mattj

As the Big Day approaches, we all get nervous. It's a significant event in our lives and we have a lot of hope tied up in the outcome. It is better, although not essential, to be taking preventative medication. It depends whether your hairloss has stopped/slowed down or not. It really depends on you and how your hairloss is going to progress. The vast majority of good results that you see will be the result of the surgery itself. In some cases, if a patient begins taking medication around the time of surgery, then they might be a very good responder to the meds and this might boost the surgical result, but that will be a small minority of cases. How close is your surgery date?

Your donor area is very thin and could become even thinner over time. I don't see it supplying the high number of grafts that you need to achieve good coverage and adequate density. I think you are best off ruling out HT surgery completely, which I know is a disappointment but really is the best thing you can do. The red dots are most likely a mild case of folliculitis, which is an inflammation of the hair follicles. It is common and looks mild in your case.

Another impressive hairline procedure, this time FUT. Dr Rahal reframed the 24-year-old patient's face, adjusted the lateral parts of the hairline and adding density where needed. Surgery Type: FUT Recipient Area Treated - 44cm Total Grafts - 1928 Total Hairs - 3506 Recipient Graft Density - 44 grafts/cm Recipient Hair Density - 80 hairs/cm Graft Breakdown: Single Hairs - 648 grafts Two Hairs - 995 grafts Three Hairs - 272 grafts Four Hairs - 14 grafts Average Hairs Per Graft - 1.82

MWF is a good way of avoiding side effects, but it's best not to go into this too worried as the mind if a powerful thing.

An assessment made on the basis of photos is not as good as being seen in person, but they are usually accurate enough. An experienced eye can make a decent estimation and numbers quoted estimates. What wouldn't be accurate is basing a graft quote on a person's Norwood level, as there is too much variety within each Norwood stage. If you take a look around at photos people post, you'll see that one NW6 might have quite a narrow balding area while another will have a big, wide expanse of bald scalp. They're both technically a NW6, but both have different requirements.

I had that. I think most of us have at least a few of those. It's looking good (normal) and everything will kick off shortly

This is entirely a personal opinion, but I would definitely opt for FUE for such a small procedure. The main disadvantage for someone with your concerns about post-op appearance would be that at least some shaving of your donor area would be needed. An FUT strip can be taken without donor shaving, making it easier to cover.

I think it's worth continuing the treatments as there is still a chance that the shedding will stop. Just hang in there a bit longer. I know that it's costly and a pain in the arse, but it isn't unheard of to have longer periods of shedding.

I see nothing to worry about. The area you highlighted is unlikely to be the only place where no hairs are visible as many of the hairs will have shed completely leaving no trace, but the follicle itself is still there.

There seems to be a lot of variety in the actual size of the balding area when comparing person to person. Head size might make a difference and so will head shape, but those things won't necessarily account for the size of the balding area. This is a tough one to give a solid answer on as the differences between people are complex.

Repeated plucking can cause a follicle to stop producing hairs. As an example, look at how some women have over-plucked their eyebrows and now have nothing left. In theory, the same could happen to a scalp hair if repeatedly pulled over time. The emphasis on over time.

If there is evidence that they work then I am happy to see it. I'm not against this sort of treatment or any treatment that works.

I don't think that two days off would cause this. It's more likely to be one of the dreaded and common sheds that many people experience when taking the treatments. Finasteride and Minoxidil can both cause periods of shedding. If you are shaving your hair occasionally then the changing hair length could impact upon how thick your hair appears to you. The shedding is almost certainly coincidence. Two days off is such a short amount of time and many guys take the drug only every other day, or sometimes even less frequently, with success. I would also rule out the alcohol.

Could you share photos with us?

You mention 3500 grafts. A procedure of that size can be nailed in one. Are you saying that you need more grafts? Do you have quite an advanced balding pattern?

I wouldn't use it any more than once per day. Unfortunately it's a commitment - you don't need to worry about missing applications here and there, but if you stop for longer periods of time then the benefits will be undone. You can apply it at the front. The drug is just better at regrowing hair at the crown and midscalp, so that is what it is marketed as doing. That's where the majority of studies have focused on. Re. photos: I can understand that reluctance to 'bare all' in a public space, but it really isn't a big deal. We're all in the same boat and you can conceal your face. But whenever you're ready!

I'e heard a lot about it over the years, but nothing good. I would avoid.

I'm guessing that this kind of news isn't very nice for you, gojira35, but we're being honest with you. I know that people have a tendency to underestimate how advanced their own hairloss is and it is often those overhead angles (angles that we don't normally see ourselves) that show us more than we wish to see. I guarantee that you'll look better with your cut short. It always looks better than the long-but-thin style. So I agree that you should try this before moving forward with a transplant. You could get a very nice result with a transplant, but it's worth trying the buzz cut first.

I can't speak for your choice of doctors, but what you're suggesting sounds like have a bad transplant followed by a good one. That doesn't sound like a good strategy to me. Grafts are permanent.

It's normal to have a bit of dandruff. What is the shampoo you're using?

I would guess that a NW5 pattern is emerging but can't be sure without seeing more photos. Even with photos nobody can be absolutely certain of how far your hairloss will progress. Do an image search for "Norwood scale" and see where you think you fit. Notice that not all crown balding is the same. Sometimes it drops down at the back, making it very visible from behind, sometimes it doesn't. I think you'd be looking at a procedure of around 4000 grafts, starting from the front and working back. There's quite a lot of area to cover considering that you're thin from the front right back through the midscalp and into your crown. This means a lot of grafts are needed for coverage and density. It would help to see you from above and from the back.

The darkness is not typical, but people have posted similar photos before and I don't see any reason to believe that there's an infection. Do as others have advised to gently remove the scabs.

Hi Blaze. Nice introduction. It doesn't sound like your loss has been too aggressive. Where would you put yourself on the Norwood scale? Do you plan to share photos? I can understand not wanting to try Fin. I take it you're still using Minoxidil... But please be aware that it could be doing more to help your hair than you realise and you could lose some hair quite rapidly if you were to stop it. Perhaps you already know this, but I thought I'd say it. Anyway, welcome to the forum!

Personally I think you should stick with what is working for you already, and if you've experienced regrowth then it's definitely working well. I wouldn't upset that and increase the risk of side effects. The dose you're taking is effective (in fact lower doses have been shown to be effective) and I doubt you're losing out on better results by having 'off' days.

I see a NW3 pattern of hairline recession, but you have a more advanced pattern emerging. Your photo plus your description tell me that. It would help to see more photos from different angles.