Hard vs. Soft Hairline

[Gorpy]

I've posted this subject before. I feel it is important enough to post again. Sometimes new patients can get carried away with density numbers. I have what is called a "soft" or "fading" hairline. I like it and prefer it over a hard hairline. Prospective patients should understand what a soft hairline looks like.

Outdoor natural light - no flash.

 

 

While it is true a flash will enhance the density, at the same time it sharpens an image and shows more detail. Here, in this flash photo, you can see the extreme detail in the hairline.

 

 

For those of you wondering how I got two pictures in this post, I put one, then edited it and added the other.

[Gorpy]

I've posted this subject before. I feel it is important enough to post again. Sometimes new patients can get carried away with density numbers. I have what is called a "soft" or "fading" hairline. I like it and prefer it over a hard hairline. Prospective patients should understand what a soft hairline looks like.

Outdoor natural light - no flash.

 

 

While it is true a flash will enhance the density, at the same time it sharpens an image and shows more detail. Here, in this flash photo, you can see the extreme detail in the hairline.

 

 

For those of you wondering how I got two pictures in this post, I put one, then edited it and added the other.

[rp1979]

I also saw your other pics in the photo album and I like them very much. Your hairline looks very natural on you. Technically, how do you think this soft hairline is achieved? Do you think it is a matter of carefully selecting finer hair for the hairline? Using a stick-and-place method at the end of the HT session? Thanks for sharing your progress.

[Gorpy]

Thanks rp,

I think the stick and place, selection of finer hairs and overall hairline emphasis by the doctor play a role. Part of it is a desire to do a soft hairline. Some doctors just want to do harder hairlines. It's as simple as that. I'm not saying that is bad, just different. I prefer the softer style. I think it looks more natural. I like to expose my hairline and I'm really pleased with the way it looks.

 

BTW - this is 4.5 months post op.

[nobuzz4me]

This is very natural Gorpy, soft hairlines blend in very nicely. Great result - I am happy for you! Dr. Keenes stock just went up.

[Guest]

Gorpy, Coming along nicely! Very natural.

Congrats!

[Gorpy]

Thanks Nobuzz and Folica. I'm seeing early growth this time, which is always exciting.

[MrJobi]

Looks good

 

 

I think it is hard to compare hairlines due to one big factor. Some people still have native hair which can blend the hairline naturally. Other, dont so the hairs stick out more. My theory is to take some fine hairs at the nape of the neck and place those in order to blend the hairline.. A little FUE to add to the FUT

 

What do you think???

[Gorpy]

That's a good point Mrjb. I think that's a possibility. I wonder if anyone has tried that.

 

Keep in mind that I had no hair in at least the first CM of my hairline and very little in the temples.

[youngsuccess]

I didn't really get this until recently, but I now understand the difference between feathering the hairline and simply staggering the hairs, which seems to be the standard. Yours is feathered very nicely. The sparse hairs which gradually fade into the more defined hairline is a super nice touch. Soft and refined. It seems as if most hairlines, even when staggered, can appear too linear because sparse hairs are not used to feather them in the very front. It's amazing what a few extra soft hairs can do. These pictures should be used as examples for anyone seeking hairline work. I wonder also if BHT, if they ever really can get that going, could accomplish this. Most body hair is thicker and pube-like, but less prominent, softer body hair that is not seen unless upon close inspection, like the hairs on the back of your hands or hell even your ass might do the trick. Now there is an idea: AHT, Ass Hair Transplantation (or I guess that might suggest transplanting hair TO the ass, which wouldn't be very appealing). But seriously, think about how many thousands of lighter, very soft hairs there probably are on your body- it would be great if one day they could use them.

[MrJobi]

Yup

 

They could use those fine hairs at the nape of the neck by using FUE.. If I get another HT I willl probably go FUE. After 3 strips,I think all i will need is about 1000 or so .. I will insist we use my method haha

[bezane]

Gorp!!!!! Great great stuff. Another classic Dr. Keene undetectable hairline. She is awesome. I will have to post mine to try to one up you. Will be hard though. I was in Tucson again in May. No more front work for me. She hit it out of the park.

 

And as far as Dr. Keene's stock going up. Can't see it going any higher. She's already booked, revered, and simply one of the best by everyone's account. She's a bit shy though and chooses to stay quiet rather butt heads with other doctors. I think she may still be the only one that places every single last hair herself. Without exception.

[Gorpy]

Good to hear from you Bezane and thanks. Dr. Keene butts heads plenty - not online but in meetings with other docs.

[MrJobi]

She is good and similar to my doc , Dr. True. Very soft spoken and out of the limelight. Like professional athlete's sometimes the quite productive ones don't get the credit they deserve!!

[Gorpy]

That's true Mrjb. Many doctors are just out there quietly doing excellent work. Dr. True is one of those.

[bayscholar]

Gorpy - your hairline looks extremely natural I like the look very nice work by dr.keene...more growth to come only getting to 5m right?

[Gorpy]

Yes, only 4.5 months now.

[Jotronic]

Natural hairlines. Some are easy, some are difficult. What makes for an easy hairline? Very light hair (salt & pepper, blond, light brown), against fair skin. Hair texture should be of a finer caliber. Grafts can literally be placed far apart and still not stand out as a hair transplant.

 

What makes for a difficult hairline? Darker hair (dark brown, black) against fair skin. Hair texture that is coarse and thick. If a graft is placed too far away from neighboring grafts then even the finest trimmed single hair graft can appear pluggy and no doctor on the planet can change this fact. Not with placement, not with angle, not with direction, not even if they placed it themselves. There are of course different degrees of difficulty when the various characteristics are combined but the two I've described represent either side of the spectrum.

 

This is not a slam on your hairline, Gorpy. It does look good and is not in question but some of what you've stated here is not exactly correct. Firstly, stick & place has nothing to do with soft hairlines. I don't really know why anyone thinks this. This has to do with placement and that is determined by the doctor be it stick & place or another technique.

 

Patients with coarse, dark hair against fair skin have less options. The grafts must be densely packed and the proper way to avoid "the wall" is to stagger the hairs properly. I've seen some clinics do this well and I've seen others fail miserably. How dense the grafts are packed depends on the coarseness of the hair but it is a requirement at some level for all patients with these characteristics.

 

I looked at your pre-op shots and compared to your latest results. I clearly see some native hairs in front of the area worked on. This is far from a bad thing as it is a tactic commonly used by clinics to produce some of the best hairlines out there. Even a few sparse native hairs can make all the difference in the world. It only makes sense to use native hair as no matter what anyone does the native hair is always best. Period.

 

You have all of the characteristics that a patient needs to get a soft hairline. Salt & pepper hair, fair skin, and fine texture. You are an ideal patient. Your frontal hairline grafts were placed further apart and it worked. Had you had the opposite characteristics however you would not have the natural result that you are now enjoying.

 

Mrjb,

 

I know the prospect of using nape hairs sounds great. I agree but the problem is that it is not practical in reality. Nape hair is just as susceptible to DHT as the scalp hair we are all trying to replace. I've see it happen and I even posted a photo of a patient that had work done about ten to fifteen years ago showing this very issue. He had a strip removed from this area and placed in his hairline. Not only did the transplanted hair continue to miniaturize but most of it fell out. In addition, the donor scar on the nape became visible due to the nape hairs miniaturizing and receding further up the neck to the base of the skull. It didn't become an issue of simply growing his hair longer to cover the scar. It because an issue of not having any hair to cover the scar with. I don't know why people keep talking about this as being an option because while several clinics have stated that they do this via FUE not one has shown a result. Let me repeat that, not ONE has shown a nape hair hairline result.

[Gorpy]

I have to disagree with that Joe. What we are referring to by stick and place might be interpreted differently. What we mean is a final stick and place specifically in the hairline, after the other grafts have been placed. This is a technique commonly used by the best hairline doctors to refine their art work (your head). It works and is simply adding to the quality and artistry of the hairline. Of course, stick and place can also mean an overall technique used for all grafts meaning that the incision is made and then you immediately place the graft. But that wasn't what we were talking about.

 

I also disagree that I had hair close to the hairline. If you look closely, I had my hairline lowered by at least 1.5 cm. There was absolutely no hair in that area. Sure there was some behind it. A little. But the first 1 to 1.5 cm of hairline was completely reconstructed from nothing.

 

I do agree that my fine hair characteristics improve my overall naturalness.

 

The bottom line and point of this thread is that there is a difference between a soft feathered hairline and a hard hairline. I think that even with courser hair, a hairline can be made do look softer with the proper artistry. Maybe not as soft as mine, but nevertheless, softer.

[Gorpy]

If you are saying that this little bit of hair is what is causing my hairline to look so good, well, I guess you're entitled to your opinion.

 

Using the little rogue hair that is still there as a point of reference, I drew a line strait across so that you can see where my new hairline was constructed.

 

Before any work:

 

New hairline:

[Jotronic]

Gorpy,

 

I have a pretty good idea of what stick & place is. I've seen more examples of this then you have. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you are simply referring to making a few extra incisions after all is said and done then placing the grafts in. One here, step back and look then place another there, so on and so forth, till the "artist" is satisfied. Your reference as "stick & place" is indeed a technique and shouldn't really be used in the context that you have presented. Maybe you should simply call it fine tuning so that noobs won't get confused.

 

Agreed, there is a difference between hard and soft hairlines. You presented yours as one such case but your implication was that this is possible with the right doctor. You said so yourself..."Part of it is a desire to do a soft hairline." Desire has nothing to do with it. You simply cannot turn a brick into a feather. If you still disagree then please show me ONE hairline with placement between grafts in the hairline as wide as yours that is soft and feathered with black coarse hair on pale white skin. Just one is all I ask but of course the photo has to be at least of the same clarity and resolution as yours.

 

With regard to your hairline height, I still have to say that you have native hair in front of your new work. You said that flash makes the details come out. You are correct but not when there is little contrast between finer hairs and pale scalp. The finer hairs in the photo you posted above are washed out because of the flash. And as far as the line you drew, it's not only way too low than what you actually got, it's lower than any reputable doc would go. The line you drew is about 5.5 to 6 cm above your eyebrows. I took the liberty of using your photo posted above. I placed it next to one of your photos that I grabbed from your gallery in the album section. They're lined up and I have drawn in new lines showing the discrepancy. I also lined up your right ear and a small blemish above your right eyebrow to make sure they were even. From your own photos the evidence is undeniable. Your new work was placed behind your native hairs. It is my opinion that the softer native hairs have a stark contrast compared to the coarser hairs just behind. Again, it's not a slam, really. No one around you would ever pick this stuff out in a million years. I can because I see this stuff all day every day and I want people to know what makes for a soft hairline vs. a hard one and what constitutes being able to create them and why. I'm just pointing out what appears to me to be true about your case. It may be my opinion but I see what I see and I see a lot.

 

[Aquarius]

Joe ;

Gorpy just bagged you.Now you are trying to re-edit the Zapruder film. Jesus don't you ever give up?

It is obvious that his forehead is up expression wise in the first raised eybrows and relaxed in the second (post op). Thats at least a 5 mm - full cm.difference.

Also when the head is up the ear goes down .Thanks for that one, another mistake on you part.Another 5mm .

So he is lying and didn't even know where his hairline was prior? I even remember his concern about having his hairline lowered bu was glad he did afterwards.This cat don't lie.

You are dead wrong here.

[Jotronic]

AQ,

 

Before you get too heated try to find me a photo of a patient with coarse black hair, pale white skin and low density placement for "softness". Really, please find me one. Just be sure to find a photo that is clear and has resolution at least slightly higher than a five year old Creative web cam. Oh, and the hairline cannot have native hair in front of it. I wish you luck.

 

If you think that Gorpy is raising his eyebrows in the left photo that may be the case. I don't think it is because every one of his photos have the same distinguished lines across his forehead save for the one that I posted. Why? Because he has some slight post-operative swelling. The only way that would account for the difference is if his Dr. used an ice pick to make the incisions but we all know she didn't. She probably used about a .7mm custom blade so that theory just got tossed.

 

Do us all a favor, AQ. If I'm so wrong about hairlines, hair characteristics, placement, density, etc. as well as the lines I drew to show the differences then please, by all means, enlighten us with the truth as it pertains to the subject matter at hand...and find the pic.

 

And as for Zapruder, no matter how you edit it, Kennedy is still dead.

[Aquarius]

I don't post well but I'm great in person.

You do know your stuff ,but damn you never admit your wrong and in this case Gorpy for a fact had his hairline lowered.

I guess if you don't think so that is truly undetectable work.

Exactly on the Zapruder thing. That was my point.

P.S. I took out the sales dig that was a bit low.

[Jotronic]

AQ,

 

Actually, I do admit when I'm wrong and I will on this. In fact, if I'm wrong about Gorpy's hairline placement then I'll eat my hat but I think the hairline he drew is just too low to be realistic and I do not mean by a few mm's either.

 

I'm curious though, are you agreeing with me on the other points?