Baldietwo

Strip is wonderful. It is morally clean, certified and I would nominate it for sainthood, or at least a knighthood. Sir Strip Stripped, imagine that.

 

Technically and economically strip is far superior to FUE, there is no doubt, but the price is on display everywhere and anywhere you wish to look.

 

To be honest, I can't believe, in 2013, a balding man would want to LIMIT his future options. I would think it would be better to INCREASE his options, that's all.

 

Anyway, this guy got stooged, like me. No doubt hll be told just like me, to ' relax, grow it out, consider one more ' etc., etc.,

 

Too bad. Of course had he had FUE it would not be an issue. Too bad he listened to the rep.

What a well thought through response.

You must have a very blunt axe that requires significant attention from a grindstone.

• I've seen shit FUT scars
  
• I've seen shit FUE scars
   
  
• I've seen great FUT scars
  
• I've seen great FUE scars
  

just throwing this question out there but in your opinion when and if this treatment ever becomes available will it be the answer to hair loss for many or only an option for those who are financially wealthy with deep pockets

Your guess is as good as mine. I'm not qualified to answer that question....but it can't be too expensive since people will then revert to the current methods.

Simple question concerning grafts. I've been reading that the number of grafts the average person has ranges from 4,000 (low) to 6,000 (average) and 7,000+ (high)............I think I have it right there. I'm just wondering if those 4,000-7,000 grafts are what we are limited to over a lifetime? And if not,

Yes. That would be your lifetime limit. You're born with all the hair follicles you'll ever have. You don't grow new follicles.

(a) how many grafts can re-grow

With a skilled surgeon close to 100% should grow. I think most clinics operate with a 95% growth rate.

(b) how long do they take to regrow?

Normal timeline is that they start to grow back within 3-4 months. However, it starts out a thin and wispy hair (vellus). It then grows thicker and thicker. Full result takes about a year.

© Also with procedures with histogen etc. will graft count become irrelevant (even if down to only a few hundred grafts)...........or will graft count still be important and necessary for any future treatments such as histogen?

Not sure I understand the question. Histogen claims 60% regrowth from their initial studies if I remember correctly. Histogen is far from being a finished product. They're not even if phase 2 yet as I think they lost some financial backers.

The treatment on the horizon that would eliminate the lifetime graft limit is replicel (might be others). Which essentially is hair cloning. When (or rather IF) it ever succeeds they can just grow as many grafts as you want.

My advice is if you can't pay for it in full then you probably shouldn't consider yourself a candidate.....

+1

Two thumbs up

I cannot agree more with what Patriot said. Don't go down the path of debt. It's "only" hair. Credit Card and Loans (in my opinion) is for emergencies only. This whole buy now - pay later (with interest!) mentality of people today angers me slightly.

The only exception is a mortgage and possibly a car. You can't really do without those two

 

Let's say I was to consider doing the HT outside the country, it would mean 2 trips I'm sure? One for the assessment and the second for the procedure depending on the waiting list, correct me if I'm wrong.

Yes it would.

However, you're in London! Get the Eurostar to Brussels. It takes about 2 hours. Depending on the clinic you choose you might even be able to walk there.

I would suggest, however, that you perhaps arrange consultation with more than one surgeon. There are loads of great HT surgeons in Brussels. Get the eurostar in the morning, have a few visits, then return in the evening.

You're about to spend ?1000s on a transplant. The cost of the ticket to Brussels is ?100 return. Surely that's money well spent to ensure you get the best quality HT.

As for the sutures, i had minhe removed by the local NHS nurse. No questions asked...they were actually very interested in the procedure.

You cannot rush a Hair Transplant. Get it wrong and you'll regret it for the rest of your life (literally). Seriously, do a LOT of research and meet face 2 face with the surgeons.

Good luck!

It's been 3 months now...well 3 months tomorrow.

I just took some fresh photos to compare and I'm now back to "normal". Growth seem to have started but it's still very early days.

I've decided to move my photos to a blog instead since it's a bit easier to manage.

Photo's can be found on the blog by clicking here: My Hair Blog - With Photos

There is more growth than the camera can pick up. Lot's of tiny white downy hairs are starting to make their appearance as well as some that have darkened in areas that have not seen hair for many many years!

PS! I wanted to remove the pictures in this thread and manage it all on the blog...but it seems like the edit function has disappeared?

I understand your sentiment. I too was most worried about the crown when I started looking at Hair Transplants. I spend a LOT of time (over a year) researching and looking at balding people in the street.

I kept staring and examining other balding people and their patterns. Even when speaking to clients at work I examined their hair (secretly with my eyes....not hands!!). I eventually changed my mind since there are so many people with a balding crown that look great from the front. And THAT is what people see!

Having said that I did NOT want that slick bald crown look so I asked Bisanga to put a scattering in the crown area which he was ok to do. It's done in a weird way (see my posts in my signature) so I'm not sure how it will turn out, but he's a great surgeon so I'll have to trust him

Spend some time looking at other people and do some research. You'll might surprise yourself. And if you're willing to compromise the density up front, you might be able to get a few grafts in the crown.

Woow! What a transformation. Looking really good!

How much did you have transplanted in the crown? It looks really good. Do you have an pictures post op of the crown?

I'm interested in what pattern they transplanted it.

The wrong time to start it really, considering how far gone all of my hair is. But considering that it only took two years to lose most my hair on top (I am a diffuse thinner), I may respond well to Propecia.

Your rapid hairloss is similar to mine. I lost mine over 3 years or so. I went on Fin and Minox and it did wonders for me!! I've dug out from the dark corners of my image library some progress photos of my progress on minox and fin.

They are not very high resolution images, but these are 10 years old and good quality cameras were expensive .

This image shows progress from December 2004 to January 2006, so just over a year. I was 25 then. As you can see, it pretty much reversed my hairloss over the course of a year!

I was almost a slick NW 6 and 12 months later...well, you can see for yourself! My crown was still a bit thin, but it REALLY changed my look!

You do need to bear in mind that Fin and Minox only DELAYS hairloss. It's not a permanent solution. You will eventually loose it.

For me I guess it took around 5 years to go return back to NW6. At that point fin and minox did very little for me. And that's when I started researching hair transplants.

Their gallery of results is a joke. They stick maybe 1500 grafts up front onto a norwood 6. They're probably charging so much because 3 surgeons have to get a slice and they have massive overheads for Samson house. Not impressed.

Yes! I did see those pictures on their site! I was thinking "really, you CHOOSE to show that as your best work". It was truly shocking.

No worries about removing the links..they can easily be found by those who are inquisitive. Wasn't endorsing them...obviously... since I had my procedure with an entirely different clinic. I just found them entertaining.

I know this are obviously marketing videos, but still, credit to him for going public about it!

The more celebrities talk about it, the better it is for us non-celebrities as it gets rid of the stigma.

The presenter is giving him a hard time and people are laughing. I had the same when I revealed that I've had a transplant. I feel the strategy of being open and honest is the best. You will have some akward conversations and people will joke about it. However, it won't last long and soon they will have forgotten. If you try to hide it, they will talk behind your back and it will become a joke that keeps on giving for years to come.

On a side note since....I don't know anything about this surgery, but they are ridiculously expensive!!! 10 euro per graft!!! and 200 euros for a consultation! What a rip-off!!! I wonder if this surgery is set up for the super rich.

Looks like they have given a few freebie transplants to celebrities and then overcharge normal people based on that. Very clever marketing!

**outside links removed***

Very cool!

 

What is your total coverage area in cm2 (including your crown)?

 

No idea....but I've got quite a narrow head, so that counts in my favor on this occasions

Are you essentially going to leave the crown? Was this something that Dr. Bisanga recommended or is this a precaution from your side?

 

Doctor Bisanga recommended focusing on framing the face and that was my focus too. I'm a norwood 6 and 4.7k grafts will not cover all of it. People see your face when they talk to you, not your crown.

Having said that I did ask for small scattering placed in the crown area (see images i've posted). Apparently it's created just around the swirly pattern of my hair so it will fall onto the surrounding areas. I've never seen anyone with this kind of crown transplant before so it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Is there any miniaturization in the donor area?

 

Nope. It was less than >10% which is normal. I do, however, have some retrograde alopecia just above my ears where it's visibly thinner. It doesn't progress into the donor area and Dr Bisanga didn't take the strip from that area (at least I hope he didn't )

How were the grafts allocated (i.e., 70 Fu/cm2 in the hair line, 45-40 Fu/cm2 behind hair line, etc)?

 

Don't know for sure but I know Bisanga typically transplants 60/70 in the hair line and 40/50 behind.

Thanks for sharing. It is really cool how you are documenting your case. Very helpful.

 

You're welcome. It's a long journey and it certainly helps reading other peoples experience.

Good luck!

I don't know. I didn't ask.

I need (well...not need, but want) one more procedure to coverl the midscalp and crown.

I'm planning to do that as FUE. Thinking 2000 in midscalp and 500 in crown just for a small "dusting".

Considering FUE for a couple of reasons:

• Although FUT is cheaper the recovery time is quite long. I couldn't do my intensive exercise for 6 weeks! Even now I have to be careful to avoid scar stretching.
  

• 
  My hair is quite coarse. In addition I have above average number of hairs per graft. This makes my sides VERY thick with 80 grafts per sqcm and the top thinner with 40 transplanted hair per sqcm. FUE would even that out slightly.
  

I don't know when I'll do the next procedure. First this one needs to mature and then I'll see what need to do. I might be happy with it and not feel like filling in the rest. All in due course.

To my untrained eye it looks like you're heading towards a NW 6, not 7.

Of course, only a trained doctor can tell you for sure. If you're interested in a HT i would book a consultation.

That's still not a great quality photo..The light conditions are awful (sorry to be blunt). This is the kind of photo we need:

http://www.talizi.ge/files/photogallery/norwood-class-6-hair-transplant-4000-4.jpg (i just googled this image and picked one at random)

Your photo is very fuzzy but I THINK the crown is heading towards a NW6 rather than a 7 but it's VERY hard to tell because of the poor quality photo.

It also looks like you've got some retro alopecia going on. This is where your hair is thinning from the nape and up. Again, it's hard to tell because of the photo quality.

It's tricky to see from your pics. They are not great quality. Although from pic no 3 it may seem like your scalp is shining through in a NW 7 like pattern.

One of the pics have you with buzzed hair. Do you have more like that? In order to see where you're heading we really need good quality, sharp pictures.

Again, this is no attempt to knock your transplant.

 

Seriously though, you cannot say that these give an honest assessment of your results. These are avatar sized photos.

 

Photos below are directly linked from your album

 

 

I think what YOLO is trying to say is that the pictures are very low resolution and small.

Having said that it's pretty clear that you've had awesome results! The difference from your first photo is truly astonishing. You've gone from almost slick bald to a full head of hair on the frontal third! Even though the pictures are small it's very clear that you've had a great result!

Looking forward to seeing the continuation of your story. You seem to have a similar pattern to me and I had my op 2 months ago...

What's your goal, Are you attempting to stop hair loss, or regrow hair?

Personally, and this is my opinion only. The laser combs are a big scam! I know some are FDA approved, but i wouldn't touch one with a bargepole....

Let's say they DO work. They would not regrow any hair. At best they would DELAY the loss of hair.

There are only a small handful of treatments that are proven to work (e.g. has scientific backing, or enough credible reports from users)

1. Minoxidil

2. Finasteride (and Dutasteride/Avodart)

3. Ketoconazole (Nizoral) - Not sure it it's scientifically backed, but reports from MANY MANY users show that in conjuction with 1 and 2 it greatly enhances their effect.

4. Hair Transplant.

1,2 and 3 requires continual use every day.

Anything else is just snake oil and scamsters.

I would start by clicking the "consult a physician" button on the top of this page. Have a look if there is someone in your area that you can see. All surgeons on this site are recommended. Each have their own speciality and way of doing things and only you can decide who you want to go with

None of the physicians on this site will push any sales at you (to my knowledge). They have enough work and the waiting list is often long. Which means they are excellent surgeons who produce great results. They don't need to use pushy sales tactics...they rely on word of mouth.

That's where I'd start.

Your picture isn't very clear so it's difficult to see density and coarseness and determine where you are on the Norwood scale.

If you could post some clearer pictures that would help.

FUE is not scarless. If a doctor tells you FUE is scarless, walk away.

You can have your hair MUCH shorter with FUE but each graft that is extracted leaves a small white scar. It looks like you got a very light skin so that will count in your favor.

It's therefore important that the doctor you chose uses a small punch.

Both FUE and FUT has it's place. There are loads of posts on the pro's and con's about both on the forum.

Not sure on the number of rows but when I had mine done I remember the doctor asking the techs for 400 and something singles...I'm guessing this was for the hairline...I was pretty drugged up and tired.

are you sure about that?

Right now i am using toppik so people dont know i am thinnig

And Also i comb my hair forward to hide the reciding hairline.

If i get a 1500-2000 graft session and use different kind of consealer after

That.

Do you stil Think people would know? People you see Every Day dont

Notice difference when it is happening in such a slow process.

 

Also it is a FUE, so much less scaring in donor area

Am I 100% sure? Of course not. Am I 99% sure? Yes, pretty much.

My advice is based on reading other posts on the forum and my own. Of course, I am a nw6 so people so definitely notice me. You're having a much smaller procedure but I still believ people will notice something is different.

Personally, and this is just my opinion, I felt a great relief being able to talk about it with my friends and work colleagues.

Hair combed forward is a telltale sign you're reciding. I know since that's what I did when I first started losing it...people may not say anything, but they will know something is up when you suddenly change your hairstyle post op.

Also, when you do FUE you need to buzz your hair...it will then grow unevenly for a few months. Your new hairline will be red and it will grow thin and whispy.

The decision is ultimately yours and only you can make that decision.

Whatever you choose I wish you good luck and well done for taking the step towards a greAt transformation.

I can't see the pics very clearly as I'm outside in the sunshine so my screen is quite dark.

Did you spray your hair with saline after the procedure? This should be done everyone hours until bottle is empty.

When did you start washing your hair?

Judging by your post and description of the scabs it seems like you have not washed it thoroughly enough. After 2 weeks the grafts are secure. You should be able to vigorously scrub your scalp now.

However, I would contact your surgeon to check. Who was your surgeon?

People are going to find out at some point. My advice would be to have the transplant, take a couple of weeks off to heal and then tell people.

You will so feel so much better! You will have the upper hand. They might make some funny jokes so be prepared for that, even better join in with some jokes of your own.

Once they have had their 'fun' they quickly turn to becoming more interested in the procedure and will support you. If they don't they are not your friends.

Trust me, you'll feel great once everyone knows. The choices are;

1. Months of worrying if someone will notice. Making you stressedd and self conscious. Once people find out (they will) you might not be prepared.

2. Have the hope hand. Prepare yourself and tell them.

Option 2 is by far the best and gives you only a few minutes of discomfort. Versus months this with option 1. And you WILL have to tell them at some point. Might as well get it over with.