elicochin

Hi LaserCap, Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Please find the requested photo attached; hope this helps.

I also wanted to get your opinion on a small FUE with SMP considering I have been buzz-cutting my hair for more than 8 years now. What would you think of a very low density FUE hair transplant with like 100 - 200 grafts in the hairline and mid-scalp to have a thicker, better and more realistic hairline and even less grafts  for the crown zone like 15 grafts/cm^2 ? Would it give the illusion of less bald?  So a person could potentially have a 4000-4500-5000 grafts all over the head, let the hair  grow 2-3 mm and have a better illusion and a darker head that would appear hairy enough.

Josh

Thank you Paddy. I am eagerly waiting to hear from some more forum members.

Hi All,

My names is Josh and a BIG THANK you to all those who contribute to this forum and host it. I greatly appreciate this and wish to thank you personally! I am very excited to inform you that I have decided to go with Eugenix in India for my HT surgery. I'm 52 years old, although my hair loss began around 25 and I think I'm now a NW6. I believe that my hair loss/balding has been stable for more than 6 years or so. I've never taken any hair loss medication of any kind ever and not planning to take any in the future as well. I have been trimming my hair to zero for more than 8 years or so. The pictures in my profile are very recent. (Link to my Profile pictures)

My HT Objectives: Reconstruction of an age appropriate (high and receded) hairline and temples with dense and natural look. Coverage of frontal scalp, mid-scalp with moderate coverage of crown. Ability to keep buzz-cut hairstyle after HT.

Background: I consulted with Dr. Arika Bansal (mostly) and Dr. Pradeep Sethi over WhatsApp with help from their business rep (Nelson) in June. They were patient in listening to my needs and going over various options. After a series communication lasted over multiple days, Dr. Arika Bansal provided the following assessments and suggestions: (Please note I have summarized the following from multiple chat sessions and there may be gaps since I have yet to be sent to Eugenix for their confirmation)

Hair-loss Condition: Grade 6 baldness with good donor supply

Estimated HT grafts: Combined total of 3800/4500 grafts

Procedure: 2-day DHT procedure

Two options were discussed with conservative hairline approach

OPTION1: (with 2000 scalp extraction and 2000 from Beard)

Cover more area and the crown left would be much lesser.

OPTION2: (with 1500 scalp extraction and 2500 from Beard)

Limit extraction from scalp to avoid visible donor thinning allowing buzz-cut.

Procedure:

Scalp grafts are for the mainstay of hairline and temple restoration and provide much denser look than beard grafts. Beard grafts to be used for mid-scalp and crown. Temporal hump hair will not be extracted as they may undergo loss in future 4 to 5 years. If you want to keep the option of buzz cut in future, then there will be a zone of donor thinning that would be evident. This donor thinning is inevitable (hence the option2 was suggested and to be discussed further). Beard donor scarring is minimal, to the extent that it is not visible to the naked eyes. However, there will be microscopic scarring. It would be a two-day procedure since it would be difficult to cover this fully in 1 day.

Suggested Donor Areas:

Scalp 1500/2000 grafts

Beard 2000/2500 grafts

Chest Up to 500  grafts (to be discussed further)

Suggested Recipient Areas

Temporal points: 200 x 2 = 400

Hairline: 400

Frontal Scalp Behind Hairline: 400

Mid-scalp: 1500 (option to use only 1000 for medium density)

Crown: 1500/2000 (to be discussed and finalized)

As you can imagine, I am overwhelmed as much as excited by my decision and would need your help and validation (and a final push  ) before I reach out to Eugenix to schedule the surgery date.

Thank you

-Josh

I am 52 year old Norwood6 considering an FUE transplant to restore my hairline and Temporal points along with some moderate coverage on the frontal/top scalp behind hairline. I was quoted a total of 5000 grafts to restore a receded and age appropriate hairline. About half of 5000 grafts would come from my beard considering the limited scalp donor supply. I would like to know the pros and cons of harvesting beard grafts in terms of transplant success rate and donor scarring. I would like to hear from the members who have gone thorough a similar HT.

Regards,

Thank you @harin

Hi @harin

Very excited and encouraged to read your HT journey which is nothing short of a fairy-tale. It's also very timely because I am currently considering Eugenix in India. I am 52 so looking for an age appropriate receded hairline with an option to wear hair short if possible. Dr. Arika Bansal has been very helpful in discussing options. She thinks my donor looks good and can yield 1500 - 1800 grafts and beard can yield another 3500 grafts with a total of 3500 - 3800 combined grafts. Suggested recipient Breakdown below (two days procedure):

• Temporal points: 180 to 200 each side...approx. 400 totals
• Hairline: approx. 400
• Frontal scalp behind hairline...approx. 1500
• Midscalp: Rest of the grafts...approx. 1600

Any suggestion and opinion based on your experience will be greatly appreciated. I also welcome comments from other valuable members on this forum. Link to my situation below:

Thank you.

Dear all,

Many thanks for your responses. As a next step I am going to reach out few surgeons recommended here. Mostly in India, Turkey and here in the US. I would like to ask you what are the top 5/10 questions I should seek answers to. I think someone else may have asked this before and I do not want to duplicate it. If anyone has come across a similar topic/question, kindly share the link. 

Thanks for your support

Thanks Melvin for the response and going straight to the point 😊

On 5/18/2019 at 3:35 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

Maybe  3,000 grafts

Melvin,

One more question, how much of shock-loss I should expect realistically from whatever hair is left on my mid-scalp?

On 5/19/2019 at 12:33 PM, JohnCasper said:

In 2012 I had 5,125 grafts transplanted in a lengthy 2.5 day session(s).  My crown was covered then and worked out quite well.  The crown is typically the most difficult area to cover.  I had a 2,000 graft touch-up procedure done a couple years later but none of those grafts were placed in the crown area.  Take a look back through the archives of my website (listed below) and you will see lots of pictures including many crown shots.  If I had done a third surgery it most likely would include the crown area.  Mine looks good now and I'm happy with it and don't plan to add to it down the road. 

Thanks JohnCapser for your feedback!

Hi Mephesto, Thanks for your response. I would like to maintain the buzz-cut style knowing that I may not have enough donor supply for a long hairstyle.   

Melvin, my thinking is inline with your's. I am well aware of the the inadequate donor supply so I would settle with buzzcut which I have been doing for the last 10 years or so. I would do FUE to get a mature harline/temples with light converge on midscalp/crown and then SMP to improve the appearance on midscalp and crown. Based on your experience, how much hair I can expect to harvest in a conservative fashion?

Thank you Melvin! Are you saying that I should do FUE along with SMP or just SMP; please clarify.

Thank you JohnCasper! What was your expectations about restoring crown hair and how did work out for you in terms of coverage.

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to check in with the helpful folks here for some advice as I start my hair restoration journey. I'm 52, although my hair loss began around 25. I think I'm now a NW6, although my hair loss/balding has been stable for the last 10 years or so. I've never taken any hair loss medication of any kind ever. I have been trimming (never liked the shaven look) for the last 10 years or so. These pictures are very recent.

I have been lurking around this forum for the last 5 years and never really gotten serious about it until now. I have also began researching FUE options and surgeons based in the US and in India. Most importantly I would like to get some real-life feedback from this forum and I think it will give me final boost I am looking for.  As you can see I have some hair left on my top, but my crown is completely empty.

I also came across the Scalp Micro Pigmentation and was very encouraged to see some of the results combined with FUE. I understand that I can't expect to have anything close to a NW2 again, but I would be satisfied with light-moderate density all over, at which time I could buzz it down and add SMP for additional volume. I would like to have a mature hair line and temple areas with light coverage on the crown.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am tired of my current look and would like to do everything I can to change it in a logical and sensible way.

Questions and advises I am looking for:

• Am I a Nor-wood 5 or 6?
• I am looking for an age appropriate hairline so What can I expect from FUE in my current state?
• Can I get a FUE without taking any medicines? what are the pros and Cons?
• Your thoughts on combining FUE with SMP (may be a year later)
• Inputs on surgeons who does all the procedures themselves vs. surgeons who let their technicians do most of the work
• Setting expectations for long hair vs trimmed look with my situation
• Any other suggestions/information that I should know before taking the plunge

Many Thanks

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to check in with the helpful folks here for some advice as I start my hair restoration journey. I'm 52, although my hair loss began around 25. I think I'm now a NW6, although my hair loss/balding has been stable for the last 10 years or so. I've never taken any hair loss medication of any kind ever. I have been trimming (never liked the shaven look) for the last 10 years or so. These pictures are very recent.

I have been lurking around this forum for the last 5 years and never really gotten serious about it until now. I have also began researching FUE options and surgeons based in the US and in India. Most importantly I would like to get some real-life feedback from this forum and I think it will give me final boost I am looking for.  As you can see I have some hair left on my top, but my crown is completely empty.

I also came across the Scalp Micro Pigmentation and was very encouraged to see some of the results combined with FUE. I understand that I can't expect to have anything close to a NW2 again, but I would be satisfied with light-moderate density all over, at which time I could buzz it down and add SMP for additional volume. I would like to have a mature hair line and temple areas with light coverage on the crown.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am tired of my current look and would like to do everything I can to change it in a logical and sensible way.

Questions and advises I am looking for:

• Am I a Nor-wood 5 or 6?
• I am looking for an age appropriate hairline so What can I expect from FUE in my current state?
• Can I get a FUE without taking any medicines? what are the pros and Cons?
• Your thoughts on combining FUE with SMP (may be a year later)
• Inputs on surgeons who does all the procedures themselves vs. surgeons who let their technicians do most of the work
• Setting expectations for long hair vs trimmed look with my situation
• Any other suggestions/information that I should know before taking the plunge

Many Thanks