Considering first time hair transplant

[Lenny]

I'm considering this for the first time. I'd like to just do 400 grafts to see how it takes. My doctor is willing to do this at $5 per graft. Is this a reasonable approach to see if this works for me?

[MrJobi]

Lenny,

 

I would highly recommend you dont do 400 grafts. it really isnt worth the trouble or result. Instead I would research some more, meet patients, and get the fact before making a decision. As far if it is right for you, we cannot decide that but if you want your hair back, it can be the right thing with the right doctor and expectations.

[Lenny]

Does anyone think its worth it to try 400 grafts just to test out the procedure. I'm not an all or nothing type person. So I'm not following much of the logic I read here. It seems to me personally that as I count my hairs now, 400 would in fact make a different to me. And I'd rather add back gradually than all at once.

[maxzor]

Lenny,

 

I agree with jobi that a transplantation of 400 grafts is not worth the trouble of having surgery done and waiting 6-12 months for a cosmetic change in appearance. 400 grafts may give you a feeling of the surgery but it won;t give you any real cosmetic change.

 

Like jobi suggests, have some consultations with different surgeons and try to meet real life patients.

 

If you do decide to go for a small surgery then I would suggest to go for FUE and not strip.

 

max

[its752]

Lenny, You may have trust the members here to inform you that 400 grafts would almost be unnoticeable unless everybody were looking through high powered magnification at you. It would only leave you with a scar, no matter how small, even in the best scenario.

[fixing-it]

Lenny,welcome to the forums.It would really help us to know the extent of your hairloss because people that have sessions as small as just their temple points redone can use that many grafts on just one side.So 400 will probably not be worth it.Depending on the extent of your loss the Dr's will have a good plan for you,meaning possibly 1 or more sessions.Consult with some reputable Dr's and make your plan of attack.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Lenny, like I said in your other thread -- unless your hairloss is EXTREMELY minimal 400 grafts will do next to nothing; IF, 400 grafts is suitable for you, then FUE (follicular unit extraction) is a MUCH wiser option. AND, either way, you want to make sure you go to a doctor that is both ethical and skilled....ethical and skilled doctors also don't happen to be the most expensive.

 

I wouldn't go through a procedure with lasting effects that impacts your future hair-loss decisions to test something out that in the right hands is absolutely proven to begin with.

 

I would post some pix, and/or go get a consultation w/ a proven, leading clinic.

[hairthere]

Without knowing the extent of your hairloss or your family's hairloss history it is pretty much impossible for us to give you a solid opinion. One thing I can tell you for sure is that 400 grafts via strip is a mistake. FUE maybe--again, you need to supply us with this pertinent info and then we can comment and tell you exactly why it does or does not make sense.

[hoose]

I question the doctor's ethics to do a surgery with only 400 grafts--FUE or Strip; maybe you have a unique circumstance; but in general, as everybody else said, it is not worth the trouble for a minimum cosmetic change; for strip a small sesson is 1500--for someone with minor loss to refine the hairline;

[Lenny]

I'd like to thank everyone for their responses so far.

 

I have a few more issues I'd like to explore.

 

Let's assume I go out of town to find a good surgeon. I still would like to "test out" getting hair transplants.

 

I still have a lot of hair on the top of my head, and I still don't see why a test of 400 grafts wouldn't have even a minimal improvement while I evaluate whether hair transplants are something I want to make a major investment in.

 

If I go with the FUE will I avoid the big scar of the strip?

 

And if I went with the strip, wouldn't a strip for 400 grafts be pretty small anyway?

 

I'm just unclear about why I would jump in and do a lot of grafts without doing a little test first, even with the right surgeon.

 

I'm also unclear about what are the potential disasters of the wrong surgeon. If the doctor has been doing this for 18 years, provides me references I can meet, and says they are doing micro follicular units, what else should I be concerned about?

 

Thanks again

 

Lenny

[thanatopsis_awry]

Think of a hair transplant like a surgery, combined with an art form, wrapped into one -- but a surgery nonetheless. Like virtually all surgeries, "doing a little test" just isn't a viable option....you theoretically could, and I'm sure some clinics out there would still operate on you, but it simply isn't in your best interest. The extremely minimal cosmetic difference aside, that will take north of 12months to grow in, you have a FINITE donor supply; being able to best tap into, and extract the maximum number of overall grafts from your donor is THE key -- if you have the grafts, you essentially would be sidestepping the need fo hair cloning or hair multiplecation. The best way to go about doing this is by extracting the most appropriate number of grafts in each given surgery, and limiting your scalps exposure to the "trauma".

 

**if you are so unsure of going through w/ an HT that you feel the need for a "test", I think this is a STRONG indication that you are not ready for going through with the procedure**

 

Anyway, If you went FUE you would avoid the large® scar of strip; though, in the most capable hands your strip scar will be greatly minimized. This isn't to say FUE is scarless, far from it, but it is more minimal and invisible. FUE, fyi, is best suited for small procedures (i.e <1k grafts)

 

Go get at least one consultation w/ a proven, elite clinic, of which several have been mentioned to you. At the same time, posting some clear pictures to the forum could get you some more specific, objective feedback.

 

Which clinic are you referring to, btw? In and of itself, the information you provided is not bad; but those facets alone do not make a doctor good, great, let alone elite clinic. **take a look at the pictures provided in the thread "anno 2007" in the picture section...that is an atrocious hairtransplant that looks terrible and has very little density**

[Bp1]

No offense Lenny...but this thread is actually LAUGHABLE....testing out a hair transplant.....to put it nicely...YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME....if 400 grafts will do you good try rogaine or propecia....this sounds CRAZY...thats like saying "Let me test out an open heart surgery"...Come on man...if you are testing a hair transplant you shouldn't even be getting one...Id love to meet the doctor that is going to "TEST" out this procedure for you...LOL

[Bill - Seemiller]

Bp,

 

No offense Lenny...but this thread is actually LAUGHABLE....testing out a hair transplant.....to put it nicely...YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME....

 

Lenny is new and seeking. There is no such thing as a dumb question. It facilitates conversation and learning for everyone.

 

In fact, I don't think that testing FUE in a small area with a small number of grafts (even less than 400) is a bad idea however, I wouldn't advise it for strip.

 

Cheers,

 

Bill

[MORE_HAIR]

Lenny.

 

Unless your getting temple points done...400 graphs is going to yield you close to nothing to the naked eye.

If your going to "experiment" with 400 graphs...your "test" will most likely seem like a failure.....because you'll probably see nothing.

 

You should probably meet with a few of the respected Docs on this forum....and your concerns I'm sure will be easily answered.

 

Only my opinion.

 

More_hair

[Lenny]

Again I appreciate everyone taking time to respond to this thread. And I'm glad I've given a few of you a laugh with naive testing approach.

 

However, I still don't get it.

 

I don't see this as open heart surgery.

 

I see this as closer to having a root canal.

 

Now if a dentist told me that I need 6 root canals to get my mouth back to where it was when I was 20, I'd do one first, not all 6 at the same time.

 

My "test" is just to see how I take to the procedure. What if I develop scarring and find out that this is not right for me. How will I know, even if I'm at the best clinic, unless I test it out. I'm in no rush to restore my hairline. I've lived with a receding hairline for over 20 years.

 

I'll try to post some pictures. But here's a better idea. I don't know how your hair loss scale works yet, but I have a large amount of donor hair. I have lots of thick wavy brown hair on top and at the back of my head. I'm just looking to fill in my hairline a little bit with all of this. And I don't want to do something stupid. I don't mind trying it out and seeing if my head takes to the procedure well and then waiting a year to decide if I want to do the big graft.

 

So I just don't get the all or nothing approach that is being advocated here. If it really is heart surgery, please let me know. But I think root canal is a better analogy based on what I understand so far.

 

Thanks again.

 

I look forward seeing your replies

 

Lenny

[thanatopsis_awry]

What do you mean "if your head takes to the procedure"? Or "how I take to (it)? Also, go look at the pre-op/post-op pics available on this site (and others) to get a feel for what 400 grafts will do for you; the closest you will find it stuff around 1k, but this will give you a great idea. Much of this will be FUE, fyi.

 

Either way, and this is the most important thing, it will be irrelevent if you don't go to a great clinic and end up with a poor result -- whether you get 4k or 400 it will be a major screw up and there is NO REASON to chance it when you don't have to.

 

Go talk to a few *reputable* docs and get their feedback; if one of them is willing to do a small procedure that you find to be "safer" all the best, though I think any hair-restoration veteran on any forum would argue that it isn't ideal...but, seriously, just go to some bonefied good clinics, get their feedback and advice on your particular case. I think if you do this you will see things in a totally new light.

 

If at the end of the day, you still feel the need to do a "test surgery", which I think will be a gigantic waste of effort and time on your part (not too mention taking a toll on your overall donor), I would absolutely get it done via FUE, and get it done via one of the few reputable FUE docs out there (e.g. Feller, Rose, in the U.S.)

[hairthere]

I wouldn't equate an HT to either open heart or root canal...it's somewhere inbetween. Lenny, without seeing your pics we can't really tell if 400 grafts would make a difference in your appearance. as you've already been told it's not worth cutting a strip in the back of your head just to "test" and see if a HT is for you. FUE is your only real option. Dr.Feller does small procedures called postage stamp or lunchtime fue. they are intended for doing small sessions (200-400 grafts) where patients can get the work done over time. i believe he is charging $10/graft.

 

regarding choosing a doc, yes experience should equate to excellent work, but that's not always the case. there are a select few docs who are masters at making an ht look natural and dense packing an area. there are even less docs doing FUE successfully, so choose wisely. best of luck....

[MORE_HAIR]

Lenny,

 

Best advice...talk ot some different Docs.

Maybe FUE in your case may be what you need.

 

I'm about 7 weeks post-op (2800+ graphs)

Ya wanna know how i tested if i could get through the surgery....i read this forum...then talked to some of the better docs.

 

My Doc has done THOUSANDS of these.

I read alot of his reviews and talked to a few of his past patients.

The past patients i talked to i found on my own.

In other words i didn't want to just talk to some of his model patients.

I know that sounds a little paranoid...but I wanted to be comfortable.

 

The past patients I spoke with loved the way the procedure went.

I also was very pleased with the entire process.

Great Doc = great experience.

 

Do your homework..TALK to a few docs.

 

Also the regular guys on this forum know there stuff...their good guys...wont steer you wrong.

 

More_hair

[fixing-it]

Lenny welcome to the forums,

You really need to do a bunch of research,knowledge is vital to hair transplantation.You will learn alot,and i think you will see most of these posters wisdom on this subject.That said,FUE might be your better option if your hair-loss is not severe.

[vincehair]

Lenny it's pretty obvious that you haven't really researched ht's the way you should. Give yourself 6 months or a year or hardcore reading looking digging and analyzing before you even think about an ht (no mater how small)

[Lenny]

I'm unclear on why so much research is necessary. If I go to one of the top docs that have been mentioned here can I still go wrong?

[thanatopsis_awry]

If you go to a top doc (having been found from research), you can't go wrong in that you will receive a quality HT.

 

However, you should have an idea as to what is actually getting done to you and what the process is like as it is surgery; to also know what you can expect the results to be like, and whether you will most likely want/need another HT in a years time or at some other point in the foreseeable future.

 

Also, judging by your posts, it seems like you may very well have minimal hair loss -- in which case you might be a great candidate for FUE. Whether you are or not depends on the research you have done into FUT and FUE, whether you are a good candidate, and if you think the pros of FUE outweigh whatever cons (namely price if you are a good candidate and go to a good doc).

[Lenny]

What are the pros and cons of FUE vs. strip?

 

I have what I consider to be minimal hair loss. My wife would say I'm almost bald. I simply want to add a little bit to my hairline. I still don't see the downside to "testing out the process", especially since I don't want to spend more than $5k this year.

[thanatopsis_awry]

FUE is less invasive, as there is no excision of a "strip", and while there is scarring, in the right hands it should be much less cosmetically significent; yield is generally weaker than strip, especially on larger sessions (e.g. some docs won't do a session well above 1k of FUE because they feel the yield is just too low to be worth it) though it can still be good in the right hands and done on the right person; it is much more labor intensive on the doctor, and time consuming. As such, it is much more expensive, so if your budget is 5k, perhaps it really isn't that viable for you, unless you got a super low # of grafts. The number of practicing FUE experts is also much less than FUT so your choices are more limited, but there are still some great FUE docs out there.

 

You really need to consult with a couple of top-notch practices, above all else; do them online, if need be. They will actually be seeing where your hair is at, and can give you an opinion of the highest caliber. It is a bit futile to speculate and provide you with concrete advice as to whether you should "test out" the procedure with a super small session w/o knowing what your hair really looks like, and not having that piece of information to make a truly objective and informed opinion.

[Diezel]

To test 400 is just stupid. Even more so if you go for FUT cos then you've got a scar on the back of your head.

 

400 is really going to make little difference. You'll probly have small trauma but it's still not worth going through with it. I would say it's a waste of time because it's such a time consuming thing (meaning that youre going to wait a full year to see the results) and then because you've had so little grafts you may not even notice much difference. You may notice some small results to you but others i don't know, it depends how large the area is.

 

I mean you could go ahead and do it but like i say you may not notice much of a difference. Is it worth a scar for such a small procedure and also the recovery time? I understand what your trying to do but in my opinion it's not worth it and a waste of time and effort.