Wish you hadn't done it?

[Howard]

I'm looking to hear from people who regret getting a HT with the new FU approach. Can you share with us the reasons why you regret it, the way it changed your life, and how it made you feel. What would you do differently?

 

Thanks a lot!

[Howard]

I'm looking to hear from people who regret getting a HT with the new FU approach. Can you share with us the reasons why you regret it, the way it changed your life, and how it made you feel. What would you do differently?

 

Thanks a lot!

[MG]

Howard,

 

I had what I feel is a poor result through Bosley Medical last fall. It's been about 10 months since my first transplant and I haven't seen nearly the results I expected. It's been difficult to look in the mirror every day and not see what I had hoped I would see by now. And the only reason I went to Bosley was on a good friend's recommendation (he had a great result).

 

I've realized that you need to be very exhaustive in searching for a good doctor. Part of me remains very skeptical - is the entire business just a sham or are there really good doctors out there that can do this the right way? I'm seeing a couple of doctors in the next couple of weeks to determine how many more grafts/procedures I'll need to accomplish my goals. I've researched each pretty exhaustively and I hope to make a very informed decision moving forward.

 

So, to answer your questions, I would advise thorough research before making any decisions. Ask to speak to and meet several patients of different doctors. Being that hair restoration is such a big decision, it's important that you spend some quality time doing your homework. I will let everyone know how my consultations go with the doctors I'm seeing in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I hope you see some more replies to your post.

 

I hope this helps.

[EastCoast]

Ht is the sneakiest, slimmiest business out there. The Doctor knows were desperate for hair. They prey on that. HT's are extremely expensive also. Guess what, If you get 1 ht you will probaly need a couple more to continue to look natural. The procedure is simple and any Doctor can do it. Most Doc's know that heavy advertising will get them the most work. You can be an average Doctor but have a great practice with advertising. I don't even think some of the Doctor's are that great on this site. Look at some of the pictures. I have been reading for 2 years and have seen numerous Doctors throw off. I wish I had the courage to go bald !!!

[metro]

Ht is the sneakiest, slimmiest business out there. The Doctor knows were desperate for hair. They prey on that. HT's are extremely expensive also. Guess what, If you get 1 ht you will probaly need a couple more to continue to look natural. The procedure is simple and any Doctor can do it. Most Doc's know that heavy advertising will get them the most work. You can be an average Doctor but have a great practice with advertising. I don't even think some of the Doctor's are that great on this site. Look at some of the pictures. I have been reading for 2 years and have seen numerous Doctors throw off. I wish I had the courage to go bald !!!

 

Eastcoast

What Doctors have impressed you and if you care to say the one's that do not?

[arfy]

I'm not sure but I don't think Bosley does an FU transplant (they have not used the all-FU approach in the past). That was part of the original question.

 

Howard

You are on the right track here in looking into the satisfaction rate of the all-FU approach (I believe the satisfaction rate for all-FU transplant is much higher than that of the mixed graft approach aka Minigrafts and Micrografts aka Varigrafting at Bosley).

 

However the use of FU grafts (see the article "Best_hair_transplant_procedure" ) is really just one aspect of being satisfied with your results.

 

Other aspects...

 

Are you a good candidate? There are characteristics that are more desirable than others. The better candidate you are, the more likely you will be satisfied and the more likely your results will be impressive.

 

Is your doctor extremely skilled, experienced and ethical? The FU graft is just the basic building block. The doctor has to know how to use it correctly, to create a natural-looking result. In my opinion the list of doctors who can do consistently excellent work is really small. Many doctors can do enough nice results to put together an impressive portfolio to show vistors. What you want to do is maximize your odds of success by looking for the doctors who do great results consistently, and who can do a good job even if you aren't an ideal candidate in certain areas.

 

Have a sensible long term plan. This is one aspect some guys do not easily understand. Pick a hairline that will look great even whenb you are older. Use your precious donor supply as efficiently as possible. Have an idea of how you will approach additional surgeries, and what you will attempt to accomplish after each step. Have a plan to try to mainatin as much of your original hair as possible... you can't just replace everything with grafts.

 

So I do appplaud the intent of your thread (and it is a good question) remember that not all FU doctors are equal, and not all patients are equal. Figure out where you stand as a surgical candidate, and how good your doc of choice is. Include these factors in your decision-making.

 

I have been on these internet forums for a while now. Every once in a while I do see a post from someone who says "I have a good transplant result. But if I was to do it all over again, I probably would not get a hair transplant".

 

The simple truth is that a hair transplant is not always the right decision for every guy with a hair loss problem.

[Guest]

This is a great post. I agree with EastCoast: "I wish I had the courage to go bald !!!" The more I read about what can go wrong, the more courage I develop to go bald.

 

I'm starting to think it's all too much of a risk, only to end up looking like I'm balding anyway with a U-shaped hairline.

 

Doing nothing about our hairloss is the cheapest and least risky option we have. An option that is not talked about very much on this site.

 

I don't want to be a slave to my hairloss. After-all, self-confidence comes from within, and is not dependant on how much hair you have... we only think that it is.

[Robert_]

Biff, you raise very good points. Though Im a firm believer in a healthy self worth no matter how much hair one has, for me, I look at my own situation differently.

 

If my cars paint starts to peel, I either get a new one or paint it. If something is broken, I look to fix it. I try to take an objective approach to everything I do.

 

I think one is only cheating himself by NOT taking an objective approach to thier hairloss. One must weigh the pros and cons of doing anything like this carefully and, again objectively, letting no emotion get involved.

 

It may seem odd to relate my own head to the clearcoat on my Explorer, but, being a literalist, I dont like to dwell on a problem. I dont want pity. I dont want the frustration of doing nothing for something that I know that there exists a viable option that i can utilize.

Having a head of hair to people can be a determining factor between a high or low self esteem. That certainly was the case for me at some points, but certainly not all. Bald is cheaper. I tried the clean shaven look. Doesnt work for me. For some, it looks great, and I sometimes wished it did for me. So, when that tactic didnt work, I moved on to the next option. I like to "troubleshoot" from the easiest option to the hardest.

 

I hope this rant makes sense. I am merely trying to convey that one can have a healthy frame of mind in making this decision.

[Magoo]

If something is broken, I look to fix it.

 

Interesting analogy. Your attitude to hair tranplantation is effectively determined by whether you consider hailoss to be the equivalent of a "broken" condition.

 

The reality is that most guys, when they realise they're balding, have a sense of despair that makes them feel as they're somehow inferior. As the same guys get older and more mature, they perhaps realise that hairloss is not as big a deal as they thought it was and that there are more serious things in life to worry about.

 

For my part, I first noticed my hairloss in my late teens and like everyone else of that age, I paniced and fretted endlessly. My despair led me to several transplants that have left me physically scarred and which continue to effect my life. I sometimes wonder what I could have accomplished in the last twenty years if I hadn't been so obsessed about my hairloss and had somehow found the inner resolve to accept my fate.

 

That's not to say I wouldn't seek to avoid hairloss, but I regret the lengths I went to to set it right.

 

The point is that what's important is that a person feels good about themselves. Whether that requires a headful of hair is a matter they alone can answer. My advice, however, is that they think this issue through, long and hard, before they make any decision that will alter their lives forever.

[Robert_]

I totally agree. I apologize if my post came across as saying that a person suffering from hair loss is somehow "broken".

 

However, I stand by my method of thinking. My own hair loss is certainly not keeping me from obtaining my goals. If that is the case with anyone, I suspect that it is the presence of a poor self-image that is perpetuated by the hair loss, not caused by it.

[hairbgoin]

the only thing I wish I hadn't done is waited so long to get a HT done. This is turning out to be the one of the best things I have done for myself