Really confused

[mrsundeep]

Hi folks,

 

Finally after a lot of browsing under the radar in this forum, I have decided to go ahead with the Hair transplant procedure.

 

I decided to go ahead with Dr. Madhu's clinic in Hyderabad. I am from that same place, so will help me with the logistics for the procedure.

 

I sent my pics to Dr.Madhu and he suggested 2500+ follicles to cover the crown area. Now the confusing part.

 

I am 28 and am looking to get ONLY the crown region to get transplanted. If you look at the frontal view, I have a fair amount of hair for the while. But, I know that slowly but surely I am loosing hair in the temple regions and will at some stage in the future need to re-do the hair line.

 

So, would you guys think that it is a reasonable decision to just go with the transplant in the crown region ??

And would 2500+ follicles be enough to get a decent coverage in my crown area??

 

I paid the booking amount, but still undecided about the go ahead. Not that I am scared of transplants !! I had a corneal transplant a few years back.

 

Lastly, I am not taking any sort of medication for preventing the hair loss. The stories of side affects are really a big thing for me (not just the thing about the erection problems). I am not sure that this is a bad/good decision.

 

Sorry for the long message but please give me some feedback in to my concerns. Any information would be really appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance !!

[Alvarez13]

I'm no expert, but I think 1-2 years on rogaine/propecia is a must before going for the surgery. Otherwise you get a transplant, continue to lose hair, and you either keep getting transplants or just have one patch of hair that stands out. You have to be able to maintain the hair you have before adding more.

 

As for the side effects, give them a try and see what happens. I think any side effects from either go away as soon as you stop them (additional confirmation would be nice on this).

 

Just my opinion.

[Dutch]

Good surgeon. 2500 grafts will just about be sufficient considering the size of the area. The crown is an area that eats up so many grafts.

 

You definitely need to try propecia before and after surgery. Give it a go. Take it every other day or half a tablet each day. I take it every other day without libido issues. Or you can take saw palmetto extract & mino foam. But the foam is after surgery, maybe a month after.

 

All the best with the surgery!

[RCWest]

I'm no expert, but I think 1-2 years on rogaine/propecia is a must before going for the surgery. Otherwise you get a transplant, continue to lose hair, and you either keep getting transplants or just have one patch of hair that stands out. You have to be able to maintain the hair you have before adding more.

 

 

Outstanding advice!! Some people regrow enough in their crown area to not need surgery, as that is where Finasteride and Minoxidil work best. I'd give that a year before jumping into surgery. Some physicians will refuse to do transplantation until the patient tries meds, and I think that is a great idea.

[Atomic]

Mrsundeep, I agree with Alvarez & Dutch about the meds.

You currently have miniaturizing outside the area that is going to be transplanted. You can predict that you will eventually loose more hair in the crown. At only 28 you will be chasing your hairloss with future transplants.

 

You should give the meds a try, since finesteride & minnoxidil work specifically in the crown you should respond well. As for sides...we are alldifferent & respond different. There are guys on the meds regimen for 10+ years with no problems. Then there are guys who can't get an erection after just looking at the pill bottle! :eek:

 

Another option woul be to go to good mega session surgeon who will transplant the entire crown including between the existing hair in the

areas that are miniaturizing. You would probably need 4,000 plus grafts for that procedure.

 

As you see there are other options, do some more research before you have any surgery.

 

Good luck & keep us posted!

 

This is only my opinion. I am not a medical Dr. & I do not represent any Dr.

Edited May 29, 2011 by Atomic

[kathie47]

A lot of people see good results with rogaine and propecia. Trying these first is probably a smart move. Who knows what kind of results you'll get. you might end up not needing a ht!

[mrsundeep]

Thanks a lot for your input !!

 

Since I'v already made the booking in the end of July, what should I do. Last time I met the Dermatologist, he advised me to go on Finasta - Finasteride - One tablet a week. I beleive I can break it into 4 parts and have one everyday.

 

Since I have under 2 months left for the transplant, should I go ahead with the transplant or set myself on medication ? I don't think there will be any results due to medication within these two months.

 

I really don't mind loosing the booking amount (not sure if they refund), if the wait on medication will do good for me in the long term.

 

Please give me some suggestions

 

[hairsprint]

mrsundeep

 

If you decide to give medication a try, there is no point in giving it just a couple months before you take the plunge. If you had researched enough, you know that finesteride & minnoxidil most of the time take almost 7 to 8 months (some cases even up to an year) to yield results. So, if you are going to try medication, give it ample time for it to work

[El Nino]

Thanks a lot for your input !!

 

Since I'v already made the booking in the end of July, what should I do. Last time I met the Dermatologist, he advised me to go on Finasta - Finasteride - One tablet a week. I beleive I can break it into 4 parts and have one everyday.

 

Since I have under 2 months left for the transplant, should I go ahead with the transplant or set myself on medication ? I don't think there will be any results due to medication within these two months.

 

I really don't mind loosing the booking amount (not sure if they refund), if the wait on medication will do good for me in the long term.

 

Please give me some suggestions

 

 

It's up to you whether you go ahead with the transplant but it would be risky to do it without using meds as well. Finasteride comes in two forms, Propecia which is a 1mg tab everday or Proscar which is a 5mg tab which you then can cut into quarters or fifths and take everyday. Or you could start off every other day first and see if you get any side effects. You can use Minoxidil as well but if you go ahead with the HT I would wait until after you have done it before you start.

 

If you do go ahead with the transplant of 2500 grafts I would recommend concentrating them on the upper part of the crown and not to try and fill it all in one go. Then see how it looks when it grows out and see if you have lost anymore hair. I had a similar sized bald spot and this was my approach, take a look at my pics.

 

Hope this helps.

[biscuit]

With that much hairloss at 28 I think you're not a good candidtate for a HT. You appear to be heading for a NW6, which means you will not have enough donor hair to achieve good coverage in the long term.

 

Having a HT right now will deplete your donor area leaving you with few options if your hairline receeds in the future. FUE will leave your donor area thinned out with the possibility of buckshot scarring, strip will leave you with a scar. Neither are good if you continue to lose hair in the donor area.

 

I'm not a fan of meds but they appear to be your best alternative right now. Try them for 5 years and see where you're at.