lowest graft amount for decent coverage?

[msh89]

i've finally started taking the steps to move towards getting a HT. picked a doctor (Hasson&Wong), went for a consultation with a rep, said my donor area looked good, and then kind of threw out a bunch of numbers, but ultimately he said 4000 grafts and i'd be sittin' pretty for years to come. have a chance here in january/february to take a month off of work so the timing is perfect.

 

unfortunately, i over-shot my budget and have less than i thought i could get. at this point, i'd have to rack up some hefty debt to get a respectable amount of grafts, but weighing the horrible emotional burden this is causing me vs. having to pay off the debt (completely doable no problems), i am more than willing to embark on this journey. however, if it's not even going to make that much of a difference vs. 10k or so in credit card debt, i would have to force myself to wait.

 

he had some pics sent to the doctors for a second opinion, but in the mean time i wanted to get some opinions or see if anyone has been in a similiar situation.

 

any input on a minimum amount of grafts that would be beneficial? in order of importance, it would be 1. crown 2. middle forelock 3. corners of hairline slightly (optional)

 

and yup, on finasteride, using minoxidil in the morning, just started shampooing with nizoral every three days, otherwise use revivogen. really heathy, too.

 

sorry for crappy pictures! best camera i have is my macbook :eek: taken under different lighting and a few different angles to show regular short hair vs thinning hair

 

thanks!

[Davis91]

It is slightly difficult to estimate because of the short hair. However, if H&W said 4K grafts and you are committed to wearing longer hair, then you can be sure you are in good hands.

 

Your donor area looks pretty good. I would trust the gameplan H&W laid out for you because Joe and company think long-term.

 

If you need to wait a little though for whatever reason--financial or otherwise-- your noggin looks pretty good with the buzz cut so you should feel relaxed that your hair loss is not really a major short-term issue cosmetically, although I understand you feel bad about it now.

 

Again, if you are committed to longer hair (due to the scar), I would trust the H&W estimate, which seems right.

[Spanker]

Are you military? That is a tight cut and too tight for someone who has had a strip surgery, so keep that in mind.

 

IMO, you are way too young (23 or 24?) to plant very densely in the crown and your mid-section is beginning to go as well. Not saying that you should get nothing in the crown, but you must be smart with your grafts.

 

H and W are really good, just make sure you are hearing what they are saying. 4 K may last you for years, but it may not also. You have a pattern developing and at your age I would consider it fairly aggressive.

 

Keep researching. Good luck.

[MAGNUMpi]

Your head looks good shaved. I would think long and hard before getting a FUT procedure (with scar). you would not be able to buzz your hair like that again comfortably.

[1978matt]

I agree with the others, I'd wait a few years to see how it develops. You look good with short hair which is a huge bonus.

 

I've never been a massive fan of transplanting into areas where there's a decent density already and it seems you still have a fair amount of hair on top apart from the crown.

Edited October 18, 2012 by 1978matt

[gillenator]

I also agree that you look good in a short cropped hair style.

[SADbutTRUE]

you look good with a close crop cut, what it comes down to is how YOU

[SADbutTRUE]

sorry my hand slip and i hit the send button before i finished, it comes down to how you feel , if surgery is what you want, id wait untill you saved up , ur hair looks good this way, and youron meds, so you shouldnt lose any ground untill you have saved up enough for the surgery. good luck,

[msh89]

thanks for all the responses!

 

just to address a few things. no i'm not in the military, i decided to buzz my hair down at the beginning of summer. in fact, this is the shortest its been since i was probably 10. i'd prefer to wear my hair longer so making that commitment is no problem. before shaved, i'd say my hair was about 2-3 inches long on top and about half an inch on the sides/back to compensate for density difference. i was getting by with courve and toppik and then spraying the crap out of my hair with hairspray. i didn't discover dermmatch until i had buzzed my hair off. i feel like i could do wonderful things with longer hair/a little more density and some dermmatch.

 

unfortunately i can't get passed that awkward stage to the point where my hair is longer/more pliable and thus more easy to style over any thinning spots. right in the middle of my crown, there is a strip of evenly thinning hair, then right to each side of it is a spot where theres weaker hair/peach fuzz. it makes it a hell of a lot more difficult to put dermmatch on and not have it look weird. boitin helps things grow faster, but even after a long weekend i couldn't get that growth quick enough.

 

and im only 23, and understand that things could get worse. my dad is completely bald and started losing his hair around the same age i did. the only difference is i started finasteride two years ago once i noticed it was becoming a problem. aside from maybe my hairline receding a tiny bit more, i dont think i've had any additional loss. this is seriously ruining my life and even effecting my personality. i really just want to enjoy these years while i can without worrying if anyone notices the makeup on my head, and cross my fingers that there will be a medical breakthrough when/if i'm back in this boat again.

 

my other option was to keep it short, get some SMP so i don't have to use dermmatch, and then save up for a HT. less favorable than racking up debt and getting a HT now, but much more favorable than where i'm at right now. i posted in the SMP forums so i won't get into it here.

 

ahhh long post! sorry for the excessive venting