Please assess. Age 26. Curly hair. NW3. With Photos. Considering HT but need guidance

[seansimpson123]

History:
Male 26 with Curly hair
Hair loss started as diffused thinning at age 19 now a NW3
History of hair loss in family on mothers side but not fathers he as full head of hair in his 50's.
Had bad pimples and acne from age 15 to 17 then used the drug Roactutain for 18 months.
(The medical term for Roaccutane is isotretinoin and it is the only known cure for acne. It is essentially a substance that is similar to Vitamin A, but has a very different action. In short, Roaccutane works by reducing the oily substances in your skin, caused by oil
producing glands. In turn, this reduces the amount of bacteria in the skin which is the cause of the inflammation and 'pus' associated with acne.)
At 19 after the course of Roactutain my skin was still incredibly dry and so was my hair, which had gone from curly and thick to thin and straight on top in 18 months.
At 22 i tried Finasteride, after three years of trying different shampoos like nioxin on and off i saw my doctor and he was reluctant to provide me with Propecia 1mg Finasteride.
At 24 after 2 years of daily 1mg Finasteride the shedding had reduced but the density hadn't changed much.
After 2 years of Propecia 1mg Finasteride use i had 3 months of Testicular pain and pain in the root of my dick, then followed about 1 month of Erectile dysfunction with my girlfriend in bed.
Thats when i stopped taking Propecia 1mg Finasteride and got tested by my doc, had scans and results came back all good with no pain after 3 weeks off and fully working after 2 weeks my sexual activity returned.
After stoping Propecia i started using Regain extra strength foam 5% - Daily and after 4 months hair started to become thicker.
At 25 my hair loss had been stabilised for a little over a year.
Recently in the past 9 months I had been working out 4 times / week lifting heavy weights and taking protein supplements daily which contained Creatine and branch amino acids both of which lead to increased testosterone which results in some rapid hair loss in the past 4 months.
After finding this out i have stopped the gym supplements and looking to take action to regain my hair.

Thoughts and comments would be much appreciated.



Current treatment:
Regain extra strength foam 5% - use Daily - for 2 years
Vitamin C 1000mg - use Daily - for 2 years
Health food store tablet – use twice/day - for 2 years – Serenoa repens (saw palmetto) seed 2g –equic. to fatty acids 120mg, Trigonella foenum graecum (testpfen Fenugreek) seed 1.2g, Cysteine Hydrochloride 579mg equiv to Cysteine 400mg, Biotin 1mg
Moroccan oil - use Daily - for 1 year
Hairmax lazer comb proffessional - 3 times / week - for 1 month



Questions:
- What tests should i ask the doc for before going back on propecia? (based on previous sexual side effects)
(Want to go back on half a tablet a day)
- Is there a certain type of dermatologist i should see?
- And what should i ask the dermatologist for when i see them?
- Is it worth seeing a Trichologist?
- Considering hair transplant, but not sure if a FUE or strip is good for curly hair? (would prefer FUE but open to suggestions)
- I'm now a lifeguard at the beach so I'm in the sun and surf daily, how will this affect me if i have a hair transplant?
- And will the transplanted hair look different when wet?
- Is it worth it to sleeping with no pillow or massage head for 30min a day – to get the blood flowing and more nutrients to the scalp?

Age 26 - 2013
[IMG]http://www.**********************.com/uploads_user/186000/185184/14239.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.**********************.com/uploads_user/186000/185184/14240.jpg[/IMG]

Age 25 - 2012
[IMG]http://www.**********************.com/uploads_user/186000/185184/14237.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.**********************.com/uploads_user/186000/185184/14238.jpg[/IMG]

[VMRockshow]

because your hair is thinning in the back like that it seems like you may eventually become a norwood 5/6. People seem to get confused about this but the norwood class is supposed to be based on what your final balding pattern will be. Your dr should be able to tell you that by hair a miniaturization test/bulk analysis. I would talk to a doctor about the hair transplant. If you are in NY or CA I can definitely recommend you to someone who can determine what's best for you.

[seansimpson123]

because your hair is thinning in the back like that it seems like you may eventually become a norwood 5/6. People seem to get confused about this but the norwood class is supposed to be based on what your final balding pattern will be. Your dr should be able to tell you that by hair a miniaturization test/bulk analysis. I would talk to a doctor about the hair transplant. If you are in NY or CA I can definitely recommend you to someone who can determine what's best for you.

Thanks for the reply VM, feels great to get some feedback

What questions would you suggest i ask my regular family doctor? Can they do a miniaturization test/bulk analysis or do i need to go to a dermatologist?
My family doctor is a female who told me to go on a detox last time i mentioned i would like to fight hair loss, this was about 12 months ago, so I don't know what to tell her about hair transplants... any ideas?

I live in Australia but would consider traveling for a HT probably CA or anywhere closer. How many grafs do you think i need? and would a FUE suit my hair type?

[VMRockshow]

No problem Sean! Some terms do the tests but not all. You can get a free phone consultation at http://www.newhair.com the guy from baldingblog.com is involved there. They recommended me to a guy in NY. They may be able to tell you some people in Australia that are reputable.

A food detox wouldn't really improve hairloss that is hereditary. If it was due to stress or illness maybe. Most likely they would put you on Propecia and say you could use Rogaine too but I know you had some issues with propecia.

Your family's hairloss is similar to mine's My father has his hair, so did his father and out of his 3 brothers only one had a hairloss problem (only guy with hairloss on that side of the family). As far as my mother's side... it is all bald

The thing about diffuse thinning (like i have) is that it settles into the permanent area and you can see where it's thinning to. Meaning you will know if you are eligible for a transplant because they will be able to see what hair is permanent and which hair is not. I wouldn't be able to tell you how many grafts though. A hair specialist would though!