Many Questions about my hair with updated and original pics!

[Secretlybatman]

Hey Guys

i first noticed my hairloss in november of 2013 and after googling I came on this forum. My original pics got people debating whether i had hairloss or not as I stated my hairline was not receding and only my crown had a spot.

On advice i started using minoxidil on both my crown and my hairline anyway and over the space of 2 years my hairline has got a lot worse on the side of my hairline where i was applying minoxidil but not on the side i never put it on. Now I've thrown out hypothesis's as to why the minoxidil side is worse then the other. Perhaps an increased blood flow to those follicles caused more DHT, maybe the hair got addicted and when i stopped using minoxidil due to my hairline disappearing on that side the healthy but addicted hair just stopped growing. Either way i can only see about 5 hairs in the spot now and i never really saw any hairs go through the minimization process, they just went. I've posted asking for advice on this but never really applied much photo evidence other than the one pic from the tell my story section.

I ended minoxidil feb of 2015 and have been on 1.25 of finasteride pro since november of 2014. I'd go on dutasteride but it's not available nor funded in New Zealand.

Family history: All my uncles are bald

So my questions to you are:
1. How much would it currently cost me to get a full head of hair with a hair transplant?
2. Is it plausible that minoxidil could have contributed to one side my hairline disappearing while the other side being fine?
3. If not could resuming minoxidil bring it back ( i know its a huge risk given my suspicions but i really want my hair
4. What norward am I?
5. I also think I'm thinning where the minoxidil ran off down from my crown, What you think?
Here are some pics.

2013
(Worth noting i wasn't showering for 2 weeks during this because my shower was broken) Hence the hair sticking together creating big gaps)


Early 2014 after shaving my head a month into this



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Mid 2014
View attachment 35854View attachment 35855View attachment 35856View attachment 35857View attachment 35858

 

[Secretlybatman]

2015 october
As you can see my left temple is still fine



My right and crown not so much

 

[Secretlybatman]

 

[Pequod]

You probably don't want to hear this but your hair is fine, stay on finasteride and see how it goes. Keep track of your hairline by measuring it exactly so you can see if things are getting worse. It is too early for a hair transplant unless you only want to lower your hairline in front. Draw on your scalp the hairline you want and people can give you a better estimate. Without that I would guess it would be 1500 grafts at most, and the cost depends on what Country you have it done and who does it.

BTW since you have been on finasteride for only a year that should stabilize the hair loss and is why i say don't worry about 2013 and you now should keep what you have.

 

[Secretlybatman]

You probably don't want to hear this but your hair is fine, stay on finasteride and see how it goes. Keep track of your hairline by measuring it exactly so you can see if things are getting worse. It is too early for a hair transplant unless you only want to lower your hairline in front. Draw on your scalp the hairline you want and people can give you a better estimate. Without that I would guess it would be 1500 grafts at most, and the cost depends on what Country you have it done and who does it.

BTW since you have been on finasteride for only a year that should stabilize the hair loss and is why i say don't worry about 2013 and you now should keep what you have.

I have drawn in the pics where my hairline should be. That's where im seeing the last of the remaining hairs

 

[Pequod]

I see the area, yes that is very small. You are just starting to lose hair and that is only like 500 grafts to fill in but it would screw up the hairs already in that area until the grafts recover in 6 months. A consultation with a doctor would give you a better idea. They are free and get a couple of opinions.

It's possible that area grows back in naturally from the finasteride still. I would wait and see myself, your hair looks great even with that little area. And is it worth it to go through a procedure where you have to shave a portion of the back of your head and stamp in 500 grafts on that side and have to wait 6 months to see a recovery? I would say no, better to leave your hair like it is, but that is only my opinion.

 

[Secretlybatman]

I see the area, yes that is very small. You are just starting to lose hair and that is only like 500 grafts to fill in but it would screw up the hairs already in that area until the grafts recover in 6 months. A consultation with a doctor would give you a better idea. They are free and get a couple of opinions.

It's possible that area grows back in naturally from the finasteride still. I would wait and see myself, your hair looks great even with that little area. And is it worth it to go through a procedure where you have to shave a portion of the back of your head and stamp in 500 grafts on that side and have to wait 6 months to see a recovery? I would say no, better to leave your hair like it is, but that is only my opinion.

It looks quite a bit of hairloss to me in these ?
what about questions 2-5?

 

[Secretlybatman]

The finasteride is working for you. Your not getting the classic "V" on the temples. As far as your third question, yes I think you should go back on the minoxidil. Your DHT levels are probably more controlled now that your on finasteride. Asymmetrical baldness is common. My right temple has less hair then my left. At first I thought it was weird that minoxidil was only growing more hair on my right. But now I realize it was because more hair was lost on that side.

I definitely have 1 side of the V with my right side just not my left, Isn't it coincidence that my right side is the one which disappeared when i was using minoxidil on it and the left which never has seen minoxidil is still a nw1?

 

[kmm179]

I dont think the minoxidil did anything to you hairline negatively. I have same natural hair flow and hair graft in front and similar hair line and started in same spot. Mine in front is almost has like a vortex in the front and flows to one side thats why I think it has only affected one part of my hairline and not the other. How old are you?

 

[Secretlybatman]

That's not a V on your hairline. Believe me, I know because I am a Norwood 3/3.5. I have an alphabet. From your hairline, your between a 1 and 2, at most. I'm not saying that to be nice. Because I've told other people on the board what I really thought they were. In my own experience, I was able to grow ALL my hair back in the day, when only 2% was the ONLY solution available. I stopped using it for a couple of years. Went from a 0.5 to a NW2. And I didn't use finasteride until this year. (Ocassionally, I may have taken it twice a week). I'm not advising people to NOT take finasteride, because it is better than minoxidil (for most people, not all). But you don't have a V, or even a U. Your hairline looks like it might have receded a little, but not a lot.

How is this not 1 a side of a v? it definitely cuts back on a diagnal like a V. Aren't nw3s more like narrow U?
Yes but again I used minoxidil for almost a year on its own and i only went backwards on that 1 side and then i used it for another 4 months with finasteride, still nothing. Clearly I'm not a responder or even worse perhaps it's harmful to my hair somehow.
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I dont think the minoxidil did anything to you hairline negatively. I have same natural hair flow and hair graft in front and similar hair line and started in same spot. Mine in front is almost has like a vortex in the front and flows to one side thats why I think it has only affected one part of my hairline and not the other. How old are you?

I just turned 25.

 

[I.D WALKER]

Hi SB,
If you have a "prerecession" photo it might be useful in terms of better illustrating your point, jm2cents.
I know you stated you don't have access to dutasteride.,have you looked into any online pharmacies for it?
What about nizoral? Your hair is still decently holding up nonethelessI would throw everything that potentially works against male pattern baldness just for the added insurance.
Thanx for share and here's to your continual success.

 

[Secretlybatman]

Hi SB,
If you have a "prerecession" photo it might be useful in terms of better illustrating your point, jm2cents.
I know you stated you don't have access to dutasteride.,have you looked into any online pharmacies for it?
What about nizoral? Your hair is still decently holding up nonethelessI would throw everything that potentially works against male pattern baldness just for the added insurance.
Thanx for share and here's to your continual success.

The only pics i have from 2013 are those. Even with the bad caretaking you can see that the front is pretty solid from above though. I remember going outside in the sun looking for recession and seeing no problem. neighbours must have thought i was nuts lol

We can't order things online here without a prescription. They get taken and destroyed at customs. The only way to get dutasteride would be to spend around 160 to fly to auckland to see the only dermatologist in the country (Another 100 bucks on top of that) then get him to order it in since he for some reason is the only one who can get it from a contact in australia and then i have to pay another 80 bucks since its not funded for the supply. So i could get my hands on it... But it would cost me over 300 dollars then 80 per supply... And jeez id have to do that every time i needed a new prescription.

I tried nizoral but i found that i had a lot of hairfall from it so i stopped using it. For any itchyness i just used a normal anti dandruff when i was on minoxidil.

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I agree with other commenters, your hair looks good man; particularly at the vertex it looks very thick. You look like you have kind of a whirl in the back and that can be misleading because it spirals into the scalp - overall I'd stick it out and continue with min & finasteride as long as you don't have any sides

I haven't been on min since feb and I'm scared to get back on it due to the "coincidence " that the only side i used it on thinned out badly and went to a (I think 2 or 2.5) from a nw1 in 2013. I mean to go from a 1 to a 2-2.5 in the space of 2 years isn't good is it?

Here's another pic with wet hair showing the right side is definitely gone.