HT, aprox number of grafts?

[Dane88]

I'm a Danish guy aged 26. Have gotten a spot on the top of the head with very thin hair and high temples. I’m now considering HT since I’m in Houston, TX. It’s not much cheaper than in Denmark, but easier to research the doctors…

 

Looking at my dad and uncle, they both have thinner overall hair than me. However, when it comes to the top and the temples, I’d say I look like them – though my dad a little worse on the top. I’m not sure when they started loosing hair. I’ve attached pictures. First 3 are of me, then my dad and my uncle (last one I’ll get back to). I’m writing this as getting HT, and then still loosing lots of hair might look bad and demand for another HT… Could be the beginning with no ending… What I’m scared of is getting HT and then in 10 years being a type V. My question related to this is:

 

1: How much can I read into the looks of my dad and uncle who haven’t lost that much hair?

 

I’m a student and a HT is expensive. I have the money though, but that money would be nice to have to build a future as well. My question related to this is:

 

2: How many grafts do you all think I’d need? (My focus is on the top. Temples; I’d be happy with just an inch down from the apex)

 

I’m thinking of a FUE because I don’t want a scar. Especially not if I one day end up bald…. But:

 

3: Such a scar, by a good doctor, how visible would that be with short hair as on my last picture? – I like this length during summer.

 

I’ve numbered the questions to make it easier to reply to them specifically.

 

Thank you all

[Spanker]

If say you are looking at 2k in the front and 1k in the crown for some light coverage in it. I wouldn't go crazy in the crown, your pretty young. Also, you really need to be on finasteride if you are going to fit a transplant as you are pretty young.

[Dane88]

Thank you for your reply, Spanker. 3000, really. More than expected. And that's around 5-6 dollars per graft isn't it, with FUE?

 

I have to admit that I'd probably prefer most on the crown as that's what's bothers me the most.

 

I researched Finasteride on the Danish equavalent to FDA. It said that it's likely that the drug spreads to one's semen, and therefore it's advised to use a condom when being with a pregnant or a fertile woman. And when you stop with the drug, you can expect to lose the hairs it has given you. So, being in a relationship and wanting to have kids within a few years, it doesn't seem ideal to start using these drugs. - I have yet to research the other two drugs I've heard mentioned in here though. They might be different in this aspect.

[ontop]

I agree with spanker.

 

I wouldn't advise such a young guy to do HT without at least trying Meds out.

But if you do go for HT, Frame the your face first...

You can try & deal with the crown for now with rogain & that may help out & carry you for several more yrs.

Have a word with you Dr , at least be open to some Meds that's the only things we have right now.

 

Good luck

[Dane88]

Okay Ontop. Thank you for your reply. I'll research the different drugs more. So far I've seen these mentionen in here:

Minoxidil, Propecia, Rogain and Finasteride.

[1966kph]

Hello dane88

At your age I would recommend just using minoxidil on your crown and not proceeding with a ht until you have done a lot more research.If its the crown that bothers you the most then minoxidil is proven to work in most cases and has its best results in this region.

And your right that if you are considering starting a family finasteride is best avoided.

Research Research and then more research.

Good luck and have a nice day

[ontop]

Okay Ontop. Thank you for your reply. I'll research the different drugs more. So far I've seen these mentionen in here:

Minoxidil, Propecia, Rogain and Finasteride.

 

There you go buddy....

Yep that's what you need to be reading up on...

These handful of Meds are the only proven FDA drugs out there to help MPB

Nevermind all your snake oils & all that rubbish, you be just tossing your money down the drain & more inportant loosing time.

 

There is guys on here who will swear that if they didn't start them Meds yrs ago they would be a high NW 5/6/7

Its defo work reading up on this stuff & being your so your so young would the very least hold on to what you got & maybe some gains also.

 

HT at a young age is very risky IMHO & should be your last resort.

 

Your dad & uncle looks like they held on well, you on the other hand can do better if you can at least control your MPB.

 

Again do a lot of reading get a feel for what is what & come back on here & ask some Qs there are good people on here who can & will give you up to date info.

 

Good luck

[Dane88]

Alright, so we have Minoxidil, Propecia, Rogain and Finasteride. Finasteride is out because of the before mentioned reason. But any other drug I should know about? (1)

 

And, Ontop, you suggested rogain, and 1966 you suggested minoxidil. Just a quick readup and I think Rogain is the original Med. And minoxidil is the generic one, or? (2) Is the effect the same or would one prefer the original brand name (Rogain)? (3)

 

How are the different drugs applied? (4)

 

I usually have a sensible scalp. In fact I always use Head and Shoulders shampoo as most shampoos will give me scalp problems.

 

Which med. Would you all recommend for efficiency? (5) And if my scalp can’t deal with that, then what would you recommend? (6)

 

And one last question. All the drugs seem to say that if you stop, you’ll lose the hair that it has helped you keep. Does this mean that it will fall off within short time or just that the natural process that have been haltered, will reappear and you’ll slowly lose the hair again? (7)

 

So if you want a HT in the future, one will even then continue to do the meds, or will one stop and let the hair fall off till it naturally stops and then do the HT? (8)

 

Have a nice day, and thank you all for your replies! It’s greatly appreciated.

 

 

[1966kph]

Hello Dane88

Rogaine is just a brand name minoxidil is the name of the chemical.

There are lots of different brands.

I have tried several both in liquid and foam version. The liquid made my scalp itch like you would not believe but it got better over time.

I now use Kirkland brand minoxidil foam as its a lot cheaper than rogaine and I get no itching whatsoever.

Its easy to apply and you simply massage it into the scalp for 5 minutes and it drys quickly.

The liquid version leaves your hair feeling greasy at least it did mine.

You apply both versions 2 times a day but some people only apply it once.

I also use nizoral shampoo 2 or 3 times a week that I think stops a lot of the possible itching that one might get with the foam.

I would suggest you use both these for at least for a year to see what results you achieve whilst researching all about hair loss so you know yourself all options available to you and you are better prepared to make the right decision when your time comes if you need a ht.

Any hair you save or regrow will be lost usually within a period of a few months of stopping the medications.

Once you have had your children I would advise you to try generic finasteride ( the drug within propecia and other versions) fincar proscar ect ect.

Your right to be asking all you can to educate yourself so you don't make a terrible mistake that could be life changing and life long.

I hope this helps.

Have a good day

[ontop]

1966kph....good reply mate.

You don't have to buy the brand name rogain, what what I use is the kirkland Min 5% foam which is cheaper esp you would have to use this for many yrs.

You can order on amazon & read reveiws also.

 

Being your still in your 20s thiis is when MPB is at its most aggresive & i would also advise to look into some of them natural supplements to control your DHT now the sooner the better.

 

If you scroll down the forum topics you will see a drug & also a shampoo sections with members postings this would give you a better idea of what is what.

 

MPB is a combo of many factors & yes we know its the family genes but also other factors such as diet also plays a role.

You could look into taking supplements such as Biotin , MSN, ...nope they won't make new hairs but they will feed your scalp with natural food which can make the folicals stronger.

 

Again have a good read but my advise is try & control that DHT which is one of the main thing that cause MPB & at doing it now you will defo be in a better place than your dad is at his age.

[Dane88]

Thank you both very much for your great replies! I'll study them closer when weekend comes.

 

Have a great night

[Dane88]

Oh, and two small questions; once you decide to go with a HT, do you stop the meds and let that hair fall off and then get the HT, or? And, I want to cut myself bald to see how it looks like. Can you still apply that foam for example? Or does it need to have hairs to become absorbed?

 

EDIT: Would be this one you're both using? http://www.amazon.com/KIRKLAND-MINOXIDIL-Topical-Unscented-Regrowth/dp/B00L7PQLAA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418297027&sr=8-2&keywords=kirkland+5%25+foam

Edited December 11, 2014 by Dane88

[1966kph]

Hello Dane i hope your well.

Most people will heed the advice of their surgeon leading upto a ht i may be right or wrong on this but i think most people stop both meds leading in.

About a week before they stop both then get back on finasteride a week after then minoxidil about a month after the ht.

And yes that is the minoxidil foam we are talking about.

You have a nice day

[Rawkerboi]

Its simple once you get on medicines there is no stopping! Even after HT you have to be on medications ie Fin and Minox and yes Minox. does need hair to be absorbed.

Before getting into medicines, please research about Fin and Minox in depth!

Remember patience is very important as soon you start medicines start monitoring your progress and in the meanwhile research about HT!

 

Good luck!!

[ontop]

MPB does not stop with or without HT.

 

Yes the transplant hair taken from your donor area "back & side of head" would be stronger but still the rest of your hair would still have to be maintained for the rest of your life, so meds would still have to be taken such as Fin, Min the rest of your life if you want to hold on to what you have got.

 

Most HT Drs advise Pts when taking such Meds prior HT is to come off the a few wks before & after HT then go back on Meds after to maintain the rest of your hair..

You don't completely stop Meds you just have a break while you have your HT done.

 

You mention you would like to shave your head, that's a good idea esp if you want to just try Min/ rogain as the more you can rub Min in your scalp the better, rather than having long hair.

Note....rogain / Min don't produce any sort of gains over night, this will take anything from 2 /6mths & some people do have shedding in the first 2/3 mths & if that happens to you that shows that its working for you to kill off the dead hairs to make room to regrow new ones.

How much you may ask, everybody is different some get good results, some don't.

But being you don't want to take Fin then that's the only FDA Approved drug to work for your MPB.

Starting something at your age is better than nothing, this is not a quick fix & its something you can control better while your younger than your dads age.

 

Again HT will fix your balding areas but what's going to happen to the rest over the yrs? Nobody can tell you that but being on Meds will defo control & something you would have to be on the rest of your life.

 

Do some reading on this forum & you will see....its all about how to control the DHT.

 

Best wishes.

[Dane88]

I will try to cut my hair off. See how it looks like and sort of have a new start. Having the roots exposed and take pictures, might also help to monitor any progress.

 

I realize that I’ll have to take the meds for the rest of my life. I don’t really like it, but then again, I also work out several times a week to change something on my body, so what’s the big difference really.

 

I have ordered the Kirkland Minoxidil 5% that we’ve discussed and will see what that will do for me. Is it understood correctly that it will probably only help on my top, and not the temples? But still I rub it in my entire hair, twice a day, when it’s dry.

 

And for future use, Finasteride, that could be taken through the tablets named Propecia, right? - Also read that finasteride could actually be applied through shampoo and a creme, and thereby not getting the side effects...? Thois was called Revivogen?

 

I’ve had sort of an itch the last couple of days and discovered a redness. It’s in the middle of the bald area and I’m worried whether it’s causing extra hair loss – or that it’s perhaps caused by it. It looks like it’s the hair roots that are red… Anyone have any idea?

 

I will do some general research on hair loss shampoos and such in those sections of the forum.

 

Have a great night

Edited December 12, 2014 by Dane88

[ontop]

T YYep keeping your hair short crop will help a great deal esp using Min.

I would just use it on the thinning spots for now to see how you get on with it.

 

Note...

You won't see if its working for some time 2/6mth & you could have some shedding esp at the start but don't get freaked out, that's only positive.

Power through all that & keep up your daily routine of at least 2 times a day.

If you miss a application just carry on as normal the next day, no point of using double dose it won't make a difference.

 

Also I know you said you won't take Fin so look into taking natural supplements such as saw pelmedo, biotin & MSN they won't make new hair but can make your hair you have left stronger & healthy.

 

Sorry I have no clue about your redness but like you said take a read up on the shampoo section & maybe you find something to help you out.

 

Keep in touch & good luck.

[Dane88]

I will have patience; I promise! :-)

 

I’m growing to the idea of Fin, but two things, I think it would be a good thing to start one thing at a time to better assess the effect, and second, there’s the whole sex, condom, kids thing. But in the future… Probably will be taking it.

 

The suggesting of saw pelmedo, biotin & MSN, is it a suggestion to use one of these or as a package taking all three?

And again thank you. Your replies are much appreciated! – And coming from a Dane, it means more than from an American as we don’t say that as much :-)

[ontop]

Good plan...

 

Yep you can take all 3 & can buy them local or online, I get mine on amazon cheap.

 

Like I said they won't grow new hair but will make what you have left healthly & stronger & MSN will be good for you esp if you work out regular.

 

Have a good day.

[Ali Emre Karadeniz]

I'm a Danish guy aged 26. Have gotten a spot on the top of the head with very thin hair and high temples. I’m now considering HT since I’m in Houston, TX. It’s not much cheaper than in Denmark, but easier to research the doctors…

 

Looking at my dad and uncle, they both have thinner overall hair than me. However, when it comes to the top and the temples, I’d say I look like them – though my dad a little worse on the top. I’m not sure when they started loosing hair. I’ve attached pictures. First 3 are of me, then my dad and my uncle (last one I’ll get back to). I’m writing this as getting HT, and then still loosing lots of hair might look bad and demand for another HT… Could be the beginning with no ending… What I’m scared of is getting HT and then in 10 years being a type V. My question related to this is:

 

1: How much can I read into the looks of my dad and uncle who haven’t lost that much hair?

 

I’m a student and a HT is expensive. I have the money though, but that money would be nice to have to build a future as well. My question related to this is:

 

2: How many grafts do you all think I’d need? (My focus is on the top. Temples; I’d be happy with just an inch down from the apex)

 

I’m thinking of a FUE because I don’t want a scar. Especially not if I one day end up bald…. But:

 

3: Such a scar, by a good doctor, how visible would that be with short hair as on my last picture? – I like this length during summer.

 

I’ve numbered the questions to make it easier to reply to them specifically.

 

Thank you all

 

 

Here is what I think:

 

1. If I had to bet who is going to end up with the most hair on his head, I would think your dad and uncle stand a better chance than you due to the huge age advantage. For this reason I agree with other comments who advice you to be conservative and wait while using medication.

 

2. However if you decide upon a HT it looks to me like 500-1000 grafts to the crown and 1500-2000 grafts to the hairline depending on design. I recommend FUT for FUE to keep FUE for the future. You can check my long explanations on this topic on other threads.

 

3. That length of hair has almost no chance of showing either a strip scar or FUE scars unless something goes very wrong.

[ontop]

I wouldn't advise anybody in there 20s to have HT unless they can control DHT via Medication as further loss will definitely happen.

 

Now that's a good bet!

[1966kph]

I agree totally ontop about ht in your 20,s your better seeing what the meds can do for you first whilst gaining knowledge of the subject of ht.

If you had a ht now but meds did not Holt your loss you would be just chasing your hair loss with several procedures so better to see if meds halt your loss.

Then take it from there once you know fully what your dealing with.

Have a good day