LaserCaps

It takes 3-4 months for the new hair to come in. If you're a slow grower, this could take longer. At 6 months everything should be out. Vellus-like to begin. It'll take the ensuing 8 months to mature. You're just too early. Like others have noted, give it a good year. If you've shown the propensity to lose, you'll continue losing. What are you doing to mitigate the progressive nature of this condition? During the procedure the doctor uses very sharp instruments and, inadvertently, can give you a haircut. Add this to the fact that you have a great deal of contrast between the color of the hair and that of the scalp - it's not surprising you're dealing with this. Be patient. Do take photos in the interim. Soon this will be a long memory.

Great post and one that deals with a lot of misconceptions. Let's really get into it and chime in if you have something constructive to share. FUT was the standard not too long ago. A segment of tissue is removed. The area is then sutured together hair to hair. This results in a linear scar which can be easily covered with the native hair. There has to be enough native hair to fall down, shingle, and provide coverage. No one should be able to notice a thing, not even the day of the procedure. A year later you look great but now you want to work farther back into the pattern. The doctor would re-exice the original scar so as to keep the area as neat as possible with only one scar. You could do this many times until the doctor tells you, "there no elasticity left," at which time you can do FUE. (You could put FUE grafts on the scar to help camouflage if necessary). By considering both procedures, you would have full access to the donor. This is of particular importance if you have a very advanced pattern and limited donor. Now the scar. Scarring has a lot more to do with wound physiology than anything else. The doctor will use all his knowledge and experience to achieve the best result. A scar so fine it'd be difficult to detect. But then consider the other side of the coin. The patient. It's typically suggested a patient avoid weightlifting that affects the neck for 6 months. No shoulder shrugs, no squats, as this can cause a scar to widen. It's also recommended you get an orthopedic pillow that conforms to you so as to avoid stretching the neck while you sleep. Following pre and post op instructions is imperative. Can you guess how many patients actually read these documents? How about the patient that goes to the gym the day following the procedure? FUT will allow for a follicular with a lot of substance and hair. Consider, a FU can have 1-5 hairs per follicle. This will typically provide more yield than FUE. Why? FUE, Follicular Unit Extraction, can be done in a number of ways. Robotic - such as ARTAS, Neograft, Smartgraft, etc. The issue with these, they typically use a larger punch which results in circular type scars. This defeats the whole purpose of an FUE procedure. For the "scars" to be undetectable, a punch smaller than .9mm is required. This is typically achieved with manual systems. A micro-scar will not be detectable by the eye. The size of the punch is so small, so will the graft. Not a lot of substance nor hair. You will typically achieve less coverage compared to FUT. So, which one should you choose? If weightlifting is essential to you, do FUE. If you keep a high and tight haircut in the donor area, do FUE. If you keep your hair long and can care less about weightlifting, you have the option of doing either one. It's important to recognize this is a progressive condition. If you've shown the propensity to lose, you'll continue losing. It's imperative to consider some sort of regimen to help with retention and enhancement of the native hair. No one with an advanced pattern has enough donor to allow for full density throughout the head.

This looks more like a Ludwig pattern. You've kept the front, thinning behind it and through the pattern. Glad to hear you're on some sort of regimen to help you retain the native hair. What exactly are you doing? Hair loss is weird. It can be stable for years. Other times it can go fast. No rhyme or reason. Wish we had a hair crystal ball from time to time. Understanding this is a progressive condition is key. Continue taking photos and keep track of what's happening. You may want to add other modalities to the mix. The mechanism of action of each is totally different and there's synergy when combined.

I agree with your assessment. One thing to keep in mind, grafts can never compete with the density of a system. That being said, let me give you my 5 cents, hopefully it helps you with your approach. Glad to hear you're on a regimen to help you with retention of the native hair. It's likely the reason why you've kept as much as you have. You may want to incorporate PRP and Laser. When done correctly, these can help reverse miniaturization. (The mechanism of action of each modality is totally different and there's synergism when combined). Donor limitation often guides us. There's typically not enough to allow for density throughout the entire pattern. It's for this reason most ethical doctors will concentrate their efforts, at least initially, to the front and the area right behind the front as these are the most prominent. Allow the meds to do their thing towards the back, where they tend to be the most effective. Have the doctor work horizontally on the pattern in U fashion. The farther back he can go, the smaller the size of the crown. The crown is the weakest point we all share due to the whirl. It's the point from which the hair stems. There's no shingling of any kind as no hair is coming into the area. Rather, the hair grows away from the point. It would take many procedures and many grafts to fill the area. But let's also address this in a much simplistic way. Think of the crown as a circle. You fill it. Because you've shown the propensity to lose, you'll continue losing. You go on to lose all the hair around the island worth of hair. You've now created a target area and an unnatural pattern. Retention of the native hair is imperative. So, when is the right time to do a crown? When you're content with the front and you confirm the meds are working. Having hair in the front will always serve you well. It'll help frame your face and give you styling options. If you're going to be thin, be thin in the crown. Lastly be pattern appropriate. An advance pattern would never have a hairline in the middle of the forehead.

The quality of some of these photos is not very good. I does seem you're dipping in the donor. What I can see clearly, however, is the fact you have a lot of miniaturized hairs, particularly in the crown - which I gather - is what's prompting you to consider a hair transplant procedure. So much to consider, but let me give you the basics. Donor limitation often drives this industry. There's typically not enough to allow for density through the front, top and back. It's for this reason most doctors will concentrate their efforts, at least initially, to the frontal area. It's the area you see when you look at yourself in the mirror. It's also the area others see when they interact with you. Now the crown. Think of the crown as a circular area. You fill it. Because you've lost, you'll continue losing. You go on to lose all the hair around the island worth of hair. You've now created a target area and an unnatural pattern. Retention of the native hair is imperative. (Listen to Gatsby). Get on the meds and stay on them. Getting on and off is just a waste of time, effort and expense. Not only will you go on to lose what you would have lost, you'll resume losing hair.

Yes, about a cm. Come down on the corners to minimize some of the recession, parabola shape. Leave the tip of the forelock as is.

There are engineering principles that apply to each of us universally when it comes to hairline design. The Rule of Thirds, is exactly what's being discussed and the principle many doctors adhere to. But you're forgetting one thing! The pattern. Review the Norwood chart and notice the progression. As patterns advance many things happen. The hairline recedes. The corners become deeply recessed. The crown starts to expand. As you get to a class 5, only a bridge remains. By 6, the bridge is gone. Class 7 the donor dips considerably. Look at your own case and notice what has happened. As others have suggested, and to be pattern appropriate, why not reinforce and work within the confines that you have? It's a lot easier to tweak and add in the future. It's impossible to remove grafts. If you do start too low, you'll be painted into a corners. You'll have to use a lot of the resource and, depending on what happens in the future with ongoing loss, you may not have enough donor to address it. Be judicious with your grafts. The donor is finite and very limited. Glad to hear you're on some sort of regimen to help you mitigate the progressive nature of this condition.

It takes a true year to confirm what exactly the meds will do. Within the first few weeks, however, you should be able to notice less shedding. I would be inclined to give it a year but it all depends on what approach you're planning on taking. Donor limitation often drives this industry. There's typically not enough available to allow for density in the front, top and back. It's for this reason most doctors will concentrate their initial efforts towards the front. It's the area you see when you look at yourself. It's also the area others see when they interact with you. So, if it's the front that's bothering you, by all means, you can do both at the same time. But, if it's the crown area that's bothering you, I'd wait. Think of the crown as a circular area. You fill it. Because you've shown the propensity to lose, you continue losing. You go on to lose all the native hair around the island worth of hair. You've now created a target area and an unnatural pattern. Retention, before working the area, is imperative.

There are two possible answers to this question. For patients who've never used meds, the time to be on them is when you first realize there's hair loss. Waiting makes no sense. Suppose you were meant to lose all the native hair before moving forward with a procedure. If you've been a long time user of meds, (particularly Rogaine), it's suggested you stop the med a week before. If you flood the field, the doctor can't see what he's doing. You can typically resume the use of it a week later. There's no reason to stop Fin.

Very wide pattern. Good news, the donor has only dipped a bit. There are also miniaturized hairs noted in the perimeter of the crown which means you still have some loss coming your way, (If you've shown the propensity to lose, you'll continue losing). Donor seems fine but this can be confirmed during an in person evaluation. Review the Norwood chart and notice the progression. As patterns advance, many thing happen. The hairline recedes. The temporal areas become deeply recessed. The crown starts to expand, Eventually, and as you get to a class 6, it all disappears. The pattern continues expanding, however. That's where it seems you're heading. Donor limitation often drives this industry. There's typically not enough to allow for density throughout the entire pattern. It's for this reason most ethical doctors will concentrate their efforts towards the frontal area. It's the area you see when you look at yourself in the mirror. It's also the area others see when they interact with you. Now the crown. Think of the crown as a circle. You fill it. Because you've lost, you'll continue losing. You go on to lose all the hair around the island worth of hair and now you've created a target area and an unnatural pattern. My suggestion is to get on some sort of regimen to help you Halt the loss. You could, perhaps, even enhance the miniaturized hairs. Concentrate your grafts towards the front. Have the doctor blend the grafts to the area behind the front and work back until he runs out. While there are engineering principles that apply to all of us universally when it comes to hairline design, (research the Rule of Thirds), I would encourage you to start with a very conservative hairline. (Advanced patterns would never have a hairline in the middle of their forehead). The farther back you go, the farther back the doctor can work so as to minimize the size of the crown. Once you let it come in, you can then tweak. It's easy to add grafts. It's impossible to remove if you start with a juvenile placement. Lastly, and as you already know, hts can not compete with the density of a system. (Because of the length you keep, you do have the option to do both FUT and FUE. You could exhaust all FUT and then move to FUE. This would give you access to the entire donor area - which you'll need to accomplish as much as you can).

You're dealing with two different issues. First is hair loss and the other a dermatological condition. First, be under the supervision of a physician. If you're doing pill form, as far as Propecia or even oral Min is concerned, you should be fine. If you're doing topical, I would wait until you get clearance from the doctor. With regards to seborrheic dermatitis, visit with the dermatologist. They can treat it and, once under control, you can resume topical modalities. It's important to realize hair loss is a progressive condition and you need to continue some sort of regimen to help you with retention of the native hair - regardless of what other condition you may be experiencing.

Donor limitation often drives this industry, particularly when dealing with an advanced pattern. There's typically not enough to allow for density throughout the front, top and back. It's for this reason most doctors, initially -at least - will concentrate their efforts towards the front. It's the area you see when looking at yourself. It's also the area others see when they interact with you. Now the crown. Think of the crown as a circle. You fill it. Because you've shown the propensity to lose, you'll continue losing. You go on to lose everything around the island worth of hair and now you've created a target area and an unnatural pattern. Retention of the native hair is imperative. What are you currently doing to mitigate the progressive nature of this condition? Review the Norwood chart and notice the progression. As patterns advance, a number of things happen. The hairline recedes, there's deep recession of the temporal areas, the crown begins to expand, etc. Be both age and pattern appropriate. It's unlikely you'll ever see an advanced pattern with a hairline in the middle of their forehead. Given the basics, I'm not sure if I agree with the "I'd need "at least 7000-8000 FUs" to have a decent result," unless your expectations are unrealistic. Having hair in the front will always serve you well. It'll frame your face and give you styling options. And, the farther back you start, the farther back the doctor can work so as to help minimize the size of the crown. The range of 2000-3000 grafts, is that per time? Or is this the number of grafts you have lifetime?

Only guys who never lost a hair in their lives get to have these types of hairlines/density. They also keep a juvenile hairline.

Hair typically starts growing 3-4 months post op. Vellus-like at first. And not all comes in at the same time. There can be a delay of a couple of weeks. By 6 months everything should be out. At a year is when you get to enjoy a matured result. Sometimes final results can be delayed up to 18 months or longer. The other fact which you can incorporate into the estimate, is - a small subset of patients start growing hair from day 1. It truly means nothing. Those guys are just ahead of everyone else by 3-4 months. So, when you take everything into account, the answer is likely 5-10% Rafael Manelli does bring up a good point. If you're not doing any type of medical regimen and you continue losing native hair, this would likely play into that number. You might even start thinking you're losing grafts.

I'd be concerned if you didn't feel that way. But, is there such a thing as trusting your instincts? If you've done the research, reviewed photos of results, asked the right questions, that should give you a sense of comfort. Is the doctor doing the surgical part of the procedure? Or are the techs? Like you said, lots of things out of your control. You've done this before, and you are part of this community. I'd say you are better prepared than most. There are many people in this community that truly want to help. Post if you have questions or concerns. I'm certain you'll be guided correctly.

Regardless if FUT or FUE, shaving the recipient area is a disaster waiting to happen. Or, is it? Keeping the hair longer in the recipient area is of great value. It serves as a guide. How can a doctor make an aperture in the angle and direction to match that of the native hair? Shaving is just a loss of valuable info. The question then becomes, how shaven? In other words, is leaving a short stubble OK? How long does the stubble need to be for the doctor to confirm angle and direction? The second question deals with a patient who is totally bald but still has enough donor to accomplish a pattern appropriate result. In this case, how does the doctor determine angle and direction? We know hair does grow forward at a particular angle. Is it at the same angle for everyone? Or do doctors rely on the fact that symmetry is not a good thing in this industry? Is an approximate a good approach? Most doctors work with magnification. Having native hair in the way is typically of no consequence. Doctors, feel free the chime in and give your opinion.

You can typically start massaging with your fingertips 7 days post op. You may find some a bit more persistent than others, Repeat the same process the next day. It's likely you'll leave the clinic with a loose fitting cap. You can wear a cap all you want. You do, by the way, need to keep the area protected from the sun for 4 months. After 7 day you can start wearing sunscreen and the cap.

Before anything starts, you'll have the opportunity to visit with the doctor. He'll confirm your candidacy and give you his recommendation. He'll confirm you have no skin conditions, check density, what the Norwood pattern is, etc. He will then give you a range of grafts. Just for the sake of argument, let's say he tells you 2000-2500 grafts. It's typically not what you need but what he estimates he can harvest from the donor at any one time. Either FUT or FUE. Patients will normally want to the the max. The more grafts, the better the results. At the end of the day, whatever the yield was, will be exactly what you will pay. Why is it done this way? Once you're under a local anesthetic, no one can talk to you about money. So you'll be asked to pay in advance for whatever number you decide. The clinic, provided they're ethical, will refund at the end of the day. What if there are more? A clinic could just give them to you for free. This is what I refer to as building intrinsic value. Clinics that charge you more money at the end of the day without saying a word, in my view, are just swindlers. Have that conversation in the morning to avoid ugly interactions later on.

Congratulations! But wait. Symmetry in this industry is typically not a good thing. Being asymmetric adds naturalness to the result. Symmetry is left for systems. You truly do not want this to look like a wig. Or do you? There are a couple of things I notice from these photos. One, your hair is ticking right up. Is this just the way you style the hair? Or is it that the hair is angled that way? When they did the procedure, did they shave your whole head? Lastly, we can see right through and see scalp behind the hairline. How far back are you thinning. Did you ever ID on the Norwood scale? Important to be both age and pattern appropriate. Are you doing anything to help you with retention of the native hair?

Most doctors are under the impression grafts compete for blood supply, so they feel the need to leave a separation in between grafts. They'll explain they're placing a foundation to which you can add grafts down the road. So, you go in 8-12 months later and the doctor works in and around the separations. It may take a third visit to achieve fullness. Was this the way it was explained to you during your initial consultation? The second thing I noticed, there was no native hair in the area worked. That is, the doctor had no "guide" to go by, other than the rest of your native hair. Yes, hair does grow forward at an angle, and that's the way it should have been done. Perhaps he was trying to match the way you style your hair instead of following a universal rule. Nothing we can do about that now. He did, however, add grafts to the area which will eventually add density to whatever else you get done. Research Fellowship trained doctors with plenty of experience. You need to get enough grafts angled forward, (in the correct angle), to force what's been done to follow that same direction. This can be corrected. One thing to keep in mind. If you've lost, you'll continue losing. Are you doing anything to help you with retention of the native hair?

What drives guys is testosterone. This gets broken down to DHT which we know is an irritant to the follicle which results in hair loss for many guys. Not sure if this "conversion" nor the fact there's hair loss involved, is the reason for the itch. Itching, burning sensations, or something else affecting the scalp, is typically the result of a "condition" other than hair loss. I would encourage you to do to a Dermo pathologist and have them biopsy. You will then know for sure the true reason. If you do have family history of hair loss and you are thinning because of it, yes, continue the medical regimen. This, in itself, is not what's causing the itch either. Or is it? Rogaine, if you're using it, contains alcohol which dries the scalp. Is that the culprit? Unlikely but discuss with the doctor during the visit.

Most patients get to experience some type of result 2 weeks after starting the medication. Could be just as simple as "slowing down the loss." If that's the case, you could move forward with a procedure. It really takes a good year to confirm what exactly the medication will do. And, if it works, stay on it. It does you no good to start and stop. Just a waste of time, trouble and expense. What if you're not a responder to the medication? What difference does it make if you postpone for a few months? Whatever it takes to confirm the medication is doing its thing is not a bad idea. You may even want to combine this with other modalities. The mechanism of action of each is totally different and there's synergy when combined.

You have an advanced pattern and expanding. One of the very basics in this industry is donor limitation. There's typically not enough hair to allow for fullness in the front, top and back. It's for this reason most ethical doctors will concentrate their efforts in the frontal area. It's the area you see when looking at yourself. It's also the area others see when they interact with you. Having hair in the front will frame your face and provide additional coverage as you let it grow. Now the crown. Think of the crown as a circle. You fill it with hair. Because you've shown the propensity to lose, you'll continue losing. You go on to lose all the hair around the island worth of hair. You've now created a target. Not a natural pattern. It's for this reason retention of the native hair becomes imperative. Propecia and Rogaine are considered to be the best meds for retention in the crown. The problem is that of expectations a year later. Most patients get frustrated and stop when they see no visual change - not understanding - the meds are not intended for you to grow anything. Rather, they're to keep you from losing more. If a year later you look exactly the same, the meds did what they were intended to do. Go ahead and research PRP and Laser. These two can help reverse miniaturized hairs, which you seem to have a lot of. The crown is the weakest point we all share due to the whirl. It's the point from which the hair stems. That is, no hair is coming into the area. Hair grows outwards from the point. It would take many, many procedures and grafts to fill it. Let me illustrate. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Draw a dot. Draw an intersecting cross right on the dot. Turn the paper ever so slightly and draw another cross. Repeat until you tire. How many crosses do you think it would take to fill in the circle? This area is a sphere and can eat your entire donor. Eventually I can hear you ask, "why did you put my entire donor in the crown when I now have nothing left for the front, and still look bald?" Remember, it's the front everyone sees when they interact with you. Getting on all modalities for a good year is not a bad idea. Transplants pending outcome.