Greg_Swanson

Perhaps waiting is indeed better in your instance. The difference a good surgeon/clinic can make is enormous, so I feel as though waiting, but choosing a good option will definitely serve you better in the long run. I suppose once a transplant is done, you can see if medication is the right course to help it along.

Great result as usual, Dr. Super natural looking.

I underwent a pretty long shed recently, a few months or so, and the derm I see suspected it was a case of Telogen effluvium. It sort of stopped, but doesn't appear to have fully recovered. I'm finding what seems to be weaker, thinner strands of almost white-ish hair at the moment. Whether this is new, or simply a result of me looking extra hard (kind of fixated on my hair at the moment) - I am unsure. Does anyone know if this is common? I know a change in hair caliber/follicle characteristics is usually a very bad sign in terms of balding, so I thought I'd get people's opinions. Cheers.

I've been thinking that too. If I can tough it out for a decade or so, hopefully things have advanced by then

These are my concerns exactly. How come you say you're not sure it was the right decision? Did you end up committing to a transplant? I suppose it's that old decision of: wait it out, but live a few years under a hat - or, get a transplant, and risk it ending up worse than when you started.

Very interesting. It's always hard to know whether one goes for the first of it's kind. 2500 euro, and 100 each year isn't too bad, but it says this might need to be repeated every few years? Would suck to do it, only to find their protocols dont work as intended initially, as I'm sure it will all take a bit of refinement to perfect. I.e. look at how far FUE transplants have come from when they first started.

This is something I've always wondered, but it is sort-of glossed over in the transplant world. After reading some knowledgeable posts by certain members, and reading many stories, I really think patients should be advised more heavily that their donor hair won't necessarily last "forever". For example, my family comprises of NW 6/7's, all who had only a NW2 recession in their late 20's, only to lose virtually all of their hair by mid-thirties with sparse donor regions. I've been told that my donor can facilitate a transplant, but if I follow my family trajectory, it definitely wouldn't in a few years. I.e. those hairs would begin to thin. I've read stories of people who have had their donor assessed as fine, only to have it think 3-4 years later. Some folk say to wait it out, and see where your hair loss will end up - but then again, not a lot of people want to spend 5-10 years covering up their hair loss in anticipation. Just thinking out loud, any thoughts welcome : )

Hi Melvin, What do you mean by stretch? Is it the case of the scars widening over time?

Have a look at the latest result posted by Dr. Bloxham, he put up a video where he clearly shows how the scar looks at a really low guard. Virtually undetectable.

Sorry to see mate, that scar isn't the best. Have you discussed with the surgeon what may have been the cause, and if it is indeed still shock loss? Maybe reach out to some surgeons who do great scar work. Dr. Bloxham just uploaded a video with an amazing scar, and Dr. Konior can also work wonders.

What an incredible result. Someone was on this forum the other day, talking about how terrible FUT scars are. I'd love to show them this result, what a great procedure.

Well that's good to know, haha happy for you! Thanks for another great response, Laser. That makes sense, especially regarding when you start taking it. I.e. I'm sure I was thinning long before I noticed. I'm glad to hear that fin doesn't necessarily taper off. As a prospective NW 6/7 one day, I am looking to go very long term to combat the loss!

FUE definitely has less scarring that FUT, I agree with you there - but claiming it's virtually not visible at all, and is "better" than FUT concerning number of grafts collected isn't true. Most dudes cannot shave to a zero with FUE, that's essentially saying FUE is a scar-less procedure. So many have come to this forum post-FUE, saying that their donor is patchy even at a 2 guard, and they were told it would be invisible at a zero. Which is a sales tactic lesser-known clinics push to those who haven't done their research.

You don't get more grafts using FUE versus FUT. The way to ultimately maximise the donor is to start with FUT, and then switch to FUE. That's awesome you got such a good FUE result, you are very lucky. Keep in mind I have seen some absolutely horrendous FUE scarring, and some FUT scarring that isn't even detectable at a 2 guard. Dr. Konior's strip scars spring to mind. Both techniques are still great, and the "best one" ultimately depends on the patient.

This doesn't usually get discussed when people are making a long-term plan to combat hairloss, but can anyone clarify how long finasteride actually works for? I say this, as I have heard from multiple people, and even a couple of surgeons on this forum, that Finasteride is typically productive for the first 5 years, then slowly tapers off from then. Perhaps this is the body accommodating for the DHT suppression, to which it works a way around the inhibitory mechanism. If this is the case, then a patient who may be destined for a NW 5-7, will need to carefully consider a HT. I.e. for someone like myself, who has a family history of NW 7 - if I was to get a HT, and then fin subsided after half a decade, I would be left with very little hair. Curious to know what everyone thinks, and whether there is any truth to this

@Phil36fromaus @Ray123 You are definitely correct about Konior's approach. I consulted with 4 or 5 clinics, all whom suggested a procedure of around 1500-2,000 grafts. However, it was the personal reply of Dr. Konior (not a representative like the others) who suggested I hold off on a HT for the time being, and wait a year or so, then decide if it's truly what I want to undertake. We emailed back and fourth a few times, and the man just gave me his honest assessment, advice, and peace of mind. It was truly refreshing. You can tell he's an amazing surgeon.

That's interesting, I did a post not too long ago about this, and the consensus was that they are equally as good. Small sample size, of course.

Honestly, if you're going FUT, H&W are a no-brainer. Both surgeons do amazing FUT work, and can get so many grafts out of single sessions. Plus their FUT isn't that expensive at all, there are far more expensive FUT operators around. When it comes to strip, it's pretty well understood that H&W are pretty much the best place you can go. This thread is virtually the first time I've seen people question anything about either of them.

I definitely understand the tech versus minimal tech involvement, but at the end of the day, no one can argue how incredibly consistent H&W's work is. I don't know if people can really say there are much better alternatives, I thought it was pretty well accepted that H&W are amongst the elite of the elite. Were you going with FUE or FUT?

What does your family history look like? FUT can still be great for patients with a long-term goal which requires maximum grafts. I have some some FUT scars that are virtually impossible to detect, some very bad FUE scarring, and vice-versa. I would carefully consider what @LaserCap has discussed, and hop on preventative medication. I also understand the hesitation with FUT scarring - I always worried that if I lose my hair anyway, and want to shave it, it will be obvious, so you are doing the right thing in doing your research.

Whoops, completely wrong thread, haha! Sorry friend. Also, congrats on your procedure, they do amazing work at the LA hair clinic.

Hey Cosmo, Just wondering why you would advise to use a stamp/pen over the roller? I've got a roller, but didn't look too much into the different types. Thanks mate

I think if you google hard enough you will find horror stories anywhere. I found the same stories with H&W, but I feel like the good outweighs the bad by a large margin.

Isn't that just the absolute dream though? Haha. So, so damn similar to my life. I literally cannot recall the last time I didn't go outside with a hat or a beanie, even to nice events. I can only imagine how liberating it must feel So happy for you!

Looking great, Cosmo. A massive difference, that's for sure! Congrats