TheHairLossCure

(repost) If you have a clear idea about what you want to achieve with hair restoration, be very explicit about your goals. It will help you and it will help the doc. If the doc says that your goals are reasonable, ask how they will be met (how many sessions, grafts, cost etc.) If the doc says your expectations cannot be met, ask why (what are the limitations? Donor supply?) and listen carefully to the other options. I think that the main thing is to express your desires clearly and then start a dialogue about whether or not these desires can be fulfilled. Most questions will follow from there.

Assuming you have good work done, you can trim the recipient and it will look fine. Angles and recipient scarring are not really big issues with custom blades and overall good technique. I would add, however, that many of the "wow" results we see are the products of top work in combination with hair length. When rows of hair lay over each other you get a better appearance of coverage. Remember that, even with dense packing, you are not getting your pre-MPB hair density. The relative thinness may be more apparent with shorter hair. Less is not more but, with buzzed hair, it can be enough to create the appearance of a hairline.

Notgoing2, If you have questions about hair characteristics and naturalness, I think you will find it hugely beneficial when you check out some live patients. Pictures are great, but there is no substitute for seeing live work, even if it is just a few patients. For me naturalness is the most crucial aspect of a HT. Without naturalness, coverage and density do not matter. Everything is in the details so get up and personal with a few HT patients if ya can. I think your convention idea is a great one

Notgoing2, Some hair characteristics are very forgiving and it is hard not to make the work look natural. With other hair types, naturalness is a challenge. Still, certain surgeons can overcome these challenges. Like anything else, you find a way or you make a way. BTW, have you had the chance to check out any HT work in person?

Dhoose makes a good point. You may be developing a more mature hairline. This is not necessarily indicative of male pattern baldness (although it might be). I would check in with your doctor and see if medical therapy is appropriate. BTW, if you do not have MPB, taking drugs is not a good idea. If you are losing your hair due to MPB, meds can buy you a lot of time.

If you have areas in your donor zone that can be harvest with FUE (not strip), placing hair into the scar tissue may be beneficial. It sounds as though you have a very little room for error though. Rather that committing to a large session of scar repair, you might consider doing a small test session so that you can monitor the growth. Once you can see the test session results, you should be able to create a good repair strategy with your surgeon. That is just a suggestion based on the limited information that I have about your situation. You may find it helpful to get multiple opinions from doctors and see if there is a general consensus regarding you best opinions.

Many physicians can dense pack. But some patients are not candidates for ultra dense packing. You cannot dense pack or promise thick results for all patients - some guys have a limited donor area and/or too much hair loss to cover. For these patients, donor resources need to be allocated differently. Just something to keep in mind...

There are parts of the scalp where, naturally, you will see sudden shifts in hair angles and direction. But if all your transplanted hair is directed backwards, it is probably a real issue and not something you are imagining. It's understandable that you think you might be upset when you go for your follow-up evaluation consult. If you choose to address the problems with your doc, you may want to get some other opinions of the work in advance. What I mean is that you may wish to send your photos to other experts and the field to get impressions of the result. When you see your surgeon, you can express you dissatisfaction about the procedure and also indicate what other physicians have observed. I think it will show that, while you are not pleased, you are still level-headed and objective. Hopefully you can resolve the issue. Getting opinions from other qualified docs is a good thing in general as it is proactive step and, if you are interested in repair work, it is a necessary step too. Best of luck to you.

No surgery is flawless, but I like to think that there are procedures that are extremely effective, procedures that are largely ineffective, and procedures that present unnecessary risk. FUT and FUE are effective when applied correctly and responsibly. BHT is sometimes an option, but the cosmetic results are often not there, nor is a proper understanding of hair cycling when body hair is moved to the scalp. Flap surgery holds many risks and is probably inappropriate for 99% + of hair restoration candidates. If I were you I would first look at medical therapy, if applicable to your case, and then check Follicular Unit surgeries (like FUT/strip and FUE).

You're not going to necessary know if you are a good responder at 8 weeks. It can take 6-12 months to see results. But, since the meds are cost effective, there is no reason not to stick it out (except side effects, of course).

It sounds sensible to me to wait until you get your final result (or close to it) before doing another session. Good decision.

Emu, You made it through! Good for you. Happy healin'

Perhaps Jotronic said his donor area (not donor hair) was poor. What I mean is that he, unfortunately, had scarring from prior work. As a result, I am sure this compromised the amount of hair that could be harvested during his repair surgery. That being said, the quality of his hair and the flexibility of his scalp may have been better than average.

Once your transplant grows in and fully matures, the grafts will cycle as normal hair. It is extremely difficult to rip out a graft unless you have some sort of issue within the first 3 or 4 days post-op. If you pull out a hair (after your scalp has healed from surgery), you will not pull out or destroy the graft itself.

YoungLosingHair, At your age, I can certainly understand that cost may be a deterrent. Most guy your age - even very successful guys - are just starting out, developing their skills, and building their careers. Compared to the 90's work, today's HTs are quite cost effective and the results are a lot better. Still, if you are very concerned about cost and the potential for needing more surgery, you should take your time researching. I say this because, at your age, it is hard to get a "one-and-done" result. Don't get me wrong ??“ I am sure you will be able to have a stand-alone result, but you are going to have more hair loss over the years. Again, take your time with your hair loss/hair restoration research. Time is on your side in terms of making a good choice and letting your income build up.

Can you comment on the quality of the hair that you lost? Was it thin/wispy native hair? If so, the hairs might have been on their "last legs" anyhow. If the hair was strong, you may find that it comes back in time. Remember, the fullness of your HT will likely improve in the coming months. So, one way or the other, your hair situation should get better.

The crown is usually grafted with a lower density. If this is true in your case, the result may seem slow, particularly if the front is dense packed. You need to give it a bit more time. And, yes, results get better after the 7 month mark!

It is perfectly normal for you to feel like "NervousEmu." It is surgery after all. I get nervous when I go to the dentist! So don't feel bad. A couple points to settle your nerves: 1) You are magnifying your worse case scenario. With modern FUG, it is very rare to see poor growth, and I have never seen a case of no growth with a top surgeon using the modern gold standard. Most likely you will have a fine surgical outcome! 2) When you posted about you consult with Dr. Rose, I believe you mentioned that he recommended 2,500 ??“ 3,000 grafts (as Dr. Shapiro did). Furthermore, you said Dr. Rose approximated that a 1.3cm by 28cm strip is needed to harvest this number. That amount of tissue is totally within reason so you do not run a huge risk of wide scaring. I would assume that Dr. Shapiro will take a similar approach to the donor area. 3) You are, I think, a virgin scalp. That is great, for all aspect of the result (donor, recipient etc). You are in good hands. I wish you the very best of luck. It is ok to be nervous... (Just don't get too nervous...there is no need ).

As a greneral rule, people do not look at you as critically as they do themselves. While folks are going to notice obvious signs like scabs etc., they will most likely disregard temporary scalp pinkness (and things of that nature) if you make even small attempts at concealment.

At 45, there is not a lot of ambiguity about where your hair loss is, or where it is going. Once your donor supply is measured against present and future demand, you and your doc will be able to come up with some sort of strategy. Propecia would be good to delay the possible need for follow-up procedures, but I don't think it is as essential for you as it would be for a 25 year old with your pattern.

If you have a clear idea about what you want to achieve with hair restoration, be very explicit about your goals. It will help you and it will help the doc. If the doc says that your goals are reasonable, ask how they will be met (how many sessions, grafts, cost? etc.) If the doc says your expectations cannot be met, ask why (what are the limitations? Donor supply?) and listen carefully to the other options. I think that the main thing is to express your desires clearly and then start a dialogue about whether or not these desires can be fulfilled. Most questions will follow from there.

Is the itching in an area that was recently grafted? Regarding the hairs that did not shed but did not grow: are cysts forming near the exit points from the skin? If the follicle is resting, the hair shaft is not doing you any good. In fact, this can cause skin irritation. If you gently pluck the shafts, I think you will find they slide out easily (and this will not damage the resting follicle). The best course of action is to call your doc.

Armyguy, Some questions come to mind: Is your hair loss entirely limited to the frontal area of the scalp? What does your family history look like in terms of hair loss? Have you have any success with medical therapy? Do you think you will ever want/need to shave your head, or cut it shorter than it is in your attached photos? Some young guys at your age can benefit from surgery (it is very rare IMO though). The reality is that you will need to be extremely motivated, and fully understand, now, what you will need to do in the future to maintain your hair. You will also have to have hair characteristics that are working in your favor, because your age is not. The most important question is: what are you specifically hoping to achieve with surgery?

I would explore topical options with your doctor. You do not need to be on meds for a HT. Meds certainly can spare a lot of headaches for some candidates though. I would be interested to know your age and current pattern of hair loss.

Good point nervous. If you can build up the front/mid area to get a nice appearance of fullness you can use that hair to partially cover the crown. I think this work best if there is at least a light dusting in the crown area. You can definitely do it in such a way that it does not look like a comb over or a poor attempt at covering hair loss.