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My Hair Loss Story

  • Thread starter Here2dayHair2morrow?
  • Start date
H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
Hi,

Been lurking for a few months on numerous forums, but there was something about these forums that have made me feel comfortable to post.

My Story-
I am 33 years old, i started to notice I was losing my hair at 22, the usual feelings that everyone experiences, I feel almost identical feelings in pretty much every post i have read about the destruction they feel about their hairloss.

I started using Regaine and this seemed to stabilise my loss for a while. I then went travelling and stopped using rogaine, my hairloss accelerated and when i returned home my hair was very thin, i started to use rogaine again and saw progress but not enough and started getting comments from friends but worse of all family ( all my living close family have full heads of hair apart from two maternal uncles, their kids are all older but show no hair loss whatsoever, my dad is 60 but has no loss ) I started to blame my family and when they started making fun of my loss we started to lose touch.

At 24 I started using finisteride (1/4 pill per day) the results were truly amazing, I had a full head of hair and it was thick, I got loads of positive comments, no-one could put their finger on it exactly, some friends thought I had dyed my hair. However the sides got the better of me. I had brain fog, adrenal fatigue, bad memory, panic attacks, depression and a complete loss of sex drive, as much as I wanted to stay on fin, for my sanity I had to give it up. For approx 6 months after stopping Fin, i did not lose any hair, I was the happiest man, no sides but a full head of hair. ( i am not joking I thought it was a miracle, my hair looked amazing ) then the inevitable happened and my hair started to fall out again. (Actually my family noticed my new hair and thought it was funny to say at family weddings etc about me popping pills for my hairloss and using potions on my head and the whole family wanted to have a look )

I was desperate because i thought if i did nothing about it, my hair loss would be so much quicker than when nature takes it's course, because im losing all the hair i regrew using fin, so looked for something that would just slow down my loss.

I started taking Dusteride (DUT) this slowed down the loss massively and I started re-growing my hair again, but again the sides got the better of me, they were not as bad as fin but I think this was because I was only taking 0.5 pill every 2-3 days, however still suffered depression, loss of sex drive and I was anxious all the time and felt really weak. I went to 1 pill every week, but still had the same feeling, basically felt terrible, I was irritable, everyone noticed, my boss, girlfriend, and family. I stopped taking DUT after being on it for about 2 years could not carry on.

I was still desperate to keep my hair and turned to herbal remedies, i tried all sorts of things mostly from immortalhair's website, there were so many I cannot remember most of them. I found potent green tea extract stabilized my hair ( I also still use Regaine and have done for over 10 years i use it just in the evening and I have used nizoral for about 3 years ) I even believe I was regrowing new hair, but again i felt terrible. I believe that I respond to DHT blockers very very well, but I get very exaggerated sides I have tried numerous meds to combat these feelings but to no avail.

OK now I was desperate the only thing I thought was left was to take the plunge and shave my hair off. What a terrible mistake it looked terrible, im sure it takes time to get used to it, but it looked terrible, I plunged into a deep depression, now I got really bad comments which made me feel even worse, I lost my girlfriend of 10 years, i did not want to go out, everyone was asking where my hair had gone.

I started taking saw palmetto ( I forgot I took these a few years ago and although the results were OK the hair was thin but good coverage I still turned into an angry man, but no depression from what I can remember ) and grew my hair out I then found Nanogen which works wonders. The depression is now lifting and my hair looks ok but mostly due to a cosmetic, so feel i need some work. Here is where I would like some advise.

I am a norwood 4 I would say with a thinning crown and thinning at the front

I feel I now only have 2 options.

Option 1

FUT transplant due to what's involved will prob quit the job and travel for 3 months after having the procedure, will try for 4000-5000 grafts for full coverage.

Problems I have is the doldrums after the procedure being far away from home, the scar and people noticing the procedure. Coming back to blighty with no job ( in this economic environment not a good idea ) no car, and no home no money. Not being able to shave down, although as mentioned before my hair looks terrible shaved anyhow so would I want to?

Option 2

FUE transplant hopeful to be able to take 1 month of work then go back, thinking that I will recover in 4 weeks and the transplant not noticing. I could only afford 2000 transplants, so would most likely have to have another treatment down the line which means more expense and time off work. Do i go for filling in the crown, or the frontal region which would give me a better look as I think this is why I look so bad with my hair shaved having no hair at the front. I could then shave down if I wanted to ( i just hope it looks better than it does now when I shave down ). Would I be happy with the job only half done.

I am reluctant to take meds after the procedure due to the past experiences, which means maybe FUE is best as if then if I get further loss and cannot afford another procedure I can shave down.

I know ive rambled on and probably no-on gets to this point, but I must say it has made me feel a lot better telling someone, as I have suffered in silence for so long, and lost a loving girlfriend and nearly lost my family from all this.

Thanks for "listening"
 
NotGoing2GoBald

NotGoing2GoBald

Member
Hey Here2dayHair2morrow?,

I read your entire story, it's actually comforting to hear from other guy's (just like myself) whose lives have had a material negative impact as a result of their hair loss. It really sucks! Thanks for sharing though as it resinates w/myself and so many others as it's nice to know your not the only one who it is effecting so much. Mine used to be tolerable but for the past 5 months or so I've been relegated to hiding under a hat!::;mb

I can see your rationale for both approaches to your hair, FUE or strip. W/the FUE you make a good case that if in the future for whatever reason if you do not want or can't have another ht you won't suffer from the strip scar and have the option of shaving down; but it's tough to say w/out seeing pics. Because if your 33 and only a NW4 it's possible that 4-5K grafts will give you a great look and one for a very long time.

You can't really achieve that w/FUE unless your willing to have several (2 at best) procedures and it will cost significantly more, on the other hand the fact that you will never be on meds again factors into the equation, but you don't have a family history of loss. All in all, I would opt for strip as it would give you the greatest result in a single procedure. I really don't think its ncessary to take 3 months off work. You could be back at work and looking semi normal rather quickly.
If your comfy maybe you could post a pic or two so we can see where your coming from?

Question: did you re-grow *that* much hair on fin? You make it sound like you re-grew a ton. How much loss did you have when you were on it?

Best of luck and keep us posted...
 
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H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
Hey,



Thanks for reading my story and your post.

I'll post a picture in the morning I have nanogen in my hair at the moment and am shattered and going to retire.

My growth on Fin was amazing, if i didn't feel so bad id have been happy. I had a bit more hair than I have now when i first started taking Fin and went to having no loss at all. I think that I was very patient I did not see any results for approx 4 - 6 months. I really think I respond as my face shape changed I cannot explain this but have seen it once on another site, after about a year I had a full head of hair, it was approx about then that i stopped taking fin and it took about 6 months before I started seeing hair loss again, i really thought that I had it licked and then slowly started losing again.



Cheers
 
NotGoing2GoBald

NotGoing2GoBald

Member
your face shape changed as a result of fin? how so? I have *never* heard of this (?)...strange. I'm really intrigued about the amount of re-growth you experienced from fin, as you say it was like you had a full head of hair. Was your loss and re-growth in the front, or what area? and how old were you at the time?

I haven't seen your pics, but in thinking about all that you have said I would assume strip would be the best option for you. The only cases in which FUE seems to be a better option are those that fit *both* criteria:
(i) relatively mature guys who have *very* minimal loss (i.e. hair line only; excluding you as you say you are NW 4)
-AND-
(ii) cost is not a factor.

Given your situation and reasoning (i.e. NW4 and considering FUE because you might not have the funds to do another ht in the future) I think strip would be best. This would afford you the most amount of grafts in a single procedure as opposed to FUE which limits you in terms of # of grafts and cost. If your a NW4, then more then likely 4K grafts in a single strip procedure will leave you w/a fantastic result. But of course, Im no expert. Would love to hear about some consults you've had or will have...
 
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Nervousnelly

Nervousnelly

The Coolest Member
NG2GB--I believe what he means is that the fin gave him more hair which framed his face.

H2--I hear your plight. Many of us have been down this road and certainly understand your emotions. Such a challenging thing for many. Once we see some pics I will give you more of an assessment but I certainly like the fact that you are thinking and exploring your options. Welcome to the forum.

NN
 
H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
Hi,



Second post as the first did not work.

I'll keep it brief.

My face defo changed maybe it just got puffy,but i saw it in pictures.

I started fin approx 24 and i got v good results, bit felt terrible.

Photo took today attached

Cheers
 

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Nervousnelly

Nervousnelly

The Coolest Member
I stand corrected--first I have heard of a persons face changing but certainly could understand it causing a retention of fluids.

Seeing your pic I would agree with you that you are currently a NW4 but ofcourse at 33 still have the likelihood of progressing towards 5 or 6. I personally would focus on the frontal 3/4 and not try to get complete coverage of your crown. I would only try to cover the front 1/2 or so of the crown and move forward from there. You have a very wide crown which could chew up several thousand grafts itself and ofcourse everyone will tell you to focus on the hairline primarily.

You appear to have a decent donor area so you are lucky in that regard and also you still have decent sides and lateral humps. I would have to guess that you would be a new looking man with 3000-4000Fu. Thanks for posting the pic.

NN
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hi Here2dayHair2morrow?

Thanks for taking the time to document your story.

Its a shame that you had to give up the meds as they had such a positive effect on your hair.Did you seek advice from your GP when you were having the side effects.

Looking at your picture i would go for most grafts in your frontal half and maybe 500 in the crown.As for strip or fue,thats down to you i`m afraid.


Have you had any consultations yet

Cheers bm.
 
H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
Hi,

I did not go to my GP ref the sides, im not sure GP's would understand.

I would prob be willing to give them another go, especially as i never really reduced the dose with FIN but just stopped. But If i felt like I did before I would have to give up and then where would that leave me? Im sure there must be successful HT patients that do not use FIN. Surely that's the point of having a HT so you do not need to rely on Meds. I do other things to keep what Ive got. Minox with a DHT blocker included and other herbs that help with hairloss, so fairly confident that an keep what ive got, but maybe that's wishful thinking.

I got a consult with a few surgeons, the most recent with HW. I completly appreciate their honesty, they said that they would only give me 2000 grafts in the frontal region, my thinking is I can afford 2000 grafts via FUE (when the exchange rate improves ) so af HW were my FUT 1st choice and they will only give me 2000 it makes up my mind to whether to go FUT or FUE, im now in the process or reseaching FUE doctors.

What are others thoughts on meds with HT's?

H2DH2M


 
S

solar panel

Valued member
Hi H2DH2M,

you said H+W would only give you 2000 Fu ,did they explain why? if you look on there web site they,ve done complete restorations of people with the same loss as you .

in regards of whether to do strip /FUE i think thats something only you can decide on ,personally i would go FUE only because i prefer to shave it low G1-2.

concerning the meds have you considered lowering the dosage to perhaps once every other day thats what a lot of people seem to do, i believe there is no significant difference between fins effectiveness if takin every other day.

If your still interested in FUE take a look at Dr Bisanga in belguim, his rep Philb has posted some amazing FUE results on this forum and others

either way i think 3-4k FU will give you a great result.

GL SP
 
H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
Hi Solar,

H+W said that because I was not prepared to take FIN they would not be prepared to work on the crown and only 2000 fu's in the front. They also said I was borderline of whether they would accept me, that surprised me, but as I said I appreciate their honesty.

When taking DUT I did reduce the amount but this still had negative sides, I did not however with FIN I just stopped when the sides became too much, and would consider this in future, but I do not want to get in a situation where im dependant on it.

H2DH2M
 
S

solar panel

Valued member
Hi H2D,

i see where H+W where coming from,but the meds are not effective for the patients lifespan, perhaps if you where higher on the NW they would'nt be so concerned about meds.

If you decide to go the FUE route keep us posted

anyways GL

SP


P.S in your pic what length would you say your hair is ,i,m only asking because my loss looks similar but i,ve never grew it out past a G3 if it looked like yours does in that pic i would be happy TBH ,does the crown dip down about a inch or is the loss confinded to the top of your head ?

cheers

 
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H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
My hairloss is just confined to the top of the head at the moment.



I shave the top with a G5 and the sides with G4 this would be about 2 weeks out from the last time I cut my hair. I find the shorter it is the better it looks although when too short G2 does not suit me.



Cheers
 
P

Petchsky

Valued member
Hi H2dh2,

There are other hair loss meds you can take to help protect yourself from too much of the evil DHT. Most of them are topical though such as Xandrox with topical fin, or 5%spiro cream.

See below,

http://www.minoxidil.com/subpages/products/products.php?c=int_United%20Kingdom

I would also still look at the possibility of strip as it is cheaper. :)
 
H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
Hi

Decided after lots of research to go for FUE with SMG.

Since missing my flight from LHR due to ASH and the day after my surgery they have been fantastic. They re-scheduled me in within a month but had to have both DR's work on me.

Both Dr's were fantastic as were all the supporting medical staff.

The injections "tickle" a bit but apart from that was comfortable for all 3 days, which went past very quickly and without issue.

The whole operation is very professional but relaxed. Everyone is friendly which i put down the attitude of the two doctors.

Janna was a huge help throughout as was Matt originally on the phone god some 8 months ago.

Tom was excellent with the extractions a really top guy who made me feel at ease, as did the technicians, Shelly & Song. Janna also worked on me, is there anything this girl cannot do a true star.

I ended up having approx 2100 grafts. It's now been 1 week since the first day of my procedure and the donor area looks almost normal. The majority of the grafts went in the front third and things are all good so far. Just now need to wait.

Currently i feel I made a good decision going with SMG.

Rgds
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
congratulations dude glad you had a great experience...The ash cloud was a real bummer i know and it was good of them to get you back in within a month ¬b`

2100 will make a lovely cosmetic improvement ;) im thrilled for you

bn
 
Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Congrats on your recent surgery,i`m pleased it all went well for you.It would be great if you could document it in the patient section with some pictures and maybe create a blog on here.

Thanks bm.
 
H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
Hi,

Ive not posted any pictures for two reasons.
1. I went travelling immdiateley after my procedure, so had no privacy as was in shared accomodation (Hostels)
2. I have seen no new growth

I am now 5.5 months from surgery and seen no growth, I am now becoming impatient and worried.

I contacted SMG who said they would get back to me with comments from the doctor, I appreciate they are busy so waiting for the reply.

I know to wait for 12 months and I will, but do you think that by seeing no growth after 5.5 months makes the likelihood of a unsuccessful transplant more likely?

Has anyone had an experience that has seen no growth in the first 6 months but then by 12 months their HT was deemed by them to be successful?

Cheers
 
janna

janna

Valuable Member
Hi H2D,

I apologize for the late reply. I've spoke to Dr. Ron regarding your progress....

The pics at 5 months post op is just too soon to judge. It would be nice if everyone could be an early sprouter but that just isn't the case, especially with FUE cases. We have some patients starting to experience growth at 3 months post op and some as late as 6 months. Our experience is that the late growers tend to get their results around 14 to 15 months post op. I don't think you can predict whether you will have an unsuccessful ht because you're a late bloomer. We've put a picture together of your 5 months and pre-op. There is growth starting to occur so I'll send you the photo. Of course we will keep an eye on your progress. We understand it's tough waiting and wondering. You have our full support.
 
H

Here2dayHair2morrow?

Valued member
Hi Janna,

Thanks for getting back to me, I appreciate it.

Phew im glad that im still "normal" I always had it in my head I should be seeing growth at 3 months. Ive always been a bit immature so being a late bloomer does not surprise me.

Cheers
 
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