Desperately Looking for advice in considering a HT. Sorry my post is long...

[Flippy]

Hey all. I've been lurking around here of and on for the past year or so and have been going back and forth on the possibility of going a surgical route with my hair.

 

I'm 30 years old and started really noticing my hair loss when I was 27. It was pretty devastating as I had always felt my hair was one of my best features. I can clearly see that my hair loss is developing into a NW6 pattern and while I haven't lost it all on top, it's thin enough that I am constantly wearing hats.

 

Previously, I had met with a hair transplant surgeon in Phoenix named Dr. Sharon Keene. She was recommended by my fiancee's co-worker who had work done by her that, in my opinion, looked pretty damn good. I was little weary of proceeding with her though as she was suggesting between 2000-3000 grafts on the mainly in the front of my head and then getting me on Propecia to maintain the top and back. I'm pretty anti-medication and wasn't interested in getting on Propecia and still am not, so I decided to keep doing a little more looking around.

 

A few months ago I had an online consultation with Hasson & Wong after reading all the great reviews of them on this website. I got a call from one of the members of their office who gave me the low down. It all sounded great and I liked what I heard, until I heard the cost. Albeit, H&W were looking at doing a far higher number of grafts on me, but at nearly 3x the cost of my original quote from Dr. Keene, I basically gave up on the idea of going with them and actually gave up for a while on the whole hair transplant idea in general for a while.

 

Since then though, I found the product toppik and have been using that for a couple months now. I've been quite impressed with the results and using it actually made me forget about the whole transplant thing for a while. Recently though I've been finding myself a little less satisfied using it and get really self-conscious that it's very noticeable when I have it on my head.

 

So... now I'm back considering the hair transplant option again and just really looking for some words of advice. I know HT's are not cheap and I'm willing to put some money into getting it done right. Unfortunately this is also coming at one of the worst times for me too as I'm having to figure out how I'm going to be paying for my wedding next November... which is a whole other reason I want my hair back sooner rather than later.

 

I don't know what to do or where to go. I'm so nervous about getting surgery before my wedding and having it look terrible on the day of. I can currently get away with the using toppik for now but will I be able to in another year?? All of this is giving me huge amounts of anxiety and I just wish I knew what to do.

 

I know I rambled on here for a while but I just don't know what to do. I'm looking for any and all advice you guys can give, and I really do appreciate you taking the time to read this... if you made it this far

 

Thanks!

Edited December 3, 2010 by Flippy
typos

[largechris]

To understand this - you are anti medication but you are ok with 8 hours of invasive surgery... (presumably without anaesthetic then because it is a drug as well)...

 

I'm not being funny, but unless you have strong religous beliefs I don't understand what being 'anti medication' means. For example, if, later in life, you have heart issues, you will refuse to take half an aspirin or a statin tablet once a day?

 

Finasteride is a very mild, cheap drug, a tiny proportion of people have side effects which are always reversible.

 

There is no doubt that you risk shock loss of some of your existing hair if you do not start a finasteride regime before surgery. And maybe with finasteride you won't even need a HT.

[Flippy]

I apologize. "Anti-medication" was extremely broad. Let me take that back. I'm not anti-medication as much as I just rarely use any sort of medication outside of over the counter stuff for headaches and cold and flu type stuff.

 

I've always taken a more holistic approach to things and am pretty selective of what I do put in my body. To me, finastride doesn't seem as benign to me as it may to you. Look, I have two very good friends that have taken it for years with no side effects and I have considered using it, but in the end I'd rather not.

[Blake Bloxham]

Flippy,

 

Welcome to our hair restoration social community and discussion forums, and thank you for sharing your story; rest assured, you've come to the right place! As far as surgical hair restoration surgery is concerned, you've actually consulted with two of the best clinics operating today. Both Hasson & Wong, and Dr. Keene are members of our elite Coalition and highly trusted and respected by our community.

 

I think any difference in the number of grafts recommended or the estimated cost are simply small variations in clinic policies or the surgeon's preference. Additionally, I know it's difficult, but, if you are seriously considering hair transplant surgery, you should really try and not let cost dictate where you undergo surgery. In most cases, it's more advantageous to undergo one, state-of-the-art hair transplant operation with a great surgeon than pick a clinic based on price and end up spending additional time and money for subsequent "touch up" procedures down the road. However, in this case, you've consulted with two excellent surgeons, and I don't think you could go wrong either way. Additionally, if you are still interesting in consulting with other hair transplant surgeons or you'd like to compare prices, I highly suggest reviewing our recommended hair transplant surgeons.

 

Furthermore, I know you said you weren't interested in taking medication, but it may be a good idea to do a bit of research on proven, effective hair loss medications (like Rogaine/minoxidil and Propecia/finasteride). These therapies are safe, have low side-effect rates, and can really help stabilize and maintain your current native hairs. Not only will this improve your current situation, but it will also create a better result if you do decide to undergo hair transplant surgery. Even if you wanted to solely utilize Rogaine, I still think this would be an excellent decision.

 

Lastly, I do recommend that you consult with a dermatologist to make sure that your hair loss is genetic and isn't caused by some other source. Good luck, and please feel free to ask any additional questions.

[scar5]

Filippy,

I think I can understand your reservations about medication. I avoided Fin for ten years because I didn't want to 'mess with my hormones'. Finally, I got over it and thought, 'Right, let's go for the hard stuff' straight to Dut. I got stronger hair and terrible sides. I quit, and my last hope of having hair also seemed to go down the drain - and this, I tell you, happened after I had big strip scars I could not hide, even though I tried shaving and tattoos to cover it. (Be thankful you are not scared yet) And then, bit by bit, surgery by surgery, I got respectable again, and even though Dut was devastating for me, I finally tried Fin. At first I thought, this is BS again, but yet it turned out that Fin has been great. I have no bad side effects and I seem to be - fingers crossed - holding on to my remaining hair, and combined with many repairs, I look decent for the time being. I guess the point I am making is that, if you do decide to go with HT, I suggest commit big bucks to a great clinic like H&W rather than a local guy (or gal) with a lower graft commitment. I hate strip, so I wouldn't ever suggest a balding guy needs a strip scar to compound his problems going forward, but if you are old and settled, maybe - with the drugs, you can look forward to hiding the scar as you age. So I say, get your blood checked for DHT and estrogen etc, and then consider fin for a year. See what happens. There is no guarantee, because your body will change as you age, but at least give fin a try for 12 months if you are considering creating a scar across the back of your head.

[largechris]

Filippy,

I think I can understand your reservations about medication. I avoided Fin for ten years because I didn't want to 'mess with my hormones'. Finally, I got over it and thought, 'Right, let's go for the hard stuff' straight to Dut. I got stronger hair and terrible sides. I quit, and my last hope of having hair also seemed to go down the drain - and this, I tell you, happened after I had big strip scars I could not hide, even though I tried shaving and tattoos to cover it. (Be thankful you are not scared yet) And then, bit by bit, surgery by surgery, I got respectable again, and even though Dut was devastating for me, I finally tried Fin. At first I thought, this is BS again, but yet it turned out that Fin has been great. I have no bad side effects and I seem to be - fingers crossed - holding on to my remaining hair, and combined with many repairs, I look decent for the time being. I guess the point I am making is that, if you do decide to go with HT, I suggest commit big bucks to a great clinic like H&W rather than a local guy (or gal) with a lower graft commitment. I hate strip, so I wouldn't ever suggest a balding guy needs a strip scar to compound his problems going forward, but if you are old and settled, maybe - with the drugs, you can look forward to hiding the scar as you age. So I say, get your blood checked for DHT and estrogen etc, and then consider fin for a year. See what happens. There is no guarantee, because your body will change as you age, but at least give fin a try for 12 months if you are considering creating a scar across the back of your head.

 

I agree with most of this, Dutaseride is more powerful and not FDA approved for hair loss.

 

However there are lots of different outcomes of scar. If you want to check my profile / posts, you will see I had FUT with trichphytic closure and NO visible scar.

Ask to meet some patients of whoever you are considering and specifically ask about the scar.

 

I do wonder if many Americans in particular want to take a 'holistic' approach as a reaction against the incredible number of drug adverts on American tv, which I can understand.

 

But finasteride, like aspirin, is not some dodgy new wonder drug, it has been proved safe after decades of widespread use.

[Hairtechnician]

Hi Flippy,

 

Dr. Keene does not always require that you take medication, she simply recognizes that you may continue to lose additional hair in the future, and are considerably less likely to do so if you take Finasteride. So it depends on whether or not you would still benefit from surgery as to whether or not she would require it prior to doing surgery. We know that hair we transplant is permanent. But we don't know whether your existing hair is (except in the back of the head). So that is why she recommends the medication. Please feel free to call us to schedule a 2nd consultation with Dr. Keene so you can discuss your concerns and she can address them. Not all of our patients take Finasteride, but she recommends it because she knows it works. If you don't want to take it, she will work with that in mind.

 

Dr. Keene is very well respected as one of the top doctors in the field of hair restoration surgery. We have patients who come from all over the world, including Canada. It really helps that you know a patient of Dr. Keene's personally so you have seen the results in person. So don't be dissuaded by other posters from seeing her based on the fact that she is also not far from where you live.

Edited January 13, 2011 by hairtechnician

[Tonycc]

Sorry buddy,

 

for the ht you would likely have to be given meds.

 

You are worried about taking meds, but not about cosmetic surgery?