Hello (time to give something back)

[Baldietwo]

I've been reading this forum for a very long time and I've finally got around to registering. I must admit I've been one of those who just reads the posts and never contributes, but I felt that needed to change.

 

I've suffered from androgenic alopecia for over 15 years since my early 20s (i'm now late 30s) and have tried pretty much every regime there is to keep my hair.

 

The big three (fin, minox and nizoral) did wonders for me in the early stages. I was a NW 5A when I was 25. The big 3 got me to a cosmetically ok 3v in about 2 years or so.

 

I continued the big 3 for 10 years but 1 1/2 years ago I quit finasteride. My hairloss had progressed to a pretty slick NW6. I still took minoxidil to use up what I had.

 

Existing drugs can no longer help me and new ones aren't likely to be on the market for a very long time. The only thing left is a hair transplant.

 

I've been researching HT for a long time but I was a bit scared to be honest. Not to mention the cost!! It's not cheap!

 

I've finally managed to save up enough and I've done a lot of researching into the procedure and various surgeons.

 

After 15+ years of hairloss and trying to combat it with drugs I've finally taken the plunge to have a transplant to fix the issue permanently!

 

I'm a NW6 now and my transplant is going to be around 4500 grafts using FUT. That's the amount of donor grafts I have according to the surgeon. My scalp laxity is apparently very good and if there appears to be more available on the day I'll have to think about whether or not to pay the extra as I'm a bit tight on money, this isn't cheap! It won't give me a full head of hair, but that's not my expectation either. I'm concentrating on the front and top of my head as that's what people see. Pending the number of available grafts on the day (if more than 4.5k) I might ask to have some scattered in the crown too.

 

The deposit is paid and my procedure is coming up in a few months time and I'm really looking forward to it! It's all a secret so far and only my wife knows. I will, of course, tell all my friends but not until afterwards as I don't want the "hassle" of them commenting on it for the next few months until the procedure is done. They might also try and convince me not to do it....I've made my decision and I don't want anyone to try and change it. Although I suspect they will all be very supportive.....and of course, they will take the mickey and probably bully me (in a good way), but I'm prepared for that.

 

Anyway, that was a looong introduction to myself. I've been reading the forum for a long time and I found the surgeon who will be performing my procedure on this very forum. It's only fair that I give something back.

 

I'll be sharing photos and also telling you who the surgeon is when the time comes. But for now...."hello"

Edited August 23, 2013 by Baldietwo

[Cant decide]

First, congrats on the baby to come! I also wish you equal success on your upcoming surgery. Who is your doctor?

[SADbutTRUE]

welcome to the forums , good luck with the baby and with the surgery,

[TakingThePlunge]

Welcome and congratulations on taking the next step to restoring your hair. I hope you'll continue to update us on your progress. Best of luck!

[tacolinowest]

are you having your ht in the uk? if so be carful

[Nick153452]

Congrats on the baby. If money is an option, there are affordable hair transplant surgeons recomended on this site for 1$/graft in India. You would just need to front the bill of a plane ticket, but the overall cost would be astonishingly smaller! However if you have your sights set on a specific surgeon, go with it. Nothing would be worse than undesirable results!

[Baldietwo]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

 

To answer the questions.

 

No, I'm not having it it the UK. I did a lot of research before choosing my surgeon, I had consultations in person with all of them. As I mentioned in my first post I'm not revealing who it is until after the procedure. I know they all lurk around on these forums and I prefer them not knowing who I am to preserve my anonymity somewhat.

 

I was contemplating travelling to India but in the long run I'm not sure it would be cheaper. O wanted to meet all the surgeons in person and also have the option of seeing them again later if I needed to (if something went wrong or I'm not happy with the results). Multiple flights to India would soon push up the total costs.

[scar5]

Nice story. Congrats on the pregnancy.

 

Well, as you say, you've been around the boards studying a while, u ain't going to Europe, and so I assume you have been corresponding with a well known rep on these boards. I guess a Jotronic type, and strip, being in America or Canada is pretty much a forgone conclusion..

 

I don't know why a guy, who has already shaved his head and survived, albeit with hair envy, wants to get a strip scar at this stage of the game, but now with baby on the way, maybe cost can be a factor too.

 

Good luck with the growth.

Edited May 28, 2013 by scar5

[scar5]

P.S. I sure hope they didn't sell you strip on account of your excellent laxity

[mattj]

Thanks for sharing your story. I should say the story so far.

 

Congrats on booking your HT.

 

Last and in no way least: it's fantastic to hear that you've got a baby on the way despite the Finasteride problems. You will soon have everything a man needs!

[Baldietwo]

P.S. I sure hope they didn't sell you strip on account of your excellent laxity

 

Nope, I had pretty much made my mind up on type of procedure before the consultations. The one I went for in the end didn't push either procedure, but explained pro's and cons about both.

 

I don't know why a guy, who has already shaved his head and survived, albeit with hair envy, wants to get a strip scar at this stage of the game, but now with baby on the way, maybe cost can be a factor to

 

Another fair comment. Do I want a thin strip scar or lots of tiny scars from FUE?

Let's face it, both procedures has it's fair share of risks when it comes to scarring, shock loss etc. Having a transplant is a risk in itself, regardless of method. The odds of success are very good, but there's always something that can go wrong. .

 

I do have a shaved head today (grade 1) and if I have a transplant I'm planning on growing it...not shaving, so it won't be visible.

 

I may very well want my head shaved again at some point in the future and there's a plan built in for that. I'll need another transplant anyway to thicken up my crown (4.5k won't cover it all) at which point I'll do an FUE and ask to transplant some hairs into the strip scar. That should allow me to cut it very short without it being noticeable. (This is my plan by the way, not something the surgeon pushed for).

[scar5]

You might be lucky and happy with your strip scar, and never look back, but if you do shave, the back up plan for FUE into the strip scar is kinda like wishful thinking or fools gold imo. Still, it might never be an issue for you so you could be smiling all the way.

 

Not to mention, you have the experience of being bald already in the bank, so you that will keep your feet on the ground.

 

BTW. you see Mickey's thread on the pros and cons of FUE? Just wonder what you think of that?

[Mickey85]

You might be lucky and happy with your strip scar, and never look back, but if you do shave, the back up plan for FUE into the strip scar is kinda like wishful thinking or fools gold imo. Still, it might never be an issue for you so you could be smiling all the way.

 

Not to mention, you have the experience of being bald already in the bank, so you that will keep your feet on the ground.

 

BTW. you see Mickey's thread on the pros and cons of FUE? Just wonder what you think of that?

 

Truer words never said. I'm facing that problem at the moment as yield in scar tissue is not a great due to lacklustre blood flow.

 

All the very best to the OP in his HT journey.

[GreatPelo]

I'm sure his surgeon suggested the FUT because he's a NW5...which is not the best candidate for the FUE procedure. He probably has a good amount of area to cover....will probably take more than 1 procedure to cover (can't confirm without pictures) so FUT would get him there quicker, more affordable and not diffusing his donor area.

 

It's important you stay consistent with the Big 3....considering you are a NW5. Keep in mind since you're only in your 30s...you will probably have more than 1 surgery.

 

All the best!

[ccr85]

Good for you, I'm pretty much in the same situation is you as far as my wife and kids are the only one Im telling for now. I am also scared and price for 3000 fut is around 11k. I hope it works out for you my appt. is soon 3 weeks away.

[Baldietwo]

I'm sure his surgeon suggested the FUT because he's a NW5...which is not the best candidate for the FUE procedure. He probably has a good amount of area to cover....will probably take more than 1 procedure to cover (can't confirm without pictures) so FUT would get him there quicker, more affordable and not diffusing his donor area.

 

It's important you stay consistent with the Big 3....considering you are a NW5. Keep in mind since you're only in your 30s...you will probably have more than 1 surgery.

 

All the best!

 

The surgeon actually told me the pros and cons of both and then asked what I wanted. When I said FUT he responded "wise choice as FUE for you would be very expensive and FUT would provide better results. He also said he doesn't normally do FUE for anyone borderline NW6 (which I am) as the results would usually not meet the expectations without a LOT of procedures.

 

I've already quit finasteride (suspected side effects) and I'm not going to use that stuff ever again. I'm still using minox just to keep the little fluffly stuff I've got left. However, once the transplant is done, I'm coming off minox. I don't want to be dependent on drugs anymore. The hair that are transplanted will be immune to genetic alopecia so adding minox is pointless (other than promoting earlier regrowth from the intial shed after the procedure). The surgeon had the same view.