aaron1234

Thanks Newhair... tho it's shaved now. I'm popping those MSM pills!

Give Fin a shot for a year or so and see what it does. After that you can decide whether or not you want a HT or not. Give this time. No rush.

Awesome! Can't wait to see it in a year. Great story too btw. Very stoked for you.

Yeah, maybe give it a couple days to let the wounds from the sutures, staples heal. Here's a link to a thread I made a couple years ago with pics of me using dermmatch on my donor scar area. I'll probably be doing to the same thing again in a couple weeks when my staples are out. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/136508-concealer-donor-w-pics.html

Don't get a HT yet. Stay on FIn for at least TWO years. Especially with your rate of loss and young age.

And the fact that you are booked with Rahal will give you a great result anyways....

What do you mean conceal a transplant? Conceal the donor scar? Any procedure done by a good surgeon should result in a scar that is undetectable if the hair is grown out long enough, regardless of the color. Conceal the fact that it's a transplant? Again, a HT should be undiscernable regardless of the color if done by a good surgeon. That all being said, certain colors do better in adding to the illusion of density. The lighter the hair color, the weaker the contrast between scalp and hair. This will give the appearance of more fullness. So yes, salt and pepper hair should be great especially with the grey elements.

Yes, it's probably shock loss and maybe a little from the shaving before the donor excision. Don't worry, it'll come back. Dermmatch would be great... just wait until you get the staples/sutures removed before you start applying concealer to the donor area.

Yeah, I couldn't tolerate the foam. My skin is so sensitive that within a couple days of using it my ears became chapped and dry (I don't know how since I applied it to the balding areas on my head), not to mention my scalp was irritated. I guess the foam isn't for everyone but I'm glad you are starting to clear up.

3rd generation FUE?!? I hear the FUE 4.0 is coming out in a couple weeks. :rolleyes:

My thoughts exactly.

Yeah, overpriced for sure. They aren't surgical procedures nor should they be priced as such.

Thanks for the well wishes hairthere. And you're right about the hard part... it's so easy to think you've done it before no problem.. and then the shave/doldrums come again and you remember that it's a difficult journey. And good call about our HT histories lining up... though I'm jealous of your hair texture! Much thicker and coarser than mine. All the best bud. You were there from my first one.

Dr. Ron, Thank you for taking the time to give a write-up on micro-pigmentation. I have been eager to get other doctor's perspectives on this new technique since Dr. Rassman had begun to offer it this past year. In fact, I had a chance to discuss it with your brother in our pre-op consultation last week as I am prone to larger scars. As with FUE, I agree that caution needs to be applied to this newer potential option in fighting hair loss. You stated one thing that I would just like to be clear on. As you were saying: "In some cases the micro pigmentation enabled me to get a little more donor out because the donor area looked so much better and the new harvesting would be hidden." Is this a case where you excised a new donor strip from an area that already had micro-pigmentation done? Or do you mean that you were able to harvest more hairs (i.e. get a larger strip) because of the option to disguise the scar in the future? Much thanks!

Yup, it does.

You're just getting started. Have fun the next couple of months.

Dude, you've healed very well. Now just kick back and relax for a few months!

You might feel like something needs to be done for your hairline soon but I would avoid any doc who would recommend that approach. You're very young and maybe headed towards a NW7. Surgery right now would not be in your best interest. Take a step back and think long term. And as Spex says, "Research, research, research."

Thanks for the pics. You've definitely lost of a lot of native hair but I could still see Fin being of benefit for you. You do still have some miniaturized hairs left on top that could be strengthened. Also, Fin could help maintain your lateral humps and strengthen even the hairs in the donor region. Trust me, you want to keep as many of your natural hairs as you can. Even so, with all the loss you have at the young age of 25 (you are pretty much a NW6) you might not be a great candidate for hair transplantation. I would try the Fin for a couple years and then see where you are. Hope this helps.

Beautiful hairline work on that one Dr. Alexander.

Good to hear Dr. Umar is sticking with you on this one. It was an epic procedure that's for sure. You are coming around better than I think most expected, so hang tight. For some reason, I keep thinking SMP for you!

This is a good idea. And sometimes it is not just a single poster. There are some great threads where multiple docs contribute and offering differing perspectives. These are my favorite type of threads. The controversial ones; like shaving (where Dr. Hasson has a legendary response), or donor miniaturization (where Dr. Konior and Dr. Paul Shapiro offered great incite). Almost like a "best of" thread list.

The first thing you should do is stabilize your loss. And like or not, Fin is the best way to do it. Hair loss is progressive. If you get a great FUE transplant done it is not going to save the already miniaturizing hairs you have on top and in the crown. I think you need more grafts than a typical FUE session would allow, probably somewhere between 3-4K. FUE sessions are great but are better suited for someone with less loss. If I were you, try Fin (don't let the side-effect hype scare you) and see where that takes you. If it stabilizes and strengthens your native hair then a FUE session might be appropriate.

25 is quite young. Have you got on Finasteride? That is the first step. I would be on the that for at least two years before considering a HT. As for the best doctors a couple of rules apply: 1) Research like crazy on these forums. Look at hundreds/thousands of photos. Develop an eye for HT's. 2) Don't let travel or cost persuade or dissuade you from a particular doctor. 3) Meet with the top doctors in person as well as some of their patients in person if you can. Do you have any pics you can share with the forums?

Congrats aasyd. Dr. Lindsey does great work. Your donor area looks rich. That should help. And gotta love those open donor strip pics....