Unhappy 33 yr old female...thinning hair. Question about HT

[tj139]

 

I have had thinning hair since I was 17. Mom,dad, bro, sis all have thick hair - my mom's sis has thin hair. I didnt think it would get to a point were I'd be worrying about how can I live 30 more years before I go totally bald. I started using Dermmatch 3 years back. It was a life saver and still is - however I have lost so much hair in the last one year alone, even dermmatch is not helping and now I am depressed Ive not visited a Dr to check on my condition and am just embarrassed - the thought of going out without a concealer is killing me. Been reading forums about what people do and see that HT is quite common among men...or maybe its that women simply dont write about it..we just bury it and deal with it quietly.

After much researching, emailing 2 HT Dr's, I decided to visit Dr. Feller. I really want to speak a Dr who is compassionate and listens...from all that I have read I think he has both...It will be most painful 60 mile drive from my home- but I think my options are limited. I'm yet to call for an appointment. I have a few questions about the first consultation and HT procedure itself...if anyone can help answer them it would reassure me...

1) I'm assuming I have to wash my hair (with no dermmatch) and go?

2) What exactly does Dr. Feller do during the consult? Will be do scalp biospy, run test etc and diagnose my condition first or straight away discuss HT? (It may sound weird, but I really would like to know what my condition is)

3) I have hair loss on the front/top/vertex...the other areas are in tact but overall not super thick but the scalp doesn't show. I've read that women with hair like this may not be good candidates...true? what are the chances Dr. Feller wont do HT for me?

4)I saw bef and aft photos of a women who did HT and she had HT done in the front - the photo showed big portion of the front shaven and it took almost 8 months for hair to grow. I thought only the donor area had to be shaved?

5) If in fact the transplant area has to be shaved how do people go out with a big area with no hair right after the HT. I cannot imagine walking around like that If I decide to do HT I wouldn't want any one at work to know about it...I can probably take 2 weeks off but that wouldn't help a big hairless area on my head.

6) Its not that I have the money sitting in the bank to pay for it and HT is expensive - I would've never considered HT if it wasn't this bad (will try to post some photos later on). Now I look at it as though I need clothes to cover my body and need hair to cover my head...it is a necessity..I may have to live on a tight budget for long but I think it would regain my confidence

 

The only best part of all this is my boyfriend of 3 yrs - he is extremely supportive and understands how I feel. I've only spoken about my hair problem to my mom and sis - no one else knows...demmatch magic...

 

I'm here for support and any suggestions...thanks for listening...

 

Good luck to all of you in your journey of restoring your hair...god bless.

[LadyNeedsHair]

I would love to help you! I am exactly one month post op with my HT from Dr. Jerry Cooley in Charlotte, NC. You can message me directly or look at my blog also.

 

The first thing I would mention is that have you been to any other Dr.'s to make sure that your hairloss is not caused by anything (vitamin deficiency, thyroid, hormone imbalances, etc....there are MANY things that Dr.'s can check for to see if they could be influencing your condition).

 

As far as your questions:

#1 - I would recommend go with a clean scalp so he can get the best view possible.

#2 - Can't speak for Dr. Feller, but with my Dr. he did an exam and used a microscopic camera to evaluate. He also asked a lot of questions and actually sent me to my regular physician to do some more bloodwork.

#3 - Not all women are candidates from what I am told...but if you have chosen a Dr. that is aligned with this site he will be honest and upfront and discuss what your options are, he won't go straight to HT.

#4 & #5 - I did not have to have the graft area shaved. Dr. Cooley worked between my existing hair and it was not a problem, just takes a little longer. The donor area was only shaved and it was completely covered by my hair in the back of my head. I took a week off of work, and after 7 days you could not tell I had anything done at all! It is truly amazing! Even on days 3 and beyond, I went out with a hat on (with saran wrap over the grafted site to protect it), still no one suspected a thing!

#6 - The financial part is your decision. My husband was actually the one that convinced me to use part of our savings $$ to do it because he knows how much it bothers me and how much confidence it will give me in the future.

 

I am new to this site...so many of the veterans should chime in to help you as well.

 

As a woman going thru the same thing as you, feel free to reach out for support anytime. I am finding this to be a GREAT group of people on here

[estwald]

tj139, I'm sorry that you are suffering from hair loss. If you are traveling to the NYC area I would strongly recommend consulting with Dr. Robert Bernstein in Manhattan. Not only is he one of the people who pioneered the FUT procedure, but he has extensive experience treating women, which apparently is much more difficult than treating men. If you're coming to New York I think it would be very wise for you to hear his opinion. Anyway good luck with your hair restoration journey.

[tj139]

I would love to help you! I am exactly one month post op with my HT from Dr. Jerry Cooley in Charlotte, NC. You can message me directly or look at my blog also.

 

The first thing I would mention is that have you been to any other Dr.'s to make sure that your hairloss is not caused by anything (vitamin deficiency, thyroid, hormone imbalances, etc....there are MANY things that Dr.'s can check for to see if they could be influencing your condition).

 

As far as your questions:

#1 - I would recommend go with a clean scalp so he can get the best view possible.

#2 - Can't speak for Dr. Feller, but with my Dr. he did an exam and used a microscopic camera to evaluate. He also asked a lot of questions and actually sent me to my regular physician to do some more bloodwork.

#3 - Not all women are candidates from what I am told...but if you have chosen a Dr. that is aligned with this site he will be honest and upfront and discuss what your options are, he won't go straight to HT.

#4 & #5 - I did not have to have the graft area shaved. Dr. Cooley worked between my existing hair and it was not a problem, just takes a little longer. The donor area was only shaved and it was completely covered by my hair in the back of my head. I took a week off of work, and after 7 days you could not tell I had anything done at all! It is truly amazing! Even on days 3 and beyond, I went out with a hat on (with saran wrap over the grafted site to protect it), still no one suspected a thing!

#6 - The financial part is your decision. My husband was actually the one that convinced me to use part of our savings $$ to do it because he knows how much it bothers me and how much confidence it will give me in the future.

 

I am new to this site...so many of the veterans should chime in to help you as well.

 

As a woman going thru the same thing as you, feel free to reach out for support anytime. I am finding this to be a GREAT group of people on here

Thanks a lot for the wonderful response "Lady's need hair"...you won't believe how it makes me feel! Another woman with my same problem!! In fact looking at your blog and the pictures your hair loss looks very similar to mine. It looks like Dr. Cooley did a good job..day 8 after shampoo looks nice...

So it looks like I will have to have a clean shiny scalp to go see Dr. Feller. I really think there is some kind of deficiency and would that why I asked about whether or not the Dr. would talk about HT or actually run some tests...now that you mentioned that Dr. Cooley did so- at least I know HT Dr's do that..if not I can ask. Now that I know you can indeed out hair in between without shaving thats reassuring...whether or not Dr. Feller does it...will know soon! From last night to tonight after reading yours and Spex's my hopes are high again...I will send you a PM you after posting this - can't wait to hear about your experience and share my pain...thanks again...

[tj139]

Lovely supportive post from ladyneedshair, welcome. Possibly you guys can share info via PM and discuss 1-2-1 as important.

 

Hi Teena,

 

I am sorry to hear of your anxiety surrounding your hair loss. Hairloss is just as traumatic for ladies, if not more so than for men. You have made a good step forward in finding the forums where you will be able to gain a much greater insight into the world of hair loss and hair restoration:cool:

 

To try and help answer your questions:

 

1) yes you will need to go with no product on your hair in order for the doc to clearly see the concerns you have.

 

2) He will examine your head and obtain as much information from you as possible ie medical history, in order to cast his opinion on your situation based on his vast experience. He will not run any tests. Based on the outcome of your consultation he may well advise you seek some specific hormone, blood tests to help rule anything out which he feels could be attributing to your loss, based on the physical appearance and info obtained from yourself.

 

3)Most top surgeons shave down both the recipient and donor regions prior to a ht in order to provide optimal condition. It may be a case of your requirements are small l and the doc might be happy to perform without shaving down, however only the doc can determine that. Discuss these concerns with the doc face to face as he will be able to see the situ - he may not even feel you are eligible for a HT at all.

 

4) Recovery time is essential when embarking doesnt the HT road and something to consider and something that shouldn't be underestimated either. All depends on how large an area needs to be shaved down, and whether it can be concealer short term. If not then its a catch 22.

 

If you are eligible for surgery then downtime is something to seriously consider as you will need time, however there are some clinics out there who will perform HT's without shaving down so these might be better suited to yourself. I truly understand why you would not want to be shaved down, especially being a lady.

 

5) It a personal decision certainly and if eligible the best way of looking at it is an investment in yourself potentially. Self esteem is very important and confidence these should never be stripped from anyone.

 

Support is very important and take someone with you to all your consults as it will help and your emotions will be running high and questions you desperately want to ask may get forgotten due to your state of mind.

 

You are defo not alone so keep us well informed and as always i'm here to help alone the way whenever needed.

Regards

Spex

Spex..thanks for the detailed response. I've read almost every single message here and have seen everyone thank you for the wonderful job you are doing...also visited your HT pix ...very impressive.

Nothing like having all this wonderful support for people like us...will keep everyone posted of my journey...

[tj139]

tj139, I'm sorry that you are suffering from hair loss. If you are traveling to the NYC area I would strongly recommend consulting with Dr. Robert Bernstein in Manhattan. Not only is he one of the people who pioneered the FUT procedure, but he has extensive experience treating women, which apparently is much more difficult than treating men. If you're coming to New York I think it would be very wise for you to hear his opinion. Anyway good luck with your hair restoration journey.

Good suggestion...one that I toyed around with a lot...since I am keen on knowing why the hair loss I thought I should visit him and get the detailed analysis done...the fee is OK - it was the lab costs that scared me...it doesn't say how much on his website but I don't know if it will runs into thousands. I might as well use it for my HT! Any idea of how much the lab tests would be (approx)? I read Dr. B was good...but didnt hear people go out of their way to talk about the way he dealt with them...and in my situation I want to talk to a Dr who is a top HT surgeon, a good listener and one that I feel comfortable with...from the readings sounded like Dr. Feller was the best fit.