foxworth

thanks for your input guys. I think you've all basically expressed the same opinion I had when I cancelled my HT session one year ago. I think these pictures are somewhat deceiving in that they don't really depict the thinning of my hairline at the front. It really is quite thin, and the single most area that drives me crazy. The high hairline, the temples I can kind of style around. I guess the one thing I can be thankful for is the fact that I don't have any thinning on the top of consequence. But that front.... At any rate, thanks for all of your support. I really do appreciate it. I've decide to re-evaluate the hair situation in six months and go from there. I'll post some new pictures at that time and maybe we can go through this exercise again. Fox p.s. Steven, as I've not been particularly happy with the results I'm getting from Finasteride, I am considering Avodart. You mentioned that it's helped you on the crown but what about the front and temples?

Thanks Jo. It's maybe kind of hard to tell from the photo but my trouble areas are the very front which has become very thin and ofcourse, the recessed temples. I could probably live with my hair exactly the way it is in those photos if I knew I could stop further loss. However, 3+ years on propecia, 8 months of minoxidil and a month or so of Spiro haven't really seemed to slow things down. At least not to my satisfaction. I don't believe the shape of my hairline has drastically changed much in that time period but the density certainly has. When I booked my procedure the plan was to do exactly as you said, 1200 all FU's. I'm also a little worried that shock loss could really screw things up for me.

I've been toying with the idea of a HT for a couple of years now. I've even been to the point where I had the procedure booked with a deposit and cancelled three weeks prior to procedure due to second thoughts. My situation is this, I'm not happy with my hairline and temporal recession. More importantly, I do not want to proceed with the HT until I am fairly confident I have my hairloss under control. I do not want to have multiple procedures even though I realize that cannot be guaranteed. I'm 36 years old. At any rate, I'm curious as to what some of the posters think of my current situation and what they would recommend to me insofar as going ahead with the surgery or standing pat with what I've got. Here are my pix, fire away.

I've been toying with the idea of a HT for a couple of years now. I've even been to the point where I had the procedure booked with a deposit and cancelled three weeks prior to procedure due to second thoughts. My situation is this, I'm not happy with my hairline and temporal recession. More importantly, I do not want to proceed with the HT until I am fairly confident I have my hairloss under control. I do not want to have multiple procedures even though I realize that cannot be guaranteed. I'm 36 years old. At any rate, I'm curious as to what some of the posters think of my current situation and what they would recommend to me insofar as going ahead with the surgery or standing pat with what I've got. Here are my pix, fire away. photo

Thanks for the replies fellas. To be honest, I'm very comfortable with the doctor who did the consultation with me. He was very forthright, told me what I could expect and was generally on the same wavelength as I. I've seen real life examples of his work and was impressed. My hesitation is not because of him but more because I'm not sure if I should proceed with the HT or not. As I stated earlier, he told me during our consult that he didn't feel shock loss would be an issue for me. However, I've noticed over the last few months that my current hairline has noticeably thinned. I've been on Propecia for over 2 years and I don't feel that it has done much for me and I certainly don't have much faith in it protecting me from shock loss. Again my question for you guys is would you trust your HT doctors opinion above your own instincts. Thanks again Fox

I've schedule a 1200 graft FU session with a doctor who isn't on the list of recommended surgeons on this site but who informed me during our meeting that he has been approached by Pat about sponsorship in exchange for his name to be added. I'm a NW3 with the typical widows peak and the plan was to fill in the temple area and bring down the hairline maybe 1/2" on either side. When I asked the doctor about shock loss, he said that he didn't believe it would be a problem with my hair but whatever did fall out due to shock would come back. I left the meeting feeling really good about the whole procedure and as a result left him a cheque for $1000 and booked the appt. What I should have done at that time is quit visiting the various HT sites until after I had the procedure done but ofcourse I didn't. Once again, after having read some of your stories and advice I'm second guessing the whole thing and am considering walking away from the $1000. I can tell that my hair has become noticeably thinner over the past few months both in density and the hairs themselves and am very worried that shock loss for me could be devastating. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks. Fox My question for the HT vets is..."Do I believe the doc when he says that shock loss shouldn't be a problem and what is lost will grow back or is that a line just to get my money and get me in his chair.

I've schedule a 1200 graft FU session with a doctor who isn't on the list of recommended surgeons on this site but who informed me during our meeting that he has been approached by Pat about sponsorship in exchange for his name to be added. I'm a NW3 with the typical widows peak and the plan was to fill in the temple area and bring down the hairline maybe 1/2" on either side. When I asked the doctor about shock loss, he said that he didn't believe it would be a problem with my hair but whatever did fall out due to shock would come back. I left the meeting feeling really good about the whole procedure and as a result left him a cheque for $1000 and booked the appt. What I should have done at that time is quit visiting the various HT sites until after I had the procedure done but ofcourse I didn't. Once again, after having read some of your stories and advice I'm second guessing the whole thing and am considering walking away from the $1000. I can tell that my hair has become noticeably thinner over the past few months both in density and the hairs themselves and am very worried that shock loss for me could be devastating. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks. Fox My question for the HT vets is..."Do I believe the doc when he says that shock loss shouldn't be a problem and what is lost will grow back or is that a line just to get my money and get me in his chair.

Thanks Arfy (and Monte). You make a compelling argument for not having a HT done and to be honest, the points you've raised are the very things I've been pondering for couple of years since the idea of HT first popped into my head. I've seen Carlos' picture and read the posts in that thread and I suppose my situation is similar to his, he is maybe a little thinner up front than I am but where we're identical is our unhappiness with our respective situations. I'm 34 years old and if I'm this choked about my situation now, I can only imagine what I will be like a few years down the road if the loss continues. I've been on Propecia for a couple of years and maybe it's helped keep some of my hair but I've definitely had some more loss too. Only 2% minoxidil is available in Canada and I used it for a year or so but it didn't appear to do too much. I'm off it now. I'm still very much undecided and very confused as to what course of action I should take. On one hand there's the possibility of shock loss, future procedures or a crappy HT and on the other there's a possibility I'll get my life back (how's that for overly dramatic?) and not have to constantly think about my hair. I guess I'll just keep reading what you guys have to say and eventually someone will push me on to one side of the fence or the other. Fox

Arfy Although what you had to say isn't necessarily what I wanted to hear I value your opinion very much. In comparing my situation to some of the before and after photos by classification of baldness on this site, the one that most closely resembles mine is the guy at the middle of the top row on the NW3 page. It says that he had 1200 grafts in one session. If I were to get those kind of results I would be very happy. What would you do if you were in my situation? Once again, your opinion is appreciated.

Omniplex I'm waffling big time on whether or not I should have a HT done. Needless to say, reading these forums causes my head to spin. Your post reeks of conviction for the 'for' side. What was your situation prior to the HT? I'm a solid NW3 and am looking to fill in the temples and maybe add a 1/4" 1/2" on the hairline. The doctor told me during my consultation that I'd need around 700 grafts to accomplish this. My biggest fear is shock loss. While I'm becoming increasing depressed with my situation, my wife tells me my hair looks fine. I'd hate to take the plunge and end up looking worse. I don't have a particularly recent photo to post, but I'm in a similar situation to Carlos (who's posted his picture somewhere on this site). What do you think?