yesplease

You are probably long gone, but it would be really interesting to know how your results have held up over the last 6 years. Did you require an additional procedure? Thx

Any intra-op photos showing the harvest site and graft placement?

Wondering if any particular surgeons are known for being able to craft a "mature" hairline successfully. I am interested in having more of a NW 2.5-3 hairline, but with strong density. I believe this will be age appropriate as I am 40 and it will facilitate a more conservative approach when it comes to managing my total graft supply for the long haul. Additionally, it would be a less dramatic change in my appearance, as I have really just started to go from a NW 3 to a NW 4 with a loss of some density in my forelock over the last couple years. For most of my 30s I was a NW 2-3 with solid density. I have looked at the work of a number of surgeons on this site, and although many turn out impressive results, it appears that often the hairline reconstruction is more geared towards restoring a NW 1.5-2 appearance with significant hairline lowering. Dr Diep's work would be an example. Many of his results are great in regards to density and the natural appearance of the hairline grafts. That said, as others have pointed out elsewhere, many of his hairlines tend to be the same and don't reflect the appearance of some mild recession (which is what I'm thinking would be best for me). Are there any surgeons that seem to be more successful at creating this appearance? Are there particular surgical challenges to accomplishing this goal? Or is this something that should be straight forward and simply needs to be discussed with the surgeon? A few examples of what I'm thinking would include guys like daniel craig, ryan reynolds, Sting (although his hairline is a bit sparse), Kevin Bacon, Jim Carey, Bon Jovi. Thanks

As far the "illusion" terminology goes, I agree. That's part of the reason that I started this thread. Trying to get a grasp on the limitations of HT and the "best case" results. It's such a huge investment of time, money and emotion, it's hard (for me anyway) to really take the plunge if a good result is actually just an "illusion" of having hair. Makes me think that you can actually tell a HT when you see one if you know what you're looking for, which is a result I really don't think I could take such an enormous gamble for.

Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed reply. Great info. I will definitely check out Dr Lorenzo's site. So all of that said, what then are the aspects of a HT result that make it "unnatural" aside from the potential lack of density? It seems as though the "pluggy" transplants are a thing of the past given today's techniques. In other words, if you were trying to "spot" a HT, what would be the giveaway? Assuming a guy has good coverage, what is it that allows you to spot a HT from across the room when you know what to look for? From the perspective of someone with a trained eye.

Much of what I read and hear about HTs is in regards to "expectation management" and the "illusion" of having a head of hair when you undergo a hair transplant. I'm wondering if people can expand on this concept a bit. Does this mean that even the best HTs are still readily detectable to those who are familiar with this process? What makes HT scalp coverage an "illusion" versus a reality? Is it that a HT never produces realistic density? Does a HT ever produce a truly undetectable result? I have perused many threads on here and have scrutinized many of the post-HT photos. Obviously there is a spectrum of results in that some do not produce a very natural result and some look great. Of course it is always going to be harder to really tell when just looking at photos vs seeing a result in real life, so maybe some of you who have actually had the procedure done or who have seen many results up close can comment. Thank you.

Thanks, Mick. I'll definitely check out your 15 month pics. It looks like things have improved quite a bit for you to this point. Cheers

Wow, sounds like things are really going well. Glad to hear it. Yup, your thread has been very useful. Thanks for taking the time to put it together. I am very interested in seeing your 2.5 year pics! Did you end up staying off of fin? Have you stuck with minox? Thanks for the reply, looking forward to your next post.

New member, just read through your thread. Wondering how things are going 2+ years post-HT, especially since you are off of fin. I'm in the early stages of research about HT and one of my concerns is how things go once you get further than a year out from surgery. People seem to vanish after the 12 month update to their threads (if they post updates even long), although obviously I get that many are just out enjoying their results and have moved on from these forums. Thanks!