Dr Lam's Hair Restoration Forum

[Jason]

Hi Dr Lam, thanks for taking the time to answer my hair restoration questions.. I have a few..

I am a 36 year old male, I have been noticing my hair is thinning on the top of head, and i have a small bald spot on the crown of my head, about the size of a dime.

Do you think this is something that may be treated with a medical product? (finasteride or minoxidil). Is there a difference between products?

or would i require a hair transplant procedure of some type?

Thanks again for your time..

Happy Holidays.

[dr. lam]

thanks for the question jason. first, you sound like a perfect candidate for both rogaine and propecia. they will most likely reverse to some or a great extent your crown baldness. that will also stabilize the hairs during transplantation if you go that way. what that means is that when you have a lot of small thinner hairs that are part of male pattern baldness, you can experience shedding of those hairs temporarily following transplant. a few months of rogaine and propecia can help. if you have early crown baldness, then rogaine and propecia alone may suffice. if you have moderate crown baldness, i would start with rogaine and propecia (both work well but work better together), then let me help you see if a transplant would be help finish the picture. in any case, rogaine and propecia will make the area look better and slow down further loss. if you have more significant hair loss, i need to see whether a transplant is a good idea because i need to have enough density in the back of your head to finish the crown and also prepare to save enough donor hair to supplement further non-transplanted crown hairs if they fall out potentially in the future. sorry this is a very complex subject that requires me seeing you in person to make the right judgment based on all of the above issues. btw, the thinning on top can be partially addressed also with rogaine and propecia. sorry, got focused on the crown issue.
best,
dr. sam lam

[Jason]

Dr Lam,
Thanks for your quick response.
I appreciate your advice, and fully understand without a formal hair restoration consultation,it is difficult to answer, that being said, I am happy to read your comments..

I would obviously prefer to avoid hair transplant surgery, if possible. It sounds like, due to the early stages of my hairloss, I have non-surgical hair restoration options that may work.


Thanks Again for your advice.

[dr. lam]

absolutely. i always recommend at some point a hair transplant consultation just because medicines only do so much. however, it is a great way to start. i always say the sooner you start medications, the more effective they will work and the more hair you can regain and limit from further loss.
best,
dr. samuel lam

[steverd]

Thanks mam for such a nice information. I also had this question since been long time..Thank you once again.

[dr. lam]

you are most welcome.
sml

[ravimanohar]

Dear Doctor
Can hair dye appiled after transplantation,if so after how many days?

[dr. lam]

yes and 2 weeks after.

[dr. lam]

btw, if you have white hair it is a good idea to do it right before the procedure because it makes it easier for my girls to dissect by tracing the white hair out through the scalp. you may also consider doing the same because you have to wait a couple of weeks as mentioned to start coloring your hair again.
best,
sml

[ravimanohar]

thanks for the reply.
I would like to know ,if minoxidil and finasteride help in taking up of the transplanted hair.If so how??

[dr. lam]

both help minimize the potential for postoperative shock but minoxidil may help with graft growth since it brings in vascular (blood) supply. although there is not hard evidence of this, i generally like my patients on minoxidil around the time of the procedure leading up to it and then for 6 months after the procedure.