This is a great result. You are to be congratulated. Stay on the minoxidil to keep the hair.
Why not get a hair transplant for the front hairline (with a reputable surgeon ofc), leaving the crown area to go bald naturally but use a hair-system to cover that. I figure that combo would be less noticable than a whole hair-system.
In theory, this works. I have done a few of these and found that all the men went back to their hair systems, which pulled out the hair transplants. They never waited out the results. If you want to transplant the frontal area and then use a hair system behind it, that makes sense, but the burden is on you to follow through properly. I have been doing hair transplants for 33 years, so I have much experience to share.
This is not a common finding. For the hair transplant surgeon, it always makes for a challenge.
This man started a heavy shed after starting to take minoxidil and finasteride. This is not uncommon; however, is a dramatic change. I expect the hair he lost before the shed will return over the next few months. He has to stick to the program.
This man had a hair transplant a few weeks before these bald spots appeared on his head. More and more of them appeared. To make the diagnosis, a biopsy needs to be done. It is likely a scarring alopecia, but it could be a variety of scalp/hair diseases triggered by the hair transplant. I have seen men who never had alopecia areata, then get a hair transplant, and alopecia areata appears from days to weeks after the transplant. A surgeon must have a keen eye and perform a good trichoscopic examination on the head of all of his patients before the surgery. As a surgeon, I don’t like surprises, and I am sure that you, as a patient, wouldn’t like them either.
This is a great result. I suspect you might have gotten the same results in the crown from finasteride alone. The crown is very sensitive to finasteride, generally speaking.
hey dr, your patient that take oral minoxidil do they develop unwanted hair on back- shoulder or upper cheek? thanks
Every person responds differently. Some get more body hair, and some don’t.
My dermatologist recommended that I should give oral minoxidil a try now, but I’m concerned about the generalized effect it will have on hair growth. I am generally quite happy with my low body hair level and would like to avoid getting a unibrow and super hairy arms and legs. Could some people share their experience with hypertrichosis while on oral minoxidil?
If you start on it and develop hair growth side effects that you don’t like, stop the medication, and the hair side effects will go away. Hair growth from minoxidil is heavily dependent upon taking the minoxidil and my stopping the drug, the unwanted hair will disappear.
This is something I see often. Oral finasteride is very effective at addressing crown loss.
Congrats! Oral minoxidil had a fantastic result in your hair loss on the top of the head. Your results speak for this tremendous result.
I started using a higher dose of topical finasteride about a month ago and ever since then I have been noticing more hairloss. I do know the so-called “finasteride shed” (initial period where hairloss temporarily increases) but I am surprised that it started literally the day after my first application (I thought it should take some time to start working). I have been monitoring the amount of my hairloss (after washing my hair) for months and nowadays I see about twice as much hair in the bathtub than before. I know that this is probably happening due to finasteride and that it should be a good sign but a part of me still worries that it might be just my hairloss getting more aggressive.Could you please advise me on how long the increased shedding period should approximately last
Finasteride shed should stop within another month or so. It rarely lasts more than 3 months, and if it approaches 3 months, it may be your balding is accelerating and the finasteride is not stopping it. Will will know which one it is by month 4.
I’d say 90% of the hairs I’m shedding are miniaturized. I still have a head of hair but it’s gotten a lot thinner. I’m shedding like crazy mostly mini hairs. But still have new growth at my hair line. 2.5 years on fin topical minox everyday 2x
A normal male without genetic hair loss sheds 100-150 hairs daily. For a balding man, the shed of miniaturized hairs adds to that volume. The 100-150 new ‘terminal’ hairs will replace themselves with another hair somewhere. Still, the miniaturized hairs are likely the end stage for that hair and rarely come back unless stimulated by finasteride or microneedling. If you have been consistently on finasteride without stopping it and shedding now, that is an ominous sign that your hair loss is accelerating. If you stopped the finasteride and just restarted it, the shed would indicate that the drug is working.
I’ve recently switched from using liquid Minoxidil to the foam version, and I’ve noticed a few differences. The foam leaves my hair less greasy, which is a plus, and it’s also reduced the itchiness on my scalp, which I’m happy about. However, I’ve been wondering if the reduced itchiness means that less Minoxidil is getting absorbed into my scalp. Also, I find it a bit more challenging to get the foam directly onto my scalp compared to the liquid.
I’d really appreciate any insights or advice from those who have made a similar switch or have experience with the foam version. Thanks!
Minoxidil works in only 40% of men because the remaining 60% do not have the enzyme in the scalp to convert minoxidil into minoxidil sulfate, the active for of the drug that brings on the hair. The pill, on the other hand, works on all men because the liver converts the minoxidil into its active form. The liquid is better than the foam because you can get it on the scalp where it belongs, while too much foam goes on the hair, which does little good. The goal for the topical minoxidil is to get it on the scalp not the hair.
My comments are as follows:
- He has a risk of developing necrosis on the scalp recipient and donor areas. The look immediately after surgery doesn’t tell much about what it will look like in just a few days.
- This man almost certainly will have balding on the side and back of his head at the donor area in most men will not support 6100 grafts and leave enough hair for coverage purposes.
- I wonder how many of these grafts will actually grow
Somehow, either the Black Market folks who did this surgery or the patient thought that these large numbers of grafts would create a great head of hair. I would be surprised if it did.
This is a fantastic turnaround. I would not have expected this growth in 3 months on finasteride and oral minoxidil alone. I would expect that he will grow more in the next 3-9 months, and he can, if he wishes, take advantage of it and let it grow out. Click to enlarge
