longer hair?

[shadows]

I haven't had an HT as yet and only need a little frontal work. All the photo's i've seen, even of great HT's...everyone always has short hair. It also seems like, even though the hairline looks good, the hair seems to stand straight up. I've always worn my hair longer and was wondering if I did get HT. If it would still flow as well being longer and not look stupid (wirey???)...Does anyone out there have a good HT, longer hair and still showing the hairline in front, or have any opinion on this matter??? Thanks!

[shadows]

I haven't had an HT as yet and only need a little frontal work. All the photo's i've seen, even of great HT's...everyone always has short hair. It also seems like, even though the hairline looks good, the hair seems to stand straight up. I've always worn my hair longer and was wondering if I did get HT. If it would still flow as well being longer and not look stupid (wirey???)...Does anyone out there have a good HT, longer hair and still showing the hairline in front, or have any opinion on this matter??? Thanks!

[arfy]

Many guys are smart enough not to get a HT unless they really need it, and not just to tweak their hairlines. In other words, they wait untril they have a noticeable bald area. (For one thing, guys who still have a lot of hair when they get a HT can suffer "shock fallout" and end up with LESS hair after the surgery). A good candidate is considered to be AT LEAST Norwood 3 with a well-defined balding area. He should also be prepared for a recessed and mature "final" hairline, and a thin or bald crown.

 

There is a limited amount of donor hair, and it is not nearly enough to cover a bald head. I once read that the total size of donor area available, is roughly the size of a credit card. Imagine that small amount of hair from the back, distributed all over a big bald zone...

 

Now keep in mind that if you actually need a hair transplant in the first place, it is VERY likely that eventually you will become totally bald someday. So almost everybody has to be satisfied with light coverage of grafts, and a bald (or very thin covering) in the crown.

 

Does this answer your question, why guys with a HT don't typically have long hair? A hair transplant can't give you enough hair to make a long-hair style look good, usually. Would it look good to have long hair in the front, and a bare or very thin crown? No, it usually looks kinda dumb.

 

If you think a HT will give you enough hair to have "rock star" hair, you are deluded. A good HT will look like you have lost some hair, but still managed to hang on to a little too. They call that "the illusion of coverage".

 

If you are smart, you won't expect to be that one-in-a-million guy who has it turn out any different.

[shadows]

So...If i'm NW2...you do not recommend HT right now, because I will be losing more hair?? Then why do people always say, I should have done this when I first started losing hair?? Anyway, I'm not assuming one in a million anything...just trying to get some info!

[arfy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Then why do people always say, I should have done this when I first started losing hair??

Because it's advertising, and that sounds good. One of the bigger scams being played on people is that "hair transplants are for everyone". In my opinion (and many others too) that is just not true.

 

If I was a Norwood 2, I'd be looking at stuff like Propecia and possibly Minoxidil if you can deal with the application twice a day. I'd be on the lookout for new legitimate treatments.

 

By the way, it was just announced Dutasteride will become available in December. You might think about that...

 

Regarding your hairline...as i posted before, a "correct" hairline placement for HT has recessed temples, and is high enough to look right when you are 50 or older. Look at your hairline right now, and if the "correct HT hairline" wouldn't be an obvious BIG improvement to your appearance, just forget about it for now.

 

Keep using medications for prevention. You can always get a HT later on, they are not going away. But they are really better for guys who are older, who have lost a lot of hair, who would be happy just to have "some" hair... a "little" hair. Not guys who are trying to get all the way back to "perfect". It might look okay at first, but you open yourself up to huge potential problems down the road. Remember, your HT hairline will never ever change, even if you lose tons of hair behind it. And you won't want to be stuck with a teenager's hairline as an older man, it will look bizarre.

 

Everyone wishes hair transplants were the miracle cure to baldness, unfortunately they are not. For some guys they can work out well, but HT have limitations and drawbacks, and are certainly not a perfect solution.

 

For an idea of the type of guy who could benefit from a HT, who is a good candidate for a HT, look at Pat's story (he runs this website). http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Pats_hair_transplant/My_hair_transplantation_story.asp

[Guest]

While I have not always agreed with everything Arfy says, I do completely agree with the issue of longer hair and transplants. I was one you had delusions of looking like a "rockstar" with transplants. While I looked pretty good with long hair, the crown was definitely and issue. when I wore it down, the crown looked thin. Most doctors will not pack the crown with grafts because the limited donor hair.

 

Another issue is the "part" or very top of head. Most doctors do not pack this area because a good short hair cut can adequately cover the interior or top of head. Beefing up the hairline and temples makes more sense because that is what most peoples eyes focus on. I just cut my hair short for the first time in 2 years. I have heard nothing but compliments. Especially those that are in the "know" cannot believe how thick it looks.

 

Very long hair seperates more and exposes the scalp more.

 

Have I given up the dream of a rock star look? Never. But common sense and simple mathematics tell me it is just not sensible. Toppik worked well If you are in that profession and have no choice. Hopefully one day we can clone hair so the limitations of donor supply won't matter. The problem is if that day occurs, I will be in my late forties of fifty's.