Gasthoerer

This discussion pops up every now and then. 

I reality there is no evidence that implanter pen is superior to slits: neither in "clean look", "angles, "healing" nor "survival". There are great clinic using slits and forceps others use slits and implanter pen and others implanter pen only. 

As you mention yourself: There is a risk in having a HT even if you chose a great clinic (even though the risk is minimized). 

Besides going to a top notch Derm and test for the usual skin diseases, my recommendation would be: Have a smaller procedure to start with. Of course it depends on your status which kind and size of procedure is suitable. I started with a 400 FU surgery before opting for a larger surgery (as shown in my signature).

Good luck. 

Really a great result! Of course it is not natural density, but the illusion is working perfectly. 

Fantastic! Congratulations for going on and finally win.

As someone who also had still quite some hair left, but kind of a little "unnatural" balding pattern, I certainly can relate to the TO. 

My comments are:

- You do not need a HT, but actually no one does.

- Limiting your options to a certain city or focus to much on financials is a mistake. We have holiday all over the world and should be able to fly to Belgium or Spain for such an important step in life. 

- The issue with small HT is always a poor risk to benefit ratio, therefor IMO 2 decisions have to be made:

1) Create a complete new hairline below the existing one or fill in weak areas in between (like mine). Feriduni mentioned to me that the latter is more difficult and for an optimum results it is best to stay a little ahead of the existing hairline (to make it look more natural with the stranglers/baby hair in front (if you chose to fill-in). 

2) Recreate temple points yes or no? This is the most delicate part of a HT and even with a top clinic a buzzcut in this area is often not possible afterwards. Of course the optical benefit is high.

My feeling is from the pics: You hairline is a tad higher than mine, therefore it is probably best to recreate a complete new hairline and go lower than the current one. 

The crown is a "no" in your case. The hair is still way to dense in this area and being on meds will buy you more time. 

One of the best interviews about this topic (independent if you share the opinion or not). 

I have really seen great cases from both clinic for high NW, but my feeling is: Both are a little overly optimistic based on some pics which show a nice beard but a poor head donor. In my opinion a physical evaluation is required before setting the patient on an unsure path of consecutive surgeries. 

Not everyone has the guts, financial options and stamina as @Gatsby

Well, my assumption would be around 1000 - 1300 FU, but you can measure the area easily and multiply with 55. 

But this forum's members have a lot of knowledge, and even the most knowledgeable ask for advice. Why? Judging yourself is very difficult.  

My honest opinion: HT is not a good option for you. Donor area is weak, area to cover is very big. Consider options like SMP. 

I agree with @Gatsby: The drawn hairline appears (!) way to low and to pointy as well. It literally goes in between you muscles. More pics are required showing your facial features from different angles (frontal, profile,...). 

Wow, you never seem to be satisfied😁 Your temple (and Donor as well) looks great IMO. I think I would enjoy the great head of hair 😉

Basically all my growth 😉

Hair transplant is the art of illusion:

- Giving the appearance of a full head of (recipient) hair despite only using 50 % of native density --> To achieve the illusion, a certain lenght and layering is required. 

- Giving the appearance of a unharmed donor, despite having thousands of grafts taken --> Also requires a certain length to cover the scars

Of course there are exception:

- Some achieve almost natural density by consecutive surgeries (being a low NW)

- Some doing donor restocking (BHT or SMP).

- Some have such a low density overall that transplanted density matches 

Again, if the length you are looking for is possible, is difficult to predict. The general rule is: If you wanna shave, do not have a HT but SMP (or nothing).

Some examples:

Super high density by multiple surgeries:

Recipient view + Donor impact due to strong hair skin contrast (incredible 10/10  result by the way):

Donor restocking:

I have watched the video of JT. Really odd...not only because of the clinics but also to show and rate patient results from this site in his show. I doubt that the patients have agreed to this.

BUT: The points he made about Nadimi are (besides the IAHRS topic) almost 1:1 also points which I raised before. And I still have some of this concerns. 

2 hours ago, rgm82 said:

1. If I'm just being extra anal about this I'll take everybody's word, it looks weird to me but I've never had this done before so I have no idea how it's going to grow in.

2. So wait though, I can't shave my head anymore? Really?! Like how come, it just doesn't look good or what? Damnit I can't believe that never came up in a year of doing research on this, that's one of my preferred ways to wear my hair, almost might have been a deal breaker for me...

1. Simple answers: Yes you are. But for you own sake (even if it is only in your mind) you could have asked to put 3 grafts around it. 

2. How many people have you seen in here with a buzzcut after a HT? Not many... There is a chance that you can shave down, but it is gamble, especially with your hair skin contrast. Your plan should not built on that unlike you plan to add SMP in Donor and (!) recipient to begin with. 

Everything is right! It is normal that there are some irregularities to soften the hairline. The ones you have are not extreme. 

More important point: it is very (!) likely that you cannot shave the hair like the guy on the pictures. HT is about illusion and finding the sweet spot of length and angles/layering to make it look good. 

Great! Many clinics use hair from that region for hairline but few shave that way. I think it helps getting back to normal looks. Nice work, nice choice and will be a great result. 

This is an amazing result in any light! Well designed, dense and super (!) natural.

All your thinking about further surgeries is hair greed IMO ... and I do not blame you as I know it myself perfectly (we are all in the same boat). But every surgery is also a risk (even at the best clinics). I think you should really enjoy your hair and move on (sorry, for giving maybe unwanted advice). 

Looks great and I do not see any reason to be concerned. Heavy scabbing is not an issue. Little bit of donor shockloss will also dissappear. 

DId you ask for this particular donot shaving style or was it an idea of the clinic?

On 3/6/2022 at 7:51 PM, JDEE0 said:

Also, you haven't had 5250 grafts, that is a lie, probably 3000 max, but I think closer to 2500.

If this is true (and you might be right) this would be good news actually. 

It is clearly an infection and maybe necrosis (plus infection). 

Necrosis can develop from the infection or the necrosis can develop first by the trauma caused by the slits (especially when they are to deep and or to close) and then followed up by an infection. 

This is a typical risk of a transplant but happens significantly more often at hair mills. It is very likely that there will be no hair growing in this area (there was a case of ASMED in here which was successfully treated with a touch-up procedure). The big questions is the state of the remaining recipient...

On 3/1/2022 at 7:04 PM, Ryan Daniel said:

First of all, your hair is dark and curly... which is usually the best candidate for hair transplantation according to most experts 

This hair and skin type is one of the most complex to have surgery on and cannot be compared to curly hair from Caucasians.

a) This skin type is often prone to keloid scarring which is critical for both FUE and FUT.

b) Depigmentation of the FUE scars is a bigger issue due to the dark skin.

c) The grafts typically have such a strong curvature, that only few clinics can extract them properly. And even them typically grafts are less "healthy".

The only benefit is the additional coverage provided by these grafts.

I would recommend FUE on such a case only if the clinic has proper experience with this hair type and (!) hen they use a trumpet like punch (U-punch or WAW). 

Yes this is still the LeBron to Jordan (Aftermath)...and a rock stary hairstyle too. Would love to see an update too. 

Thanks for sharing you report and some very honest pics.

I think the crown can be evaluated at 8-9 month earliest. But I agree with the previous posters. The expectations for the hairline/front was a little higher after this amount of grafts for this area. Was there any feedback from the clinic regarding growth? Was there a discussion to address the weak spots first before moving to the crown? How many grafts does the clinic estimates that you have left?  

We feel your pain.

Please show some proper pics before, intra and post surgery for providing help.