Post op- 8 months update

[gillenator]

If it was me, I would wait until all of the grafts have sprouted, roughly 12 months post-op.

Then once you start finasteride, it should not cause your transplanted hair to shed...you may shed native hair, but usually not the transplants.

Now, you understand that the grafts will initially shed post-op roughly 2-4 weeks post-op which is normal, right?

Then, after they rest for 3-4 months, they start to regrow new hair.... and after 12 months, they have pretty much all sprouted.

I have known too many guys who started finasteride immediately after surgery and then had issues with the regrowth period.

So IMHO, waiting for the regrowth of the grafts to manifest before starting finasteride makes much more sense.

[pkipling]

On 7/13/2020 at 1:06 AM, tesla007 said:

Thanks for replying. PFA the photos with front part after spraying with water. See the gaps/less density. It worries me a lot

So, should I get on the finasteride train or not? I am ready to stick with it for a year to see some results. But two things keep on bugging me, a. Do I really need it or not? and b. That fast shedding phase when we start and stop it worries me.

Can you suggest something natural to apply to the hair to set them? In the below photos, I applied aloe vera gel a day earlier after shampooing.

You are right. @Melvin-Moderator also suggested the same. The clinic said that whey, as it's made up of milk, is good for the body and hair. But IDK I react differently to it. To each his own. Light exercise 2-3 times a week, sounds good?

And I am sticking with the cap from now on once again.

Everyone's hair will have gaps like that when it's wet, so don't overthink it. None of us will ever achieve 100% density, so it really does require each of us to properly manage our expectations in regards to what is possible for each of us, and then choose hairstyles/products that specifically work best for our own unique hair type, hair loss, density, etc. 

If you're on the fence about finasteride, personally I would start it sooner rather than later, following some of the excellent advice you received from other guys in this thread. To be cost effective, you can get the 5mg Proscar and cut it into quarters (1.25 mg). Start with a low dosage and take 1.25 mg every other day, for example. The specifics of how you want to tackle this are up to you, and you could consult with your doctor for his input as well when you get the prescription. At the end of the day, the only way you'll know if Finasteride is a good fit for you or not is to try it... So the sooner you start taking it, the sooner you'll know if it's something that's for you. 

I don't have specific hair products to recommend, but I always navigate towards things that are fairly natural and don't use animal testing. In my experience, those products are usually more gentle on my scalp. 

As for the protein powder, first off, I don't think there's a direct correlation between protein powder and hair loss. And as for milk being good for the hair? Perhaps, but I highly doubt it. Most humans generally ascribe to this idea that milk/dairy are good for us, but I don't ascribe to that. I don't consume animal products for many reasons, and specifically don't consume dairy because I simply believe that a cow's milk is for the baby calf, not for humans. There's lots of research to back up the health benefits of eating plant-based, but that's up to you to decide. Personally, I wouldn't touch whey or dairy with a 10 foot pole.  

All of this to say that you have to find what works for you. A lot of it will be trial and error, tbh, and I think that's how a lot of us end up landing on the various things that work for us.

[tesla007]

On 7/18/2020 at 3:24 AM, gillenator said:

If it was me, I would wait until all of the grafts have sprouted, roughly 12 months post-op.

Then once you start finasteride, it should not cause your transplanted hair to shed...you may shed native hair, but usually not the transplants.

Now, you understand that the grafts will initially shed post-op roughly 2-4 weeks post-op which is normal, right?

Then, after they rest for 3-4 months, they start to regrow new hair.... and after 12 months, they have pretty much all sprouted.

I have known too many guys who started finasteride immediately after surgery and then had issues with the regrowth period.

So IMHO, waiting for the regrowth of the grafts to manifest before starting finasteride makes much more sense.

 

On 7/20/2020 at 12:15 AM, pkipling said:

Everyone's hair will have gaps like that when it's wet, so don't overthink it. None of us will ever achieve 100% density, so it really does require each of us to properly manage our expectations in regards to what is possible for each of us, and then choose hairstyles/products that specifically work best for our own unique hair type, hair loss, density, etc. 

If you're on the fence about finasteride, personally I would start it sooner rather than later, following some of the excellent advice you received from other guys in this thread. To be cost effective, you can get the 5mg Proscar and cut it into quarters (1.25 mg). Start with a low dosage and take 1.25 mg every other day, for example. The specifics of how you want to tackle this are up to you, and you could consult with your doctor for his input as well when you get the prescription. At the end of the day, the only way you'll know if Finasteride is a good fit for you or not is to try it... So the sooner you start taking it, the sooner you'll know if it's something that's for you. 

I don't have specific hair products to recommend, but I always navigate towards things that are fairly natural and don't use animal testing. In my experience, those products are usually more gentle on my scalp. 

As for the protein powder, first off, I don't think there's a direct correlation between protein powder and hair loss. And as for milk being good for the hair? Perhaps, but I highly doubt it. Most humans generally ascribe to this idea that milk/dairy are good for us, but I don't ascribe to that. I don't consume animal products for many reasons, and specifically don't consume dairy because I simply believe that a cow's milk is for the baby calf, not for humans. There's lots of research to back up the health benefits of eating plant-based, but that's up to you to decide. Personally, I wouldn't touch whey or dairy with a 10 foot pole.  

All of this to say that you have to find what works for you. A lot of it will be trial and error, tbh, and I think that's how a lot of us end up landing on the various things that work for us.

Thank you guys. As @gillenator has suggested will give it a couple of more weeks maybe months, fingers crossed, before starting finasteride. BTW attached are the photos from the front just after a basketball game. One can easily tell that the frontal area is transplanted. No issues for me but the gap or the poor density bugs a lot. On the right side where the hairloss was more looks weird. The skin on the transplanted part is also kinda red. It used to be like blood red but it has become less red with time.

 

 

[gillenator]

You also have a wide color contrast which makes everything much more visible.

How do you feel about the angulation of some of the grafts?

[tesla007]

On 7/25/2020 at 3:45 AM, gillenator said:

You also have a wide color contrast which makes everything much more visible.

How do you feel about the angulation of some of the grafts?

Sorry for the late reply, was busy in some personal issues.

You also have a wide color contrast which makes everything much more visible.

I am sorry I didn't get this.

The angulation is okay-ish types. I mean it looks fine in some areas but in some areas huge gaps can be seen even. I will share a photo to explain what I am trying to say. Some grafts, I don't know if this is an issue or not, seems to have been transplanted in the wrong direction or maybe this is because I have curly hair I can't say.

[tesla007]

@LaserCap @gillenator @pkipling @nishchd @aaron1234 @Mr S

Update after almost 10 months

Monsoon season is here and the shedding has almost doubled. Had an itchy scalp today so touched the middle of the head very very lightly and boom four hair strands with the root fell off. I "think" and I am not sure but I feel that the transplanted hair are also shedding though their shedding speed seems to be less than the native hair. The clinic would only vouch for the PRP. For me personally it is a waste of time and money. About 3 weeks back I switched my shampoo to some other brand, from a baby shampoo to some herbal shampoo. Used to use oil sometimes and aloevera mostly  after taking a bath. Changed the aloevera brand too as the one which I was using was out of stock. Now maybe the shedding has increased due to the shampoo or aloevera or maybe it is just the weather I am not sure. Have stopped taking whey all together, though studies have not shown whey's impact on hair but some members, including myself, feel that it has an impact. Very very light or most of the times no exercise at all in a week.

I think the transplanted hairs, as suggested in this thread, have sprouted to their max potential and I don't think that finasteride should have any impact on them now. Please correct me if I am wrong here. In my area 1mg finasteride is easily available. Should I start with 1mg every alternate day? Any need to add minoxidil or any other product?

https://www.1mg.com/search/all?filter=true&name=Finasteride 1mg

https://www.netmeds.com/generics/finasteride-1mg

[Chances101]

On 7/24/2020 at 5:15 PM, gillenator said:

You also have a wide color contrast which makes everything much more visible.

How do you feel about the angulation of some of the grafts?

I agree try dye your hair a light brown 

[gillenator]

On 9/7/2020 at 6:24 AM, tesla007 said:

Sorry for the late reply, was busy in some personal issues.

You also have a wide color contrast which makes everything much more visible.

I am sorry I didn't get this.

The angulation is okay-ish types. I mean it looks fine in some areas but in some areas huge gaps can be seen even. I will share a photo to explain what I am trying to say. Some grafts, I don't know if this is an issue or not, seems to have been transplanted in the wrong direction or maybe this is because I have curly hair I can't say.

What I meant by a wide color contrast is when the hair color is much darker than the color complexion of the scalp....as a result it is much easier to visually see any discrepancies. 

[LaserCap]

First, you need to stop worrying.  This may be causing some of the issue.

You've always had black hair. To offset some of the contrast, you would need to color to a lighter color hair, and I think people will know something is up.  I think a better way to camouflage is to use toppik or any other agent that can help you darken the scalp.  These "fibers" will adhere to the hair itself as well and thicken them up.  Try that for a few weeks.  The key is not to put a lot.  Just enough to accomplish the effect.  Eventually and to have something a bit more permanent, I would consider SMP.

Typically angles are addressed at the time of the procedure.  The doctor looks at the native hair and will try mimicking what your hair is doing.  This is truly an art and a lot of variables go into it, particularly beliefs.  Most believe hair in the front grows forward and at an angle.  If the doctor decides to do this, without looking at the way the native hair is acting, you'll eventually find some "grafted hairs" coming forward.  That happened to me. The way to address this is to use gel and train the hair.  Eventually the hair will develop a memory. It takes time.

Your hair is naturally wavy.  This is a good thing as it gives more lateral coverage.  The addition of grafts is not making your native hair curly.  You are just self aware and trying to come up with answers.

Most, I agree, do not know how to do PRP. I would return to the doctor and discuss this part of the procedure if you feel it was ineffective.  

I would not stat playing with medical therapy.  Take the med as prescribed. 1mg per day.  The mechanism of action of the med is such that it should be taken once a day.  Think of it as a hair vitamin. 

[gillenator]

I think something like Dermatch may do a better job to lower the reflection of light on the scalp and it's not permanent like SMP.