FUE - best to wait? Opinions on my receding hairline welcome!

[NotQuiteButNearly]

Hello there,

 

This is a great forum - I have been researching on hair loss for about 2 years and wish I had found it earlier. It took me a long while to post, I have mainly PM'd some guys whose writing I liked but I hoped someone might have some additional opinions about my situation.

 

 

My case:

 

I shaved my head for about a year, buzz cut to leave stubble rather than the shiny shiny look. I would have left it at that, but because the hairline is receding unevenly and straight down the middle (I would say Norwood 2A). I grew the hair back in and have been sporting a very becoming forward comb over for about a year now...

 

My goal would be to have my hair line back, in a manner which allowed me to settle for a buzz cut (or even a no guard shave) if thinning gets any worse. If that makes sense. Stubbled shaved heads with an even, neat hairline look way better than those with stubble way further back.

 

With this in mind, for me, strip surgery is not something I really want to do. I may reconsider in the future, but for now it does not feel like something I want due to the scar.

 

FUE seems much more appealing. In an ideal world (and during my initial research, some clinics lead me to believe this was possible) I would have FUE that lead to minimal, tiny dot scarring on the back.

 

Hair replaced to create the hairline at the front and then less dense units going back becoming a little more diffuse. Thus, if, or when, the thinning and balding continues I can buzz cut my hair with no noticeable scaring to the back and a hairline that looks normal at the front and progressively as if it were balding from the back. This would make me happy.

 

Is this a massively unrealistic goal? Do I need to re-think completely?

 

Do you think this will be possible with FUE in the future? And thus maybe it is best to just wait and see? Or are my goals reasonable and could be achieved now?

 

All opinions welcome and very much appreciated!

 

I thought i knew a lot about hair loss and I was confident about my own research until i found this forum and realised there is a great deal more to consider. It's a great resource.

 

Thank you in advance!

[mmhce]

No it is not unrealistic to do FUE to reconstruct your hair line and add density, just more expensive and lower graft survival rates.

 

If you wait longer, yes the technology may become more refined with better results and cheaper prices, but you want your procedure now.

 

P.S. if you want quick responses to your threads keep the questions short without the lengthy narratives. No offense intended.

 

I hope you manage to get more responses.

[mmhce]

The hair disappearing from the front, centrally backward does! Picture attached.

BTW, there is no picture attached. At least I can't see one attached.

[latinlotus]

FUE seems much more appealing. In an ideal world (and during my initial research, some clinics lead me to believe this was possible) I would have FUE that lead to minimal, tiny dot scarring on the back. Hair replaced to create the hairline at the front and then less dense units going back becoming a little more diffuse. Thus, if, or when, the thinning and balding continues I can buzz cut my hair with no noticeable scaring to the back and a hairline that looks normal at the front and progressively as if it were balding from the back. This would make me happy.

 

Notquitebutnearly:

 

A picture is more important than a long narrative, even though i can appreciate your effort!

 

One thing i don't understand with those FUE believers is that balding is obviously a problem for them. The lack of hair is bringing them to these hair forums in search of answer to solve their (lack of) hair problem. Yet, it seems that they are more concerned with the scar from HT. They know about the lower yield from FUE. Yet they are willing to go that route, to sacrifice their precious donor grafts and get less hairs. Ultimately, it looks like all they want to do is to avoid a strip scar which is hidden by the hair anyway. Word of advice: avoid HT altogether (FUE or strip) if avoiding a scar is your main goal.

 

Just like everybody, I don't want a scar. However, my number one objective, BY FAR, is to get hair NOT scar minimization. Hey everybody has their own opinion, but i think those FUE believers don't have their priorities straighten out. I am not sure they know that donor grafts is LIMITED, and that there is already not enough hair to cover the balding areas. Until hair multiplication arrives, 50% of wasted grafts is not something anybody can afford, even a NW2 patient.

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Yet, it seems that they are more concerned with the scar from HT

 

I think this same thing everytime I read this unless of course the guy needs minimal grafts.

You cant shave bald with either ,but you can fue into the scar.

I did recently and its growing well

[Leeson]

No meds. You do so at your own peril.

[HTHELP]

Notquitebald, I've thought about this a lot myself. Ideally I think strip is the way to go, but if your looking at NW6/7 then thinking along these lines to me makes perfect sense. Framing the face with the transplant and then being able to shave down to say a #1 clip via fue would look much better then without doing that I think. That said, the only thing i've found encouraging recently is the "potential" of micropigmentation on the strip scar (maybe coupled with fue into the scar) that would allow someone to shave down to a #1 clip and still have the strip scar "concealed". I haven't seen enough quality pics though regarding the above scenario to feel real comfortable in it. IF that was a vialble option then I would def go the strip route since worst case scneario you would have decent styling options now (with hair!) and then worst case you can shave down if the hairloss progressed so bad that HT's were no longer an option.

[NotQuiteButNearly]

Thanks so much for the replies.

 

I now know to keep posts direct and short, and how to get notifications. I've never posted on any forum anywhere and thus lack the know-how. Got a bit carried away...

 

The more I read, the more it all makes sense.

 

In a nutshell, I do not want the comitment to medications and thus will accept that this means ongoing thinning.

 

If I had sparse but visable stubble 2cm down from where it is now, I would be happy buzz cutting it down.

 

Thus I would like only improvement, not magical results, appealing as it is to see other people's great success.

 

These things in mind - FUE to create a hairline at the front and minimising scaring to the back made sense to me. With a long-term scenario that I look like someone who balded from the crown but still has a hairline at the front which frames the face.

 

I agree with the analysis above, thanks! I'm just trying to find a solution which suits me.

 

Attached is with shaved heaad so you can see what I mean,

 

Much appreciated!

[NotQuiteButNearly]

And with the shameful current covering forward!

 

I realise I may have to reconsider both meds and strip surgery.

 

My main goal was to find out if my ideal situation was possible.

 

In my mind it still makes sense, but I may well be wrong.

[Acrobaz]

I tried meds, then buzzing, then strip surgery, in that order. I am still on the meds. There are lots of threads here that examine the advantages and disadvantages of FUE v strip.

 

Of course I too would have preferred FUE in a perfect world. But a yield of healthy hair was more important to me than a scar - and with the latter you can still (in time) generally buzz down to a #3 without the scar being noticed (some manage to go down to a #2 from what I can see). I would never have shaved my head completely. I say this because sometimes we speak of "buzz cutting" but mean different things by it - if you had a #1 in mind, the scar would I think be visible (bearing in mind you lighter hair colouring in the buzz pic).

 

A viable option, not to be overlooked, is none of the above. I only make that point because (granted your face was obscured) it looked like you had a head shape that went very well with the buzz cut. From what I could tell, it suited you better than the brush forward. But you are the best judge of that!

 

Best wishes.

[Leeson]

Rethink the meds, the docs aren't pushing the stuff b/c they own shares of GSK/MRK. It works and by the looks of your pics, you are a good candidate to stop HL in its tracks. Then you can just worry about filling in front w/ HT. Plan B, take No meds and after you fill in front w/ HT, you can wonder should I fill in my crown w/ another 2,000 fu HT?

But its your call in the end. Who knows, you might be one of the lucky ones who gets the front to grow back in again.

Wait at least 6-12 months after being on meds, then decide on HT.