reverie

Hi, and thanks for your reply. I read through your link.

This is a lot worse than I thought. So basically, a HT means you don't end up with any new hair: you just move hair around on your head? As I am thinning everywhere, I wonder if I am just making matters worse by transplanting hair from the back of my head to the top of it. Sure, the top is thinner than the back right now. But that doesn't mean the back is thick.

So you end up with no more hair, ever, in your donor areas? How would that look natural? Wouldn't you just end up looking very thin in the back, which in some ways is even weirder?

Sorry if this seems really simplistic. It's hard to visualize.

Thanks.

Hi again

I am waiting to hear back from these surgeons and plan to stick around for as long as possible.

The other very basic question I have is, what happens to the donor area in FUT? Does the hair in the donor area regrow, or is it permanently lost when moved to the recipient area? So one could potentially end up extremely thin in the donor area, thinner than the recipient? In other words is the overall density the same, but more evenly distributed?

I know this is terribly simplistic. As I said, I'm really new to this.

Is FUT more advanced than FUE? (I was under the impression they were the same, or FUE was most advanced.)

Thanks.

Hi everyone

I am new to the world of HT and relatively new to HL (aggressive female AGA) and a member from a support group online kindly directed me here as the ONLY place online I should venture for HT info.

I read thru the Coalition standards but still have ?s. It is not my intention to sound insulting, but there is much money to be made in the industry, so is it more or less a guarantee that the Coalition surgeons featured on this site are all ethical? Many of the names are unknown to me, some specialize in certain types, some in women, etc. and I hope I can feel safe going to any one of them for an HONEST CONSULT and not worry the whole time that they are trying to scam me.

I know it is caveat emptor out there but I'm already at such a low point I fear my judgment might be impaired. Especially as I'm new to this, not a surgeon, so can't evaluate myself.

Thanks much.

Hi everyone

I am new to the world of HT and relatively new to HL (aggressive female AGA) and a member from a support group online kindly directed me here as the ONLY place online I should venture for HT info.

I read thru the Coalition standards but still have ?s. It is not my intention to sound insulting, but there is much money to be made in the industry, so is it more or less a guarantee that the Coalition surgeons featured on this site are all ethical? Many of the names are unknown to me, some specialize in certain types, some in women, etc. and I hope I can feel safe going to any one of them for an HONEST CONSULT and not worry the whole time that they are trying to scam me.

I know it is caveat emptor out there but I'm already at such a low point I fear my judgment might be impaired. Especially as I'm new to this, not a surgeon, so can't evaluate myself.

Thanks much.

Dr. Limmer, I have sent you an email with photos and will follow up with more recent ones. I am in the UK until early September.

Bill, thanks for the suggestion to PM jotronic which I have done. I hope I can rely on H&W for sound, ethical advice.

I found the link featuring female HT pictures and although none of them are exactly like me, this one comes closest, albeit there is the obvious difference of race and hair color. I hope I am not breaching any rules by linking to this:

http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/share-info/hairlos...der=female&offset=32

(bottom right, blonde hair, HT by Dr. Ivan Cohen)

That's the pattern my loss is taking, very scattered and diffuse, but her sides and back appear dense (unlike mine). It's also the same type pattern as my mom and grandma (however theirs are much more advanced) so I know what I am going to look like 30 years early. I hope HT surgeons can take this into account and plan accordingly.

I don't have a stable donor area; I know that for sure by the hair that comes out from there and is miniaturizing.

I don't know if this helps anyone assess my situation more accurately. But if there are any other thoughts please share.

Thanks.

Originally posted by desperate for help:

Hi,

I understand your predicament. I'm an AA female with scarring alopecia. When I first started my transplant research, I emailed pictures and history to numerous doctors I found on this website. It took approximately 2-3 weeks to get replies. Some of the doctors, however, never did reply even after I contacted them through email several times. I know how frustrating this could be because you feel with your condition you don't fit the traditional male/female transplant profile. I had this same problem. I looked at numerous pictures on lots of websites and saw no one my race, my sex, with my condition and extent of hair loss being featured. I finally connected with Dr. Epstein, who did finally email me back and had two transplants. I wish you the best of luck. You might have to re-email (I had to) the doctors you are considering. The repsonse time seemed forever, it didn't matter if they were a coalition doctor or not.

Hi desperate for help

Thanks for sharing your story and replying.

How did you finally connect with Dr. Epstein? Would calling be better than just emailing? I had to email in order to send my (old, now inaccurate) photos.

Realistically, I know I'm probably not a candidate due to the rapid progression and pattern of my loss, but I can't help but try and get the verdict for sure. SO MANY TIMES, I have thought I should just give up, but something tells me I can't until I find out for sure one way or another from a HT surgeon himself.

Originally posted by Brad Limmer:

Reverie,

 

Based on what you have stated and without photos, you might not be a candidate for transplantation. But that said, first you need to get a full workup. I think every young women with diffuse pattern lose should have a work up that includes a CBC, Chem 24, TFTs, DHEAS, Serum Ferritin, Free Testosterone, +/- B12/Folate levels. While you might not have any symptoms, you should also be evaluated for asyptomatic PCOD(polycystic ovarian disease).

 

If this is all normal, I think aggressive medical management is important. 5% Rogaine foam 2X/day, Appearex daily, Nizoral shampoo 2-3X/week, and either Aldactone 100mg 2X/day or proscar 2.5mg daily is a tyical program I use. If this is able to stabilize your loss and you have adequate donor, then you might be a candidate for transplantation of your frontal region.

 

The problem for women with diffuse loss is they might not have the donor to cover the area of loss with adequate density to make them happy. Also, if your pattern of loss includes the donor region, these hairs(even if moved) are subject to be lost. Men with severe loss can accept coverage that is of moderate density, while women often need more to be content. While maybe not what you want, this is when a nice hair system comes into play. It can provide full coverage with full density. If you have not looked into them, I would consider it an option. These systems have come along way from the wigs our grandmothers used to wear.

 

I know you have been let down by the lack of response to your inquiries. Please do not hesitate to contact my office. I will be happy to discuss your case and other options/thoughts related to your particular needs.

 

Brad Limmer, MD

I didn't realize there was a doctor on this site and thanks so much for your comments.

I have had the workup you suggested and then some several times over. I've run out of doctors who are able or willing to help, but there's nothing they can really do. No one thinks it is PCOS (it's definitely not classic PCOS) but I do have a major androgen problem--extremely oily skin and scalp, cystic acne, etc. The spiro helps the acne but does nothing for the scalp or hair. I can't take more than 100mg daily. Due to my race, CPA and flutamide are out, there's a higher incidence of liver damage reported in East Asians. I'm not sure about Propecia/Avodart and can't get anyone to rx it to me anyway.

Regimen for the last 5 months or so = 100mg spiro (except during period, otherwise it never ends), Rogaine foam 2x/day, and Nizoral 2% everyday. No effect: hair continues to shed and thin rapidly.

I have looked into a hair system--in fact, got fitted and bought a custom piece--but at this point, it just makes me even more upset. It will look better when I have thinned out some more.

I really wish the surgeons could just take a look at my photos and let me know whether it's worth my time to see them in person. I could attach some old ones but they are from 4 months ago, and my loss progresses month to month (or faster, and that's not an exaggeration).

thanatopsis_awry

Thanks for replying. I hope I can rely on those in this forum to give me honest, straighforward advice.

If I am not a candidate for HT, and I am pretty sure I'm not...I wish I could just be told so.

Of the 3 I contacted: H&W, Epstein, Bauman--which one or another one knows the most about ethnic female hair? I realize I have so many strikes against me.

Originally posted by Bill:

Hello reverie and welcome to our community.

 

Your question is a good one and is a difficult one to answer.

 

Generally speaking, a diffuse thinner CAN be a good candidate for an HT if only the top is being impacted.

 

However, if you are thinning on the sides and back as well, this will lessen your chance of being an HT candidate.

 

The reason for this is because hair is removed from the sides and back of your head and transplanted to the top.

 

The RISK is...

 

The transplanted hair MAY NOT be permanent since the hair may further diffuse.

 

Therefore for someone experiencing diffuse thinning all over there head, there is no "Safe zone" - the area where hair is removed and known to be permanent.

 

Have you been to a doctor about your condition? Have you been diagnosed with Telogen Effluvium?

 

I recommmend taking a look at the following thread as Dr. Rassman shares his views on this condition: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=153192

 

Regarding contacting physicians...who have you contacted so far?

 

I'd suggest calling them to follow up on the information you have sent them. I would think well respected, ethical HT physicians would not silently tell you that you are not a candidate by ignoring you. My guess is, they are extremely busy and haven't had a chance to review what you've sent them. That's why a follow up call works wonders sometimes...at least for your own piece of mind so you know they received everything and will get back to you shortly.

 

I hope this helps get you started.

 

Bill

Hi and thank you very much for your reply.

I have been through the medical gamut and while my case is more complicated due to a combination of genetics and possible PCOS (or other androgen problem--hence the spironolactone) I know for a fact I will thin much faster and in the pattern my mom and grandma are in.

My entire HEAD is thinning, yes, but more pronounced on top and vertex. I understand the concerns about no stable donor area and was wondering if global thinning precludes HT completely. If that's the case, I might just move into a hairpiece full time. But I'm trying to salvage what hair I have left and maybe build on that from a HT.

I don't want to point fingers, as I know these docs must be very busy, but at this point, I am very concerned I haven't been able to reach any of them. I wrote to Hasson & Wong, Epstein, and Bauman. I included a full history, background, goals, treatments tried and failed, and photos. I was hoping Wong, in particular, might have some insight into Asian hair as he is Asian. I am working in the UK at the moment, so as soon as I return to the US in 3 weeks the best thing to do is to ring them? Hopefully, I still have some hair left by then.

Thanks so much.

I forgot to add, I am East Asian, and we typically don't have good donor areas because our hair isn't as dense. I know this further complicates the lack of stable donor area situation because I don't even see Asian men getting HT, let alone Asian women, and I assume HT techniques would have to be adapted to non-Caucasian hair. Still, I'd like to know if HT is an option for me at all.

I've contacted 3 VERY well respected HT surgeons all featured on this site, and about 2 weeks later they have all yet to get back to me. No one from their office has even acknowledged receipt of my materials. I sent a full history with photos. Is this typical? Should I keep waiting or is something definitely wrong? Or is that their way of telling me I am not a candidate?

I am happy to wait for a response if it means they are taking the time to fully review and consider my case but if non-responsiveness is their way of telling me they can't help me, I'd rather just hear it.

Thanks.

I am a 27 year old female with AGA. Rapid progression, onset at 25 years of age and over 50% of density gone in a year. My hair is thinning diffusely and hit EVERYWHERE but more concentrated on the top/crown/front/vertex.

I know therefore I am not a good candidate for a HT, but does diffuse thinning preclude a HT altogether?

Have there been diffuse thinners who had successful HT? I am realistic in my expectations of achieving a thinning or even better, early thinning look. I know I will not have the hair I used to have and that is ok. But what I cannot do is sit back and watch it progress until I am bald like a man. I am a woman, and a young one at that, and that is something I really could not bear. I am not trying to say that balding is easy for a man--it is not easy for ANYONE--but as a woman, with something resembling a Norwood 7 pattern (but with a few wispy hairs left here and there and no donor area--and I know what I'm going to look like 30 years prematurely by looking at my mom and grandma who are headed there, and already there, respectively) it is just NOT acceptable. In any way, socially, psychologically, or otherwise.

I am taking 100mg spironolactone and Rogaine foam twice a day for months with no effect.

Can I have a HT while my donor area is still ok, and use Rogaine to keep the transplanted hairs alive?

What is the difference between FUE and FUT, and which one is more refined and better for the situation I have just described?

Many thanks for any input. I only just started researching HT and it is a jungle out there.

I am a 27 year old female with AGA. Rapid progression, onset at 25 years of age and over 50% of density gone in a year. My hair is thinning diffusely and hit EVERYWHERE but more concentrated on the top/crown/front/vertex.

I know therefore I am not a good candidate for a HT, but does diffuse thinning preclude a HT altogether?

Have there been diffuse thinners who had successful HT? I am realistic in my expectations of achieving a thinning or even better, early thinning look. I know I will not have the hair I used to have and that is ok. But what I cannot do is sit back and watch it progress until I am bald like a man. I am a woman, and a young one at that, and that is something I really could not bear. I am not trying to say that balding is easy for a man--it is not easy for ANYONE--but as a woman, with something resembling a Norwood 7 pattern (but with a few wispy hairs left here and there and no donor area--and I know what I'm going to look like 30 years prematurely by looking at my mom and grandma who are headed there, and already there, respectively) it is just NOT acceptable. In any way, socially, psychologically, or otherwise.

I am taking 100mg spironolactone and Rogaine foam twice a day for months with no effect.

Can I have a HT while my donor area is still ok, and use Rogaine to keep the transplanted hairs alive?

What is the difference between FUE and FUT, and which one is more refined and better for the situation I have just described?

Many thanks for any input. I only just started researching HT and it is a jungle out there.