HT Booked with Dr. Rahal in December . Really Anxious. Need some advice and support!

[RollingBackYears]

Ok. This is my first post on this forum and I do not know where to begin from.

 

(Mods : I don't know if this post is in the right section. Please do move it if it is not)

 

Some Background:

I am 27 now. I started noticing my hair loss when I was 19. I had a really thick mop of hair and the hair loss was hardly noticeable. Did not try and do anything about it then.

 

When I was 23, It had become noticeable, not majorly, but yeah, probably a NW2 level. I thought I would take some medications. Went to some trichologists in Bangalore. One of them said I had fungal infection in my scalp and I had a lot of dandruff. He gave me some medications and asked me to shampoo everyday (I have been shampooing everyday for close to 4 years now). The dandruff surely went away. He had also asked me to take Biotin and Mega 3 capsule tablets everyday. Did that religiously for close to 2 years.

 

When I was 25, I had continued to thin and recede in the front. The years between 23 and 26 probably were the most stressful years for me. Bad sleep patterns, travel, stay in different cities and climates, bad diet and stress took a toll on me and I probably lost a lot of my hair during these years. I tired Minoxidil solution for one year (Started when I was around 24 and stopped an year later). I stopped it since I thought I was thinning in the front and I had heard that Minoxdil solution does not help at the hairline. As you can see from the pics, I still have decent amount of hair in my crown, back and the sides. I stopped taking Biotin and Mega 3 capsules too. Thought ill give all the medications a break for one year and see how it goes.

 

Read on the forums that people of my age have to try to get on Fin before thinking of a HT. So, I thought I will start off with Fin. Have been using it for the past 6 months (1mg everyday). I do not know if it has helped me or not. But, I surely have not seen any sides whatsoever till date.

 

The Effect that Hair Loss has had one me:

 

To be very frank, Hair loss had not bothered me on a day-to-day basis till about the time I turned 26 (That's one year ago). Yes, I probably would get comments from people about my receding hairline but it was not frequent and I used to pass off those comments. I probably was too focused on my career that I did not notice or think much about the hair loss.

 

But, whenever I used to look at myself in the mirror, there would be a passing thought in my mind about the hair loss and wondered if there is anything which would fix it at all. Considering that I am in my twenties, I used to think I should not be losing my hair at this rate.

 

I also used to get conscious when I go to social gatherings or functions. Although rare, someone would ideally ask me about my receding hairline and yeah, it never felt good This actually made me look more and more in the mirror and try to have a comb-over to cover the receding hairline and the top. And yeah, it has slowly started eating into my confidence too!

 

If it matters, my dad is around 56 years old and he has the same pattern of hair loss that I have - Frontal and Top. But, he still has a lot of hair in the crown and not-so-bad hair in the top at 56. He had no hair loss at my age. He is probably a NW4 or bordering on NW5 now.

 

Why an HT Now?

 

I have thought long and hard about this. 27 is decently young and probably belongs to the bottom 15% in the HT age scale.

 

Reason 1 : One of the major reasons is, I am getting married around the end of next year and anyone would want to look good for their marriage.

 

I can probably postpone the HT for another 3 or 4 years, but, whats the point, I just think its more important now than It would be 4 years down the line considering the above said situation.

 

Reason 2 : I think the receding hairline has probably reached a tipping point and it has finally started to bother me, my confidence and my energy levels.

 

I am firm believer that if you think you look good, it makes you feel so much better and gives you a lot of confidence. So, I thought I should go ahead and try an HT. If not for anyone else, for me at-least!

 

Reason 3 : I am at that stage of my career where I am done with my masters degree and my life would probably settle down over the coming years and won't be as hectic as it was over the last 3 years. So, I have started caring about myself and my body more than I ever have previously. Caring about myself and my body wasn't even on my priority list then, it is now

 

Reason 4 : The plan is, If I have a HT with 3000 grafts now and can sustain with it for the next 5 to 7 years and have another procedure say when I am 33 and can sustain for another 5 to 7 years, I would be around 40 by then.

 

I don't know if the greed for hair would still be there at that stage in my life when I turn 40, but, I just have a gut feeling that it would matter much less at that age than what it would matter to me now and I probably can give up on any further procedures. I have never had an urge to look really young, but, I have always wanted to look my age. According to stats, around 50% of men would have lost hair by the time they turn 40, so, it makes it so much more acceptable than the probably 10% of people with Hair loss in their 20's like mine.

 

Who knows, 13 years is a pretty long time and I hope there would be much better advancements in the HT procedures to help people like us to get even more permanent solutions.

 

Which Doctor?

 

I have been doing some research over the last one year of all the options that I would have. This forum has helped me immensely. I decided that travel or distance should not be a barrier and decided to go for the best I can - Considering that its a cosmetic surgery, aesthetics matter a lot and the skill level for achieving those aesthetics varies from a lot from one doctor to another. Sadly, me being from India, most of the good doctors I read about are at the other end of the world (Read US, Canada or Europe)

 

I finally narrowed it down to 2 doctors in Canada. Considering my pattern of hair loss and the reputation of Dr. Rahal for his hairlines, I just had to go with him. From what I have read on the internet thus far, Rahal is probably among the best in the world.

 

Consultation and the way forward:

 

I had sent my pictures on mail to Dr. Rahal. I received a prompt response with complete details about what they think I can do. They suggested that I go with an FUT with 3000 grafts in the frontal and the top portion. The complete interaction through mails that I have had with Dr. Rahal's team has been top notch!

I have mentioned to them that I probably would like to lower my hairline a bit - Not really low since it would look odd as I age. Density in the hairline and the top being my top most priority. What do you people think? Am I setting my priorities right?

So, what's really making me Anxious?

 

I don't know if I am really doing the right thing or not. None of my family members, cousins, friends or even people I know have got anything like this done. So, everything I am trying to do is based on what I have read on the internet - I really get anxious and scared thinking that I am basing all my judgements on things I have read on the net and nothing more.

 

Considering that I am spending a bomb on it, traveling all the way across the world for it and taking one full month of my time for it, It makes me wonder if it is really worth all this effort or I might probably have been better off the way I was

 

I have read some really bad experiences (One including Dr. Rahal as well), but, that is the amount of risk that anyone planning on a HT has to accept. I understand that going to good doctors reduces that risk by a significant level, but still, that feeling of uneasiness just doesn't let me go

 

Any suggestions / advice, critics and appreciations or just support from people here would be highly appreciated. Thank you so much for reading a long post. This forum has been great!

 

PS : I have tried to post variations in my pics so that it can be judged better. There are some pics with long hair, some with short hair, some with short hair and oiled (looks the worst ), normal hairstyle with a slight comb-over too! Hope it enough. All these pics were taken 5 months ago.

Edited September 29, 2013 by RollingBackYears

[1978matt]

Nice post. Sounds like you are switched on and have done your homework.

 

I'm coming off the back of a similar procedure to what you have planned, albeit I am older and lost more hair. It's all about getting a decent looking front half.

 

As far as the procedure goes it will be fine. You will look like a Bollywood star 12 months later!

 

As for the hairline position, I would have it somewhere very close to your exisiting (but thin) hairline.

[RollingBackYears]

Nice post. Sounds like you are switched on and have done your homework.

 

I'm coming off the back of a similar procedure to what you have planned, albeit I am older and lost more hair. It's all about getting a decent looking front half.

 

As far as the procedure goes it will be fine. You will look like a Bollywood star 12 months later!

 

As for the hairline position, I would have it somewhere very close to your exisiting (but thin) hairline.

 

Thanks for the kind words

 

I just went through your thread. Nice work there. Looks real neat. Hope you grow well over the coming year. All the best.

 

Hmm. Yeah, I heard that having a denser hairline adds an illusion of lowering as well. So, I probably might end up keeping it where it is but with a lot more density.

[Mickey85]

f.

 

As far as the procedure goes it will be fine. You will look like a Bollywood star 12 months later!

 

 

Sorry Matt, I don't want to seem like I'm picking on you as you are always reasonable and civil, but I don't think it is right to claim that the result will be a success unequivocally. Every patient HAS to know that hair transplantation is not an exact science and that even the best doctors have results that do not blossom, often for reasons unexplained and unknown. Going to a great surgeon maximizes the chance of a great result, but it is not guaranteed. You may have been speaking an enthusiastic way but it cannot be sensed in black and white text.

[Nick153452]

Personally, I think that 3000 grafts is a little excessive. You have ideal skin tone/hair color contrast. Usually people with your characteristics get wonderful results with a modest amount of grafts. I think lowering your hairline would be silly. If you grow your hair out, it will already look lower. You are still relatively young, you need to save the grafts that you do have for later.

 

As far as your doctor, I think you did choose amongst the best in the world. However, there are good doctors in India also. I think Dr. Radha has posted some great results and she is significantly less expensive.

[RollingBackYears]

Personally, I think that 3000 grafts is a little excessive. You have ideal skin tone/hair color contrast. Usually people with your characteristics get wonderful results with a modest amount of grafts. I think lowering your hairline would be silly. If you grow your hair out, it will already look lower. You are still relatively young, you need to save the grafts that you do have for later.

 

As far as your doctor, I think you did choose amongst the best in the world. However, there are good doctors in India also. I think Dr. Radha has posted some great results and she is significantly less expensive.

 

Thanks. I did not know that the skin tone and the hair color matter so much. Hope it works in my favor when everything is done.

 

3000 grafts is high? I got a consultation from 2 doctors in Canada whom I had shortlisted. Based on the exact same pictures I have posted here, I got 3000 and 3500 graft estimates from these clinics. What do you think would be the ideal number of grafts for my case?

 

There would be 2 benefits if I can lower the total graft count. One, I can save some grafts for future procedures. Two, I can save some money too. Before I got the the estimates from my consultation, purely based on the results I have seen on this forum, I thought I would need around 2000 grafts or a max of 2500.

 

Does Dr. Rahal do a re-estimation of the number of grafts needed once I go meet him a day before the surgery?

 

Regarding the Doctors, yes, I did consider Dr. Radha and Dr. Madhu. However, Like I said, I get really anxious regarding the whole procedure so I just decided to go with the best option that I can afford currently. It surely would have worked out a lot cheaper closer home.

[jfables]

I don't think you have enough loss to warrant a ht. 3,000 grafts in the front could kill the hairs you already have and then you'll look like before but with a strip scar.

[RollingBackYears]

I don't think you have enough loss to warrant a ht. 3,000 grafts in the front could kill the hairs you already have and then you'll look like before but with a strip scar.

 

I did not understand your statement "It could kill the hair I already have" when I get a transplant done. Can you please elaborate? I am aware that I have a lot of diffused thinning in the front and that could lead to a lot of shedding post HT. But, I am assuming that they would grow back. No?

 

Some of the replies here are really making me re-think about the total number of grafts that I should go for. Is it a good idea to re-confirm with Dr. Rahal and his team?

 

I would really appreciate if other esteemed members on the forum can help me on this. Thanks in advance.

[hairthere]

The 3k grafts will provide density should your existing hair fall out post-op. This could happen due to your MPB advancing, or shockloss (the surgery could "shock" out weak hairs, which might not regrow).

 

You are going with a very proven HT doctor, so chances are your results will be good. But as Mickey points out, there are no guarantees with HT surgery, and you will sign a waiver pre-surgery that you acknowledge this fact.

[jfables]

I did not understand your statement "It could kill the hair I already have" when I get a transplant done. Can you please elaborate? I am aware that I have a lot of diffused thinning in the front and that could lead to a lot of shedding post HT. But, I am assuming that they would grow back. No?

 

Some of the replies here are really making me re-think about the total number of grafts that I should go for. Is it a good idea to re-confirm with Dr. Rahal and his team?

 

I would really appreciate if other esteemed members on the forum can help me on this. Thanks in advance.

 

The grafts can shock loss the weaker hairs that are miniaturizing as was said, but also 3,000 is over-aggressive in my opinion and more has to do with the doctor making more money than what you need. Some docs just want to give you as much grafts as they can and may intentionally or ignorantly kill or transect the native follicles in the area. Then those hairs won't grow back.

[hairthere]

Jfables, I don't know Dr. Rahal personally but to suggest he is estimating excess grafts just to make more money and will purposely transect native hair seems way off base to me.

[1978matt]

Sorry Matt, I don't want to seem like I'm picking on you as you are always reasonable and civil, but I don't think it is right to claim that the result will be a success unequivocally. Every patient HAS to know that hair transplantation is not an exact science and that even the best doctors have results that do not blossom, often for reasons unexplained and unknown. Going to a great surgeon maximizes the chance of a great result, but it is not guaranteed. You may have been speaking an enthusiastic way but it cannot be sensed in black and white text.

 

Plenty of examples of your own posts being positive about people fresh out of surgery. What's the difference here?! Anyone would think you had a grudge against Rahal...

[Mickey85]

Plenty of examples of your own posts being positive about people fresh out of surgery. What's the difference here?! Anyone would think you had a grudge against Rahal...

 

Being positive about someone post surgery and basically someone WILL have a great result are two different things. I would say the same if this member was talking about Erdogan, Lorenzo, Hasson etc. I think it is important to inform people that sometimes the results are not always going to happen. That is the difference. I can understand you being enthusiastic and positive, but every surgeon has a few unsuccessful results.