Orangerade

Congrats - amazing result

Hi everyone.  FUT or FUE?  I've been following this forum for years.  Surgeons I'm considering: Dr. Konior, Dr. Nadimi, Dr. Gabel, Dr. Rahal.  

Loss seems to be pretty stable.  Have been on fin for 7 years.  Really considering it may be time for me to have a procedure done.  I think early-mid 30s seem like a reasonable time.  Goals are to bring the hairline down slightly, close up temple points, and reduce size of forehead.  I don't need a teenagers hairline.  Just want to reduce forehead size/appearance of recession.  Would FUT from a top surgeon using a Trichophytic closure be better than FUE?  As you can see, I have fairly dense, thick hair.  

Great results!  Thoughts on Dr. Konior vs Dr. Nadimi?  Looking to book with Dr. K ideally.  Others on my shortlist are Dr. Gabel, Dr. Rahal, and Dr. Hasson

3 minutes ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@Orangerade,

I just looked through the topic and viewed your photos. It is the hairline/front of the scalp the only place where you’re losing hair?

now, I haven’t seen pictures of your donor area nor have I seen photos of the rest of your scalp. But based on The photos, I imagine you’re only really concerned about the frontal area and restoring a natural looking hairline with some density behind it is that correct?  Are you still losing hair? How old are you? When did you start losing hair? Are you on any medication such as finasteride or minoxidil?  if so, how long have you been using them? If you stopped, how long ago was that?

At the end of the day, it’s totally your decision which donor harvesting technique you choose. However, you seem to be an excellent candidate for FUE hair transplant surgery.  

5 to 10 years ago, I would agree that i results via FUT were superior in that growth yield is higher. However, those surgeons fool have committed their practice to exclusive FUE have improved the procedure/technique substantially and as long as you choose the right surgeon, you can get results that rival or even exceed that of FUT.  that said, be careful because selecting the right surgeon is crucial to ensuring you get the results you want and deserve.  Today, there are a good number of excellent FUT doctors. But the number of excellent FUE surgeons whose results can rival or exceed that of FUE are much fewer.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant

Thanks for looking through so quickly.  And correct - just the hairline/front of the scalp.  My goal is to lower/restore my hairline so that it frames my face better and reduces the size of my forehead.

I started losing hair at the age of 19.  I got on finasteride when I was 24 years old, and my hairline has essentially been the same since then.  I'm 31 years old now, so about 7 years of responding well to the medication and maintaining my hairline.

I've uploaded a picture of what the back of my head looks like - best I could do with being by myself but it's there.  Would you be able to provide an estimation or quote off of these photos?  

On my shortlist of surgeons I have:  Rahal, Konior, H&W, and Gabel.  

1 minute ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

Orangeade,

there was another similar topic posted about this not too long ago. In fact, I believe I posted a response yesterday.  To my knowledge, there’s no real way to quantify elasticity of the scalp although I did respond on the last topic stating that I would ask Dr. Rahal next time I talk to him for his input.

obviously, scalp elasticity only applies to FUT and not FUE.  Is there a particular reason why you are considering FUT only?

For FUT however, you can do scalp exercises to loosen the skin and that will help to enable your surgeon to harvest a wider strip which will ultimately yield more grafts for transplanting.  Ask for exactly how many, this will totally depend. I don’t believe it’s gonna you’ll be significant amount of more but every little bit counts. Even if you can get a couple hundred more, that can provide more density in a particular area, etc.

but in terms of quantifying elasticity and how many additional grafts can be yielded specifically, I  I don’t know that there is such a device or method but I will talk to Dr. Rahal about that. While Dr. Howell now only performs FUE which in my opinion, is necessary to perfect the FUE procedure, he used to perform FUT as well.  So if anybody knows, he will.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

Hello Rahal Hair Transplant,

I'm interested in FUT primarily due to the results that I have seen with it, as well as cost as a factor.  I'm 31 years old, have been on finasteride since I was 24 and have had stable hair loss ever since.  I've been waiting to age before pulling the plug on a hair transplant.  I posted earlier in the week.  I've seen great FUT results come out of your clinic.  

Linked is another thread where I posted photos.  Would you mind taking a look and giving a recommendation?  

Considering an FUT procedure.  If I were to go for this procedure,  I understand scalp elasticity is important for this procedure.  Is there a way to reliably measure this?

I suppose I'll load some photos up.  Keep in mind that my hair is likely "fine as is" - I'd really like to lower my hairline and shorten how large my forehead as grown due to recession.  I know I look perfectly fine as is.  Just want to improve my appearance further.  Thinking I'm likely a NWIII?

26 minutes ago, Boomerang said:

I have had a FUT done 10 years ago (when I was 30 😊). Scar at the time was not visible even at short hair length but over time skin stretches and it becomes more visible. Also in my case as I get older I prefer to keep shorter hair and that makes me somewhat uncomfortable coz I am worried about scar being visible.

If FUE at the time was as evolved as it is now, I would have gone for FUE. I can only suggest that if possible, don’t let the cost decide it for you. A right procedure done once, even if expensive, is going to be much better for you financially and mentally over time.

I had my 3rd procedure done 7 months ago, @ Eugenix this time. We even covered my FUT scar. Having had 3 procedures now, I can tell you that this has been the best for me.

good luck with whatever you decide!

Would you mind posting photos, or a link if you've tracked your journey on here?  Perhaps I should consider FUE.  My biggest goal is to have a great hairline that frames my face and looks natural.  

12 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Rahal no longer does FUT just as an FYI. Hasson rarely does FUT and will reserve it for NW7s. Gabel and Konior do FUT and FUE regularly. These days, I would say they probably do more FUE because that's the market demand. If you never plan on wearing your hair short again, then FUT is a good choice. It's going to be WAY cheaper, which is a big benefit. 

Interesting, didn't realize that Rahal no longer does FUT.  At the same time - is the market demand also because the surgeons can charge so much more for FUE vs FUT?  Seems like more of a money maker compared to FUT for the clinics. 

Hey y'all. Title is pretty obvious.  I'm 31, and have been on fin since I was 24.  I've noticed a little recession over the past 7 years, but everything is fairly stable.  

Back when I started this journey, I was in the military.  I'm now off active duty and can have longer hair styles.  I'm mixed race Japanese/Caucasian.  I have thick, wavy black hair.  Even now, I get a ton of compliments on it at a longer length.  I'm about a NWIII.  I like to wear my hair longer, don't mind it being longer on the sides.

With that in mind - is an FUT the obvious solution over FUE?  It's way more affordable, and it seems like the trichophytic closure minimizes scaring from the strip; notwithstanding individual healing characteristics, of course.  From what I've read, it seems as though FUE has gotten better in terms of graft survival.  Just wondering if FUT makes more sense here.  How does recovery of the donor compare between the two?

Shortlist of surgeons:  Konior, Hasson, Gabel, Rahal.  

Open to other recommendations.  Main goal is decreasing size of my forehead and having a nice hairline that frames my face and balances it out better than a large forehead.

On 7/22/2019 at 7:02 PM, win200 said:

A rhinoplasty and a jawline implant, yup.  Plus a boatload of Voluma, for those keeping track at home.

Out of curiosity what type of jawline implant did you get?  Wrap around?  Jaw implant angles?  You look fantastic!  I'm considering a sliding genioplasty so would like your opinions on this sort of procedure vs implant if you wouldn't mind

I'm very curious if anyone has combined an FUE Temple Points Hair Transplant with one of the hair systems and wouldn't mind sharing results

From an optimization stand point, it would appear that this would give the "best looking" results from an aesthetic/density stand point. One of the dead giveaways of a hair system is if the hairline looks fairly strong/dense but the temple points are fairly receded. By choosing the FUE method, one also eliminates the strip scar and could go down to a guard 0/1 if they so choose.

This is in line with what Spanker has said in other threads - Hair Systems/Transplants aren't undetectable, but a good transplant/system isnt a dead giveaway. To the trained eye, such as the eyes that view this forum quite often, we can spot things such as plugginess, tape, scars, etc.

Has anyone actually gone with this plan of attack? To my mind, combined with Fin treatment (to prevent further recession of temples or retrograde alopecia), this could be one of the best methods for people to treat hair loss. Of course, someone would have to be comfortable with the maintenance that comes with a system

Knocked this one out of the park. Nice healing factor on the strip scar. Looks like 3 in the back to cover it up?

Love the salt and pepper, excellent work

Any updates Ernie?

I would suggest Dr. Rahal, Dr. Hasson, or Dr. Konior

I've done the research. Just waiting until the best time to do it, which will be soon since I'm almost 30 and my norwood pattern is becoming clear.

 

I can't take finasteride so I need to plan more carefully than most. My point is just that the guys with 10s of millions generally choose FUE so it isn't just some internet hype phenomenon.

Awesome, I'm in sort of the same situation. A few years away from 30 so want to see what my pattern is going to look like. That'll give me time to save up the $$$. Sorry that you can take finasteride, luckily it's been doing well for me with no side effects

Would you mind checking out the question I posed earlier and weighing in?

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/186954-styling-pre-op-tips-fut-question.html

rofl. How many celebrities, athletes, etc. get strip?

 

Nadal, Lebron, etc. all get FUE. Because strip sucks.

Spex and Ernie look pretty good with the strip procedure IMO. Have you taken the plunge with surgery yet or still researching?

Appreciate the informative videos Dr. Feller!

What are your opinions on FUE-ing into an FUT scar a year or two post op, assuming a trichophytic enclosure? Would that enable a patient to trim their hair shorter?

I've been a long time lurker on this site and have occasionally sent a PM or two to different forum posters. Thanks to this forum I got on proscar (cut in fourths, 1.25 mg a day) and I believe this has saved me from further loss.

I have a couple questions that the community wouldn't mind answering, and I thought I would share a couple tidbits on styling if you're at the same level of loss I am. I used to have loads of anxiety getting my haircut but have figured out a couple tips that eases this anxiety. I'm sure lots of people feel the same way I did!

I'm not ready to get hair restoration yet, but really want to around the time I turn 30 (currently 26). I want to wait till my loss pattern matures a bit more, and I'd rather save up all the money, use a credit card, then immediately pay off the credit card for rewards points rather than have to do a payment plan. Maybe get a free flight or two with those reward points.

I have consulted with 4 clinics, and have established what I believe to be my "short list". All of these clinics assessed me as a NW III and stated I'll need anywhere from 1600-2500 grafts. During the consultations it was noted that I have a lot of good things going for me; dark, coarse, slightly wavey hair with higher than average density. Just wish I never would have lost any of it in the first place but oh well, gotta do what you can.

Since I'm planning long term, I prefer FUSS/FUT. In my opinion, this surgery gives better end results and allows for additional surgeries without damaging the donor. I never want to shave my head bald; otherwise I would just be done with this and bic my head tonight.

With that being said, do you guys think I'll be able to maintain this similar type of hair style? I've found that my recession is incredibly reduced with the following cut that I've been going with for about a year now. And I recommend it to other people who are in my similar situation (NW III):

Taper sides/back from a 2 to a 4; natural neckline with a straight razor; trim 1/8 inch off a month and texturize. I keep the top around 1.5-2.5 inches total. The shorter sides/taper makes the top look thicker than it actually is. I get a haircut every 2-3 weeks.

I'd like to keep styling my hair this way, and am wondering if I'll be able to keep this 2-4 taper going on the back/sides. What are your thoughts?

My goals with hair restoration are to strengthen/reinforce my hairline (perhaps drop it a slight centimeter or two, and enable styling in other ways. For instance, a slick back look or at the very least the ability to show off the hairline.

What are your thoughts on my temple points? should I slightly reinforce those as well, or are they too tricky?

Background Info:

I've been on proscar about a year and a half (October 2015), and started when I was 24 years old. I'm currently 26.

I remember that my hair loss started when I was around 16-17 years old and I felt a burning itchiness to my head. I didn't realize till much later that I was losing hair. Luckily, I had super thick hair so lots of it maintained. Once I realized how bad my loss was getting though, I did internet research and found this forum and jumped on proscar.

Any plans for an update at the 9 month mark TP?

gotcha, thanks for sharing!

Will you post an 18 month result when the time comes Spidey?

Damn that's a good result. Congrats! Question - how is your scar in the back? no tightness or anything?

No idea I thought it looked pretty straight when the surgeon drew the line pre op

I'm a noob poster to this forum (looooong time lurker though), but my understanding is that they try to make it irregular when they implant to mimic nature. Your hair looks great man!

On an unrelated note, did you do FUT the first time?

Makes you really think about our mortality, doesn't it?

It'd be interesting if twins could do this and have one take fin daily and apply sunscreen/chapstick everyday to see how effective all of these preventative products are