I see. So in colloquial terms when men self-report visually obvious “hair thinning,” is that usually the same thing as miniaturization? Or is miniaturization more about individual hair diameter rather than density?

Thinning reported by the patient can be miniaturization, decrease of hair density (hairs falling out) or generalized thinning of all hairs (both donor and recipient hair) as noticed in aging. This aging process can occur in men and women as early as 30-40 years old, but mostly they are past 50 and commonly found in the general population.

I was wondering if maybe I was just a bad candidate and my hairs were doomed to die, but you suggest that operator error and inexperience is the main cause of a failed transplant. This gives me hope that a second procedure with a better surgeon may result in better growth.

You need a good doctor to make sure that you don’t have some underlying disease such as Frontal Fibrosing Alopcia or LLP which can cause failures of a hair transplant

Sometimes the wounds stretch or the instruments that are used are large. These scars show up on any short haircut and even with longer hair.  The only good treatment for this is Scalp Micropigmentation.

According to this study (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/brb3.1645#brb31645-sec-0008-title) lower DHT levels are associated with ALS! I’m worried that this means finasteride, something that lowers DHT, can maybe cause ALS even thought it’s rare! Thoughts?

From reading the article quickly, I did not see a 1:1 connection between low DHT and ALS. The authors postulated that low DHT may have a role, but the evidence is not strong.

I had an ARTAS FUE transplant one year ago and roughly 15% of the transplanted hair has grown in. To say it is a massively expensive disappointment is an understatement. I’m planning on asking the company/surgeon for at least a partial refund, but I’m curious – does anyone know how a transplant could fail to such a degree? What could the potential reasons be? I’m not seeing much online around the topic of hair transplant failures. Has this happened to any of you, and if so, were you able to get a refund? Any thoughts welcome.

The causes for failures of growth for any transplant are generally the same. It reflects on failures to control quality control process such as time the grafts are exposed to the air, transection of the grafts, out of body time for the grafts, trauma when placing the grafts from crush injuries and other mechanical injuries.  Most failures are team failures.  There are also diseases of the scalp that can cause a hair transplant failure including FFA, LLP and a variety of scarring alopecias.

I’ve read that you should stop using Finasteride if you’re trying to conceive since there’s a small risk that the baby will be negatively affected by it. However, if you’re not trying to conceive and the woman is using some kind of contraception, like birth control pills or an IUD, is it then safe to have sex without a condom? Can the small amounts of finasteride found in semen be harmful to women’s health in any way in this kind of scenario? Trying to figure out if condom is the only way to go.

The amounts of finasteride found in semen has been reported to be found in very, very small concentrations. The question must be framed in the context of a pregnant woman early in her pregnancy and if the finasteride in such a low dose, would have to cross into the uterus, across the placenta and into the fetus. I don’t know if this has been documented, but it might be best to be extra-cautious using a condemn to avoid the risk. Finasteride itself can not

I never heard about this but was just thinking about it, shouldn’t it help with hair growth? Minoxidil works because of the improved blood flow in the area so the cupping should work too ?

Blood flow decreases in the scalp as balding progresses, not the other way around. Increasing blood flow will not alter balding, of that I am sure