hair transplant when your thinning

[dz]

Hi all-

I'm 29 going on 30 and recently discovered to my horror (as i'm sure we all did at one stage or another) that i was thinning for a few years on top and in front. I've been on Propecia 1mg for a bit over a month and am starting some topical and nizoral this week. i have consulted with 2 transplant doctors - Dr. Rob Jones and Dr. Seager in Toronto. Both recommended to wait at least a year and come back and see them then, because quote: 'you got a ton of hair up there!'. Dr. Jones was concerned about room to plant new hairs and the danger of shock fallout. dr. seager was absolutely confident he could do the transplant with little or no shock fallout but thought it was just unneccesary at this stage since the medications may kick in stop the loss and even grow back hair. I have to be honest: i felt goo dfor all of 5 hrs before i looked in the mirror again. it has consumed my life and i have forgotten who i was before this happened. i dont htink i can handle shaving my head and i have no idea how far the balding will go so i dont know about the extent of the hair transplant (or if more than one will be necessary).
sorry to lengthen, but i figure there are some of you out there who may understand and be able to give me some sound advice.
here are my questions:

a) should i give the propecia and topicals the 6 months people think i should before doing an hair transplant.

b) has anyone done an hair transplant to thicken the top and vertex at the thinning stage? did you have any shock fallout? did it grow back?

c) it seems like i still have a lot of hair just thin and weak. can the medications reverese that.

d) is it my imagination (anxiety and all) or is there more shedding in the first few stages of propecia cause it seems to be getting worse on a daily basis (but like i said id be happy to hear that its my imagination)

e) can anyone recommend a really good hair transplant guy to talk to in my specific case of early thinning? what about dr. Shapiro?

sorry again for the long post but i really appreciate any responses you may have, its hard to go this alone and other than my parents there's no one i feel i could talk to.

cheers,

DZ :?

 

[crazydiamond]

dz

Do as they said, and dont even think about hair transplant for at least another 12 months. Try propecia, minoxidil, nizoral and give it 12 months. I know its not easy because we are here because we obsess about hairloss, but try, try not to visit here too often, take the treatments and see how you respond. If your hairloss is not stabilised then you would just recede or thin more and need further treatment. Better to see if this works before surgery, as there is no going back once you do. Who knows in 12 months time things might be more promising with Dutasteride etc.

 

[sal1]

DZ just wait. Its good that the doctors are telling you to wait. I know how you're feeling. I started the hair transplant approach at 28 years old. I'm now 35 with 3 sessions on my head. Its not the density I was told I'd have.

Let the hair transplant procedure improve before you decide. Its still too primitive in some aspects (Donar area). Give an honest effort to topicals for a period of time. Crazydiamond makes great sense with his post. Dont spend too much time here. But get constructive feed back. Its tough but be patient.

 

[dz]

CD & Sal hi,

thanks so much for your swift response, its somehow a little reassuring to hear another voice from way out there. i dont know if i can wait the 12 months, my personality is such that i need a near future solution, but i kno wthe fear i sthat my hair will thin even more and i may require additional suregery. i just dont know how to wait. it seems like everyday my hair is getting thinner and lighter, i'm terrified each time i step into the shower to shampoo my hair, and i look in the mirror about 100 times a day. i keep shedding like crazy and i know it could still take propecia a good few more months to even START to kick in, by then i'm afriad i'll have lost even more hair- so much that i could not hide it. i think even now i'm pushing it and that in a decent light my scalp is shinning right through. it seems as though there is still hair only its weak and thin and lighter. i feel like im racing time here, that my hair wont stabalize before its too late or too noticable. that's why i'm looking into the hair transplant's so soon.
I will consider your kind and solid advice but i wonder if you could still answer a few of my questions:

1) can anyone recommend a really good hair transplant guy to talk to in my specific case of early thinning? what about dr. Shapiro?

2) is the Nizoral your'e talking abou tthe one originally made for dandruff? the 2% one?

3) one other completely silly question- i have ordered some Toppik to see if it will help conceal the thinning until the meds kick in. have any of you used it? can it weaken my hair and disrupt the effect of the meds (if they do kick in?)

4) how soon did you guys see your loss halt on propecia? and any growth?

thanks so much for helping me out here.

cheers,

D

 

[sal1]

Hi DZ.

I know exactly how you feel. Many many many people here do. When I noticed my hair loss it consumed me. Then when others noticed I just broke. You're like me int that you can't wait for some things. We're not patient.

But DZ be patient with your choice in doctors. You have to. I'm here in Cleveland Ohio but wouldnt recomend any one here. Chat with some of the guys here on this site about really good DR's. Take time to research and get facts about hair transplant's. Meet others who have had hair transplant's. With a skilled DR. you'll be happy if thats the route you decide to take.

Hang in there DZ.

 

[crazydiamond]

dz

Nizoral 1% or 2% is easily available at any drug store and dont use more than 3 times a week, but start it asap, and its less than $10 a bottle. Also consider seriously using 5% minoxidil asap too. You can use generic stuff from costco or wallmart at very low prices(its the Kirkland brand, and you can even order from http://www.costco.com). Toppik is well worth considering to help you through the worst, and many guys here swear by it. It seems to work well, just use a regular hair spray to fix it after applying. It wont weaken the hairs you have.

Propecia can take a couple of months to work but it does in the majority of cases, but regrowth is less common, and minoxidil is the best option for that.

 

[dz]

Sal & CD- Thanks for the thoughts, I really do appreciate them as i've been having it real rough (as i;m sure we all have). I would be the first to put surgery out of my mind for now, if the meds kicked in and stopped the loss (at least if not any regrowth). it woudl give me time to meet more hair transplant doctors and patients and figure out my options. the one thing i'm terrified of is the immediate stage of people aound me noticing. i work in a really competative buisiness where, sadly, i believe my looks get me further than they should. i'm kinda new in my town and don't have the support of very good friends and family, so the thought of suddenly having to go public on this is scary. i had hoped that in worst case scenario an hair transplant would temporarily thicken my vertex and top and as the thinning prgressed (if the meds didn't stop it or slow it down till something better came out) it would be gradual and more fitting of my aging. i still seem to have hair on the top and frint but its getting thinner and weaker and therefore losing its density (although ive also lost a lot i guess).

Do propecia and topicals help thicken and strengthen the exisiting hair?
What are your experiences and do they at all relate to mine?
how many times should i use the minoxidil 5%?
is it better to be taking 1.25mg of proscar or the 1mg of propecia?
do you know if a multi vitamin is counter productive ('cause i'm taking a 'swiss natural sources' multivitamin.?

sorry for all the questions but to be honest it seems you guys and these webstes are much better source of info than the so-called 'pro's.

Cheers and thanks for the support.

DZ

 

[crazydiamond]

DZ

Only on cost grounds I would go with proscar cut into 4 giving you 1.25mg, its much chaeper and just as effectibe as Propecia. If you can, take the minoxidil twice a day, and shampoo with nizoral 3 x a week. From a business point of view you could get away with Toppik but fi you have/meet a girlfriend then best to start out bot hiding anything. I know what you mean about looks being overly important in some business as it was one of the main reasons I got hair transplant, being in sales, and did improve my confidence enourmously. But if if i was in your position now, i would give this a try for a good 6-12 months.

Taking a good multi vitamin is fine for general health. Some people take Lysine 500mg 3 times a day, but its not agreed on by everyone. Stick to the basics first, once you start adding this and that you dont know what is or isnt working.

 

[Hotlegs]

As I mentioned on another post, one transplant will not get you the density you want. You will still look like your hair is thinning. You will not look "normal" unless you do 2 or 3 transplants. Plus the results are not instant either. You have to recover from the sugery, and then wait for the hairs to regrow. It will not be the "quick-fix" you think it is. I would say that the medications will give you a more "natural" look, if they work for you. So give them a chance. At least until you decide you really need to get it done. The best candidate for a hair transplant is someone with very little hair at all. They will be happy to have something up there, period. But someone who is young, with slight thinning, will be freaked out by the fact it is not thick enough, shock-loss, etc...

 

[Graft Recipient]

Propecia w/ hair transplant

I walked into the doctor's office a year ago and asked about transplants. The consultant asked me, "What if you could hold what you have now, would you be happy with that?" I knew he was talking about Propecia and I told him I wasn't interested.

Then he explained to me that the side effects of Propecia are rare and even still--overstated. There is very little difference in the dysfunction reported by the placebo group. The fact is that most people have zero side effects with Propecia.

And the reality is that a surgery-only solution is simply not feasable. That's what they never tell you on those impressive Bosley info-mercials. Without Propecia, you will probably need a series of surgeries spanning most of your adult life. Don't be naive and think that you are as bald now as you ever will be.

If your doctor cautioned you on immediate surgery, that is a good sign. He is probably ethical and trustworthy. You mentioned Toronto...maybe you could look into MHR Detroit (Troy). I just had a surgery done there by Dr. Holt and am very pleased.

I have been on Propecia for 11 months. It works great, but like transplants, you have to be PATIENT. Propecia takes months/years to fully benefit you. Get on Propecia and stick with it. Research doctors and go see about a transplant only after you're CERTAIN that Propecia will work for you (10-12 months or more).

Good luck, and remember this is a slow process that you should start now. In a couple years, you'll be glad you did.

 

[bw]

dz

I started my hair transplant about twenty years ago when I was in the early stages of thinning. Back then there was no propecia or other drugs to try. If there were, I probably would have tried them first. But doing the hair transplant turned out to be a good plan for me. The best part about doing it early is it's easier to conceal and you may get away with no one noticing which was the case with me. Even though it was the old pluggy look, I was very pleased. It blended well with my original hair. I also should mention that I have good donor hair that is on the curly side which makes covering flaws easy. I went about five years before needing another hair transplant which will most likely be inevitable for anyone starting early unless the propecia works like I was told. I had several more plug type hair transplant's over the years. They were generally small sessions since I was filling in areas. I thought that virtually all of my hair was hair transplant hair until about a year ago when I started thinning again. I just went two weeks ago and got a FU hair transplant from Dr. Griffin in Atlanta. Now I should be done. No more plugs, just transplanted follicles. Just be glad you're going bald now and not twenty years ago. Between drugs and FU hair transplant this industry has come a long way. I know because I have gone along for the ride. Let me tell you what your best option may be if you haven't tried it. Last year when I noticed my hair was thinning again, I discovered baldness concealers. I used couvre which is a cream that you put on your scalp. It matches the color of your hair so it gives the appearance of more hair. The stuff is miraculous. It looks so good I almost didn't bother with a hair transplant but I'm tired of putting the stuff on. Definitely give it a try. Go to couvre.com or dermatch.com. Between either of those products and propecia, you may never need a hair transplant. Good luck.