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Patient Since 2024

Christopher Ball.
Medication First.
Transplant Second.

Financial services executive, Los Angeles. Norwood 2. Started on finasteride, switched to dutasteride, and went into his FUE transplant already ahead of the game.

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01 · Before, During & After
A Subtle Transplant.
Crushing It In His Late 40s.

Real photos from Chris’s protocol and procedure: pre-op, hairline design, day of surgery, and healing through to today’s result. The transplant did its part. The dutasteride and minoxidil protocol underneath it is what’s holding the line.

Christopher Ball before his transplant
Pre-Op
Hairline design drawn before surgery
Hairline Design
Day of the FUE transplant
Day Of Surgery
Donor area after extraction
Donor Area
Hairline healing after surgery
Healing · Front
Donor area healing
Healing · Donor
Christopher Ball result after transplant
Result
Christopher Ball result, second angle
Result
Tap any photo to enlarge
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02 · His Story
We Met At The Gym.
The Rest Followed.

Chris and I met at Built Gymnasium in Studio City, on Laurel Canyon Boulevard. We became workout partners, and it turned into something bigger. I ended up guiding him through rehab privately, prepping him for Spartan races and working through the injuries that came with training for them.

Somewhere along the way he became a mentor to me too: his sales approach, and how he preps for a hard week the same way he preps for a hard race. We also talk shop on TRT. He walked me through his own protocol early on, and we still talk about it regularly, along with hair loss, DHT and how it all connects.

Christopher Ball at a waterfall
Out There
Christopher Ball hiking at sunset
Sunset Hike
“This only works when you do it in the right order.”
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03 · The Protocol
Norwood 2.
Medication, Then Surgery.

Chris came in already thinning, at Norwood 2. He switched from 1mg oral finasteride to 1.0mg oral dutasteride plus 2.5mg oral minoxidil to stop further loss and strengthen both his existing hair and his donor area. After about a year on protocol, he had an FUE transplant. Medication did its job first, then the transplant finished the work.

2024 · Protocol Begins
Off finasteride, onto dutasteride + oral minoxidil. Focus: stop further loss and strengthen the donor area before surgery.
2025 · FUE Transplant
Roughly 3,000 grafts. Hairline designed and placed after a year of protocol prep.
2026 · Result
Full, natural density, with an age-appropriate hairline: not too low, not too high.
~3,000
Grafts placed via FUE
~1 yr
On protocol before surgery
N2
Starting Norwood class
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Hair For Life.™
The Bigger Picture
Hair For Life.
Live It Looking Like You.
Christopher Ball after his transplant
One Less Thing
To Think Twice About.

This was never just about a hairline. It’s about walking into every room, every relationship and every year ahead feeling like yourself.

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References: Patient experience; individual results vary. Photos shared with permission.

The content provided by Mane & Steel is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medications or treatment protocols. Christopher Kite is a board-certified Doctor of Physical Therapy (PT, DPT), licensed in California. Individual results vary.