LaserCaps

It takes a full year to see if you'll experience enhancement. It takes only a few weeks to see if you'll experience retention. Oh.......but wait! Did you say "shedding?" That's normal. (The follicle gets tired of producing so it goes into a dormant period for about 3-4 months. That hair returns. 100 hairs a day is the norm. Under a bright light look at the hairs in your temporal areas. Notice how some strands are thick and robust. Others not so much. There may be even some that are so fine you can't hardly see them. We refer to this process as miniaturization. This is the hair we are trying to hold on to and to enhance. When this happens, it looks like regrowth, but it isn't. It is enhancement of something that hasn't left the building. I would encourage you to continue the meds. Take photos and keep track of what's going on. I would also consider adding other modalities to the mix. The recommended dosage is 1mg per day. Why not do that?

And the debate continues. This is directly correlated to FUT vs FUE. The whole point of FUE is to minimize scarring to the max. Anything larger than a .9mm will result in a circular type scars in the donor. This defeats the whole purpose of an FUE. The use of a finer instrument, .9mm or smaller, will also result in a much smaller graft. Not a lot of meat to the graft. Not as many hairs per graft, say 1 or two. So, coverage is just not there. Smaller numbers too...and you are slowly but surely thinning the donor - which does not happen with an FUT. Regardless, as a consultant and part of this community, it is our obligation to educate so the patient can make an informed decision.

Any medical therapy you do will serve you well, (if it works). Keep in mind most people expect and, when they see nothing, just stop thinking the meds are doing nothing. The meds are not intended to grow anything. They will help with retention and perhaps enhancement of the native hair. 500 grafts is eyebrow work. It will make no significant change to your crown. SMP will give you an immediate result. It typically lasts about 3 years. It is organic pigment that is metabolized by the body.

Putting grafts in the crown at this juncture is a mistake. That area is a sphere and it will take tons of grafts which likely you don't have. Allow the meds to work back there. It is OK to be thinner in that area because of the whirl we all share. Rather than continuing using fibers, why not consider SMP?

A couple of things....since you've decided on traveling abroad. Stay conservative...DO NOT come down on your hairline. Strengthen what you have and start working back from there and until you run out of grafts. On the return, check in your bag so they don't take whatever post-op things they give you. PLEASE do not stop whatever medical therapies you are doing. That's just a waste of time and money.

Diffused, Donor, Occipital notch. Yes, you are thinning diffusely through the pattern but you are dipping in the donor and only have a fringe worth of hair. If you've shown the propensity to lose, you will continue losing. If you experienced side effects with Fin, why not try the other modalities? I don't think you are going to gain a lot by doing Rogaine alone. PRP, Laser, and perhaps topical Fin may not be a bad idea. No one with an advanced pattern has enough donor to allow for a full set of hair throughout the entire pattern. It would be a good idea for you to go to the mall and start looking at the way people lose their hair. A class 6, for example, tends to keep a bit on the forelock, little density in the mid scalp, and nothing in the crown. If you are planning on only one procedure, this is what would look the most natural, (you are mimicking mother nature). Oh, make sure to keep a very conservative hairline. When it comes to FUE/FUT, the first thing I like to point out is your styling options. If you are military and use a 0/1 guard, FUE is in order. Those guys can't afford to have a linear scar as everybody would be asking, "what happened?" consistently. It does get tiring after a while. With FUE, the punch needs to be .9mm so the remaining scars are not visible to the eye. (Since the instrument is so small, so will the graft. You may get 1 and 2 hair grafts only which provide less coverage). If you wear your hair longer, however, FUT may be a better choice. It is important to keep in mind, each time you do an FUE, you are diluting the donor area. With FUT, you are having less of an effect. It takes a single segment, (which can be re-excised in the future). Under a microscope this segment is then divided into the individual follicular units. Grafts can have multiple hairs which allows for greater coverage. This technique would allow for multiple procedures until you run out of elasticity. You can then move on to FUE - and actually put grafts on the scar. (I do have a concern. You are dipping. If you do choose FUE and the doctor harvests from the area you are destined to lose, you will potentially lose the grafts that were harvested from there. Just something to consider). You mentioned front and crown.....When you consider the limitation we all share in the donor area, it is important to understand why most doctors always want to work from front to back. When you look at yourself, what do you see? How about when others interact with you, what do they see? The front. Having hair there will not only frame your face, it will serve you well now and down the road. Now the crown. The crown area is a sphere. It takes tons of grafts. If you end up putting all your donor there, you will have nothing left for the front. With the limitation you are experiencing, I would dissuade you from making that mistake. Once happy with the front, and confirm that the meds are working, you can then start putting some grafts back there. I guess a "dusting" is better than nothing.

There are two types of loss, the one you see and the one you don't. What you see in the comb, shower, sink, etc.....that's normal. 100 hairs a day is the norm. (The follicle gets tired and goes into a dorman period. That hair will return in about 3-4 months). Go under a bright light and look at the hair in your corners, for example. You'll notice some thick strands. Nice robust hair. You'll also notice finer strands and some so tiny you can't hardly see them. We refer to this as miniaturization. Eventually the hair withers away. That's hair loss. What you're experiencing is normal. I am surprised you are seeing significant results. It typically takes 3-4 months for the hair to start coming in. The hair will then start thickening up and it will take about 12-18 months to really mature. Remember, it is the hair that came from the donor, (the best hair we all tend to have). Let's wait the 12 months and re-post. I would start taking photos so you can compare, otherwise you'll forget.

Sure! It happens. Particularly when the technique used left small circle scars in the donor. FUT helped to clean that up a bit. Something else to remember is the fact that the FUT scar will likely be above the occipital notch. The patient could then fade the area below that. It is imperative you be on some type of medical regimen. If you start dipping to the point where the grafts are harvested from, you could potentially lose all those grafts.

You do bring up an interesting point. If the patient arrives for the first time, and does want to address the hairline, the doctor will try to use the finest hair he can find, regardless of the location. It is important to remember, there is no such thing as a hair line. It is a transitional zone that eventually develops into something. (At that point the doctor, nor the patient, know if there will be a second procedure). In the old days hair from the nape was used but soon thereafter doctors noticed retrograde. Scars were becoming noticeable and patients were losing the grafts that came from that area. So now hair is harvested from behind the ear. Years later, as per your question, if the patient returns to lower the hairline, the same process will apply. No, it was not a waste of time....If the patient enjoyed the results, the grafts did serve their purpose. They will still add density to whatever future work the patient decides to have down the road. (Next time you do a consultation, have the doctor use a scope, to show you the different groupings of hair throughout the whole head. You'll notice an array of groupings, even single hairs).

There is no such thing as "average hair density" since we are all different. Some have very fine hair, others coarse, etc. I do agree with Melvin, a doctor's recommendation might be between 2000-2500 grafts. It all depends on your goals, where exactly the hairline will be, etc. I would encourage you to consider some type of medical therapy. And while your loss has been very gradual, we just don't have a hair crystal ball that will tell us what's coming down the pike. The fact however, you have a genetic condition and the loss will continue.

Not yet. If you did not choose to do PRP at the time of the procedure......Hair will start at about 3 months. It will be very fine to start and you will notice NO visual change. At 6 months the thickness will increase and you'll start noticing some length. You will typically still claim you see little to no change. It will be at 12 months that you'll mature the results and see a difference. Sometimes this can take up to 18 months. Give it 12 months and re-post. I would also suggest you take photos and put them away. The change is so gradual people tend to forget. I am glad you are doing some medical therapy to help you with retention.

You do bring up a good point. First impressions.....looking your best......and all that goes with it. I recall a few years ago a true cowboy came in, hat and all. Looked great. Took off the hat and his demeanor changed so much it was an eye opening experience. Being self aware is typically not a good thing. Is this because we have been thought from childhood that appearance is important? Perhaps. Self confidence does have a bearing on all of this, but hair is truly important. It's amazing how much older an individual can look without hair. The scary thing is - who do you trust? We will typically say "do your research." Have you noticed how many more practices are now doing hair restoration? Pls ask them where they learned to do it! If not fellowshipped trained, walk away.

As long as the instrument used is less than .9mm, the scars will not be visible. Make sure you continue a medical regiment to help you retain the native hair.

Wound physiology has much to do with how a patient heals. Second, follow the doctor's instructions. For example, avoid weightlifting exercises that involve the neck for 6-12 months - this can lead to stretching of the scar. Sleeping position right after a procedure is also important. It is a fact that FUT does leave a linear scar. FUE, however, will also leave scars. The size of the instrument used will have a direct impact on visibility. Anything less than a .9mm will not be discernable to the eye. Anything larger will leave small circles through the area harvested. As others have stated, do your research.

One of the first concepts I like to cover with patients is the fact that the donor is finite and limited. There just isn't enough there to allow for a full set of hair when dealing with an advanced pattern. Thus, if there is a limitation, where do we want to put the hair so that it makes the most sense now and in the future? When you look in the mirror - what do you see? When others interact with you - what do they see? The front. The second concept to cover is, if you've shown the propensity to lose, you will continue losing. So, if you do transplants but then keep losing the native hair, you will look no different. (You'll never go empty since the grafts will stay, but will gain no density). And just to prove the point, let me add something else. Say you add grafts to the crown. (Think of the area as a circle). You then go on to lose the hair all around that circle. You'll have an island worth of hair and nothing around it. Not a natural result. You'll end up chasing the pattern and eventually run out of grafts. If you ever lose the front, you'll have nothing to fix it with. It is imperative you get on some medical regimen to help you retain and perhaps enhance the native hair. And, if it works, stay on it. You do seem to have a lot of miniaturized hairs that could improve. If it was me, I would get on all modalities and give it a year. You can then decide to move forward pending the outcome. Propecia, Rogaine, PRP and Laser are the modalities we typically refer to when dealing with this condition.

A baseball cap is typically OK the day of. The staff can show you how to put it on so you do not disturb the grafts. I would avoid beanies. These are typically made of yarn and they can catch. No restrictions after 7 days.

If you were to lose a graft, it would have happened the day of or in the 2 subsequent days. After day 3- it just does not happen. You would have noticed lots of bleeding. Your photo does bring up a concern. Are you still dealing with crusts? It looks like you've been a bit gingerly with your hygiene. I suggest you get in the shower, lather up and scrub. You need to get all the crusts off before you develop an infection.

There are a couple of positives you can take advantage of. First, the color of your hair. Not as much contrast as if your hair was black with light scalp. So, whatever can be done will end up being a positive. 2nd, you have a lot of native hair, most miniaturized, that has not left the building. Getting on the medical regimen for an entire year could be a possibility. Propecia, Rogaine, PRP and Laser therapy. Do all of them. If you do improve, I think you'll then have more options.

No restrictions after 7 days.

Unfortunately, the photos are not very good. Seems you've kept a strong forelock but there seems to be little else. I would not worry much about shock loss in the front. I would however, urge you to consider getting on all modalities to help you retain the native hair. What area(s) did they work? Hopefully they concentrated the grafts and not put them diffusely throughout the pattern.

"I know this is a weird post, but im losing my hair, not on any medications, don't want to be as I plan to get a hair transplant. Anyways, my hair feels sensitive, maybe its because I am thinking about it non stop." If you are planning on getting a transplant, perhaps you ought to rethink your train of thought. First thing to consider is the fact there is a donor limitation and, if you have an existing pattern, there will not be enough to allow for a full set of hair. Additionally, if you've shown the propensity to lose, you will continue losing. So, you add some transplants, you keep losing native hair, now you have to return for more just to keep up, never increasing that bar of density. Propecia, Rogaine, PRP and laser are the modalities we typically refer to when dealing with this condition. The mechanism of action of each of these is totally different and are thus synergistic when used simultaneously. But wait.....you also said "just that its a bit red from ithcy and dry." So, perhaps adding Rogaine - which contains alcohol - would be an irritant and perhaps create more issues. So, the idea of visiting with a derm/pathologist is not a bad idea. Taking a biopsy and finding out what you really have could be the right thing to do. In short, consult with a doctor.

The 4 modalities we typically refer to are Propecia, Rogaine, PRP, Laser. Plenty of published data. You also have this forum. Members with a great deal of experience. What part of the Country are you in?

A vitamin, it will help the hair look its best but will not help with retention. Your apparent constant worrying is likely the culprit. Are you doing any medical therapy to help you with retention? Propecia, Rogaine, PRP and Laser are the modalities we typically refer to when dealing with this condition.

That is very specialized hair....Not to be found anywhere on the body - except that area. Typically the hair in the donor will be coarser and it will stick out. And, if this is happening, I am certain you are thinning elsewhere. Are you doing anything medically to help you with retention? Please leave it alone!

Visit with a dermatologist so they can give you the cause and can guide you to resolve it. You can also visit with a hair transplant specialist to discuss the various treatments available to you, including medical therapies to help you with retention. Doing the research, as many call it, is a must.