Finasteride or Hair transplant?

[sunnysideup]

hey everyone,

I’m a 30yr old male, never tried any medications. 

Been using hair fibers for the past 1 year almost. fibers are doing a great job hiding the issue areas. But i need to move on and feel free or wear a shorter hair style (instead of slick back etc).

From my research on HT and meds, i realised even after transplant i need to continue finasteride to maintain the remaining hair in place. But i am unable to judge my condition at the moment. I just finished a consultation and got prescription for finasteride which i should receive in 2-3 days. 
 

I had plans to go to Eugenix, India and get a transplant done to restore hairline and crown and then continue finasteride. But unfortunately, so many travel restrictions and date changes is causing a lot of hassle and unnecessary expense on top of the treatment cost.

I am considering using finasteride for a few months to see if this improves before i go get the HT done maybe mid next year. 
 

I know there are so many experts in the forum and people with similar experiences. Could you help me out here and tell me how is my hair situation looking and also if finasteride is going to help. It also means that i have to continue using hair fibers and that “please dont touch my hair” life for longer (and black fibers flying around in the washroom).

Or should i go get the hair transplant done as soon as possible!?

 

[sunnysideup]

Also this pics are after applying hair fiber (how i go to work everyday). Its magic!

Edited October 13, 2021 by sunnysideup

[LaserCaps]

A couple of things to keep in mind.  If you've shown the propensity to lose, the loss will continue.  The donor area is finite and limited.  So say you use fill in the crown and use all your donor. You then lose the entire frontal area.  At that point you'll be saying "why did you put all the grafts in the crown? Now I have nothing to fix the front - and everyone can see it."  I think it is important to recognize it is the front you see when looking in the mirror.  It is also the area others see when they interact with you. So, what to do?

Medical therapy, (Propecia, Rogaine, PRP and Laser) are the modalities we refer to when dealing with this condition.  The mechanism of action of each of these is totally different and are thus synergistic when used simultaneously.  They tend to be far more effective towards the back.  I would encourage you to consider doing them for 1 year and reassess.  If you do experience enhancement of the native hair, you can then consider if keeping the effect is worth doing the regimen long term.  

Sometimes I wish we had a hair crystal ball....but since we don't I would avoid transplants for now.

[sunnysideup]

11 minutes ago, LaserCaps said:

A couple of things to keep in mind.  If you've shown the propensity to lose, the loss will continue.  The donor area is finite and limited.  So say you use fill in the crown and use all your donor. You then lose the entire frontal area.  At that point you'll be saying "why did you put all the grafts in the crown? Now I have nothing to fix the front - and everyone can see it."  I think it is important to recognize it is the front you see when looking in the mirror.  It is also the area others see when they interact with you. So, what to do?

Medical therapy, (Propecia, Rogaine, PRP and Laser) are the modalities we refer to when dealing with this condition.  The mechanism of action of each of these is totally different and are thus synergistic when used simultaneously.  They tend to be far more effective towards the back.  I would encourage you to consider doing them for 1 year and reassess.  If you do experience enhancement of the native hair, you can then consider if keeping the effect is worth doing the regimen long term.  

Sometimes I wish we had a hair crystal ball....but since we don't I would avoid transplants for now.

I know its a stupid question, but looking at the pics, what are my chances of those areas getting covered while on finasteride+minoxidil?

[digi23]

13 minutes ago, sunnysideup said:

I know its a stupid question, but looking at the pics, what are my chances of those areas getting covered while on finasteride+minoxidil?

Only time will tell, you can just do Finasteride, if you really want to, you can do Minoxidil aswell but that is more a compliment. DO NOT listen to LaserCaps about PRP and Laser, its bs and a waste of money.

[Britanium]

Fin and Minox will certainly help you, don’t rush in to a hair transplant though  ! Give the fin at least 6 - 12 months to really start being fully effective. Re evaluate your situation again in a years time. 

[Britanium]

You could still consider Eugenix in the future if needed. They will be happy your already on Fin. You have so much hair to retain, it’s good that your already looking at a good long term plan 👍🏽

[sunnysideup]

13 minutes ago, JC71 said:

You could still consider Eugenix in the future if needed. They will be happy your already on Fin. You have so much hair to retain, it’s good that your already looking at a good long term plan 👍🏽

Yes, they seem to be really good. Also, does one session of PRP do anything at all? 

[Britanium]

3 minutes ago, sunnysideup said:

Yes, they seem to be really good. Also, does one session of PRP do anything at all? 

Nope 👎 it’s not going to do anything for you, especially in the long term. 

[Britanium]

4 minutes ago, sunnysideup said:

Yes, they seem to be really good. Also, does one session of PRP do anything at all? 

It may or may not promote growth after hair transplant, I’m not convinced. And as a stand alone treatment? I don’t think it has any benefit. 

[Domino]

I gotta say you do a good job styling your hair with the fibers. Also I would try finasteride and minoxidil if I were you there’s a good chance for thickening up the crown 

[Britanium]

Just now, Domino said:

I gotta say you do a good job styling your hair with the fibers. Also I would try finasteride and minoxidil if I were you there’s a good chance for thickening up the crown 

Exactly this ☝️

[sunnysideup]

1 minute ago, Domino said:

I gotta say you do a good job styling your hair with the fibers. Also I would try finasteride and minoxidil if I were you there’s a good chance for thickening up the crown 

Hehe thanks. Its all good until the wind blows or a friends wants to touch the hair for whatever reason lol. 

if finasteride does thicken up the crown and little bit of my temples and midscalp, and if that eliminates the need for fibers, that will be the ultimate.

also, does keeping hair long like that affect the thinning follicles or root? I dont pull or anything.

[sunnysideup]

Btw, seriously the motivation and inspiration we get from this forum is beyond words sometimes. Some articles/posts are lifechanging for some people. I might become one of them!

[Britanium]

Just now, sunnysideup said:

Hehe thanks. Its all good until the wind blows or a friends wants to touch the hair for whatever reason lol. 

if finasteride does thicken up the crown and little bit of my temples and midscalp, and if that eliminates the need for fibers, that will be the ultimate.

also, does keeping hair long like that affect the thinning follicles or root? I dont pull or anything.

No it doesn’t affect it 👍🏽

[Britanium]

Just now, sunnysideup said:

Btw, seriously the motivation and inspiration we get from this forum is beyond words sometimes. Some articles/posts are lifechanging for some people. I might become one of them!

This is so nice to hear and get feedback on. Yes please pay it forward 🙏

[Gatsby]

I would never allow yourself to feel rushed. Why not trial Finasteride for six months to see how you respond? You might be one of those people who get a great response in the crown. It will also stabilize your native hair and place you in a great position to capitalize on a hair transplant with Eugenix. All the best!

[Britanium]

Just now, Gatsby said:

I would never allow yourself to feel rushed. Why not trial Finasteride for six months to see how you respond? You might be one of those people who get a great response in the crown. It will also stabilize your native hair and place you in a great position to capitalize on a hair transplant with Eugenix. All the best!

Exactly this ☝️

[LaserCaps]

16 hours ago, sunnysideup said:

I know its a stupid question, but looking at the pics, what are my chances of those areas getting covered while on finasteride+minoxidil?

There are two types of loss.  The type you see and the type you don't.  What you do see - in the sink, pillow case, etc, is normal.  The follicle gets tired of producing hair and it goes into a dormant period.  The hair typically returns 3-4 months later.  We refer to this as shedding.  Most are under the belief 100 hairs a day is normal.  Hair loss is different, you don't see it.

Go under a bright light and look at your temporal areas.  You'll notice some strands thicker than others.  Some are so thin you can't hardly see them.  We refer to this as miniaturization.  Eventually the hair withers away and disappears.  This is hair loss.  

The medication is intended for you to keep what you have.  In some instances, however, it can help the miniaturized hair to grow stronger, (thicken up).  It looks like regrowth but it isn't.  Nothing regrows hair.  It is enhancement of the native hair. And, if it's going to happen, it will take a good  year.  So, take photos every 3 months and keep track.  If you like what you see in one year - now you have a decision to make.  Is the result worth taking the med long term and understanding - if you stop - you will resume losing hair.  

[LaserCaps]

16 hours ago, digi23 said:

Only time will tell, you can just do Finasteride, if you really want to, you can do Minoxidil aswell but that is more a compliment. DO NOT listen to LaserCaps about PRP and Laser, its bs and a waste of money.

It is a fact most do not know anything about PRP.  They will ask you to return to the clinic every few weeks to do it again.  Disappointment 3-6 months later when the patient sees no results and now want their money refunded.  There are some, however, that can offer PRP that actually works.  Again, this is all part of the research.

 

[JDEE0]

To be fair, there isn't much clinical data to demonstrate that PRP is actually effective for treating AGA, so I think it's reasonable to advise against it. 

The main issue in addition to this is that that there is no standardised process or procedure as to what constitutes PRP treatment, and so it is often prepared in completely different ways between different clinics. Some are completely ineffective, whilst others may actually do something. Most of the data out there compares apples to oranges as a result, some say it has effect and some say it doesn't. 

For what it's worth, I think that when properly controlled and prepared in the most effective way (of which I don't know what this is) it can indeed possibly have some therapeutic benefit and potentially subdue the progression of MPB to some degree for some people But, even if you do take the chance and go for this experimental treatment in the first place, how do you know what you're getting is any good/prepared in an effective way to begin with? There is no baseline formula so to speak....

Overall, it *may* help and can't physically harm you, but it is extremely expensive for what it is and that's why I say stay away. It's gonna cost you thousands and thousands of dollars every year for a shot in the dark. Seems crazy to me.

For anyone interested, here's a pretty good video covering what I'm saying (Disclaimer, I'm not a huge fan of Kevin's attitude towards people with opposing viewpoints to his own and his general perspective of negativity surrounding being bald, but he does a decent job at covering actual studies and clinical data for any given topic and using what he finds from these sources to make fairly clear and coherent arguments. I like his videos for this, as he's always fact based, in no way anecdote reliant, and well if there's anything someone disagrees with, they can go read the studies he refers to themselves, listen to his points and formulate their own arguments against if they so wish).

 

[Gokuhairline]

that is crazy amazing what you look like with fibers .....what brand is that ? do tell