Greg_Swanson

On 8/4/2019 at 9:29 PM, harry_potter1 said:

Didn't commit to HT yet. Thinking about going for it between 2020-2022

 

Not sure due to couple of reasons:

1- I didn't take medications and now it is probably too late. I am diffused NW5. Should have at least gave it a go. 

2- I think I shouldn't have waited till it was very advanced, up to 2016 or 2017 I had enough thickness to  camouflage my scalp. Still looked good with my hair. But it was clear which direction I was headed too. I think I should have started at that point ( I was around 28-30)

 

That said I am not regretting anything. I am more knowledgeable now than I was few years ago. If I had done a surgery back then I would have gone to local doctor. There is a couple of decent one here but nothing "impressive" tbh 

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.

2 hours ago, AssaultedByDHT said:

If I can get just a decade of maintenance out of dutasteride and finasteride, in addition to a 2500 grafts to add density to the midscalp and the front, I will be very glad. I'm sure that some better treatment will be out there in 10 years.

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

1 hour ago, harry_potter1 said:

That is a bit naive

 

Regarding original post. I agree with you. 

That was one of the reasons I didn't go for HT at younger age -though not sure it was right decision- as I wanted to see how much I am gonna lose before that.

Didn't want to be someone who had 5K grafts implanted for NW3 and then I end up NW 5/6 and don't find enough grafts lefts

That is why selecting surgeon is important too. A relatively conservative approach could help to preserve your donour are

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 : )

7 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I love Dr. Konior, he's absolutely fantastic, but sometimes it goes too far, he's a surgeon not a magician. Also, strip scars stretch, this is why FUE has become so popular. To be honest, he probably wasn't a great strip candidate and probably would've been better off doing FUE.

Hi Melvin,

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

42 minutes ago, Recedinggenes said:

I’m considering a highly reputable surgeon, so I feel better about going fut.  My hair is just naturally thinner and my dads a Norwood 6 so I feel fut is best for the long run. 

Havent heard much from people that have gone fut and have been pleased with their scar/donor. That’s why I posted this

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. 

21 hours ago, Aftermath said:

I think it depends person to person tbh, I’ve been on it 12 years without any drop off

Well that's good to know, haha  happy for you! 

20 hours ago, LaserCap said:

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.

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! 

1 hour ago, elduterino said:

@Greg_Swanson

You get more grafts as you can maximize the donor area, and extract more -  it may look sparse at the end but still way better than any scar  even dr Konior's.

No one with a FUT can shave it to a zero, but most dudes with a FUE can

Look at the many threads under "scar revision/FUE into scar/SMP into scar" as a result of FUT , and compare it with the number of people posting with FUE scar issues, which are almost inexistant

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. 

52 minutes ago, elduterino said:

with FUE you can get more grafts in total as you wont need much hair to hide the scar in the back, as there is none

I would never have FUT nowadays, the FUE techniques and tools have improved a lot and survival rates are the same 

I had 2 FUE total 3700 grafts and can buzz it to zero and no one can see anything out of the ordinary  at the back, no dotting or mini scars. I have very fair skin which heals well though.

For the surgery preparation I suggest you grow hair on top real long for 6 months at least and buzz the sides and back so to cover the recipient area with a combover  during the ugly duckling 4 + months phase which is the biggest pain in the whole HT process

This is what I did and even dated new chicks during the ugly duckling as no one noticed anything even though I had full redness and of course shedding and shock loss going on "undercover"

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.

11 hours ago, zach0786 said:

Is it a common consensus on this site that Dr. Hasson's results are significantly better and consistent than those of Dr. Wong.

Bismarck had mentioned that and made me curious.

Of the two, who is better at mega sessions?

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. 

12 hours ago, zach0786 said:

FUT. I already have a scar from a previous surgery, so don't see the point in FUE.

From what i hear, Dr. Wong is great in maximizing donor hair, which is what i am hoping to accomplish.

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.

9 hours ago, pza said:

I am sorry but how does this correlate to anything i posted?

Whoops, completely wrong thread, haha!

Sorry friend.

Also, congrats on your procedure, they do amazing work at the LA hair clinic.

On 7/2/2019 at 3:15 PM, CosmoKramer said:

I would not purchase the one you linked, I would purchase a derma stamp or pen instead.

Go on the Tressless Reddit page any you’ll find your answers to your specific questions.

Good luck.

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. 

3 hours ago, CosmoKramer said:

Thanks man! Much appreciated!

Yeah, it has, it’s been a great confidence booster  and it’s great not having to stress and panic about all the little thing that affected me before the procedure i.e. Constantly wearing hats to cover up, wind, rain, beach, formal events etc. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

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