Coalition Surgeons

Time to do something · #1 **Top** 11-13-2007, 08:49 AM

I had a HT in July and will be going back for the second procedure in January. By the first of January I will hopefully be able to tell how dense the first HT is and decide if I want the next grafts to go in the front or on the crown. From what I've read on this site about density I will probably want the next grafts to go in the front to thicken it up more. In that case I am going to wear a hair piece on the crown. My bald spot there is about the size of a baseball. I wear a hair piece now so one the size of a baseball on the crown will be a piece of cake. Can anyone tell me where they would recommend for a partial crown piece? Thanks.

Bill - Managing Publisher · #2 **Top** 11-13-2007, 09:57 AM

TTDS,

I can only assume that this can be done but I haven't seen that many people on our discussion forum that wear hair pieces let alone only for the crown. The majority I've seen shave their head and wear a hair piece over the entire scalp.

Hopefully someone who has worn a hair piece will speak up here.

Bill

Time to do something · #3 **Top** 11-13-2007, 10:16 AM

Well, I wasn't aware of partial pieces either but Dr. Epstein said some of him patients go that route and the guy that does my hair now says he has a lot of clients that have had HT's and he puts them into partial crown pieces. I've asked him if I could see some and he is trying to get some for me to see but so far I haven't. There is another stylist in the office who also says she has several clients with partial crown pieces some that have had HT's and some that only had hair loss on the crown. She swears they look totally natural and are completely undetectable and blend perfectly...but I haven't seen any of them in person.

Bill - Managing Publisher · #4 **Top** 11-13-2007, 08:23 PM

TTDS,

Just be in mind that any hair piece will have to be maintained and cared for regularly in order for it to maintain a natural look. It will also have to be replaced every now and again. I don't know the regime inside out and backwards because I never wore one - but I know many who have reported being "free" of the hairpiece because of how much maintenance it involves. However, it doesn't hurt to try it out.

Bill

Time to do something · #5 **Top** 11-14-2007, 03:22 AM

Bill,

You are talking to someone that has worn a hairpiece for 20 years. I am fully aware of the pitfalls and you are very correct when you say there is maintenance, that is why I want to ditch it. They can look very good if maintained properly but the fact of the matter is in the back of my mind I always wondered if people knew I had it and I never wanted anyone to touch it. I replaced mine every four months so it would look fresh and that was expensive.

The ONLY reason I would consider a partial crown piece is because I have very thick hair on the sides and back unless the transplanted area in the front comes close to matching that area then it is going to look off balance. That is why I will more than likely put the grafts for procedure two in the same spot in the front. I'm sure I have enough donor grafts for a third and maybe a fourth procedure and one day I might use those for the crown but for now since I will have invested $18,000 for these two procedures I'm going to stop.

I also understand that the crown takes a lot more grafts than the front due to the swirl pattern. I researched HT's for three months before I took the plunge but one thing I somehow didn't learn was most people go in for more than one procedure for the desired results. I thought after the first procedure that was it so you can imagine my surprise the day of surgery when I went in and the doctor said "today we are only going to address your front". I didn't say anything because after all he was the doctor and I didn't want any tension right before the surgery. Now after more than six months on the forum I see where multiple procedures is common place.

So as much as I'd like to be rid of the piece completely I think a good compromise to my situation is to put a piece the size of a baseball on the crown. The crown is the EASIEST place on the head for a hair piece to look natural anyway. That will be a piece of cake compared to what I've gone through for the past 20 years. I can always hope that the results from the first transplant are adequate enough and I can use the next ones on the crown. : )

Bill - Managing Publisher · #6 **Top** 11-14-2007, 11:44 AM

TTDS,

i was unaware you wore a hair piece, sorry about that.

I think your strategy sounds like a good one. Only you will know whether or not you will be satisfied with what hair transplantation can offer you in the crown. For me, my crown is thinner yes, surrounded by ultra thick sides and back, but I compromise that by keeping the sides and back short and the hair on top longer.

Though my crown is still thin - it's not nearly as obviously thin, and as one girl asked me who does not know I had a hair transplant:

"You used to have a bald spot in the back of your head and now it's gone".

Bill

balody · #7 **Top** 11-15-2007, 04:04 AM

i think ted danson wears/wore a crown piece.if i were in your position i think id go for crown and then as Bill said keep the sides and back short.is it you are concerned about going from a full looking hairpiece to a thinner looking actual head of hair?if so i think i would rather have my own thinner hair and be free of the system,but then i cant comment as ive never worn one.are they good these days?does anyone post pics on this part of the forum? its my first time here.

Time to do something · #8 **Top** 11-15-2007, 04:44 AM

They do look much better today if you get a good quality one. Mine looks like the hair is growing from my scalp and I can brush it back and even people I've told I'm wearing it can't believe it, and these are people that would be totally honest with me. However, they are a major pain as far as maintenance goes and they are expensive to upkeep and if you don't maintain them they will look really bad. That is why I got a HT to be rid of the maintenance and occasionally wondering if someone might know.

I believe you are right I think I read somewhere a long time ago that Ted Danson wore a crown piece. I remember maybe back in the 80's he was going bald on the crown but today I think he has hair there. Anyway it is six on one side and half a dozen on the other. I can think of pros and cons on both sides.

PCC · #9 **Top** 11-16-2007, 10:07 PM

Yes, Ted Danson wore a crown only hair system during the "Cheers" era. This was revealed on the series finale. His hair has gone completely white as he has gotten older. On that current show he's in, the legal one with Glenn Close, it looks very full. So it would look like he's still wearing one or "had some work done".

Phil

Time to do something · #10 **Top** 11-17-2007, 06:19 AM

Phil,

I just read your biography and WOW! You have been through a lot! Thanks for posting on my thread. I am 46 years old and live in Orlando but have property on a lake in Umatilla. Trust me my experience with hair pieces has been up and down. Sometimes they look really good and others they don't. They are a ton of maintenance which is one reason I decided to ditch it. I had my first HT in July with Dr. Epstein in Miami. I'm glad I waited all these years before doing it because the technology has improved so much and also by this point I believe I've lost all the hair I'm going to lose. I'm sort of nervous and don't know what to expect but I'm hoping for the best for the final outcome. The doctors you are going to are supposed to be among the best but Dr. Epstein is also one of the best in the country and specializes in repair work so you might want to think about checking him out as well.

Right now my dilemma is going to be to decide where to put the next grafts. Do I put them on the crown or in the front where the first ones went to thicken it up. I guess I won't have an idea on how thick it will be until January. If I decide to put them in the front then I'll use a lace piece on the crown. Maybe one day when hair cloning is perfected I'll use that for the crown. Although I'm told I have enough hair left for a third and maybe fourth procedure. I had 2520 grafts in July and that is the number for the second procedure as well.

Have you ever worn a piece? The lace ones are pretty undetectable and my doctor and stylist tell me that many people who don't have enough grafts for the crown use what grafts they have to concentrate on the more critical front region and put a lace piece on the crown. After wearing one that went from the front to the back for 20 years (I had to shave part of the top of my head to accommodate it) a crown piece should be a piece of cake. So if you are trying to conserve grafts and plan on moving some around it might be worth thinking about concentrating as many of them as you can in the front and wearing a lace piece on the crown. You could experiment with it to see what you think. The guy that cuts my hair here in Orlando would probably be glad to cut you a crown piece to experiment with. Also there is a place online called toplace.com that you can order from. They quoted me $190 for two crown pieces and these last around four to five months after that the hair doesn't look as fresh in my opinion. I hope some of this gives you some food for thought. Take care.

Larry

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