SeekingStubble

Did you have a pimple there? Sometimes that can lead to temporary shedding

I know you're disappointed based on your expectations but I think you're honestly starting to look good. You really need a different haircut, you have the same density as Steve Carrell and he pulls it off with no problem. Either cut it a bit shorter on top and way shorter on sides if you want it slicked back/up, or if you want that length on top then swoop it sideways + slightly forward like he does when it gets longer.

In my opinion, no it's not enough on its own for male AGA. If I recall correctly, men have much more of the 5a-reductase enzyme in their scalp, so blocking its activity is much more important for men than women. That's probably why the studies on Alfatradiol were all done on women - they knew the results would be less impressive for men. Alfatradiol only reduces DHT indirectly, by getting rid of Testosterone itself in the scalp through tricking it into aromatizing (It's basically a fake estradiol isomer which doesn't have any feminizing effects). The reason I'm gonna take it as an adjunct is because I'm worried all the 5ar-blockers will spike my scalp testosterone which can also cause hair loss, and since it has a totally separate mechanism of action than 5ar blockers it can only help. If you can't tolerate even topical finasteride then maybe try some strong topical 5ar blocking herbal serums that include Saw Palmetto etc, it will still be MUCH weaker than Finasteride but better than nothing

Yeah I'm in a similar boat, have had a hairline more convex than yours at 18 since my teens and want to restore it to the point it was around age 20. I'm going with Dr Dorin in long island NY, he's very close to me and does great hairlines so it was a no brainer for me. Thanks for the good luck!

I love the hairline shape. More convex hairlines look so good for maximizing facial framing without going overboard on coverage, I'm planning to ask for something similar when I have my procedure done next month.

Since you're in Germany have you tried Alfatradiol as your topical anti-androgen? Seems like more evidence of efficacy than Pyrilutamide and it's pretty popular there no? I'm about to add it to my own stack and I chose it over KX-826 even though I could get KX here more easily (USA) As far as oral minox goes, nobody really knows what the mechanism of action is. It does seem to inhibit some DHT, increase vascularization, open potassium channels etc. There's no definitive answer for how it works exactly but it does work, it's just not as good as a solo treatment long term. It will also make your beard thicker, which for me was a plus. Even if you don't care about growing your beard out, those hairs as the best transplant hairs other than your scalp and they seem to be permanent if you use minox long enough (they might not disappear even if you stop if you've been taking minox for ~2+ years)

Yeah I'm sure they are mainly from Dut, but Alfatradiol could very well be highly synergistic with Dut. Dut spikes your scalp testosterone levels a lot, while of course this is still much better than having the DHT there, Alfatradiol's mechanism of action gets rid of excess testosterone in the scalp.

Wow you're almost at my balding level in this pic (3a, I think I'm 3-4a). Definitely has convinced me to add Alfatradiol to my stack because I've never seen this kind of hairline regeneration before and topical anti-androgens seem to help with that. Congrats on your amazing results

May I ask where you get 0.1% Alfatradiol? I'm looking for ways to get something like this shipped to the US

This is honestly one of the better hairlines I've seen. Most people vastly overestimate how straight and symmetrical a natural hairline is (especially one with even minor hair loss, hair loss is never symmetrical), including most hair transplant surgeons who draw straight lines on peoples head and the end result looks like a helmet.

The "shave your head and get over it" thing is not as easy as some people like to make it out to be. I started shaving my head at 23, not because I was totally bald but my hairline just looked so so bad. Continued with that for 12 years, somehow managed to get married to a beautiful woman and have my first kid. Actually coming across forums like this and realizing that hair loss is becoming something treatable with aesthetically pleasing outcomes reawakened all the feelings that I had buried deep inside me in order to survive. I don't want to be the bald dad, the only bald family member at reunions, I don't want to be the bald anything it's such a disfiguring condition. It was just a cruel twist of fate that has caused me so much deep suffering this whole time no matter how much I powered through it and moved on with my life. I do think your SMP on top of the transplant idea could work because as much as people like to pretend otherwise, a buzzed head looks NOTHING like a bald head.

Yeah I definitely hope to retain the option to go short. Might even get some very light SMP for the gaps but we'll see if it's even necessary since my hair/skin contrast is pretty low. I'm sure I'll enjoy growing it all out sometimes too once it finishes filling in

Thank you! Looks super clean. Have you ever done really short fades during the years since your first transplant? Seems like the only thing giving away the old excisions are some little hair gaps that no normal person would notice

This looks really good tbh. You can always get SMP only on top of the scars if the very slight discoloration is bothering you.

Well Pittella likes taking hair from all over the body and oral minoxidil will make your beard and chest sprout like crazy, so there's some logic to it!