How do you decide for certain the best type HT and doctor?

[Inventor]

Guys here is the challenge. I have had multiple procedure in the past. Recnt years hair has thinned on top and crown and hairline needs touch up. Donor hair is limited and from top doctors all say 2000 grafts are possible. To be optimum I would need 3500 grafts but unlikely. Strip doctors say they have better yield and FUE doctors say they are similar. I have elasticity but am leaning to FUE as it can be more selective and less risk of damage at this late stage. I have looked at using BHT and it scares me to death. Since I still have a lot of hair the thought that it would look odd and not blend in is of concern. My problem is that I have only one chance to get this right and cannot risk mistakes. Understand that price and money are not an issue. I mean I am fortunate to be able to afford any amount. I have been to Wong, Armani, Umar and Griffin just to name a few of the doctors I have considered. I have also just requested information from HSI and Dr Gho. If anyone here has any advice it would be appreciated.

[mattj]

Was the assessment of how much donor you have available made during a consultation in-person with the doctors?

[Spanker]

I say get your last strip done and the finish off with FUE.

 

Pick a top doc.

 

You can play with words and say that the yeild is similar, but at this point I think few docs are actually getting the 95 percent yield that most top strip surgeouns can bring.

[Levrais]

You should look into bht more and hopefully become comfortable with it. A friend of mine has had something like 1400 beard fue in conjunction with scalp fue. If you have 2000 donor available from the scalp, this would be the best time to incorporate any beard hair that you want to use so that you can blend it in. You should check out Bisanga's bht work.

Edited October 19, 2011 by Levrais
typo

[Inventor]

Thank all of you for the input. To add to the details I provided. I did meet with surgeons in person. The very best I believe from recommendations I have seen in this forum. Like any type of opinions they all vary so let me share with you some of those received so you will understand my dilemma. In no specific order and since 2009 consults here were recommendations. Shapiro = 1500 strip , Wong = 2000 strip, Griffin =1700 strip, Bisanga =1200 FUE head to hairline 1000 beard crown, Umar = 2000 head/nape hairline 3000 beard to crown, Armani = 2000-2500 FUE. I believe each doctor I met with to be excellent at what they do but I did get varying opinions. Dr Bisanga does both strip and FUE and his recommendation was to not do another strip as it might create thinning in scarred area. Dr Shapiro on the other hand suggested a strip vs FUE. Now I am diligently researching the HSI clinic and Dr Gho solution. Can he really reharvest a donor area over multiple years and regrow 80% of what was harvested. Just sent them my pics and waiting for reply. It will be a slower process but perhaps more donor long term. If you guys tell me how to post the pics I will and I welcome any input.

[Levrais]

Once way to post pics is to click "reply" to this post then click "manage attachments" then browse to where your pics are stored and click on the ones you want to attach

[Inventor]

Here are a couple photos of hairline and crown.

[Mountinvan]

So you think Wong's assesment is reasonable or would he be taking from the "unsafe" zone? If Wong is spot on, the yield would seem to dictate him.

[Inventor]

I do think Dr Wong was reasonable. I know Dr. Shapiro was conservative and he stated so. Personally I believe there may be higher risk with a strip in my case that may leave donor are coverage weak. The doctors are the best but with another new scar there could be collateral damage. I started leaning to FUE solution since donor could be targeted better as well as use nape and other areas the strip could not access. I met with Dr Bisanga while he was in the US in August to get his opinion since he actively practices both and he was against another strip in my case. I know that if this was my first procedure I would definitely do only FUE. You probably see my dilemma as these are all outstanding doctors and their opinions vary enough to make this very difficult.

[mattj]

Were the quotes with no mention of a hairline/crown split just for the hairline?

[Inventor]

Most were not specific as to proportion but made suggestions. To cover the crown with moderate density it needs 1500-1700 grafts depending on quality and size. With 600 they can add a half centimeter to touch up the hairline with higher density. It comes down to which is more important as a personal preference. If I do more to the hairline say adding a full centimeter would take 1200 grafts. There would not be sufficient left to fully cover the crown so its a trade off.