thinking about a HT

[newtothis]

I am new to all of this and would like to pick the brain of whoever can help me with my decision to/not to get a HT.

 

I am 30 years old, work in a professional environment, and have attached a picture of my current 'situation'.

 

I reside in Texas and would be able to take two weeks away from work for a procedure....

 

Based on the picture can someone give me an idea of costs....preferred doctor/location.... which type of procedure would be best...... amount of recovery time needed...... and any other information that might be important for a newby to think about.

 

I am also considering Bosley...any thoughts??

 

Thanks!!

[newtothis]

I am new to all of this and would like to pick the brain of whoever can help me with my decision to/not to get a HT.

 

I am 30 years old, work in a professional environment, and have attached a picture of my current 'situation'.

 

I reside in Texas and would be able to take two weeks away from work for a procedure....

 

Based on the picture can someone give me an idea of costs....preferred doctor/location.... which type of procedure would be best...... amount of recovery time needed...... and any other information that might be important for a newby to think about.

 

I am also considering Bosley...any thoughts??

 

Thanks!!

[Guest Cousin_It]

newtothis...

 

Welcome to the forum, you have come to the right place for good sound advice.

 

First off forget Bosley, you will not get the results you desire through them. As far as which doctor to use I suggest you check the directory of Coalition doctors and see their work. Look at photos of patients that are similar to your hair loss and the results they obtained, if you like what you see you can use the online consultation to get opinions from these doctors. From there contact them directly by phone to narrow it down further until you find one that will give you what you want and you feel comfortable with. These guys are all top notch and you really cannot go wrong with any of them but they have different philosphies, so you need to find the one that coincides with your needs.

 

The amount of grafts you need depends on the area covered and density you are seeking. Some people don't mind a slight thinning look, some want as much density as possible in the area. What you can achieve is really dependent on your donor area, only the doctor can determine this. Variables such as scalp laxity can be a limiting factor on the number of grafts that can be harvested at one time, again only the doctor can determine this aspect.

 

From just looking at your photo, it seems like you would need somewhere in the area of 4000-4500 grafts in the front one third and possibly another 2000-2500 at the vertex,these numbers would give you pretty good density. As far as costs, it can vary depending on size of procedure, the more they do at one time the cheaper per graft, kind of a sliding scale, but based on what my doctor charged figure about $13-$15k for the front, the vertex would be around $7-$9k if they were done separately, less if it was done all at once, though more than likely it will require 2 procedures.

 

One question, have you tried anything like Rogaine or Propecia, how long have you been on it, if so had it helped? Drugs are usually the first line of defense in hair loss for most, sometimes they work well,sometimes they do nothing, but you never know until you try.

 

Healing time is dependent of the size of the procedure and your ability to heal and what you consider as acceptable in appearance, hard to give you a definitive answer on this.

 

Hope this gives you an idea and gets you started in the right direction. If you have more questions just post them, people are very willing to help here. Best of Luck!

[GrowPlease]

That was great post cousin IT. Its nice to know that there are people out there to help us balding brothers out so quickly and freely with advice. Thank you also for posting to my inquiry.

 

Cheers to so much hair you get a headache!

[hairbank]

Cousin_It's given you some good advice. If I were you I'd consider Propecia (Finasteride), Minoxidil (if you can stand the messy regimen) and add scalp and hair care products like Nioxin and Nizoral to your daily routine. Your crown looked like it could possibly be salvaged if you're a good responder to the meds.

 

If you go the HT route, I agree, you'll likely need anywhere from 4000-5000 grafts in front and mid-scalp for a nice appearance of density. You may want to review the Coalition Surgeons recommended by this site. Don't let location determine who you chose to do your HT. Consult with several......select based on what you want to achieve and who you feel can deliver the best package to you. If you have the available donor hair, many of the recommended surgeons can deliver up to 4000 grafts or more in one pass. Most will allow you a credit in grafts for your airfare and hotel or provide them to you at no cost. I chose Hasson & Wong for HT #2 and flew to Vancouver, BC..........wonderful experience and no problem traveling. Flew in one day, HT the next, flew home the next, no problems.

 

One thing..........make sure you can commit to Propecia (Finasteride) and/or Minoxidil before starting on them because they are pretty much lifelong commitments. Any hair you regrow or keep because of them will fall out over a period of time if you quit using them.

 

Hope this helps.

[Bill - Seemiller]

I agree with everyone above....wow, great advice everyone! Normally I've been the first to the punch, but I've been slacking as of late.

 

I think the one new thing I'll address here that I think is important...is....the number of grafts will also depend on your goals. In all honesty, I think 4000-5000 in the front may be an overshoot depending on your goals, however, I also tend to operate under the belief that more is better...the more grafts you use, the greater the density. However, you definately want to make sure you save some donor area for future loss if you experience any.

 

I will echo the advice of the importance of trying the medication FIRST before going into a procedure. Propecia is especially important to prevent further loss and it might even regrow some hair. Additionally, you may want to consider trying minoxodil...many people (not me unfortunately) have had success regrowing some of the crown hair that way. That being said...medications are commitments. At anytime you stop the medication, you will lose anything you regrew from the medication and any loss that has been stopped will start again. That's the bad part.

 

Additionally...I will further agree to stay away from Bosley...this is not to say that some doctors MIGHT give you a good transplant, but there have been many dissatisfied Bosley customers...many more dissatisfied that I've read than satisfied.

 

Anyway...some great advice above, and I hope I could add to it.

 

Bill

[nobuzz4me]

Originally posted by Bill:

 

I will echo the advice of the importance of trying the medication FIRST before going into a procedure.

 

 

All good advice, I agree with the Propecia being a first line of attack but looking at your photo you will not get back your hair with Propecia alone. I see no reason why you should wait on the HT only to see if Propecia will restore anything. If it does work, it would only work in the crown area so I would leave that area alone for your first procedure and just restore your front and mid scalp. Then later you could decide on what to do with the crown if donor allows and the meds are not working to your satisfaction. Good luck and stay away from Bosley.

[newtothis]

Thanks for all of the great advice.....keep the comments coming. Is there any place to get Propecia without a prescription?? I have tried both Propecia and Rogaine in the past but did not see much in the area of results. I have probably been on them only 90 days each but continued to notice hairloss......is it possible that it was working? How soon should you notice something?

[nobuzz4me]

Newtothis,

 

I guess you have to consider that you could have lost even more had you not been on the meds. Who knows? Thats the thing we don't so to be safe I would stay on them.

 

Also, sometimes the beginning of the use will cause some temporary shedding, then it could take 8-12 months to see any regrowth. Stay with it.

[Bill - Seemiller]

nobuzz,

 

Trying to regrow hair with medication is not the only reason to try medication first. Here are the other reasons that getting on medication first is important:

 

1. To prevent further loss from occuring...in other words, stablizing your hairloss

2. To minmize permanent shockloss that can occur to miniaturized hairs that are destined to fall out naturally. Surgery can speed up the process of losing these hairs. Medication can help these hairs thicken and grow normally again.

 

Bill

[Guest Cousin_It]

It's hard to say, normally these medications cause hair shedding starting 30 days after you start taking them, this can last 3 months. The shedding is caused by the hair cycle being influenced by the medications, ideally when the hair begins to grow again it comes in thicker.

 

You may have stopped prematurely, they usually recommend at least 6-9 months before deciding if it will work for you. The new Rogaine Foam is even quicker acting, since its absorption is higher than the Rogaine 5% solution, Merck says you could see results as early as 2 month. The reason I think you should try this again is because the areas of your crown and vertex look like they may be savalgeable with medication, no way of knowing for sure but its worth a try.

 

I personally have similar loss and it is working very well for me so far, I may even be able to avoid a transplant in that area. One thing you should know, if it works you will have to stay on both medications forever, if you quit you will not only loose what you gained but anything you would have lost had you not been on the medication will vanish too within a year. Keep this in mind, if you are willing to do this then give it a shot. Nothing like growing back you own, besides it will leave more donor hair for the places you cannot grow it back.