Results 10+ years after hair transplant

[misc1729]

I’m considering a hair transplant. I’m 28, about a NW3, have been on min and finasteride for 6 years which have seemingly stabilized my hair loss. Hair looks about the same now as it did at 22.

Looking through the literature, it seems the common theory of “donor dominance,” meaning hair from the back of your head will remain DHT insensitive indefinitely, may not be totally true. There are studies and a handful of cases where transplanted hair thins and/or falls out (and these aren’t cases of native hair falling or hair taken from outside the safe zone). This video summarizes the concerns well:

 

 Yet there are also examples of people having no issues at all. Is there anyone here who has had their transplant 10+ years ago that can share how well it has held up?

[Turkhair]

You don’t have to believe everything you read on the internet, you know?

 

[ITA]

14 minutes ago, Turkhair said:

Non devi credere a tutto ciò che leggi su Internet, sai?

But also yes

[Turkhair]

1 minute ago, ITA said:

But also yes

Most people unfortunately lack the critical thinking ability to differentiate good from bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[misc1729]

57 minutes ago, Turkhair said:

You don’t have to believe everything you read on the internet, you know?

 

I’m asking for more info because it isn’t clear. One study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8061642/) referenced shows the majority of guys losing density after 4 years (not native hair and finasteride wasn’t significant for maintaining or losing transplanted hair), but I also see lots of guys saying they have had their transplant for a decade with no issues

Edited June 24, 2023 by misc1729

[SeanT1]

You need to stay on finasteride after a hair transplant in order to maintain the transplanted hair health. 

Hair on the back/side of your head is less sensitive to DHT but that doesn't mean it's immune.

If someone has lost their transplanted hair after a certain amount of years; it's likely they didn't stick to finasteride.

Edited June 24, 2023 by SeanToman

[misc1729]

3 minutes ago, SeanToman said:

You need to stay on finasteride after a hair transplant in order to maintain the transplanted hair health. 

Hair on the back/side of your head is less sensitive to DHT but that doesn't mean it's immune.

If someone has lost their transplanted hair after a certain amount of years; it's likely they didn't stick to finasteride.

If you check out this study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8061642/), a big portion of guys lost density, and finasteride wasn’t shown to have a statistically significant impact on keeping or losing those transplanted hairs. It’s counterintuitive to what I’ve always read, which is why I’m confused 

[SeanT1]

29 minutes ago, misc1729 said:

If you check out this study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8061642/), a big portion of guys lost density, and finasteride wasn’t shown to have a statistically significant impact on keeping or losing those transplanted hairs. It’s counterintuitive to what I’ve always read, which is why I’m confused 

I see what you mean, it really appears to be how sensitive you are to DHT?
Men also thin in the donor area, it happens. Maybe someone can weigh in some personal experience.

Stress could also be brought into discussion relating to hair loss.
I do find the buffer argument interesting however (diameter of extraction influences area affect).

Edited June 24, 2023 by SeanToman

[asterix0]

2 hours ago, misc1729 said:

If you check out this study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8061642/), a big portion of guys lost density, and finasteride wasn’t shown to have a statistically significant impact on keeping or losing those transplanted hairs. It’s counterintuitive to what I’ve always read, which is why I’m confused 

To be fair, according to that study, only 35% of patients continued to use finasteride. 57% of the patients were Norwood 4, and the others were Norwood 5. That means there is still quite a bit of native hair to be lost.

 

[asterix0]

But yes, finasteride is not a magic bullet if you are a high Norwood with likely higher than average DHT sensitivity. Combining it with minoxidil is the best approach to keep your transplanted hair healthy. 

I use both finasteride and minoxidil because I was heading to Norwood 6 in my twenties, so I'm pretty sure my DHT sensitivity is high in my recipient area. I don't want to risk losing my transplanted hair. 

Edited June 24, 2023 by asterix0

[misc1729]

28 minutes ago, asterix0 said:

To be fair, according to that study, only 35% of patients continued to use finasteride. 57% of the patients were Norwood 4, and the others were Norwood 5. That means there is still quite a bit of native hair to be lost.

 

Yeah, I wish the study was slightly better designed or gave a bit more info. But from the couple of pictures they have (4 people if I remember correctly), a lot of the loss seemed to come from transplanted hairs 

[HappyMan2021]

7 hours ago, misc1729 said:

I’m considering a hair transplant. I’m 28, about a NW3, have been on min and finasteride for 6 years which have seemingly stabilized my hair loss. Hair looks about the same now as it did at 22.

Looking through the literature, it seems the common theory of “donor dominance,” meaning hair from the back of your head will remain DHT insensitive indefinitely, may not be totally true. There are studies and a handful of cases where transplanted hair thins and/or falls out (and these aren’t cases of native hair falling or hair taken from outside the safe zone).

1) Even hair from the safe zone will thin with age. This is just part of nature/biology.

2) A dirty little secret is that recipient hair is often taken from outside the definitive safe zone. A NW3 who a doctor determines will never ever become say a NW6, may choose to more liberally take hair from outside the true hair zone.

[Turkhair]

.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Turkhair

[baldfighter]

Are hairs on the sides of head genetically DHT resistant, or there is less DHT on the sides of head? Has there been a scientific consensus on this?

If the former is true then the transplanted hairs will stay for life, otherwise they will die out over time because they are moved to a new area with more DHT.

Edited June 25, 2023 by baldfighter

[misc1729]

3 hours ago, Turkhair said:

Mate, that clinic can’t even do a hair transplant properly. You’re going to listen to what they’ve to say lol. Look at the results, they’re terrible to begin with. 

Cutis Skin Clinic & Hair Transplant Center, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

They need to first learn how to do a transplant properly then worry about long term results.

 

Inclusion in a journal means squat. Unless it’s peer reviewed and in quality journals. 

I don’t disagree - that study is imperfect. But there are other studies referenced in the video I posted that indicate donor dominance isn’t as iron-clad as we once thought

[A_4_Archan]

I guess fut might have an upper hand in this and is more future proof than fue...though i may be wrong but that is what i think...

[JoeD]

My understanding is that one will keep the transplanted hair for as long as the native hair on the side/back of their head lasts. If/when the latter thins or falls out, that is when the transplanted top will do the same. 

[gillenator]

More than a few men experience donor thinning as they reach above say age 50…and some have a regressive safe zone as they get older…so this can be subjective and there are no guarantees.

[shadowcast]

On 6/24/2023 at 8:15 PM, HappyMan2021 said:

2) A dirty little secret is that recipient hair is often taken from outside the definitive safe zone. A NW3 who a doctor determines will never ever become say a NW6, may choose to more liberally take hair from outside the true hair zone.

I don't believe that this is true, at least I don't think reputable doctors do this knowingly or unknowingly. Once you're at NW3 level, I would guess that your full miniaturization zone is already visible while using a scope. Miniaturization can be seen with a scope many years before it's apparent to the naked eye.

Anyway to address this thread, I'd guess that it comes down to genetics. Is your hairloss aggressive? Is your response to medication below average? If both answers are "yes", then your hair transplant may not last. Expect the possibility of total loss, no loss, or everything in between.

As someone who was heading to NW7, I take dutasteride and oral minoxidil every single day.

[GoliGoliGoli]

10 minutes ago, shadowcast said:

I don't believe that this is true, at least I don't think reputable doctors do this knowingly or unknowingly. 

It definitely happens regularly. 

 

[gillenator]

Yes of course this occurs much more often than we think or believe…let’s face it, money talks to lots of doctors who know exactly what they are doing is wrong and unethical but hey, the industry is unregulated and if the patient loses that hair 5 years or so down the road, why blame the doctor?…it’s just genetics and surgical restoration is subjective at best, right?….🫨