HELP - advice on Hairtransplants - is it worth it?!

[newguy28]

hey all,

im new to the site and looking for advice.. im a 28 year old male..and as you can tell from my picture suffering from some hair loss in from the front and extending back to the crown. I have met w/ 2 surgeons in western canada (1 does the 'strip' and the other fue).. I am leaning towards the FUE but want to find a reputable surgeon. right now i use a lot of toppik (a little bit too much) and i dont like it at all.

any advice or feedback on the FUE treatment? is it really as painless as the doctors make it seem? also - the recommendation was 1500 grafts to do the frontal and a bit of the crown (not all of it) b/c we are unsure on how much more hair i would lose. is 1500 a lot?

in any case - i would like to get a transplant soon (i think) but would appreciate any insight or feedback (and/or recommendations on doctors!!)..currently i am in calgary, canada but would be willing to travel within canada or the US!..

thoughts? advice? feedback?

 

thanks!!

[N-6]

Its hard to tell but from your profile photo, it looks like you have virtually no hair in the frontal 1/3 and little hair in the crown. I don;t know what your goals are but 1500 grafts will not do much for the front at all much less for front and crown.

 

I think FUE is fine for some patients but for someone like you who seems to have extensive loss at age 28, I would be curious to know who said you were an FUE candidate. If your hair loss is as seems to be depicted in your profile photo, you would need way more than 1500 grafts to obtain a decent result. FUE is more expensive and less efficient at harvesting grafts than strip. Importantly, the more grafts you need with FUE, the higher the danger that those grafts are taken from potentially non-permanent areas. Its hard to tell but you might fall into that risky category.

[RodG]

Hi,

 

It looks like you are norwood vi on the hairloss scale which is quite extensive. I had similar hairloss to you and had 3743 grafts, which did not include the crown area.

 

You have a couple of top quality surgeons in Canada and I recommend that you research this site for their details.

 

Regards rod

[irishsailor]

You might want to look into meds as well, if yr not already on them. Propecia and rogaine. It might be worth to give them a try and see if it stabilises your hairloss while you do your research on which surgeon you want to perform your HT.

 

Regards

[orlhair1]

Based on your profile photo, 1500 grafts will not do much for you at all. You should consult with some top clinics. If you have good donor, I would imagine any top clinic is going to recommend strip surgery with the amount of loss you have. What you can or can't accomplish will depend a lot on your available donor.

[MrJobi]

That is a considerable about of hairloss and it appears you would need triple that number for relative coverage. I would first try to slow / stop the hairloss with some meds if possible (check with your doctor of course)

 

FUE is always nice but very pricey compared to FUT. It would also allow you to shave your head and allow for a more natural progression without considerable effort to "cover up" the scar as I had to do over my 3 procedures.

 

Speak with credible doctors and research your options.

Edited December 26, 2011 by MrJobi
typo

[newguy28]

thanks for the reply all.. i was thinking 1500 might not be enough.. but maybe enough to cover the front (and not the crown)...

what are your thoughts on hair club? getting a hair piece?

[newguy28]

Im thinking that you would need around 2500+ grafts for the front . I suggest consulting with a few of the top surgeons reccomended on this website.

 

 

thanks.. are you with hair club? do u recommend it?

[MrJobi]

Hello

 

Hair replacement is a personal decision. For me, I would shave my head before I would wear any hair system. They are very expensive and a "band aid" in my mind.

 

At the end of the day, you need to be happy

[AnthonySC]

If you go for a transplant I would personally put the bulk of the grafts in the front half for the most impact. As others have stated 1500 grafts would do next to nothing spread over the real estate you have to cover. I'm a NW 2 and I've been getting consult estimates in the range of 1200-2100 grafts just to lower my hairline about 1 cm and filling some thinning areas in hairline.

 

I think you would need in the neighborhood of 3500-4000 grafts to get make a big difference up front. Strip can do this in one session. Personally I'd rather split that into two procedures just to maximize graft survival.

 

About FUE you might want to wait a year or two. Seems like there are improvements every year. I think eventually the yield will be comparable to strip, but right now the results are quite doctor dependant.

 

If it was me I would stay away from Hair Club. The surgeon you get is likely hit-or-miss and its better to select your own.

[RodG]

Hi,

 

Your hairloss is similiar to the progression that I had and I underwent a mega session to get good coverage. The majority of grafts were placed in the front third of my recipient area and less follicles towards the back. The crown area was left untouched.

 

Go to the top doctors recommended on this site and check out the one's in the US as well. Don't go to a hack with a poor reputation and if you can't afford a top doctor do yourself a favour and wait until you have sufficient funds.

 

Good luck.

 

Regards

 

Rod

[newguy28]

Thanks everyone for the comments and the replies. A few other details I should share..

I did see two doctors (one who does the strip and one from hair club who does FUE).... the strip doctor mentioned that 2900 grafts would help w/ the frontal and center baldness but would not adress the crown. The FUE doctor suggested 1500 for now (as I am still young ...also i think its b/c they can only do a max of 1500) and said that he would just concerntrate on the front as well. I did tell him about the 2900 recommendation by the other doctor and he mentioned that the FUE process may be able to grasp on to "thicker" hairs that he could transplant.

 

Both doctors said (whether it was 1500 or 2900) that the crown would be untouched but that i was likley "not finsihed" balding..

 

I don't have any financial issues.. and right now am using a crap load of toppik..I want to make a decision soon and get this done right. I wouldn't mind just having the frontal fixed for now and then fixing the other part afte.r. what is worrysome (and is exactly what I am thinking) is that 1500 grafts is not enough and I really don't want to get the Strip method...

 

Thanks again for all the feedback and advice.. in the short time this is really helping!!

[AnthonySC]

I think the most that can be safely done with FUE in one setting is around a 1000 or so. It varies from clinic to clinic. But you can usually do an additional procedure the day after. And after a year or so you can go back and have another FUE if the previous one worked out for you. That way the changes will be subtle over time. But if you want a large chunk of it done in one pass the strip is better.

 

Keep in mind again that the result of the FUE will depend on whether or not you are a good candidate for it and the skill and experience of the FUE surgeon. That is why it is of utmost importance to research and find the highest quality surgeon. There are several good doctors on this site that conduct FUE as part of their practice. Try consulting with some and compare.

Edited December 27, 2011 by AnthonySC

[N-6]

If I understood your message correctly that you consulted with someone at hairclub who does FUE, I would personally stay away. FUE hasnt been around for very long and there are not many people in the world who have mastered the procedure. Hairclub has traditionally been a hairpiece company so that they are now doing surgeries is surprising. Go with a doctor who has experience and a solid reputation in the hair transplantation industry or things could be worse off for you long term. I understand you want to make a decision soon but you really need to research this topic thoroughly. This is surgery after all and not a decision you should rush.

 

As for strip versus FUE, I've never heard the claim that FUE can grasp on to thicker hairs. I don't even know what that really means. Strip has better yield and is more efficient at harvesting grafts than FUE. I think FUE is good for a select group of patients but I don't see how a 28-year old like yourself who seems like he already has extensive hair loss and will likely lose more in the future is even a candidate for FUE in the first place. Where would an FUE doc get the necessary grafts to give you a cosmetically satisfactory result long term?

 

Check the link below to a thread re: varying thoughts on FUE and its permanency in certain patients.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/164188-fue-permanent.html

 

Research, I really can't stress that enough.

[Zup]

Newguy28,

 

Regardless, of the technique.....you need to be very careful!!!!!

You are only 28, with signs of extensive hair loss. You are close to being completely bald on top, with the sides and back receding down from the top plane of your head. The biggest concern is progressing in time to a type 7, who’s donor shrinks up in every direction; downward from the top, inward from the sides, upward from the bottom and extreme thinning within the donor. I hope this is not the case, but the problem is no one knows. No one has a crystal ball, and when dealing with a moving field, limited source you need to prepare for worse case scenario not best case scenario, especially when the signs stack up against you. Donor can thin on everyone over time and more with men that have extensive hair loss. Have you seen men in their 70's where the hair on the sides and back have receded in every direction, and only a 1 inch fringe remains that is see through?

In regard to procedures, strip will be more productive, but leave a fine linear scar in the right hands, that short hair can hide fairly well. But, if the donor can becomes see-through there is a physiological concern. FUE, could allow you to establish some frontal presents, but at 28 is that enough.

Regardless of the procedure, aside from what i mentioned above, you need to go into transplantation, as if you can only cover the frontal third or half and not the crown, if you can do anything with the crown it is a bonus, such as shrinking or a thin film of coverage.

We are not involved with hair system but they have come a long ways, and if full coverage is what you are looking for at 28, you may want to at least look into them. You can always contact me at our office to discuss this in more detail. Now, this is only based on one photo, the main point is to not rush out and jump into this.

[Khali]

If you compare FUT vs FUE then in FUE you pay a higher price and you get thinner hair. For example to get a frontal coverage it would need 4000 grafts with FUE to get it covered. However, the same level of coverage can be done with 2500 grafts from FUT. Once the frontal zone is covered then you can look at alternatives such as scalp tatoo to make hair appear thicker, plus beard + body hair to cover the mid and crown area etc..

[newguy28]

Thanks all for the feedback thus far..

Have any of you heard of Dr Robert Jones? Any comments or feedback? I spoke to him today and sent him some pictures.. he said he could do the FUE treatment and do about 2500 grafts.

 

I have read a few things that are not very postive on the internet but those posts were dated back to 2008 so not really sure... would appreciate your feedback or thoughts..

 

Thanks!

[aaron1234]

Take up Zup on his offer and contact him. They are all straight shooters at SMG and they'll tell it like it is. Heed his warning about being cautious with HT's. They are not for everybody.

[Khali]

Thanks all for the feedback thus far..

Have any of you heard of Dr Robert Jones? Any comments or feedback? I spoke to him today and sent him some pictures.. he said he could do the FUE treatment and do about 2500 grafts.

 

I have read a few things that are not very postive on the internet but those posts were dated back to 2008 so not really sure... would appreciate your feedback or thoughts..

 

Thanks!

2500 from FUE will not make a significant difference in a case like yours. I would rather go for 2500 FUT.

[orlhair1]

Thanks all for the feedback thus far..

Have any of you heard of Dr Robert Jones? Any comments or feedback? I spoke to him today and sent him some pictures.. he said he could do the FUE treatment and do about 2500 grafts.

 

I have read a few things that are not very postive on the internet but those posts were dated back to 2008 so not really sure... would appreciate your feedback or thoughts..

 

Thanks!

 

Why dont't you contact Zup? He made the offer to you and SMG is a top clinic.......that is where I had my surgery. Just by looking at your pictures, FUE is probably not your best option and 2,500 grafts spread all over your balding area will not give you good coverage.

[newguy28]

Thanks - i have reached out to Dr Shapiro.. any other recommendations? Doctors in Canada? Feedback on Dr. Jones?

 

Thanks.

[AnthonySC]

If you want doctors in Canada you can go with Rahal as he is in Ottawa, Ontario. He does both FUE and strip.

 

Hasson and Wong are in western Canada (Vancouver). They only do strip (FUE for special circumstances), but by all accounts they are very good. They are very experienced in extensive hairloss cases. They can do very large sessions of several grafts if have good characteristics in your donor region.

 

I have not heard too many things about Dr. Jones. I suggest you go with the ones most highly reviewed.

 

Good Luck

[ihatebosely21]

im going to doctor Rahal in ontario canada he is the most recommened here on this site and is doing 1600 FUT and fixing bosely mistake hopefully (crossing fingers) my surgery date is jan 4th...

 

and question how do you post threads i cant find out how to do it..i dont see post new thread anywhere and i want to put up my results by month when procedure happens..thanks

[AnthonySC]

 

and question how do you post threads i cant find out how to do it..i dont see post new thread anywhere and i want to put up my results by month when procedure happens..thanks

 

When you go into any sub-forum click new thread box on top left hand of screen.

[ihatebosely21]

i dont see new thread box anywhere all i see is post reply in the top left hand corner