Nervous

[Quade]

I've been REALLY leaning towards having a hair restoration procedure. I actually had one scheduled a few years back but backed out at the last minute. The physician gave me Propecia 1/4 of a pill every day and I finished the prescription but I HATED the side effects I had while taking it!!!! My question is this, if I do go ahead and have the procedure, will I have to continue to take a medication such as this forever? According to the scale, I'm around a 2a. It would be nice to have a high number of grafts placed and not have to take a medication that has negative sexual side effects.

I'm not against taking medication at all, it's just it really had major erection issues and this is holding me back from calling a scheduling it. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[TakingThePlunge]

Quade,

 

As I'm sure you know, genetic hair loss is a progressive condition. The majority of hair transplant physicians recommend that patients stabilize their hair loss medically before and after surgery in order to maintain their existing hair as long as possible. However, hair transplants are still an option for those that can't or won't use Propecia (finasteride).

 

If you choose not to use finasteride, be sure to discuss this with your hair transplant physician. You will want to work with your doctor to form a long term hair restoration plan that takes into account the probability of future hair loss. This may mean a more conservative hairline to conserve grafts for future procedures.

 

You may find the following article informative:

 

Is Propecia (Finasteride) Required After Hair Transplant Surgery?

 

Best of luck!

[Thehairupthere]

Just as Takingtheplunge suggested you should consult with a doctor about forming a good long term plan if you do not want to use medication. Since you have had a bad reaction to finasteride, I certainly wouldn't suggest starting it up again, but you should consider using rogaine foam (minoxidil) as it works very well in at least stabilizing your hair loss. Once it's stabilized the doctor would feel more comfortable providing you with a more aggressive approach which will ultimately make you look better, consider it.