Newbie, Need Hair Help, Please !

[A B]

I noticed in several posts on the Hair Restoration board, "some of the best independent surgeons" were mentioned - I'm 24 and have been experiencing hair loss for the past three years, I'm not nearly bald (yet - it probably appears to a laymen that I have a full head of hair) but I dont want to get to that point either... This is ruining my life, no exaggeration. I'm scared out of my mind of getting a hair transplant, but, at the same time, consider hair restoration something that can litterally save my life. I'll pay whatever the top surgeon will charge to get natural results. From those posts, who would be considered the "best surgeons"? What kind of results should I expect? I'd love a head of hair like when I was 18, or even 20... is that too much to ask?

 

If so, what should I expect?

 

How about non-surgical procedures? Anyone familier with them ?

 

I currently do Minoxidil (The COSTCO version, which is much cheaper - I assume this is just as good as Rogain brand minoxidil, am I right?)...

 

also, how thinning should I be before I seriously considering getting transplants ? Does it make a difference ?

 

ANY help would be seriously appriciated !

 

Adam

[A B]

I noticed in several posts on the Hair Restoration board, "some of the best independent surgeons" were mentioned - I'm 24 and have been experiencing hair loss for the past three years, I'm not nearly bald (yet - it probably appears to a laymen that I have a full head of hair) but I dont want to get to that point either... This is ruining my life, no exaggeration. I'm scared out of my mind of getting a hair transplant, but, at the same time, consider hair restoration something that can litterally save my life. I'll pay whatever the top surgeon will charge to get natural results. From those posts, who would be considered the "best surgeons"? What kind of results should I expect? I'd love a head of hair like when I was 18, or even 20... is that too much to ask?

 

If so, what should I expect?

 

How about non-surgical procedures? Anyone familier with them ?

 

I currently do Minoxidil (The COSTCO version, which is much cheaper - I assume this is just as good as Rogain brand minoxidil, am I right?)...

 

also, how thinning should I be before I seriously considering getting transplants ? Does it make a difference ?

 

ANY help would be seriously appriciated !

 

Adam

[Robert_]

First of all, how long have you been using the Minoxidil (the generic version is fine)?

 

Is it 5% or 2%?

 

The reason I ask is that you are still pretty young, though I do not know the extent of your hair loss. Now, I am not one of those people to automatically say that you are too young for a transplant but I want to make sure that you know that you should exhaust all of your other resources before running in to have surgery.

 

Give the Minoxidil at least 9 months. Take progression pictures if possible. After that, if you need some extra help you may want to look into DHT inhibition through Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar) and/or topical treatments .

 

Add one at a time and give treatments some time before switching up to make sure you get to know what works for you and what doesn't. By enough time, I mean at least 9 months if not longer.

 

With the medications on the market today you may just see enough results to where you won't need surgery for quite a while. I have my fingers crossed for you and welcome to the forums.

 

-Robert

[A B]

Thank you so much for the quick replys.

 

The reason I'm so concerned is that, although I do not have any bald spots, my pattern of lose in the entire top of my head (as opposed to *just* a receding hair line, or the crown area). When I first accepted that it was actually happening to ME, I fell into a deep depression (in all fairness, other things were happening in my life... this is just what was the last straw was)..

 

I started on rogain, but got discourged after about four monthes and quit (I know, NOT the thing to do... but, of course, hindsight is 20/20). At that point I started on propecia, which, I dunno if it was working out or not... I was on propecia for about a year when I started experiencing the, ahem, side effects... which, as anyone could imagine, freaked me out... after a few monthes, I made the decision to quit.

 

A few monthes ago (six? eight?) I started on generic brand Rogain (Costco brand minoxidil is $20 for a four month supply!)... Im not happy with how my hair is now, I want my hair to look like it did when I was 18. The drastic change from 2002 to the present implies that in a few years, I'll be in serious trouble.

 

Forgive me for being longwinded, I'm just really very happy I found this forum. As supportive as my parents or girlfriend are, it's hard to get advice from people who arent exactly "educated" in hair restoration. I swear, when my mom suggested "the hair club" I almost died. Also, people should know it's NOT helpful to be told "this happens to a lot of men" or "what a man looks like isn't as important". The reason this was so devistating was that for my whole life I've stuggled with self image. I grew up overweight, and through my teen years lost and, ultimitly gained, weight. When I was 22, as I was graduating college I decided to take control of my life. I decided that, with work, I could look the way I wanted. I joined a gym, and lost about fifty pounds. This is when I realized I was losing my hair. It was so absolutly devistating. Not so much what it looked like two years ago, as it was more just knowing that this is degenerative. I remember, the first web site I checked out was "Dr Drews" and it said something like "the best thing to do is just accept it, because anything else is putting off the inevitable". That wasnt going to happen. All I ever wanted was to be confident and really FEEL attractive. It seemed like that was just impossible.

 

Fast foward to the present. I'm going to continue with the monoxidil (5%). I'm interested in researching transplants. Definitly for the future if things progress. I'm not so sure how much loss is appropriate to persue transplants. I heard, the more hair you have going in, the more likely to get natural results. I'm also not so happy with how my hairline is receding, wouldnt it be easier to work with it how it is now, before the hairline recedes more?

 

So, in addition to Rogain... Do the DHT reducers for the scalp really work? There are so many shams on the market, it's so hard to decide on who to trust... ESP when the products are $$$ top begin with. How is Nioxin? I've been considering adding that.... however, when I called the Nioxin customer help line, they said the product should not be used with Rogain! Is that true, or were they just trying to sell me ?

 

BTW, what is MSM?

 

As for DRs, I live in NY... so how is Dr. Feller or Dr. True ? Would they make the list of the top surgeons ?

 

Thanks again... finding this forum has given me some hope which I havent had for quite some time...

 

Adam

[Robert_]

First things first, your story is one that everyone that graces these forums can relate to. Hair loss never comes at a "good" time (considering there is ever a good time).

 

Stay on the 5%. If you use it twice daily then you are doing everything you can with that. Minoxidil works great from some (like myself, luckily) and not-so-great at all for others.

 

The one thing about getting a hair transplant early on is that you can have future recession behind the implanted grafts. There is no "appropriate" stage in which to get a hair transplant, but you have to consider the options that you have concerning you donor supply. You want to harvest a good bit the first time (hopefully the only time) you get a hair transplant as to not be creating a linear scar for a minimal amount of grafts. FUE is a good option for this, but is more expensive.

 

A hair transplant would be more of a viable option for you if you had a receding hair line. Since your thinning is at the crown, you will have to take into consideration that you will thin around the transplanted hairs. That will create an island effect, which will look anything but natural.

 

Fortunately, the crown is where Minoxidil works best. It is unfortunate that you experienced side effects with Finasteride. Another step that you can take is Dutasteride. There have been reports of persons that had side effects with Finasteride that did not have side effects with Dutasteride. Keep in mind that the reverse is also true. Everyone is different, expecially their hormonal balances.

 

Products like Folligen and Revivogen have recieved good response from many people that use them as a topical DHT inhibitor. They also contain Copper Peptides, which research has shown to help.

 

Nioxin is a great shampoo. I have used it on and off for years. As far as it giving me any regrowth, I cannot say that it has. I have read similar comments from almost everyone else that has used it.

 

MSM - Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane (M.S.M.) is an organic sulfur compound which is a metabolite of dimethyl-sulfoxide (D.M.S.O.).

 

In laymans terms, it has been suggested that MSM promotes healthier and faster growth of hair follicles. It will NOT regrow hair, however.

 

Dr. Alan Feller and Dr. Robert True can both be considered "top surgeons." They both provide high levels of results and both have very high ethics.

 

Also in New York state are Dr. Robert Dorin (who shares a practice in manhattan with Dr. True) and Dr. Michael Beehner of Saratoga Springs. There is no doubt in my mind that all of these physicians can be considered "Top-Notch" in regards to ethics, skill, and results.

 

-Robert

[Big1]

Seriously, if you aren't willing to commit to Propecia you shouldn't get a transplant. Propecia will thwart your hair loss. It comes at a price for some, but the choice is yours. I for one, am not concerned with impressing women with my sexual abilities; I only care about myself and getting my numbers up.

 

My hair matters (without hair, I look and feel much older than I am and it would be much harder to attract women). It matters enough that I have taken Propecia for about 4 years continuously. I believe I would be a NW5 if I didn't continue with Propecia. Now I don't look like I have ever had a problem!

 

If you get a transplant without having been on Propecia for about a year (CONTINUOUSLY!) then you will likely lose much of your existing hair (as many follicles are already rich in DHT) and are just waiting to DIE. The trauma will surely kill them dead. You can prevent a lot of this follicular death with Propecia.

 

By getting a transplant in a year (after prolonged and continuous use of Propecia) you will effectively elliminate unwanted follicular death. You won't have a net LOSS after the procedure like I had. Imagine that...paying thousands of dollars for a transplant only for it to leave you with less hair then you started with. Believe me, you don't want it.

 

Get back on Propecia. Don't worry about the side effects. You're fine. Men have been taking this medication for about 50 years. It can only help your hair (and your prostate).

 

Best wishes.

[A B]

Big1- So let me ask you this, is it possible that the sexual side effects of propecia could appear a year, or more, into taking the medication? Maybe the problems I'm experiencing are stemming from something else ? (as embarrasing and difficult that is to contemplate, much less post on a message board)

 

Everyone else- Is that true? That it's pointless to get a HT if not on propecia?

 

I'm definitly going to invest in scalpal DHT blockers, nioxin, and MSM.

 

BTW, is it true that it takes about 1 year of continious useage of minoxidil for it to start seriously working?

[Big1]

"Big1- So let me ask you this, is it possible that the sexual side effects of propecia could appear a year, or more, into taking the medication?"

 

They may continue to exist, I imagine, but they would become prevalent much sooner. No, it is not likely that you would have to wait a year before you notice "sexual side effects".

 

 

 

"Maybe the problems I'm experiencing are stemming from something else ?"

 

They probably are. Don't worry about your girlfriend; if it really becomes a problem just use a donger on her.

 

Keep your hair. That's what is important because no transplant can give it back to you; several transplants can make a HUGE difference but they will never be as good as nature.

 

 

"BTW, is it true that it takes about 1 year of continious useage of minoxidil for it to start seriously working?"

 

I don't use Minoxidil. I take one pill befre I go to bed and that's it. Combine that with surgery (with an excellent doctor) and excellent results are imminent.

[Smoothy]

Anything is possible with side effects. But normally side effects such as propecia usually show up within the first 3-4 months. But after year it is unlikely but could be related to the meds? One way to find out is to take a 8 week break off Propecia (I do this every 12-18 months anyway for the past 6 yrs to shock my stystem so that I dont develop a resistance to the drug)-- but when you do this-- after 4 weeks the drug is washed out and if you are still having the side effects, more than likely it is not propecia and go see a Urologist. If your side effect goes away-- then more than likely it is the propecia and you might want to consider droping the dose down to every other day instead of every day.

[Smoothy]

Yes, Rogain will take a MIN of 6 months to start taking effect-- at least it did for me. Iv'e been on it for 6 yrs now.

[gillenator]

Dear A B,

 

The inhibition period of finasteride is approximately 90 days. That is when "most" men who ingest it notice any sexual side effects. Now if you did not notice sexual side effects in the first say six months, I would assume it is not Propecia. Most men who stay on the drug have their side effects dissipate in a very short period of time, usually in the first year.

 

The advanced hair loss from weightlifting, specifically more muscle mass gained, especially in the thighs, more testosterone is released in the body. DHT is produced from testoterone so of those levels are increased, so is DHT in theory. I have not seen any corresponding studies to support this theory.

 

You also mentioned heightened stress levels in your life and that can advance genetic alopecia. You do not need to respond to this next question publicly, but are you on any other meds? Any anti-depressents? Other meds can cause sexual side-effects as well so just thought I would ask.

 

Lastly, wait on a HT procedure. You mentioned you have diffused thinning throughout the top of your scalp. You definitely want to consider family history of hairloss on both sides of your family. If your father, uncles, grandfathers, etc have gentic hairloss, observe their most advanced classes and consider this as your possible potential someday. If you do stay with Propecia or Proscar which is much cheaper once you cut the pills in four pieces, you may not sustain as much hairloss as was originally destined for you in your genetic profile. Use what works including minoxidil that was mentioned to you in the other posts.

 

After you have exhausted all medicinal remedy, you will want to have your donor zones calculated for density and graft harvest potential. This will take an in-person evaluation from some of the top docs mentioned in previous posts.

 

The bottom line is, have a better idea of where your hairloss is headed, know your donor limitations, and do what you can non-surgically speaking begore your consider actually having a HT procedure done. Best wishes to you and welcome to this community!