LaserCap

While I do agree that everyone is different, there are certain rules that apply to everyone. Da Vinci was and brilliant man that contributed so much to the world. The rule of thirds seems to insignificant, but it truly applies to everyone. Research it and try it, you may love the geometry behind it. Look up Leonardo da Vinci's rule of thirds, facial dimensions.

Based on the photos you have submitted, it seems you are losing your entire front. The corners are well receded and the forelock is thin as well. Unfortunately we do not have photos of the top of the head, but I'll venture to say there is a degree of thinning there as well. As others have suggested, get on medical therapy, (all of them). What takes grafts is lowering a hairline. The hairline you have seems to be appropriate for the age and for you, as it's the one you have. Honestly, I would stay with it. Bring down the corners, leaving a slight recession, so that this new hairline will frame your face better and make you look younger. It would also add grafts to the forelock just to reinforce and to keep everything connected. Otherwise you'll end up with a couple of horns down the road. Seems you have decent density elsewhere and, to achieve the same, you'll need the doctor to concentrate the grafts as much as possible. In cases similar to your own, I've seen recommendations of 1800-2500 grafts. Try to do as many as you can afford. I would also discuss PRP with the doctor so he can do it the day of the procedure. This will help bring the results in sooner, but it will help reverse the miniaturization you seem to be experiencing. Forget the monetary aspect of the procedure for now. Concentrate on results. Review photos, Once you find what you are looking for, you can pound the cost all you want with that particular clinic.

Sometimes this does happen. The hair will start growing from the get go. This just means you're ahead of everyone else by 3-4 months.

There are times when too much is too much. Typically the people that truly need this information are the doctors, staff, and the manufacturers of the equipment. You have to realize that this industry, like any other, keeps evolving. All benefits incorporated into whatever change or modification is make is typically communicated to the doctor by the manufacturer. And, at the end of the day, what good does it do you? Do you think learning and knowing all this stuff is going to make your hair grow better or more natural? No. You are relying and trusting the doctor. Not only for being ethical and all of that, but for using the equipment that will yield the best results for his patients. This is why reviewing photos of results is so important. It is always about the results. Typcally a punch larger than .9mm will be easier to use, but tit will leave the little empty circle mark many have discussed in this forum. .9mm is harder to use and lots of practice is required. This came up a few years ago when Artas came around. The problem is the Artas system will typically use a punch larger than .9mm. Many believed Artas was the gold standard, and many still do. Throughout my career I've met many talented Clinical staff members that dissect and plant grafts. That's all they do. And if off for a few days, this impacts their work. Not that the doctor does not know how to do it, but this is not his job. He should be in charge of the surgical part of the procedure, otherwise you'll be there a month.

You are not losing the grafted hair. When you hear shock loss, let's address that issue first, we are referring to the fact that the doctor is working in and around the native hair when creating recipient sites. This disturbs the native hair and sometimes"shock" happens. Other times it seems like shedding but its actually the doctor cutting the native stuff off inadvertently. Realize that the instrument he is using is very sharp. Typically, when this happens, the native hair returns in about 3-4 months, along with the transplanted hair. Now shedding. There are two types of loss. The hair that you seed and the one you don't. The hair you see on the tub, shower, sink...that's normal. Most believe 100 hair a day is normal. The follicle gets tired of producing hair and it goes into a resting phase. The hair will then return at a later time. This will happen to all the hair in your head but not all at the same time. So, when you "see" hair, don't worry. The hair you don't see refers to hair that miniaturizes, dissipates and disappears. The caliber changes until it's gone. That's hair loss. Now let's address your question. During a procedure the native hair is shaven, particularly in the area where the doctor plans to harvest grafts from. A very short stubble is left so that the clinical staff can transport the graft. Once inserted into the recipient site the doctor created, a crust will form. (This is just dry blood). As days go by, the stubble grows. The staff will give you post op instructions and it will tell you when to start washing. When you do, the crust along with the hair will fall off. The graft now needs to reincorporate into the blood supply. This is why it takes 3-4 months before it starts growing again. So, in reality, you never really lose anything, It is just part of the post op process.

Revisit with the doctor, if possible and have him take a look at it. He can prescribe a number of things to help you - depending on his findings. You can also go to the dermatologist. It is important to do this because this may transfer to the rest of your head if you scratch elsewhere.

As far as I've been able to ascertain, it will work for as long as you take it. The problem, and what typically does have an effect is the fact that sometimes you will forget to take the pill or you ran out and now you have to wait to resume taking it. And, that is honestly all you can do. Two things to consider here. Say you start taking the medication at 22. Unknown to you, you will start losing hair 5 years from now. So the first thing, when do you start taking the medication? I would say common sense tells you - you start when you start thinning. But this, necessarily is not true either. Take my son, for example. He is well aware of family history so he started taking the medication at 18. Mind you, he did not have any loss at the time. The other side of the coin, obviously, is - suppose he was to start losing hair the very next day. Good thing he started taking the pill. Now let's say he stops after 14 years. He will lose all that he would have lost. This process typically takes a full year. With regards to your comment about being effective for about 5 years and then starts loosing some of its effect...I've heard that about Rogaine and not Propecia. And the time is 7 years. The suggestion, however, is to keep doing the treatment as you are still getting some benefit...and more so when combined with other modalities.

3-4 months later? Don't think so. And even if that was possible, do you think that 1 graft containing two/three hairs is going to be an issue when you had 3000? No one will be able to tell. And remember, shedding, which is probably what happened, is hair that returns. The hair that does not return is hair that miniaturizes, dissipates and eventually disappears.

There is a reason why there is a list of doctors on this forum. Go to their websites and review photos. It is about the results after all. Once you've chosen 3, call them and explain your situation. Tell them what you would like to spend, (be reasonable). Make yourself available. Many times these clinics may not have a case scheduled on a particular day and may allow a lesser fee if you can take the slot. I get a kick out of traveling abroad. Not sure about the cost of that but I am certain it is not cheap when you consider a flight, hotel, transportation and your normal living expenses. And, while you would have to do that regionally as well, a flight within the US would be less costly.

Just by looking at this it seems you may be experiencing retrograde. It also seems you are dipping in the back quite a bit. This typically does not happen, but what if these two unite and eventually your donor disappears? The grafts taken from that area will also disappear. So, the first thing I would suggest you do is FORGET transplants for now. Get on medical therapy and, (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser, PRP),do all of them. Give it a year and then take another photo. Seems by the photo you are young with a lot of hair. Chances are you may experience, at least, retention and perhaps even enhancement. Let's take this a bit further. Say the meds don't work and you keep thinning. Seems you are experiencing aggressive loss for your age...and, if you've shown the propensity to lose, you will continue loosing. This is a fact. So let's say that the loss is so extensive you don't have enough donor to allow for a full set of hair. At that point you will need to be very judicious with your grafts. You may end up doing both FUT and FUE to access as much donor as you can. Honestly, whatever angle you consider, get on the meds and wait.

Nice response. This was typically done in the late 80's, early 90's. Back then it was purely FUT. So, when you see older guys with lines in the lower part of their donor, you know that they did transplants. If not experiencing retrograde-why not? There are two things with this. You never know if retrograde will happen, and why not take the hair from behind the ear? You can also find finer hairs in that area and are not subject to thinning like they may be in the nape area.

Nice to see that 2000 grafts can be placed just on the hairline and the temporal areas and not just placed diffusely throughout. She must be thrilled.

Why are you considering Artas?

During a procedure the doctor is working in and around the native hair. Based on your post, it seems, you had a good amount of native hair before the transplant. This hair is "bothered" and sheds. It typically returns along with the transplanted one. I would encourage you to talk to the doctor about doing PRP, or Rogaine, or Laser to help prompt the native hair to return sooner. In rare cases the hair does not return. This happens when the hair was meant to be lost anyway. If you've been diligent with hygiene and washed off the crusts, there should be none by now. Perhaps it is something unrelated to the transplant. Have the doctor look at it.

It is a big deal for the doctors that get tested. They must show their work, photos, etc....Now, for the ones that are just there to learn etc....I don't think so. A few years ago I was invited to attend the show. I recall noticing young doctors from a foreign land embracing well known US doctors. taking photos, etc. They were speaking their own language among each other and it was evident to me that they spoke 0 English. Months later I saw a caption indicating that these same doctors were promoting themselves in their own country, showing the photo they had taken at the show and indicating that they'd been trained by the doctor depicted in the photo. Sad.