sequel

Hi aaron1234, I realize that my donor area strength is very poor, and might not yield even 3.5k grafts as you correctly pointed out. This would just about give me a new hairline, or a head full of well spaced hair, and these theories too need to be validated by a certified doctor. I have tried shaved look many a times, but it dosnt really go well wid my face structure. I have a roundish face, and a shaved look makes me look like a boiled egg.... Neither does my family like me keeping a shaved head. Its also a religious issue back in India not to keep a shaved head (as per Indian tradition one shaves his head on the loss of an immediate family member). I am not married yet, and my family believes that having a shaved look does not help in finding a suitable partner. All this put together, the prime reason being the shaved look not suiting me, I guess I am not really keen on going the shaved way. I do tend to crop my hair real short at times, like with #2 or sometmes even #1 clipper, and definitely feel more comfortable that way. But I guess I really would like to get some hair now... SMP is again an option for a shaved look, but in that case I would probably rather just shave whatever I have and maintain in that way, instead of getting my head tattooed. I will discuss the SMP option with my family though and c what their opinion is. Also, I will bring it up in my next communication with the doctor. I have completely dropped the idea of getting a hair system. I realized that its really maintenance heavy, involving recurring expense. Add to that the difficulty in getting a proper hair system in India. And most importantly, the constant realization that I am wearing a hair piece would make me really conscious all the time. Just not worth the trouble. The quality of my donor hair bothers me too. I guess the best way to proceed would be to seek a personal appointment with one of the doctors I am corresponding with and seek their professional advise. My hair loss is a continuing process, that added with me suffering from retro alopecia (read only abt 3% ppl suffer from this- me being one), makes my case really weird. I am not getting my hopes really high about getting a hair transplant, but will take a final call after a little more research. I just thought of one thing, lets say I underwent a HT, and the results are not what I expected, in that case I can still shave/keep a buzzed look like I would now. I guess it would look a little better than now neway, as the transplanted hair would give some definition to the head, isnt it, or I am completely wrong in thinking this. I would be minus lotsa money, but maybe its a risk worth taking. But I will have to stick to FUE procedure in this case as the FUT scar would rule out keeping a shaved/buzzed look, as pointed out by Raphael84.

Raphael84, I can understand if anyone thinks that i would not be an ideal candidate. I can see the effect of retro alopecia in my hair loss, and the thinning of hair in the donor area is definitely a big deal breaker. I had written to Dr. Madhu as well, and his clinics opinion was "I would not be a suitable candidate"(refer to my earlier post). All hope was lost until hearing some positives from Dr. Radha and Dr. Pat which made me believe that I still just might have a fighting chance. I am not getting my hopes too high though as these opinions are bases solely on my photos seen by the respective doctors, and the opinion after a personal interaction might be for better or worse. I was discussing my considering HT with my family couple of minutes back, and we discussed if having a hair line restored but having a big bald spot just behind that was really a solution. I am 5'8", not a particularly tall person, and believe that though a new hair line would certainly improve my frontal look, it will still end up looking very weird and unnatural coz of the bald crown area. We discussed if instead of just getting a new hair line, it would make more sense to cover the entire head with whatever density we can achieve with the donor hair. I believe that a final decision on this would ultimately depend on my possibility of having a second/third HT session. However this was just a casual discussion, trying to figure out the best way to proceed. Opinions/suggestions are invited. One particularly interesting point raised by my brother was whether he can act as a donor candidate for my HT. That's very generous of him. Touchwood, he is not affected by hair loss. I understand that the body has to accept transplanted hair. But what if the donor hair was to come from my family, what with the same genes and all. Could the body accept such a transplant. Food for thought. I am going to put this question to the doctors as well, and seek their opinion on the same. Also, what abt the possibility of using body hair for HT. I have read cases where this has been done, but is it recommended? I have not/am not taking any medication for my hair loss. Call it ignorance/stupidity, I think its stupidity. Have read about Finasteride (Propecia, Proscar), Minoxidil (Rogaine, Mintop) and Nizoral/Nioxin shampoos. Are there any other medicines available for MPB. I would like to start a medication course asap, but under medical guidance. So awaiting some response from the doctors. What is the suggested way to take these/other medicines. Cartesian, Dr. Radha has certainly made quite a name for herself, attracting HT candidates for world over. I have sought advise on the possibility of a second HT session, but that would depend primarily on my donor area strength. Lets see what they suggest. Fingers crossed.

Raphael84, thank you for the support. I am uploading my latest pictures. I understand that my previous pics were with very short crop, and hence probably made it a little difficult to properly access my condition. These new ones have been taken after growing them for 35 days, and maybe will offer a better reference. In the opinion of our fellow members here, how many grafts do you think are required in my condition, considering: 1- Full Coverage 2- Frontal Coverage only What is your estimate on my donor graft strength? I have read a little about the pros n cons of FUE vs FUT here on the forum. As Raphael84 correctly pointed out, FUT would eliminate a buzzed look, but I guess I am ok wid that provided it gives me more successful grafts. Also, looks like Doctors are seldom advising FUE if the HT candidate is in of excess of NW5, in my case i am more like on the worse side of NW6, bordering NW7, or mayb alrdy there... Please correct me if I am wrong, but it looks like the success rate of FUT is higher than FUE. With my limited donor supply, I cant really take a chance with my limited precious hair (whose importance I realized a little late..very late..)..comments welcome. I will definitely post an update on my correspondence with the doctors. In the meanwhile, please keep the advises coming.

Send the email to Dr. Radha and Dr. Pat. This is what I wrote: Anything else I should ask? Also, any comments on the queries/questions raised in the email are much appreciated.

Hello friends, Sorry for the hiatus. I was awaiting reply from Dr. Radha and Dr. Pat. I had to send another mail to Dr. Pat as the earlier one bounced back. And now I have replies from both. According to Dr. Radha (she replies personally) she said I am a candidate for hair transplant, but she expects only about 2000 grafts from my donor area in view of the extensive hair loss. these would then be used to create a new hair line and used backwards till we run out of gratfs. As per Dr. Pat's clinic, (reply from assistant), I would need about 3500 grafts, which would be used in a similar manner as Dr. Radha. I am just gonna write to the two Doctors mentioning retro-alopecia and the availability of the donor grafts in view of the same. I guess I would have to exhaust all my donor supply in the first surgery itself as I have a very limited supply anyway. Also, will ask their opinion on the "hair shaft diameter" issue and the possibility of the transplanted hair shedding or loosing density because of the same. In your opinion will 2000 grafts do any good to create a new hairline?? I shall post an update on getting a reply from the doctors. Should I contact any more doctors for their opinions or should take a call based on the suggestions of Dr. Radha and Dr. Pat??

Anyone has any recommendations about where to get good hair system in India??

chrisdav, this does sound like the quickest and easiest way to resolve my hair issues. Quite literally the opposite of "Hair today..gone tomorrow".."Gone yesterday..hair today"..lol..but this is not my first preference. And mainly for two reasons..primarily coz of the social perview..of turning up wid hair all of a sudden amongst everyone who know me. I would certainly look much better, but it will be a socially awkward situation. I guess you would understand what I mean. Secondly, of finding a hair piece i like. and also, as these have a certain life, I dnt want to end up running out of the hair piece after I exhaust its life, and not being able to get the same exact one again as I would need a continuous supply for the rest of my life. One can imagine what me turning up wid a new hairstyle every six months is gonna look like.... This said, I wld still not rule out the hair piece option, provided these concerns can be addressed. If anybody here has some good reference of hair piece suppliers, please advise. Also, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I am from India, and I guess getting a good quality hair piece here is quite an uphill task. And considering the regular contact I would need with the supplier, I would prefer if he/she was easily approachable. gillenator, once again thank you for your detailed post. No, the one doctor who has reverted back yet did not mention "retro-alopecia", but just said, and i quote.. I will have to explore the "Hair shaft diameter" analysis as recommended by you. It certainly would be devastating if I did undergo HT, and then started losing the transplanted hair. I am glad I started this topic here, as I am really learning a lot here. you guys are really well informed and knowledgeable.. About laser therapy, even I havnt read many positives abt it, and it does seem like a fancy gimmick to lighten you wallet. But again, I really wish that I am wrong as it would be for my own benefit. I read about a shampoo called "NIZORAL", supposed to be a DHT inhibitor. Have you heard about this?? gillenator, I am impressed with the amount of knowledge you have about Finasteride, Minoxidil etc. I will ask the doctors about the recommended medical treatment. I will definitely discuss the same with the doctors on the first opportunity and will post my experiences here. I have written to Dr. Radha and Dr. Pathomvanich and awaiting there replies as well. I have read only positives about these two doctors on the forum, and was hoping I could end up being one of their "Before-After" promotion pictures..hahaha!!..jokes apart, I believe these were the best recommended doctors here I can reach out to with comparative ease. I plan on calling up their clinics tomorrow as a polite reminder to my email and solicit their advise. Please keep the suggestions coming, its helping a lot. Thank for your best wishes buddy.

cant decide and gillenator, thankyou for taking the time to reply. I am beginning to believe that HT might not be for me. I have written to couple of HT surgeons, and one of them has reverted with the same reply. Waiting for the others to reply, but the general opinion seems to be negative. I have tried shaved head, but it looks really odd as I have a roundish face. I hail from India, and a bald looks seldom suits our personality I didnt know abt SMP, thanks for the info. But I dont really know how its going to turn out. I fear it might look like a last ditch effort to get a look wid "very little hair" and might end up looking worse than my current self (though chances of that happening are slim..hehe). My goal is obviously to get my hair line when I was 10 years younger, (lol..), but I know thats not gonna happen. Is there any way to slow down, stop or reverse the DHT effect. I certainly suffer from some abnormal hair loss, and I guess your diagnosis is correct. I saw my pictures from 2 years and 1 year back and I cant believe how much thinning and hair loss I have suffered in the last 2 years alone, guess DHT being the culprit. I am not really enthusiastic about undergoing the FUE for framing and SMP, as I know the results would be far from I what I would like them to be, though I thank you both for the suggestions, and will certainly explore the option with the HT surgeons. Is there any other alternative to getting back some descent hair back on my head. Are there any non surgical alternatives worthwile looking at. Also, what kind of medical treatment should I adopt to at-least do some kind of damage control, although I might be too late for that.

Hello everyone, I am a 30+ guy and have been suffering hair loss for a very long time, thought I have lost majority of my hair in the last 9-10 years. In-fact, I had tell tale signs of hair loss as early as 16-17 years of age, but chose to do nothing about it then, a decision I greatly repent now having lost practically all my hair. As to why I started losing hair that early, I don't really know. My paternal side does suffer from hair loss and baldness, but no one in the family ever lost hair as early as me. As of now, I would say I am somewhere between NW 6 and 7. I have never taken any medication for my hair loss, apart from trying applying a couple of bottles of Minidoxil couple of years back, which I abruptly stopped. I believe I am past the stage where medications and hair oil can help me, and hence HT is the way to go. Considering my current hair condition, what would be the best way to proceed for me? Please advice this fellow who really misses his hair:(