Patient vs. Doctor...who wins?

[StaggerLee123]

Placing hairlines too low is just too much of a crap shoot for most responsible doctors to feel comfortable with. "Do no harm" is their rule to live by. Older men with perfect low hairlines and full heads of hair are few and far between and are basically genetic freaks. Judge Andrew Napolitano of Fox News comes to mind and although his hair is natural he looks a bit odd to me to tell you the truth, kind of like a mix between Eddie Munster and a werewolf. There is nothing worse than a hairline placed too low and then having native hair erode behind it and it is a big rookie mistake made by Docs who overreach.

[LondonHTseeker]

"Eddie Munster and a werewolf"...haha that made me laugh. Had to google the guy, but I can see you have a point. However, that hairline is way lower than mine because I have a high forehead.

 

I'm grateful Dr Feller went as low as I wanted because I haven't lost any hair for ten years and it looks stable; and I definitely think it suits my face best at this height. I'm just wondering whether I made a mistake by not getting a few more grafts in October, although money was an issue. But then I remember that more grafts would have equalled a bigger strip scar, and seeing as I scar quite badly it was probably best to only take 700 grafts and do a scar revision on the donor scar, as happened. I can do a FUE for some more filling in if necessary. So far I've had around 4000 grafts into the area, which seems like a lot. Time will tell how the area looks after the recent FUT.

[TommyLucchese]

 

I'm also impressed by the guy in chris' post here:

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/162969-dr-rahal-patient-3249-grafts-7-months.html

 

He got great density in an area roughly the same as mine. Is it just me or did the hair grow in lower than the pre-op drawings?

 

That's the thing to remember. The hairlines look very extreme but once the hair grows out, these circle type hairlines that don't fill in the temples actually puff out to look like a full head of hair.

 

At my consultation with Dr. Feller, I said I wanted a lower hairline than the one he drew, but then Spex lifted his hair to show the hairline and it wasn't the juvenile hairline you think......actually somewhat far back.

 

Look at the 'Dr Feller love letter' thread and see how that higher up circle-type hairline immediately post up ended up growing out like a Tom Cruise haircut. This hairline obviously requires much less grafts too so I think it's a good strategy. Obviously most of us would love that juvenile hairline, but if the more conservative one gets great results.....why risk the extra grafts?

 

I think you should always go with the doctor's opinion, but that doesn't mean you can't ask questions and make suggestions. For example at the surgery I asked for the hairline to be lowered a little on one side as I wanted them to be symmetrical and this was accommodated for me, but it was a minor adjustment. The doctor obviously knows best.

[Hairtechnician]

Hi Xstatic,

 

I wanted to let you know that what Dr. Keene and some of her colleagues found when they did a study measuring the distance between the eyebrow and hairline on a sample of around 100 men age 65 and over, who reported that they had not receded, and who had never had surgery, was that there is not a pattern, it just varies from individual to individual. Moreover, although Dr. Keene isn't willing to go lower than where nature put your hairline originally, she often recreates a youthful hairline, and is very good at being able to determine where it used to be.

 

It is important for you to know the risk of future hairloss, and highly recommended that you take Finasteride to help combat your hairloss, but Dr. Keene's opinion is that it looks better to have a youthful hairline with some hair loss behind it than a very receding look (though she works with her patients preferences). She also used to take a more conservative approach, but she has reconsidered due to her experience and observations. Even with future hairloss, the hairline still provides a frame to your face, which is important in regard to what draws the eye.

 

We have also seen patients with that pattern of hairloss, i.e. a hairline with receding behind it, even though it is not one that is seen on the Norwood Hamilton scale, who have never had surgery. The scale is a well respected guideline, but nature tends to offer so much variability that it isn't possible to include all naturally occuring patterns.

 

Best of luck in your decision making process.

[s2thoudriver]

Hi Xtatic

 

Just saw your other questin for me about the S2k...

 

I've had 5..

 

Silverstone with red 99

Black and black 01

Blue and black 04

Moonrock and black 06

Black and carbon bodies with blue and black interior 01 turbocharged ;-)

 

All a few years ago now though.

 

Regards

 

Rob

[xtatic5]

Hi Xtatic

 

Just saw your other questin for me about the S2k...

 

I've had 5..

 

Silverstone with red 99

Black and black 01

Blue and black 04

Moonrock and black 06

Black and carbon bodies with blue and black interior 01 turbocharged ;-)

 

All a few years ago now though.

 

Regards

 

Rob

 

Nice Rob, that turbo must've been crazy. I've had mine for 8 years and I still love it.

 

Update on my hairline:

 

I received 2.25cm of lowering and I couldn't be happier. However, due to a tight scalp I only received 2267 grafts (some to the temples). I'm thinking that I may need another procedure to thicken it up. The Dr. said it's too early to tell but I may need another 800 or so.

 

Here's what confuses me: I was told that my native density is 75/cm2 and the transplanted density is 35/cm2 (IIRC). However, based on the recorded strip area and total grafts, I calculate my donor density to be 59/cm2. I also roughly measure my recipient area to be the same as my donor strip, so wouldn't the transplanted density be equal to my donor density given equal areas?