Senior Member Surfarosa Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) So - I'm back after a happy decade away .... I had 3 proceedures with over 3000 grafts. First in 2003, the last one was in 2008. I was on Propecia from 1999 for year and then Avodart from 2009 but stopped in 2012 (stupid I know but I was done with it all and honestly forgot about it for a decade). There was a lot of negative press at the time and I felt my hair was stable and I was happy with the result. These picture show the two hairlines that I now have. I can make it look a lot better than this and also a lot worse. My origional goal was to try and look like I was not losing hair. My goal now is to not look like I have had a hair transplant. I tried going really short recently and it made the double hairline look waaaay worse so that option slammed shut. I now lived in the UK vs. CA and visited 2 HT surgeries - not a chance on this earth that I would trust UK doctors. I'm not new to this (out of date maybe) but I know what awful patient pre-care results in. So - I feel stuck My wife is a hairstylist and wishes she could just have all the "work" removed. I asked about this, thinking that would be easy with FUE, but they said it would replace my transplanted hairline with a scarred one. One clinic said they would do it with 1200 another said 2500 grafts. I really thought I was done with this game and feel full of regrets. That said, this forum has saved me before, it may have some sage wisdom going forward. Hopefully there are lessons for others in my journey as most don't span 20+ years ! I am 47 years old Crown looks ok in this pic but is really thinning and I would not touch it at this stage I am getting back on Propecia and Minoxidil asap So - I feel trapped in mess of my own making and pretty stupid to boot. I can just about style myself ok, but I fear that will not be a long term option. My biggest fear was always to look like I had a HT - now that looks like my end game. I may post more pictures if needed but these are a fair reflection of where I am at I think. Here's a picture from 2010. Edited April 13, 2022 by Surfarosa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 1978matt Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Would recommend Dr Raymond Konior as being highly adept in these situations. It doesn't look irrepairable. You just need to fill in the gap. Maybe fill in any scars from the old HTs at the same time. Crown, it's difficult to tell. Maybe consider that if the corrective HT #1 meets your goals. 4 4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013 1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018 763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020 Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairman22 Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 think you are a bit harsh on yourself. You are 47 your hair looks ok imo. Some concealer for the front. And you could get another transplant for the front 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Surfarosa Posted April 13, 2022 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 But if I do that, I will have used my entire donor supply in the hairline and could be in a worse situation in 5-10 years time. I appreciate the recommendation though and will research 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HappyMan2021 Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) first of all I think your hair looks decent enough, and is age-appropriate for 47. So you always have the option of doing nothing.... My only other advice is to hop back on Fin or Dut asap. It appears you didn't suffer any side effects but instead stopped due to all the hysteria of guys who would have ED or depression with or without DHT blockers. It's way easier to blame the hairloss pill than one's own biological chemistry and the aging process. Edited April 13, 2022 by HappyMan2021 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Surfarosa Posted April 13, 2022 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 5 minutes ago, HappyMan2021 said: first of all I think your hair looks decent enough, and is age-appropriate for 47. So you always have the option of doing nothing.... My only other advice is to hop back on Fin or Dut asap. It appears you didn't suffer any side effects but instead stopped due to all the hysteria of guys who would have ED or depression with or without DHT blockers. It's way easier to blame the hairloss pill than one's own biological chemistry and the aging process. Ordered Fin and Min today! Also, Vitamin D as having moved from Cali to London - "there ain't no sunshine" and that can have an impact on hair health - apparently. Thanks for the confidence boost towards my preferred option - doing nothing and aging on schedule! At least not until I have gotten to the point where it looks obvious to the untrained eye. The HT docs here in the UK said it was really bad and needed repairing but they are very pushing here. I had my work reviewed by top doctors in the US and they all thought it was stellar, but that was 10 years ago when I had more hair in the front. When I asked the UK doctors what would the plan be if they put 2000 more in the hairline and I lost the lot - they had no answers. 5000 in the front and nothing in reserve is this situation but much worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mike10 Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 (edited) Look you got a good 10 years out of it, that is what a HT is supposed to do. This is just the normal course of a HT journey. It is a progressive disease and a lot of people will not be done with 1 or even 2 procedures. And some will not have enough donor hair without taking Finansteride. Even on Finansteride hair loss is likely to proceed in the long term. In short it is a life long journey Most young patients do not care about all those things , they just want to go aheady with surgery Edited April 13, 2022 by Mike10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Surfarosa Posted April 13, 2022 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 9 minutes ago, Mike10 said: Look you got a good 10 years out of it, that is what a HT is supposed to do. This is just the normal course of a HT journey. It is a progressive disease and a lot of people will not be done with 1 or even 2 procedures. And some will not have enough donor hair without taking Finansteride. Even on Finansteride hair loss is likely to proceed in the long term. In short it is a life long journey Most young patients do not care about all those things , they just want to go aheady with surgery I was very careful and cautious but once I felt I had it cracked, I took my eye off the ball and just decided to stop taking meds due to a) being happy and b) worried about the flood of scares in the press. I had not started my family at that point in life. The difference I am hearing here vs what the London HT doctors said is drastic. They say it's a repair job, ya'll suggest it's not that bad - which is of course a way better prognosis. That said, there is a moat of 1cm behond the hairline which is very obvious if styed to highlight it. I was looking into how I could have them removed so that I had one hairline and could cut shorter. What i was hoping when I visited the doctors was them saying, thats an easy fix with 500 grafts and FUE (which was still new when I had mine done). They quoted a surgey that was bigger that anything I have had before which blew me away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Surfarosa Posted April 13, 2022 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 So this is the day that made me freak the F out. I had it cut way shorter than ever and was able to take this picture. This is the absolute worst I can make it look. Be gentle 😬 Should i have them removed ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Surfarosa Posted April 13, 2022 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Same day but syled to conceal .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 1978matt Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Worth consulting with Dr Cooley regarding this as well. He uses electrolysis to kill off old grafts. There may be too many to go down that route, but I'm no expert with it. Others talk about using laser hair removal, but again, I don't really know much about it. 4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013 1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018 763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020 Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 1978matt Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 I think you would need about 1500 grafts if going down that route. 4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013 1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018 763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020 Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member drawdownfx Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Thanks for sharing your journey. As a 27 year old this helps a lot 🙏 My hair transplant Journey with Dr. Freitas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Surfarosa Posted April 13, 2022 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 5 minutes ago, drawdownfx said: Thanks for sharing your journey. As a 27 year old this helps a lot 🙏 You are welcome. You can only judge for yourself but you can only judge with information and that means not just looking at before and after (post op / 12 months out) pictures. "What will it look like in 10 years" was beyond what I could really worry about when getting mine done. Your goals change with age - thank goodness! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member drawdownfx Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Just now, Surfarosa said: You are welcome. You can only judge for yourself but you can only judge with information and that means not just looking at before and after (post op / 12 months out) pictures. "What will it look like in 10 years" was beyond what I could really worry about when getting mine done. Your goals change with age - thank goodness! The only thing is .. you stopped finasteride, so would you still be going through what you are now had you been proactive with preventative medicine? My hair transplant Journey with Dr. Freitas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Surfarosa Posted April 13, 2022 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 7 minutes ago, drawdownfx said: The only thing is .. you stopped finasteride, so would you still be going through what you are now had you been proactive with preventative medicine? Probably not, definately not as a bad. I am getting back on it to try and prevent anyting further. My preferred outcome is honeslty to do nothing more. But if I have to then I want the stability of meds and finding a doctor in Europe that I trust. I had my work done in the US and rate my doctor - this is not his error in my view it's just the nature of hair transplants. This was my hairline in 2010 and people thought it was great. Well if he did great work then its still great work, the canvas has just changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JP28 Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 I think you could first regrow a whole lot of hair with the right medication, duta ED, oral minox 1.25 twice a day plus topical minox ED,some micro-needling and last but not least the most underrated a good keto shampoo not the nizoral one obviously. do that for 6 months and reassess but I bet you that you gonna have some much regrowth and then you can have an ht to fill in the gap if need be. check out@captaincalicoand @PelazoVenAMi. you can also add a topical AA or some topical duta on top of the oral version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member follically challenged Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 1 hour ago, JP28 said: not the nizoral one obviously. Why 'not the nizoral one, obviously' ? Isn't Nizoral mean to help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JP28 Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Just now, follically challenged said: Why 'not the nizoral one, obviously' ? Isn't Nizoral mean to help? Why getting nizoral which is absolute crap for the hair when you can get a good shampoo with keto on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member follically challenged Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 3 hours ago, Surfarosa said: Same day but syled to conceal .... Doesn't look too bad imho. I understand why you stopped the meds, but i also wonder... Did you ever have sides from them? Or notice any difference at all after you'd stopped taking them? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member follically challenged Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Just now, JP28 said: Why getting nizoral which is absolute crap for the hair when you can get a good shampoo with keto on it? I mean....it's often quoted as part of 'the big three'...but you're talking as if it's the devil and that you know something we don't..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JP28 Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Just now, follically challenged said: I mean....it's often quoted as part of 'the big three'...but you're talking as if it's the devil and that you know something we don't..? Wth are you talking about man??? Did you read my post correctly? I actually recommend a keto shampoo juts not nizoral. Nizoral is a brand! keto is the active ingredient! so you can choose from any other brand that contains keto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member asterix0 Posted April 13, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 13, 2022 Wait, so pretty much all your transplanted hair fell out around your hairline after you quit finasteride? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Dillpickle123 Posted April 14, 2022 Senior Member Share Posted April 14, 2022 (edited) Try dr bisanga or dr mwamba in Belgium they do repairs and it’s not too far away from the uk I wouldn’t get rid of the hairline if I were you I’d get them to fill it in with fue Edited April 14, 2022 by Dillpickle123 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Gatsby Posted April 14, 2022 Valued Contributor Share Posted April 14, 2022 If your hair was stable after the hair transplant and you were on meds then I would first go back on the same meds as before. Forget about a hair transplant use this time to do your research from the results on this forum that are in line with the results you are after. Then I would consider having consultations with surgeons you have chosen. Brushed forward it's not that bad and at 47 you have a lot of hair. All the best! 2 GATSBY 'UNPLUGGED!' 15,671 (3 surgeries) Grafts FUE+BHT Dr. Sethi Eugenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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