Gubter

Does anyone have pictures of people who have gone through with FUT with tricho closure and then buzzed their hair to a grade #2 or #3? I have read some stories online about people buzzing their hair to a grade #2, but it seems that most people reckon they can go to a #3 or #4 - however there is very little photographic evidence of this? Cheers!

If we put the money cost aside - does anyone have an estimation of how many, if any, more grafts one would be able to get from the donor by first maxing out on STRIP and then getting the rest via FUE as opposed to first maxing out on FUE and afterwards if neccessary going the STRIP route? The advantage of this would be that someone who has only done FUE will still have the option of buzzing the hair if it turns out that one cannot get acceptable coverage in the end as the hair loss progresses. That leaves the option of backing out from HT. Whilst the STRIP-->FUE route might be cheaper and quicker, it will not give you that option. But people keep saying that FUE yield is not as good as strip yield, so how big of a difference do you experienced users reckon the different routes will have?

Great reply!

Sparky; As I don't have a clinic set up in my home providing pictures of clients that does not come from companies could be difficult. However here is a study of lasers as a stand alone treatment for hair loss that includes som pictures: http://www.overmachogrande.com/index.php?/omg/studies/long_term_1_year_results_of_lllt/ The main reason I believe in lasers however is the fact that a few years ago when I was told by a laser clinic that they could halt my hair loss and give me regrowth that lasted for at least five years, all I had to do was pay up $7000. I was young, desperate and didn't know better so I paid them. And the truth is that I experienced a lot less shedding after a few months. But as soon as I started going less frequently than two times a week, my hair started falling out again. And in the end after one years treatment my hair was worse than before. However I am certatin that as long as I went twice a week - the lasers did have some kind of effect on my hair loss. Now I have my own laser helmet with 350 diodes that I use three times a week in conjunction with finasteride and minoxidil. I'm not saying this is going to magically regrow all my hair, but I believe the lasers have a role in slowing down my hair loss, just like fin and minox. But of course, just as with all hair loss treatments today, different people are going to react differently to it. For some it may work well, for others it might be useless.

Actually I believe that a powerful laser treatment (as in not hairmax) can be beneficial in the treatment of hair loss. I am not saying it will regrow all your hair, but rather maybe help to slow down the rate of loss. I've read a lot of stories online where people reckon it has been beneficial - and as it seems safe enough I incorporated it in my regimen which now consists of finasteride, minoxidil and a 350 diode laser helmet that I use 3 times a week for 20 minutes per session.

tarepanda; I have been using concealers for the past 2-3 years. They are simply not good enough anymore as there is not enough hair left. And I am not comfortable with my huge forehead.

Largechris; Oh and congratulations on your awesome HT-reults. Looks amazing!

largechris; Thank you for replying. I would not really consider 36 being too young. I mean what is really an appropriate age for a hair transplant? I believe my final balding pattern is quite firmly etablished, and I want to be able to enjoy my younger years without worrying about hair loss. Why would I still not be a good candidate? As my balding pattern is about NW6, I am not a candidate for a dense packed low hairline.. But what would be so wrong about a mature NW2ish hairline with medium density? It does not really seem that there is not enough donor to achieve this and at the same time being able to have enough hair for eventually doing some crown work as well. Could you also please elaborate on what "no scar" means? How short can you actually shave down without it being obvious?

Byron; Cheers mate! I am truly sick of this and really need to find a solution. Am going back and forth between a transplant and a hair piece every other hour. Mainly what is making me hesitant about going for the transplant now are all the clinics that are doing research on a-cell. In about a years time there should be some definite data on how well it works. And then it might be possible to have a transplant without the risk of scarring. Although it would probably cost a hell of a lot and take several sessions (I believe Dr. Cooley charges $10 a graft today. Does anyone else have any usefull information which might help me come to any kind of decision? Especially young guys who have experience from transplants and hair pieces?

I have had contact with a few different surgeons and right now Dr Cooley and Dr humayun are my top picks. Dr cooley because it seems that he is one of the best, and Dr Humayun because of his prices. And I know that as I am young and have aggressive loss that I have to be careful with my donor, and can't really afford wasting it. But I think Dr Humayuns result look really good, he seems to have won prices for hair line designs and held lectures at the ISHRS and he is recommended by this site. So it would still seem like a safe choice. Or do you more experienced users see something that I am missing on this one? I have also been in contact with Dr. Madhu - but have not yet recieved a reply.

Byron; Normally I would probably say thank you... but come on lets be honest with each other... My forehead is both high and wide, and I have thinning all over the head with extra thinning at the crown. This is very significant loss, especially at my age. I need to recreate a mature hairline and add some density on top to be able to look like someone who is not balding. Wb280; Yes, but with scalp pigmentation the scar can become almost invisible even when shaved down - but I guess if you're looking for it you would still find it. Probably would not bother me too much though. And hopefully it wont have to come to that with new treatments down the line. The only thing that makes me feel hesitant about a transplant is that in about one years time we will know how well A-cell hair duplication (formerly known as autocloning) works. If it's a success I might have been able to get a transplant with NO scar, although it would probably need several expensive sessions.

End of the day I have realised that I have to do something about this now. I can't keep walking around and not feeling confident because of my hair, having it on my mind all day long, waking up with anxiety, and even having it affect my social life. Believe me I have tried to just get over it, but I have not been able to. This all started about six years ago, and I am sure that I would feel exactly the same in another six years if I don't do anything about it. So instead of walking around and feeling sorry for myself I have decided to do something about it. As it is, it seems the two viable options are a hair transplant or a hair piece. I have been in contact with the clinic of a surgeon recommended by this site, and they basically said that if hair loss is affecting my life then it is reasonable to proceed with a transplant. They did recommend strip, as it would give the best results and FUE causes diffuse thinning in the donor area which is not something good when it comes to possible future transplants. And also with the use of a-cell I have heard that the strip scarring is usually minimal. They did recommend about 2500 grafts which should restore me to a NW2-vertex, which is something I would be happy with. I believe if I stay on my regimen then it is reasonable to believe that I would not suffer from excessive thinning over the next few years. I realise that this would probably not give me perfect density back, but I am hoping that it will be enough to make it look okay on it's own and possibly really good with some dermmatch/toppik in it. The clinic has also said that the results would not look unnatural even if some further thinning would occur, it would just look thinner but that at least I wont be completely bald. Worst case scenario that I can see is if the transplant would be too thin in a few years time, I could always go for scalp pigmentation, which I have seen in real life and it is really a very effective treatment to cover scars - making them almost invisible. And because I don't want this to be a discussion about scalp pigmentation I will just say this: There are good scalp pigmentation clinics out there that do look very natural, especially if there is still some hair left on the head (like if one has had a transplant) and that are also 100 % reversible. As I said I have also seen them and I think they are definately very realistic as long as it is not used to create a new hairline where there is no hair. And this would be my last resort - which I hopefully would not have to go to if finasteride kept it's effectivness and then in a few years we'll have new treatments like histogen, A-cell hair duplication (formerly known as autocloning), hair multiplication etc. The other option is to wear a hair piece, but naturally I would be much happier if I was able to keep my own hair. And also it feels like I would give up on the hair I still have left, and I would not be able to use my laser helmet or minoxidil on it. Which might keep stalling the hair loss untill better treatments come out. So I'm still asking from input from all you guys with a lot of experience. I believe that I have realistic expectations. I realise that this is not a one-stop cure, but I will have to stay on medication and might need an additional transplant in a few years time. I also realise that it is important to pick the right surgeon. I am not comfortable with having thin hair, and feel like I do have to do something about it. Would it still be stupid to get a transplant at my age and with my degree of hair loss?

Sparky; Would you mind explaining exactly what it is you regret about it? Are the results unnatural or is it having the scar at the back of the head that is making you unable to shave that is bothering you? Also what surgeon did you have a HT with and how long ago was it? As I know that I am thinning in a NW6 pattern. If I would plan for loosing it all (even though with finasteride and future treatments I might not have to) then I don't really understand the issue with further progression. As I have seen some transplants done on people who actually are NW6 - if they are candidates, I don't understand why I wouldn't be because of my age - just because I might be a NW6 one day. Maybe I'm missing something here?

Moro; Cheers mate... I actually buzz it a lot closer now, and it's not really a look I am comfortable with. I belive most people actually look better with buzzed heads as opposed to shaved heads. And it makes me think that maybe a strip scar wouldn't be so bad after all. If I wouldn't want to shave my head anyway, I could just keep it buzzed short enough to still cover the scar, right? And that is just if I can't stop further loss and it will still progress and nothing else have come on the market in 5-10 years.