Ja-Man

I would agree with the posters above, being 22 years old, forget about HT's for the next 5-10 years. Keep yourself busy focusing on being successful in other important areas of your life. Shave or buzz down in the meantime and forget about it.

Interesting to hear that HT's are down by 35% from 06-07 (if accurate). I'm sure the economy has something to do with it. It could be that business is dramatically down at the 2 large chains, Bosely and MHR (thanks to informative forums like this). In addition, more and more guys are finding that shaving is a viable option with a lot less hassle, time, etc. It would be interesting to hear from a few doctors of the network on if they feel that the 35% reduction in HT's from 06-07 is accurate.

Hi Mr. G - while propecia (in most all cases) will not regrow hair in the front, in can halt or slow down the loss in the front. Propecia has been shown to be most effective in the back (crown area). With significant loss in the front, an HT (in most all cases) is really the only option for regrowth. At 22, an HT can be an emotional decision and IMO, for you, it is best to wait 5-10 years to make it a more thought out, logical decision. There's a chance that at 30 you won't give a care as much about the hair loss.

The work looks great, I'm sure you'll have a very nice cosmetic improvement. Of course, many of us on the site would have been already overjoyed having as much native hair as you had. I'm not sure if having an HT would have ever crossed my mind with such minimal loss. Congrats!

Mr. G - At 22 years old, I'd recommend forgetting about hair transplantation for the next 5-10 years. Try the non-surgical solutions such as propecia/proscar and rogaine. It sucks losing it at a young age, but trust me, you'll see many of your buddies, co-workers, etc. also experience hair loss in your next 5-10 yrs. Work on other areas that will increase your self confidence and that you have greater control over; such as further developing your career, physical fitness, etc. An HT at 22 has higher risks. Losing hair at that age most likely means that you'll end up with a higher degree of future loss, NW5-7. In the future, when the time is right and you've stabilized your loss w/ propecia, pick a doctor that has a long track record of proven results, not Bosely...

forgetit, like the others mentioned, a #3 or #4 is about the closest cut you can get with the strip scar. If it's wider than normal, and until you get it fixed, try putting a little bit of dermatch on the hair the lies over the scar. For me, the left side of my scar is wider that I'd like, but I've found that I can cut my hair a bit shorter and don't have the anxiety of someone noticing with just a bit of the dermatch on that left side. For the time being, I think that would ease your anxiety of someone noticing your scar.

Hi badger_01, From the results posted by Dr. Gabel, he does excellent work. I would recommend starting propecia 2 months before the HT, to see if any side effects do occur, as you mentioned you were concerned of sides. Although sides effects on propecia are supposed to be very rare, many users on the forum have reported side effects (and a many have not had any side effects). When you're committing to a lifetime of finasteride use, it's best to find out if the sides are there before jumping in. Just my 2 cents. Best of luck with the HT!

I've wondered this myself, and agree with the poster above. 1. Many are happy with what they have, and comfortable in their own skin. An HT can give you a boost of confidence, it alone is not going to make you funnier, wealthier, healthier, more liked by others, etc... 2. The media (people prefer an HT to be a private matter and most wouldn't want to risk making it a public affair).

I recently read of someone on the HLH forum that had a series fraxel laser treatments done on his donor scar and saw a great improvement. I noticed that fue into the scar can improve the color by bringing more blood flow to the scar, but there may be issues with that, as you shave to the skin. Any scarring in your recepient area? I've been browsing the forum for the past year, I plan to post pics soon to get some top docs advise on improving part of my donor scar.