timing of strip transplant and propecia use

hi everybody, I have previously posted some pics on this site and asked for comments/advice on getting a transplant. I thought i'd post a new thread on the chances of getting some new replies. I've recently started taking propecia again (within the last 10 days), so far so good, (i was on it for a few months about 8 or 9 years ago but came off due to occasional testicular pain). will also give nizoral shampoo and the laser comb a go, as suggested by a poster.

Posters on this site have suggested that I wait at least 6 months - 1 year on propecia before getting a transplant, in order to stabilize the hair and to make sure that no more hair falls out.....most of my hair on the top of the head has gone pretty much, and the donor region isn't supposed to be affected by DHT, so would a year of being on propecia make any difference to the donor region?? if i had a transplant in a year, and if by that time propecia had grown back a little bit of my hair in the crown area and thickened it up generally, couldn't that potentially confuse matters as the doc would be less sure about where to transplant the donor hairs? as it stands now, the doc would know what he's dealing with!

A few other posters have said i might not be a suitable candidate for a transplant(although most said I am), as I might be susceptible to future hair loss, if this is so, wouldn't that just mean that I would be likely to lose the existing hair that was already on my head, and not the transplanted hairs? , and thus necessitating further transplants...

My original plan was to get a transplant around feb-april of next year, and a few posters have said this should be ok as by that time I would have been on propecia for a few months. However I have read that after 3-4 months people often experience a propecia shed, and that having a transplant during the shedding phase is not a good idea......any thoughts on this? I read that shedding is a sign that the drug is working. Does this also mean that if a person doesn't experiece a shed then the drug is not working? can a person shed without noticing it?

Sorry for my rambling haha.......due to my work situation I need to decide if i'm going to go ahead and get the hair transplant (which would be strip around 4000 grafts) around feb-april of next year or else wait until around dec-jan-feb of the following year). I know there's a lot of different variables to consider, but is there any consensus as to whether having a transplant after being on propecia for a little over one year would be a much better idea than having a transplant after being on propecia for approx 4 months? or would any difference be negligible?

and don't get my started on whether i have to come off the drug due to side effects, i've heard lots of mixed information about that!! is it absolutely a bad idea to get a transplant if I have to come off peopecia due to side effects? (reading about potentially long-lasting side effects, eg impotence, doesn't make me at all happy about being back on propecia).

thanks so much for any comments, this site has been a big help

I think you should wait until you have been on Finasteride for at least a full year before proceeding with a hair transplant.

You stated that you have no hair on top. If you are a NW6 or worse, low level laser therapy is not going to be much help for you. Neither will Minoxidil.