Approximate Costs for hair transplant!

frustrated · Post by **frustrated** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 9:39 pm

Hi there, just came across this forum doing some "googling" on hair transplant information.

I am a 34 year old female who has recently started to get a receding hairline about a year ago. All my life I have had a thick full head of kinky curly hair, and now it is thinner and the hairline is receding at the top and the temples.

I noticed about a year ago and these are the circumstances that could possibly be the cause a year ago:
My son turned one year old
I started (and stopped) a birth control pill

HOwever, for the past 6 months I have not been on the pill and I don't see any improvement.

My doctor thinks its from all the damage I've done to my hair over the years ( I relax it) however what he doesn't understand is that I did not relax it for almost a year and a half because I was pregnant and breastfeeding at the time. So technically, this should have been the healthiest time for my hair. Besides that, I have been relaxing my hair since I was 13 years old (more than 20 years) so why now?

I have been trying the rogaine thing for almost a month now, and I don't see any improvements yet. It's a big pain in the but though, and I get flaky skin which looks gross.

I really want to do something about this now before it gets worse! I have been to Dr. shapiro in Vancouver BC for an initial consultation, and he was the one who recommended the rogaine, but I am going back to him in about a month and want to enquire about hair transplants.

Does anybody have any idea how much it is approximately? I have absolutely no idea.

Also, has anyone had any luck with the drug spironolactone?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!

Post by **HairLossFight.com** » Thu Apr 14, 2005 4:06 pm

Hi frustrated and welcome,

Just wanted to let you know that I've read your message and will give you a full response within the next day as I'm running a bit short on time. Just as an FYI, I've met with Dr. Shapiro as well...

Sam

Post by **HairLossFight.com** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:08 pm

Hi frustrated,

Sorry it has taken so long for me to finally respond to your message.

If you have a receding hair line the first thing to do is find out why. Birth control pills may certainly be a factor. Dr. Shapiro should be able to diagnose you appropriately. He is a good doctor, but I find that sometimes he's in a hurry and can just take a best guess at what you may have. You may need to be a bit assertive with him and tell him you want a complete and proper diagnosis done.

Shapiro does perform hair transplants but I would recommend since you live in Vancouver you go to Hasson and Wong instead if you really want to get one. I have seen their work and it blew me away how nice their transplants are done.

Depending on how much hair you've lost and how much you need to transplant the costs vary. To give you an idea of what the costs are, a friend of mine that was completely (and I mean COMPLETELY) bald went to them and got the entire top of his head and hairline transplanted for $10,000. For you it should be substantially less. If you need only about 500 grafts or so (which is good for a frontal hair line transplant when you haven't receded too far) it would cost you about $2000 I would guess. But you can always visit them as they're on Broadway in Vancouver and get an assessment.

Good luck and keep us posted on what you decided to do.

Cheers,
Sam

Tricia · Post by **Tricia** » Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:48 am

frustrated,

Sorry for not responding to your post sooner. About the flaking skin with rogaine, you might want to try minoxidil without propylene glycol. I buy mine from Dr. Lee (http://www.minoxidil.com). I can use it at night and regular minoxidil in the day time. I have no scalp irritation.

The thing about minoxidil is that it will probably help slow down the hair loss, but not stop it completely. I've been using it for a year. Our pattern of hair loss sounds similar. I have a thinning hairline. It's very depressing because I thought treatment would stop the process (it has towards the back of my head, but not so much the front).

I think about HT, but if I mention that to anyone they would say I'm crazy and don't need it.

Have you looked into cosmetic options that don't involve surgery? I think that's the route I will eventually take.

Best wishes,
Tricia

piper · Post by **piper** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 5:08 am

Tricia, I am curious as to why you aren't using a topical dht blocker? I am contemplating the addition of xandrox or topical spiro, so I am researching these possibilities. I use rogaine and re-started the bcp with some success.

I also am intrigued with idea of a HT, but how do they know that they are transplanting hair follicles that won't be affected by dht eventually? I am also concerned about the possibility of hair falling out after surgery. I've read that surrounding follicles can go into shock.

LIsa

Tricia · Post by **Tricia** » Sat Apr 30, 2005 4:12 pm

Piper,

I tried Xandrox for a while. I actually did like it, but it stripped out the color from my dye job so my hair looked like crap. I was spending tons of money to color my hair a nice reddish shade and the Xandrox turned my hair to an ugly brownish straw color.

I took Propecia internally for about 2 months and I actually did think it was helping. My shed went down to almost nothing. I intend to take Propecia again after a tubal ligation I'm having this summer.

piper · Post by **piper** » Thu May 05, 2005 9:43 am

Yikes, I am ready to order xandrox, but wish to keep my highlights. I have wondered about these topicals doing things to my color as well.

I have contemplated propecia as well. My dr. gave me a script to spiro but I am hesitant to use it. I have regrowth with Yasmin and rogaine. Why mess with it if something is working?

Good Luck,
Lisa

Tricia · Post by **Tricia** » Thu May 05, 2005 10:17 am

Xandrox might work okay with highlights. It pretty much made my hair lighter in a way I didn't like.

If you have light colored highlights, I don't know if the Xandrox would make much of a difference.

I guess it would be something you could try once.

Kara46 · Post by **Kara46** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:12 am

Hi,
Please do NOT use Minoxidil 5%. It appears a certain Dermatologist in Vancouver swears by it and prescribes it indiscriminately. It can harm you and then the same Dermatologist goes out of his way to tamper with your medical file so that he can appear guilt-free and doesn't have to face up to his responsibilities (like perhaps he should have read your file and info before prescribing)?

Post by **HairLossFight.com** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 1:34 am

Minoxidil 5% is available over the counter in the US and by prescription in Canada because the overwhelming majority of medical research has proven it to be effective and safe. In addition, it is commonly prescribed by many doctors all over the world for treating hair loss.

Kara46 · Post by **Kara46** » Mon Jan 09, 2006 8:20 pm

Sam,
What you say may be true, but this is regarding women!
It has been prescribed for use safely on MEN! What about women? What do the test results say there, huh? I have researched extensively also. The Minoxidil 5% caused such damage to existing hair that I had and would still have if I hadn't used such a horrid medication. It TOOK hair away!!! What kind of horrible ironic situation is that?
Both sides of the story MUST be heard so that people can make a wise decision. Think twice before you take any Dr's word. Or you could suffer what I did and do.
This following story isn't about Minoxidil, but just as an example for you to always think before taking a Dr's word as correct. Dr's prescribed in vast numbers, a certain medication which was pushed by drug companies. Months later, people were dying. That drug was pulled off the market. So...think twice before using any drug. Research? Tell that to the families of the people who died from that drug!

Tricia · Post by **Tricia** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 6:41 am

I am a female who has been using minoxidil 5% for over 1.5 years. It has helped my hair and definitely has not damaged it in anyway.

Prior to minoxidil, I had a bare patch in my vertex. That has filled in and I have tons of hair on the back of my head. It is good, healthy looking hair.

My problem with minoxidil is that it doesn't work very well on the front of the scalp and hair line.

If you experienced further hair loss with minoxidil usage, you should not scare other women from trying it. AGA is a progressive condition and further hair loss is likely for many people, but treatment can slow the progression.

Post by **HairLossFight.com** » Tue Jan 10, 2006 11:07 am

Kara,

One should always look at the potential risks involved in taking any action. There are no guarantees with any medication sadly, and yes, they all have risks. Also, you are correct that drugs have been approved (Vioxx comes to mind) that should not have been.

However, I have not heard any such thing about Minoxidil. Nobody is doubting that you lost your hair after you used it, but the overwhelming evidence shows that it is safe and for some people it can help.

Thanks for sharing your experience with us and good luck.

Approximate Costs for hair transplant!

Approximate Costs for hair transplant!

Do NOT use Minoxidil 5%

Which doesn't mean it IS safe

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