What is the difference between generic Finasteride 1mg tablets and genuine Propecia 1mg tablets?
In theory, none at all. Both should contain exactly the same amount of pure Finasteride (the chemical name of the drug). However, some doctors believe that small differences do occur between manufacturers, partly down to quality control and partly due to differences in the excipients i.e. the stuff that the tablet is made from.
We prescribe high quality generic Finasteride from a reputable pharmacy and don’t believe that there will be significant clinical differences in most patients but do leave the choice to the patient.
Our Propecia (finasteride & dutasteride) consent form has now been updated and placed in the download section.
Technically speaking, it is really a request for treatment form, not a consent form. It is your choice to ask for and take the treatment, rather than you agreeing to it. Sounds like a technicality but really it makes sense.
Lucky Jim 9 months HT update, demonstrating more vigorous growth of good quality hair and how well his strip (FUT) scar has healed, nearly invisible as can be seen in the short video.
This is probably the first thought that goes through the mind of most men when they first realise that something is happening to their crowning glory.
It is common to see that a lot of men go bald but not everyone knows the science behind it. Although factors such as stress and poor diet do make a difference, they are not the main culprits.
Hormones and genetics
Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is a male sex hormone and is the main cause of hair loss. The reason that balding occurs is due to the hair follicle’s sensitivity to DHT, which causes them to shrink, or ‘miniaturize’. Miniaturization causes your hair to grow for shorter periods as well as becoming lighter and finer. This type of hair is often referred to as ‘peach fuzz’.
The amount of DHT produced in the body varies from one individual to the next. There is a certain “trigger” level reached at puberty which switches on the hair loss gene but the exact level for each man isn’t exactly correlated with the speed of hair loss although the lower the level of DHT, the better.
The most widely used drug to treat hair loss – finasteride, is essentially a DHT inhibitor. It works by reducing the production of DHT at a systemic level and therefore halting the advancement of male pattern balding.
Other causes of hair loss
Genetic hair loss due to sensitivity to DHT is responsible for the vast majority of cases of male pattern balding but is not the only reason why men lose their hair. Other causes of hair loss include:
Traction alopecia – this often occurs as a result of wearing a ponytail or other tight hair styles such as cornrows/braiding.
Medication – There are a number of medications that can cause hair loss, especially those for blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
Nutrition – It’s been shown that poor nutrition can cause hair to become weak and thin, however complete balding usually doesn’t occur.
Hair transplant techniques
Hair transplant techniques have advanced a huge amount over the last few decades. Doctors are now able to perform hair transplants in a way that offers a completely natural looking head of hair.
However, some patients are more suitable for a hair transplant than others. The ideal patient should:
Have mild to moderate hair loss – Although it’s possible to perform a hair transplant for guys with severe balding, the best results are achieved in those who have mild to moderate hair loss. This is because there is typically more donor hair and less coverage is required
Have a good amount of donor hair – A good amount of donor hair is vital for a successful hair transplant. This usually isn’t a problem since the donor hair is taken from the back and sides of the head and hair in these regions is genetically programmed to be permanent. This means that even those with severe hair loss usually have enough donor hair.
Have realistic expectations – Realistic expectations are always important when getting a hair transplant. For most men, the ideal would be to have a completely thick head of hair with no receding hairline. While this is possible for some men, it’s not always realistic, especially for those with more severe balding. A good surgeon will always explain exactly what results can be expected.
Be certain that they want a hair transplant – Getting a hair transplant is a big decision so you should be certain it’s something you want to go through with. Hair loss affects all men differently and some are able to adjust to life without hair without it severely affecting their self- confidence. For such men, a hair transplant might be more trouble than it’s worth.
Have tried treatments first – This is very important. It’s surprising how many people are still under the illusion that there are no effective treatments available for dealing with hair loss. Before considering a hair transplant you should first start a course of treatment that involved finasteride and minoxidil. This way you can assess how well treatments work for you and then make a decision as to whether a hair transplant is necessary. You should give treatments at least 6 months to see if they’re going to work for you.
Be certain that their hair loss has stabilised – All men tend to bald at different rates. Some only thin out very slightly over a number of years while other men can lose much of their hair within a few years. Before getting a hair transplant, it’s important that your hair loss has stabilised. The reason being is that although the transplanted hair is permanent, this doesn’t mean that you won’t lose any existing hair that would have started thinning anyway. This can create a patchy look that is far from desirable.
Well, we wouldn’t recommend them! Simply because hair transplants are time consuming procedures which you don’t to try to skimp on. Surgical experience, sufficient technicians and enough time to do a good job, all comes at a price. If a salesman keeps phoning you up offering another discount to “sign you up now” then undoubtedly you will be in a queue of patients on the day. However:
Affordable hair transplants
These do exist. With the Bank of England lowering interest rates and virtually no interest paid to savers, now is the time to spend money on your hair:
“You’ll look good, feel more confident (post Brexit) and have fantastic growth!” – unlike your money dwindling in your bank account or ISA…
Rooneys hair transplant has been in the news again, with various papers claiming hair transplants don’t work, gone wrong etc. But of course, they don’t know the truth!
Rooney’s hair transplant clearly has worked because his hairline is completely different and looks very natural, just not very dense. This is because he had a large area to cover and not that many grafts, because FUE is a little more limiting in the potential numbers of hairs to extract than strip. He was allegedly on Propecia but it may be that he has come off that and is now suffering from further hair loss of the existing hairs.
Additionally, it is obvious from the photos where he has thick hair one day, then thinning hair the next, that he uses cover up hair thickeners, such as Nanogen.
The quote below illustrates the way that thinking can sometimes be a slave to “fashion” and political correctness. Dr Rogers first started performing FUE in 2003, possibly only one out of probably ten doctors in the whole world, who had started FUE. Within a year, Dr Rogers had recognised that not all patients were good candidates for FUE, that FUE limited the number of grafts that could be removed by that method and that combining the two procedures would in fact liberate the most grafts of all. The point being that it isn’t FUE vs FUT but they are complementary to each other – at different stages of the hair transplant journey, it may be most appropriate to use one method, not the other but change the method later.
Unfortunately, Dr Rogers’s views were not popular on hair forums that were slanted towards the latest “miracle” technique. However, over time, people are now moving on from blinkered views, as can be seen by the newsletter below (courtesy of HairTransplantNetwork). The irony is, that due to the greater skill required for the surgeon to perform FUT (strip) hair transplant surgery, that there is now a shortage of those doctors because many of the “new” hair transplant doctors, have only ever learned the FUE method. Even then, they may have delegated the FUE to a robot (Artas) or hair technician.
Indeed, expect hair surgeons who have a demonstrable record of excellent strip scar results, scar repair and 20 years experience (such as Dr Rogers) to be in great demand with concomittent rise in prices very soon.
Which Procedure (FUT or FUE) Produces More Hair Available for Transplanting?
Many topics on our hair restoration forum reflect a competition between two of the most popular and effective methods of hair transplant surgery. This includes follicular unit hair transplantation, commonly referred to as strip surgery and follicular unit extraction or FUE. Both methods of surgical hair restoration include harvesting follicular units (hair groupings of 1 to 4 hairs as they grow naturally in the scalp) and transplanting them into tiny incisions made by a surgeon in the balding (recipient) area. The difference between them is the harvesting/extraction method.
During an FUE procedure, a surgeon will use a device/tool that includes some kind of punch in order to score the skin and dig down to the hair root. The hair follicle is then separated from scalp leaving some surrounding tissue intact and removed. Meanwhile, strip surgery includes harvesting a linear strip of tissue that contains thousands of follicular units with a single scalpel. The strip is then slivered into smaller pieces and further dissected under microscopes in order to create perfect follicular unit grafts for transplanting. Each harvesting method comes with its own list of benefits and limitations.
Physicians and patients alike debate these methods and which one is superior. However, there is a better way. Men and women with advanced balding would benefit most by utilizing both procedures. By starting with strip until no more donor hair is available and finishing with FUE, a physician can harvest and transplant more hair than either harvesting method alone. Thus, instead of debating which one is superior, why not utilize both methods in order to maximize the amount of hair available for transplanting.
At the end of the day, patients who utilize both outstanding procedures will possess a natural looking, denser head of hair, more so than either procedure / extraction method can produce alone.
To discuss both FUE and strip surgery and why they work well in conjunction with one another, visit the discussion topic “Benefits of Combining FUT and FUE“.
Exciting news about stem cell hair transplants for hair loss and other skin conditions.
Dr Rogers has been in discussion with a number of medical scientists about using stem cells to restore hair, improve alopecia areata and other uses of stem cells. Although it is not yet at the holy grail stage, stem cell transplants now do exist and are showing benefits for hair loss sufferers. In cases studies, results have been as good as Propecia but without the need for daily medication. Additionally, it is hoped that by combining different modalities, a much greater synergistic benefit will result. Further research is being undertaken by this centre for excellence but they are making plans for adding clinical treatments available to the public shortly.
Stem cell transplants are like supercharging the PRP process, it should work more effectively, for longer.
Although not all hair loss sufferers will benefit, the evidence so far is those with diffuse patterns of hair loss are likely to benefit and those in the early stages of hair loss. Impressively, these benefits can be added to results from hair transplants or Propecia too, as stem cell transplants are synergistic with those treatments.
Dr Rogers was asked to talk about hair transplants and give a presentation at the Masterclass training course run by the well known and respected patient adviser, Cindy Jackson.
This is a course designed to help patient advisers develop the skills and knowledge to assist their clients in choosing the right treatment and surgeon in an ethical manner. Cindy has great experience and a wealth of contacts who can testify that her advice has been invaluable.
Most of the trainees were aware of hair transplantation but not the details of how it is performed nor the indications for each type of surgery or patient. They all found it informative and interesting, keeping Dr Rogers busy with many questions.
Here’s a 12 week post hair transplant update for Lucky Jim – some hair has clearly started growing but it is still very early days yet. First photo is before:
Westminster Clinic has been nominated for European CEO “Best hair transplant clinic” awards 2016.
This is very exciting, as it would be very prestigious to win such an award and truly demonstrate that we are the UK or Europe best hair transplant clinic.
Obviously, we are still at the nomination stage but are hopeful for success. Keep checking back here for further news…
We will be posting hair transplant surgery photos from a recent patient – let’s call him Lucky Jim – follow him through from pre to post op and beyond:
Cosmetic surgery increase – as reported in the media today
Cosmetic surgery procedures have been increasing in popularity for many years, but today was the first time that treatments increased most in men. No mention about hair transplants but that’s probably because few members of Baaps perform hair transplants. In reality, there are probably up to 4000 hair transplant surgeries performed in the UK per year, which would make hair transplantation number 6 or 7 on the list.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (Baaps) said there were 51,140 surgical procedures last year – up from 45,406 the year before.
It overturns a recent decline, which was blamed on the recession and the scandal over faulty breast implants.
Nine out of 10 procedures were in women, although the rise was seen in both genders.
The top 10 procedures were:
Breast augmentation up 12% to 9,652
Eyelid surgery up 12% to 8,689
Face and neck lifts up 16% to 7,419
Breast reductions up 13% to 6,246
Liposuction up 20% to 5,551
Nose jobs up 14% to 4,205
Fat transfer operations up 3% to 3,261
Tummy tucks up 8% to 2,933
Browlifts up 7% to 2,110
Ear corrections up 14% to 1,074
Overall, the number of procedures increased by 13%.
On a recent Chris Evans Breakfast, James Nesbitt was interviewed about his latest project “Lucky Man” but we’re sure that after the show, there would have been two celebrities talking hair transplants. James has had both strip hair transplants and FUE whereas Chris is thinking about taking the plunge although has had good results from Propecia.
