LaserCap

You are diffusely thinning throughout your pattern at an early age. I venture to say there are some advanced patterns in the family. Not only do I agree with the DUPA aspect, I also think you are experiencing retrograde alopecia and thinning in your donor. First suggestion, go to the derm and have them biopsy. This will help you determine what's happening. If you value your hair, I would encourage you to get an all modalities available, (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser). Give these a year. Take plenty of photos. Since you are young, chances are these will help you a great deal. And without putting my foot too deep in my mouth, if things go according to plan, you may then consider transplants. (I would combine that with a PRP). I empathize with your situation.....

Beautiful staggered work.

Let me go into a tangent for a sec....When I think of an NDA, secrets come to mind. Not disclose what? Advancements in the industry? Something that's working? Don't get me wrong, lots of collaboration does happen at the ISHRS, for example. Many are involved to make this industry a better one. It is still amazing to me how many people still think a hair transplant will result in plugs. The ignorance out there is unreal...Or is it? I''ve witnessed doctors just getting started and having no clue....harvesting with a punch bigger than a 1.5. And, when making sites, rows! Can you imagine? Stick to the doctors on this site and you should be fine. The point I am trying to make, however, there should not be any secrets. Why not collaborate with others, perhaps not as knowledgeable, but in the end will make the industry better? If this happens, everyone wins. NDA...hmm. If no one signs the thing...I wonder what the practice would do. Not do the procedure? Eventually they would need to discard the entire idea. Funny how patients do have a lot of collective power...they just don't know it.

It is not until the comb through that you realize the true density. Keep in mind that hair in the middle and the front grow an an angle towards the front and shingles. This is why an in person evaluation is so important. Nice work....... Doctor, from time to time, would you mind taking photos of the scars in the donor? This comes up frequently either because the scars are terrible or because the patient is concerned about moving forward because of it. Thanks.

Why are they contemplating hair follicles? Why not cells? It has been confirmed the hair in the donor area is predisposed to remain. I gather, if they were to harvest follicles, it would be from the donor and not from any other area. Why not take cells from that area as well? Cloning has been discussed for years. I recall 10 years ago they started the process but they were getting 1 to 1. We actually need 1,000,000 to one! So that went out the window. Then the conversation shifted to cells. It is the opinion of many this will happen. Why not? Haven't we read about animals out of a test tube? Organs out of cells? Interesting indeed. Science is so advanced it is beyond me why this hasn't happened. We are talking about something so basic.....but freezing so we can wait to see what happens? And have to pay for the service? Crazy. I would rather invest my money on an existing program researching the subject provided I get some kind of benefit if and when it happens. Imagine, if we collectively invest $100 each......X millions of people......I need a drink.

Thanks for bringing this up. Managing expectations in huge for both the patient AND the Doctor. Both may be adamant about a certain course of action. Hopefully the Doctor is an expert and is guiding the patient properly. Scary if you think about it.

So much to talk about, let me figure this out.... There is the old school doctor....for lack of a better description. This type has been around for a long time...Some are masters at their craft. Some have been classified as pioneers but their technique stinks. It stank back then and it still does. Then you have the up and coming doctors that are truly talented and some that just have no common sense. But... Let's talk about the top surgeons. I truly think they are trying to help, and FEEL for the patient. I'll give them 100% but it is not them alone...you also have the clinical staff. Think about it. The Doctor is in charge of the surgical part of the procedure...clinical staff is in charge of the rest. If anything goes wrong, it is the Doctor that gets blamed. Nothing is ever 100. I'd give it an 85+ Can some be 90% I guess but infrequently. We are all human after all...even doctors.

You are a young individual with - likely - lots of loss in your future. If we had a wheel barrel worth of follicles for you to use in your future, fine. But we don't. Your donor is very limited and there will not be enough to allow for a fuller set of hair. Thus, if you do more forward with a procedure, you will likely look better short term but will continue thinning the native stuff. Eventually you will look the same as you do now and will have made no gains density wise. The only benefit is the fact that you will never empty completely as the grafts will stay. You will then consider more procedures until you've exhausted your donor. Honestly, if you are not going to do any type of medical regimen, I would advise you NOT to do any surgery. How you scar is a function of wound healing. I am assuming, based on your comments, you know someone with a bad scar? This may or may not happen. I've seen FUT scars that are hard to detect. I've also seen very wide scars and everything in between. Have the doctor show you scars of previous patients. Read the posts of jj51702 and Melvin above.

Teacher? Thanks for all you do.... Not sure how old you are but seems you are in the younger category.....More time to lose hair. And, if you've lost, you will continue losing. When? Not sure, but it is a fact. In the overall scheme of things you still have a lot of native hair that has not left the building. There also seems to be a lot of miniaturized hair. My suggestion, given your monetary situation is to get on medical therapy, (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser. PRP), and give it a year. Transplants pending the outcome. It is normal for guys to thin their crown and have a fuller front. This is important when you consider the front is what people see when they interact with you. Given you are keeping your hair on the lengthier side, why not FUT? I doubt you will achieve desired results with less than 2000 grafts on the front 1/3.....Do try to do as many grafts as you can afford. This will help avoid future procedures provided you retain what you currently have.

Good observation, I think this is directly related to price. This may change in time when you consider results and how things just seem to improve over time. To be fair, however doctors abroad do need to charge less when you consider travel expense, etc if they are to market outside of their local market...but that's true regardless of where the practice is located.

You've become a master using modalities readily available. This takes time and practice. And, don't be afraid to combine things. For example, get rid of the contrast first. You may end up using a much darker color. You can then use a medium or even a light color on top to soften the look. Yes, it will cost you a bit more, but this will buy you time. Most important is to add medical therapy. (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP). These will hopefully help stop the loss and maybe even enhance the native hair. Not doing this will result in less hair...ultimately the effect of the products outlined above will be less effective. These need something to adhere to.

Time to clean house? How do you propose to deal with the issue? Delete them? Castigate? Issue warnings? We have a very wise and well informed group of moderators. Perhaps it's time to call out everyone. Moderators do have the right to modify or even delete posts they feel are of no value. For one, I would like to help in any way I can.

The first question is, what is your definition of a hairline. How wide is it? A finger's width? Also what age are we talking about? You have to remember hairlines adjust with age, (most of them). Go to the mirror like I just did. Just looked in the very front and noticed 2 hair coming out of one pore. (This is my natural hair towards the forelock where I did not have grafts). These are finer hairs and it's natural. Now, don't tilt your head forward. Besides the very front, can you see behind the first 1/8 of an inch? I can't. I do think the hairline is composed of singles and doubles, but it's finer hair. I didn't notice any course stuff. It'll be interesting to see what others post. Do keep in mind, as BeHappy notes, no one stands that close to you and won't be able to tell.

Negativity is everywhere in the world. Forgive them and move on. Otherwise you are tied to them.

Seems there is nothing to worry about. Do you have family history of hair loss? Are you noticing hair in the sink, shower, pillow?

Off hand, and not having read the report....a few years ago, and many still believe, that African Americans do not make the best candidates for FUE due to the curvature of the hair. It is believed that the curve is extended to the area below the skin. The high transection rate could also apply to the use of a robotic system. Other could be any other reason.....

Unfortunately these are out of focus....Does seem you have a great deal of hair. Off hand I would say there is nothing to worry about, but start taking photos 6 months apart. Have someone else take the photos. Best to be proactive.

Typically tattoos turn blue. You can see this in patients tattooing eyebrows. Do some research before moving forward. Call tattoo parlors and find out how do remove them. Not sure about long term effects and/or working in such extensive area. Wish I could help.

Like I said, once in a while you'll find a gem out there.

I learned something about procedures in Canada recently.....There are rules and regulations. Not sure if the government is involved, but someone is. That's a good thing. $10K is $10K. You should be able to accomplish something with that amount. More so if you are considering FUT which it typically less costly. I do have a couple of concerns..... I assume you are considering 1 procedure and be done with it. There are only a few doctors I am aware of that can give you "amazing" density in a single procedure. Most will require multiple procedures to achieve density. Keep in mind you are working in the most prominent area there is, the very front. Have you had any consultations so far? This is important. It is the time the doctor has to deem you as a candidate. There is a lot of meaning to this. Good donor, no medical issues to deal with, etc. Further, he can confirm if there is thinning elsewhere. This would be the time he would probably recommend some type of medical therapy to help you with retention of the native hair. This is HUGE. Imagine a patient....He is thinning. (and if he's thinned, he will continue thinning). Adds transplants and looks great. Decided not to do any type of medical therapy....Goes on to lose the native stuff and now he is back where he started. (Well, not really as we know the transplanted hair will remain, so he'll never be totally empty). Now he'll have to consider a 2nd procedure as the goal remains the same. So, considering medical therapy is something you should be doing now.

PRP and Laser therapy...... I also read something recently about cell based therapy......We'll just have to wait

There are no "exacts" in science. Add to that all the factors involved in the day of the procedure. The patient can get stuck in traffic, (this can happen to the doctor and the staff as well). The banks are closed until typically 10:00 am and now the staff has to wait until the procedure is paid for...to then get going. Why am I bringing this up? So say a staff member did not show up. That puts a lot of stress on the others to finish at a reasonable time. They have to work faster which typically ends up in a rushed job. If tempers flare, the patient ends up paying for it. What if you did start at 10:00....On that particular day it's the birthday of the best tech they have and she is expected to leave early. You do bring up a good point. Consistency. Not often talked about but it's important. But I don't care how good you are. If you've had a few days of not doing cases, this does affect how good the clinical staff is. This can happen when the doctor is out on vacation for 7-10 days, for example. Failed procedures do happen. I've seen it. Sometimes it is due to conditions, other than a hereditary one, Like failing to provide the information in the medical history form. Other times it is directly related to the doctor. Perhaps the sites were done too deep or too shallow. To minimize this, a good clinic, as you've worded it, talks about this at the end of the procedure. They discuss the minutia of what happened during the day. If something seems out of wack, adjustments are made. This should be doctor driven....unfortunately it seldom happens. By that time the staff is tired and all they want to do is go home. And the doctor can not afford to have staff upset at him...this is can also become an issue. I don't care what the job is. There is always drama. Once in a while, however, you do find a gem out there. Doctors, you are welcome to add your two cents, but I doubt if anyone can give you what the odds....Murphy's Law does apply here.

As you may know I've had a total of 7 procedures. 3 FUT and the rest small FUE procedures. I recall the first time. I had a bandage and did look kind of funny going home. I was told, use the cup. But, after shampooing, it would take me HOURS to get the soap off. So I just put my hand over the area, got under the shower so the water would land in the back of my hand and trickle down to the grafted area Worked great and didn't have to stay in the shower for hours at the time. Back then the recommendation was to do this for 7 days and then wash with the tips of the fingers to get the crusts off. That was FUT. With FUE, things were a lot easer, no sutures to remove. That has not changed much. It is important you follow the instructions of the clinic. Realize these outfits do a consistent number of procedures every month and adjust their post op instructions based on what they hear and observe from other patients. And have them give you the instructions in writing. Most of the time patients leave still under the effect of the local and will not remember anything the clinical staff told them.

That's normal. This also tends to happen during the losing period. One side may be emptier than the other. In cases like this it is best to work both corners at the same time because everyone knows the other side will eventually catch up. Believe it or not many doctors, because the patient asks for it, will only work on the one side....this is very frustrating and somewhat naive...the patient will eventually have to return to hit the other side.

Me being in the industry did help a lot. If I hadn't been, likely we would both be bald. This brings up a point. My grandfather was very bald and I wanted to be just like him. I was then hired by a HR outfit. Had to have hts do to the nature of the work. Thus, if you've never been interested or are unaware of hts, like I was, you'll never hear of the process. Looking in retrospect, I am glad I did it multiple times. I still look presentable.