These are my preop pictures. The closeup where I was 21 years old is when I started losing hair. I can't believe I had so much hair. Realistically, I don't expect to get back to there. The picture in the suit when I was 31 is where I hope to get to. I am now 36 years old. Do you think that is realistic to get back to my 31 year old picture?

__________________
Michael

HT 1-13-06 Dr. Cooley 2600 grafts

My Hair Loss Weblog

My Photo Album

Wow, looking at your 21 yr pic I would never have guessed you'd go that bald. It has that "I'll be here on your head forever look", you know? From what I've seen, you should be able to go back a few years but there are much more well versed folks on this site who you'd be well advised to communicate with.

Ifloss

Welcome to the forums, are you on any meds? It appears you are at a level of NW6/7.

Look at the patient gallery here to see the results from similar cases. Also look at some of the patients of H/W, Feller and others who can do large sessions in a single sitting to maximize you results and preserve your donor area.

Good Luck
TMAN

I can't really see your hair in the 31 year old picture that well. But, it looks like a very conservative hairline, which I think you might be able to acheive, BUT, only if you leave your crown very thin and don't expect too much density in the front. In other words, with a skilled surgeon you might be able to make a cosmetic difference. Don't expect much. You have very advanced hair loss and not much donar hair. Remember, if you are this bald at 36, you might lose more below the crown (the donar area) in the future. I don't mean to be negative, but you need to have realistic expectations.

__________________
____________
2700 Total Grafts w/ Keene 9/28/05
663 one's = 663
1116 two's = 2232
721 three's = 2163
200 four's = 800
Hair Count = 5858

1000 Total Grafts w/Keene 2/08/07
Mostly combined FU's for 2600+ hairs

My Photo Album

See me at Dr. Keene's Gallery

Telephone,

I just started 1 mg Prpecia every other day and Rogaine daily.

I'm already scheduled with Dr. Cooley on Jan.13 for 2500-3000 grafts. I plan on a couple of sessions if donor hair is sufficient.

Gorpy,

I'm with you on the realistic expectations. I'd just like some coverage. I'd love to have to use a hair dryer again.

__________________
Michael

HT 1-13-06 Dr. Cooley 2600 grafts

My Hair Loss Weblog

My Photo Album

HI ifloss and welcome to the forums.

It's difficult to tell since your pic at 31 only shows the hairline, but with your amount of hairloss, I would say it would be impossible to obtain a thick head of hair again, but I'm sure, depending on your donor area, that you could definately restore a very conservative hairline, and a thin top. I'm glad to see that you started on Propecia...though I don't know what help Minox will be for you at this point....you could always try it, but it may end up being a waste of money at this point. It seems that you are just about a NW7 or heading that way...so be extra careful on who you select as a doc and be realistic as to what they can do for you.

Bill

__________________
Managing Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog and the Hair Loss Forum and Social Community

Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Subscribe to our Newsletters | How We Recommend Physicians

-----

To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

With all due respect, 1mg procecia won't do anything, except be a waste of your time & money. I wouldn't even bother with propecia, but if you have your heart set on it, I'd go for 2.5 to 5mg a day. Better yet, go with Avodart at .5 to 1mg a day & 5% Xandrox twice a day. Use Nizoral 3x a week & consider an anti estrogen like Femera. The most important thing, even more important than a HT, is to keep the hair you have from falling out. I'm the same age as you are & if I hadn't fought tooth & nail to keep my hair, I'd be N5 to N6 by now or worse. Please look into Avodart at least & good luck.

__________________
6544 grafts - Dr Hasson 11/30/05

Good luck ifloss. Dr. Cooley is one of the best. I'll be interested to see how much he can actually get. Your sides look a little thin. I would be surprised if he could get 3000. But, you never know. I would like some hair to comb in front also, so I'm hoping I have decent growth. Let us know how it goes.

__________________
____________
2700 Total Grafts w/ Keene 9/28/05
663 one's = 663
1116 two's = 2232
721 three's = 2163
200 four's = 800
Hair Count = 5858

1000 Total Grafts w/Keene 2/08/07
Mostly combined FU's for 2600+ hairs

My Photo Album

See me at Dr. Keene's Gallery

Qwert,

The regimen I'm using was suggested by Dr. Cooley. I failed to mention Nizoral Shampoo every day. My impression was that this would help me maintain what I have. You seem pretty definitive about your reccomendations, are you a physician? Is there research to support the reccomendations you are suggesting? This is an honest question from someone who's just trying to learn.

__________________
Michael

HT 1-13-06 Dr. Cooley 2600 grafts

My Hair Loss Weblog

My Photo Album

Ifloss,

Welcome to our forum. As you can see their are plenty of knowledgable patients who are willing to advice. I do think you can re-establish a hairline that is even more strong than that shown in your photo at age 31. However, I do not think you can realistically restore more than light coverage in your crown area.

When I first saw your photo the words "life isn't fair comes to mind". I too lost my hair early on and I felt it was so premature.

I also thought Pushing 40's response "Wow, looking at your 21 yr pic I would never have guessed you'd go that bald." is a very interesting comment for young men who are just starting to go bald to consider. Far too many young men who have just begun loosing their hairlines will try to dense pack their hairlines and temporal recession back to where they were at age 18.

Fortunately most ethical surgeons will not take their money to do this because they know it is not in the patient's long term best interest. If young person's hair loss does progress like Ifloss then if the patient did agressive hair transplantation they will have used up valuable donor hair in creating a young hairline that will not work with the patient's future hair loss.

One heavily promoted and touted physician in Toronto who is not recommended on this site is well known for doing such agressive hair transplantation on young patients. I advice young men to avoid jumping the gun.

Ifloss I suggest you consult with as many leading surgeons as you feel comfortable in meeting with. Members of the Coalition are very carefully screened and are doing the most refined and advanced surgeries. I suggest consulting with one of them.

Best wishes, Pat

__________________
Never Forget - It's what radiates from within, not from your skin, that really matters!

My Hair Loss Blog

View some of the Leading Hair Transplant Clinics that I have visited.

Sharing is what keeps this community vital. Please join in. To learn how I restored my hair and started this community, click here.

Follow our Community on Twitter.