Denied by H&W. Will wait two Years to see if hariloss stabilizes.

[JSSeaDub06]

I'm 21 and I've been battling hairloss since I was about seventeen. I took ScalpMed for about 6 months of the last year, somewhat halting any hairloss until i decided to cut the expense and sticky fingers! I have been taking Proscar for a short time, but unfortunately not long enough. I sent my online consultation to H&W and fortunately for me they would like to see my hairloss stabilize before performing an operation. (THANK YOU FOR BEING SO ETHICAL, THEY TRULY ARE WORLD CLASS). Since, I havent been taking Proscar for too long I will switch to Dutasteride after i finish my current prescription of Proscar. I have very long, blong curly hair and great donor so hopefully the Dutasteride can halt my loss, and hopefully thicken up my thinning crown.

 

-1/4 Proscar Daily

-Plenty of Sun!

[thanatopsis_awry]

Probably an excellent chance you shouldn't be getting the op if H+W shot you down....they are very ethical and very aggressive. That said, if you still want to venture forth....Rahal and Feller you should consult w/....SMG, too, but they tend to be more "conservative", IMO. Rahal is probably your best bet if you wanna get it done -- he's wicked aggressive re: boldness/age+loss.

 

Fin is far and away your best bet....dut you shouldn't even consider at this pt. unless you get horrid sides from fin and/or the fin doesn *absolutely* nada for you. If you really want to pull out all the stops use rogain foam 5% -- but it can be a bitch and is a "lifetime" commitment.

[kaounis]

Count yourself lucky that H&W turned you down...You are way to young for HT surgery. Stay on Fin, try using Nizoral 2% twice a week, and then wait a while to see if things improve before you get a HT.

 

P.S. Good for you H&W, you guys are truly ethical and profesional..

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[JSSeaDub06]

Yes, I will stay on the finasteride for the foreseeable future until i decide what to do. I used to use Scalp Med and it drove me insane. I hate daily regimens, and I'm not going to sign myself for a lifetime commitment. The Proscar, I dont mind. It's roughly $33 a month in the generic form. However, is there any good shampoo's and conditioners that eliminate DHT. Revita? You say use Nizoral 2% twice a day, what does that do. I thought Nizoral was to treat Dandruff?

[kaounis]

Do a search on Nizoral for hair loss, the active ingridient ketakozanal,( I think that is how it is spelled), has been proven to strengthen and help keep hair from shedding, it might not grow new hair but will help you keep what you have...I have been using it for years, but no more than twice a week...Check it out...

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[hair_care]

Like Thana said i would consult with both Rahal and Feller, both top docs , it just depends if you want to have it done in Canada or the US.

[Zup]

We are not technically so conservative. I would say we are very analytical, and our philosophy is to do what is appropriate for the patient both now and down the road. We are happy to pull no punches on the appropriate patient....low, broad, thick hairlines, extreme densities, aggressive crown work, build up lateral sides, and do the largest session possible on the appropriate patient. A concern is the FUTURE, all info shows the younger the patient starts thinning the more extensive generally the hair loss and the faster they progress. The problem with many young patients are they don't just want a hairline that looks natural, they want the hairline they are use to having 20 years of their 21 year old life and what the peers have...this make sense, we understand that. However, these are hairlines that possess all the extreme traits. There is nothing more we would love to give them, unless it could hurt them in time. If so, we have done them no favors.

 

Ironically young patients are the last patient you want to be to aggressive on. I"ve heard patients say well I'll accept a bald crown in time to have a low, broad, strong hairline now. The problem is a bald crown on someone with a low, broad, strong hairline will look peculiar. Generally these aggressive hairlines are only found on men that maintain a full head of hair. The young patient thinning is the least likely to maintain a full head a hair their entire life.

 

Hairlines should be mapped out using measurements, facial structural landmarks and using patient's hair as a guide...along with taking into account age, what the patient has already loss, the amount of miniaturized hair, characteristics of donor, whether the patient is on meds and family history.

 

These are things Dr Shapiro has taught and lectured on over 12years, at conference all over the world.

[dakota3]

I agree with Zup! In 20 years you would not be so grateful to a surgeon that was so aggresive with your hairline that you have very little donor left to cover the rest of the balding head. In a very young patient the best approach should be a conservative approach. Now thats not to say that I think that SMG is conservative but I think that they more than most have the patients future in mind.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

What Ive seen from SMG is they seem to always meet the patients goals without sacrificing the future.

I dont think they are "conservative" as they can pack as many as anyone

I think they just have a clear understanding how to truly utilize grafts without overkill.

Dakotas right about loving a doc now and hating him down the road.

I want to love now and then

[CuriousJungleGeorge]

To JSSeaDub06: I understand your concern, but I warn you to be wary if you suddenly find a doctor who's willing to give you "exactly what you're looking for." In a sense, your job is to be unhappy with your receding hair-line and to want it moved back to where it was when you were sixteen; it is a competent physician's job to understand how you feel, then tell you it is grossly irresponsible to give you what you want. Think if it this way: you're pretty young, right? Yet, you're already experiencing hair-loss. Chances may be, then, you'll lose plenty of hair. If you use your donor supply now to fill in (perhaps close to all of) what's missing, you'll end up with nothing to fill in what goes missing later -- and you don't really know when "later" will be. You might figure, "The hell with forty-year-old me": fine; but, what about twenty-six-year-old you? That's not so far away. Just try to be careful with what you do. This is surgery, and there's not much way to "change your mind" once you've enacted it.

[JSSeaDub06]

Yes, I agree. I will stay on the Proscar through the end of my cureent prescription, and then switch to Avodart (Dutasteride) and see document my progression over the next few years. Hopefully, my hairloss is 100 percent stabilized and then I'll evaluate a decision. Do you guys know what online pharmacy is the best for Generic Avodart? I see it's roughly $90 a month in the US without a generic form available till at least 2013!

[Bobman]

Be smart. Hasson & Wong are the best at what they do, and if they say wait...WAIT! I know you're in a place where it's hard not to think of the hairloss and you're freaking out a bit. I get that...but trust me, you don't want to rush into anything...especially if the best of the best told you not to. Be smart, stay on the drugs for quite a while. Between holding off and the new advancments that are always being made in this field...you're gonna love yourself for being patient.