Is this male pattern baldness?

[Quickstrike]

looks like it is. look into finasteride and minoxidil

Been on 1.25mg Finasteride since February, 2014.

Been taking 10mg Oral minoxidil daily [5mg morning/5mg evenings] + 2mg of Dutasteride in the mornings for ~14 months.

Been taking Oral spironolactone for about 14 months now. During 10 of those months I took the full 200mg daily dosage. Because I don't have an unlimited supply + I heard it isn't good to lower your testosterone for long periods of time, I started tapering at the end of January. Been dropping dosage by 25mg every 2 weeks since then.

Wash my hair pretty much daily with Revita Shampoo.

Stopped taking topical treatments awhile back. I am too lazy. Massaging that oily Kirkland Minoxidil into my scalp twice a day was starting to drive me crazy.

 

[TD500]

Hair looks a lot thicker congrats and stay safe with oral minoxidil/spironolactone.

 

[Quickstrike]

How many grafts do you think it would take to reach NW2 status [if that is even possible]? If I went in for a FUT procedure from H&W, what sort of things should I mention I want done? - Just to lower my hairline?

If money was no object, but I knew all the males in my family were NW6's by the time they reached their mid-30's, what sort of graft number should I limit myself to initially? - knowing I will probably have to go in for another transplant in the future.

Thanks.

 

[DoctorHouse]

You have the same pattern loss as myself. You don't have much recession but your whole hairline is moving further back. You still hovering around a NW2 so you just would need your hairline lowered slightly and thickened up a bit. I would say you need around 2500 grafts at the most. ( I am estimating that is what Erdogan or Rahal might say). Most people are going to say you could wait until it gets worse as it still looks decent. You have been able to maintain well for all these years so your loss is slow.

 

[Quickstrike]

I don't know.. isn't the way I have my hair all forward technically a comb-over/comb-forward? I am OK when I look in the mirror and see the after shower self when the hair covering my forehead is down several inches.. but since it is so thin now, the slightest air movement will send my wispy bangs back to my sky-high hairline and it is pretty shocking to see.

I had First Aid training at work just recently and I swear the instructor looked directly at me when she said "what is the first thing you do when responding to a fallen person in need of CPR? Fix their comb-over? NO!"
I was the only one in the room with any sign of hair loss.

 

[davesmith420]

I just read through the whole thread, bruh I think you're being waaaayyyyyyy too hard on yourself. You have totally maintained and had some thickening with your treatments IMO (pretty hardcore regimen I must say). Like DoctorHouse said your main (only) problem area is your hair line, which is moving in an "A" pattern. If you think a transplant would help your self-esteem, I would go through with it.

 

[Quickstrike]

As you have read, I saw hair loss at the earliest signs, asked for help, and then blindly ignored it all thinking in the worst case scenario I would have hair like my maternal grandfather.. slightly thinned out in my 60's.

It just kills me. I used to take pride in the way my hair looked. Wouldn't leave the house until after I showered and freshly gelled it.. but now it is so thinned out my scalp just sucks up any hair product and looks like sh*t whatever I do.

It goes back to childhood.. I told myself I would never let myself get morbidly obese or go bald.. and I am just so close to bald right now it scares the hell out of me..

 

[davesmith420]

@Quickstrike try not to dwell on the past too much; your hair still looks great IMO.

I saw that you used RU at one point, why did you stop?

 

[Illusions]

How many grafts do you think it would take to reach NW2 status [if that is even possible]? If I went in for a FUT procedure from H&W, what sort of things should I mention I want done? - Just to lower my hairline?

If money was no object, but I knew all the males in my family were NW6's by the time they reached their mid-30's, what sort of graft number should I limit myself to initially? - knowing I will probably have to go in for another transplant in the future.

Thanks.

Is this your current hair as of now? If so then seriously pal, your hair looks great. As others have said you're being way too hard on yourself regarding your hair, your problem is more psychological because I'd be willing to bet most people wouldn't even know you're balding/thinning. It actually looks better than it did from your posts from years ago, you don't even need a transplant yet imo. What is your regime?

 

[Quickstrike]

@Quickstrike try not to dwell on the past too much; your hair still looks great IMO.

I saw that you used RU at one point, why did you stop?

I stopped because I was originally using Liquid minoxidil to mix up the solution and I decided later on to use 10mg Oral minoxidil [5mg morning/5mg evening] instead of the topical.

Since I am taking finasteride everyday + dutasteride every 3rd day, I didn't think there would be much DHT to block after that.

Is this your current hair as of now? If so then seriously pal, your hair looks great. As others have said you're being way too hard on yourself regarding your hair, your problem is more psychological because I'd be willing to bet most people wouldn't even know you're balding/thinning. It actually looks better than it did from your posts from years ago, you don't even need a transplant yet imo. What is your regime?

Currently taking: 1.25mg Finasteride - Daily
10mg Oral minoxidil - Daily [5mg morning/5mg evening]
~1.5mg dutasteride every 3rd day - China sourced, but I heard it is legit
Revita Shampoo a couple times a week - don't use it as much because my hair looks better/fuller when I use a L'Oreal Thickening Shampoo instead.

Thanks for the positive feedback.

 

[davesmith420]

@Quickstrike Have you had any sides on oral minoxidil?

 

[Quickstrike]

@Quickstrike Have you had any sides on oral minoxidil?

I increased my dose relatively slowly.. pretty sure I remember quartering the pill at first - 2.5mg for a couple weeks... then... 2.5mg in morning.. 2.5mg in evening for another couple weeks.. until I got up to 10mg.

Never felt any chest pains / weird fluttering / shortness of breath.. I bought an Omron Blood Pressure Monitor and take a reading every once in awhile - more often when I first started.. and it seems to read within normal levels for my age.

When I get Physical Checkups at the Doctors, my BP is more elevated than at home.. but the doctor never seems concerned. I figure it is the unfamiliar environment that has my heart beating a little faster.

Since I started taking it, my fingers, toes, ears and nose have gotten hairy. Enough so that I regularly trim these areas, when I never had to before. My facial hair/arms//legs/chest/back hair hasn't changed much - in comparison.

 

[Quickstrike]

Thanks for all the help.. I have a hair transplant scheduled in a few days..
How do you think my hair compares to this guy? The Final Results on Page 9 are pretty incredible.
To me, it looks like the top of my hair is more diffuse [in the wet/slicked back photo].. I have no idea what kind of density [FU/CM2] I have left on my scalp.
If I could pull off a raised bangs look without see-through hair under bright lights, I would be quite happy.

 

[davesmith420]

Thanks for all the help.. I have a hair transplant scheduled in a few days..
How do you think my hair compares to this guy? The Final Results on Page 9 are pretty incredible.
To me, it looks like the top of my hair is more diffuse [in the wet/slicked back photo].. I have no idea what kind of density [FU/CM2] I have left on my scalp.
If I could pull off a raised bangs look without see-through hair under bright lights, I would be quite happy.

Your hair is in a lot better shape than that guys. How many grafts are you doing?

 

[Quickstrike]

Your hair is in a lot better shape than that guys. How many grafts are you doing?

"The doctors have reviewed your case and feel you are a good candidate for hair restoration surgery at our clinic.

They recommend rebuilding and strengthening of the hairline blending into frontal zone requiring something in the 2,500 to 3,000 graft range. The exact number will depend on hairline placement, amount of temple reconstruction and how far into your existing hair they'll need to restore. How conservative or aggressive you’d like to be and what might be the best approach as far as hairline design can be further discussed at the time of surgery. They feel that even if the total number of grafts does not exceed 2,500, a nice cosmetic impact can be achieved. If you along with the doctors decide on a more aggressive approach, up to 3,500 may be required. If in the future you continue to lose hair behind the transplanted area, you may need further surgery to reconstruct those areas. The use of Propecia (Finasteride) mentioned below may help eliminate or reduce the chances of needing more surgeries."

I was thinking 2,500-3,000 probably..

That would get me to NW2'ish area, it seems.