LaserCaps

This is sad to hear. But it's just like anything else. When something negative happens in the industry, everyone suffers. A newbie reading this would likely not purchase anything after reading this. The laser comb was the first to get the approval. Everything else falls under the same umbrella so now all laser devices are "released," regardless of their efficacy. Farther, the comb to be effective, needs to be done properly. Obviously, it is easier to use a cap - which covers the entire area when put in place. Now, there are VW's and there are Cadillacs. There are knock-offs of Knock-offs. The original LaserCap is by prescription only and does carry a Lifetime warranty. I don't think there is anything like it out there.

There are so many people in this Earth, you are bound to find some that will find this to be the most painful thing they ever did. Others might say it was a walk in the park. I think most people fall right in between. The day of the procedure you will be taking advantage of the local anesthetic. The key is to stay ahead of the pain. So, follow the post op instructions given to you by the clinic. If you wait until you're hurting, you will go through some discomfort. You do bring up something interesting. Some clinics do offer additional products, sprays, etc., to help heal faster, etc. IMO these are to be used while you're awake. I doubt if not doing the spray during sleeping hours is going to make much difference one way or another. Certainly, you will not lose any grafts because of it.

No, it would not be considered a repair job. The patient is probably looking for either a better price or a better surgeon. When things are bad, however, this becomes a much interesting question. The second doctor is now taking on the responsibility of what the first surgeon did. This is a pandora's box that can go in many directions.

Flakes are typically a result of dryness. Avoid shampoos that contain alcohol as this dries the scalp. Baby shampoo would work. Try that out and see how it goes.

Can't tell you the number of patients I've visited with through the years, most questioning the results, soon after the procedure was completed. I think most do not read pre and post op instructions. Most see a matured result at 12 months. Rarely up to 18 months. Like other have already commented, this can vary from patient to patient. But eventually you will have the same quality you would find in the donor, as it is from there that the hair came from. Oh but wait! Experience is HUGE. If the transplants were placed diffusely throughout the whole head, it would lead to a diffused look. I'd bet you would be questioning results then. How about the patient that's not doing any type of medical therapy to help them with retention of the native hair? This patient would have to continue doing grafts just to replace the ongoing loss. So, there are many components involved.

Sometimes the hair can start growing from the get-go. Just means you're ahead of everyone else by 3-4 months. Typically, the hair is shed and the new one will start growing. Enjoy the early result!

Just PM you.

Are you open to traveling to Texas? (Houston).

As part of your research, find out if the doctor has a Fellowship in hair. 2000-2500 grafts is a typical range for cases similar to your own. You do keep your hair tightly shaven so FUE is in order. Just make sure the instrumentation is smaller than .9mm. This will create a micro-scar which will not be discernable to the eye. Glad to hear you are on the medical therapies. The problem I find with them is one of expectations. Most people get frustrated when they see no visual change not understanding the meds are not designed for you to grow anything. Rather, they are to help you retain. Thus, if a year later you look the same, the meds did what they were intended to do. You could consider PRP/Laser. If done properly, these can help reverse the thinning.

Testosterone is what drives guys. There is an ongoing conversion to DHT which most believe is an irritant to the follicle. This seems to have an effect on the horizontal part of the head, but not the donor. This is why transplants are normally harvested from that area. If permanent there, they will be permanent wherever they're placed. Finasteride, Rogaine, PRP and Laser are the modalities we refer to when dealing with hair loss. These can help with retention and enhancement of the native hair, particularly in the front, top and crown. Not so much the donor. There are exceptions. There are cases in which the donor can thin. Global thinning, for example. If the hair thins in the area, there can be subsequent thinning of the grafts.

Most believe you cannot hurt anything 3 days post op. Did the clinic give you written post op instructions? Most will have you massage the area with the tips of your fingers 7 days after the procedure. At 9 days you cannot harm anything. Get in the shower, let everything soak and wash away. What you're experiencing is normal.

If you are experiencing a dermatological issue in the donor, it can transfer to the recipient area during a transplant procedure. The doctor or a dermatologist can put you on some steroidal creams/shampoos to help you. If active, continue medical therapy until resolved. Transplanted hair can thin if the hair is thinning in the area where it came from originally. Get everything under control before moving forward.

At 14 you should not be worrying about hair loss. I am impressed, however, that you reached out to the community at this age. It is important to recognize the hair in the front grows forward. The hair in the middle also grows forward and it shingles. In the crown, however, there is a point from which all hair stems. The hair grows outward from the point, so it makes it the weakest area for everyone. As other have noted, we refer this as the whirl. But there is something else. Your hair is very curly which gives you more lateral coverage. There is a lot of contrast between the color of the skin and the color of the hair. It makes this look worse than what it truly is. Lastly, the length of the hair. If too long, the weight of the hair pulls away from an area living it exposed. There is always the perfect length in which all hairs seem to be working together to allow for the most density. You may want to go to a good barber, stylist and have them cut the hair to the appropriate length. See if that helps.

A couple of things I gather from your post. First, you're not a novice. You'd been at this for a while and are very aware of all that's going on. Despite this, you are on and off the meds. Why? Consider a patient who has been on Propecia for years. The meds have helped him retain. He then gets off and loses all that he would have lost. As soon as it becomes noticeable, he resumes the use of the meds. At this point he will never recoup what's lost. And the cycle continues. If you're going to be on the meds, stay on them. You are well demarcated in the crown and does not seem the pattern is expanding. That's a good thing. You seem to be thinning in a class 5 with a stronger forelock and the inverted U. I'd like you to consider why we place so much emphasis to the frontal area. It is the area you see when looking at yourself. It is also the area others see when they interact with you. Having hair there will always serve you well. When is the right time to tackle the crown? When you're happy with the results in the front AND confirm the meds are helping retain the native hair. The other concept, which we all fail to mention, is enjoying your age. Sometimes it's OK to wait, mainly because the meds are doing an exceptional job. Other times it's because the patient is very young, and we have no idea what pattern he'll develop. At your age, however, why not enjoy the youthful look for as long as you can? In my view, go ahead and get this done, (provided you've done the research). With regards to the crow, we all share a whirl. It is the weakest point for all of us. Perhaps the only thing you need is a "dusting." Better to look thin than empty. (Pls don't get off the meds any more). Who do you trust? A great question which should be on everyone's mind. Ask doctors where they learned to do hair restoration. Did they go to their local library to read about the subject? Ask if they have a Fellowship in hair. Have them show you results of cases similar to your own.

If his first procedure is FUT, it is likely he will have at least one more procedure, (or more depending on elasticity). Typically, you lose about 10% on procedure 2 since the scar has no hair. FUE area remains intact. How many grafts can be harvested will depend on the size of your head and the density. Years ago most believe patients had 7,000-8000 grafts available. With FUE also available, it is likely this is even a greater number. All stars do need to lign up however. Perhaps other can chime in and give their opinion.

Typically a patient has multiple FUT procedures available to him. It all depends on elasticity, donor density, size of head, pattern of loss, etc. More likely than not, a doctor will always return to the same scar to keep the donor area as pristine as possible. This process can be done multiple times until the doctor tells you, "the next time will be your last otherwise I will not be able to close the wound." This is due to lack of elasticity. How many grafts you do per procedure can also impact the number of procedures. Normally the donor area encompasses the area behind the head, ear to ear and the horizontal area, from the crown down to the nape. A range commonly discussed is 2000-2500 grafts for a single procedure. So, if a patient decides to move forward in stages, and start with 1200 grafts, the segment could start from behind the ear and go about 1/2 way. If he as another procedure with a similar number in the future, the doctor would likely start on the other side and unite the line so as to create only one scar. How you scar heals is a result of wound physiology and how closely you follow the doctor's post-op instructions. For FUT particularly, the doctor is likely to ask you to avoid weightlifting that affects the neck for at least 6 months as this can affect the width of a scar. Despite verbal and written recommendations patients often disregard instructions, (nor read post op instructions) only to end up with a wide scar. This is scar tissue which has no hair. At the time of the second procedure, the yielding area is diminished - and this will have an impact in the number of grafts that are harvested. Hair loss patterns can also have an impact on numbers. Consider a patient with an advanced pattern, dipping in the back and experiencing retrograde alopecia. This would leave the patient with little to work with. There are many other factors that are in play, including donor density, size of head, etc. Going back to the scar. The doctor has many tricks up his sleeve to help minimize scars and to make them less visible. A trichophytic closure is one of them. Another is the width he takes in any given procedure. If he takes a wide scar, this could lead to a wide scar as well. Make sure to ask during a consultation. Lastly, FUE is also available and this helps each and every patient take advantage of their entire donor. This technique can also help patients add grafts to a scar if need be. With all of these advances, (without putting my foot in my mouth too deep), good time to move forward, provided you find a doctor with experience, etc.

These are often referred to as stragglers. Since they're your own, (native hair), they tend to add naturalness to the work. Leave them alone. They are miniaturized, (not as much as others), and likely will continue that process.

PRP does work. The issue however is the fact that not everyone knows how to do it correctly. If you hear the word "sessions," run in the opposite direction. By sessions I gather the provider(s) is doing a syringe size worth of PRP and does a few shots, (without using local). Then he asks you to come back in a few weeks or months to do it again. This does not work. Think of the old west, every man for himself. You would think an agency, for lack of a better description, like the ISHRS would prompt providers to share information as to what works and what doesn't. Until this happens, it is truly a crap shoot to find clinics that actually know how to do this properly. For now, the best way to confirm is to have the clinic show you photos of results.

I am certain in happens. Consider this, Most believe grafts compete for blood supply, so a separation is left between grafts. They'll even explain during a consultation that they'll be creating a base you can then add grafts in the future to add density. In the meantime, if you do FUT and do weightlifting that affects the neck, the scar will widen. To avoid this PLS review photos of cases similar to your own, meet with multiple providers, and ask how they learned to do transplants. Do they have a Fellowship in hair?

Finasteride, (now available as a topical solution), Rogaine, (also available in pill form), PRP and Laser are the modalities we refer to when dealing with this condition. If you are not considering one, for whatever reason, you can rely on the other ones. These work in different ways and are thus synergistic when used at the same time. If you've lost, you will continue losing and make thing worse. You may want to consider SMP. It would help minimize the contrast between the color of the hair and the scalp and it would buy you time to decide what to do.

There are a number of engineering principles that go into designing a hairline. Once an age and pattern appropriate hairline is designed, then you can add a number of variables that make a hairline look natural. Staggering, blunting the corners, etc. Good luck.

As long as it takes for you to confirm the medication is working. If the med does not work, which does happen in a very small percentage of patients, (and say you worked the crown, for example), you would then end up with an island of hair and nothing around it. Better to be certain before moving fwd.

Wish we had a hair crystal ball to tell us what our loss would be like. This is true for all the meds. If you stop them, you will resume losing hair. Further, you will lose what you would have lost had you not been on the medication(s). Something curious about Min. Most believe, after 7 years, it loses some of its effectiveness. So, some may see some shedding. The key here is not to stop the med and continue its use.

It's just like anything else. Most lasers do not provide even 1 Joule of power in any given treatment. LaserCap provides 4. It is prescription strength.

Agree. Most clinics do not know how to do this. If you hear the word "sessions," run in the opposite direction. This till typically involves doing a syringe size worth of PRP, a few shots and that's it. Not even a local is used. Not good.