Please share some thoughts, I'm absolutely desperate

[Cuttlefish]

Hi All,

 

I joined this forum about 5 years ago. I started balding at age 22, and considering my family history I was (and probably am) headed for the horseshoe look at some point (NW 5 or so).

 

Well being the young buck, I refused to believe it. I kept my natural hair for a long time with Rogaine (Scalp Med worked wonders too for a while), and the gambit of other hair loss prevention products. I had always wanted to get a hair transplant as well, but the price was always the mediating factor.

 

Well in February of 2015, I finally had saved enough cash to get that transplant. I chose a very good surgeon out of 5 that I went to see(recommended by this forum) and plopped down my 12K and got 3100 grafts via FUE. The research from this site was absolutely invaluable.

 

7 months later, I was so happy that I had done it. My new hair started to come in, and as I was on Propecia, the crown filled in nearly perfectly. With the addition of Toppik (ardent toppik user for nearly 10 years now), my hair looked amazing. I love styling it, I loved feeling like "myself" again. People complimented me that I looked really attractive, and my confidence took a HUGE jump up.

 

By the end of the first year, I could style my hair in a suave to the side look, and I looked damn good. I hadn't felt this good about myself in years. I was still taking propecia, and tolerating the side effects, and decided just about 15 months after my transplant to take some time off the drug.

 

I noticed about 4 months later that the crown begun to re-emerge and the top hair started to thin again. Not nearly as bad as it was before, but noticeable. I immediately started back on propecia, and within about two months, I noticed that the hair started to come back again...much slower this time.

 

That was nearly a year ago, and I'm now 29 months removed from surgery, been on propecia a majority of that time (with the 4 month time off exception)....and within the last three months...my hair has FALLEN OUT.

 

It has thinned out so much now on the top, that I think perhaps only some of the transplanted hairs are left. I think even some of the transplanted ones fell out. Even my donor area is starting to thin.

 

I can't style my hair really at all anymore, without a LOT of product and it just kind of lies limp on my head. When I do find a style that I like, in the right light, you can see the toppik sitting on my scalp.

 

I've read a lot of accounts of hair transplant recipients having a procedure, then magically at the 2 year mark, it all seems to fall out and they look worse than before.

 

This has kicked off a set of depression that I can barely contend with.I don't like to go out in public anymore, and I avoid social situations at all costs. I can't stop looking in the mirror and checking to see if anyone can tell. Without toppik in, you can most CERTAINLY tell that I had a procedure done....and it looks bad.

 

I'm still on propecia and still using toppik, but I may have to bite the bullet and just buzz/shave it down and embrace the fact that I will be unfuckable ever again.

 

I'm sorry for the rambling post, but I'm literally nearly in tears writing this.

 

Has anyone else had this happen to them, where two years in or so, it all seems to fall out? I got a new job about four months ago which has been horribly stressful (very poisonous work environment) which I feel may have kick started this.

 

Any guidance that anyone can offer would be helpful, I'm literally desperate. :(

[JayLDD]

Photos or can't judge.

[Schiller]

I do agree that photos are needed. If you are so upset, you will need others to take an objective look. Do you have photos from your peak period--the end of your first post-transplant year--and now?