Stupid question: Why take finasteride when you can have FUE done?

[mjk258]

I realize that FUE costs something like $15,000 per 3000 follicles, but if I have to spend an inordinate amount of money throughout my life to have FUE and not have to worry about finasteride side effects, I think that it would be worthwhile.

I'm sure I'm missing something here. I realize that finasteride is needed for a certain time before and after FUE and I realize that the finasteride can preserve donor hairs.

Please enlighten me.

 

[Agahi]

finasteride can be used for maintenance for people who are fine with what hair they currently have.

Also 15,000 USD isn't chump change for most people. I know I could never save that much without having to use it for something.

 

[mjk258]

I appreciate the replies.

What about a case where it appeared that a fellow would have respectable hair until age 40, lets say NWIIA. Could he then be fixed up with FUE?

Is it time for me to start finasteride based on these pics? That spot in the front is very worrying to me and I don't know what to do.

Some moments I feel as though it is the light exaggerating it (moved into a new place 3 months ago). At other moments I feel I am in denial.

I notice/feel some miniaturization in a NW2A pattern, at least. But I have no idea how aggressive it is.

Yes, I really need to get a Miniaturization Study. Realistically I don't see a miniaturization study happening for 3 months. The hoops I need to jump through in the Canadian Healthcare system and then only to be seen by an hair transplant surgeon who won't even think he'll still be in practice by the time I need an hair transplant...
I'm not sure I'm even going to be able to get a miniaturization study...

 

[Rawtashk]

You are nowhere NEAR needing any transplant work done yet! Trust me when I say that almost no one will notice that you're thinning out. I barely can, and that's only because I'm pretty obsessive about my hairloss....which makes me inspect the hairline on other guys.

If you're truly worried about your hair, then I would suggest perhaps starting on .5mg of finasteride every day, or every other day. You probably have 40,000 hairs on the top of your head, and FUE will NEVER be able to come close to that kind of transplant. You take finasteride to keep as much as you can on top of your head. You start to think about FUE AFTER you've been on finasteride for a while and your hairloss has stabilized.

 

[mjk258]

I realize this but I feel I need a Miniturization Study to determine whether I should start taking finasteride or whether I should wait.

I have no idea how aggressive it is. I see rapid miniturization but is it really happening I don't know. Without a miniturization study I'm going to obsess over my hair everyday, and one day I'm going to panic "oh my god its worse!"
Then I'm going to have to go through "it must just be the lighting, no I'm in denial"

Its tough for me to explain how thick my hair was just a matter of months ago. Now I'm losing tons of miniaturized hair yet no hair loss doctor will give me a minute of their time.

 

[mjk258]

I appreciate the replies.

I hope the consultation at an hair transplant surgeon is expensive. I hope the Doctor says "damn this kid paid $1000 just to see me, I will take him very seriously and give him his moneys worth."

I'm assuming that since its is a cosmetic procedure, it won't be covered by Canadian healthcare at all?

Btw, what am I looking at in terms of cost for a consultation?