Paulygon

Just a disclaimer - It is rarely advisable to borrow heavily against your 401K, but I don't believe the amount will be that large, or that you are anywhere near retirement age and the 5 year payback will be minimal and probably not a hardship on your finances.

 

Are you returning to Dr. Mohebi?

Thank you. Yes, I will be returning to Dr Mohebi. He did a phenomenal job on my first procedure and I hope the second goes as well.

I was told if i had a ht only healthy hairs would be selected

who told you this?

it would be great but i'm not sure the surgeon has time be selective.

I am getting a strip procedure again, so I don't think the doctor could avoid the gray hairs.

maybe for FUE being selective could work, but again, can the surgeon actually spend the time to be selective?

I think grey hair are more stronger and they grow quick too!

in my case the gray hairs seem to be the same or even weaker than the pigmented hairs.

I'm mid 30s and between my 1st HT procedure 2nd HT (which will be in less than 2 months), my scalp has begun to sprout gray hairs. :eek: Obviously graying happens to everyone, and thankfully I had gone through my 20s without a single gray.

Anyway, it almost seems like a waste of a graft (and hence $) to actually transplant a gray hair from a donor area to the balding area.. or if the doctor moves a black hair from donor area to the balding area, and that hair become unpigmented, that seems like a waste, since it would be easy to see through to the scalp. It is the pigmentation/color that makes your hair look full and covered.

I know we have the option of dying our hair (and thankfully mine isn't bad enough yet to warrant coloring), but is there a way for a surgeon to be selective and make sure to only transplant hairs that are not prone to premature graying?

: :confused:

Thanks guys.. just checked with HR and a 401k loan is possible, as long as I pay it back within 5 years. This is the route I am going to go. It makes more sense than a credit card where the bank is making hundreds or thousands of dollars off of me. I'd rather pay interest to myself (which is how 401k loans work). True, I'd be missing out on the compound interest while the money is not in the account, but I still think it makes sense over taking out credit from a bank.

I know this thread is old but I'm due for 2nd HT surgery in 6 weeks and would like some opinions on financing.

I paid part of my surgery costs already, but a significant balance remains.

I am considering taking a personal loan versus taking a loan from my 401k.

A lot of finance websites advise against 401 k loans unless its for emergency or buying a home... but I feel like a hair transplant is almost as important an investment as purchasing a home... I feel it makes more sense for me to borrow money from my 401k (whereby interest gets paid to my retirement when paying back the loan) than to take one of these health care personal loans.

Does anybody have experience with opening a credit line for purpose of a hair transplant?

Anybody use 401k to finance their HT procedure?

Any opinions would be great. Thanks!

I know Rogaine is recommend and proven to be effective for the crown (probably because that's where they tested it in trials).

I apply it to my crown AND to the front of my head. I run through this stuff like crazy and run out much faster than most people who use it at the recommended dosage level. Getting refills/reloading becomes a nuisance because I have to buy 3-packs every 5 weeks.

Is my logic correct in that if I am trying to cover more surface area than the CROWN, then I have to increase the amount of dosage I am applying? 5 mL seems too little to cover both the crown and frontal scalp....

ANY THOUGHTS?

It's been about 3 years since my procedure. Supplemented my HT with Propecia and Rogaine. Amazing results from bald to a full head of hair.

About 5 months ago I started getting lazy on the Propecia (taking it when I remember but on average about 3-4 times a week). With the Rogaine I've gone down to using it about 3-4x / week (single doses).

I have definitely noticed my hair getting thin and and the crown becoming empty. However, the transplanted hairs have stayed thick, strong & firmly in place.

I looked at some photos from a vacation I took last weekend. I noticed that without enough native hairs (the native hairs would have been thin if they were still there) around my transplanted hair, my hair generally appears awkward. I conclude that there is definitely value in having native (albeit, thin) hairs around the transplanted hairs in order to give a more natural look to your hair style.

Considering I've only been bad at taking the meds for about 5 months, if I go back on the Propecia and Rogaine, can I recover back to the point I was at last year, or have I permanently lost some ground?

The native hairs in between the transplanted hairs will eventually thin out and fall, leaving less density. That is to be expected. Propecia should slow that process down and is recommended for that reason.

Your areas that have not had any work done may lose hair as well. Propecia should slow or halt that too.

You can do without the propecia (or rogaine), but should expect this scenario.

I like the philosophy of telling your significant other about your first HT when you're about to get your 2nd procedure done!

I learned that from one of the other members on here..

This is applicable to. I'm now in a relationship, and I haven't told my gf that about my HT. She is a hair stylist and keeps trying to cut my hair, but I don't really want her to cut it. My 2nd HT procedure is coming up in a few months and I'm sure I will have to tell her pretty soon...

I wonder if she could tell..

In the last couple years I've dated several girls around whom I was initially insecure about whether they would find out about my procedure when they play with my hair... Actually, it seems none of them could tell... (One of them was even a former Hair Transplant Tech!) The only time that the beans were spilled was when I had Dr Mohebi's http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Hair-Restoration-Complete-Guide/dp/0991034317 book lying around my house.. The Hair Transplant Tech I was dating saw the book and thought I was looking into getting a 1st procedure (she still didn't realize I already had one) and recommended that I have a consultation with the clinic she used to work at.. she was very caring and at that point she was already attracted to me and liked me alot so it was okay to tell her that I had it done.

I think that at the beginning of a relationship, its very understandable to not disclose all your secrets and insecurities.. eventually, just open up when you're comfortable. We all have baggage and insecurities.. We're often too focused on our own.

I think the first couple weeks is the most crucial where the scalp is very sensitive.. Up to 6 months from what I've heard. (You should wear a cap.)

After 6 months you shouldn't worry. Ask your doctor!

I heard on Bald Truth that it can come from either side. It's like 50/50 shot that you would get it from your mother's side vs. your dad's side (who knows for sure tho.)

In my family, I got the hair loss gene (the men on my mom's side are all bald) whereas my brother has an awesome head of hair (he got the good hair genes from my dad's side). Funny thing is, I'm definitely the more vein one out of the two of us...

That degree of hair loss looks like mine pre-HT.

I just decided to do the HT and meds (accepting any long-term unknown side effects).

Of course, an HT alone would help and has no side effects.

The drugs are pretty well studied tho. Rogaine itself is just topical so has minimal side effects compared to something systemic like Propecia.f

It is pretty amazing tho, the positive results that can be achieved these days when combining the different solutions for hair loss.

I've tried the shaved head look for a year, before HT, but it just wan't for me, which is why I opted for the hair transplant procedure.

If you can rock it, awesome. Some of us look better with alternatives, as Spanker says.

Paulygon: how did your scar heal up? Can we see a photo of it?

This is a 6 month post-op photo. Does it help?

The other hairs cover the scar so you can't see anything. If you tell me how to take the photo I can try to get you something better. But at present (36 months post-op), it pretty much looks the same as this photo (6 months post-op)

If I try to search for the scar with my fingers, I can feel about a thumb-print sized raised scar that feels like a big pimple. I've had some people run their hands through my hair without noticing anything tho

Congrats, Pauly!

 

Seems like a sound plan. I'm glad you're dedicating a good amount of grafts to the crown. If you're going to attempt a crown restoration, this is the way to do it. It takes a shocking amount of grafts to really restore a crown. A little thickening in the frontal/midscalp sounds pretty standard too.

 

You should be completely restored after this. I hope you'll keep us updated!

Hi Blake! Good to hear from you after I've had such a long absence from this forum-- it is so cool to see that you are officially a hair transplant surgeon; and your photo is awesome.

Anyway, I like how you put it: "It takes a shocking amount of grafts to really restore a crown". Ya it is painful to think that 1200 grafts are going to the crown when they could be going to lower my hairline.. oh well I happily accept a mature hairline over being NW5.

You mentioned that I should be completely restored after this. The plan from day 1 with Dr. Mohebi was 2 procedures for sure (even though I didn't think I would get by with a 3 year gap between FUT1 and FUT2).

If I recall correctly from my first procedure (FUT1), my surgeon measured my scalp laxity and determined that I could potentially have about 4-5 FUT's (strips removed) procedures done, over my lifetime.

But after looking at my pics, you're thinking that FUT2 could be the final procedure? Or do you have any thoughts on what kind of surgical maintenance I should be expecting over the course of my lifetime? (ie.. FUE or FUT in 5 years, 8 years, etc)

(It did not occur to me to ask my doctor these when we met, plus I am interested in your thoughts)

Paulygon, that's great that hear and your results look great. Did u get the FUT or FUE?

I got FUT (strip) the first time; and for the second time I plan on doing FUT / strip again because I already have the scar from the first procedure, I might as well go for the greater density achievable at the lower price point.

Hi All,

I haven't posted in a long time because thankfully, hair hadn't been a big concern for a while.

But I just want to share what's going on currently. I recently had a visit with Dr. Parsa Mohebi to discuss a second round maintenance procedure, in which Dr. Mohebi will add about 1800 grafts via FUT (strip procedure). 1200 will go to the crown and 400 will go to the mid/frontal region.

+1200 to crown: If you look at my pics (attached) you will see that my crown region has major thinning and the scalp is visible (although I cover this with a "strategic haircut" which is essentially a combover). It had been in our long-term plan to eventually add hair to the crown since the Dr. did not add anything to it in the first procedure (because the hairline had to be completely built and was a priority).

+400 to the mid/frontal region: this will add some density and give me more styling options.

Check out the pics and please let me know if you have any recommendations.

My hair is longer than usual and not styled in these pics.. usually with a bit of work it looks better than in these photos but hopefully with some more hair, less work will be required in order to style it.

I've also had work done by Mohebi in 2012 and have been happy with the transformation. I do plan on going for a second round in the next year, as my hair loss was quite a bit more advanced than pkipling's.

Congratulations Joe!

@Paulygon

 

Hi. Was she less physically attractive to you in any way?

yes, her only physical flaw is her big nose. i could never see me being in any kind of relationship with her as I am not attracted to her nose.

Her body was fine though.

Same happened to me. I didnt say i had ht. Made me trust her less and like her less.

This is great- CONGRATS

@Paulygon.

 

Dr Konior had told I have good hair and so I guess once my hair grows out, I can start styling it the way I want to But my crown is also bald, so I might try to grow my hair long enough to cover the crown. And since i am just 30, I might lose the hair which I have in the middle in a few years too. So for now taking one step at a time.

This is like my situation.. not sure if you've read my earlier posts, but I've had no work done on my crown and my stylist does an excellent job of doing what I call a "flappy combover" or what she calls "a strategic cut" in the crown region. It works quite well and others in this forum have complimented me on how it looks. It has allowed me to delay getting any work done on the crown, as I've heard that the crown is like a black hole that just sucks in alot of donor grafts. My doc has also said I have great quality donor hair, and a good number of them at that.. so it looks like we are in similar shoes in that sense.

Also I plan to go back to work on Wednesday/Thursday (ie 5-6 days after surgery). Will it be a problem for the grafts if I put in the cap firmly on my head rather than just dropping the cap on the head?

I'm not sure how to answer this. On one hand, I was very delicate with my hair until I get my staples removed (Day 10). What day # did the doc say you can start shampooing your hair more aggressively (ie. as normal)? I would think that would coincide with when you can put your hat on securely.

Maybe others can give you a more definitive answer.

Nice write up and good luck. You have that solid base in the middle of your head to work off of and I am sure you will be happy with the result.

Looking at your before pics, I predict that you can have a great hairstyle once these grafts grow out. It wouldn't be a bad idea to find a good mens hair stylist that you go to every so often to maintain a trendy cut. A good men's stylist can do wonders to augment the work your surgeon has done.

I had also noticed a "crack" in the recipient area and was concerned that I lost some grafts, but since it was already after day 5 I was assured that I the grafts already were in place and I shouldn't worry. if I'm not mistaken, after day 3 you shouldn't be concerned.

Specifically, I noticed the "crack" in the place where a crust of skin containing about 3 hairs was shed.. and it was a bit alarming to me.. so I've been there.

At this point, a couple years down, I don't notice any significant gap or emptiness where I had seen that "crack" so I agree with your doctor, that you should be A-OK.

I'm excited for ya! can't wait to see your progress! keep us posted friend!