplants, run out of donor hair and be left with nonsense hair. Propecia only works for 3 years, and is meant to only start having effect after one year, so in effect it slows down hair loss in some men for 2 years and doesnt regrow any hair.Avodart is no where near the miracle drug it was supposed to be and hair cloning if it ever happens in our lifetime will be so unaffordable it may as well have never been invented. Ever get the feeling we are fighting not only a losing battle but a pointless one? I have been lsing my hair since 16, while i was still at school, this is a lot more distressful than losing it at any other age, except younger of course. Now i am being told there is no point in getting a transplant until i am 30. This may be relatively young in the grand scale of things but most peoples lifes are settled by this age, so to me this would be pointless. When all is said i dont have a lot of hope left in any future treatments.

[oms]

The only cure seems to be castration which seems to defy the purpose of men wanting to keep their hair in the first place. Getting a transplant when you are at the peak of your life, late teens through 20s, seems to be ridiculous as you will lose more hair, need more transplants, run out of donor hair and be left with nonsense hair. Propecia only works for 3 years, and is meant to only start having effect after one year, so in effect it slows down hair loss in some men for 2 years and doesnt regrow any hair.Avodart is no where near the miracle drug it was supposed to be and hair cloning if it ever happens in our lifetime will be so unaffordable it may as well have never been invented. Ever get the feeling we are fighting not only a losing battle but a pointless one? I have been lsing my hair since 16, while i was still at school, this is a lot more distressful than losing it at any other age, except younger of course. Now i am being told there is no point in getting a transplant until i am 30. This may be relatively young in the grand scale of things but most peoples lifes are settled by this age, so to me this would be pointless. When all is said i dont have a lot of hope left in any future treatments.

[Joe Transplant]

Hey oms,

 

It's very easy to get pessimistic when it comes to the hair issue. For about six years I've been on an emotional rollercoaster. I have gone through every scenario and came up with a conclusion that worked for me. I'll be 30 next month and just had my first transplant 3 months ago. I realize that I will never have the hairline or density I had at 20, but I'm not 20 anymore. It's a fact of life that we all getting older and our bodies change. What I came away with is that I wanted to be proactive in dealing with this issue and the right coarse of action for me was to get a transplant. I'll probably need a couple more, but at least I'll know that my hair will look decent for a very long time. And if I need a few touch ups here and there, then so be it.

 

You wrote: "Ever get the feeling we are fighting not only a losing battle but a pointless one?"

 

I understand where you are coming from, but are you also going to stop working out, become obese, waste you life away on the couch etc... after all we are just going to turn 85 or so and die anyway. What the point to a healthy life? To me it's about the quality of life not just the end result.

 

There is no perfect solution for our dilemma just yet, but I believe most of us have come away from this HT experience feeling much better knowing that we are taking matters into our own hands. It's not for everyone, but I didn't want to lose all of my hair. Others feel great about shaving their heads or just letting nature take it's coarse. You'll eventually find what's right for you.

 

 

By the way I'm almost 30 and just starting to peak. I'm single, financially stable, and in the best shape of my life - and this weekend I went out to a club and walked away with two phone numbers! Life doesn't end here for me, I just look up to the "Cool Guys" who are still peaking like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Mel Gibson, John Travolta, Nic Cage ... and they're all over 40! (Pitt's 39) and from what I hear at least one of them has had an HT.

 

We are all on your side here and we have all gotten down on ourselves about this whole experience at one point or another. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully this experience will make you stronger no matter what action you choose. Who knows how we will all look back on this, but hopefully we'll all come out better people for breaking through this rough time.

 

Hope this helps!

[vocor1]

That was a good post.

To oms: In that case, what's the point of living? I mean, you are going to die someday anyway, right?

The point of living is the experiences that make you stronger. Overcoming your challenges and showing people you will be successful on your terms.

So we've had hair problems. I'd rather have that problem than many others. There is no magically solution.

Yeah, I'd like to have great hair and I sure as hell hated losing it so fast and so young. I guess that is life.

Now, I too (like Joe Transplant), have a bit more going for me. Throughout the hairloss I was able to become financially stable and successful in my career and business ventures.

There is a lot to look forward to if you realize you can't control everything, but things you can have some control over, you should try to understand and control. I can manage things I understand, but I cannot manage things I have no idea about.

So now we embark on "hairloss management" and the path is not clear. Well, at least we see the path. Our choice whether to risk it or not.

 

Joe Transplant:

Glad to hear about the club success. I've noticed some subtle (and some not so subtle) changes as well. I received some quite flattering comments from several women I met last week going out. I'll be honest with you that I was a little in shock that I got all that positive attention. I'm pretty sure it wasn't just better hair, but certainly, that contributed to my overall positive attitude.

Despite some people's opinion here that my HT was too conservative, the results are still oh so positive so far.

Glad to hear that others are seeing similarly good results.

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

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

[Joe Transplant]

Vocor1

 

Glad to hear about your positive experince. I agree that it's mostly about positive attitude. Before my transplant I wasn't feeling too confident about myself and it showed. I constantly worried about the future and what women would think. Now that I've done it I feel great even though my hair is thinner due to shock fallout. It's not how I looked, but how much fun I was having that attracted not just those two women, but a bunch of people to hang out with me and my friends. I believe we sometimes look in the mirror and see things worse than what they really are. Then it shows in our actions or worse, our inaction.

 

Through this transplant, I have learned to let go of those insecurities because I now have "experienced" that I can do something about it. Six years of emotion have been settled by one day of surgery, 3 months of recovery, and a future of knowing I will constantly improve my hair and myself.

[oms]

Thanks for responding, you have both lifted my spirits somewhat. sorry for sounding down but some of the guys here are very anti-HT and this can be demoralising at times for my future outlook. No offense to anyone though as i know they are simply trying to be realistic.

[Guest]

Propecia only last 3 year's ?...Is that true ?

 

Avodart ? Does that wear off to ?

[arfy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Propecia only works for 3 years, and is meant to only start having effect after one year, so in effect it slows down hair loss in some men for 2 years and doesnt regrow any hair.

 

Wrong. You need to get a grip on the facts. Propecia works, and if you are a young guy losing hair who wants to stop losing hair, you should be taking Propecia.

 

By making posts like this, you confuse other people who might assume that you know what you're talking about.

 

If you don't want to use Propecia, that's your choice, but please do NOT tell everyone that Propecia doesn't work.

[vocor1]

Joe Transplant:

Another good post. And I couldn't say it any better.

You are right, when you go out and you are having fun, well, that is naturally attractive to anybody. You just have to be comfortable.

My old "hairline" sucked so bad that I could NEVER grow my hair longer because it ALWAYS looked like complete crap or that I was trying to cover the baldness. So I'd wear it really short and that was acceptable but certainly not preferred.

It looks a lot better now. I've had SO much fun going out recently. Not just with women, but more fun hangin' with the guys too.

I could recount some recent experiences, but it would really sound like gloating and many would probably say, "he's exaggerating". Truth is, I really couldn't make up some of that stuff because I'm not very creative.

 

"Six years of emotion have been settled by one day of surgery, 3 months of recovery, and a future of knowing I will constantly improve my hair and myself."

 

AMEN!!! It is beyond liberating when you realize all you were was just the very tip of all that you can become. Corny and idealistic? Certainly. But it is true. It is like you toppled a barrier that was once insurmountable.

And it is funny, I won't advertise to anyone (outside of here) that I had an HT, but you know what, if someone "found out", then I'm at the point where it is, "who cares?"

The ends justify the means.

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

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

[Guest]

Yea the reason that doesn't sound right to me is because what about people who use 5mg proscar for there prostate, are they outa luck in a few year's...?..I don't think so..

 

But what is Avodart ? Is it the same as propecia or proscar ?

I'm prob. thread jacking I'll serch the old post's...

[Guest]

microprose,

so you don't think you'll be happy with 80 grafts per cm2 on the first try? wouln't that be a pretty good coverage and density?

 

i'm pretty much in the same boat as you. i also got some dimensions of my "triangles". my total looks like 11 cm2. (5 cm2 on my right and 6 cm2 on my left.) man, i would be happy with around 40 to 50 grafts per cm2. then i'll let Toppik take care of the rest. what do you think?

[Guest]

microprose,

actually, i'm expecting some money from an inheritance to come my way. basically, money is the reason (and still in the process of researching) i haven't got an HT yet. i make pretty good money. I'm an engineer. it's just that something always seems to come up and take away from my funds.

 

i've just recently started to research on FUE HTs. it sounds good, the only downfall is that it is very costly. who knows when i'll get one. but i do plan on getting one. man, i hope your HT works out for you. i'm sure it will.

[Guest]

EE here. Putting off HT due money can be a good thing - at least it forces you to do the research first instead of just jumping right into it.

 

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

[dodgedabullet]

Anyone that is losing hair at the age of 22 has a very good chance of becoming completely bald. If you get a density of 50-80 FU's per cm2, you may only have enough grafts to cover about 100-120 cm2, or about half of the baldness of a NW6-7.

What you think and what women think is attractive changes as you get older. I'm speaking from experience. I spent over $10,000 raising my hairline from a bad transplant, and I like it much better now.

You will look much better at the age of 60 if you have some recession. Trust me, you will look like an absolute freak if you have a thick, frontal, squared hairline with a bald crown. That has been one of the problems with the FM flap years later.

There are a lot of very bright people with a lot of experience on this forum. Do yourself a favorite and listen to them, or you may be headed for a world of hurt.

[Guest]

thanks, but I am not going bald (nor is anyone in my family), nor am I lowering my hairline. I am simply filling in my temples. Did your unsuccesful transplant involve FUE, and was it performed by one of the top docs? I only consider that high of a density in the front, because that's what most people notice. I am not that much concerned about crown, and in the event I would start losing hair there, I wouldn't go 80 grafts per cm2.

 

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

[Guest]

Joe Transplant,

 

Great first post. Oms, I have to agree that life doesn't end at 30, so forget about the whole "being settled by 30" kind of thing. I knew guys who married, settled (bought homes, had kids, worked the 9-5) in their mid-20s and who four or five years later were divorced, had sold their precious homes, lost their 9-5 jobs and were paying alimony and never seeing their kids. They are truly and totally more miserable now, for having "settled down early," than ever they were going home from a bar without so much as a dance with a girl, nevermind a phone number.

 

Meanwhile, I'm 38, I've travelled on every continent, and have had more -- pardon me -- girl-related fantasies (balding and all) than anyone I know. Oh how some of my settled friends envy my affair with the girl in Paris, or the one in Rome, or the one from Tokyo... Heh, heh, heh.

 

Life just gets better and better. And, though we all put serious thought into this whole hair loss issue and HT decision, at the end of the day we should really all be thankful it's only cosmetic surgery we're talking about, not cancer surgery or something like that.

 

That said, listen, I know -- we all do -- how much it SUCKS to lose your hair. Just don't despair. I think the point is to "do your homework" so you don't ADD regret to your current misery. Best of luck to you.

[Guest]

Pic - your post should get everybody's spirit up (especially if you're in your 20's and experiencing problems with hair). Thanks.

 

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

[homer]

Firt of all thanks for all the replies.Micro, i think you are in a better off situation than i am. You say you really balding too muchso this may mean you simply have a high hairline or are losing your hair very slowly. I however dont have that much hair left whih is why i am thinking of getting a HT in the next couple of years. YOu said you are going for the FUE, this i dont think is a real option for me. It is too expensive and i am not sure that small scars would be all that better than a pencil one. Also i think i would need more grafts than possible by this procedure in one or two sessions. That said, all the best to you. Can i ask why you didnt think of going with Dr Woods?

 

ARFY- i am not making my information up about propecia. Having done research on this many people said that after 3 years it stopped having the same effect and many reported shedding like before they were on the drug. I am not saying this will happen to all people who use it, i apologise for not making that clear. Even a HT doctor discussed on this forum is said to have been of the same opinion according to a previous poster on this forum. Also some people think you try to scare them by being anti HT, however you go on info that you know and thus give your opinion on matters. This is no different to what i am doing. I am simply saying that propecia is not a long term cure; it only blocks type 1 of the 5-alpha-reductase enzymes that cause baldness in men.So peope should not pin all their hopes on it is what i am saying.

 

Billborb- "Yea the reason that doesn't sound right to me is because what about people who use 5mg proscar for there prostate, are they outa luck in a few year's...?..I don't think so.."

 

This is what propecia was created for, prostrate problems, discovering that it helped slow hairloss was discovered as a side effect. So i would imagine it will still work for its intended effect, although i have no clear info on this.

 

I apologise if people thought i was trying to scare people that was not my intention.

[vocor1]

Naw, you aren't scaring anybody. You just posted what you know.

I'm sure you are right that some people lose the effects of Propecia over time. Propecia doesn't block 100% of DHT, so it stands to figure that it certainly is possible to lose hair that Propecia fought for you to keep or even regrow.

It is really hard to lose sight of the long term here. Right now, my hair is growing in and Propecia has made my balding crown a thing of the past.

And that makes me quite happy right now.

Down the road, who knows? Maybe Propecia stops working. Maybe something better comes along. Maybe I'll want another HT.

But with 2200 used, I think I still have options if things don't go my way in the long term. That is what I'm hoping, at least.

 

vocor1

Knowledge is Power

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

[Guest]

Glad to have helped, which I hope I did. And of course, re-reading my post, I know I kind of made myself out to be Dr. Casanova -- apologies. I'm NOT. But my point is simply REINFORCED for my NOT being Captain Stud, because if I, Mr. Balding Phd, can have a few decadent experiences, ANYone can.

 

Someone wrote on this or another thread that their HT gave them added confidence, which in turn helped their overall life. I think that's key. Once you get fixated on your hair loss -- and that can be your own bad attitude AND/OR just the little kids on the bus staring and asking, "Mommy, why can I see my reflection in that man's forehead?" -- once you get fixated on your hair loss your confidence goes south along with your hair. If an HT can turn that around, great.

 

But a BAD HT can sink what remaining self-esteem you have faster than el legendary iceberg downed the Titanic. Better to be naturally balding than unnaturally mutated. "I AM NOT AN ANIMAL!!!" etc

 

Point -- DON'T despair, lose hope, castrate yourself. DO relax, take your time, do your homework and, if you must, have an HT. I am as yet undecided. But my own experience in life has proven you don't NEED Brad Pitt's hair to get the girls (though I'm sure Pitt could get FAR MORE than I ever could ).

 

Keep your chin up.