Tao

Excellent work as usual, Dr. Konior.

Looking really good, TTP. I think we always would like "just a little more". I certainly do, but then again, given where we started from, the difference is huge. Congrats!

Hopefully, they'll come up with something better eventually so you don't have to take propecia the rest of your life. I'm one of the few on here who has never taken propecia and never intend to. After two HTs, I'm at a stable enough point now where I don't have to. Not having to mess with propecia or minoxidil were definitely part of my hair restoration goals.

Congrats! I think I had about the same level of hair loss as you. I had two passes - first one concentrating on the front third and the second on my crown. I think I would ultimately like one more pass but its'gonna be hard to justify the expense at this point. Anyway, you'll likely want a second pass eventually but it sure is nice getting something back that you lost. Enjoy the new hair you have now and be happy knowing it will only get better.

You look like you have excellent donor hair and lots of it. And you're low on the Norwood scale. So you have lots of good options. The whole FUE vs. FUT comes down to a personal choice (and money, since the former is quite a bit more expensive than the latter). With your thick donor hair, it really doesn't look like you're ever gonna have to worry about a strip scar being visible so I wouldn't rule out FUT over that. Better yield and less expensive. If you have the funds though, and you are worried about a scar, then FUE is the way to go, though you may need two passes to get the density you want. You're on medication, you don't appear headed to NW6 or 7 so doing either FUE or FUT now doesn't appear to be a huge risk for you. If it really bothers you, and you have the funds, I'd confer with the docs that people have mentioned (Rahal and SMG are both excellent too), and get-er done. You'll have great hair in your 30s and plenty in reserve should you experience more hair loss. Good luck! PS I have a lumpy head too and shaving down was not a good look for me. I've had two strip HTs and have no regrets. You couldn't find my scar now unless you were really really looking for it., even with very short hair.

Love your work , Dr. Konior.

To Spanker: I hear ya. In my case, I was pretty much completely bald on top all the way back through my crown and now I have coverage everywhere - very strong front third and decent coverage in the crown. I'd like more there and if I had unlimited funds, I'd go one more round. But its getting hard for me to justify the expense with all my other responsibilities and priorities. Still, the transformation in my case has been pretty miraculous and has more than met my expectations. I have quite thick hair though and so grafts go farther on me than others with thinner hair. I hope you can meet some people who've had HT in person and get a better feel for what you'd be getting into. Good luck to you!

Spanker, Certainly there are degrees of illusion. Yes, a combover can give you an illusion. And a combover with an HT can give a much better illusion. Some higher Norwood levels getting an HT will still need to utilize some comb-over strategy to maximize the effect of an HT. Some, with wavy or really thick hair or starting at a lower Norwood level, might not (the lucky so and sos). 50 percent of original density is really just an illusion of full density. A pretty damn good and effective illusion. Much better than a combover with lonely wispy hairs. I think people contemplating going the HT route, especially those higher up on the Norwood scale, definitely need to understand that and the limitations of HT. After two HTs, my hair looks so much better than the wispy semi-comb-over I had pre-HT. Most of the time now it looks like I have almost no balding issues anymore. But under certain conditions (wet hair, really windy days, harsh lighting, etc), clearly my lack of original density is exposed. Ideal? Hell no. But good enough, especially compared to where I started? Hell yeah. Each person has to decide what is acceptable for themselves though. We shell out a lot of hard earned money for these procedures so I'm in agreement with you that HTs and possible outcomes should not be oversold or inevitably, people are going to be disappointed.

Do you have to style your hair transplant just so for it to look decent? Well, I'd say that there are definitely ways to style your hair that are either going to maximize the positive impact of an HT or minimize the impact, or even make it look bad. Layering, etc. definitely adds to the illusion of density. And that's what most of get - an illusion of density. In most cases of higher Norwood levels, you just can't restore a head of hair back to its original density. That's just the plain and dirty reality. But you can often restore enough density to enable one to have a hairstyle that maximizes the illusion - sometimes to the point where it looks like amazing density. I don' t think that is any secret being withheld from anyone.

If that is the case, and it very well may be, then I apparently saved myself a lot of expense,fuss, and possible side effects by just going with my HTs and skipping the meds and foam.

I never took Propecia and never plan to (and don't use Rogaine anymore either). I had two HTS. You can check out my link below to see my situation. I think my hairloss pattern was well established and I wasn't going to lose much more anywhere else. I was also 41 when I had my first procedure. I know Propecia works really well for a lot of people, but I really just don't like messing with the body's hormones. I've seen what can happen when you do. That said, everyone is in a different situation and has to make the choice that makes the best sense in their individual case. I approached my HTs as a chance to not have to mess with medications or foam and it worked out really well in my case.

Yeah, no kidding. Like the Neograft, tools are just tools. You still need the skill and experience of a great doctor to maximize your chance of a good result.

A robot machine to conduct FUE. Who wants to be first in line? Not me! Now, Robots Can Save You from Baldness… As Long As You’re Not Blond - Techland - TIME.com http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/04/fda-approves-baldness-battling-hair-robot/237955/

That's kind of funny because most guys, when they plan a hairline, want it jagged, just like you have it so it looks natural. A straight hairline does not usually look normal. Yuo have the look most are dying to get!

Looking really good! That will change your life. Congrats!

Amen.

Wow, that is one helluva an improvement in the crown with no surgery. It would be impressive is that was done with surgery. But without- wow! He's lucky.

That's a damn good question. I was fortunate in that I didn't have to have my head shaved like bozo. I always wonder how in the heck people who get shaved like that pull it off? Go into seclusion for 6 months? Wear a hat to work in the office? Who can do that? I think not shaving is definitely more work for the surgeon and slows things down. But I was very very appreciative of my doc's efforts in that regard. An HT was traumatic enough. Looking like a mad murderous clown and/or like you were hatcheted in the back of your head for months afterward would be a bit much.

Thanks for clarifying, Dr. Hasson. And thanks again for coming onto the thread to respond. Like I said, your very reasonable and rational response just enhances your already stellar reputation. nothappy, I hope that something can be done to get you to a happier place. lorenzo, thanks man. My HT journey surely has been very gratifying and life changing. Dr. Konior did a great job.

Dr. Hasson, Thank you for taking the time to come on the forum to post. I think doctors who come on and respond to these cases without coming across as defensive or aggressive do themselves a huge service and only enhance their reputations. I was, however, a little unclear on a part of your answer. You wrote: "Now, how can a good outcome suddenly, 2 years later, become a bad outcome with poor growth? Did the transplants just die? The answer is that good and well executed hair transplants are enduring and do not turn bad. Then how do these results look so bad? Easy. In this case, NotHappy, chose to not reveal the true circumstances surrounding his hair surgery. He removed the photos which looked good and then only showed the photos where he looked as if he stepped out of a tornado. " So just to be clear, this is a case of bad hairstyling or manipulating the style to show the results in the worst way possible? In other words, none of the grafts you planted fell out or anything (and he did not lose some of his previous hair?). I think that's certainly possible, but I just wanted to make sure that I was understanding you correctly. I'm just having a hard time understanding how it could look good at one point and then look so bad after two years. (I understand that 2600 grafts over that area certainly is not a lot - I got 2800 just in my front third and needed a few hundred more to shore it up). Again, thanks for your response.

orlhair1, Having second thoughts I think is a very healthy thing. When you're contemplating someone carving up the back of your head like a pumpkin and then planting hairs where you have little, a moment of pause is certainly called for. I had total second thoughts when I did my first transplant. But I was a bit younger than you and had more severe hair loss so I was a bit more motivated. And that's really the heart of it. How motivated are you to change your situation? How much does your hair situation bother you/affect your life? How does the financial hit affect you? For me, I tried to just live with my baldness, but in the end, my hairloss really bugged me and affected my quality of life. So I decided to take a little control and did my homework, saved up, and then held my breath and took the plunge. Honestly the first HT was quite a surreal experience (in the sense that I couldn't believe I was actually doing it). In the end things worked out fabulously for me. I can't believe the difference. I certainly don't have the hair I had in my 20s but I'm not bald at all anymore and that has had a very positive effect on my outlook, my confidence, and how people (ok, let's be specific, women) interact with me. I did have to have another procedure but I had much more extensive loss than you did. You look like you could have a pretty damn good result in one pass. You might get hair greed, but you might be thrilled with one pass. There are certainly no guarantees and this board certainly illustrates that not all folks have great results (but it also illustrates a lot do get unbelievable results). In the end, it just comes down to how much this hair thing bothers you. I wish you all the best in your decision.

I get that now too. "You're looking a lot younger these days." Can't help but smile, can you?

Ask her to shave part of her head and go around like that for a couple months and then come back and see if she still feels the same way. If she does, ask her to keep her head shaved. After all, all that money for shampoo and hair care products surely could be better spent!

Vanman, I totally understand the financial restraints involved for you. When I first began looking into HTs, I thought the most I could ever afford was $4-6k total. Hearing that I was looking at $10K, $20k or $50k would have killed the idea forever in me. Fortunately, my finances changed for the better in the ensuing years and then I got 0% financing for a year, which alllowed me to put a down payment in and finance the rest as if I just had a car payment. I did the same with my second HT as well and will have it paid off at the end of this year. I stil can't believe I put down over $20k and to be honest, if my situation was a little different, no way could I have done it. That said, it's been a helluva ride and all good in my case. I would definitely do your research on Dr. Pong, talking to clients, and seeing results from people with similar starting points. To be honest, I can totally understand why $5k per session is enticing. $50k just puts HTs out of the question for many of us. Good luck to you and please keep us posted!

BeHappy does make a good point. Had I not gotten good results, my feelings definitely would be different. I almost went the cheap route (before finding this site) and I'm sure I would have spent less but gotten sub-par results. I know I would have regretted that now. HTs are no doubt, a huge commitment - both monetarily and emotionally. But when it works out, it's pretty damn golden. There are certainly no guarantees though and you have to understand that before you start.