BeardedOne

Hi JohnnyDrama, thanks for your reply. I'm familiar with your journey, it was a great help in providing more info on Dr. Bisanga! I can't believe I forgot to mention above - I'm opting for FUE! About shaving, etc - my questions relate to how I could style my hair once all grafts have grown in. I am strangely fascinated by the requirement to shave my head. Haven't done it since I was 16 so it will be a pleasant change for myself, if nothing else! I'm also factoring in a career-break into my HT... I'm still really paranoid about being 'found out', even though I know I shouldn't be and I have nothing to be ashamed of. Again, thanks for your help and have a good weekend!

FIrst of all... thanks to the mods, the reps and the regular posters for providing some amazing information on this forum. It is a treasure for anyone researching all things related to hair loss and hair restoration! I've been a long-time lurker here even though I've stayed silent. Next week I will have my first face-to-face consultation with a hair restoration surgeon - Dr. Bisanga - and I think I've picked a really top one on the basis of your help! About myself... I'm 32, started noticing my hair loss very gradually about 7 years ago. It's been very slow, and to be honest with how I style it you would only notice minimal loss, if at all. My dad has a full head of hair and his dad had a pretty decent patch when he died. My mother's side is a different story, with quite a bit of baldness there. All my uncles have lost at least some hair, though nobody is beyond NW4 I would say. Apart from a few comments here and there nobody seems to notice my own thinning spots. But the psychological damage of hair loss has been really severe, if I'm honest. This never seems to get picked up on - every time HTs are in the news its because someone made a 'cosmetic' choice or something to do with vanity. This is all complete BS if you ask me. I mean, I go out, I have an active social life, it doesn't seem to affect me with the ladies in the slightest, and I am determined to put myself in the firing line and get on with things, with work, everything really. I don't shy away from it - but as I'm sure a lot of you understand my hair loss weighs on my mind all day, every day. It has really, seriously affected my capacity to just move on with my life. So... I've tried a few regimens, been on and off minoxidil for about 2 years now, I've recently added saw palmetto, tried Biotin, nizoral, I take my vitamins, a multivitamin with pygeum extract and nettle root and emu oil, argan oil, etc etc... I don't think I've seen too much of a change with anything, save for perhaps the minoxidil shredding my hairline a little! My current regime is minoxidil 5% foam 1-2 times daily and Nizoral 2% once per week. I will give minoxidil another 6 months and if I still think it's been either useless or detrimental to my hair then I will give it up. I'm scared of propecia, I've followed the mass of debates from the pro and contra camps and I am still undecided whether to take it or not. So next week I'll meet with Dr. Bisanga. I'm quite comfortable with this decision because of his results with similar barnets to my own, and also because of the amazing help of Stephen. I have not made up my mind about a transplant yet, it really is such a harrowing and agonising decision, and in my correspondence with Stephen I really felt that he gets that and understands. So I am really looking forward to meeting Dr. Bisanga and hearing what he has to say, whether I have realistic goals and what would be the best plan for my bonce. I've attached a few recent snaps and I'd welcome some comments as to what might be a realistic expectation. I'd guesstimate that I am about a NW2-2.5 at the moment and I would love to be able to secure my hairline at NW1.5. I deliberately took photos under very bright daylight and also with greasy hair, slicked back, as I think it's easier to judge that way. My crown, while a little bit thinning, doesn't look nearly as bad in reality as in the photo, for instance! I also have a few questions that I'd love some insights on - I'll be sure to ask Dr. Bisanga next week but I'd like to ask you guys, too. 1. What NW am I? 2. What do you guys think of sticking a few hundred grafts into the crown? 3. Will I be able to slick back my hair and have the transplant remain undetected? 4. Is it possible to shave down to Blade 2 or 3 after a transplant and have it remain undetected? 5. Can I style my hair whatever way I want after a transplant or do most people tend to sweep it forward to cover the hairline? 6. In short - can it remain undetected? anyways sorry for the long post, I'll be sure to keep it all short and sweet from now on.