What does it do for the HT patient in pre op?



It's only funny until someone gets hurt. Then it's hilarious.

Propecia/Proscar stabalizes your hairloss -- might even grow you some new hair. No sense in getting a HT if you're going to continue to lose the rest of your hair. Proscar really works, it is the best thing out there right now for stopping hairloss.

"Propecia/Proscar stabalizes your hairloss -- might even grow you some new hair."
True, it works for many but NOT for all. From the people where it does work there have been reports that the effectiveness wears of after time and so it is probably not a life time solution. I personally have seen several patient that have had zero results from propecia/proscar.

"No sense in getting a HT if you're going to continue to lose the rest of your hair."

Well, I could rewrite this sentense like this >
No sense it taking medication that is not going to cure an illness (I believe hairloss itself is not causing physical health problems).

No sense in taking propecia where you MAY end up getting sick by swallowing that stuff over long periods of time. It would not be the first time the chemical industry has to admit they produced pills that get you into serious troubles many many years later. I had such a case in my own family a couple of years ago and it resulted in death. I do not trust the chemical guys too much and will avoid putting anything into my body which is not really necessary.


This subject has been debated time and time again so I wont get into another round.

It is up to each individual to decide on this matter.

BV

Ps > I never used propecia in my life but the results from my HT are more than satisfying.

IMO the best choice is to go on Propecia, and judge the results. If side effects bother you - stop taking it. Personally I'm sticking to Propecia.

Thanks for the replies...

I am pretty sure my hair loss has stabilized some time ago. It is only now at 48 years old that I feel is the perfect time for my scheduled HT. The Propecia that I am taking has been effective in regrowing hair on my head (in my amazement) but in reality Propecea is something I don't want to take for the rest of my life. It was my thinking that the Dr. prescribed it to thicken my hair and maybe give me more grafts in the donor area before the surgery. When my HT is performed I feel like the transplanted hairs that are used should be enough for me without having to continue the Propecia...

Now that I am really thinking about it, if the hairs that are induced in my donor area with Propecia are used in a HT, then I quit taking the Propecia after the HT, those hairs would likely go away!

I was hoping there would be a more logical reason why I was taking Propecea as a pre HT regime but so far I haven't heard it. Guess that is a question for the Dr.

Thanks again!



If a man speaks in the middle of a forest and there is no woman to hear him, is he still wrong?

HairQless,
You are correct in that one of the main reasons to take Finesteride prior to a HT is to thicken your existing hairs. Thick terminal hairs are less susceptable to post-transplant shock loss. Another added benefit is any areas with Finesteride induced regrowth will require less of an allocation of your precious donor hair. As for stopping Finesteride after your transplant, I would research that VERY CAREFULLY before making any decision. If you stop, certainly you can expect all of your "in amazement" regrowth that you have experienced to completely disappear. I will never forget a guy I saw at a seminar sponsored by my HT doc few months ago. He was 4 years younger than you if I remember correctly, but he told how he had been on Finesteride for a long time and had a previous transplant. He stopped Finesteride recently for about 6 months, however, and by his account approximately 1/3 of his non-donor region hair fell out! Needless to say, he's back on Finesteride, planning another hair transplant, and is extremely sorry. Take heed to learn from his experience and not make a similar mistake.
GratefulHead

Thanks for the insight given GratefulHead.....

Now I'm thinking "do I really want to take the Propecia before my HT" just to get the coverage needed to avoid the problem your freind experienced.

Wouldn't spending a little extra now on grafts be better than living a life of Propecia perscription payments? Seems to me the money for extra grafts will be spent in the long run on Propecia.

Hair transplants do not prevent future hair loss. If you think you will continue to lose more hair, then you may want to seriously consider Propecia.

If you get a transplant and continue to lose hair, it's like bailing water out of a leaky rowboat.

Since there is a limited amount of donor hair (not enough to restore a full head of hair) you should try to retain as much of your original hair as possible.

HairQless,
What Arfy is saying is sooo true. Don't forget Finesteride is the best defense that YOU can control against shock fall-out! Think about it like this -- if you are planning strip surgery then you are probably paying $4 - $5 per graft (give or take). On average, a graft is 2 hairs. If taking Finesteride has the net aesthetic effect of adding 1000 hairs or 500 grafts (through thickening and regrowth), that has an equivalent hair transplant value of $2000 - $2500. More importantly, each hair that it maintains thick and intact in your scalp in the future is worth $2 - $2.50. As you are now middle-aged, realize age alone can start becoming a major contributor to hair thinning. How many guys do you know in their mid-sixties who have a full good-density head of hair? One general rule of thumb is 30% of guys in their 30's experience hair loss, 40% of guys in their 40's, 50% in their 50's, 60% in their 60's, etc. It sucks Propecia is so expensive, but how much is having/keeping hair worth to you? I would look around for the best deal on Finesteride by shopping around, buying in bulk, looking into Proscar, etc. I hope your research efforts are rewarded with terrific hair improvement.
GratefulHead