Tressless22

On 9/8/2018 at 3:01 AM, newpatient99 said:

OP, have you looked into Finasteride? Instead of dropping 10k on something that you don't need and can potentially scar you for life, you could talk to your doctor about taking Fin first, it could benefit you greatly since your hair loss is very mild. Generic versions are like $20 for 3 months.

You're 29 and barely a NW2 which is perfectly normal. As others have pointed out, even though you're technically losing your hair, the average person will not see NW2 as someone going bald, NW2 is like your classic mature hairline. Many people here would kill for a NW2. Plus your hair is thick so if you're that self-conscious about it, you can easily style your hair in ways to hide your temples. But most importantly, I promise you the average person will not see you as balding when they see your hairline. 

 

 

I've been on 1mg finasteride daily for about 14 months. I pay ~$60 for 30 tablets of 5mg of the generic. At about month 2, I noticed a few additional hairs at the center of my hairline, and although those hairs are still there, my temples have continued to recede despite being on fin which bothers the hell out of me that I can't at least halt the hair loss. I am just now adding Nizoral shampoo, but I do not plan to add rogaine/minoxidil.

By the way, where can I get the best deal on Nizoral shampoo in the US and how often should I use it?

For now, I am not considering a transplant. As long as I don't get one done this upcoming summer after M1, I won't even have the option to get one done until after I graduate in ~4 years. At that time, I'll probably have more hair loss and be a better transplant candidate. Hopefully you won't see me back on these forums until then.

On 8/27/2018 at 10:13 AM, HairLossMentor said:

Hey Tressless22.

I can relate... I had my HT at 27 - I'm 42 now and glad I did. Others didn't agree with me at the time.

You're 29 and depending on your family history and use of meds - a candidate by definition. But that doesn't mean you should take the leap.

Yes your hair loss is limited - and a lot of guys would kill for that hair and more will not achieve that results after a ht. 

Some good advice here... and for what it's worth... the best advice I can give...

Do everything you can to keep that awesome head of hair! That's your #1 goal right now.

Sure your hairline bothers you. I get it. But you can "live with it." It's not the end of the world. You know what I mean. 

Stop your hair loss with the big 3 (Propecia, Rogaine, Nizoral) and you will feel better . Why? You're taking control of your hair loss... you're taking action.

And that's worth something.  

 

 

I think I may be a better candidate in a few more years once my hair loss stabilizes. That way if I decide to go through with one I can avoid a procedure that implants into an area with existing hair. Also, I think I will start with Nizoral shampoo now to be more proactive. Thanks for the suggestion.

22 minutes ago, Sean said:

Tressles, you have beautiful natural hair to die for.  Playing with grafting at this stage is like playing with fire.  Ive known few guys who had similar hair and did a procedure.  The transplant hair looks unnatural and does not match the density of native hair behind recipient zone.  Trust me, you may end up chasing repairs if you start now.  If you have extensive loss and look like a solid norwood 2-3 and beyond then you may consider it.  In your case, if you even thought about proceeding,  You would need to consider a doctor that may do minimal grafts a day with a full manual punch and do extractions themselves to lessen risk of low yield.  Very few docs do this surgical approach.  But for right now, trust me, you definitely should save your money and it will definitely save you lots of headache.  I wasn’t that badly recessed or damaged before, but I am going through a very difficult time at the moment.  I really do wish you the best but definitely think this through very thoroughly.  If you are local, let me know.  I think any doctor that even gives a number over 500 grafts for you is not being fair to you right now.  Your best bet is to enjoy your hair and ride it out till you see some actual visible degree of loss.  You do not want to venture graft placement into thick native hair zones at all.  You will shock that area and no gaurantee it can return. Best best wishes and good luck.  This would be considered a high risk procedure due to all that existing native hair.  

I'm sorry to hear that you're going through it right now, but I really appreciate your advice. You and others who responded have really changed my thinking about going through with this. I think I am going to wait a few years before reconsidering a transplant again.

4 minutes ago, jjsrader said:

Dude - you should have a great life!  You are way smarter than I am, so please disregard my comments as inconsequential and please, engage away with many other knowledgeable guys on a hair forum instead of um, I don't know - going to several well-regarded surgeons in America and get PROFESSIONAL opinions.

Haha!

Joining a forum to talk with other individuals considering hair transplants has been really valuable. It's all part of the process. You're right--I should also talk to other surgeons to figure out if their approaches are different from Dr. Erdogan. I'm glad I made this post because I am really leaning towards not having this procedure done anymore.

Just now, brahmabull117 said:

 

I didn't see the other people you are referring to but that's equally dumb also

just FYI, nobody thinks you're balding until you're NW3...and you're not even anywhere near a 2. Why spend so much money and go through an exhausting process when you obviously don't need it? 

I had a transplant done 8 weeks ago but I'm a NW2.5 with a terrible thinning patch in crown and diffuse thinning all over...I would murder a kitten to have your hair (I'm same age)

You probably don't need a hair transplant either because it is a cosmetic surgery and your starting point isn't baldness, but if it makes you feel better and you don't develop an unhealthy obsession with perfecting your entire appearance, I don't have an issue with anyone getting one. There are legitimate concerns like risk of infection or a design that would yield unnatural results either a year from now or when you are 60 years old. That's mostly what this post is about. Is Erdogan's design for me risky given that hair would be implanted in an area I already have hair? Is there a much better surgeon choice for my case? I appreciate the responses I've gotten.

1 minute ago, brahmabull117 said:

OP is NW1.5 with excellent density considering surgery

 

so dumb

I just went through several posts written by users on this forum who had similar if not better hairlines than me, and no one raised these concerns or called them dumb for having gone through with the procedure. Their first post was several progress pics after the transplant had already been performed rather than an initial post about surgeon choice and design. Not sure if the post format accounted for the difference in response.

42 minutes ago, jjsrader said:

Oh but wait!  I've seen at least 20 surgeries on here that were cheered on w/guys that have less hairloss than this guy - right into the frontal hairline and temple areas.

So he shouldn't have surgery 'cause he is only considering a doctor in Turkey?   So if he spent more with Rahal or Konoir or someone of that caliber - now he's magically a candidate?

One thing is obvious - if you have this miniscule amount of hairloss you better choose wisely and go with the best of the best.  It appears this is a case of body dysmorphia - based on the original posters replies, imo.

Let me emphatically state this guy has no worries - but in other threads I would be hearing from other posters let him do what he wants to do 'cause it's his own perception of hairloss.

I'm beginning to think the format of asking questions means nothing at this website.  Why not just have threads of before & afters and 'case studies' - since any answer is subjective at best.

Body dysmorphia is a mental illness. I don't think I've exhibited that. I recognize my hair loss is less than other users on this forum, and I have the capacity for rational thought when it comes to considering whether to proceed or not.

I am just now starting medical school at a later age than my peers, and I fear the additional stress of losing hair over the next 4 years and not being able do anything about it because the only time off I have for the next 4 years is next summer. Having an unnatural appearance following a hair transplant might be even more stressful than just losing hair. After having posted this, several users have brought to my attention the risk associated with transplanting into a region with existing hair. I initially thought this was a small risk but other posters have made me feel like the risk is significantly greater.

When you say I have no worries, do you mean I should not be worried about my current hair loss or I should not be as worried about the risks of a bad surgery with Dr. Erdogan?

7 hours ago, JeanLDD said:

+1 I wouldn't recommend it. Not with any surgeon. Opening a can of worms for no reason at this point, your current situation would be considered aggressive and abnormally perfect density if it was a transplant (not achievable in a single pass imo) , and on top of that you already wouldn't appear to have any hairloss to anyone including those who are Norwood spotters. If it gets worse consider it but there are better ways to drop ten grand in the meantime.

I have not had a transplant before. My left temple recedes faster than my right, but the right always follows suit in about 6-12 months, so I will have equally deep temple recession eventually.

I am somewhat concerned about density. My hair is somewhat dense and probably of medium thickness, and I am not sure if that density is achievable after one procedure. I notice that some people who don't have receding temples or only slight recession have less dense hair in their temples as compared to other parts of their hairline and scalp, so I brushed off that thought once before.

I appreciate the response. I may wait or seek out on this forum if there are any surgeons known for making dense hairlines in one procedure.

9 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

You do not need a hair transplant in my opinion. There are far too many risks associated with surgery. The risks outweigh the reward. Even if you had a successful surgery, no one would even notice a difference except you. 

Right now you have an age appropriate hairline and temple points, but if your surgery fails, you’ll end up looking worse and you’ll be kicking yourself for getting something done when it wasn’t necessary. 

Every surgeon has failed cases and even the best don’t get it right 100% of the time, ask yourself what’s worse your normal natural hairline? Or a failed artificial hairline? 

Does implanting into an area with existing follicles make my potential surgery more risky than others, or do you mean the risk of worsening my current hairline?

If I notice a difference, and I can stop worrying about temple recession for the next 5-10 years, that will be hugely beneficial for me and worth the price tag. I feel like I am ok with the potential risk of worsening my hairline, however I recognize that is difficult to say for certain. I had planned that if the surgery did not meet my expectations then I would just shave my head which is a hairstyle I would probably adopt if my temples recede much further anyway.

Thanks for your response. I'll consider waiting or at least talking with other surgeons about how advisable this procedure would be for me.

Hi,

I am age 29, and I have been considering getting a hair transplant for a few years despite having moderate hair loss at my temples. I started taking finasteride a year ago, and though my hair seems to have thickened up and added a few hairs along my hairline, I have also experienced continued recession at the temples. I contacted Dr. Erdogan in Turkey who estimated I would need 1800-2000 grafts. The placement of theses grafts is in a manner I have never seen before on any forum. The majority of the grafts are being placed where I already have hair so that as I experience continued hair loss, the grafted hair will remain and effectively hair loss will be hard to notice when looking in the mirror. I am mostly interested in having my temples filled and not necessarily having density added to other areas, and I indicated this in the questionnaire I filled out for Dr. Erdogan. Maybe the conservative approach for my situation is to add many grafts in the areas adjacent to the temples, but as I mentioned I have not seen this design before.

Can anyone comment on this strategy/design and if they have seen it before from other posters?

Also, I am mostly looking for hairline restoration. Almost everything I see from Dr. Erdogan looks great, but much of it is with grafts planted in the crown and midscalp with usually the same widely curving hairline design. Is Dr. Erdogan a good choice for hairline design, or should I be looking at other surgeons in Turkey? Your feedback is appreciated.

Here are some photos of my hairline:

Here is Dr. Erdogan's design: