Where to begin?

[JohnnyBucks72]

Hello all

I’m 42 years old and have been suffering from male pattern baldness over the last 20 years or so. In that time my frontal hairline has slowly receded and my crown has become thinner. This would put me somewhere around the Norwood 5 end of the scale. The majority of hair loss however has been frontal at the temples.

Over the years I have considered going on meds like Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine, which I did try the latter once but stopped after a month due to costs.

I am now in a position though where I want to go on Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine and possibly even have hair transplants (FUE) if needed. Basically, the long and short of it is that I want to have a full head of hair. Don’t we all!

As this is really my first time into looking into this matter seriously I am somewhat confused as to know where to begin. The amount of information on the web is overwhelming to say the least.

My overall goal like all of you I guess is to have my hair back and I’m starting from the beginning. So where’s a good place to start? I was thinking to begin with going on both Propecia (finasteride) and Rogaine and see how I get on with those. What can I expect?

Ultimately, I realize that meds are not going to bring all my hair back and hair transplants will be needed but will I need to stay on meds forever or does hair transplants take care of that?

Your help would be greatly appreciated

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a520/JohnnyBucks72/head1_zps0752074a.jpg

http://i1281.photobucket.com/albums/a520/JohnnyBucks72/head2_zpsfc3e0b0c.jpg

[KO]

I think finasteride and rogaine are the first steps towards treating hair loss. So those are good, I would recommend you take Proscar which is the 5mg version of finasteride and cut it down into 1/4 pieces. I would not expect regrowth as you have primarily frontal loss, and that is rarely regrown. If you go the FUE route, I think focusing on the frontal zone would be productive, with a conservative hairline - aka no closed temples, no low hairline etc.

[1966kph]

Hello johnybucks.

As KO says you would definitely be best getting on finasteride and minoxidil.

Stay on them for at least a year to see what if anything you gain as not all people respond to meds.

And while your on the meds do as much research as possible as the ht industry is a mine feild that could easily chew you up and spit you out in a lot worse state than you are now and with a lot less money to boot.

You have a good weekend

[ontop]

KO....dam I agree with you again it must be a full moon LOL.

 

Yep your in the right place to get good sound advice from some good vetrans & also HT Drs.

 

The first thing you should do is get on Meds to preserve what you have left.

This is not a month test like you did before this is a life thing or aslong you want to keep what you have left.

 

Nomatter what you read on the internet there is only 2 FDA approved & tested Meds out there which can slow down to a snails pace & maybe just maybe wake up some of them sleepy head folicals & you may get a little more life in your head.

But I say if it stops or slows down your hair loss that's one battle you have won.

 

Min... is only tested & approved for the crown area but in truth it also works all over but only had it passed by the FDA for just the crown & the maker would have to pay proberly millions of $$$$ & test thousands of people just to get market it works other than the crown area.

 

Fin is also FDA approved & also been shown more effective than Min on just the crown but this drug is used to slow down MPB & also "some" Men have shown some regrowth esp the crown area but again the primary reason for this drug is to slow down or halt MPB.

 

Both drugs works in different ways but been proven that they work well side by side in the fight against MPB.

 

Like KO have said they won't do much or nothing for your hairline but will defo help what you have left.

 

If I was you I would get on them Meds asap but not after speaking to your Dr first as these Meds do sometimes with Men have side effects & you must talk to your Dr about the pros & cons.

 

If you do decide to go on meds you must give them time to see any changes min 1 yr at least.

 

There is a bunch of good info about such Meds on this Forum & also a good bunch of guys & women who can lead you in the right direction.

 

Best wishes

[hadenough2014]

I agree that trying fin and Rogaine is necessary for you. You may see modest gains. Your hairloss is pretty advanced and you should talk to a couple of top docs about your donor density and maximum grafts potential. If you are in UK, go directly to Lorenzo as one of your doc options to duscuss FUE. Do not focus on saving money by going to a discount doc for this process - you only have one head and may only get one shot at this. Be realistic with your goals - a higher hairline at this stage is necessary and the thickness you may desire is probably not achievable. A great doc can probably get you results you will be happy with if you agree on the plan and design your expectations accordingly. Study, study, study...

 

One more option...I read this suggestion from a poster on this forum after I had committed to my procedure and I thought it was a good one: for advanced hair loss cases, think about shaving your head for a month or two and see if you like it. There are many guys with shaved heads and it is perfectly acceptable and sometimes looks better/younger than a balding head.

 

Best of luck.