GreatPelo

I think in order to guide you correctly you should add pictures to study your hair loss pattern. If you have an aggressive hair loss pattern, you should lean towards the FUT method, considering you'll get more yield, more coverage. Once you're close to your goal, you can turn to FUE, not only touch up remaining areas, but also to add to your linear scar and diminish scarring if you were left with a thicker than normal scar. Every patient is different...not all patients are candidates for the FUE method.

Britboy, I'm sorry you didn't have a successful FUT experience...but to state that FUT is outdated is an incorrect statement in your part. Every patient is different....not every patient should have an FUE surgery just like not every patient is a candidate for hair transplant to begin with.

After reading such a thorough article from the ISHRS, the most renowned hair transplant educational board in the world, and then say FUT is outdated leads me to believe you've based your opinion solely on your experience. That doesn't mean the same can apply to others....

Yes, ILikeMyHair....actually a patient with an aggressive pattern of hair loss should first use the FUT "strip" method to get him as far ahead of the game in coverage and then can actually use the FUE to help diminish his scar in the donor area. This game plan has worked for many patients.

A good year to give lazy follicles enough time to produce hair....4-months to transplant a new area, which gives enough time for donor to heal.

If you're scared of scarring, you can always look into lasering them so you kill the follicle but don't leave scars behind. Just another option...

No reason to beat yourself up, YoshiYo. It's up to industry professionals to be transparent and act ethically. However, you're wiser due to the experience. Wishing you great growth!!

Definitely medical Therapy to see how it holds up on you. DO NOT consider HT surgery until close to mid 20s.

Be patient. Step by step.

Patients with multiple future procedures are best to use the strip. You're a future NW 5...so I think you're on target with the FUT with trychophytic closure. Everything above and under that scar will be as thick as when you were born. With FUE and multiple surgeries, your donor can start to become diffused. Doesn't make sense to help thicken front mid and crown areas while diffusing donor.

Best of luck!

I agree with above. Dr. gave you a female hairline...across down..instead of a male's...across up. You always want to leave a little receding so it looks natural as you get older. You will need to extract and probably do 1500-1800 grafts...and more in the future for more density.

Best of luck!

someone above recommended 3000-3500. I think it's too much considering you still have some native hair and don't want to over do it, resulting in hurting current hair, not to mention some new grafts may fight for blood due to overloading transplants, resulting in some of them not taking. I'd probably do from 2000-2200 and of course get on propecia asap. If you need a touch up in the future, which you probably will do to your age, then you go for more density. It's taken you a while to lose your hair, you're not going to get it all back in one shot.

You don't have a terrible pluggy look. Frontal hairline can be softened with fine one hair grafts and then give you density behind hairline. Also, someone above mentioned you should do FUE because the strip will give you another scar??? Wrong! You already have a linear scar. An experienced hair surgeon will take the new strip above or under the current one, remove the old scar...and leave only one scar. I also don't believe you only have 1600 grafts left as donor. Maybe you can only harvest 1600 on your next surgery...but you do seem to have more for the future if needed.

Best of luck!

Look for other recommendations (from other hair specialists) before making final decision.

You're 27 years old and have good donor. You can probably start taking and stay on Propecia which will help keep your "walls" high and then hair transplant. Probably Strip (FUT) since you'll need more than one surgery, each one being pretty large.

Best of luck!

YoshiYo,

I have to agree with HairWeare....the benefit of this site is for people to use it as a research tool in order to help them make the best possible decision on who they choose....not afterward. However, from what you stated and knowing personally who these folks are, consider yourself another of the numerous patients in this industry who's surgery is totally performed by a technician, while the Doctor only pats you on the shoulder to see how you're doing. Florida state law requires a licensed medical doctor to cut into skin....while harvesting and making the receptive sites where grafts are placed. Technicians should separate and place grafts. MORESO WHEN YOU'VE INVESTED A GREAT DEAL OF HARD EARNED MONEY....but are treated solely by a technician instead of a doctor. I ask myself what the doctor was doing while the tech was performing the entire surgery?

In addition, if ron (the salesman) told you he got his result from FUE....don't believe him. His hair was done at MHR where I first met him as a patient. He puts his before and after pictures on the website to impress patients about the Neograft but it's pretty unethical considering 95% of his result was done by other doctors when he worked at MHR.

Not wanting to rain on anyone's parade....but honesty and facts rule! This being said, I pray you obtain great results.

Not sure about way back, but Dr. Leavitt, from MHR (which merged with Bosley), did at least one of his HT surgeries.

Hi Robert,

So your doctors used the Artas but didn't like the way it harvested? Please share your experience with this equipment. I'm sure it will help a great deal of patients considering it.

Laser Cap is the least effective of medical therapies. First and best is Propecia (it's a personal decision to use it but doesn't have any side effects in case you want to have kids, etc), then Rogaine and then Laser treatment, which is most effective when used with other two therapy choices. Don't want to be negative but I'm not convinced these folks guided you correctly....

*Sold you a $2k laser (Finsateride - propecia generic - is cheapest and most effective - $2.50/month)

*Didn't follow through with game plan promised (Artas instead of handheld)

*Tech harvesting donor (should've been the doctor)

*Over estimated number of grafts (2500+ way too much for you)

*Not much of a difference in before/after for money, donor and time invested.

Don't mean to throw them under the bus, but too many factors here that don't equate to a positive patient experience. I would consider speaking to another specialist....

Best of luck!

Not your fault at all, Wazaam. But very disappointed for the industry as a whole. Although the tech was nice, you didn't pay to be entertained...you paid for RESULTS! Artas and Neograft both sell their units to doctors and make a very handsome profit (Artas for about $225k and Neograft for about $85k)...but it doesn't end there. Did you know they each make a $1/graft royalty that the doctor has to pay them? Guess who pays for this? PATIENTS! Not only are royalties involved in the fast food industry like McDonalds, but now in the hair restoration industry, which I find repulsive. So these big companies take their huge money and pour it into Adword ads on Google and major marketing to pull demand and interests from patients who, unfortunately, are not very seasoned with all that's involved.

I'm all for the advancement of technology and methods....but not at the cost of the patient!!

Artas tends to have a higher transection rate than motorized manual.

Why is a tech extracting and not a licensed doctor?

Whether they are reputable or not....2500 was way over what you needed. You didn't have room for so much...so I'm sure you had a high rate of shock or even damage to native hair. Many factors involved here.....end result = not a satisfied patient, unfortunately.

I agree! Go for FUT (STRIP) until you reach your density goal then you can FUE on the scar at the end to improve it.

Can speed up healing and produces more blood to area so it can actually produce quicker growth. Consult with your hair doctor first.

There is absolutely NO WAY a patient with your amount of hair should've been recommended 2500+ grafts. Way too much! When transplanting new grafts, they have to have a certain amount of space from others to ensure they receive enough blood to survive. By transplanting too close, can not only cause new graft to receive too little blood, but can also cause damage to native follicles in the area.

I will bet who ever performed this procedure was not a specialist....and even allowed techs to do all or most of the surgery, including harvesting and site creation. Was the doctor very involved? Are they a specialist or do hair restoration as one more of their numerous services?

If they have been approved by this site they are recommended. But not all good HT doctors may elect to be part of this site.

You're probably going to be in a wait and see what happens. End results are a full year.

Don't. Usually a baseball hat has enough clearance. Fishing or golf caps tend to hug scalp..not good.