New user; 7-weeks post-procedure

[hairguy77]

your first post is where I am at now but older and been on propecia for years and foam last 8 months.. i want to do a procedure to thicking my frontal hair, docs saying 1500 to make it look good
but i am terrified of shock loss, having a hard time with it

[ukw]

To answer your question, YES, you need to continue to use Propecia after you have a procedure. If you stop using it, you will lose all the native hair that you would have lost while you were on the medication. As a result, Propecia is particularly important for guys that have had transplants... if you bald normally without a transplant, you'll just look like a bald guy, but if you bald normally WITH a transplant, you'll have a very funny look going on.

... but still better than a bald look, surely? Isn't it possible to distribute the grafts in such a way that, while not all that dense, they still provide good cosmetics even in case of any other hair loss?

What I'm hearing you say is that an HT "without consequences" is indicated only for those who are at the very end of the balding process.

In any other case, what's the difference between HT+Propecia vs. just Propecia?

[win200]

Well, this old thread just got reactivated.

Yes, I'm still taking Propecia, and I'm also taking Avodart, which is its more-potent cousin. I continued to lose some, albeit not much, hair on Propecia, but Avodart basically stops my loss.

It's been 26 months since my procedure and the work continues to look great. I wear it long on top and swept back, and I'm thrilled with the results.

To answer your question, YES, you need to continue to use Propecia after you have a procedure. If you stop using it, you will lose all the native hair that you would have lost while you were on the medication. As a result, Propecia is particularly important for guys that have had transplants... if you bald normally without a transplant, you'll just look like a bald guy, but if you bald normally WITH a transplant, you'll have a very funny look going on.

[ukw]

This has been an illuminating thread.

The author of the thread stated that long after the surgery he was still taking Propecia. Is he still on Propecia? What would happen if you stop it? Is it really necessary 2-3 years post-op?

[gillenator]

I think your result looks very natural Dale.

We are very close in age and even your density looks natural.

Best wishes to you on your upcoming touch-up procedure.

[santos]

Win: That looks Great! I live in Kent WA. So thanks for the info on this Doc.

[drybone]

Hey Dale.

Your hair looks great dude!!

[inspects]

Hi Win,

I haven't been around lately, been in South America building some Condos.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you your hair look really magnificent.

I don't have any recent photos, I have one from Breckenridge Colorado in April and one from about a week after my transplant in August of last year...going on my 12 month in a few weeks.

Been saying I need to make a profile with pictures from start to finish like you and others did, I will in the near future, I promise, I been really busy the last several months with different business ventures



This past April in Breckenridge Colorado.



Anyway, I'm happy with the results...I had 2500 FUT, I'm on Propecia and Minoxidil. I don't see any hair loss now, and I'm very happy with the results, like you.

You do have MUCH more hair than I. I'll be 57 in November, so not having a really thick head of hair doesn't bother me.

BUT, I'm getting another procedure done this fall or winter, my doctor said another 1,000 grafts should completely fill in everything nicely. So what the hell, may as well do it, what's a couple-five Grand, better living the life we want than caring about a few grand.

Anyway, be well my friend.

Cheers,

Dale

[win200]

You should be! I never heard of your hair transplant surgeon, but he obviously knows what he is doing. Keeps us posted on how life is going for you. It's always cool to see how people get on after they feel better about themselves.

I see all of these guys spending so much time in the cutting edge section, all very unhappy people, fighting about doctors offering this BS or that BS. They are all trying to avoid doing what you have done for yourself and that's moving forward with your life with the proven stuff that we have today, like transplants and Propecia.

It's great that you're happy with everything!

Thanks again, and I agree. I go to the cutting edge section every now and then to sort of keep an eye on any developments, but it's too easy to get sucked in and go down that rabbit hole. I do have the luxury of having minimal loss and having had a procedure that brings me essentially to a full head of hair, so it's easier for me than for many others to simply shrug and go my own way. But I can't spend hours a day on the forums parsing over every shred of data about every possible new treatment.

[J_B_Davis]

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it!

You should be! I never heard of your hair transplant surgeon, but he obviously knows what he is doing. Keeps us posted on how life is going for you. It's always cool to see how people get on after they feel better about themselves.

I see all of these guys spending so much time in the cutting edge section, all very unhappy people, fighting about doctors offering this BS or that BS. They are all trying to avoid doing what you have done for yourself and that's moving forward with your life with the proven stuff that we have today, like transplants and Propecia.

It's great that you're happy with everything!

[win200]

Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it!

[J_B_Davis]

I would call it a full head of hair! You look great!

[win200]

New pics--buzzed edition!

Thought I'd resurrect the thread and post some new pics, given that it's been over three months since my last update. I got my hair buzzed to a 3 grade this morning, which made me SUPER nervous. My hair has been really long, which, as we all know, can hide thinning, leaving a stomach-churning surprise for the poor guy who buzzes down to an unforgiving length. I've been on Propecia since October, and while my loss has reduced, it hasn't ground to a halt. So I was a little nervous that the buzz was going to reveal either (a) thinning immediately behind the transplants, or (b) thinning elsewhere, like in the crown or vertex. But all went well, and I *love* the buzzed look. The transplanted area is definitely thinner than the density behind it, unsurprisingly, and I didn't like how my hair look when it was swept back, because standing the hair at my hairline straight up had a bit of a "see-through" effect, particularly given my skin tone and dark hair color. You can see that there's lower density at the forelock in the pics where my head is tipped down, but it's not a *drastic* difference. The nice thing about the buzz cut is that at this length, you see scalp even at 100% density, so when some scalp shows through in the transplanted area, it seems wholly normally. No one will notice the thinner area at the front.

All in all, I continue to be completely happy with the hairline design and graft placement. Honestly, I think this looks like a mature hairline, with maybe a very slight touch of recession at the corners. My goal with a procedure was to have a hairline that didn't look like it had suffered any MPB, and I think I got that. What would you guys call this? NW1.5? NW2?

Now I just have a rhinoplasty to look forward to in August...

[gillenator]

win,

Awesome feedback from your recent consultation.

And I agree, "why fix something that is not broken?"

Enjoy your new look my friend!

[john2399]

Well, I'm glad I took the plunge and did it, because I have a result I'm thrilled about.

But something to keep in mind: I was *pissed* about the way my hair looked until about 7-8 months. Most people claim that you start looking decent at 3 months, but that certainly wasn't the case for me. I was *positive* that I'd had a botched procedure. So don't lose hope--you can have horrible-looking results at 3-4 months that look beautiful in double that time. So wait until at least August until you decide to wring his neck. :-p

Im curious to see a better before picture of your hairloss, the first couple of pics did not reveal too much. If you could post a clear before pic and a now pick, btw it looks really good. congrats.