Hair Transplant - 5 year results

[Petroholic]

My Hair Transplant thread

 

I am reporting back after almost 4 years today guys. I have meaning to update the community for years now but you know....... . I still keep in touch especially by hearing @Melvin- Admin podcasts.

So for a refresh, you can refer my hair transplant thread  . I got my HT in Feb 2019. So here are my long term results:

 

2020: Fully grown at 18 months

 

2023: Approximately 4 years

 

 

 

2024: Exactly 5 years

 

Here is my Medicines Regimen: 

• Finasteride- 1mg daily- 11 years on it now. Taking this since 2013. It works for me, I am sure on that. ( I took a break and experienced severe shedding so I know ). But then I have been taking this since 2013 and still had to get an HT in 2019 so it definitely doesn't work 100%.
• Dutasteride 0.5 mg - weekly once instead of Fin- Added this in Sept 2020- 3 years on it now
• Nizoral 2% shampoo- once a week- I shampoo alternate days and on other days I use a normal shampoo

 

To add, I have been in touch with Dr. Bhatti and consult him before adding any new treatment. He has been very supportive.

I am thinking of adding some new medicines to my regimen which I will continue in the next post. Your suggestions will be really valuable.

 

Edited March 11 by Petroholic

[Gatsby]

I think personally you are on the perfect stack! I mean you could add oral minoxidil but if it ain't broken then why fix it. Perhaps keep oral minoxidil up your sleeve for the future. Great results and thanks for sharing! 👌

[Petroholic]

8 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

I think personally you are on the perfect stack! I mean you could add oral minoxidil but if it ain't broken then why fix it. Perhaps keep oral minoxidil up your sleeve for the future. Great results and thanks for sharing! 👌

Thank you @Gatsby for your response. I think there has been some degradation but it is difficult to capture it in pictures. It is much more noticeable when the hair is wet. Hence, thought of upgrading my hair regimen. But, then we are HT patients and we are always thinking about hair and highly sensitive to it. Other's feedback means a lot in this case.

[Gatsby]

You're more than welcome @Petroholic. The person on the street would have no idea you have had surgery. They would just think that you have a full head of hair (which you do). It's us hair geeks on forums that are our worst enemies including me! 😂👍

[Petroholic]

Some Updates on my Hair regimen | Some Questions too :

I recently consulted Dr. Bhatti over a video call. ( I still do it every year or so ) I discussed a loss in hair density and about updating my Hair regimen. It is difficult to assess loss in hair density etc. over a video call and Its not possible to visit him since I have moved from India to Canada. Still he advised me on the following  :

• Break from Finasteride : He advised to take a 2 week  break every 6 months so that the med doesn't lose its effectiveness. He has also discussed this in the following video. I gave the first break after a decade. Just 5 days later, there was a severe shedding which I haven't had for years now. I restarted the medicine after a break of 1 week. It still took 3 more weeks for shed to come back to normal. By the way, I had continued taking the Dutasteride 0.5 mg weekly when stopping fin. So for anyone, who thinks Finasteride isn't working or has lost effectiveness while taking it, I would advice to just stop it for a few days and see🤣. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPWmhkYEiUw&t=472s

• Adding Oral minoxidil: Well, as we all know this Hair loss med has gained a lot of traction recently. So how could I be left behind🤣. I just cannot tolerate topical minoxidil. The negative cosmetic effect negates any gains for me. Had used it for 2 years from 2013-2015 and hated it. I still can't believe how such a simple modification was right under our eyes. Anyways, Dr. Bhatti asked me that I can start oral minoxidil 2.5mg daily for 4 months and then report back. I have arranged a 6 month supply from India because I don't know how to get it in Canada. I am yet to start it though for 2 reasons. Firstly, I am terrified of the shedding phase. Secondly,  I plan to add just one treatment at one time since I know I will have to continue the treatment forever. For now, I am still on the break from finasteride phase.

 

• Increasing Dutasteride: I am taking 0.5 mg once weekly and would like to try out twice weekly or more. Maybe even switch to dutasteride completely in the future. My thinking is, I started fin in 2013 and kept on losing hair. Eventually had to go for a HT after 6 years in 2019. Maybe, a more potent DHT blocker is needed in my case. I am yet to discuss this in detail this with Dr. Bhatti but I think he only uses once weekly dutasteride with daily fin in his practice. I heard this In his YouTube videos somewhere. He asked me whether I was taking daily Fin and weekly once Dut, in this consultation to which I replied in the affirmative. Hence, he didn't ask me to increase it. Maybe, this is the max he is comfortable with.

 

• Microneedling: I asked Dr. Bhatti whether adding micro needling will be beneficial and he said No. So, this is out of the equation.

 

 

How to assess the hair situation regimen ? I have another Question, how do you guys assess your hair situation long term. I take pictures in similar poses every 3 months or so. I learnt this from JT's videos on how to take hair transplantation photos while having my Hair Transplant. But these photos, always show a very different hair situation. I have photos since the last 5 years but I am sure each set will present a completely different hair situation. How do you guys do it ? How do you measure any new treatment efficacy ? I have heard that some people visit a doc to take microscopic assessment of hair count etc. Is anyone doing it and Is it worth it ?

I know I am overthinking but as only you guys can understand how a HT patient's brain works. Fighting hair loss is for life.

What do the experienced members in this guys suggest about modifying my hair regimen ? And monitoring hair situation long term ?

 

 

 

 

[Petroholic]

Yeah @Gatsby I am thinking of adding oral minoxidil as I have explained in my post above.

Feedback from you guys is very important @Gatsby for various reasons. Firstly, a HT patient's mind is always troubled with various thoughts.......we are always assessing our hair situation, hair greed is another issue. Secondly, Once a year or so, I am also thinking of tweaking my hair regimen.  Furthermore, we can hardly discuss these issues with anyone. This community and our HT doctor is the only place where we can discuss this. 

It is important to discuss our situation over here, I know the senior members over here can guide me in the right direction. It keeps me from falling prey to my own emotions. If you know what I mean. 

 

 

[scottwilley91]

It sounds like you've had a great experience with your hair transplant and have been able to maintain your results with the use of finasteride and dutasteride. It's important to remember that everyone's body reacts differently to medications, and it's great that you've found a regimen that works for you. As for modifying your hair regimen, it's always a good idea to consult with an experienced dermatologist at Meta dermatology before making any changes. 

Edited March 11 by scottwilley91

[Tamersam.]

It looks pretty good! It was a nice experience sharing. Thanks! I will fly to Istanbul today to have a hair transplant. I hope I have a good time

[Al - Moderator]

Thanks for coming back and posting because we really do need more long term results posted here. It looks like your hair has been holding up pretty well.

 

[Petroholic]

On 3/11/2024 at 3:21 AM, scottwilley91 said:

It sounds like you've had a great experience with your hair transplant and have been able to maintain your results with the use of finasteride and dutasteride. It's important to remember that everyone's body reacts differently to medications, and it's great that you've found a regimen that works for you. As for modifying your hair regimen, it's always a good idea to consult with an experienced dermatologist at Meta dermatology before making any changes. 

I have had a great experience with my HT but the hair loss progression is still there. It is difficult to replicate it in pics when the hair is dry. There has been definite loss in the past 1.5 years as I have immigrated to the new country which comes with a lot of challenges and associated stress. There is a gap forming between transplanted hair along hairline and my original hair along mid scalp. The regimen has to be tweaked a little every year after talking to my HT doctor. Currently, I am planning to add oral minoxidil to my regimen.

 

On 3/11/2024 at 10:10 AM, Tamersam. said:

It looks pretty good! It was a nice experience sharing. Thanks! I will fly to Istanbul today to have a hair transplant. I hope I have a good time

Best of luck. An HT has been a life changing experience for me. I wish the same happens with you.

 

On 3/12/2024 at 1:01 AM, Al - Moderator said:

Thanks for coming back and posting because we really do need more long term results posted here. It looks like your hair has been holding up pretty well.

 

I intend to update this thread long term to give ppl an idea of how HT's hold over decades. My hair have been holding up OK. There has definitely been a loss and lately I have noticed a gap forming between transplanted hair along hairline and my original hair along mid scalp. I intend to add oral minoxidil to my regimen to combat this.

 

Guys, if you could recommend me whether I should add oral minoxidil, it would be helpful. Tagging @Melvin- Admin @Gatsby and other senior members. Your advise will be really valuable.

[Melvin- Admin]

Just now, Petroholic said:

I have had a great experience with my HT but the hair loss progression is still there. It is difficult to replicate it in pics when the hair is dry. There has been definite loss in the past 1.5 years as I have immigrated to the new country which comes with a lot of challenges and associated stress. There is a gap forming between transplanted hair along hairline and my original hair along mid scalp. The regimen has to be tweaked a little every year after talking to my HT doctor. Currently, I am planning to add oral minoxidil to my regimen.

 

Best of luck. An HT has been a life changing experience for me. I wish the same happens with you.

 

I intend to update this thread long term to give ppl an idea of how HT's hold over decades. My hair have been holding up OK. There has definitely been a loss and lately I have noticed a gap forming between transplanted hair along hairline and my original hair along mid scalp. I intend to add oral minoxidil to my regimen to combat this.

 

Guys, if you could recommend me whether I should add oral minoxidil, it would be helpful. Tagging @Melvin- Admin @Gatsby and other senior members. Your advise will be really valuable.

Oral minoxidil has been amazing for me. 

[Petroholic]

35 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

Oral minoxidil has been amazing for me. 

Yeah, I saw your YouTube updates. One thing that wasn't clear was did you and @Gatsby have any shedding when starting oral minoxidil. If yes, for how many months.

[Gatsby]

@Petroholic I know shedding seems to be common but personally I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it. If I did have it I wasn’t aware of it anyway. 

[GoliGoliGoli]

On 3/10/2024 at 8:46 PM, Petroholic said:

Adding Oral minoxidil: Well, as we all know this Hair loss med has gained a lot of traction recently. So how could I be left behind🤣. I just cannot tolerate topical minoxidil. The negative cosmetic effect negates any gains for me. Had used it for 2 years from 2013-2015 and hated it. I still can't believe how such a simple modification was right under our eyes. Anyways, Dr. Bhatti asked me that I can start oral minoxidil 2.5mg daily for 4 months and then report back. I have arranged a 6 month supply from India because I don't know how to get it in Canada. I am yet to start it though for 2 reasons. Firstly, I am terrified of the shedding phase. Secondly,  I plan to add just one treatment at one time since I know I will have to continue the treatment forever. For now, I am still on the break from finasteride phase.

Can you elaborate on the "negative cosmetic effect" you experienced from topical minoxidil? 

[Petroholic]

1 hour ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

Can you elaborate on the "negative cosmetic effect" you experienced from topical minoxidil? 

Well, it is greasy and sticky so it makes already thinning hair appear even thinner. It also clumps hair together making them difficult to style. Overall, I don't find topicals effective because they wet the hair making them look thinner. They bring out the true picture and give away the illusion of a full head of hair. The above photos I have posted make my hair look good because they are bone dry. It's a completely different story with even slightly wet hair.