Newbie with questions and pics

[blahblah]

Hello,

 

33/M here, first noticed hair loss 10 years ago. Was on Xandrox15 Plus for years until unfortunately it got discontinued. Got on .5mg propecia I think around 3 years ago(still on that dosage, zero sides), compound pharmacist making 15% minox, 5% azelaic acid trying to replicate Lee's formula.

Hair was strong NW2 until Xandrox went off the market and has been going downhill ever since.

 

Have been wanting a transplant forever but like a lot of things in my life, I just never pull the trigger on it. Got an awful haircut today (think Janelle Monae) even after showing the idiot a picture of what i was after and I realized I can't take this shit anymore. So tired of the constant concealment of my hair and trying to hide the recession. With haircuts like this, its impossible and I'm tired of living my life like this. Ive been wanting this for so long. Used to come onto hairloss forums a lot but kind of gave that up when it was easy to cover up. I was satisfied since my hair was thick and I covered up any issues along the hairline.

 

Lately though, it seems to be on my mind more and more. It doesn't help that I moved to a humid climate so my hair looks thinner now to begin with and those coverup areas aint looking like they used to. I included some pics. I'm a Nw3 I would say by now. Below are pics. I know its a really shitty haircut, but Im so incredibly tired of having to deal with shitty haircuts when the hair along the sides is not left long enough to cover up the recession. I feel like Im at the point in my life where I want to take action and do things for myself instead of just talking all the time. Keep in mind the flash oddly makes my hair look thicker than it appears under natural light

 

You can see in the pics that those fly-aways are where my hairline used to be circa probably around 2007-2013. Ive got a few questions. I have been interested in Dr Paul Shapiro for FUE. Before I would pay to fly out for a consultation, I would like to know a few things so that I can be better prepared for when I finally do.

1) NW level?

2) I used to care about my temple points, but honestly the older I get the less I care about temple point closure. My goal would really just be to have a hairline again that looks like it is the same density around my forehead. How many grafts would you guys estimate?

3) Unfortunately I get folliculitis breakouts in the back of my head thanks to my old barber not cleaning his equipment. They look like whitehead pimples, usually 2 or 3. Does this ensure that I am not a candidate for HT bec that would be devastating

4) What about hairs at the neck? I would love to get rid of these stupid things and use them at the very frontline of the hairline

5) Do HT doctors in anyway compensate for travel times?

6) I use 15% minox cream as stated above but I am afraid of it being too harsh for my transplanted hair. What do guys on heavier minox dosages do after transplants? I wouldn't mind saying F it and just going back to the 5% liquid

7) Do the doctors provide you with all the necessary aftercare procedures or are there specific ones others follow that aren't described by docs

8) Do HT docs still use Acell in the recovery process at all or was that a wash

 

Im sure I will think of more but for now would love feedback.

Thanks guys

[lucldh]

1. You are between NW 1 and 2.

2. I think that you should go for conservative hairline. Hairline of a person not suffering from baldness is usually 3 fingers (placed horizontally) above eye brows. If you see that it is 4 fingers in your case, you can go for 1200-1500 grafts. But I must again say that please be conservative. It is okay to have matured harline as you age.

3. Don't know.But what I see is that you have very good hair and you are a good candidate for HT.

4. If you mean nape hair, yes they can be used for frontal hairline and doctors prefer that. But if you are talking about thin hair at the very neck, you should not use them because they are body hair and they will also grow slow and curly like body hair - also any doctor will not advise you doing that. If you are bothered with neck hair, my cousin suggested me Philips IPL (some laser thing) for permanent hair reduction. It is very cheap and can be done at home.

5. Did not understand the question.

6. Don't know about 15% minox cream. I am from India and most people here use 5% percent minoxidil by Dr. Reddy's. 5% is sufficient.

7.Yes, most of them do. But even if they do not provide, it is not much of a cost. If someone tries to sell you such material for a high price and promising that it will supplement results of HT, they are lying!

8. I do not think so. Neither should you pay for it. Some clinics will lure into PRP also. If it comes free with HT (as some clinics offer), go for it as it may or may not help existing hair. Else do not go for PRP alone because it will not help you achieve what you want to achieve for your hairline - I am 100 percent sure.

Edited March 27, 2015 by lucldh

[lucldh]

Hey can you post more pictures showing your sides clearly? Initially while responding, I could not see the pictures of your sides. Now, since I have seen them, it seems to me that the sides are not that good.