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NW5 Diffuse thinning, considering a Micropigmentation for bald look


ArkaZ

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Hello everyone!!

My hair has receded and the top of my hair is thinning, from the Norwood scales, I’m finding on the web, it seems to be NW3 with diffused thinning on top.

I don’t remember how my hairline looked in my early teens or when it started thinning precisely but I remember that my hairline had a slight “V” shape when I was 13yrs old, I'm born in the 1995, around 2008, there were quite some hair falling but not any noticeable thinning yet and was probably my hairline then. The first signs of excessive hair-fall, about 100/120 hairs daily, was around when I was 16\17yrs old, about 2011\2012, and from there started seeing my hairline thinning; At 20yrs old my hairline above the right temple was quite receded and thinned out, while the left temple was starting to thin out. Slight thinning of the sideburns and sides.

Now the situation is quite worse above my temples and I’m noticing an overall thinning of my front, forelock and midscale hairs. Can't see clearly on Top and one the back.

What I'd to do is to stop further hair loss and miniaturization: 1st stop the cause of the miniaturization or slow it, then to have a transplant; and if possible to gain back some miniaturized hair back.

I read about the transplants online and did some research, I'm not expecting a head full of hair like when I was a teen but I'd like to have the possibility to have some hair at the front, especially where the temples are. Not by pushing the hairline forward but by filling the spaces that are too thinned out.

In my family, there is some hair loss from my father (69), my father's brother (76) and my father's nephew (48). I'd say they are NW 5 and 6.  I have 2 brothers: one is 31 and has no signs of hair loss the other is 37 with NW2 with very slight thinning.

Have been using Minoxidil 5% not so regular in 2017/2018, something like 2/3 times a week, regularly 3 times a week April 2019-April 2020 for 1 year and after the Month of April I have been using it once every day, the amount I apply is 1ml a day to the forelock and sides.

Started taking 1mg a day of Propecia, actually 5mg every 6 days cause I'm splitting propecia, since last week.

 

Also taking supplements: 

-Biotin 50,000μg, Zink 10,00mg, Selen 55,00μg once a day

-Saw Palmetto 3,000mg 3 times a day

I'm getting ready to get a blood test as soon as the medical centre opens up to see how Finasteride is doing and possible deficit.

I'm 1,75m, 76KG and am from asian ancestry.

 

I have created a Google Drive folder cause some pictures do not load via e-mail nor on the forum.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lS4i-3AUclUlAe3dMzWmSlAgwo6EqO4W?usp=sharing

 

If you are able to upload the files, please do so...

Thanks everyone!

 

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I think doctors would assess you as a NW5 with NW3 coverage. You'll need a long term plan as your hair loss is quite advanced for your age and there being folks with MPD in your family tree means you are predisposed.

Get on the Finasteride and Minoxidil religiously and get your hair loss stabilized. Hopefully, you won't have any side effects. Check out this guy's thread for how it is done and the obsessiveness as to how he approaches it, along with his results. Once/if stablized for a year or more, then consider HT with a long term plan. If hair loss doesn't stabilize, you will need to decide if you want to embrace the bald life or be realistic how you will approach your HT as you will likely not have full coverage. Also, if you have side effects, you might want to think about how to embrace the bald life now.

I am Asian too but am 20 years older than you. I was a NW3 at your age, but stayed an NW3 until my HT just over two months ago. I started Fin (1x daily 1mg)  and Min (2x daily vertex to forehead) two months before my procedure. The benefits of Fin and Min have come my way quite quickly even as I am 2 months into the recovery process from the HT. Prior to starting meds, I would stand in a puddle of water in my shower that would cover up to my toenails from all the hair clogging the drain. I wore my hair long and when it came out in the shower, it would clog everything up. I can tell you that my hair loss has literally stopped. And I've regained lots of hair mostly in the temples, none in the vertex. Still early in the treatment with the meds. More than ever, I shampoo my hair vigorously and then look at my hands for strands of hair. There are none now. It is such a relief. Thankfully, I have no side effects. I should have started the meds 20 years ago when I was your age. If you do decide on surgery, word of advice, do not approach it pragmatically or clinically. You need to be very critical/analytical.

Hopefully in a year we can see your story from the meds helping you rebound. You might even be able to avoid or stave off HT like @Shifty.

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Thanks man for going through such a lengthy post.

How are you applying minoxidill? I mean it leaves the hair in a mess after you apply it...how are you dealing with it? Are you massaging it in or are you rubbing it in?

I hoped to be assessed a little better but figures, my usual luck haha...I didn't experience the drain clogging but I would sometime run my hand lightly through my hair and count about 60 to 80 hairs in there. Something that is actually stressing me is the fact that I'm already 25 and wouldn't mind going bald at about 30/35yrs...but if I need to wait a year or more to stabilize and another year or more for the results from a transplant I think I should really considering bald and maybe get my facial hairs a touch up? Like brows, beard and whiskers.

Still, should I try and get a physical appointment from a Surgeon to get examined?

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How long have you been on fin? Looks like you’re probably destined to be a Norwood 5/6. My brother and father 43 and 63 are Norwood 2 my fathers brother, he was a Norwood 6. I followed his pattern. I’m the youngest one too, so I know how much it sucks.

Minoxidil 2-3x a week is useless. You need to be strict and use it at least 5-6x per week. Ideally, you should be using it everyday. At this point, I wouldn’t consider surgery until you give medication a full year of consistent use. Key word consistent.

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Hi @ArkaZyou can give a try for Finasteride but just be aware of the side effects, it can hurt your libido, I myself tried Finasteride 15 years ago and it didn't help me.

I represent HDC clinic at Cyprus, I checked your photos, in the "short hair" photos it seemed you are NW3 class, I think we can cover it, you got a great donor, you are welcome to mail me on private with free consultant, also you can read at my HT journey at HDC by Dr. Maras, follow my FB group, ect...

On this video we show a documentary and final result for an Asian paitent we had, notify that we use microscopes and the doctor himself do the punch and slits.

 

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3 hours ago, ArkaZ said:

Thanks man for going through such a lengthy post.

How are you applying minoxidill? I mean it leaves the hair in a mess after you apply it...how are you dealing with it? Are you massaging it in or are you rubbing it in?

I massage Min foam in from the vertex to the receded corners and all the areas in between. I've gotten a lot of regrowth in the receded corners. Not much in the vertex. Not sure which med is doing it, Min or Fin. But I know hair loss has stopped with some new growth. My hair is shaved right now as I am recovering from HT. Using foam when my hair was longer helped with dealing it. The adjustment wasn't so bad.

3 hours ago, ArkaZ said:

I hoped to be assessed a little better but figures, my usual luck haha...I didn't experience the drain clogging but I would sometime run my hand lightly through my hair and count about 60 to 80 hairs in there.

Same with my hair loss. I remember I was changing sheets on my bed. Towards the headboard side, the sheet was covered in hair. After a shower, I would have to detassle my brush like you would have to do before eating corn. Apparently, I had lots of hair despite being a NW3.

3 hours ago, ArkaZ said:

Something that is actually stressing me is the fact that I'm already 25 and wouldn't mind going bald at about 30/35yrs...but if I need to wait a year or more to stabilize and another year or more for the results from a transplant I think I should really considering bald and maybe get my facial hairs a touch up? Like brows, beard and whiskers.

Might just have to embrace the bald life. But let's not give you a complex in that your brows, beard, and whiskers are bad too.  Keep the despair to just the hair loss :).

3 hours ago, ArkaZ said:

Still, should I try and get a physical appointment from a Surgeon to get examined?

Get an appointment, but do no rush into it. And go to a surgeon whose ethics are beyond reproach. But definitely do not get surgery until your HL has been stabilized for at least a year.

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Not goin to despair for other facial hair...was just considering giving them a "boost" as I don't have much facial hairs to begin with.

Oh so foam minoxidill is easier to apply on medium lenght hair? I shaved cause I find it easier to apply minoxidill on shorter hair.

How long did you need to see less hair falling after starting medications?

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3 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

How long have you been on fin? Looks like you’re probably destined to be a Norwood 5/6. My brother and father 43 and 63 are Norwood 2 my fathers brother, he was a Norwood 6. I followed his pattern. I’m the youngest one too, so I know how much it sucks.

Minoxidil 2-3x a week is useless. You need to be strict and use it at least 5-6x per week. Ideally, you should be using it everyday. At this point, I wouldn’t consider surgery until you give medication a full year of consistent use. Key word consistent.

Any tip on how to apply, let it absorb and when to wash it off? Like I was thinking about applying it early in the morning give it 3/4hrs and wash it off for the day.

As you all probably know it sticks to the hair...right now I would not have the problem as I just buzzed my hair.

Not long on Fin...about a week, taking about 1mg a day (I slice the 5mg proscar in 5 so 5mg every 5 day).

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I find that Minoxidil is easiest to apply when your hands and scalp/hair are slightly moist, regardless of length. The rule of thumb I've encountered with Min foam is the longer the hair, the more you have to apply in small quantities. Short/shaved hair, apply in gobs with palm. Long hair, apply in dabs with fingertips. Massage in with fingertips using both hands for 1-2 minutes.

I apply in the morning after the shower and towel drying my hair. Then let it sit all day. When it is time for bed, I will either shower, then apply. Or wash my just head under a shower head, then apply. I do it 2x daily. The only time of day when Min is not in my head is for the few minutes twice a day when my head is under a shower head. I use the foam and apply it in a gob on the vertex then work it forward now that my head is shaved. When it was long, I had to dab it in with my fingertips.

HL slowed after 1.5 months. HL stopped at about 2.5-3 months. I got regrowth about 3.5 months after starting meds. 2.5 months ago, I got my HT.

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  • ArkaZ changed the title to My Journey (NW5 diffuse thinning)
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Okay, I'll apply it like this then, when it's buzzed I'll put a couple of drops, massage, let it absorb and repeat until I use 1ml; and if it's long just one drop, massage, absorb and repeat right?

Is it too much to ask you how much Minoxidill you are applying and how you do it with a short clip? I think I'm doing something wrong as it's always super oily after I finish applying. Maybe is the way I massage...It takes me like 15' to massage in 1ml of Minoxidill in my whole front scalp, is it normal?

I've taken a look on your HT post, man you are recovering good despite what happened!! Hope you get a good result!!

How long have you taken Finasteride for, and how many milligrams(mg)? Have you noticed any change in libido or any of the sides? I'm actually a bit scared...gonna get a check up and do a check again in a month or two to compare later.

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On 10/15/2020 at 4:58 PM, Doron Harati said:

Hi @ArkaZyou can give a try for Finasteride but just be aware of the side effects, it can hurt your libido, I myself tried Finasteride 15 years ago and it didn't help me.

I represent HDC clinic at Cyprus, I checked your photos, in the "short hair" photos it seemed you are NW3 class, I think we can cover it, you got a great donor, you are welcome to mail me on private with free consultant, also you can read at my HT journey at HDC by Dr. Maras, follow my FB group, ect...

On this video we show a documentary and final result for an Asian paitent we had, notify that we use microscopes and the doctor himself do the punch and slits.

 

Thanks man! 

I'm trying and see if medications can at least stop my HL. If it stops and makes my hair stronger I'm definitely getting a HT... Still I'm considering a Hair Micropigmentation tattoo for the short run, maybe it can help me have a better buzzed look?

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  • ArkaZ changed the title to NW5 Diffuse thinning, considering a Micropigmentation for bald look
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46 minutes ago, ArkaZ said:

Okay, I'll apply it like this then, when it's buzzed I'll put a couple of drops, massage, let it absorb and repeat until I use 1ml; and if it's long just one drop, massage, absorb and repeat right?

Is it too much to ask you how much Minoxidill you are applying and how you do it with a short clip? I think I'm doing something wrong as it's always super oily after I finish applying. Maybe is the way I massage...It takes me like 15' to massage in 1ml of Minoxidill in my whole front scalp, is it normal?

I've taken a look on your HT post, man you are recovering good despite what happened!! Hope you get a good result!!

How long have you taken Finasteride for, and how many milligrams(mg)? Have you noticed any change in libido or any of the sides? I'm actually a bit scared...gonna get a check up and do a check again in a month or two to compare later.

Of course man. Always willing to help. That is normal with the liquid. I use the foam which is much easier to apply (for me). I've heard others prefer the liquid because they say it is easier to apply (go figure). I apply about a golf ball size of foam to my scalp each time. I think I spend about 2-3 minutes at most on the effort. My hair characteristics is much like yours; we are both Asian. I'd imagine foam would work better for you. Others with thicker hair or afro hair may benefit from the liquid.

I've been on Fin and Min since May 2020 (just 5 months). I use 1mg of the Dr. Reddy brand that I get from Kaiser ($9/month). The lucky ladies are still lucky ladies even after starting the meds. As a matter of fact, today I was chatting on Facebook with a girl that is in her mid-20's that I've been seducing for a while. Stupid pandemic has slowed down the seduction process. And the next part is TMI, but I was getting a little hard from the innuendo she was infusing into our conversation. The wanting to bed her has never diminished, it grows more and more. And as you can tell, my wits are as sharp as ever. Don't know if you will get sides effects. But at least try it.

As for my procedure, that is why I mentioned earlier, you must seek out a surgeon for your case/age whose ethics are beyond reproach. I don't know what region of the world you are in, but I would go to a highly regarded surgeon that has been known to reject patients. If that surgeon rejects you, embrace the bald life. If he accepts you, buy a lottery ticket to harness the good fortune.

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Damn you got good game man! hahaha

I'm from Italy and I also thought that our hair looked kinda similar, although your scalp seems more covered or with less loss than mine. Any suggestion? I wrote to Pekiner, Heitmann, Bisanga, Freiduni and Eugenix; and am waiting for the replies. Hard thing for now is to get an appointment but that's why I'm starting the medications and taking pictures of my scalp with a microscope.

Where are you from? Hope you doing good over there :P

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On 10/17/2020 at 3:40 AM, ArkaZ said:

Damn you got good game man! hahaha

I'm from Italy and I also thought that our hair looked kinda similar, although your scalp seems more covered or with less loss than mine. Any suggestion? I wrote to Pekiner, Heitmann, Bisanga, Freiduni and Eugenix; and am waiting for the replies. Hard thing for now is to get an appointment but that's why I'm starting the medications and taking pictures of my scalp with a microscope.

Where are you from? Hope you doing good over there :P

Hello Sir,

Thank you for writing to Eugenix. Please let me know if we can connect and discuss more about your concern and expectations. Please DM your details for further assistance thank you.

Kind Regards
Abhinay Singh  -  I am no longer a representative for Eugenix Hair Sciences. If you want to contact them please see below:


Email : info@eugenix.in    WhatsApp Call/Message: +91 79-779-15534          My Hair Transplant Journey 
I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice.

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18 hours ago, Abhinay Singh said:

Hello Sir,

Thank you for writing to Eugenix. Please let me know if we can connect and discuss more about your concern and expectations. Please DM your details for further assistance thank you.

Hello, I've sent an e-mail through the Eugenix website.

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ArkaZ definitely get onto Eugenix. However, 'IF' you are having 'ANY' doubts about having a hair transplant and currently are having thoughts of having a shaved head and SMP, then really give this a long, hard think! Remember the old saying. You can always have a hair transplant 'tomorrow!' You're young and your thoughts can and will change either way. All the best.

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14 hours ago, Gatsby said:

ArkaZ definitely get onto Eugenix. However, 'IF' you are having 'ANY' doubts about having a hair transplant and currently are having thoughts of having a shaved head and SMP, then really give this a long, hard think! Remember the old saying. You can always have a hair transplant 'tomorrow!' You're young and your thoughts can and will change either way. All the best.

Thanks man.

I'm waiting for an HONEST opinion from the surgeons, about what they think about my situation and so what chance of a good result I might have with a HT.

The reason I'm considering a SMP is because, to some, my hair, donor and NW progression from my family tend to indicate that mine will not turn out to be a good HT. I'm taking medications for that and while I'm waiting for the medications to do their work, I'd like to try and do a SMP.

Because from what I know a SMP done with finesse and precision may be able to help a future HT, by giving the HT a more fuller look; What I'd like to know is: Will an SMP make it harder for HT surgeons to transplant? Can it weaken my hairs?

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@arkaZ hey bro from my own understanding I dont think SMP can weaken your hairs but it is advised to do it before a procedure rather than SOON after the procedure in order to avoid damaging the new grafts from growing in. I posted my thread here on combining both because I've seen a few combination's posted by doctors but nothing recent and have not talked to anyone who's had it done on this forum. 

 

I would say that doing an HT is not a bad idea even if you have a family history of baldness because if you stick to the lifelong regiment of using the big three (fin/min/niz) it can help with stabilizing and slowing down hair loss. My father/uncles have gone bald and started losing their hair around the same time as me. When I look at pictures of their hair (when they started losing hair) and compare it to my own, they had about the same hair loss. However now that i've been on meds for about 2 years, my hair loss has not gotten worse. Now when I compare photos of myself now at 27 to photos of my dad at 27, his hair loss was much worse than mine. I'm glad I acted on staying on a regiment to prevent it from getting worse. I did end up getting a hair transplant due to the significant recession over the years I was not on medication but the remaining native hair has been around the same or gotten a little bit thicker in those areas. I started taking meds about a year before getting a hair transplant in order to see if I could regrow any significant amount of hair. 

 

The reality is that I might lose more hair in the future as the meds start losing their efficacy, but it would be at a much slower rate than it was for the others in my family. I'm okay with either getting a second procedure done in the future (which will be years down the line) or letting the crown area (Where i didn't get a transplant) get a little bit worse as I get older. The reality is, with a hair transplant now, I look closer to my age, feel more comfortable with my look and have masked any signs of baldness. I now have a better frame of my face and can have an actual presentable haircut as you can see with my post about my hair transplant. 

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