Questions - am i a good candidate etc pics included

[Jin]

Hi everyone

 

I have a few questions and attach below some pictures of my dome.

 

- Am i a HT good candidate?

- I have never taken medication and prefer not to. Will this be a problem?

- How many grafts would i need for good coverage?

- Should i get FUT or FUE? Prefer to not have FUT scar if possible.

- Would i be classed as norwood 5a or 6?

 

I am 39 and been losing my hair for around 10 years now.

 

Thanks in advance for any help and comments. This forum is amazing and helpful to read!

[Garageland]

Welcome to the forum.

 

You appear from the photos to be a decent candidate albeit a couple of issues. Firstly I can't see the back of your head to see how much the crown has opened up and what the donor is like. When it comes to restoring patients with extensive loss like you it all becomes about the donor.

 

If you can post some photos of the back of your head it will give us all as idea of what might be possible as at this stage or it is just guess work. From the donor hair that I can see at the sides it looks promising.

 

If the donor can support a large number of grafts being moved over a couple of sessions then my issues are the height of the hairline currently. You have maintained your low juvenile hairline now again I can't see how high it is from your brow but it looks to be quite low maybe 5-6cm at a guess.

 

Restoring the new hairline at this height would be a bad idea imo as you have so much coverage required as much as you probably won't like the idea as you have gotten used to this low hairline you need to take it up 2-3cm and rebuild a mature hairline or you just won't have enough hair to get back towards the back of your scalp.

 

I would still consider meds in your case you look like a 5A currently but that might end up being a 6 as the sides can drop further and the crown can open up. Doctors will provide surgery for you without meds as you are 39 and have lost most of what you have got but there will be more hair loss in your case.

 

How many grafts you need will depend on the size of your head, the caliber of your hair, if all is average then upwards of 5k would get you a coverage through the new hairline and mid scalp and approaching the crown. A second session is likely if you want to deal with the crown for more than anything but a very light dusting. I think to get good coverage you will need 7-8k depending on where you position that new hairline.

 

FUE or FUT look around the patient and clinic results section for guys in your position with advanced loss. There are many people that will tell you which way to turn but spend some time on the forum and work out what is best for you. I wish you all the best.

[Jin]

Hey thanks for the detailed response. I will post some more pics showing the sides and back and my facial profile a bit more.

 

Regarding the hairline, that is not something i have thought about it. Can a HT alter the hairline? Would it look odd if a hairline is drawn higher than where i still have some hair and then i guess wait for it to fall out over time?

[Jin]

Hi I have uploaded some back and side photos of my hairline.

 

Appreciate any comments thanks guys

[fortune11]

Jin - Garageland's detailed response is on the money, including the number of grafts needed. Hard to see from the pictures how thick your donor is but if it is average or above average , you should be able to target some decent results from a mega session (5k + at least ) . In my opinion, the surgeon would likely focus on "framing your face " i .e frontal scalp and mid scalp work to get the best bang for the buck. The crown may need some more / separate work down the road.

[Garageland]

Jin,

 

Thanks for the additional photos. The Crown is opening up and I think you could be heading for a 6. The first photo of your donor again appears to be solid the other photos are too dark to tell anything clearly. I still think that the hairline might have to be shifted upwards so you can get better coverage towards the crown. Looks like you have good potential options though.

[Jin]

Thought I would update my thread. Over a year later i still havent done anything about my hair its obviously not high on my priority list

 

However i would like to do "fix it" so to speak so reached out to Dr Erdogan in Turkey who said i should have 5000 grafts from a review of photos. It was also recommended to begin using Finasteride to maintain my hair.

 

I guess i am wary of taking meds due to potential side affects but im open to doing it. So i am wondering if i start using finasteride and minoxidil is it best to put on hold a hair transplant to see what results might come about? How much of my hair could those drugs restore?

 

I was really hoping to just get an operation as a one stop solution and not have to worry about taking meds as well. Is that approach unrealistic?

[ontop]

By looking at your picture's all be it not very good quality but your heading for a high NW & if your donor is acceptable to take on at least 2 HT surgeries.

its all about supply & demand & your MPB is very demanding at this stage.

 

It's very mature of you to at least try meds first for at least 1 or 2 yrs before you even consider Surgery. There is a member here called rashid who is also more or less the same as yourself whos only been on meds 4 months & seem to be doing well to date & puting himself in a better position if he decides to undertake HT in the future.

This IMO is the way to go for anyone whos still young & more native hair will surely be lost without any Medications.

If you become a good responder to the only FDA Approved medications such as Fin & Min & if your donor can supply a good frontal cover well then that will be your first step is to just frame the face with a mature hairline.

 

Please note that having a HT just wont fix your problem completely nor would medications, all what it medications does is buys you some good time by slowing the hairloss down to hopefully a snails pace with maybe a bonus of some growth like some guys have. The key to medications is slowing your hairloss down & if that can be achieved then that's good right?

 

2nd option would be stuff all this & shave it all off which you save yourself the emotional stuff this does to you plus you save yourself a bunch of money.

to me you look like you have a decent head which doing the shave down thing could well work for you as it has other's so keep that thought in your head also.

 

I wish you well whatever you decide.

[Jin]

Appreciate the reply ontop. Yes I actually have read rashid's thread which really made me consider taking medication as his results look very good. I will go talk to my doc about taking finasteride and give that a go for now.

 

Here is a updated pic of the back of my head. I think its pretty clear that the crown is opening up more since the 17 months ago i posted the earlier pics above.

[ontop]

No problem buddy,

You can only give it a go right? You could just test the water by taking 1/4 every other day for a month then maybe step it to say 1.25mg every other day which a lot of guys do & does okay.

Remember the both meds may make you shed for a bit, don't freak out power through that sucky stage as that is a indication that your responding to the medication.

I feel if you don't get any major sides then you could do quite well just like rashid has on looking at your pics.

 

Take regular pictures so you can closely monitor the situation.

 

Good luck keep us posted.

[Dr Blake Bloxham]

Jin,

 

Has the donor been evaluated by a doctor in person? It looks different from picture to picture. It looked excellent in the set from 3/2015 (though these were a bit dark); but there is definitely some slightly different looking thinning in certain regions of the donor in the most recent picture. Not saying you aren't a candidate, and online pictures can be extremely difficult to accurately gauge, but I would have a thorough evaluation in person before "taking the plunge."

 

Did you rule out FUT as well? In someone who may have a more narrow donor region, it may be a very good harvesting technique for you.

 

Food for thought. Look forward to your reply. If you'd like my humble opinion on anything in the donor as well, feel free to attach more pictures here or message/email me.

[Jin]

No I havent been evaluated by a doctor in person. Im not in the US or Europe so there arnt any professional HT doctors close by I can easily see.

 

I think the hair on top and sides has not changed that much but i was surprised to see the back crown opening up. I cant be sure but i think the earlier photos were taken when my hair was longer / scruffier.

 

Heres a few more recent photos.

 

I prefer to keep my hair close cut so that rules out FUT. I just want more hair to frame my face and have a nicer profile.

 

It was said above that my juvenile hairline would need to be raised for better HT coverage. Dr Erdogan alluded to this as well in his email. Is there some imaging software available or would the doctor use to show what a higher hairline would look like?