Is HT a good idea if you won’t be taking Finasteride?

[clerksband]

I know that Finasteride is for the hair AROUND the transplanted hair not to fall off, but what if you have already stopped balding?

[Fozzie]

Not sure anyone can say with any great conviction they have stopped balding (unless a person has lost all the hair on top), even more so if they are not on medication and in their 20s or 30s. MPB is progressive and can creep up on you at any age even when you feel it has stopped.

With regards to finasteride, it's pretty simple .......by taking it you are playing the percentage game and giving yourself a better chance of keeping hold of remaining hair while adding through a HT and thus increasing the chances of holding onto a result.

HT's can and are done without finasteride but the emphasis on mapping out a plan with your surgeon for the future is much greater imo and you may find yourself looking at another procedure sooner than you thought if/when you continue to lose your native hair. You would need enough donor supply to cover future loss and it needs to be used wisely with one eye on the future. For that reason, they'd more than likely be a need to be pretty conservative in your expectations  without finasteride i.e wouldn't be expecting to lower a hairline too much if you still have a fair amount of native hair or throwing too many grafts at the crown/vertex area.

In a way, guys who have more extensive loss probably have a better chance of getting away with a HT without finasteride. Usually a clear pattern has developed and a surgeon can probably better predict where the loss maybe heading in the future and a conservative approach is usually taken.  When the donor supply/characteristics have permitted and in the hands of good surgeons, I've seen some good results with these kind of patients but they have generally been conservative and on patients in their late 30s onwards.

Think guys who still have a lot of native hair and decide to go for a HT without finasteride (especially younger guys) are playing  a guessing game and this is where it gets tricky imo. Think any good surgeon will look to mitigate the uncertainty factor as much as possible and finasteride is an important 'tool' that aid's that.

[Wicky]

Couldnt have said it better than ^^^

 

if you truly are "done" balding than go for the most agressive HT you can get but the truth is youre going to be balding till you die, you may have just stopped for a time. 

[clerksband]

I took Finasteride years ago and experienced side effects and stopped. That's why I'm hesitant to go back.

 

But if it turns out that HT without Fin isn't that effective, I may not do the procedure. Has someone in here done HT and then NOT taken Fin?

[matt3480]

There are plenty of people on here who have....but results will vary. Some have lost a lot of hair from shock loss because they weren’t on Fin. 

Its definitely risky. I always feel you should try even really small doses or every other day doses before completely giving up on Fin because it’s going to be hard for most to keep their hair without it....and the risks associated with shock loss will be much greater. 

[Mikey1970]

Great reply Fozzie - you nailed it.

[Spanker]

Fozzie said it all.

 

Personally, I think it's a must for lower NW levels, especially when they are in their 30s or younger. 

 

But a lot of people get them without it. You have to be more conservative about your expectations though. 

[Melvin- Admin]

Generally, no it’s not a good idea. However, I’ve had three transplants and don’t take finasteride. With that said, I accept that I’ll have to use concealers to achieve my desired look long-term. I’m at peace with that. Not everyone will be though, so if you have high expectations with hair restoration and don’t want to take fin, I’d say don’t bother with surgery.

[pkipling]

I took it for about two years after my HT, and while it is typically a good idea to do it, I experienced mild side effects and stopped taking it around two years ago. That said, my surgeon really wants me to go back on and try a lower, less frequent dose to see if it offsets the sides - and I'm open to it. But for me (to put it bluntly), it's simply a matter of choosing between slowing down any potential hair loss and having stronger erections... And at this point in my life, the latter is much more important to me, so I'm fine with the potential consequences my hair will face because of it.