fortune11

As I said before, Dr Feller deserves a big thank you in my book for provoking this intellectual discussion between experts. I mean seriously , how many threads do you need to read where everyone is congratulating and hi-fiving everyone else ( that has its place too btw) . FUE vs FUT debate generally devolves into a shouting match at some point down the road so no surprise there but Dr Feller managed to get some significant points across in between. Now we do need to open up a new thread to discuss that crown stretching topic as it relates to FUT !

Great result , super early too (only 8 most) !

I don't think expanding crowns are the "closeted secret " Raj_Jayukdht makes them out to be. This is something I have seen discussed on several other threads in the past. Hell, when I got my very first HT / FUT back in 2004 , I had chuckled on this forum that it seems like I got a facelift of sorts , at least for the first few weeks , then it went away. Jayukdt's post only tells me that he had a lot of pain post op during FUT , which was not there during FUE -- That in itself is a poor justification for choosing one over the other , in my opinion. And of course the scar, the scar , the scar ... that is what it comes down to isn't it. matt 1978 gave a good explanation on the crown expansion but I would really like to hear on this topic from Dr Feller since he is truly an authority on this subject given his vast experience. This thread is so alive and full of focus from a large number of forum readers that it doesn't make sense to dilute it by starting another thread for just this sub topic. My 2 cents , and I admit I am way low on the totem pole of FUT / FUE knowledge --- if you are NW5-6 or higher, scalp laxity may play as big a role in the success of FUT transplants as coarse hair plays in the success of FUE transplants (atleast all the exceptional cases from the European side seem to always have coarse hair for some reason). A high NW with tight scalp would have little recourse as if he goes the FUT route for more yield / donor supply, he may end up expanding his crown area, but if he goes the FUE route, it may not give enough number of grafts to achieve meaningful coverage.

Gq is anything but a gossip Hollywood tabloid , that label is more apt for something like the people magazine. I compare it more to how the "preppie" publications were in the decades past . Gq correctly called the nouveau hipster trend a few years back as well. For the record I am not anti fue , I am considering fue for my next transplant. But the fact is , hair styles do play a role even in recipient hair placement decisions, not just the extraction method. In any case, movie actors generally are the leading indicator in fashion situations, I would not be generally dismissive.

"baller status" is what I say

true that , voxman ! I think the short hair styles and shaved look really took off with the fast and furious franchise movies in the early 2000s , 10-15 years is about right , length of time wise, when trends start to change again.

Interesting story in GQ ... If what they claim is true and the trend catches on , then it will also have implications on desired hair transplant methodology ( ie. choice of FUT vs FUE) http://www.gq.com/story/jake-gyllenhaal-ewan-mcgregor-kit-harington-beard-hair?mbid=social_twitter From the article ... SAY GOODBYE TO THE DON DRAPER HAIRCUT According to Sposito, he’s seen a steady decline in clients asking for the short back and sides in recent months. “It’s the counterpoint to Mad Men and everything being so clean,” he says. “It’s what we’re calling the midlength trend. It’s contained and has the shape, but guys don’t want to comb their hair any more. The subtle imperfection makes it more masculine.” “What men nowadays is versatility,” continues Losi. “They want to go to work during the week and relax during the weekend, but if you’re hair isn’t long enough it just turns into a mushroom. With this you can do what you want.”

FUE , because I consider myself "stripped out " after three FUSS . However, if I was going for my very first one, knowing I am headed for NW6 destiny, , I would have probably picked FUT again.

Dr Feller -- The point about recipient site trauma vs donor site trauma makes a lot of intuitive sense , thank you . How about the point raised by Voxman that repeated FUT strips lead to enlargement of the crown area ? I ask because I have been through multiple strips myself. And while I am satisfied with the growth in the recipient area, I have always had this nagging suspicion that my crown bald spot kept enlarging and " dropping back and lower " with each successive transplant. Now granted , I was not on propecia up until now so that may have just been the natural progression of MPB but I would like to hear from you on this topic. For the record , this continues to be a very useful discussion at least in my mind , and especially for all of those considering their next procedure -- just need to ignore all the posts that do not contribute to advancing an argument (in either direction).

t00ktheplunge -- One important item with hair transplants is the illusion they create of more density than is actually transplanted (what some others here refer to as the "shingle" effect ) . Generally a transplant is always meant to look better in the face view as opposed to top down view. If you see my pictures , you will see what I am saying. From the front , my density appears near full but when you look at it top down, you can see scalp peeking out through in between the hairs. Nothing wrong with this as in your daily life routine , most people are not going to look at your head from top down anyways. In your specific case, I do think the hairline needs more work . Your growth actually seems better in the midscalp section than at the very front. Hence the enhancement of the front view is not as much as would otherwise have been. This is why I always believe that whenever you have a big enough virgin bald area to cover, it is always best to go for as big a session as possible to achieve the desired look as otherwise it can mean you are still waiting for that second transplant to get a semblance of normal but balding hair. What you can do in the meantime is use something like toppik hair fires to bulk up the front , although it will take some decent practice doing that.

I had a transplant w Ziering (himself) and count me as one of his satisfied customers. While his staff is definitely more salesy than other clinics (although ultimately they are all incentivized more or less the same), but I don't doubt the doctor's skills for a second. He is actually quite humble and down to earth in person despite what image you may perceive from the marketing effort /ads. Like you my main concern back then was staying local in the LA area. Over the years , I have been to both Shapiro and Ziering btw for my HTs ,

I have been following this thread and it is fascinating . I mean how many threads on any forum in the world on any topic have a veteran medical practitioner engage in passioned and open discussion like this ? While it is always good to maintain a courteous environment , If some feathers get ruffled , so be it . And I have to agree w KO's recent post. In general it is better to see doctors (and their official reps) defend their logic and techniques and not some perceived slight to one of their patients. We are all adults here and should be able to take care of ourselves. I personally would love to hear the other side of the argument from another medical practitioner , maybe Dr Bhatti can help us with that.

Dr Feller -- I have a comment on this part . While I agree that FUT is the better route for max coverage (personally gone through 3 of them myself) , if max coverage is the intent, it is better to go for a mega FUT session (or two) right at the outset . My scar healed alright after the 1st and 2nd FUTs, but by the time #3 happened , scalp laxity had decreased considerably and my scar healing path is not the same as it was for the earlier 2 . As a result I am being forced to cut my sides at least #5 as opposed to #3 or #4 before and even at that length some part of the scar is visible (to a trained eye atleast). So this is certainly a potential drawback to multiple FUTs. Having been "stripped out " now is probably the right time for me to switch over to FUE. To be clear , I am very happy with my choice of going w FUT as my graft coverage has been excellent (for a NW6 diffuse) and something I likely could not have achieved with just FUE. On a different topic that was touched upon earlier -- On the hairstyles , I do realize the current trend is for shorter hair (and maybe even shaved look) -- but the Fast and furious franchise inspired looks will not always be in fashion and ultimately you would rather have more hair than less. Opting for FUE just because you are scared of the scar means waving the white flag even before the fight has begun.

What a transformation. We can debate extraction techniques (FUE / FUT) to death, but ultimately surgeon skill is paramount, this result is a solid proof of that, esp given the hair characteristics here . Great result, one can only imagine how crazy good it would have been if the patient had coarse / thick / black hair .

I actually found it to be the exact opposite , at least my my case . My transplants from 11 and 4 years ago took a good 1.5 - 2 years to fully mature and hair looked thicker as the time went on. Maybe it just depends on one's physiology .

One reservation I have with doing scalp laxity exercises at 8-9 months post op is due to the increased width of the scar in one particular area (behind the right ear) , as I mentioned earlier in the thread . Dr Ron has suggested giving it the full year to see how it heals and adjusts further. Not sure if doing scalp laxity exercises will interfere with that healing process. Maybe it won't, but I may choose to play it safe here. Regardless , if I am opting for an FUE as my fourth and (hopefully) last procedure , do you still think scalp laxity exercises are needed ? I thought they were relevant only in case of FUSS where the donor area needs to be stitched back together . Thanks for the suggestion though and look forward to your comments.

I can totally understand the point about frontal hair and the shingle effect . My own transplanted hair looks very thick when viewed from the front and sides but if you look top down , you can see it is thinner . The optical illusion that angling and layering creates via the hands of a skilled surgeon is what makes a small donor supply go a long way . The crown unfortunately does not benefit from this.

Janna / Garageland / Pete -- thanks for the encouraging comments ! I am really looking forward to seeing it grow out fully. Then one last pass for the crown if needed.

Thanks David. I am also on propecia now for 5 months going , so thinking thats also having an impact , perhaps on the margin .

That should be a life altering transformation , can totally see it coming : ) You have the right approach -- if I had to go back and do it all over again, i would totally maximize number of grafts doable in the first pass, instead of doing it piecemeal in 3 steps as I ended up doing . All the best for your surgery

There are a few other angles - all in outdoor lighting , all 6 months post op.

These are pre op (first) , during surgery (second) and day 3 post op (third and fourth) to give you context .

I am 10 days away from 6 months post op for this procedure , thought I would update the group on the progress. One pic is outdoor lighting (bright sun) , another is under an indoor floodlight. Generally I am seeing some growth , but still think fairly early. Lot of the new hair are fine and baby like, sticking out here and there so hard to style and keep organized , I do use some conditioner (non thickening) to help with that . Recall my 1921 FUT grafts were concentrated on the midscalp, nothing on the core area of the crown. For context i am a NW 5-6 diffuse thinner , prior HTs #1 and #2 were focused on the hairline and portion of the midscalp. From the hair texture of what is remaining on my head , I can tell you that nearly all of what you see is transplanted hair on top. The length in the back is #5 , enough to keep most of the scar concealed , although there is still some shock loss behind the right ear that I haven't recovered yet . There is also a ~ 3 cm length scar portion on the right where the scar is a little wider (5+mm) than the rest of it , but at this length , it is somewhat concealed . I am going to give it the full year to see how it heals further . Also posting some pre op and immediate post op next .

Citizenkage --- Dr Wong is a great choice . Take advice on your hairline from the doctor. He will know more seeing you in person than what any of us here can tell you. My 2 cents - given your loss , start at the front , high hairline and then work back mid scalp. In the first pass , you will NOT be able to cover the crown completley . But once you see the rest of your head fill up and a nice frontal frame to your face with lush hair , you will probably forget about the minor bald spot that is the crown, especially in your mid 30s . It may not be as obvious now , but our perspectives change dramatically once we start to see hair where there was none before . Just being able to put styling gel and comb it in different ways will be a source of daily excitement for you . Then if you still need it, you could do a second pass FUE (or FUT depending on donor laxity) to fill in the crown. I personally went to Shapiro in Minnesota . And I live in Southern California .

Gillenators post really puts everything into perspective. Kudos sir. MikeTheDane -- let me give you my perspective , since at 28 , I was nearly your current age when I got my first hair transplant , and now I am 40 having gone through 3 of them. I actually think as you get older and closer to my age, a high hairline (like the one you have now in your second posted link) , looks better -- makes you look mature and professional . When I got my first HT, I could have opted for a younger hairline , but my good doctor (Shapiro) advised me not to, and to this day i can't thank him enough for what he designed for me. A good example here is actor Jeff Goldblum. We have all seen his super thick young hair in Jurassic park back in 1993 but take a look today -- his hair is shorter, greyer and higher , but still looks handsome with his overall personality and sense of style. A hair system may get you perfect hair for age 29 , but you have to also ask yourself , will you still like that perfect look when the rest of your body starts to age and when you are 40, 45 or 50. I guess the good thing is , you can always change the system out for another one , although the change may be a little more abrupt, I am not familiar enough to know if you can gradually "age" hair systems. I wish you all the best, do keep us posted please.