Growth can take longer than expected. A patient at 18 months

JustinReno

Hi all,

Eighteen months ago Dr. Cole performed 4000 FIT grafts on me, from the bottom of my crown to my hairline. Before the surgery I was pretty much bald from front to the back. Now I have a hairline again and the top is growing in pretty well. The crown is taking longer, with the current hair being fine and blond, but a lot of new growth is still coming in. I don't expect to really know what the final results will be till the 2 year point.

I don't know if there are others out there that are slow growers like me, but when Jessica from the office told me people thought the grafts didn't take and were going out and getting strip techniques done right away, I had to write. DON'T DO THAT! The rule I'd always ready was 50% at 6 months and 10% for every month after, with full growth at 1 year. For me, at 1 year I had much less than 50% growth. It wasn't till 18 months that it really started to fill-in. And when I rub my fingers across my scalp, I can still feel lots of nubs coming in, especially in the crown area, where it has had much slower growth. My crown has been completely barren for a lot of years, so maybe that has something to do with the slower growth rate. The Monoxidil had delayed the hair loss from the front for a lot of years, but when I stopped using it, almost all my hair on top fell out in a year.

I'm 50 years old, so that may also have something to do with slower growth. But at the 6 month point, I started an anti-aging regimen which included testosterone and human growth hormone. I noticed right away another round of peeling, indicating the scalp was healing faster (probably the growth hormone). I also added MSM and folic acid to my vitamin regimen, which also seems to make hair grow faster.

Dr. Cole will be in Los Angeles 29 July, so I will probably drive down to see him and let him take some photos. 4000 grafts sounds like a lot, but the top of my head probably started with 40,000 follicular groups. But I definitely don't look bald any more. I keep my hair short for now, and that makes it look thicker than it really is. In about another 6 months, I'll probably let it grow out and see if I can create a part again. Smile

Good luck all and give yourselves at least 18 months for results.

ronanderson

I'm 32 year old and lost most of my hair from the top of my head ( Norwood Class 6) . What should i be taking that could stop hair loss?
Are there any vitamin or shampoo the realy help Strengthen hair?

GirlTech

There are many options available to you. First, a regular multi-vitamin can help to ensure that you are healthy. Vitamins D, C, and E can promote skin and hair health. Biotin is also very good for the scalp. In addition to the vitamins, perhaps you can use Propecia to stop the hair loss. You can try the HairCycle shampoo, which has anagen stimulators to encourage stronger growth and also saw palmetto, a natural DHT blocker to reduce hair loss. Another shampoo is Nizoral shampoo which also promotes hair growth by blocking the DHT.

Multi-vitamins are available at GNC and local drug stores. Propecia is available through perscription, so call the office to set up a consult and perscription recommendations. HairCycle is available at www.HairCycle.com. Nizoral is available at your local drug store.

GirlTech

It is wonderful to hear your story to encourage the other slow growers out there. Waiting for the hair to grow in can sometimes be the hardest part of surgery. Thanks for your encouraging words!!!

JustinReno

I used Rogain for a lot of years and it really slowed the hair loss. Later on I also added Propecia, but there was so much hair loss by that time, it only helped a little. If I had started Propecia in my 20s, I would have maintained a lot more hair. One drawback I found is Propecia really reduces the libido.