gbhscot

Will you be presenting more positive outcome cases than this one? I understand that PRP seems to work for some but not for others, can you provide any indication of what factors play a role here?

Can totally relate to what you are going through, it is the feeling of hopelessness which is a constant weight to be dragging around. I'm a young guy and get plenty of wind ups about the hair from friends and team mates, can kind of laugh about it at the time but it ruins my day. Haven't left he house in two years without a hat on.

I wanted to get back to you on the loss of muscle mass though. That is something I definitely noticed too and which really freaks me out. I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism which I am sure has triggered both, so I'd maybe get that looked into? The test for it is fairly straight forward blood sample. plus the doc might well take an ultrasound of your thyroid to look for Goiters or something. I play rugby so obviously the loss of muscle mass was catastrophic. I think it is important to really boost Testosterone levels to recover it, so maybe get them checked too? Mine were too low, so I basically changed quite a few things to boost them, starting to notice more muscle and better lifts in the gym, and importantly, markedly better mental well-being (the depressive phases triggered by HL started to lost their edge). I'd get those tests done, and try to eat fewer carbs but more fats for a while and see if you notice something. Feel free to PM me if you want any further info.

Whats your age mate?

26. Not even that bothered about a low hairline, have a naturally high hairline as it is. But density is the issue for me. Have diffuse thinning and posts like yours kind of make me think that HT might be a waste of money, as I'm not sure my density expectations can be met. Need to read up on HP's.

A very sobering post for any young blonde guys who were convinced that HT was the right option. Might need to inform myself about the merits of a system

Considering PRP at the moment but don't know whether it is worth it and I'd be better putting my limited funds towards a HT. Anyone any advice?

Hi Dr Karadeniz,

When you say wide forehead...what defines a wide forehead and how is this measured? This is something I hadn't yet factored into my HT research and because it obviously has an impact on the attainable density, I would be interested in finding out more.

Also, off topic, but do you have any examples of blonde haired patients?

yeah i have talked to bloxham, and that patients results look good. That being said the hairline wasn't shown and i would need more pictures to see what expectation to expect.

 

do you have any pictures of your current hair status?

These were pre-going on Minox about 5 months ago. Minox has had a bit of impact which I wasn't expecting but very happy about. Still think I'd need between 4-5K grafts though.

Any HT surgeons happening to be browsing here, happy to hear your suggestions / approaches!

Dr Bloxham posted a great video a few months back of a blonde case they had worked on, in it he argued that blonde hair was actually better to transplant given the way it contrasts better with the scalp.

I'm also young and blonde and NW4 or something. Personally, I am also really frustrated with the lack of posts about blonde hair too. As you would expect, the Turkish and Indian clinics post a lot of their results on Turkish or Indian guys, who have naturally really thick hair in the donor area, thus a better result can be realised. Given that blonde hair is finer and grafts are less likely to be 3/4 hair grafts, I don't think these incredible results can be achieved by these docs on blonde guys.

Which brings me to my issue - finding a HT doc (within my budget) who has proven good results with lighter coloured hair. I am ready to go ahead with HT and want to book it, but I just can't see a doc here who has posted results of a blonde patient. Anyone with any tips, I'd love to hear them.

Hi Harin,

 

Thanks for your kind words. In regards to the FUE scars, they will be visible to folks that are well versed with HT (such as the members of this Forum) but not so much to other people. This Patient's donor area has been shaved and the picture posted is a close up of the donor. But in a real life situation, I am sure that Patient will not be raising any eyebrows or carrying any tell tale signs of a hair transplant procedure.

 

Best regards,

California

Agree with Harin that no visible scars is a bit of a exaggeration. Fair enough, members here are well versed and know what they are looking for, though I'll admit I rarely pay attention to scars and was able to notice them very quickly. I do think that were the patient to shave his head completely, the scars would however be pretty visible. Luckily he has had a great result and probably won't be doing so! Would be interested to see any work Dr Bhatti has of blonde patients!

By prevention, do you mean Propecia? If so, are you suggesting those who are not on propecia shouldn't waste their time with a HT?

Happy to offer you my 2 cents mate. Building on what I wrote earlier... I don't take propecia. I won't ever. My Dr has told me a horror story of a patient my age he is currently treating, which I've listed in a previous post - look it up and think carefully about putting that into your body.

Look, this is 100% purely my own opinion, I by no means suggest you think like this without doing your own research. But for me, I'm also young enough to have been told by several Drs and forum members that I am too young to consider HT, that I should wait until mid 30s to see if it becomes stable etc. For me, personally, I find it a waste of my 20s, this is when I need hair the most, this is when I am happiest, single and most active. I plan on going ahead with it as soon as I find a surgeon who can demonstrate good results on blonde patients, within my budget and with a decent sense of ethics (not a fking hard salesman). When I do it, I will probably go very large on graft numbers. As in >of 4K, probably FUT, though I have my concerns and am still considering FUE.

Like I said, no Propecia. The risk there (according to many members on here): I will be left with Islands of transplanted hair, as my native hair all falls out. And my donor will be so depleted that I will have no grafts left for further work and no choice but to shave it, exposing an FUT scar. Why I don't really believe that it is such a risk - 1) I don't think my hair loss will progress massively, based on the fact it has been fairly stable for 2 years now, and my family have no history of MPB. 2) I will always insure that I have at least 1000 grafts left from scalp, plus I have enough body hair to get me from NW7 to NW1 it would seem. And finally, and this is purely my opinion...but 3) I am confident that we are the last generation who will be affected by MPB. I am so sure there will be a very effective treatment, or even a "cure" within the next 3-5 years. I won't go into details here, because if you like this logic, you need to inform yourself. But you want to look into the following - JAK inhibitors, Follicept, Setipiprant, to name but a few. In my book - I will buy 5.10 more years of of hair with a HT, and by then won't require further surgery as there will be treatments available.

My 2 cents, inform yourself though. And my god am I looking forward to the outburst by some of the guys on here based on what I've said. Propecia myopia and pessimism are the two greatest profit generators for Merck

As long as you plan a long-term strategy for your hairloss, then I don't think there is a "too young". Just make sure you do your research, get an estimate of how many grafts you might lose in the future, and plan how best to use them with a good surgeon. Take it from me, I'm 26 and should have gone for HT at least 3 years ago and wouldn't be in the situation I am now. This hits you hardest when you are a young guy, and I feel I've wasted the last few years worrying about something which could have been fixed. As long as you are smart about it, and 100% sure you want to do it, then don't hesitate (nor rush into it) ...the sooner you reach a decision and claim your life back, the better you will feel!

I'm almost certain he wouldn't be on Fin, although a lot of pro footballers are. Arsene Wenger recently said in an interview that he knew his players were taking the drug and it was worsening their performance as a result. Also a reason I wouldn't take it.

I'm curious about Pantogar and it's link between hair and finger nails - supposedly the system works on both. Since I've started losing hair, I've noticed my fingernails grow at an alarmingly fast rate, need to clip them at least once a week. Seems counter intuitive that the poor health of one is combined with what appears to be great health of the other - Anyone experienced something similar?! Has been annoying me for ages!!

I don't really believe he would have an FUE only policy for U30s. Surely this is the age group where future hair loss is likely to occur and a tidy donor area would need to be preserved.

I get that with the techs, however I have to say, several of the surgeons I have contacted have insisted that they themselves carry out the work (Karadeniz, Yaman). Spent this evening looking at some of the surgeons mentioned, been very impressed by a few (Maras in particular!) although also pretty underwhelmed by some of the results too Damned high expectations...

Thanks guys for the replies - I actually wasn't aware that a couple of those surgeons do FUT as I mostly see their (extremely impressive) FUE results. I'll look into it though. I'm definitely aware that you get what you pay for with this, but trying to balance out the price/quality as best I can on my budget. If money was no object I'd just fire up the private jet and fly off to NY to see Dr. B in person! (least I could do after all of his advice recently!!) For now at least, it'll be Europe and I will be checking out the docs you've both suggested.

And just watched the video on blonde transplants, really helpful. It's amazing how seldom we see blonde results posted. I recall reading an article a year or so ago in which it was argued that blonde men have a higher propensity to lose their hair than other colours, which would suggest a large market for HT. I wonder if the anxiety over poor results is fuelled by the lack of examples and is hindering blondes from going for surgery...If so, videos like that & encouraging patients to post their results would be extremely helpful

Apparently i'm one of a dying breed looking to still get FUT, but from all I've been advised, it just makes more sense for me and my characteristics. I've spent the last few months researching and having photo consultancies with different surgeons / extremely helpful members of this forum, and most have suggested FUT being the way to go. However, i'm in Europe, I'm a student (= limited $) and i'm going on a NW5 in my mid 20's. Not loving life. The problem is, most of the clinics in Europe which I can afford (mainly in Turkey) are just so focussed on FUE, and I have yet find a clinic offering FUT which is competitive in terms of price.

How can FUE possibly be cheaper than FUT given the effort required for individual graft extractions?! Does anyone have any FUT suggestions here in Europe?

Oh, and my standard question - Where the hell are all the good blonde hair results?!?!?!

Cheers,

GBH

Dolph,

 

First, epic name and avatar.

 

If that reference makes absolutely no sense to others reading the thread, I recommend watching Rocky IV.

If you do go ahead with a.HT then we are gonna need a Video Montage of before during and after to the tune of Burning Heart by Survivor....

Seth,

 

 

 

GBH,

 

First, I did receive your email and I'll reply this AM. Second, great question! I'm not really sure if there is a way patients can supplement collagen themselves. But I absolutely do think increasing the amount in certain areas would enhance the phenomenon I described above.

Hi Dr B,

Got your reply - thanks a lot, very informative and enjoyably positive about my prospects of a decent HT outcome had been getting a bit down about it all.

Had occurred to me as I take collagen peptide based protein in order to soften up some scar tissue I have from a hamstring tear (physio suggested it)...just wondered if the mechanisms might be similar. Thanks for the reply!

Very informative! Do you feel there might be some benefit in HT patients beginning supplementation with collagen in advance of a FUSS procedure?

Gbh,

 

4,000 grafts and you will likely need another up the road? If you walked through the doors of my clinic, I'd recommend strip without hesitation.

 

I'd assume i'll need another up the road. I'm not on fin and Minox doesn't appear to be too effective for me thus far.

 

Here is the problem with doing this as an FUE:

 

1) Sitting down to do this as 4,000 grafts in one sitting means that the grafts will not be extracted with the time and precision required. This means excessive forces, excessive out of body time, and likely significantly decreased yield. Doing this as an FUE would likely be better broken up into a series of smaller procedures. But I'm not sure how that jives with your plans.

 

If I did opt for FUE, I was thinking of contacting a surgeon on here who uses a protocol whereby he harvest 1000 grafts then implants them, before moving onto the next 1000 and so on. Splitting to procedure over two days. What do you think of such an approach? I'd love to do one procedure then another at a later date, however I seem to have been really unlucky with MPB and have genes which has caused hair to really rapidly shed and fall out over the space of three or four years, I think 2000 grafts would make little difference to how things look

 

2) 4,000 grafts removed via FUE will also cause serious alterations to the donor region. This means no virgin scalp left for reliable extraction in the future. This is a problem if you need another HT at a later date.

 

This is my big worry - i'd hate to come out of it looking moth eaten and unable to top things up at a later date. I'm hugely concerned about the level of scar tissue FUE would leave behind, I think this is an area where research badly needs to be done. Wish I studied medicine!

 

Keep doing your research and asking these type of questions! You'll get there. Hope this was helpful. Feel free to email, PM, ask more questions here, et cetera.

Hi Dr Bloxham,

thanks for replying so promptly with some great information & the picture - very informative. I know that is a great repair job on the scar, however it's still a big cosmetic change and I think would be noticeable. Do you feel inserting FUE grafts from BHT sources could diminish how striking the scar is when hair is shorter?

Actually, if it's not too much of an imposition, I'd love to drop you a PN or e-mail - reason being to get your opinion on how many grafts would feel I'd require. I've heard different things from different surgeons, would like to get some informed feedback. Would that be alright?

Cheers,

gbh

RE: Total harvest

 

Tit-for-tat, I think you can extract more grafts with FUE. When you get into sessions this big, however, I think your growth yield - which is what matters in the end - is probably higher with strip.

 

I do think, however, the linear scar becomes more of an issue with sessions this big. 4,000 - 5,000 grafts via strip means a decent strip width; this will increase the chances of scar stretching and visible scarring. This is why I do think there are patients better suited for strip and those better suited for FUE. From what I can tell, it seems like you were well suited for strip. I think your results add evidence to this claim as well!

Dr Bloxham,

what would you then suggest for a young guy who requires 4000 grafts, and will likely need another HT at a later date? I had my mind made up to go for FUSS but now you have mentioned the scar being wider and more likely to stretch, I am extremely concerned about doing this. Could you provide any photo evidence of a patient you have worked on who has a 4000 graft scar? This kind of changes my take on the Feller vs Bhatti debate on FUT/FUE

Thanks

gbhutch

Unlimited donor in terms of the ability to replicate follciles might be possible...regeneration of donor areas which have been harvested wouldn't make sense.

The reasons for my optimism about it is basically that all factors are there which could contribute to a means of regenerating hair. Bio tech start ups are buzzing, patents are running out, there have been several research breakthroughs in recent times, plus through the internet we are much better networked and will communicate what is working for us. Regardless how big pharma is,a networked economy can always subvert it, and for hair loss, the network is deeply involved, pre-established and has a high sense of ethics (I doubt many guys who have undergone hair loss and the emotional trauma with it would needlessly rip off others if they found a cure - make money from it, yes, but keep it obtainable too)

As Voxxman states though, two masses cannot occupy the same space at the same time. So I wonder, if you reawaken a follicle where a follicle has been implanted on top of it...what the hell happens?! Best case - Super thick hair occurs, worst case, ingrown hair leading to infection or something.

I like to try and be optimistic, and I believe that in the next five years, we will have a cure for hairloss, or rather, a means of re-generating hair on bald men. Currently there is a lot of interesting research being done (Follicum, Follicept to name just two) and I am cautiously optimistic that they will produce results in the end.

My question - Purely hypothetical at this stage - If we find a means of regrowing hair on bald areas, to the extent that they revert to original scalp density and hair characteristics, what does this mean for guys who have already undertaken Hair Transplant procedures? How will hair grow where follicles have been inserted already?

@ Doctor Feller...can you provide examples what you would deem to be the normal scarring & donor area from an FUT procedure of roughly 4000 grafts?

@Dr. Bhatti, can you do the same for an FUE procedure.

Thanks