hadenough2014

Look, I was in the same spot you are 10 years ago, with a similar balding pattern. I waited and waited for a better solution than HT. I do feel that HT made big strides during that timeframe (particularly by going to bigger sessions of grafts, adding density and more natural hairline evolution) but there is still a pretty big risk of poor results. It is an invasive process, not everyone's body responds the same, and clinics vary in skill and performance. Ultimately, I decided HT was the most natural solution for me as it just did not seem a better, non-invasive solution was going to come available in my lifetime.

For FUE, #1 in the world is probably Lorenzo. There are a number of great FUT docs in the U.S. But you need to study this site a lot to find their work. FUE is becoming more available in the U.S. but it seems most U.S. docs prefer FUT. Many laws in the U.S. do not allow techs to do graft extractions, so the surgeon in the U.S. has a big burden with FUE sessions that are large. This is one reason you see FUE popular overseas in places such as Turkey - techs do most if not all of the extractions and placements and the Dr. is supervising.

It's not an easy decision. I finally made the leap at 40+ years old. I am in the resting period for my grafts, so my results won't be known for a while. Best of luck on your decision.

Looks very good. I especially like the crown at this point. Hairline coming in nicely as well. Very youthful hair you have now.

I didn't know that our forum worked like that. That we would keep a recommended doctor who threatened legal action over a failed case. I find that very interesting.

I agree. How can this be? Moderator comment?

It is a bit hard to say since all of your pics are from the top. You appear from your pictures to still be in good shape. If your hair is stable at this point and you believe it will stay that way , then it may be ok to move ahead with the HT. If that is not the case I would recommend that you wait out your first HT as long as possible rather than going trough the process again a few years later. I am sure the result will help you, but I would think long and hard and make sure you know what your getting into.

 

There is a long healing process to consider. Also you need to consider what you might go through as part of the process to get the results you are looking for. These may include potentially having to shave down if you want FUE, the healing process and ugly duckling stage and also the shock loss that may occur.

 

I am not saying that you should not do it now, only you can decide that, I am just saying that you should take the time to consider the road you are going down before you go. It is a long road, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I agree with this post. HT is a major commitment, and that major commitment does not seem to match with your minor hair loss at this point.

I happen to agree with Number47 on finasteride. If you must use it post-HT to ensure you never need another HT, then that is a bad plan. Side effects and nature can both derail that plan.

I believe the attitude towards fin is also age-dependent. For example, I have been on it since my HT 6 weeks ago, but I will not rely on it since I was already a NW5 and my 4000 graft HT went from hairline to almost the crown. If I have no sides and it helps me keep my crown from balding greatly, then that's great and I'll keep using it. If I get sides and have to stop using it and instead decide I want do another HT to help my crown a few years down the road, then I am prepared to do that. This is not the attitude I would have if I was 25, but at 40+ I have a different perspective.

My thread that i created was locked by david the admin because the coalation doc was getting bashed by everyone who was posting in the thread. My pics are in that thread as well

 

I am told not to say the docs name again here or there might be legal issues

 

Sorry hadenough

Please put pics on your profile and do not mention the docs name in that case.

They certainly can't deny that.

Aaron - I have tried to find your photos and your doc's name in your previous posts, but I did not see where you posted them even though you said you would post photos in one post from March 2014.

It is really important to see photos and know who your doc is so this forum can better understand the severity of the physical issues you are dealing with.

Phantom - looks great for 4.5 months. Will continue to fill in nicely over the next 6 months.

Spanker I agree.

 

Somebody so young doing a HT without being on Meds is not good & setting themselfs for more heartbreak in the furure.

 

Time..

Its kinda sad that we only can talk about 2 or 3 Meds which may help people today.

When I was loosing my hair yrs ago I thought arrr don't worry so much there be somrthing around the corner & here I am some 25 yrs later thinking someone will pull a rabbit out there ass.

 

But at the end of the day its just friggen fungus on top of our heads.

As long as you got your health & family that's all what counts

I agree as far as meds go. I waited for years for something non-invasive, counting on medicine and the great pharma profit machine to find the great cure for my ill. But they are most fallible, and it seems not to be meant to be in my lifetime. So I went with the HT. Hopefully pharma will get it done for my kids.

Hang in there. You sound very intelligent and estudious, so I am sure you will get to the right decision on how to handle this. It is interesting what you say about the increase of this auto-immune disease seen by your derm. Perhaps more people (especially those who have little of hair loss in their families) should be getting tested for the disease prior to considering HT. I realize it is quite rare, but as long as the testing is fairly minor, I guess I would do it before I jumped into a HT if my family history suggests I should not be losing hair.

I am sorry to hear to hear your story. You did something to fight your hair loss and then nature hits you with second huge blow. Very unfair. You may look into SMP for your scar and shave or a hair system could be the next best choice. While it is an option, be careful about SMP and make sure you find a very reputable firm for that option if it is of interest. Best of luck to you.

You could ask your doc about using a concealer such as Toppik or Dermmatch. I wouldn't have wanted to try it so soon into my healing process, but I have seen that other people on the forum have used it pretty early on.

this topic has escalated into something stupid, can't make sense what people are arguing about really.. moving on.

This is the definition of most internet discussions

Nice work. Crowns take a huge amount of grafts.

There is little chance you can wear your hair at a 2 guard (with complete conceal-ability) with an FUT scar unless you heal unusually well, which is a possibility. But with 4000 grafts, I suspect the doc stretched the limits of your laxity. More common is a 3 guard and that is after scar healing occurs over several months-that is what most users on this forum find will work. You will find some users on this forum who can go very short. The tricho method can help conceal the scar, but hairs often grow horizontally coming through the scar-so the scar is hidden but the hair looks a little different than the rest of the back of the head if you clip it down too far.

On the more current note, what you are seeing seeing after a few days is the shaved area around the scar and maybe some shock loss right around the scar. It will take about 2 months for shocked hairs to come back and between 2-6 months for the pinkness to be completely gone. The scar should be flat in about 4 weeks and you should see pinkness fading.

My scar (I am 6 weeks in) is easily hidden at a guard 5 or more and my pinkness is about 75% gone. I also had 4000 grafts. My Dr. Told me that a 3 guard length (I actually cannot use a clipper due to my wavy hair) would be ok to hide the scar, and so far that seems like a fair assessment, but I have some healing to go and hairs to come through the tricho closure.

Remember, if you are unhappy with the scar results, you can consider FUE into the scar in the future. This has been very successful for a number of users on this forum. For the next 2-3 months, you just need to treat it with baby gloves and give it time to heal.

I would normally ask who your doc is and then look at his pics from this site, but I sense you are not ready to share that yet. Your head is not shaved for 4000 grafts, so I have an idea which doc it could be. I would definitely advise letting your hair grow out for the next 1-2 months if you desire complete conceal-ability. Best of luck.

Super result.

The forum really needs pictures to help give any advice. NW7 can mean and look a lot different to different people.

IMO, don't be depressed. Talk to some folks and see what they can do. It may be better than pictures on a forum make it look. You also have a fair amout of hair that you can keep via Finasteride or even Dutasteride. Meds may be your answer, but don't wait long to check them out with a doc.

Who knew? Voxman was a rock star even before he had a HT!!!

To Alliswell, you made the right decision and you are not going to find a better doctor . The other posters on here have been giving you bad advice and I am proud of you that you ignored it .

I am an older guy and don't believe in being disrespectful or blaming all doctors for a bad past experience like other posters here . You chose a great doctor . Stay with him and be well .

I generally agree. This doc has a very good reputation on this forum and I think some respect and time is needed. I am not saying I agree with 2 more years, but certainly give it a 3-6 more months to see what growth progress occurs. I can appreciate Alliswell's frustration and I can only pray that I do not have to wait so long for growth. I give the doc credit for staying on top of it and coming on here to demonstrate his concern for the patient. It is only fair that he can professionally post something out here to clarify comments or misunderstandings without getting specific about his patient.

This forum and community is too important not to allow fair and professional dialogue from both patients and Dr.s. Ultimately the Dr. and his patient will be the ones to work this out, so a lot of noise from us bystanders can just be inflammatory.

Congratulations, voxman! Looks great. Very happy for you.

According to family history I should die with a full head of hair and continue to have it grow after death.

LOL. Very funny. I still might first check on how the kidney disease may or may not affect your physiology before you consider diving into a HT. If a doc says there should be no effect, sounds like you could be a good candidate for a round 2. Lots of great improvements in the past 15 years...study this site and pick a great doc/clinic for what you want to achieve.

I would agree with Garageland that you should ask why the clinic recommended FUE. It's much less common for women to do FUE due to the requirement of shaving the donor area all the way down and the fact they will usually not lose hair near an FUT scar in the future, so the scar is covered throughout life much easier for most women (unless they have really thin hair in the back as well).

FUE vs. FUT has been debated ad nauseum on this forum, but usually in the context of how it works for men, not women. Both have benefits and risks. She'll have to decide which is best for her based on her own circumstances.

Hi Peter - sorry to hear about your kidney disease. What was your Norwood status before the first surgery and what do you think it is now as you have started losing hair again? Lastly, what do you think your max Norwood status would be when you are age 70 (based on family history). I think all of these things play into a decision about another HT, including whether or not your kidney disease could be affecting your hair loss and could affect your donor area and expected success of a HT (have you asked a doc about that?).

I think going without medicine is possible for people like me who have their first HT at NW5 and would probably max out at NW6 based on my family history. Nonetheless, even I may consider continuing Propecia indefinitely (if I have no sides) once my hair grows in to avoid getting to NW6. IMHO, Medicine is clearly necessary for maintenance purposes for people who have HT at NW4 or less...unless they just expect to keep having HTs and plan on that in the future.

Correction: Since my scalp laxity was good, Dr. Radha was able to cut a wider strip, hence she could extract as many as 4113 grafts from the not so great donor area that I had. At least that's how I understood it.

The best docs will be conservative in all estimates prior to touching anything and then they usually get more during the course of the procedure. In fact, the best professionals I have ever met in any profession under-promise and then over-deliver. This is the key to happy customers with aligned expectations.

Anyone who promises more than you would think is realistic...run.