To crown or not to crown

[MikeTheDane]

Well friends, the time has come for my 3rd procedure. I will most likely be going with dr. mohmand although it is not set in stone as of yet.

 

The priority is to increase the density of my hairline, and i am seriously considering going to the crown this time. So far i've had 2 procedures of 1600 and 2750 grafts, about evenly spread out in the first 2/3 of the scalp, with the crown untouched.

 

I've been on propecia and minioxidil for the last 2 years and 3 months and there has only been improvement, although the last year it appears to have been stabilized.

 

Unfortunately my scar is rather wide from my last surgery, so im guessing the doc might be able to get 2k grafts or so, which IS enough for the hairline (i would say 1300-1500 is enough) and then the remainder could be put into the crown. The thing is, im guessing i would need around 1k to the crown or so for a good result, so i might end up short 300-500 grafts. Ofcourse, this is all theorycrafting, but bear with me.

 

As i REALLY want this to be my final procedure for atleast another 5 years, and this is asuming my numbers are correct, im considering adding some FUE for the final missing grafts (on the next day)

 

What do you guys think of this sollution?

 

Also have a look at my current situation.

 

 

 

[imissthebarber]

IMO you should not do the crown.

 

As you've probably read on this site the crown is like a black hole. It just gets bigger and bigger. It can reach as far down as the top of the ears which for you would be exposing a vast new area. Also there is no natural pattern of male hair loss which leaves an island of hair in the middle of the crown. So if you start on the crown you are committed to it. The crown can reach 100cm2 or more so to get even thin density you are still looking at 3000+ grafts. You've already had 4350 with a stretched scar so the more you take the higher the risk or worse stretching.

 

Hopefully the meds will hold the crown for you for a few years and when you're older more people your own age will be losing in the crown and it might not bother you so much. Also you won't be committed to a course of action which will compromise your donor area.

[Ronald]

It really depends on how much donor you have.

 

IMO, those with high densities (8000+) can get away with the crown.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Hmmm. I think if I were to touch the crown, I would likely look to allocate a very nominal # of grafts to achieve modest coverage/density to then be able to achieve an easy look of total coverage by using nanogen. I think you should be able to achieve this aim while truly beefing up your hairline.

 

You've mentioned wanting this to be your last procedure for a while, and the number of grafts you thus need to reach to be able to truly satisfy yourself.

 

That said, especially since you're wiling to travel, and this being your 3rd op, I would go to a clinic best versed in being able to meet your needs so you don't end up going through a 3rd procedure only to feel the immediate need for a 4th.

 

Any major reason why you are leaning towards Mohmand? vs. going back to DeVroye?

[Anouar]

use a combo of either proscar or dutasteride and rogaine. save ur donor. give it about a year and see what kind of result you get

[MikeTheDane]

thanks for the reply guys..

 

one at a time:

 

Imissthebarber: I'm not afraid of commitment - heck, this is my 3rd time - but i just want a few years break without thinking about it.

 

The stretching is mostly my own fault (working out too hard too soon) and i wont make the same mistake twice, so im not too worried about the scar..

 

Thana: I can conceal it pretty well at the moment, i just don't want to spraypaint my scalp daily if i can avoid it, so it's either good coverage or nothing.

 

devroye vs mohmand comes down to price really, mohmand is 3 times as cheap even with devroye's discount - also i will not be able to afford to put anything into the crown with him.

 

Anouar: Im afraid you didn't read my initial post - i've been on both proscar and minioxidil for over 2 years.

[RajToor]

dr. mohmand is a great surgeon and I think u should be more on meds for crown, anyway your hair line is not that bad and to put in so many grafts there will only give you a teenager hairline and when u are in your 40's and 50's with a large balding area on your crown it just wont look natural. well, that's just my opinion and it is vital to plan for the future. Everyone will lose hair in their latter years so add less on the hairline and more to the crown, u can style your hairline when u look at the mirror but u can't look at your crown, so add more to your crown, well thats just an opinion. I think with 2000 grafts from dr. mohmand, u will get some 15- 20% disount, let me know when u are planning for the HT as I am planning to do so with him.

[Julius]

Hi Mike, I have been following your story for a long time now and you have certainly undergone an impressive transformation. I think the colour looks natural on you and really improves density, lucky Scandinavians I wish I could get away with it! However if I had your hair to skin contrast I would probably only undergo a small strip strip procedure to improve density at the hairline. I think using up part of your reserve 2k or so fue hair at this stage is a little premature. I'm pretty sure a top clinic could get at least another 2 500 grafts out using strip. Your crown is not really that bad, I would just keep on meds and give it some time to see how things pan out, but if it really bothered and you did touch the crown at this stage you probably wouldn't need too many grafts for a great result, though as Imissthebarber said you would then be commited to it and obviously it would be uncertain if it would hold up for another five years. Cheers

[NoStress]

Hej Mike!

 

Sjovt at m??de en anden dansker herinde..

 

M?? jeg lige sp??rger hvor du fik lavet din danske HT? - Og kender du h??rklinikken?

 

 

Mvh Christoffer

[MikeTheDane]

Thank you for all the wonderful responses.

 

Raj: Nah you are right, it's not too bad, but it's not really good either. Sort of mediocre. I do not have a teenage hairline though, i have a perfect NW2.5 hairline that's going to look natural even when i'm old. Speaking of which, i saw a 70 year old dude with a full head of hair(maybe NW 1.5) and it looked great!

 

Im planning on late-november i think.

 

Julius: Thanks for the kind response - i'm happy to know that people have been following my progress.

 

The thing about dyeing your hair too often is that it's not really healthy for your hair, but i need the color to hide the crown. See the dilemma? I'm not sure how much time you think i need, most surgeons recommend 1 year or so, i've been on both for more than two, with little to no progress the last year. But you are right, it's a commitment, but it's a commitment im willing to make(made it this far haven't i?), even if it's just 3 years then that's fine.

 

I'm just not sure if dr. mohmand can get 2500 out of me, devroye made 2750 but with a smaller scar. I suppose we will have to wait and see on the day.

 

No stress: Hej NoStress - det var medica klinik fra kolding - lad v?¦re med at spilde din tid der, eller i DK for den sags skyld. De aner ikke hvad de laver

 

to the rest of you: he hasked me where my danish ht was done and i replied.

[NoStress]

Hej igen Mike.

 

Jeg synes virkelig du skal tage kontakt til h??rklinikken!! Jeg har selv g??et der i et halvt ??r med godt resultat! De giver dig ikke flere h??r, men g??r de tynde h??rstr?? tykke igen! Vha. af planteekstrakt designet til dig!

 

Der er b??de en klinik i k??benhavn og en ny i ??rhus. Jeg selv er en klient hos grundl?¦ggeren, Lars Skj??th og han er en super fyr der g??r op i din situation og ikke hans pengepungs situation.

 

Hi all.. sorry for my danish reply to Mike...

[MikeTheDane]

tak for tippet, det kan v?¦re jeg kigger p?? det

[thanatopsis_awry]

Mike, I didn't see this mentioned before, but do you have an idea how many grafts you have left? Start up with Jotronic's scalp exercises pronto.

 

I agree that this should be your final procedure for a long while -- refine your hairline and beef up your crown and you should be good to go.

 

Have you looked into Dr. Path in Thailand? I know he is extremely competitively priced like Dr. Mohmand.

[MikeTheDane]

I do not, no... all i know is that my scalp feels pretty lax still

 

Oh and how i would love to add grafts recklessly into the crown, trust me ;-)

 

I have, actually corresponded with dr. path, but he is twice as expensive as mohmand.

 

I think mohmand is the cheapest in the world?

[RajToor]

I think dr.Path charge 2.20 usd per graft while dr.mohmand is 0.70 Usd

[MikeTheDane]

something like that yes, so it's quiet a significant difference..

[Balboa]

thana i dont mean any disrespect by this but on that hairline shot it looks a little sparse, is that just down to the style and the hairs falling back over the hairline or is that the actual grafts per CM2 you have? might just be the pic or maybe just me

[hairthere]

I think dr.Path charge 2.20 usd per graft while dr.mohmand is 0.70 Usd

 

wow, either doc is extremely low price

[thanatopsis_awry]

Balb, not me m8 -- me and MiketheDane do have similar looking doo's, though. (i copied his bleached blonde look)

[Balboa]

haha just noticed the name i didnt even look i just so the bleeched hair and assumed, mike are you happy with the hairline? is that the real denisty? or a decetive pic

[Coligion]

Mike, you're a younger guy (not too unlike myself ), so I urge you to move forward with caution. We've talked a bit about shock loss, and from what I remember, you had told me it was not a huge issue in your past surgeries. I had significant shock loss from my first procedure, so I will not likely touch my crown for another ten years. In your case, it seems your hair has reacted well, so maybe this would not be an issue...I also think your hairline is looking solid, but I understand your concerns. I would think 1000 grafts would provide adequate density to finish off your hairline. Best wishes.

[MikeTheDane]

we all make mistakes balboa: But yes this is the actual hairline and im not happy with it, that's why i want a 3rd procedure. Nothing deceptive there's just not enough density. On the other hand the procedure really made my first frontal 2/3 solid, even with a flash i can't find any indication that i'm losing my hair so that's good! I definately consider the procedure a success.

 

Coligion: True, i am. Did your shockloss return? How long did it take? Shockloss so far hasn't been a concern for me even though i'm a diffuse thinner (which are usually the ones getting that) and as long as it's not permanent i don't mind even if it happens. But yeah 1000-1200 to the hairline should hotfix me for sure! Still, im very tempted to hit the crown. Very.

[RajToor]

Hit the crown, I would def do that

[MikeTheDane]

I would love to, and while i am probably known for being aggressive in my approach, i do still want to make the right decition.

[Dr. Mohammad Humayun Mohma]

Dear Friends

 

I was asked by MTD to express my personal professional views about this case.

 

I think it has been a wonderful results considering you started very early in your life.

 

I can see that you are now touching Type Vish but then we really cant tell the true picture as you are on meds. Keeping that in mind and looking at your picture of crown, I guess you would loose all the top hairs and the donor will go down further by about a cm or so. This can also be predict by looking into your family tree and see how bald were your uncles, father or grand parents, that would be more or less the future of your baldness and only then we can predict the level of baldness you would achieve. once we are happy that we will have enough of donor area for future loss only then we proceed to next point that is

 

The question comes what do you want from the crown?

 

If you want the same density as you have on top then we are seriously looking at another 4000 plus grafts. Reason, the crown is a challenge for doctors is cause it has a birds eye view and hence you need twice as many grafts as you would need for the front. so then the problem comes you probably wont have enough donor to support your demand.

on the other hand if you want just enough of hair on the crown that you should not look bald rather thinned out look, then I am sure you would be happy with this surgery.

 

Seond problem, the wide scar, in order to make a good donor scar i need enough mobility that the proposed width of scar that we have marked shoud over lap by 0.5cm. This should bring the best possible donor scar. now ifyou have a density of lets suppose 100 grafts/sq cm, i would need 20 sq cm strip which will bring the number of available natural grafts to about 2000. If you have a wide scar of 0.5 cm, then i would need to take a 20 cm long and 1.5 cm wide donor strip. This is all science and maths.

If you have enough mobility to get 1.5 cm wide strip then i guess we should b able to put about 1500 grafts on crown but in a fashion that they should give an illusion of 2500 grafts. This is done by controlling the angle of exit of hair and the curvature of shaft. this is the arts part of the surgery.

 

1500 grafts for crown is theoretically nothing and would give just 30% more improvemnt than what you already have. the fact you have light brown colour makes the life a bit easier cause the light colour hair tend to blend better than dark colour which tend to stand out on a light colour skin.

 

If you keep on using the meds I am sure you would stay happy, but please do keep in mind that before commiting to crown you have enough donor area fpr front in future.

 

SO this is how I would eal in a case like yours

 

See the donor area, if you have a viable donor area that can donate about 4500 to 5000 grafts, I would be happy to take 2000 out and leave the 3000 for future for the front.

 

I personally woud not commit more than 1500 for the crown till you cross 40 and have no meds for more than a year.

 

i hope i have been able to convey my point of view, though i am not good in explaning things while writing it down so it might not convey the same concept that I have in mind and that can only be done once we are fce to face......

 

take care