4000 grafts resulting in donor site depletion (photo)

4000 grafts taken from the donor area pushes the donor area’s ability to support such a large procedure when the donor density is lower than average. I am afraid that too many men who push their doctors or go to clinics where very large FUE sessions are done regardless of their donor density, will find themselves bald in the back and side of the head, like this man with new balding in the back of the head.


2020-07-09 13:56:534000 grafts resulting in donor site depletion (photo)

Is Hair Transplantation Viable for a Norwood 6?

Hey Dr
I just wanted to share my experience with the medication finasteride. I initially started the treatment as a early Norwood 3 vertex only then within 4 years I developed into a Norwood 6. I still have hair on the top of my head but its all miniturized to somewhere around 90 %.

I know you have limited information on me and my condition but for someone who has a slighlty above average donor hair, fine hair, and a Norwood 6 thinning pattern, when should I consider hair transplantation as a viable option?

Thank you

NW6As long as you and your doctor have realistic goals in mind, and you have the donor hair available to do it, anytime would be a viable time if you are serious about a hair transplant.

Please see our hundreds of before and after pictures for some examples (there are Norwood 6 cases in there) and learn about our concept of the Master Plan.

4600 grafts for Frontal Triangle only (photo)

Wonderful results. You have possibly used up half of your donor supply or more depending upon your original donor density. From the photos, it looks like you have a Norwood Class 4A pattern and the A patterns are great because it is likely that even if you lost all of the hair in that pattern (a Norwood Class 5A pattern), you would still have enough hair to cover the new balding areas; however, for others who are not so lucky and don’t have a Norwood A pattern of balding, so many grafts placed in the frontal triangle would leave them devastated with not enough donor hair to fill up a Class 5, 6 or 7 pattern. Keep in mind that a Personalized Master Plan is needed to not only treat the present balding pattern with a hair transplant as you have done, but the worst pattern that you might develop so that you will always look normal and hairy.


2020-12-18 08:55:554600 grafts for Frontal Triangle only (photo)

Is minoxidil working if I developed arm and chest hair?

If you developed arm and chest hair with minoxidil and not scalp hair, that means that you are either taking it orally or absorbing a lot of the medication through your skin. I gather it is not working on your scalp hair?


2021-01-04 15:01:33Is minoxidil working if I developed arm and chest hair?

5 years on finasteride and will now stop it

I’ve been in fin for 5 years and maintained everything I had, even grown some back. Hairline looks great. A little thin around my right temple, but other that, great. Reason I’m stopping, is I’m having some slight pain when ejaculating and the wife and I have been trying to have another kid for almost a year with no luck. Semen seems to be hit or miss. Sometimes it looks thick, other times it looks thin and watery. Anyways,I’m 30 now, and just going to shave it all off. I’ll try to keep you guys updated if curious. I have stayed away from here from the fear mongering as it wasn’t healthy for my mental health, but wanted a place to post.

You should think twice about the decision to stop finasteride after 5 years of use. You will lose all of the hair you would have lost over the past 5 years once you stop the medication. I have seen many men regret the decision. Watery semen is a common occurrence. I am writing this to let you know the consequences of stopping finasteride.


2021-08-21 10:37:175 years on finasteride and will now stop it

Is My Hairline Receding Because of High Iron in the Water?

Hello Doctor, This is a hairline receding question. I have witnessed hair thinning and the hairline receding on the far right side of the temple. I’m certain that the same is making it’s way to the otherside and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. I am 25 years old and this thinning has gained pace ever since I moved to the eastern part of the country, some people say it’s because of the high iron content in the water here while others say it’s because I travel a lot being in marketing.

I have dense thick hair but this thinning is occuring rather quickly. We don’t have many good doctors where I’m currently working which is why I’m a bit hesitant to take their advice. I would really appreciate if you could help me out with this. Thanks.

WaterWhile I can’t positively say what is causing your hair loss, my educated assumption would be that this is your genetics…. not iron levels in the water. It’s not uncommon for one side of the hairline to recede before the other, and while stress from travel might contribute to acceleration of the loss, I’d expect this is simply your genetics at play.

There are two proven medications to treat hair loss in men — Propecia (finasteride 1mg) and Rogaine (minoxidil). Propecia is by prescription only and both medications do have their limitations. In other words, you shouldn’t expect full regrowth (particularly in the hairline), but the hair loss may be halted from progressing for some time.

I Had 5500 FUE Grafts. Patients Often Ask ‘Will This Hair Grow Back’? (Photo)

The FUE procedure removes hair from the back of the head, so it can’t grow back. The amount of hair that can be removed is limited. If too much hair is removed, as in this person, the back of the head becomes thin and see-through as a result of the depleted donor area.

The number of FUEs that can be removed depends upon many factors. Most importantly, the original donor density must be measured by the surgeon before recommending FUE graft numbers. If too many grafts are removed from the donor area, balding in the back of the head (as shown here in this photo) occurs.

The initial problem, prior to a hair transplant, is that most patients want more hair moved, and surgeons are motivated by the money they receive for taking out more FUE grafts. So, without good planning, the donor area is often over-harvested, producing balding in the donor area (as shown in the photo below). I can state with almost 100% certainty that 5500 grafts would produce donor over-harvesting in 98% of the population because the original donor density in 98% of the population will not support this number of grafts (see here: https://newhair.com/donor-area/).

Is Propecia Making Me Lose My Quick Wit?

Two questions here,

  1. Can Propecia be taken before bed at night instead of, say, in the morning, or during the day?
  2. I saw some post about someone mentioning grogginess as a side effect of taking Propecia. I consider myself a pretty silver-tongued guy, sort of along the lines of Dane Cook. I speak relatively fast and somewhat witty, I’d hope. When I take Propecia I feel like I trip over my words more, thereby causing me to lose some of that quick wit. Does this make any sense or not?

Dane Cook

  1. Once a day, anytime, will work for Propecia (finasteride 1mg). I generally suggest to take in in the morning when testosterone is highest in men, but I really do not have any figures on that, just my logical mind.
  2. There have been some reports on depression with Propecia, but I don’t know if your quick wit can be dulled by the medication. I haven’t had any reports from my patients about feelings of disorientation or foggy-headedness, but I had one person that I can recall wrote in a while ago saying they felt a little foggy when on Propecia (though it is unsubstantiated).