fortune11

I personally think we are giving this thread way too much credit than it deserves ( I am guilty of the same by replying here). This is nothing but a bonafide rant by someone maybe stuck in a past decade and who is heavily biased in many ways against entire sets of doctor, countries , and cultures. Not sure what we have to gain by trying to change the OP's opinion. Also it is not that newbies are going to be influenced by this in droves and head to those two doctors (who may be legit , I am not saying otherwise) over all the other sensible choices that are available the world over.

YoshiYo - congrats on the early growth. I also really like your conservative hairline, which seems to frame your face well (atlas from the picture you have shown) and hopefully leaves enough donor supply for any future work if needed .

Look forward to your report Joe.

You nailed it . While you may not have had any HT experience so far , this paragraph itself is worthy of a "sticky " .

Good to see your growth Sunny Cool 3. I am at the five month mark w/ Dr Shapiro and will likely post my update at month 6 . Your results are looking phenomenal already , you are giving 1978matt competition in terms of the "wow " factor before and after ... : )

I had 3 prior FUTs and in each case I was able to go back to work within 8 days of the procedure . No one was wiser . How did I do it ? By growing my hair longer around the area being worked upon. Mind you I also don't have the luxury of thick coarse hair - my hair is actually very fine , so it was more challenging . Depending on your hair characteristics , you may have an easier / more difficult time with concealment . FUE was not an option for me as I already have a linear scar from FUT 10+ years ago . But if you are starting out for the first time, do give FUE serious consideration. If you are an eventual NW 5+ or 6 , FUT is the most reliable way you will be able to get decent coverage enough to frame your face , but even there you may have to compromise your crown coverage.

Joe has a very valid point about patient demand , and it is hard to argue with that . In my opinion, why patient demand is trending the way it is has a lot to do with age . Now , below is just based my casual browsing of forums over the years so please don't ask me to provide with exact %s and statistics , I don't have any and I am not an expert . I also don't have any affiliation with any doctors. If you look at the hair transplant cases from the 2000s and late 90s what do you see ? Mostly high norwoods , older patients with money, mostly in the US and UK . Younger people in their 20s couldn't afford an HT surgery. Consequently , the need for higher number of grafts . Older patients are also unlikely to shave their heads and they value every single graft . Fast forward to now -- who are the HT patients ? A lot younger . A lot more global. Low NW cases . Filling in temples . Thickening their hairline so they can look perfect on that night out on the town w/ their buddies. It is cheaper and affordable. And more mainstream now , as more and more celebrities as known to have (soccer stars in Europe etc. ) . In that sense, for a young guy, it has become more of a "touch up " cosmetic surgery without the headache of having to avoid the gym for weeks (as with FUT) and without the need to grow their hair longer . Myself , an older patient in 40s, personally have had successive FUTs and will have an FUE as my last procedure . Given my state of hair loss (diffuse bordering on NW6), this was what I found appropriate for me . But if I was a young patient needing a "touch up " , would I go for an FUE right away ? Maybe yes. But then again, what is a "touch up" need today can quickly turn into a full scale restoration job as your hair keeps falling over the years. This is especially true of some young patients who dont want to go on a regular medication regimen as they get scared (rightly or wrongly so) of the perceived sexual side effects. For the younger patients who want the "optionality " of being able to shave their heads , there is this blunt and obvious fact -- not all of you will look good with a shaved head as the rest of your body ages and your waistline expands . You expect to be as fit as you are now in your 40s and 50s and many of you will be , but a lot of you will hate that shaved look and you will wish why didn't I save my donor for a bigger HT.

Joe -- I recall a very good post on your internet blog (this ~ 4 months ago) , that compared FUE to FUT , and the reasons why FUE was growing had more to do with its commercial viability than hair growth-related merits. In that article you went into great detail about easy it was to setup FUE clinics for relative novices, compared to the more surgically involved FUT setups . Maybe my recollection is only partially correct , or maybe I am mistaken, but I went back and tried to pull that article up but could not find it . Has it been removed ? Thanks .

Last picture is "wet " and after HT, isn't it . What are we missing ? The patient must be very happy with this result , beautiful hairline work --- doesn't matter if it 3,500 , 4000, or 3000 . Complaining about this is splitting hairs , no pun intended .

All three are jedi masters , you really cannot go wrong with any of them , maybe other factors such as travel / convenience come into play here . Personally I have been through 2 HTs w Dr Ron . His hairline work was phenomenal during my HT #1 --- just 1600 grafts used and he made every single one of them count . It has stood the test of time (more than a decade now) .

Awesome work. This is why , follicle for follicle , HT hair provides more bang for the buck over native hair -- notice how the front looks near perfect ("framing the face " ) and no one is any wiser about his hair loss . Only when you look straight down from the top (a view not often available to other people in daily routine) -- can you see his scalp in between the transplanted hairs. This is excellent placement / angle .

I just underwent my HT #3 with Dr Ron , and waiting on results, just 2.5 months post op at the moment -- this time focused on the mid scalp area . Unfortunately I am a NW 5-6 diffuse thinner and have lost most of my native hair on the top by now . So whatever I have left (hairline and frontal third , which i comb back to cover) is thanks to my prior 2 HTs (1600 FUT, and then 2000 FUT) . I have successively "chased " my hair loss with modest sessions each time as opposed to waiting for hairloss to completely mature and then going through a big mega session . In hindsight , I wouldn't have done this any differently.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178246-dr-ron-shapiro-recent-fut-my-hair-transplant-3-a.html Above is the link which has my photo from 2004, after the first HT (Dr Ron Shapiro) . I was 28 back then. My hair loss started when I was 19 . It first began as a bald spot on the crown but then quickly evolved into a diffuse pattern all over the scalp and I hated the "see through hair " look , it also made styling very difficult .

Joe Tillman is absolutely correct. Count me among the 30% who had donor shock loss , but fortunately it wasn't big enough to be noticeable . Actually if you have 4 weeks off from work and don't have a scar from any prior FUT surgery , don't see why FUE would be ruled out as an option . Lot of patients I have seen here on this board recovered quite nicely in 4 weeks . You just need to start wearing your hair short before the surgery , such that change in appearance post surgery is less noticeable .

Congratulations MoP85. The post op pic looks very clean with good placement of grafts . The toughest job is the long wait now ! Would be curious to see how the growth / coverage evolves given the type of hair .

All my 3 HTs (strips) were into existing hair since I am a diffuse thinner (NW 5+) . Look for my posts from 2011 and then recently. I first started with firming up my hairlines back in 2004 , then added some bulk to the frontal third (2011) , and most recently filled into the mid scalp area . My native hair continued to fall in the meantime (I did not take any meds until now) -- so what I have left now on top is pretty much grafted hair from HT #1 and HT # 2 and I am awaiting growth from my current HT #3 (am 2.5 months post op) .

Saw your pre op and compared it to this one -- what a transformation ! looks like you went through a time machine in reverse : ) . Dr Ron does work wonders with hairlines that withstand the test of time and aging . He did mine too more than a decade ago and I can't thank him enough for his foresight and artistry.

Dr Paul and Janna -- Thanks for the detailed insight into your technique , I found it very useful. I received an FUT 2+ months ago from Dr Ron and am looking into another , final HT session perhaps in a year's time which will likely be FUE into crown area . One item that wasn't obvious to me --- is the sharp punch manual or motorized ?

Wow ... this is one case that will be followed eagerly on this board -- megasesh , do keep us posted . And congratulations on taking such a big step forward !

My first HT was purely focused on hairline . Second was focused on frontal third and some hairline and this third HT is focused purely on mid scalp . I have not addressed the crown area yet . There were no problems from previous transplants (all FUTs), just that I have a big scalp (sigh) and a lot of area that needs coverage . Big scalp is also the reason i absolutely cannot shave my head as it looks kinda awkward . I will go for one last HT , whenever I can find 5-6 weeks of downtime --- that will be FUE to touch up the crown . I have some donor left in the back , but not much in the sides.

Here is pic, pre op HT # 3 . The hair you see in the front is all from HT #1 and HT #2 -- while I wasn't a full on NW 5+ when I embarked on the HT journey, I know this since the HT hair is lot thicker than the miniaturized native hair , of which I have very few left in the frontal tuft area . The "height " I referred to is this visual effect . If I had combed the same hair flat down caesar style, it would probably be 1/3 of the height you see right now . donor hair is generally coarser than native hair (for diffuse thinners like me) and hence is able to stay " in definition " a lot longer throughout the day, whereas before , my native hair would quickly get messed up whenever a draft of wind would hit my head .

Janna -- great result for the number of grafts and also looks this it can stand on its own without need for further transplants. On that note, does the patient plan on any more HT in the future to add more coverage to the crown and mid scalp area ?

BlackPanther -- I understand you are nervous after your very first HT but give it time to grow and you may find it could turn out to be a good decision after all. I have been through 2HTs myself and currently in the growth phase of the 3rd one . One thing which helped me personally was changing my hair style . i used to comb the hair forward in caesar style - what that ended up doing was reducing coverage in the mid scalp area and also decreasing the "height " of my hair cover above the head. Now I am growing my hair long and combing it back . This style gives me more coverage , less see-through, and also increases this "height" , framing my face better and giving it a more professional (compared to what was before) and taller appearance . Over time , you will find that your conservative hairline will actually look better and more suited to your age . If you still feel the need to buzz your head close , there are options available in terms of FUE into scar and SMP . Nonetheless , fully shaving it down will not be an option just as your doctor said . WHile being able to shave your head may be a big thing when you are young and no doubt given your built and complexion , you will look very good in it for now --- it does get more difficult to pull off as you head into middle age and find it harder to maintain the same slick / cut physique . This is obviously my personal opinion.

I have to get a hold of this movie now just for this scene ! Anyways agree w what you guys have said . Your HT is no one else 's business . Here I will make one distinction though -- being in a marriage , you have already made the commitment and being a little more transparent will not necessarily hurt. At the GF / BF stage , no matter how serious you are , there is still some showmanship going on to impress the other person and being proactive about an HT is not going to earn you any positive points , in my opinion .

I began losing my hair at around 19 years as well and am a diffuse thinner Norwood 5+ . I got my first HT when I was 28 years, but my diffuse thinning was more pronounced than yours is by that time . One thing that I still remember now that I was told by the clinic when i got my first HT is -- if you are heading to an eventual NW5 or higher (which happens to a lot of diffuse thinners btw) , your ultimate long term outcome will be no better than how you look now , even if you were to take all the donor supply and transplant it on your scalp. So the key becomes, can medication (topical or oral) stop you from becoming a NW5 or higher ? In my case minoxidil didnt work and finasteride had side effects which made me discontinue it given I was still too young and didnt think the trade off was worth it back then. Your case may be different . I do suggest taking 1978matt's advice and seeing a respected surgeon who can evaluate your case first hand and help you plan for the future.