Dear forum readers,
There is a wealth of information out there among veteran hairloss sufferers who have researched their options and ethical HT doctors.
Unfortunately, the number of such doctors is limited.
Similarly, those veteran posters with the maximum experience and knowledge tire off after sometime of posting and decide to carry on with their life.
Therefore, we have decided to compile an exhaustive virtual consultation. Hopefully, it will benefit new patients in deciding their course of treatment with an open mind.
Anyone losing hair can be prone to anxiety. The first thing they want is to DO something for it.
Its not about whether the treatment is going to help or not. Its more about feeling that one is actively doing something for his hairloss.
This is an innate human characteristic and many “snake oil dealers” and unethical practitioners try to cash on this.
Do not rush into any treatment.
So, what to do as the first step?!
Whether you are 20, 40 or 60 years of age, the first thing for you to do is to write down the following things. (This is what we ask from our patients too).
What is your current age?
What is the extent of hairloss male members on both sides of your family experienced? (Does not matter what age, they reached that level of hairloss).
What is the current speed of your hairfall? (slow, moderate or rapid).
Have you taken some good clear pictures of the extent of your hairloss? Most people do not like taking pictures that show them in unflattering light. However, pictures are important. Both for your future doctor as well as for you to gauge your speed of hairloss.
Take clear pictures, preferably with a good digital camera. Do not use flash while taking the pictures. Flash distorts the picture and it becomes difficult to evaluate the real situation.
Take pictures in indirect natural daylight. You may take them standing in the balcony or near an open window on a bright sunny day.
Take pictures with the hair combed back (no combovers, this has to be your moment of truth with yourself). Front view and side view must include till atleast the eyebrows.
The top view must include the complete head (both ears included).
Back view and a view of the donor area of the scalp with the hair parted.
These pictures are your baseline.
Now repeat the same exercise at regular intervals. 2 months will be fine.
Whenever you have to gauge your speed of hairfall, or the benefit you recieved from any mediation, this photographic record will be beneficial.
Many people think that they can gauge their hairfall or restoration by just looking in the mirror. That is a mistaken notion.
Now that you have completed taking some pictures, repeat the entire exercise with you hair wet. (Not dripping wet, just a wet comb will be sufficient).
Have you consulted your family physician or an unbiased physician about the cause of your hairloss? Do so. They may not be very experienced or sympathetic but they will be able to rule out any major factors leading to your hairfall.
Hairloss need not always be a DHT influenced pattern hair loss.
Does anyone in your family or friend circle suffer from hairloss? If yes, talk to them about their experience. They have already travelled some of the paths that you plan to follow. Their experience may benefit you.
Once you have this list, you have reached the starting point of doing your own research on something that is bothering you. This is your first active step.
Please remember that medications should be taken under medical supervision.
Apart from these, there are numerous other topicals, naturals, shampoos and drugs that are used by many posters on this and other websites. I am not at liberty to state whether any of them will work for you. I, can merely suggest that you do your own research in this respect.
Important -
Try the medical measures/regimen for atleast 1 year to evaluate their benefit. Take regular pictures to follow up your progress. Sometimes, the progress is so slow that without the pictures, you may not realize it.
If any treatment regimen works for you, stick to it. Different regimens benefit different people. Do not change a regimen that works for you just on basis of something that you read or I said.
Do NOT take medications whose ingredients are not revealed. If there was a secret recipe to get a full head of hair for all, it would be on the market. Not being peddled by some secretive bloke.
Keep hair restoration surgery as the last option (alongside the option of not doing anything).
The single most important thing to keep in mind before contemplating a hair transplant, is to keep the the worst case scenario in respect to hairloss in mind.
Many do not progress to a Norwood 6, but its better to assume that you will progress to that stage, and, be pleasantly surprised if you do not.
It would be unfortunate should you plan your hair restoration surgeries assuming/hoping that your own hairloss will not progress. But it does.
This is one advise I can not help stressing over and over again.
If for any reason, you think you can not go for further hair restoration procedures, should you lose more hair, then do not go for your first hair transplant.
When you have the time, I would appreciate if you would read my post to you below. It is posted under the LIMITLESS DONOR SUPPLY-ACELL post. I am curious what you think about this product.
I know it really annoys people when I say this but speaking from personal experience,a balding man concerned with his hair loss should think about talking to a shrink before having surgery or taking medication.My mother recommended it to me when I was a balding teen & I yelled at her! I said I wanted hair & a shrink wouldn’t give me hair.I was insulted by the mere suggestion.If I listened to her I would have been a very happy man now.
At this age,baldness doesn’t bother me anymore,the scarring does.
I have said it many times before but there are millions of bald guys out there who live productive lives,hair loss hasn’t affected them at all.I really believe that low self-confidence & low self-esteem are the underlying factors that cause people to go out & have a HTP.All Docs now this & some take advantage of it.It is in part a matter of self-acceptance.It’s easier to accept yourself naturally bald then it is to accept yourself unnaturally scarred.
The buzz cut phenomenon (probably first brought to bore by Michael Jordan and Andre Agassi) give youngsters a “cool” alternative to the comb-over. Growing up and being socialized in the eighties, there were no “cool” bald guys to see, only “Mr. Wiffle’s” of TV commercials. Baldness equalled un-cool loser back then in the media. Its different now, and most thinning guys probaby try a buzz before they consider anything surgical or even topical. If they like they way they looked buzzed, they can just go with it, and forget about hair. We didn’t have that option as buzzing ones head back in the day made people think you were a skinhead or something. Its a good fad for balding men, and Im glad its here for their benefit.
» Damon,
»
» The buzz cut phenomenon (probably first brought to bore by Michael Jordan
» and Andre Agassi) give youngsters a “cool” alternative to the comb-over.
» Growing up and being socialized in the eighties, there were no “cool” bald
» guys to see, only “Mr. Wiffle’s” of TV commercials. Baldness equalled
» un-cool loser back then in the media. Its different now, and most thinning
» guys probaby try a buzz before they consider anything surgical or even
» topical. If they like they way they looked buzzed, they can just go with
» it, and forget about hair. We didn’t have that option as buzzing ones head
» back in the day made people think you were a skinhead or something. Its a
» good fad for balding men, and Im glad its here for their benefit.
Yep,everything you said here IS true,all valid points.You are the voice of reason on this forum.
I am not trying to insult people with all this talk about low self-esteem & lack of self-confidence.Lets face it,there are more butchers out there then there are skilled surgeons & I don’t want anybody else to waste their life as I have over something as stupid as hair loss.I am so mad at myself for being so self-conscious about my hair.Even though you make excellent points,I can’t help but think that if I had more self confidence I would never have had a HTP & my life would be completely different now.
Dear forum readers,
Going ahead with a hair transplant, one must have a detailed plan.
If you happen to be Norwood 6, there is not so much a problem of further hairloss in future. But you still may need more than 1 procedure to satisy your requirements.
If you happen to be a Norwood 4 or 5, and are not on medicines, or a poor responder to medicines, you must be careful with your planning.
Even if no one in your family ever progressed beyond a Norwood 4, that still does not guarantee that you wont progress to NW 6.
2nd, even a 3rd HT procedure is something you should not rule out. That way, if you do lose more hair and do require the 2nd HT, you would be prepared. It wont come as a rude awakening. In case you do not lose any more hair, then everything’s fine.
What you can do at time of your first procedure, is to do a small test session of the additional donor sources that you may have but are not using. We normally offer all patients going ahead with their first procedure a complimentary test session of the type of hair they wish to use at a future date (should they require them).
» Dear forum readers,
» Going ahead with a hair transplant, one must have a detailed plan.
»
» If you happen to be Norwood 6, there is not so much a problem of further
» hairloss in future. But you still may need more than 1 procedure to satisy
» your requirements.
»
» If you happen to be a Norwood 4 or 5, and are not on medicines, or a poor
» responder to medicines, you must be careful with your planning.
»
» Even if no one in your family ever progressed beyond a Norwood 4, that
» still does not guarantee that you wont progress to NW 6.
» 2nd, even a 3rd HT procedure is something you should not rule out. That
» way, if you do lose more hair and do require the 2nd HT, you would be
» prepared. It wont come as a rude awakening. In case you do not lose any
» more hair, then everything’s fine.
»
» What you can do at time of your first procedure, is to do a small test
» session of the additional donor sources that you may have but are not
» using. We normally offer all patients going ahead with their first
» procedure a complimentary test session of the type of hair they wish to
» use at a future date (should they require them).
»
» Regards,
» Dr. A
The test sessions can be especially helpful when considering various regions of donor to chose from.
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