Before I start ranting,I don't mean to step on any toes.I'm just seeking some honest opinions on this subject.
I have been doing some research on getting a HT for the last year and have noticed some disturbing trends.I have yet to find some one who have had only one HT in their lifetime.A lot of the people that I do see ,have had multiple HT's before the age of 35.What I'm saying is,most of these cases have exhausted their donor area already at such a young age concerns me.What concerns me more is,seeing that quality HT's have only been around for such a short time that you never really know what the outcome will be after 30 years.To be honest,this scares the crap out of me.

I am not a whole-hearted supporter of HTs in general, however, you’ll want to keep some things in mind:
1. there are likely a lot of people here now because of further hair loss since HTs they had in the 80s and 90s. Back in ’92, when I started, a fairly common procedure was one hundred grafts ... the waste of follicles through transection must have been huge. Hence, the donor got used up with not that much to show for it.
2. The current quality HTs have only been commonly done for around 10 yrs, and some big name mills (e.g. Bosley) are still doing work that people are unhappy with.
3. If a person has, for example, a couple thousand FUs transplanted at age 25 for a hairline receding, yes, he’ll likely loose more down the road and need more work. And he may choose to continue having procedures as loss progresses.
4. The main thing to be careful about is that you don’t want to use all donor at an early age if you don’t know where it will progress to in the future ... and there is no definitive way of knowing as far as I’ve seen. Perhaps the best bet is on planning conservatively.

Anyway, its great you’ve been doing the reading, you’ll have a much better chance of a good outcome, should you go this route.

That's exactly what I'm worried about.What's the difference from this day in age and 25 years down the road?..What we do now, is going to be considered primitive.Do I want to live with that?A donor scar?I'm thinking of today like everyone else.I think this is a topic that should be talked about more often than posting say ,1 year post-ops.
I'm a hair loss sufferer like the rest of you,but I just want to talk reality.

AM I ALONE?

Thinking,

The reality is, it's very rare that you'll find someone who's had only one hair transplant that's met their goals. Sure, there are the exceptional few, typically older men with only a small amount of hair loss and minimal risks for more that can achieve their goals in a single procedure. But this is not the norm. Additionally, its highly advisable to leave enough donor hair in reserve to accomodate very possible future loss. This is all part of mapping out a long term hair restoration plan with a quality physician.

Nobody on this community is hiding the above truths. These are just realities that hair loss sufferers considering hair transplant surgery soon come to realize with research, speaking to patients and quality physicians.

Also, it's very rare that hair transplant surgery can achieve a "full" head of hair. 99% of patients have to settle for what's referred to as an "illusion of density", which typically includes good coverage and enough density to pass as "full" under most normal lighting conditions. Harsher lighting will often reveal thinning areas, especially toward the back if you've been transplanted that far.

Because future hair loss is unpredictable, hair transplant surgery does come with a certain amount of risk. Thus, those who proceed with hair replacement surgery should be aware of these risks and work with a quality physician who specializes not only in producing excellent results with high growth yield, but minimizing risks.

I do hope the above leads you into additional research in understanding the benefits and limitations of hair transplantation and what can be realistically achieved.

Best wishes,

Bill Seemiller

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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.

this is what I'm most uncertain about with regards to HTs. I've not met any HT patients that have had a good result. I only know a couple that went to bad clinincs. so I can't really picture what this 'illusion of density' is supposed to look like in person.

with regards to multiple HTs, I think you have to accept that it's a good possibility and be willing to undergo another 1 or 2 if you're considering a HT.

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My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Simmons

Megatron,

I assume you're referring to in person right? How many hair transplant patients have you met in person and what about them didn't you like?

Personally, I'd consider my hair transplant result excellent, even though admittedly, it's still thinner on top given the large area of baldness that had to be covered. But I wear my hair pretty short and still feel quite confident with the density and coverage nonetheless.

An "illusion of density" in person can vary depending on the lighting conditions. Pictures only capture hair under certain lighting conditions whereas in reality, the lighting in every room and location you go will be different. The more density you have, the thicker your hair will look under the harshest lighting. But an "illusion of density" should appear full with no signs of thinning in most "normal" lighting conditions. My hair transplant holds up pretty well even under most harsh lighting from the front. It's the crown and the area behind it that wasn't transplanted that looks thinner under the harshest lighting.

Best wishes,

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

View our hair loss articles on Hub Pages

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.

^yes, I meant in person. my one friend opted for a low number of grafts over a large area and then decided to stop using hair loss meds. my uncle's hair looks pretty good, but I think he had 4 HTs and uses product. I don't really feel comfortable asking him questions.

now that I see growth I keep trying to picture what my final hairline will look like. I'm only at 3.5m so I keep telling myself to be patient, but it's hard.

Bill, your hairline look pretty good. what's the density?

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My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Simmons