Members results using HGH after a transplant

[GotHairInFront]

Hello, new here and just had a 2300 graft FUT last Friday (1/21/11) in Denver at Bosleys with Dr. Tonia Pauls, recipient areas as follows:

- eyebrows 200 grafts

-temples 300 grafts

-hairline 1800 grafts

 

I have been using HGH for two years as part of an anti-aging regimen and have experienced all of the positive benefits attributed to responsible dosages of injectable HGH, including thickening of hair shafts , density improvement and some return of hair color. However, my male pattern baldness in the front of my head has resulted in some thinning and receding hairline (just like dear old dad had). Hence the hair transplant procedure.

My question for you good folks is this:

Has anyone had any experience using HGH during the post-op phase of a transplant? I would be interested to learn if recovery times/dormancy times/ hair regrowth times are accelerated using HGH? I know it is used to treat burns/wounds to accelerate healing time and quality of recovery. HGH has also caused my hair to grow MUCH FASTER than before I used it.

Thanks everyone!

[Blake Bloxham]

GotHair,

 

Have you discussed medication use post-operatively with the hair transplant clinic? I know there are some conflicting thoughts on using human growth hormone (HGH), so there is a chance that specific clinics may have an opinion on using this supplement after the transplant surgery. If you have the opportunity, I suggest calling the clinic and asking the opinion of the operating hair restoration surgeon. If this isn't an option, you may want to consider seeking the medical advice of your primary care physician or a local recommended hair restoration physician. Good luck!

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

How long ago did you have your procedure? What HGH treatment protocol were you on prior to the surgery? What did your hair restoration doctor say when you asked this same question?

[GotHairInFront]

The doc had no concerns since I am on a replacement dose (1iu/day)& not using supra physiological dosages, the same hormonal level as a thirty year old male enjoys. The doc has no prior anecdotal experience with patient usage of HGH so I am the first, at least the first open user of HGH for replacement purposes in that clinic.

I had my transplant last Friday (4 days ago) and am curious about what to expect going forward based upon others similar protocol as mine; surely I am not the one and only transplant recipient in the world who is also on HGH replacement therapy. I would be interested in the medical doctor's opinions or anecdotal stories they have personally witnessed in their own practices, as well as recipients themselves.

[GotHairInFront]

Until another recipient using replacement HGH chimes in I will relate my experiences going forward, although I have no baseline to refer to personally since This is my first HT.

I think the first occurrence of interest will be how quickly my scabs fall off my scalp, followed by the shedding of hairs. Next milestone will be the length of the dormant stage before new hairs begin to sprout and the quality of these new hairs. of interest will be the percent of follicles growing hair at 3,6,9,12 months passage. This will be my own personal "lab experiment" that I can share with interested others. I will provide photos at regular intervals for objective analysis.

[GotHairInFront]

Day 5:

- Facial swelling all but gone now (was swollen quite a bit and settled around eyes Monday) with some yellowing of skin on temples and around eyes, treating with Arnica Montana.

- Scabs are falling off quite a bit today during and after morning shower, revealing hairs protruding from scalp. Doc cut hair strip very short before excising and I have seen some growth (length) already. Hair growing from many follicles already, too numerous to count, transplanted areas look like beard stubble, only a bit longer! :eek:My wife says she has noticed hair length increases as well as numerous active follicles (she's quite excited this HT stuff actually works).

- Scabs falling off eyebrows too revealing single short hairs now. Too early to notice any actual growth yet. Redness fading fast.

- Initial Redness of scalp at recipient areas fading as well today, making it easier to see hairs sprouting.

- Itching of recipient area due to bristly short hairs, relieved by CyteGraft Spray.

- Donor area tender on right side, much improved everywhere else. Wife reports no inflammation or obvious signs of infection, healing nicely IHO.

- Pain restricted to donor site only, minor in nature.

 

Hope this serves to inform you and help you make a better decision for yourself. I'll tell you this, I'm thrilled with the outcome so far and am trying HARD not to get too attached to these little stubs of hair sticking out of my scalp since everyone says I'm going to lose them shortly, but going to remember that they'll BE BACK in a few short months again (this time TO STAY)!

Thanks & Praises,

GotHair

[GotHairInFront]

So it's day 8 after HT procedure and the following observations are made:

- ALL of the scabs have fallen off after gentle circulate rubbing with finger pads in shower and during the day. Scabs started falling off on day 6 and are completely gone on day 8.

- The scalp is completely smooth with no bumps or redness whatsoever and very little itching.

- Tiny hairs continue to appear everywhere on scalp with hairs growing up to 1/4- 3/8 inch in length, including temples. Eyebrows showing some initial growth of single hairs now.

- Recipient areas of scalp minimally tender with feeling coming back on front of scalp and even on top of scalp where hairs were transplated to fill in thinner areas.

- Donor strip healing well with decreasing tenderness, almost unnoticeable today.

 

 

- Facial swelling and discolorations are gone today.

 

Sutures are to be removed on Monday and am looking forward to surgeon's assessment of healing and prognosis for future (which I will share with everyone). So far I am quite pleased with my own progress and would love to hear from others how my experience

utilizing HGH as a healing agent compares with their own. I am grateful that I have not incurred any complications to date.

Thanks for any feedback from y'all!

[Sean]

Are we talking about HGH as in Human Growth Hormone? If so, then glad you had a great result in combination with HGH. I always thought HGH would thin hair or shed it. Kind of like testosterone or steroid like therapies? I have read that some of these hormone treatments can cause frontal recession, higher forehead, thinner brittle hair. I don't know if it's accurate or not. A lot of body builders use the stuff.

[GotHairInFront]

Hi Sean, it appears I am indeed having great results from my HT, in conjunction with utilizing my HGH replacement therapy. I have done extensive research and talked with actual docs who prescribe HGH for anti-aging purposes and hair shedding/thinning/brittleness does NOT occur, in fact, HGH usually induces some hair regrowth, shaft thickening, color restoration, and generally a better head of hair. HGH causes my hair to grow VERY quickly overall on all parts of my scalp. It did not cause any hair loss in me as I was contemplating a HT before using HGH. If anything, using HGH delayed my getting a HT as I started regrowing some hairs in front/temple areas but after two years of HGH therapy I decided I wasn't going to achieve the density I wanted from this process alone. HGH definitely slowed down my hair loss in front as well. I'm 57 years old and was following my dad's progression of hair loss (which was extreme receding hair line with much thinning in front and on top).

When bodybuilders/athletes use HGH they utilize supra -physiological dosages that exceed replacement dosages (by far!) which can lead to unwanted side effects (like swelling of joints, bone regrowth, facial bone regrowth with resultant distortions). This in turn gives responsible HGH usage a bad name because of irresponsible peeps using HGH incorrectly/irresponsibly.

My interest with using HGH during/after my HT was to see how HGH enhanced the healing process and how it will positively affect the results of the HT down the road.

Thanks & Praises

[Sean]

Hi Sean, it appears I am indeed having great results from my HT, in conjunction with utilizing my HGH replacement therapy. I have done extensive research and talked with actual docs who prescribe HGH for anti-aging purposes and hair shedding/thinning/brittleness does NOT occur, in fact, HGH usually induces some hair regrowth, shaft thickening, color restoration, and generally a better head of hair. HGH causes my hair to grow VERY quickly overall on all parts of my scalp. It did not cause any hair loss in me as I was contemplating a HT before using HGH. If anything, using HGH delayed my getting a HT as I started regrowing some hairs in front/temple areas but after two years of HGH therapy I decided I wasn't going to achieve the density I wanted from this process alone. HGH definitely slowed down my hair loss in front as well. I'm 57 years old and was following my dad's progression of hair loss (which was extreme receding hair line with much thinning in front and on top).

When bodybuilders/athletes use HGH they utilize supra -physiological dosages that exceed replacement dosages (by far!) which can lead to unwanted side effects (like swelling of joints, bone regrowth, facial bone regrowth with resultant distortions). This in turn gives responsible HGH usage a bad name because of irresponsible peeps using HGH incorrectly/irresponsibly.

My interest with using HGH during/after my HT was to see how HGH enhanced the healing process and how it will positively affect the results of the HT down the road.

Thanks & Praises

 

That's very interesting. I guess the right amount and the right dose is good on the hair shaft. If it increased density and thickness in the hairshaft then this may be a very good addition to the other hair therapies on the market. Is it really expensive? The dose you are using? Do you have to continuously use it for effects or is it like a few months on and off thing. I know it plays a big role in anti aging. Great to see it worked for you so well. Good luck and hope you have a great result.

[GotHairInFront]

Sean, the HGH definitely increased density and hair shaft thickness in my case;; Prior to using HGH I was getting the thinner, wiry, unruly hairs on my temples and front hairline, all going grey as well. After 6 months on 1 iu/day (5days on, 2 days off, 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off) therapy, I began noticing the aforementioned results on my hair's condition. HGH therapy isn't cheap; I pay $240/month for the HGH, and yes, just like fin and Rogaine, you must stay on it to receive the ongoing positive results. However, the benefits aren't restricted to your hair only! I have totally transformed my physique (with proper diet and exercise) into a well muscled, low fat body. My skin has thickened resulting in the almost total elimination of facial wrinkles and fine lines; this has extended to the skin on my entire body. Though I am 57, people mistake me for a 40 year old, which I never expected to happen! Now I never get sick and feel like a twenty something again (with the elimination of my swollen prostrate and the full recovery of my sex drive and ability to perform!). I have boundless youthful energy but with the wisdom and experience of a man of my many years.

But I digress; obviously I would recommend HGH to others for MANY reasons, but ONLY under the supervision of an anti-aging physician, like I am.

I estimate that I have lost 4 grafts total since my HT - 2 in my eyebrows and 2 in the area behind my hairline. Not too many out of 2337 grafts IMO.

Today my scalp hairs continue to sprout and grow in length to my wife's amazement, as well as my own. I am waiting for the day when I begin to shed , that will be a day of interest to me since then I can begin to count down the days until my hair begins to sprout once again.

Tomorrow I get my stitches out and get my doc's estimation of my progress, which I will share with everyone.

[GotHairInFront]

So I went to the doc today and had my stitches removed; the tech who removed them had somewhat of a difficult time getting them out because I had healed so quickly and extensively on the donor scar. She called the doc in to observe and she was amazed as well, commenting," You're a very fast healer, especially at your age". then the doc examined my recipient areas and was surprised at the length and amount of hairs sprouting on my scalp, remarking that the length and thickness of the hair shafts surprised her considering how short she cut the hairs on the donor strip before the procedure and considering the HT was performed only 10 days ago. She described my status as "remarkable" (which pleased the hell out of me), $$$ well spent!

Then she told me what to expect in the near future (hair shedding to occur any time now) and the standard timeline to expect hair regrowth to occur and max out in growth at around one year. her prognosis was for me to enjoy a very healthy thick head of hair relying on the large number of grafts already growing so vigorously. She also commented on how many temple grafts were growing already, which surprised her as well. So I received a clean bill of health with a positive outcome to look forward to in the months ahead. The doc also didn't see much shock loss yet, gently tugging on my existing hairs and pulling out none.

My scalp in front isn't as numb as it was just a few days ago either.

Will keep y'all posted as to when shedding begins to occur.

[GotHairInFront]

On Wednesday (day 12) I noticed some shedding, however I also noticed more new hairs sprouting as well. is this par for the course? - anyone ? I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks!

[Rhino3]

I can't believe you are writing back to back diatribes without anyone even responding. While HGH might result in increased hair growth, there are certainly a fair amount of reports that claim otherwise, as well as reports claiming that you could grow hair in undesirable places.

 

If there is one thing to glean from this though, it should be that HGH is NOT an anti-aging agent. In the 90's a scientist in Wisconsin studied the effects of HGH in older men, claiming that it resulted in leaner body mass and bone mineral -- sparking the misinterpretation that it slowed or reversed the aging process. The study didn't say anything about reversing, stopping, or slowing down the aging process -- it just helps you build lean muscle. Despite this, people ran with this and claimed it was the fountain of youth. Controversial outfits like the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine then claimed it was an anti aging agent, and a desperate and all too trusting society bought into it. A 2007 review on the use of human growth hormone as an anti-aging treatment in healthy elderly people published in the Annals of Internal Medicine concluding the risks of HGH significantly outweigh the benefits, and found no evidence that the hormone prolongs life. ABC [/url]interviewed Stanford Professor Hau Liu (lead author of the paper), who stated that people are paying thousands of dollars a year for a treatment that has not been proved to be beneficial and has lots of negative side effects. A 2003 review that was published in the Annual Review of Medicine noted that the long-term risks or benefits of this treatment are uncertain, that "neither the benefits nor the dangers have been defined" and advising that a "prudent physician should not condone the use of GH for such purposes". Other Medical Research Departments, such as Michigan State and Harvard, have also spoken out against the use of HGH for anti aging purposes, questioning both the efficacy and the risks.

[GotHairInFront]

"I can't believe you are writing back to back diatribes without anyone even responding. While HGH might result in increased hair growth, there are certainly a fair amount of reports that claim otherwise, as well as reports claiming that you could grow hair in undesirable places."

 

A 'diatribe' hardly describes my posts, and your response didn't answer my question about other HT recipients' experience with shedding/hair growth after a HT either. Rhino, have you had a HT? If so, I would appreciate a cogent response to my question; I bet others on this Forum would learn from such a relevant response from you as well. You seem a font of information, thank you!

[Balboa]

Keep posting Growhairinfront i know people may stumble across it and find it interesting maybe others like rhino don't.

 

you may have guessed i like the rocky films:) anyways i remember watching a documentary with Stallone training session when training for the expendables movie. and Stallone is on HGH also im not sure what dose but i know its very expensive and you need to make sure its kept a certain temperatures and its very hard to stay fresh or stable as its easily spoiled. i know its tentative stuff to work with from what i read.

 

but im sure you know alot more about the stuff than me.

Stallone has had about 6 or more transplants in his time its fairly detectable and i don't think he would risk his hair falling due to HGH

 

for what its worth if i had the money and knew the stuff i was getting was legit id probably consider it myself as an anti aging and to aid in my weight training.

 

you sound very happy with your life and the way things are going for you so dont let anyone put you down. if you feel something is working well for you keep doing it, plus the fact the doctor is ok with it is all you need to know i dont think many people on this forum know all that much about HGH you will probably get a better idea using Google, but i guess you will have already done that a number of times.

[Balboa]

also if possible some pictures of your recent work. thanks

[joeyz400]

I never heard anything negative towards hair at any dose of HGH. HGH not anti-aging... well, build lean muscle mass, improve bone density, improve skin as well as cognitive function. Sounds like turning back the clock to me. The one negative thing a agree with is it aids in growth whether good or bad, meaning you may have a small growth or tumor and this can fuel it to grow faster or bring out cancer. This is what is not known for sure. From what I know through the years around body building as well as guys looking for anti-aging, it really helps your body and sense of well being IMO

[GotHairInFront]

Hey Balboa and Joey, thanks for the good words, much appreciated. Rhino's cool, just down on HGH I surmise. So I just watched "Duece Bigalow: Male Gigolo", and Duece's girlfriend with one leg works in a hair transplant clinic and removes the donor strip with ....a CHISEL!!! Funny as hell, my wife and I about pissed ourselves laffing so hard! Can u imagine, a chisel....and you should have seen the hypodermic needle ( about a foot long) that the doc sunk in the middle of the patient's forehead to numb him up! Good stuff, reminded me of my experience at Bosley...JK...they should have shown that flick during the procedure instead of Anchorman!

I'll post photos but will need my wife's help with the camera to really zoom in tight, so be patient. I tried Googling HGH and HT and got zippo, nada, so was hoping this forum might yield some info, but so far I've only met some good people without any experience with HGH and HT results, but it's all good.

Still need to know if it's customary to shed hairs while still sprouting new hairs? just curious good peeps...

[Rhino3]

A 'diatribe' hardly describes my posts, and your response didn't answer my question about other HT recipients' experience with shedding/hair growth after a HT either. Rhino, have you had a HT? If so, I would appreciate a cogent response to my question; I bet others on this Forum would learn from such a relevant response from you as well. You seem a font of information, thank you!

 

I wasn't trying to answer your question, my intent was to pour a grain of salt on this "rah rah" session for HGH, and debunk the myth that it is an anti aging agent. I hope that some form of HGH is approved by the FDA as the fountain of youth and I can take it every morning, start dunking basketballs and picking up chicks everywhere, but the facts are the facts right now. There are dangerous side effects and the long term effects aren't known. Sorry to rain on your parade, but I feel obligated to keep people informed of the facts.

 

To answer your question, I have had 2 HT's. The first one was 2 years ago and didn't really work, and I am now 2.5 weeks post op -- I flew to Ottawa from Washington D.C. to see Dr. Rahal, and have nothing but amazing things to say about the experience. I don't want to go into many details because I'll end up writing a novel, but let me just reiterate that Dr. Rahal's clinic is awesome (great patient care, super efficient/professional, and Dr. Rahal and is staff are very down to earth and cool). I had 2000 grafts on my hairline, and it feels strong/dense, and I like the design. I had my sutures removed on Friday and you can't notice anything in the donor area. He also did a scar revision on my previous donor strip and it looks/feels great. I can barely feel anything when I run my fingers across the back of my head. Re: shedding/growth, I can't speak to growth other than what I see at 2.5 weeks (hairs were coming on strong, but it looks like they might be going into the expected shedding phase now). I didn't experience any real shock loss/shedding during either of my HT's, but I have a fairly strong head of hair with the exception of the hairline, only had 1000 grafts my first time and 2000 my second time, and I'm 28 years old. Sorry I can't help answer your question, but I bet if you email a coalition doc you'll get a good, professional response. Good luck...

 

And before anyone starts asking me for pics -- once I get my pics organized and start to see some growth down the road I might start a weblog.

[GotHairInFront]

Cheers Rhino, awesome post, thanks for the info on your HT experiences. Really sorry to hear the first HT went badly since that involves so many disappointments. if you feel like sharing, was it the result of a less than skilled surgeon?

I know what you mean by having a numbskull as my donor area was numb but is now coming back online and I feel like I need to itch it all the time as the feeling returns bit by bit. I guess that means I'm healing.

My shedding seems to have slowed down to an unnoticeable level now and the remaining hairs seem to be staying put. My eyebrows are definitely sprouting new single follicle hairs on both the inner and outer edges of both eyebrows after having shed completely on the inner brows. The recipient area has lost all discoloration now and looks the same color as my forehead.

This is day 17 post-op.

[GotHairInFront]

DAY 23 POST HT:

Donor area healing nicely with NO PAIN, just some itching occasionally.

EYEBROWS - noticed a few new single hairs on both inner eyebrows today in addition to the other ones that grew out during the past week. My inner eyebrows were the most sparse pre-HT and it's looking hopeful that I will have nice full eyebrows again. My outer eyebrows are also sprouting noticeable new hairs the past few days as well. Each eyebrow received 150 grafts during my HT procedure.

HAIRLINE HT- all shedding has now stopped leaving some original grafts which continue to grow. The past few days the sudden appearance of new hairs resembling beard stubble has emerged at the widows peak portion of my frontal hairline, where I was particularly thin. The appearance of small pimples in this area as well. It is also noteworthy that the grafts in my temples are beginning to sprout giving my once thinning temples a darker more definable appearance, even though these are stubble in length so far. Recipient area becoming less numb with some itching still. Cheers all!

[GotHairInFront]

:eek: DAY 26 POST HT : I believe I have extraordinary progress to report regarding my recent HT/eyebrow procedure. Tonight my wife counted the new single hairs sprouting on my right inner eyebrow for a total of 25! These are immature, thin blonde hairs for the most part, but the ones that sprouted several days ago have since thickened and darkened to a brown color. The left inner eyebrow boasts 20 new hairs as well. My wife estimates about ten new hairs on each outer eyebrow as well, for a total of 35 new hairs on the right eyebrow out of 150 grafts (or 23% initial growth) and 30 new hairs on the left eyebrow out of 150 (or 20% initial growth). I wish to stress that these are NEW HAIRS sprouting as my eyebrows completely shed 7-10 days ago. I am astonished, to say the least.

My hairline recipient area has shown more robust sprouting the past two days as well, with a couple of painful pimples that subside revealing several 2,3,4 follicle hairs emerging the next day. These are thin, immature blonde hairs for the most part but some darker brown ones are sprouting as well.

I have tried to take close-up photos with my crummy digital camera but I was told by a friend that I need a camera with a "macro" setting to obtain a very tight, detailed picture of the thin eyebrow hairs. I will buy such a camera ASAP and post my proof of these observations. I am obviously stunned by this sudden growth that I was told by my Doc to expect in 3-4 months!

I off-cycle the HGH this Saturday for a week (the "resting week"); it will be interesting to see if the hair growth subsides next week. I have been on my replacement dosage since before the beginning of my HT procedure.

[GotHairInFront]

DAY 31 POST HT:

Well, I guess the big story is the number of pimples suddenly appearing in my hairline; have popped 3 in the past 36 hours. Treating with warm shower and then soaking with warm wash cloth...pimples easily burst with rich red flow of blood following (obviously indicates good, adequate blood supply to my scalp ). I have counted 3 new pimples in my left temple recipient area this morning and one more in my hair in the middle front where they transplanted some grafts to thicken that thinning area. No problems with infection after popping .

Eyebrows - a few new blonde hairs have sprouted on each side and the new hairs from a few days ago are darkening a bit and definitely growing out. I have had to trim a couple as they look awkward until more surrounding hairs grow in to fill out the eyebrows.

 

I had my first haircut since HT on Friday and my stylist didn't notice the donor strip until I pointed it out and then she commented that it was barely discernible when brought to her attention! She said she has seen many HT clients and my progress has been "remarkable" considering it was only Day 29 post HT when she saw me. She also noticed many smaller hairs on my recipient area.

I am now 2 days into my "resting week" from my HGH injections and am looking forward to observing my HT progress during this resting week.

[Johnny_B]

Great thread! I admire your honest opinions and real life experiences on what some view as a taboo subject.

 

I'd agree that HGH wouldn't be detrimental to your hair although I suspect a slight increase in test may occur but not enough to elevate DHT levels significantly. I have low HGH levels and until recently, low test. Even now my test is the low end but as it is still just within range my endo leaves it alone. The thought of a small amount of HGH and test with my fin is appealing as I'm sure I would benefit health wise and especially cosmetically. However, I'm so keen to ensure I keep my DHT levels wiithin normal range that its only a thought at this point....I do not wish to lose any of my native hair.

 

Bravo to you sir!