Researching HT, Advise Appreciated

[HeedsUp]

Hi all, I'm researching HT with the intention of having it done in the near future and just wondered before the consultation, if anyone could give me any pointers of expectation from their experience.

 

I'm 36 and although my hair has ben thinning for years now, it's only really vanished so obviously in the last year to the way it is now. I absolutely hate it, it makes me miserable and I'm eager to get something done about it.

 

I sent my photos to an online consultation and the reply said my best option would probably be a 3000 graft single procedure. This didn't say the positioning of the hair though, I really don't know how far 3000 would go across the whole top.

 

When reading the forums here, I'm surprised by how many people have had two or more procedures without huge spaces of time inbetween them. That concerns me slightly. I can understand though that when the top hair is done, the next hair down would recede further in time and cause a bit of a gap which would need filled in.

 

The rest of my hair arond the back and sides isn't bad, it's just the top that is really awful.

 

So, any tips on what I should expect and whether one single procedure of 3000 grafts is going to make my hair look good would be appreciated. Few photos attached of how depressing it is now.

 

Many thanks

[Thehairupthere]

If you haven't started already, you should consider using propecia and rogaine to stop any further loss, and you may be able to regrow some miniaturized hairs. 3000 grafts would make a significant change in your appearance and it should be able to cover most of the top area but not sure if it will cover the crown. You may want to go in for an additional treatment after one year to add extra density, but you will see a huge difference in your appearance from the initial treatment. Depending on your donor and skin quality you may be able to do more than 3000 grafts in the first treatment, but you should consult with a surgeon on these matters, preferably in a face to face consultation.

[HeedsUp]

Hi, many thanks for the reply there.

 

I've not used any sort of medication and hadn't planned to do so but I can certainly investigate this and I'd do it if it would help.

 

I have a consultation booked in for early May so it will be interesting to see what comes of that. Can you tell from my pictures if you think this would be classed as diffused?

 

Do you think the 3000 would give decent thickness or be very thin?

[HeedsUp]

Any further advice really appreciated.

 

My consultation would be with a patient consultant rather than a doctor, should this concern me at all?

[Thehairupthere]

From your photos it seems like you are a class 5A and may turn into a class 6 on the Norwood stages. 3000 grafts would make a huge cosmetic change to your appearance, but you probably will want more after 1 year to increase density. I'm not saying you will look very thin, because you will have a vastly different look, but overall I think your density after one treatment could use another touch up. Again I think you should consider the medication before going through with a procedure, as you may go on to lose more hair in the future, and that can pose a problem with you being a good candidate or not.

 

Your hair loss is not diffuse, you are on a very clear pattern of a 5A and could possibly turn to a class 6. This is not diffuse unpatterned alopecia.

 

If you are only meeting with a patient consultant than you should be concerned, you should always meet with the surgeon during the consultation. Many doctors have consultants to help get you started and provide you with some information, but the doctors should always come in and speak with you and provide you with their diagnosis.

[HeedsUp]

Well I'm booked in early May to see the patient consultant, looking forward to that and just starting something off.

 

There is a waiting list to see the doctor himself so that's why the initial consultation would not be with the doctor.

 

If the consultation goes well, then I'd see the doctor, seems reasonable to me and that would be in August.

 

Anyone know the rough wait for the surgery after seeing the doctor?

[Thehairupthere]

Depends on the clinic, many surgeons book out about a month or more, but sometimes there could be something sooner.

[HeedsUp]

Ah so all being well and everything going to plan, I could have it done this year, that would be pretty cool

[Guest jamesdweaver]

Your hair does look very thin and I would classify you as a very weak class 6.

 

I would always advise anyone to take HT as the final recourse. It isn't exactly cheap and there is little guarantee of success. You should give medication a shot before you turn to HT

[Dutch]

If you have it, then money is not the issue and you ARE the sports car. Hit the meds. There is a lot of guarantee of success if you visit the right surgeon.

You'll need more than 3k grafts I think. Do your research. This is a great website as a start point. Many surgeons with excellent reputations. Look on YouTube.

Personally I will be visiting Dr Hasson this year

[Levrais]

Heedsup,

 

That's a long time to wait for a consultation and a meeting with the doc. I would suggest making consultation appointments with a few doctors before making a final decision. From your pics, it's looks to me like you have a lot of donor hair.

[HeedsUp]

It's Farjo that I'm booked with and they're very busy it seems.

 

I'd rather that than somewhere that could fit me in tomorrow

 

You know what guys, I appreciate the thought about the meds but I'm just not sure I want to go down that road. I guess I need to research those a bit more to find out what they are all about.

 

I know HT is final and a big step but I'm really cool with that. I need to do something about my hair and it's going to need something major to do that.

 

I had dental veneers last year and they are a 'no going back' procedure also, eventually I'd need to have those redone. I can live with that, like I could live with another HT.

 

I've had thinning hair for years so if 3k grafts got me back to that point, it's a much better place than I'm at now with this great big depressing gap down the middle.

 

I'm certainly not rich but the money is of no concern for this, I'd never just not do this because it costs thousands.

 

8 or 9 thousand pounds is nothing compared to what it would bring.

[Thehairupthere]

Well the meds would only be beneficial because you may go on to lose even more hair, but you can also regrow hair that is why we are suggesting them because it can help make your results even better. 3000 grafts will make a really big change in your appearance but I think 2 treatments are most likely to be needed to give you the look you want.

[Mick from Farjo]

Heedsup,

 

We look forward to seeing you in May for what would essentially be an overview and to share information that we feel will be helpful.Before anyone has any surgical treatment with us, they need to have a consultation with one of our doctor's.This is a policy that we adopted at day one and nearly 20 years later still adopt this route.

Surgery does not provide miracles but certainly can go a long way to helping us feel a little better inside.Procedure size will only be concerned after a full evaluation, which will take all factors in to account.3000++ follicular units would not be out of the question.and meds should always be a strong consideration.

We have found that having a number of past patients willing to share their work can only assist those considering tretament.

 

Mick

[Tonycc]

Getting dental veneers is a pretty minor procedure with immediate results after the first few consultations. HTs can take up to 18 months for results, and if you experience shock loss it often gets worse before it gets better so I'd say they're pretty different from each other. I would definitely consider the meds. As some others have suggested, you might need to get a second HT for optimal results, but the meds can prevent you from getting a really crazy hair line later on down the road if you begin to lose more hair. Remember that HT results are not immediate so even if you have the money it can still be a pain in the butt. Meds aren't for everyone, but don't be too quick to write them off. And best of luck with your consultation.

[HeedsUp]

Thanks guys, appreciate the comments.

 

Yeah I understand the veneers and HT are pretty different, just wanted to get across the point that I was okay with procedures that are classed as no going back and have a strong chance of needing another procedure done down the line.

 

Incidentally, when I had my veneers done I rushed in and chose the place most local to me. My bottom teeth never matched the top teeth, I had three procedures done on the bottom teeth with no change, all done for nothing. All very painful at the time, horrible time overall and definitely not something I want to repeat with this!

 

I've always been a bit 'funny' about tablets. I don't even take an aspirin for a headache, have never been into taking any tablets for anything so taking medication for this feels a bit weird to me but I'll certainly discuss at the consultation and see what is suggested.

 

I'm hopefully prepared for the resulting greed element of this. I had it with the teeth, wanted a natural look and then had those moments of wishing I'd gone that little bit whiter! Now though, I thoroughly appreciate that what I have is a million miles away from what I began with.

 

I reckon the HT would be the same. I'm not expecting to come away with thick wonderful full hair, but just a lot better than what it is now. I'm also good to wait the time it takes to come through. In 18 months from after HT, I'd have hair. In 18 months after no HT, I'll be a lot worse off.

 

Look forward to meeting you in May then Mick for a good chat about all of this

[HeedsUp]

Well today was the day that I popped through to Manchester to visit the Farjo Clinic and have a consultation with Mick.

 

It was a really nice experience, Mick is very straight talking and tells you how things are and gets to business, talked about what hair I had, my expectations, donor hair, costs, process, using mirrors to talk about my situation and explain in a way I could see and understand. It was nice to hear him comment that my actual hair look is nothing like as bad as the photos attached to the opening post of this thread make it look. I think I purposefully made it look as full on as I could in those photos to get an honest set of replies back.

 

Not once in the consultation did I feel that Farjo were trying to sell me something. It's evident by by how busy they are that they don't exactly need the money, it really did feel like the main concern was could they provide me with something that I really wanted, i.e. did my expectations meet with the reality of what can actually be done. We talked about medication and Mick even commented that it's 'possible' that with Propecia, I could see the hair thicken and maybe not even need surgery.

 

He's also advised that I should speak to one or two people in my area who have had surgery and he can fix that up for me. Chatting to them and seeing it first hand would be really useful I think.

 

He then told me to go off and think about it for a few days and then get back to him and talk about what comes next.

 

As a parting gift, he gave me a copy of a book by someone (Brian) who had a transplant done there, a guy who uses or has used this forum, he felt the content would be very relevant and useful to my situation.

 

I picked the book up earlier this evening and read the full thing cover to cover, I couldn't put it down! Fantastic book and it as much as it was just a great read, it really was a big help too.

 

Looking forward to the next stage, really can't see at this point why I wouldn't go forward with this.

[TakingThePlunge]

HeedsUp,

 

Happy (and not surprised) to hear that you received the royal treatment from the Farjo Clinic!

 

Best of luck as your continue along your hair restoration journey!

[bonkerstonker]

I wouldn't waste my time with 3000 on your full scalp you'll just look like your hairs falling out. I've seen people with your loss put 6000 in that area with the top surgeons and been upset about it. If I was you I'd go for at least 6000 or just do your front then your back on another day.

[Mick from Farjo]

Heedsup,

 

It was a pleasure to meet with you and i appreciate that fact that you found the information helpful.

As you noted your actual pictures were way off the mark of your true situation.Also you have a small rather than larger head.The actual area of loss, withut treading in to the crown itself was only around 50-55cm2 therefore the people who mentioned around 3000 follicular units were close to the mark.Most Doctors do between 40-50 follicular units per cm2 in any single procedure.The bigger the area , the greater the numbers.Other important factors such as family history,hair quality and characteristics etc all have to be taken in to account.

Hair restoration is not a one size fits all, more is better field.Every recommendation is based on a full and thorough evaluation and one that should suit that individual patient.

I look forward to being of further help to you.

 

Mick

[largechris]

It probably isn't sensible for me to say this, none of us should be pushing you down a certain road it has to be your decision, but -

 

It does look to me like you have fantastic donor hair potential, and I think you might be someone who gets an 'exceptional' result because you current pattern is so clearly established.

 

I understand the anti medication feeling, I used to be like that as well, but inho finasteride is one of the most mild least risky medications available today.

 

I'd encourage you to look through some of the tons of results on these boards as well.

[bonkerstonker]

Heedsup,

 

It was a pleasure to meet with you and i appreciate that fact that you found the information helpful.

As you noted your actual pictures were way off the mark of your true situation.Also you have a small rather than larger head.The actual area of loss, withut treading in to the crown itself was only around 50-55cm2 therefore the people who mentioned around 3000 follicular units were close to the mark.Most Doctors do between 40-50 follicular units per cm2 in any single procedure.The bigger the area , the greater the numbers.Other important factors such as family history,hair quality and characteristics etc all have to be taken in to account.

Hair restoration is not a one size fits all, more is better field.Every recommendation is based on a full and thorough evaluation and one that should suit that individual patient.

I look forward to being of further help to you.

 

Mick

 

Hi mick so out of interest has the clinic said that 3000 grafts will give the area of loss good coverage excluding the crown and obviously that area will be done without anymore work needed there?

 

Also is that 40 -50 grafts per cm2 on a totally bald scalp or a area with some existing hairs? The reason why i ask is a lot of people have a high count of singler unit grafts so 45 hairs per cm2 would be pretty poor coverage all 2 hair grafts would be quite decent so if for instance i came to surgery with a high number of singles would you place me 70 ish single hair grafts?

 

How many hairs per cm2 would you expect to get with heeds up on the basis of 45 grafts per cm2?

Edited May 5, 2011 by bonkerstonker

[Mick from Farjo]

BS,

 

I missed replying to this but i hope this helps.

We only covered basic principles rather than specifics, when Heedsup returns, with his permission I will expand further on the points you make.

I am not really sure what point you are trying to make in your 2nd paragraph. The average unit has 2.2 hairs and those with lower density levels need to be counselled accordingly.

What is really important is to clearly convey to a patient that the results of surgery are limited and that we will never regain what we once had. Equally important is the concept of good donor hair management because today’s Norwood 2 could be tomorrows Norwood 6.

Mick

[bonkerstonker]

Cheers Mick.

[Swiftz99]

if you enjoy sex stay away from FIN