Hi All,
Some of you old-timers may remember me, I've been gone for 5 years now but to refresh you on my story, I had scheduled a HT with Dr. Wong, flew up to Vancouver for my procedure and right before we were going to start, was told by both Dr. Wong and Hasson that I was not a good candidate for a HT. They said that I had too much miniaturization in my donor area, so they put me on Proscar, and said to come back in a couple years to see how I'm doing. It was a big let-down (though H&W were outstanding professionals in refunding me everything!). Some of you also recommended I keep my hair short to mask the loss, which I've done.
So I've been stabilized on Proscar for nearly 5 years now, and started back into my research over the past year or so (finances got to a bit of a better place to allow me to start thinking about it again).
I have modest goals - I am 44, and don't need a 20 year old hairline. I have had diffuse thinning for years, have very fine hair, and I just want to get enough coverage on the frontal and mid-scalp areas so that in pictures and when I'm outside and such, I don't have the horseshoe look (that most men in my family have had). And I just don't have the face or body-type to be bald, believe me. I've attached a few pics for you to examine.
So over the past year, I have had consultations with all the leading docs, and I have gotten wildly different opinions which is confusing. Some have said that I still am not a good candidate for FUT/strip but that I am a decent candidate for FUE. I think that based on my modest goals I would be fine with getting around 2,500-3,000 and ignoring my crown for the rest of my life.
The strange part of my story are these wildly different recommendations these top doctors have given me, so I'd like to briefly share it and I would love any feedback you might have as I hope to do my HT over Christmas holiday.
Like I mentioned, I've consulted with most of the top US docs over the past year (I'm really reluctant to travel overseas), and here are their recommendations:
Dr. Konior - only one I had an in-person visit with, he said he agreed with Dr. Wong that I was a poor candidate for FUT but thought he could "cherry pick" 2000 and create nice coverage. Dr. Konior seemed so professional and I trusted him completely. The negatives with Dr. Konior is his long waiting list and honestly his prices were out of my price range.
Dr. Wong - thought that my donor may have strengthened enough to do 2-3000 FUT, but wasn't sure without doing an in-person.
Dr. Rahal - thought I wasn't a good candidate at this time for either and to wait a few years to track the progression of loss.
Dr. Gabel - recommended highly by Dr. Konior, and he thought that Dr. Konior's assessment made sense and thought between 2-2500 FUE. My concern with Dr. Gabel is there are very few of his FUE before and after pictures, even his office only had 1 to send me, which concerns me. I'd really like to see more photos of any doctor I will choose. But I really enjoyed our discussion and his prices were doable for me.
Dr. Diep - also thought somewhere in the 2500 range for FUE made sense. I must admit I didn't love our discussion as he wasn't as personable as some of the other doctors, but the major blocking point was his prices which are out of my price range.
Dr. Vories - also agreed I am a good FUE candidate and thought somewhere in range of 2500. I liked Dr. Vories. But my concern with Dr. Vories is I didn't read a lot from folks on here that have done procedures with him, he was one of the least recognized for me. Big plus is prices were definitely in my range and I have family in the Charleston area that I could stay with comfortably.
Dr. Bloxham/Feller - thought that with my modest goals I could do a FUT safely.
Dr. Cooley - we haven't completed our consultation but have been in contact, and he also thought I may be able to do a FUT safely depending on where they take from my donor.
So as you can see I've done my homework. In an ideal world, I think I would go with Dr. Konior, but based on his long waiting list and prices which are truly out of my range (I have kids going into college!). But I am also just very confused about why some docs think I would be OK with a FUT and some strongly feel I am only suited for a FUE.
So I'd love any suggestions/feedback you may have. I've uploaded 4 recent pics and 2 from when I had my initial meeting with Dr. Wong (5 yrs ago before proscar). I'd really appreciate your input as I need to make my final decision soon! Thank you!