Justin77

Just bumping this thread to say that after 3 years, I've finally booked a hair transplant appointment with Dr. Konior for May 2018 (there is a one year waiting list). Dr. Konior looked at my most recent pics, including better pictures of my donor area, and thinks that I will need approximately 1000-1500 grafts to restore the hairline and density in the front. He also said he thinks my donor area looks quite good. I believe the thinness factor in the photos was due to harsh lighting and scalp contrast after having it buzzed down to a 1. I also want to note that I saw Dr. Dorin in person (who was excellent) and he looked at my donor area and said that he suspects I have a lifetime supply of 5500-6000 for FUE. Dr. Dorin only suggested 500 grafts to fill in the sparse area with a potential followup procedure. The only reason I didn't go with Dr. Dorin is because I've been a big fan of Dr. Konior's work for years and he was my #1 choice. The good news is that my hair loss hasn't seemed to progress at all since posting here, so I'm hoping the 1mg of finasteride per day continues to work well for me in the long-term. I've been on fin for approximately 10 years now.

Thanks so much gillenator, you've been very helpful. I've booked an appointment with Dr. Dorin for next week and I'm looking forward to meeting with him. I researched some of his results on this site and they all look great. Just to answer your questions... I'm 31 years old, and no, nobody in my family who went bald has taken finasteride. I'm the first. And thanks for explaining more about finasteride, it makes a lot of sense to me. I'll keep you updated!

@matt1978 I replied to you above but it wasn't until today that the post showed up because it was being approved by the moderators (guess I used a word that triggered a review). @gillenator What you're saying about hair caliber makes a lot of sense. Hopefully I have good hair caliber in the back, and when I go for a transplant, I won't need as many grafts for a good result. I'm still waiting to hear back from Dr. Wesley, but I may also go to visit Dr. Dorin after seeing his info in your signature. Unfortunately there are several men in my family who've gone bald, including my brother, father, and grandfather. And they all went bald early in their 20s, all NW5 or higher. But this brings me to what you were saying about nothing stopping MPB in its tracks. Isn't it true that finasteride has been shown to work long-term? In the 10 year study, it suggests that finasteride doesn't lose effectiveness over time, and in fact a lot of 10 year cases looked even better than they did at the 5 year mark. Also, as you get older, androgen levels decrease, which should mean a decrease in testosterone and DHT. In the 10 year study, it did show patients having better results as they aged, not worse as you might expect. There are no guarantees, though, of course. I'm just hoping I'm in the camp where finasteride works for a very long time.

@1978matt Thanks for your input. I actually called Dr. Wesley's office this morning to make an appointment being that I don't live far away, and it would be great to get an in-person assessment of my hair loss. Waiting to hear back from his office. Regarding density, I'd be more than happy with the density from the back of my head in the front. I just got a haircut a few days ago, and within another week or so I won't be able to see through to any scalp at all in the donor area. Unfortunately I don't have recent pics of the back of my head at a longer length, though I will take some in a few days when it's longer to compare. I did attach a photo from last summer of the back of my head at a pool party, when the hair is wet, and I think it looks thicker than the photos I've been posting suggest. I'm wondering if there's any possibility that the pictures just aren't telling an accurate story because of the lighting, skin contrast, and the fact that I have my hair cut very short (1-2) on the sides and back. Either way, I'm definitely going to go for an in-person consultation ASAP. Getting a hair transplant has been a big goal of mine, and I'd rather know sooner rather than later if I'm just not a good candidate. I've been obsessing over this for the last few days and if it's just not meant to be, I'd rather move on. Also, I Iike your idea about getting a small number of grafts for the hairline, if I can get away with it. Crossing my fingers that finasteride continues to work for many years to come. @watch4norwoods Forgot to mention this in my reply to you. I won't take RU58841 because even though I've done a lot of research about it online, it all feels too sketchy for me, and I don't like having to rely on only a couple of seemingly reputable sources for something that would be a large part of my maintenance regimen.

Honestly, if I could just get the appearance that Dermmatch currently gives me on the hairline, I'd be very happy. I'm perfectly content with the hairline shape I have now, including the temples, just not with the density of it.

Another picture of the donor area close up...

Thank you gillenator for your very thorough reply! Really appreciate all the information you've given me. It's interesting, I always have been told that I have thick hair from my barbers (except in the front). I wasn't expecting donor density to be an issue, but apparently it is because I've heard it several times now. Either way, I'm definitely going to go see a doctor in person very soon. I'm really hoping that limited donor density won't prevent me from being a candidate for a hair transplant.

@WHTC Thanks so much for your extensive reply. I completely agree with your suggestion of leaving the hairline exactly where it is. And I understand that I may need additional surgery in the future to maintain a decent look. @Spanker Why do you think I am headed to a NW5? Can you see that based on the pics? Just curious where you're getting that from. --- On a related note, isn't finasteride supposed to work very well long-term for people who responded favorably in their first year? I'm getting that from this link: 10-Year Finasteride Study: First to Investigate Long-Term Effects and Safety | Bernstein Medical I believe I've maintained nearly 100% of what I grew back after 7 years. As long as I continue to take finasteride, is it unreasonable to expect that I will keep most of what I have now? I know nothing is guaranteed, and when planning this surgery, I'm definitely going to lean more towards the conservative end to make sure I'm OK for the future.

Thank you both for weighing in. I think I'm going to try to do an in-person consult with a doctor in NYC. I want to know for sure that I would be eligible for a transplant before getting my hopes up, and after your comments, I'm worried about the donor area.

Unfortunately I think the donor area is going to look thin in pics now because I just got a new haircut where the sides and back are trimmed down to a 1-2, and the top part is left relatively long. I also took these pictures under a very bright bathroom light which may make it look worse than it is. I'll try to add some new pics under more normal lighting conditions. Photography is not my strong suit

Hello all, I am a frequent lurker on these forums and have learned a ton about hair transplants here. I've been seriously considering a hair transplant and I wanted to get your opinion on approximately how many grafts I would be looking at in order to restore my hairline to a reasonable density. Long story short: I started losing my hair 11 years ago and didn't use anything but Nioxin and Lasercomb for 4 years because I was worried about Propecia side effects. Then, at age 24, started the Big 3 and had remarkable regrowth. A large percentage of my hair came back, to the point where most people don't immediately think of me as a person with hair loss. I believe I've maintained all of this hair for the last 7 years. Now that I'm older, I'm considering a hair transplant to fill in the thin area and see if I can get to a point where my hair doesn't look thin in photos. My biggest problem area is the front of my scalp. I've attached photos so you can see what I'm talking about. The photos were taken under bright bathroom lighting. Two questions: 1 - About how many grafts would I need to restore density in this area so that the hairline looks full again? 2 - I attached a picture of my donor area. Does it look dense enough to provide a reasonable number of grafts for a transplant? Thank you!