Hair2d2

Don't rush into it. Find the right doctor with the right patients with proven results. There are less out there than you may realize. As far as regrets, yes, absolutely it was a huge regret and I would always recommend trying to shave your head first and try that look out. Keep in mind that may be the end result anyway, as most people continue to lose hair regardless of medication. Though if you do it then medication is an absolute must. Have realistic goals and expectations and those should be confirmed by the doctor. If they tell you it's a one shot deal and you'll likely never need any more work done to continue to have a natural appearance then you need to run out of the shop. Also, keep in mind hair supply is limited and that you can never have more hairs on your head than you currently have so the question becomes if you move hairs from a certain location to another can you gain a better, more pleasing look? If you and a reputable doctor believe that to be the case then do what you feel is best for you man. Good luck.

Any clinic that offers lasers should just be shut down by the government for fraud. Beware of clinics that try to use things like these to increase their profits.

It is likely just the native hair around the transplanted hair falling out. This happens whether you are on Fin or not, just at a slower rate if you are on Fin. Unlikely the transplanted hair is falling out, but it is possible. This is why you hear people say HTs are like treadmills that never end. You will continue to lose hair. You will not GAIN new or more hair by getting a HT. And most importantly you will never has as much healthy hair follicles as you do today. But stick to Fin if you want to significantly slow the hair loss process.

Tried to cover too much surface, imo. You can pluck em and keep a more natural hairline until you are ready for a follow up procedure. You'll be fine after you get the gaps filled in assuming you are able to prevent future loss with meds. You have extremely thick hair which is great. You have plenty of options left.

You have very thin hair. It is difficult to have good results with this type of hair. Your hair loss pattern appears to be the same as mine and you are likely to continue to loss significantly more hair with or without Rx. With that said, Rx is an absolute must if you attempt this. I'll tell you my brief story. I went to Washington Medical Hair Clinic (Rockville MD) and received a very bad consultation. I was lied about the size of the scar. I took the bait and after going back and speaking to one of the sales people there for my appx year post op follow up I was told to just use Topik from here on out because of how thin it looked. So now I am on Rx for the rest of my life with a scar and very sparse, poorly placed grafts. The money is the least of the worries. You need to take the long term considerations of future hair loss into account. Even if you can afford and have time for multiple procedures, it will not be able to cover frontal and crown area with much density. If you are willing to sacrifice crown, take Rx, and just cover the front then find a good surgeon and go for it. I am far too familiar with your hair type and I can guarantee you that your loss will be greater as you age. But it all depends on what your expectations are and what you are going for.

This is my concern. If this is a coalition doctor then maybe we should reconsider the credibility here. I think this case deserves some explanation on method and plan. I don't know the doctor would do both FUE and FUT. And the plan doesn't seem solid anyway.

Good advice, Washington Medical Hair Clinic uses sales personnel and a website that has a gimmicky online chat that is a robot to get your contact information. These are the signs people should be cautious of before going to a place like this. Anyone with great work likes to have their name associated with the work. You won't find anyone's name, even doctors, on the WMHC website. This site is a great tool for research.

This is correct. The scarring will show.

OP you are exactly right. Sadly, many docs still put doubles or more in the hairline. The doctor needs to be artistic or have some artistic techs. A good surgeon is not enough in this field. I do think the community should demand more. Unfortunately a lot of clinics are sales focused and not focused on NATURAL looking results. Or some doctors go for thickness in one spot but forget that the rest of the head won't look natural. Stick with the top docs for now only.

Your point? I'm sure most people who count on their appearance for their pay check would do the same. That's a no brainer to me.

Michael may be correct here in terms of doctors or staff but I think VSC was saying that they are not affiliated with WMHC AKA VSA. Patrick Reynolds is the current business manager of Washington Medical Hair Clinic which oddly shares the same address as Virginia Surgical Arts. Maybe Reynolds was was a former staff member of VSC and therefore VSA is correct to say that they are not affiliated, at least not anymore but that is just a guess. I may be mistaken but it appears the address you provided simply links WMHC to VSA not Virginia Surgical Center. But that's all beside the point of the OP. A Hair Transplant procedure is a combination of art and medical expertise. The medical reputation and know how is far more important and should come from the same person that is designing the hair line or area to be touched up because only they will know what you can realistically have to give in terms of future surgeries. The initial consultation should also be done by a DOCTOR since they are the ones that will understand your medical history and the effects of the surgery. I don't like this movement that a HT is a simple procedure because anyone that has had one knows that it is far from easy and proper planning is key. It's not like getting your teeth cleaned or something. The biggest red flag of any clinic is a conveyor belt business model where the doc just does the cut and gives it to others to do as they please. It needs to be a team effort and unfortunately doctors are trying to remove themselves from the process as much as possible. That was my biggest mistake in my first HT. Results speak for themselves. If someone wasn't a doctor and was somehow amazing at performing this surgery then I'd have no problem going to them IF they had the results from years of experience to prove it.

FUE is going to thin out your donor area. I recommend longer hair because the hairs that were harvested are obviously not going to grow back and the hairs lost (shock loss) during op would be back by now.

laser treatment claiming it helps with hair loss is a fraud. I too have had this pitch made to me. Wish I would have had it before my HT and then I would have known the clinic was a hack before I blindly jumped in for a HT.

Way too young. You are not a candidate, at least not by any ethical doctor. Try meds and see what you look like at 35.

If you are that unsure at this point then you should take more time. If one doctor denied you then you shouldn't disregard their expertise.

I agree completely with this advice. Stabilize first with no side effects and then you will be a candidate for a HT. If you are unable to stabilize then ultimately it comes down to how many years you got left on this rock and considering a HT knowing that you will continue to lose and end up on a HT treadmill or just shave it.

I'm not a believer. He had a nice HT though.

How crucial is it that the recipient area is shaved down before implanting the new grafts? Specifically, if I was doing a scar revision and only expecting 200-500 additional grafts as a result of the scar revision do you feel it is necessary to shave down the recipient area? Some areas are pretty sparse and I feel techs could easily grafts between previous implanted follicles, but I don't want there to be damage to current grafts or anything like that due to not shaving down and making it harder to see. Hair for recipient area is appx 1.5 inches long. Any clarification on this would be much appreciated.

Ice packs do wonders to keep the swelling under control and reduce the time you will need to recover from the fat face effect Keep a good rotation of them in the freezer at all times.

I agree that 22 is too young. Though there is no set age and every case is different. However, I think it is more responsible to advise you to consult a doctor about taking propecia/fin first and trying that for a couple years to see if you can stabilize the hair loss first. If you can't stabilize the hair loss then what's the point of going through a HT? Ultimately there isn't enough donor hair in the back of the head to take to replace all of it on the top of your head if you can't stop the loss, well, not without making the back of your head completely bare that is. Try Rogaine and Propecia first.

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Naturally every case will vary. I typically see 250-500. Assuming you are 100% in the boat of the best scar possible and not shooting for additional grafts. With a low count and not wanting to waste donor hair I imagine every case is different, but I'd also be curious to know how patients/doctors choose to utilize those hairs. Go after the thinner spots or thicken it up by going in between as many grafts as possible in certain areas or trying to improve a hairline.

Exactly. FUE donor area will look thinner in later years due to the surgery and natural course of hair This is a drawback of FUE along with the lower yield. If that was true FUT would no longer be performed anywhere.

For those who fall into the category of having a FUT scar revision performed in order to obtain a thinner scar, how many additional grafts were obtained as a consequence of excising the previous scar?

I would tell you to give it more time. You haven't even been on fin for a year. Keep taking it. Keep a photo journal of your hair loss or lack of to keep track of how the hair loss is going. See if you can stop the loss first and that you can continue to take fin without side effects. Read up on fin and talk to your doctor about the consequences if you stop taking it - you'll find out that they aren't pleasant. I'd at lease wait till 30 and see how you feel about your hair loss at that point. If you find out you can't stay on fin and then get a HT you MAY be chasing something you just won't be able to catch. I'm no doctor, just my friendly advice based on experience. Good luck either way.