Good news for me...

[DaSand]

I've considered getting a transplant and I just got a consultation with someone who works at a clinic that offers it. The doctor is well known in my area, I know I can't get my full hairline back, but get a good one to grow my hair long.

Talking with him about it, I realized I may not be bald until 35. He said it varies from person to person. He looked at my hair and said I was a good candidate for a transplant. He says I've been thinning but not balding so that's a good thing. He also said I've only lost 10-15% of my hair, I did make sure he wasn't fibbing.

The only problem is I need to build up a nest egg for it. I'll need at least 4,000 to help pay for it. (And still having savings for books because I'm in college). I've also heard on the various tales of transplants gone wrong. So I'm a little weary on making the decision.

If I do get it, is there I should do to take care of it after the surgery?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Mahair]

Your *freind* is probably getting a kickback for luring you in. If your in college you are too young. $ 4,000 is a drop in the bucket as far as the tens of thousands you will be spending in the future. Do a TON of research before going under the knife. Six months at least.Also if you are just thinning a h/t can bald you out fast.If you want to know how to tell if a h/t doctor is lying to you I have a secret. Their lips move. Be careful this is a treacherous field of medicine that attracts bottom of the barrel doctors that play on emotion and false promises. Although there are a handful that won't disfigure you I doubt by chance you are dealing with one of them. P.S. 35 is the prime of life do you want to spend it hiding your scars or worse? Or did'nt they tell you about scarring or the other complications of this surgery? You will never have full hair once you start loosing it ,never. Get on propecia and nizoral asap from a dermatologist. I know the commercials look good but they are lies.Hairloss is progressive and thats the very reason NOT to do it.

 

[DaSand]

I can't get Propecia under the medical part because it can't fit in with the insurance plan my mom has. Mom (who doesn't care if I'm bald or not) won't have it covered so I'm screwed. I will see a dermatologist when I can.

I am on Nizoral 1% from the store shelf though, I don't know if that will help. I use it every 3 days.

It wasn't until now I start to notice the horseshoe shape for my thin parts, damn it! This really sucks getting it at a young age I'm soon to be 22! I guess I'll have to sacrifice libido to keep my hair. The biggest light can show the thinning but very dim lights hides it. :freaked2:

I did have some second thoughts, and I've come to the conclusion nah. It just won't feel the same.

 

[zackb]

College boy

Dude,

I am 29 now and had hair transplant #1 when I was 20 or 21. I have spent a crap load on $ on them and will ahve to get 1 more so I don'y look like a douche and can get soem chicks. Buzz your head down. My suggestion: do a Jeff Garcia cut( the Lions qb). In San Fran he used a #1 on the sides and a #2 on top. He may have done the sides bald and the top a #1 blade. Believe me...don't even think abotu a hair transplant until you are at least 28 or so. By themn the treatments out there will be awesome. Hang in there. Shaved heads are cool now. Fel free to PM me if yopu need to talk.


-Zack

 

[sublime]

:sleep:

 

[Guest]

Some good advice given here in this thread. And whatever you do, DON"T SPEND YOUR COLLEGE MONEY ON A hair transplant!!

Propecia is not covered by any medical insurance plan so you will need to pay for it out of your own pocket. You can purchase the pro-pak which is a ninety day supply and is a little cheaper than purchasing 30 tablets at a time.

Definitely consider the meds first and do your complete research so you will know both the plus and negative sides to a hair transplant. Best wishes to you.

 

[Radio]

Proscar, exact same drug as Propecia, made by the same people (Merck) in the same laboratory, but around 5 times cheaper.

Buy Proscar and use the money you save to help build up a fund for your hair transplant a few years down the line.

 

[sublime]

:freaked2:

 

[Guest]

There are a number of guys that cut Proscar tablets 4 ways with a pill cutter and consume 1/4 tablet per day. Proscar is a prostrate drug while Propecia was specifically developed by Merck and subsequently approved by the FDA for treating male pattern baldness.

Gillenator
more.hair@verizon.net

I am not a doctor so all my opinions shared are not medical advice which you read at your own risk. Contributing Physicians: Dr. Glenn Charles, Dr. Ed Epstein, Dr. Paul Rose, Dr. Ron Shapiro, Dr. Robert True

 

[DaSand]

"It wasn't until now I start to notice the horseshoe shape for my thin parts, damn it! This really sucks getting it at a young age I'm soon to be 22! "

If you notice a horseshoe pattern there is a good chance you will end up a NW7 although this is not for certain. I am 29 going on 30 in a few months and just initially had my first transplant after a lot of research. I can predict my loss to a certain extent, although crystal balls are usually required, so I know what my progression will be. I will have to get another procedure in a year or two to finish things up and play some catch-up. After that who knows, maybe 5 years maybe 10, you just do not know. I am only a diffuse thinner and this has only affected the NW2 and some NW3 area.



Best of luck.

I think I will be around a Norwood 5 when I'm bald. I really can't afford anything except 3 month minoxidil. I might stay the way my hair is for a while, but I'm really close to using the razor. Could it slow my loss down?

Can a Norwood 7 get a hair multiplication procedure when it comes out provided I have enough donor hair? I'll probably still have a thin amount on top.

 

[eastend]

Get Proscar and a pill cutter. With a little practice you can easily cut a tablet into fifths so one box will last you 150 days and costs about $60. So basically you are looking at an average of just over $10 per month. You can even skip the minoxidil and spend that money on Proscar, which is a better bang for your buck IMO. Side effects are overstated, you probably won't experience any whatsoever. And if you do, and you really can't live with them, stop the drug and they'll go away.

One thing for sure, listen to all these guys telling you to wait on the hair transplant. Cut your hair short, start on the drug, and wait.

 

[DaSand]

Do I need a prescription or approval from a doctor to get Proscar, know any sites where I can get it?

 

[Guest]

Dasand,

Were you asking if shaving your scalp will help slow your hairloss down or the minoxidil? I mean you probably already know about the effects of minoxidil so FYI shaving the scalp will not slow down the effects of male pattern baldness, or at least I have not seen that effect on patients. Quite to the contrary shaving the scalp can actually facilitate the loss of tiny miniturized hairs and vellus hairs because the drag of the razor over the scalp can actually pull the weakest hairs out, something I have observed in others. And the duller the blade, the more drag created. :freaked:

Have you ever heard of the term "shorter looks fuller"? Buzz-cutting can produce a visual illusion that appears less noticable thinning than if one's hair is grown beyond say 1/2 inch or so. And if one's scalp tone to hair color contrast is more narrow, the better illusion achieved. So you may consider buzz-cutting over shaving your scalp with a razor "if" your goal is to detract from the thinning appearance as much as possible.

And yes the more advanced classes of Norwood will be the biggest beneficiaries of HM. Hopefully more advancements will be made in HI (hair impregnation) even over HM because with HI being proven, donor follicules will not be an issue

 

[DaSand]

Thanks for the advice gillenator, I have Thicker Fuller Hair gel and I use that along with a blowdryer, it gives the hair a much thicker appearance for a while. My hair grows fast, unfortunately the sides grow quicker than the front and top so I need to get a bi-weekly haircut.

I have the sides and back buzzed. You couldn't tell I was getting thin unless you saw me in a bright light.

I didn't know that about shaving the head could pull out the weak hairs. I have a big head and a high forehead so I'd look weird bald.

Can you also show me where I can information on Hair Inpregnation? It sounds like it could replace Hair Multiplication.

Until I can get it, I'll stick with my regimen!

Thanks!

 

[eastend]

Do I need a prescription or approval from a doctor to get Proscar, know any sites where I can get it?

Many guys have prescriptions but I think you can buy it from internet pharmacies without a prescription. Just make sure you are buying a reputable brand, particularly important if you're buying from a third world manufacturer.

 

[Guest]

Dasand,

If you elect to go the Proscar route yes get an appointment to be seen by your doctor and make sure you not only explain why you want a prescription for treating male pattern baldness by cutting the tablets but to make sure your chart is documented as such. Why? When you get older typically in your 40's and your PCP wants to start PSA tests for your prostrate, the Proscar (finasteride) you are taking can throw off the readings of your PSA test. My PCP prescribes Proscar for me but not all physicians are comfortable with scripting a prostrate drug for treating male pattern baldness. Some will only prescribe Propecia for male pattern baldness because Propecia was specifically developed for treating male pattern baldness.

Proscar is a prostrate drug so in the event that you would develop prostrate problems in the future you won't be confused by the insurance companies as having a pre-existing condition. Most if not all docs will suggest that men 40 years of age and older get a PSA done "before" starting Propecia or Proscar.

And as Specs mentioned, there are alot of scammers on the internet selling imposter and/or compromised medications. Be very careful that you purchase only from reputable pharmacies.

 

[michael barry]

All proscar is five milligrams of finasteride. Propecia is one milligram of finasteride. Finasteride at .5 mg or half a propecia tablet is over 90% as effective as one full tablet. Thus, cutting a proscar in TEN pieces is almost as useful for male pattern baldness as eating it whole.

 

[Guest]

Michael,

Is that what you do yourself?

 

[Mahair]

I actually cut propecia in half to reduce the side effects I had with the whole pill. Bernstein actually tells his patients to take it every other day.Sometimes alittle is better than alot. Just like hair grafts.