Hair loss speed & finasteride

[GuyFromTheUK]

So; I'm most likely getting a HT in around 5 months time. Been quoted between 4500-5000; and FUT with H&W (good choice?)

 

Firstly here are some photos which show the dramatic speed in which I lost my hair (most over one year it appears! (from 2012-2013, then for the past 3 years it has slowed down a bit) - the lighting and the fact that I have short hair in the 2016 photo make it seem worse than it is; my hair was pretty bad in 2016! trust me. I would say my lost is actually worse in my crown than in the front (over the past 4 years or so) but my plan is to get the front rebuilt and work backwards from there;

 

do I look like a good candidate for FUT? I admit my hair is quite fine!; but at the back and sides it is certainly thicker at least (so hopefully the donor site has good thickness)

 

I still haven't decided to take any form of DHT blocker. Is there anyone who has a HT who doesn't take finasteride or an equivalent? it seems everyone is on it. My reasons for not taking it so far are as follows:

 

1. The side effect risk! I know this is rare; but I don't want to lose my libido for the rest of my life. Baldness drug Propecia 'risking men's sexual health' - BBC Newsbeat

 

2. If I take it; I have to take it for the rest of my life otherwise all my native hair will fall out; that is quite some medication dedication! I was wondering what everyones plan was who is currently on it? Will they just take it until they are happy to be bald? or when do they decide to stop? I don't want to be dependent on a drug.

 

3. I'd personally prefer just to have a HT now; take no meds, then save up for another one in about 3 years time or so to cover the rest of the areas which I have a problem with (thicken up the front maybe some more and work on the crown) then leave it at that; rather than take finasteride, give me false believe that I have lots of hair, then one day stop and lose a ton of it.

 

I actually was one of the few who had really good results with minoxidil in the past but stopped due to palpitations; it definitely kept my hair going strong and my major hair loss started as soon as I stopped it (from 2012 onwards)

 

random question but: my grandad on my mothers side had a good head of hair, my dad doesn't but still retains some hair on top; hopefully I'll just go that way? is there anyway of knowing which Norwood you will end up at?

 

I'd appreciate others input thank you

[hsrp10]

Your donor looks pretty decent on the sides and back, so you could go dense in the hairline at 60cm2 or higher (due to your hair being fine caliber and not coarse) then bit less dense in the frontal third behind the hairline and just leave the crown area alone for another procedure or wear the new hair long and comb it back.

 

Really tough to say about Fin, as everyone reacts differently and the risks are real.

I've been on and off and when can tolerate it my hair gets very thick and dark.

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

H&W is a great choice. I'd definitely stay on the meds( if you can tolerate it )....

H&W would probably be able to tell you what Norwood you will wind up ( stay on the meds and it probably won't get any worse!)

[GuyFromTheUK]

Thanks for the feedback!

 

I really wish there was a gallery of patients who haven't taken finasteride and had HT so I could see the results.

[hsrp10]

HTsoon and other posters here have been off of Fin (I had a longer list but some of these posters are not active much anymore), so if you dig around a bit you can find the HRN users who have had HT's without being on Fin.

 

Also I believe Bill the publishing manager of this site is no longer on Fin.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Hsrp10 is correct. I am no longer on finasteride and my hair looks exactly the same. But be aware that if you are benefiting from finasteride and you stop, you will lose all benefits from it. You do appear to be a diffuse thinner so if you are using Propecia and it's helping to save your existing hair your hair loss will likely continue and even speed up. If you aren't using it, you may want to consider trying it, although I know some people are concerned about possible side effects.

 

Given your hair loss pattern, depending on your donor density and scalp elasticity, you may be a good candidate for a megasession. But do undertand that you are likely to lose a lot more natural hair that's already starting to miniaturize. Thus, while you will gain more permanent hair on top of your head, you will likely lose a lot too. But based on placement of the hair, you will still likely see a dramatically improved result. You can then go back for more to fill in the areas where more hair was lost. But just understand you will likely not be a "one and done" patient. You will likely require multiple procedures.

 

For me, it took 4 procedures to get me where I am today.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[GuyFromTheUK]

Hsrp10 is correct. I am no longer on finasteride and my hair looks exactly the same. But be aware that if you are benefiting from finasteride and you stop, you will lose all benefits from it. You do appear to be a diffuse thinner so if you are using Propecia and it's helping to save your existing hair your hair loss will likely continue and even speed up. If you aren't using it, you may want to consider trying it, although I know some people are concerned about possible side effects.

 

Given your hair loss pattern, depending on your donor density and scalp elasticity, you may be a good candidate for a megasession. But do undertand that you are likely to lose a lot more natural hair that's already starting to miniaturize. Thus, while you will gain more permanent hair on top of your head, you will likely lose a lot too. But based on placement of the hair, you will still likely see a dramatically improved result. You can then go back for more to fill in the areas where more hair was lost. But just understand you will likely not be a "one and done" patient. You will likely require multiple procedures.

 

For me, it took 4 procedures to get me where I am today.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

 

Thanks for your feedback Bill, yeah I haven't tried it yet and have always been really wary of trying; I'd prefer alright hair without propecia than amazing hair with propecia as oddly as it sounds just because I don't want to have to rely on it just in case i stop taking it one day and everything falls out.

 

I also factored that in; that I will need multiple sessions. My plan was to do a mega session with H&W for roughly 4500-5000, then return in about 2-3years time to tidy up the rest with either FUE or potentially FUT depending on how it is all looking at the time.

 

I also realise I may need further touch ups in the future but hopefully they can be small FUE procedures. This is going to be the big one anyways.

 

Also it's interesting that your hair loss pattern looks quite similar to mine Bill.

[Melvin- Admin]

I have had three procedures and didn't take Finasteride for any of the procedures,I do however take other preventive meds to slow down hair loss see signature. Your hair loss has been very rapid, in fact I would say my hair loss and your hair loss was very similar, from 2010 to 2013 I had lost the majority of my hair. But I noticed that in 2014 my hair loss had slowed down, and after using some of the other preventive meds my hair has actually improved.

 

At this point, without taking any preventive medication you will need a good strategy and careful planning. Can it be done? Yes, but it may take several procedures to get you where you want to be, and keep in mind even after all of those procedures you may need another one down the road as a touch up to make up for additional lost native hair.

 

Now about the Finasteride, that is personal choice, I know a lot of men who take it with no side effects, I took it back when I was 21 and suffered really bad side effects, I discontinued taking it because of the side effects, I returned to normal after a few months if that's any consolation to you.

[GuyFromTheUK]

I have had three procedures and didn't take Finasteride for any of the procedures,I do however take other preventive meds to slow down hair loss see signature. Your hair loss has been very rapid, in fact I would say my hair loss and your hair loss was very similar, from 2010 to 2013 I had lost the majority of my hair. But I noticed that in 2014 my hair loss had slowed down, and after using some of the other preventive meds my hair has actually improved.

 

At this point, without taking any preventive medication you will need a good strategy and careful planning. Can it be done? Yes, but it may take several procedures to get you where you want to be, and keep in mind even after all of those procedures you may need another one down the road as a touch up to make up for additional lost native hair.

 

Now about the Finasteride, that is personal choice, I know a lot of men who take it with no side effects, I took it back when I was 21 and suffered really bad side effects, I discontinued taking it because of the side effects, I returned to normal after a few months if that's any consolation to you.

 

hey buddy; well I plan to take biotin once I'm done just to speed up the growth, but will probably steer clear of the proper meds. I was on for Rogaine for a year and even though it worked really well! (i got loads of growth in my hairline and crown) I stopped because of palpitations and then I don't want to go on finasteride so yeah I'm ready for several procedures; hopefully a mega FUT session of 4500-5000 and then 1 or 2 FUEs will be enough; only problem is that of course you have to shave your head fully for the FUE and then you will see the ugly ass scar I will no doubt have from the FUT so it is hardly like I can go unnoticed.

[n00b]

hey buddy; well I plan to take biotin once I'm done just to speed up the growth, but will probably steer clear of the proper meds. I was on for Rogaine for a year and even though it worked really well! (i got loads of growth in my hairline and crown) I stopped because of palpitations and then I don't want to go on finasteride so yeah I'm ready for several procedures; hopefully a mega FUT session of 4500-5000 and then 1 or 2 FUEs will be enough; only problem is that of course you have to shave your head fully for the FUE and then you will see the ugly ass scar I will no doubt have from the FUT so it is hardly like I can go unnoticed.

 

Why not consider going full FUE instead of FUT? That way you wont have a huge scar that you get from FUT. I think you have fine hair and so creating an illusion of full hair is gonna be tough for higher norwoods.

You also need to understand transplant failure is a very real possibility. Try shaving/trimming your head to see if are comfortable with it. If not, then contemplate transplants. If you go in on just FUE, then you can atleast buzz real close in case of a failure.

[n00b]

If you are not gonna use fin, why not go just do FUEs like HTsoon to avoid the scar?

That way you can just buzz real close in case transplants fail.

[GuyFromTheUK]

because it's too expensive to give the hair amount I need

 

also can I not just get the scar partly filled in with grafts w/ FUE if I have that procedure in the future to tidy up the rest?

Edited November 10, 2016 by GuyFromTheUK

[n00b]

I can't say this for sure but I dont think FUE into scar would allow you to buzz to 0 or 1. Anything more than that would not look good imho.

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

So; I'm most likely getting a HT in around 5 months time. Been quoted between 4500-5000; and FUT with H&W (good choice?)

 

Firstly here are some photos which show the dramatic speed in which I lost my hair (most over one year it appears! (from 2012-2013, then for the past 3 years it has slowed down a bit) - the lighting and the fact that I have short hair in the 2016 photo make it seem worse than it is; my hair was pretty bad in 2016! trust me. I would say my lost is actually worse in my crown than in the front (over the past 4 years or so) but my plan is to get the front rebuilt and work backwards from there;

 

do I look like a good candidate for FUT? I admit my hair is quite fine!; but at the back and sides it is certainly thicker at least (so hopefully the donor site has good thickness)

 

I still haven't decided to take any form of DHT blocker. Is there anyone who has a HT who doesn't take finasteride or an equivalent? it seems everyone is on it. My reasons for not taking it so far are as follows:

 

1. The side effect risk! I know this is rare; but I don't want to lose my libido for the rest of my life. Baldness drug Propecia 'risking men's sexual health' - BBC Newsbeat

 

2. If I take it; I have to take it for the rest of my life otherwise all my native hair will fall out; that is quite some medication dedication! I was wondering what everyones plan was who is currently on it? Will they just take it until they are happy to be bald? or when do they decide to stop? I don't want to be dependent on a drug.

 

3. I'd personally prefer just to have a HT now; take no meds, then save up for another one in about 3 years time or so to cover the rest of the areas which I have a problem with (thicken up the front maybe some more and work on the crown) then leave it at that; rather than take finasteride, give me false believe that I have lots of hair, then one day stop and lose a ton of it.

 

I actually was one of the few who had really good results with minoxidil in the past but stopped due to palpitations; it definitely kept my hair going strong and my major hair loss started as soon as I stopped it (from 2012 onwards)

 

random question but: my grandad on my mothers side had a good head of hair, my dad doesn't but still retains some hair on top; hopefully I'll just go that way? is there anyway of knowing which Norwood you will end up at?

 

I'd appreciate others input thank you

 

Ask yourself about what you are really trying to accomplish with your unique hair loss goals. You should consider a second opinion if you are choosing surgery as the first and only option. Combating hair loss involves a treatment plan. Research treatments that can offer benefits of improving the appearance of your hair. Treatments that help manage the effects of miniaturization are important to your case.

[Harbal]

n00b, outside the US FUE is not considerably more expensive than FUT. If you look to Turkey prices vary between 2000 - 5000 EUR for 3000+ Grafts. Personally I wouldn't go for FUT because of the scar, and the associated healing time. Both methods might have their pro's and con's but I want to keep the buzz / shave option open.

[GuyFromTheUK]

n00b, outside the US FUE is not considerably more expensive than FUT. If you look to Turkey prices vary between 2000 - 5000 EUR for 3000+ Grafts. Personally I wouldn't go for FUT because of the scar, and the associated healing time. Both methods might have their pro's and con's but I want to keep the buzz / shave option open.

 

I'm not sure if my level of hair loss would be appropriate for FUE though? I'm probably a NW5 going on NW6.

[Melvin- Admin]

I'm not sure if my level of hair loss would be appropriate for FUE though? I'm probably a NW5 going on NW6.

 

I've had only FUE and my hair loss was just as bad or even worse than yours. But do what you feel is best for your situation, if you want FUT go for it. But times have changed and as much as certain FUT doctors want to say FUE is not possible for high norwoods, I'm living proof that it is, not only me but others as well spyk77, Harin etc.

[n00b]

I believe FUE can acheive the same results as FUT. Take a look at Dr.Lorenzo's extensive documentation on high norwoods.

HTsoon is NW6 and is having a great result from FUE.

[n00b]

I'm not sure if my level of hair loss would be appropriate for FUE though? I'm probably a NW5 going on NW6.

 

Look at Dr.Lorenzo's documentation for FUE results on high norwoods. I believe both FUE and FUT achieve similar results

[chris39]

I had a FUSS procedure and don't take Fin'.It was a medical reason in my case .

 

Not sure what difference Fin' would have made anyway . I appreciate your reasons for not taking it also.

[GuyFromTheUK]

So; I'm most likely getting a HT in around 5 months time. Been quoted between 4500-5000; and FUT with H&W (good choice?)

 

Firstly here are some photos which show the dramatic speed in which I lost my hair (most over one year it appears! (from 2012-2013, then for the past 3 years it has slowed down a bit) - the lighting and the fact that I have short hair in the 2016 photo make it seem worse than it is; my hair was pretty bad in 2016! trust me. I would say my lost is actually worse in my crown than in the front (over the past 4 years or so) but my plan is to get the front rebuilt and work backwards from there;

 

do I look like a good candidate for FUT? I admit my hair is quite fine!; but at the back and sides it is certainly thicker at least (so hopefully the donor site has good thickness)

 

I still haven't decided to take any form of DHT blocker. Is there anyone who has a HT who doesn't take finasteride or an equivalent? it seems everyone is on it. My reasons for not taking it so far are as follows:

 

1. The side effect risk! I know this is rare; but I don't want to lose my libido for the rest of my life. Baldness drug Propecia 'risking men's sexual health' - BBC Newsbeat

 

2. If I take it; I have to take it for the rest of my life otherwise all my native hair will fall out; that is quite some medication dedication! I was wondering what everyones plan was who is currently on it? Will they just take it until they are happy to be bald? or when do they decide to stop? I don't want to be dependent on a drug.

 

3. I'd personally prefer just to have a HT now; take no meds, then save up for another one in about 3 years time or so to cover the rest of the areas which I have a problem with (thicken up the front maybe some more and work on the crown) then leave it at that; rather than take finasteride, give me false believe that I have lots of hair, then one day stop and lose a ton of it.

 

I actually was one of the few who had really good results with minoxidil in the past but stopped due to palpitations; it definitely kept my hair going strong and my major hair loss started as soon as I stopped it (from 2012 onwards)

 

random question but: my grandad on my mothers side had a good head of hair, my dad doesn't but still retains some hair on top; hopefully I'll just go that way? is there anyway of knowing which Norwood you will end up at?

 

I'd appreciate others input thank you

 

ADMIN; can someone please remove all attachments from this post? thank you (I have an updated thread)

Edited March 22, 2017 by GuyFromTheUK

[Speegs]

I've been on finasteride since 22, I had a Norwood 3 with diffuse thinning that advanced a little bit till it got to Norwood 3A then held steady.

 

I'm now 33, so going on 11 years with finasteride and it has preserved my crown and mid-scalp and allowed me to be relatively aggressive about frontal region and hairline restoration.

 

So far no sexual side effects and my hair is looking good.

 

My dad looks like Patrick Stewart and was sporting a combover at my age, so i've definitely bucked the genetic trend that awaited me with help of finasteride and restoration surgery as a one-two punch.

[Rashid36]

Hair loss meds are a good way to stabilize your hair loss, improve what you got and possibly get regrowth