Today Marks 1 Year on Finasteride. Am I ready for a Hair Transplant?

[ejojer9]

Fellow hairloss fighters,

 

Today marks 1 year on finasteride (1mg/daily during first 6 months and 1.25 mg/daily during the last 5 months), 14 months on minoxidil, and 8 months on 2% ketoconazole shampoo (2x/week). I have not experienced any side effects from finasteride.

 

4 months ago I switched from liquid minoxidil to foam. Additionally, I went from only using it in the frontal third of my head to applying it to the entire top scalp about a month ago.

 

In a week I see my dermatologist in order to discuss a potential dutasteride prescription.

 

I've like to draw blood samples and measure my DHT levels on no medication, on generic finasteride, on brand-name finasteride, and on dutasteride to see what is the most effective way to fight DHT.

 

I'm 24 years old now. Looking to decide on a HT doctor around March and have a procedure potentially Summer or Fall of 2018. Will be 25 years by then.

 

Please share your thoughts, comments, or suggestions. I'd appreciate the help. Thank you.

[ejojer9]

November 2017

[ejojer9]

September 2016

[ejojer9]

March 2015

[Speegs]

Stick it out to the 18 month mark, which will also coincide with the 25th year of your life.

 

Both are benchmarks that once reached will give a good gauge on your hair loss stability and how to proceed surgically.

[JayLDD]

The others lack any logical basis for saying you shouldn't get a hair transplant at that age because on the evidence there isn't one. Whether a hair transplant is a good decision is not dependent on age in the slightest. Arbitrary round numbers like 25 aren't going to tell you anything at all, it's a silly benchmark.

 

I would recommend you hang around the forums and do substantial research on doctors and surgery types before you jump into anything, also if you can have your donor analysed by a local doctor. Avoid only looking at the doctors in your country, US and UK doctors in particular don't like to work on younger patients typically and are often overly cautious. Erdogan in Turkey, Lupanzula, Feriduni and Bisanga in Belgium and Konior in the US are all top options I would consult and look into, particularly for the hairline work you're looking for.

 

Consider both FUT and FUE on their merits too.

 

I agree with Spex that Duta is likely not necessary at this stage, and could potentially cause more problems than it is worth, considering you're already maintaining and improved on finasteride.

[Spanker]

It would take an in person look by a trusted doc to give you a good assessment. If you have strong donor hair, I would possibly me comfortable in transplanting you at the hairline that you have now, and just beefing it up, but not dropping it at all. However, I am not a doc, so you would need to get an opinion from one that you trust.

 

I personally prefer patients to be 30-35 or older. Some people say 25, but the age is only part of it. The rest is where you put your hairline at, the quality of your donor, and the expectations.

[ejojer9]

You are young on only been on finasteride a very brief time. Stick with Finasteride before jumping on Dutasteride. I was on finasteride 16 years before moving up to Dut.

 

Spex

 

I'm not looking to completely replace Finasteride with dutasteride. I'm to consult with my doctor about incorporating dut into my regimen. I'll probably start with finasteride 5x per week and dut 2x per week.

[Speegs]

I'm not looking to completely replace Finasteride with dutasteride. I'm to consult with my doctor about incorporating dut into my regimen. I'll probably start with finasteride 5x per week and dut 2x per week.

I'd caution against that, if finasteride it working then there is no need to go with something stronger, because once you start a regimen you need to stick with it if you don't want your body to react to not having it in your system anymore.

 

Duasteride is seldom a good idea for men under 40.

 

If your physician is responsible, they probably won't be gung ho to see you do that either.

[ejojer9]

I'd caution against that, if finasteride it working then there is no need to go with something stronger, because once you start a regimen you need to stick with it if you don't want your body to react to not having it in your system anymore.

 

Duasteride is seldom a good idea for men under 40.

 

If your physician is responsible, they probably won't be gung ho to see you do that either.

 

There is a strong possibility that my doctor will not approve my choice of taking dutasteride.

 

That being said my thinking is as follows:

 

Finasteride blocks 65% of DHT while Dutasteride blocks 90+%. Why wouldn't I take the stronger drug?

[Speegs]

There is a strong possibility that my doctor will not approve my choice of taking dutasteride.

 

That being said my thinking is as follows:

 

Finasteride blocks 65% of DHT while Dutasteride blocks 90+%. Why wouldn't I take the stronger drug?

It's a necessary hormone you don't want to obliterate from your body in full, men that have male pattern baldness have the twin pairing of super high levels of DHT and a genetic predisposition for it to act negatively on hair follicles in post-adolescence.

 

But eradicating DHT from the body to only traceable amounts isn't necessary and could be detrimental to things such as sex drive and muscle performance in general, DHT has a purpose, there's a reason we have it.

[ejojer9]

It's a necessary hormone you don't want to obliterate from your body in full, men that have male pattern baldness have the twin pairing of super high levels of DHT and a genetic predisposition for it to act negatively on hair follicles in post-adolescence.

 

But eradicating DHT from the body to only traceable amounts isn't necessary and could be detrimental to things such as sex drive and muscle performance in general, DHT has a purpose, there's a reason we have it.

 

Very good point and well said, Speegs. Always good advice from you. I thank you.

[ejojer9]

It would take an in person look by a trusted doc to give you a good assessment. If you have strong donor hair, I would possibly me comfortable in transplanting you at the hairline that you have now, and just beefing it up, but not dropping it at all. However, I am not a doc, so you would need to get an opinion from one that you trust.

 

I personally prefer patients to be 30-35 or older. Some people say 25, but the age is only part of it. The rest is where you put your hairline at, the quality of your donor, and the expectations.

 

Hi Spanker. Thanks for your feedback.

 

Unfortunately there aren't any doctors near me who are able to examine my donor. I visited one doctor near me, a reputable one, and they said I have a 'strong' donor although he didn't actually examine my hair in detail. I believe this should be decided at a microscopic level. The problem here is finding a trustworthy and ethical doctor who will be sincere in your donor analysis. The doctor that I visited said to me that I have great donor capacity but I got the feeling that they just wanted me to become another patient of theirs for obvious reasons.

 

I doubt that I will wait until age 30 for a procedure. I've thought of the benefits and costs and I'd like to get a procedure within the next year or two. Of course, like all of us, the more I wait the better but I think that I'll be OK with getting a procedure at a relatively younger age because 1. I'll plan a conservative hairline and 2. I'm not a negative responder to finasteride. This is what has postponed my procedure thus far-my age. More than money it's me feeling like now is not the best time. While this is a reasonable precaution it is frustrating and difficult.

 

The next steps I should take are me visiting a reputable and honest doctor in person in order to think of the most optimal game plan for me. Let's hope I'm able to do this.