Early 30's - Progressive Receding - Recently Started 1 mg finasteride

[AubreyMcClendon]

Hi all. New to the forums but have learned a great deal in a short period of time.

Wanted to introduce myself and say thanks for being a great resource.

Some info on me for those who may be interested:

History
- Early 30s now; began receding around 25; losses have been intermittent but consistent over the past five years
- Vertex is solid but hairline is significantly disturbed and asymmetrical; I'd peg myself as Norwood 2.5 but would appreciate other assessments
- Started 1 mg finasteride about 5 weeks ago: began to shed around 2 weeks in (Usually find 10-20 hairs in sink when styling hair; mostly shorter, thinner hairs)
- Never noticed any shedding prior to finasteride; only acknowledged my male pattern baldness after being unable to style my hair as I did in my early 20s
- Father is in mid 60's and is Norwood 5; no real relationship with grandparents on either side so no info on history there

Goals
- Planning to schedule 2-3 hair transplant consultations once I'm 8-12 months into finasteride usage; if loss stabilizes will pursue hair transplant
- Currently considering Bernstein (for quality and conservatism) and Rahal (due to apparent expertise on hairlines) but am still early in the research phase here

Regimen
- Holding off on min for now (usually go to gym at lunch, fear that I won't be able to consistently apply product into perpetuity)
- Wash and condition hair 3-4 times a week; nizoral 2x / wk, Aveda products on other days
- Maintain fairly strict diet; take fish oil, multi and biotin

Will continue to lurk and study the boards until I make my decision on the hair transplant.

 

[shookwun]

These renowned surgeons charge a bucketload for FUE, just a heads up.


with FUT i'd stay within north america, but if FUE is the only option then go to turkey to get it done.

example: 2,000 grafts 9800 fut, 2,000 grafts fue 15800 (rahal) actual price I was quoted.

 

[AubreyMcClendon]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm leaning towards FUT as I understand this leads to highest yield and because I wear my hair longer, but I'm still early in the diligence on this.

Did you go forward with your hair transplant or are you still evaluating your options? If you don't mind, could you share your opinions on FUT vs FUE? Also, any insight into your surgeon selection process would be appreciated.

 

[Raz]

Good stuff, getting on finasteride was wise. Hope you'll maintain and get some regrowth on it alone, too. I don't have much expertise at all on hair transplant, but as far as your Norwood-status goes, your right temple looks like 2.25ish on the picture, whereas the left one is in the 2.5/2.75ish territory. Then again, it's a singular picture so the angle might be a bit deceiving. Looks good overall, though, with the density and the quality of your hair.

Best of luck man.

 

[AubreyMcClendon]

Thanks for the assessment and words of encouragement, Raz. I'll be sure to post more detailed pictures to get a better handle on my hair.

I checked out your pics and I see you've had great success, congrats! I've been hesitant to add minoxidil to my regimen because I've ultimately planned on getting a hair transplant, but after seeing your results, I'm reconsidering my view. If you don't mind me asking, what are you long-term plans? I have to imagine you've developed quite a bit of hair greed given your success - would you ever consider a hair transplant or do you plan to ride minoxidil and finasteride out as long as you can?

Thanks again for the feedback.