Hair Restoration

[Riley Skye]

So i have some mild hair loss and I'm only 21. What kind of procedures should I get to fix up my hair and what results did you gals get?

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

Depends on where you are losing it.

Minoxidil works for vortex thinning.

[Beverly]

OK - the following assumes that you are not using any anti-androgens already because you only posted two sentences. Not a lot to go on....

I have been using minoxidil for about a year now and have hair on spots that have been clear for 10 years. Not brilliant hair but enough to be easily seen and to fill the blank with some colour. Recently I have started using finasteride as well because I have been told that the two work better together than either alone. I get Proscar tablets and chop them into four to get the equivalent dose to propecia. It is a LOT cheaper this way because

Proscar is propecia, just at a higher dose
Proscar is for prostate = unpopular = low price
Propecia is for hair loss = very popular = high price

I bought a months supply of Proscar for £14 ( = $20-ish) and quartering each pill gives me a four month supply. Propecia for the same period would cost me about £70 ($120).

Some warnings about Finasteride.

1. Keep it away from women especially pregnant ones. Even minute doses are dangerous
2. Do not donate blood for 6 months after you stop Finasteride
3. It may give you classic migraines (flashy lights). I found it did this if I drank too much coffee
4. It is something of an anti-androgen because it supresses DHT. You may get boob growth.
5. If you are trying to start a family, stay off finasteride
6. It can turn your one-eyed trouser snake into Mr Limpy.

I have only started using it so it is too soon to see any result. Both Minoxidil and Finasteride will cause some hair to fall out in the first few months. This is normal and is scary and many people panic and stop at that point. The hair falling out is cause by newer hair starting a growth cycle and pushing older, resting hair out. You have to use them for a minimum of four months to see if there are any effects and many people say one year.

The down side to both is that if you stop using them then the hair that the treated can drop out. Unless you have your testicles removed first...

[smooth]

Dutasteride is another one that gets favourable reviews. Once you find yourself a year or so down the road it may be worth considering a transplant... This would be better considered once or if you're having srs or orchi. If your keeping your T factory then a transplant mightn't be the best idea If! at a later date you came off, off the AA your hair loss may well resume leaving any transplanted hair behind on it's own and looking rather strange as it's not a typical balding pattern. Obviously this could then be removed with electro but what a chore... The hair that's transplanted wont shed in the normal way because the nature of the follicles will be different from the other follicles in this area (I'm guessing your more concerned about the front [male pattern area])

Good luck with whatever route you take and remember the quicker you start the more you'll keep. It's well worth considering as soon as you think "I may want to transition" along with electrolysis which is another one to start ASAP...

I went to Thailand for a transplant

http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/doctors.asp?DrID=502#page=page-1

This guy (Damkerng) is well rated and pretty well known, I'm very happy with the treatment I received and he was recommended to me by someone else who was also very happy. The food is fantastic in Bangkok, I put on 7 pounds in a few days  My grafted areas have excellent coverage, I think I had around 3 thousand grafts and a number of dishes from the hotel menu that there was no translation for, I was never disappointed 

[Apples Mk.II]

uld cost me about £70 ($120).

Some warnings about Finasteride.

1. Keep it away from women especially pregnant ones. Even minute doses are dangerous
2. Do not donate blood for 6 months after you stop Finasteride
3. It may give you classic migraines (flashy lights). I found it did this if I drank too much coffee
4. It is something of an anti-androgen because it supresses DHT. You may get boob growth.
5. If you are trying to start a family, stay off finasteride
6. It can turn your one-eyed trouser snake into Mr Limpy.

1. Specially if the pill cover breaks. It is absorbed through skin
2. 1 Month, I think. 6 months would be for Dutasteride
3. Still nothing here
4. I wish. Nothing that I did not have before (maybe AA mobs gotten from the gym?)
5. Reading the economy pages on the newspaper works even better as an anticonceptive, at least for me.
6. I wish it would happen. Not even the testicular pain. In fact, the body may try to overcompensate and cause hypeandrogenty in a few rare cases.


I will be two months on Dutas in 7 days. The area next to my temples where the thinning was getting worse is starting to fill with tiny almost transparent hairs, and the shedding seems to be stopping. If this continues, there is hope I may regain volume on my top. I'm so desperate that sometimes it makes me want to self medicate with a real anti androgen. Even if I can revert the thinned / miniaturized areas, I'd still need hair transplants for the temples.

The minoxidil did nothing for two years, but it looks like I was not using it properly. The rule goes as "Minoxidil for regrowth, Finasteride for follicle strenghtening and restoration". If the hair is still being attacked by DHT, Minoxidil won't be able to do a lot.

[kathy bottoms]

Recently I have started using finasteride as well because I have been told that the two work better together than either alone. I get Proscar tablets and chop them into four to get the equivalent dose to propecia. It is a LOT cheaper this way because

This Proscar thing has got me thinking seriously about adding it to my daily regimen.   I want to talk to my Endo about it, and about adding Prolactin to improve breasts, but is Proscar compatible with Spiro, Prolactin, and E injections ?

I ill-advisedly did heavy self medication for many years with several over-the-counter drugs to create hormone imbalances, and I did regrow a little bit of hair.  I easily could have killed myself from this drug use, however at least part of a widows peak came back.  The very thin hair is still quite sparse (formerly Nordic blond - now gray).  I've been thinking of transplants but don't want to damage my scalp, so I need to look into alternatives.

Kathy

[Beverly]

This Proscar thing has got me thinking seriously about adding it to my daily regimen.   I want to talk to my Endo about it, and about adding Prolactin to improve breasts, but is Proscar compatible with Spiro, Prolactin, and E injections ?

Your endo is the best person to ask. I think it all depends on what the anti-androgen you are using is. Many act in different ways like decapeptyl drops the amount of T in the body which drops the DHT as well.

[Riley Skye]

Thanks everyone. I've been leaning for propecia to fix it up since its only slight thinning, sometimes its a bit obvious and sometimes can't really tell. What kind of results do people have from it and i read that it can also be used as an anti-androgen.

[Beverly]

Thanks everyone. I've been leaning for propecia to fix it up since its only slight thinning, sometimes its a bit obvious and sometimes can't really tell. What kind of results do people have from it

It is too early for me to tell. It takes a few months, but I know people (MtFs) who used it with very good results.

and i read that it can also be used as an anti-androgen.

Not really. What happens is that it stop testosterone from being converted into the far more powerful form DiHydroTestosterone (DHT) and thus reduces androngenic effects. Also if your body considers the unconverted T as being at too high a level it converts the T to oestrogen via a reaction called the Aromtase reaction so Finasteride can possibly boost oestrogen levels.

[Alainaluvsu]

If you start taking Finasteride, understand that you will probably shed about 10% of your hair about 2-3 months in. But you wont be able to see if it's working for about a year after you start taking it.

[Riley Skye]

i read that it starts taking effect around a few months into usng finesteride. Does HRT, estrogens, help fix thinning hair, i dont look bald but its visibly thinner but none too bad.

[Alainaluvsu]

Yes, increases in estrogen are going to increase hair density on the scalp. This is why pregnant women have LOT of hair during pregnancy (and it is pretty common for them to shed a bunch of it after... postpartum alopecia). I had a fairly full head of hair pre-hrt, now I have TONS of hair.

[Lea]

I've been using minoxidil for 9 months and finasteride for 4 as part of my HRT regimen.  I'm in my 50s, bald/thin on top.  I have about 40% regrowth at this point.  Enough that I'm letting my hair grow experimentally to see how much coverage I now have.  (I kept it buzzed in the past because I can't stand the hair on the sides, nothing on top look.). So far it's enough for a huge improvement on the crown.  Very much less so toward the front.  I expect it will take another year to see maximum results.

At 21 you should have complete restoration and then some.

[Riley Skye]

With the expense of propecia looks like ill have to wait until i start my hrt and see how that will effect hair growth. With only slight thinning but mostly up front I'm desperately hoping that the estrogens will reverse this thinning!

[Alainaluvsu]

If you get a prescription for it, Walmart offers a prescription for Finasteride (generic propecia) for around $10 for 30 qty, low dose pills.

[Riley Skye]

Don't have a wallmart near me so i'm going to have to wait to start the hormones

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

Walgreen's has a similar program.  Check with your local pharmacies.   Or ask your doctor.  They generally know where you can get your script cheaper.

[LizMarie]

Dr. Robert Niedbalski (and certain other doctors I am less familiar with) have begun using a new hair restoration therapy. No, it won't completely fix everything but every little bit helps. I'll quote Dr. Niedbalski here:


ACell MatriStem (ACell for short) is an advanced treatment for the genetic hair loss. When injected into the scalp, ACell activates stem cells present in the scalp tissues, which in turn, direct the duplication of hair follicles and other scalp tissues while decreasing scar formation. It can be used in conjunction with Follicular Unit Hair Transplant surgery or as a stand-alone procedure.

Now as I understand it, this is still no miracle cure. However, individuals who have some hair on the head may be able to use ACell treatments to increase existing hair density so as to make a hair transplant look even better in the long run.

My current plan, which called for allowing Propecia, Minoxidil, and HRT to work together for at least two years is going to get changed. Once my divorce is finalized sometime next year (after the sale of the house), I will go see Dr. Niedbalski as soon as possible after that. His website quotes prices up to $3300 for a full scalp treatment which is what I will pursue. I personally have very thin hair in the top center of the head, very deep widow's peaks in front, and a "friar tuck" large bald spot in back so my male pattern baldness is extensive.

Under Propecia and Minoxidil I have seen remarkable regrowth in the center of the scalp over just 6+ months of treatment. However the back and frontal bald areas have no hair follicles left at all apparently so there's been no regrowth there. What I hope to achieve is to get some growth in those bald areas and hopefully close to normal density in the center area. If I can do that, then a hair transplant would return me to almost normal hairlines and I could give up wearing wigs. Again, I am not expecting these treatments to totally cure my male pattern baldness problems. What I am hoping for is that they can alleviate them sufficiently that a hair transplant then becomes a realistic possibility.

From Doctor Niedbalski's web site: ACell + PRP Injection Therapy: What our patients want to know.

Personally, I am excited by these prospects as this is also very early results. As time goes on, they may be able to make even more headway with this therapy.

[Penny Gurl]

I know Target also has Finasteride for $9/mo

[Apples Mk.II]

If you start taking Finasteride, understand that you will probably shed about 10% of your hair about 2-3 months in. But you wont be able to see if it's working for about a year after you start taking it.

Mine started after the first month, and it is still going on. Lately It's just a matter of touching my hair and  two or three strands will come out every time. It looked like it was finally stopping, but here it is, again at full power. It's terrifying. Yeah, I already have new hairs, but they still keep shedding. It adds a lot of mental strain.