hair transplant question

[shinyreceding]

i recently sent my pictures for a online consultation with dr.damkerng pathomvanich.(attached pictures). he came back to me saying that 2500 grafts are required to restore my hairline. i know im receding,but that much!. im concerned that if that many grafts are used in the front,what about future balding?. will i have enough grafts?. pls advice..

[shinyreceding]

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[shinyreceding]

this was his exact reply:

"From your photos you have receding hair line. My rough estimate you may need 2500+ grafts to create the new hairline with dense packing to frame your face to make you look good. "

b.t.w,im 24 and am taking rogaine for the past 2 months.im too scared to take propecia after propeciahelp.com(better off without hair than possible impotency afterwards).. and nioxin system 3 and revita.

[Bill - Seemiller]

shinyreceding,

 

It's hard to tell by the pictures. But I'd suspect that if he wants to do 2500 grafts, he's not going to put them all just in the hairline. My guess is he'll use some to lower your hairline slightly and then even more in the area behind the hairline to add density to the thinning areas.

 

Feel free to explain to him your concerns and ask him why he thinks you need so many. Dr. Pathomvanich is an ethical and sound doctor with an excellent track record of quality results. I'm sure he won't steer you wrong. But do talk to him about your long term concerns and ask him the reasons for his advice and what he suggests in the event you lose more hair.

 

Just be sure that if you're going to go for hair transplant surgery, that you're ready to commit financially to subsequent procedures you'll need in the event you lose more hair. At 24 years old and without taking Propecia, it's most definitely going to happen.

 

Have you at least consiered using Rogaine in the thinning areas?

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[shinyreceding]

thanks for the excellent advice Bill!!. yes,this is a big decision in my life and i will take it considering all the factors. i have sent my concerns to the doc. hope he replies soon. b.t.w,dr.pathomvanich himself didnt reply,dr.Oravan,MD(i guess from his clinic replied on his behalf to my consultation q). yes,i have been applying rogaine to the thinning areas and have been seeing lots of small colourless hairs appearing on my bal hairline too. seems encouraging.

[CuriousJungleGeorge]

Based on your pictures, I think 2,500 grafts is pushing it, but, then, one (including a doctor) cannot tell everything from images.

[shinyreceding]

Bill-i asked my questions and this is the reply. waiting for your views on this. i cant understand the answer to my first question,what does the doc mean??

"Q 2500 grafts right now will fill the hairline,but what about the long term implications?

A The new trend is to make a good hairline with good enough density and finish in one pass.

Q Will I have enough donor hair to cover future balding??

AYou will still have a lot of donor area left for future use.These 2500 grafts are all intended to fill the hairline or to cover thinning hairs in areas where hair already exists? The 2500 grafts is intended for both the hairline and add on density in the front. But remember this is only a rough estimate since the pictures do not clearly show if there is thinning at the top.

"

what does"The new trend is to make a good hairline with good enough density and finish in one pass. " what does finish in one pass mean??

[TC17]

shinyreceding, I think it is great that you're thinking deeply about the future consequences of using so many grafts. I do not have MD after my name, but I agree that 2,500 grafts seems to be excessive. I have more loss than you in the front, and I was told I needed no more than 2,000 grafts by 3 coalition doctors. Send your photos to more than one physician and see if there is a consensus as to how many you really need. Bill gave you excellent advice about following up, and if Dr. P is going to place the 2,500 throughout the frontal 1/3rd, then the 2,500 seems acceptable.

[Severn]

I would do an online consult with every single coalition doctor on this site using your pics. It will give you a much better idea what the "right" amount of grafts really is.

 

I did that and threw out the lowest estimates and highest estimates and ended up in the middle. Those docs that had the middle range were the the top three docs/clinics in the coalition.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Shinyreceding,

 

I think what Dr. Pathomvanich means is that by adding 2500 grafts in the hairline and behind it, in the event you lose more hair, you won't have a need for more work in the hairline, hence a "one pass" procedure. Obviously, in the event you lose more hair behind the frontal third of the scalp, you'll need subsequent procedures.

 

He gave you some excellent input that you should keep in mind. Basically, he is evaluating your scalp and need for grafts based on photos. When you consult with him in person, he'll give you a better estimate as to how many grafts you need and have for future procedures if needed.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Bill

[CuriousJungleGeorge]

Understand, one of the reasons no doctor can tell you, just from an on-line evaluation, what might best suit you, is he or she won't have gotten a sense of your donor area ??” density and thickness in that region will have an impact on how to fill you in now. If you happen already to have low density, placing 2,500 unit into your hairline, at this stage, would be a terrible idea; if you're very likely in that regard, maybe 2,500 will be OK (though, to me, it still seems excessive).

 

Of course, different doctors will prioritize the procedure differently. For instance, Dr. Bernstein (New York City) might not even consider you to be a candidate for surgery, at this point.

[Maverick]

I am not sure whether u need a transplant.. anyhow but did u actually had the HT done by Dr.Path??

[bighosedragger]

s

Shiny, your hair line looks like mine when I first noticed any hair loss. Even with using propecia I continued to lose hair in the temples and very front despite being on propecia. Imagine where I would be never trying propecia out! I really don't understand much of this impotence scare from propecia, I know some people get sides and have very good reasons for not trying it, but i really don't understand why not giving it a chance. I'm no expert, but I aggree with Bills and I'm willing to bet you WILL lose more hair! Especially considering your age. Propecia could be essential with maintaining what you have and compliment your HT. On another note most clinics where very close with there estiments of me needing 1800-2300 graphs. When i finally met with Dr. Paul Shapiro in person he felt I only required 1800 to acheive my goals. It goes to show you wont know exactly until you meet in person! I ended up not needing nearly as much as I thought! Best Wishes on your decision!

[bighosedragger]

Shiny, one other thing I wanted to share with you is that your hair resembles mine so much! I was 28 years old and started to feak out! I got on minox right away! Still freakn out I went to one of those highy TV advertised clinics. I don't remember how many graph thier reps. wanted me to have but I remeber leaving and saying I have to really think about this! My temples would recede a little farther and i would freak out all over again. But then after i would style my hair againg and get used to it.This went on for years until I could'nt hide it any longer...about 12 years from the first time I noticed any loss. BTW I was on propecia since 2003 I believe that is the only reason i was able to wait so long and also have the type of hair to allow the doctor to feel safe with dense packing my hair line. Just food for thought on how I delt with my loss.