FUE even with high laxity?

[Ganderson]

I've asked a few questions here, have gotten some great answers, and have seen a few of the top surgeons in the country (USA).....and am now still pretty confused, but have narrowed down my options.

 

Please see pics below for loss, laxity, and donor area.

 

I am planning on getting SMP done in the next month. Just within the hairline, to add density. This will serve the purpose of either adding density while I wait for the HT, or during the growth phase and after. About 1-3 months after that, I will get my FUT with H + W, or I will go to either Lorenzo/Bisanga/Turkey doctor for FUE. I've presented this to multiple doctors and they have said they are FINE with me getting it before hand (these are top doctors).

 

My laxity is HIGH. The picture below was effortless. Doctors have told me its the loosest scalp they've seen thus far. BUT, I have had my hair buzzed for years. I have a problem with letting it grow too long, and am afraid I will be wasting a year of my life during the recovery time with FUT. I also workout/weight lift every single day, and that is a pretty important function of my life (although some of the top surgeons say after 10-12 days when the staples come out I could probably do some light lifting...and that it doesn't really stretch out the scar any more than it naturally would). Also, I have high expectations for coverage. Not for a low hairline, but if I am gonna look like im balding for the rest of my life, I would rather not get FUT, because I would want to buzz it down at some point. But, if FUT is the only way to get full coverage, then I will suck it up, get the SMP, wear a hat for a few months, and get H + W to pull out as many grafts as possible in one go ,and then go back for another in 10 months. Im sure after the first the second is easier.

 

Ideally, I would get two huge FUE sessions and call it a day. Giving myself options flexibility etc.

 

What do I do? I think that the laxity and high number of lifetime grafts needed points to FUT. I think that my lifestyle and happiness points to FUE. BUT, would I regret getting FUE, as I will be upset, that I can not attain the same level of coverage that I could have gotten with FUT? Cost actually seems similar (for maximizing grafts).

 

I was set on H + W but then I saw a guy from Bosley- his hair is probably at a 5 length, and the scar is very visible, and he got 3,000 grafts and its totally see through, so now im thinking well I might be unhappy with FUT, and i might look like im forever balding and I will trap myself....................................

 

I also saw that recent 3 session FUE on the Norwood 6 post and while he doesnt look ideal, another pass and it might be pretty much perfect (it looked pretty dense, I was actually kinda shocked)

 

Ok with using beard hair if necessary. I dont think body hair other than legs (leg hair is thick) would be good fillers.

 

H + W? or Lorenzo/Bisanga?

 

No meds, didnt work for me. Glad if you have no side effects tho!

 

(I've also seen MFUE....looks interesting, although vertical scars seem like they would be present instead of the horizontal one...)

[Ganderson]

Also...my hair is pretty short here, (shaved it 10 days ago to a 0) and this is direct bad lighting over my scalp, so take that for what its worth!!!

[thisguy1]

I've asked a few questions here, have gotten some great answers, and have seen a few of the top surgeons in the country (USA).....and am now still pretty confused, but have narrowed down my options.

 

Please see pics below for loss, laxity, and donor area.

 

I am planning on getting SMP done in the next month. Just within the hairline, to add density. This will serve the purpose of either adding density while I wait for the HT, or during the growth phase and after. About 1-3 months after that, I will get my FUT with H + W, or I will go to either Lorenzo/Bisanga/Turkey doctor for FUE. I've presented this to multiple doctors and they have said they are FINE with me getting it before hand (these are top doctors).

 

My laxity is HIGH. The picture below was effortless. Doctors have told me its the loosest scalp they've seen thus far. BUT, I have had my hair buzzed for years. I have a problem with letting it grow too long, and am afraid I will be wasting a year of my life during the recovery time with FUT. I also workout/weight lift every single day, and that is a pretty important function of my life (although some of the top surgeons say after 10-12 days when the staples come out I could probably do some light lifting...and that it doesn't really stretch out the scar any more than it naturally would). Also, I have high expectations for coverage. Not for a low hairline, but if I am gonna look like im balding for the rest of my life, I would rather not get FUT, because I would want to buzz it down at some point. But, if FUT is the only way to get full coverage, then I will suck it up, get the SMP, wear a hat for a few months, and get H + W to pull out as many grafts as possible in one go ,and then go back for another in 10 months. Im sure after the first the second is easier.

 

Ideally, I would get two huge FUE sessions and call it a day. Giving myself options flexibility etc.

 

What do I do? I think that the laxity and high number of lifetime grafts needed points to FUT. I think that my lifestyle and happiness points to FUE. BUT, would I regret getting FUE, as I will be upset, that I can not attain the same level of coverage that I could have gotten with FUT? Cost actually seems similar (for maximizing grafts).

 

I was set on H + W but then I saw a guy from Bosley- his hair is probably at a 5 length, and the scar is very visible, and he got 3,000 grafts and its totally see through, so now im thinking well I might be unhappy with FUT, and i might look like im forever balding and I will trap myself....................................

 

I also saw that recent 3 session FUE on the Norwood 6 post and while he doesnt look ideal, another pass and it might be pretty much perfect (it looked pretty dense, I was actually kinda shocked)

 

Ok with using beard hair if necessary. I dont think body hair other than legs (leg hair is thick) would be good fillers.

 

H + W? or Lorenzo/Bisanga?

 

No meds, didnt work for me. Glad if you have no side effects tho!

 

(I've also seen MFUE....looks interesting, although vertical scars seem like they would be present instead of the horizontal one...)

 

Looks like you are 26 years old and advanced hair loss. Because of your age and stage I'd push you towards FUT. Especially with your goals of not looking balding "at all" etc. FUE generally is not going to get the same yield as FUT and bad FUEs are more common than bad FUTs. I am not saying that because I did FUT - if I was a norwood 2 at age 35 I'd do FUE myself.

 

You talked about a "year of recovery". It's not a year of recovery. Probably 4 weeks where it is "very apparent" and another 4 weeks where it is noticable to some. And then by month 3 you are in the same state as a FUE patient - all shedded out and waiting for growth. The main difference is the first 2 months.

 

So why not do the thing that gets you the most yield and hits the prime donor area in return for 2 months of recovery that is more intense than FUE? 2 months variance is not much in lieu of 30-40-50 years of hair ahead.

 

FUT is also cheaper and you live in the U.S. so travel tot op FUT doctors is easier.

 

Now the only variable is your eventual goals of wearing your hair - you can probably safely get away with guard 5 with FUT and maybe 4. (some guys lower but assume average case not best cases in the world) Can you live with that length on sides and back? If no - than FUT is not for you and you need to go FUE and realize you wont get the same # of grafts in your lifetime. If you are set on guard 2/3 you wont be happy with FUT although some will say go get it and them get FUE into the scar tissue. It's no sure thing.

 

You are essentially now a NW5 - diffuse. By mid 30s that means NW5/NW6 - not diffuse. So for the "not bald" look we are talking 6500-7500+ grafts IMO over 2 surgeries. That's going to be a tough get with FUE only especially if your yield is not 97%+ each time. And even then it's a tough get.

 

Last piece of advise is I'd wait in between surgeries a lot longer than 10 months. If you were 40 I'd advise differently but with your diffuse pattern you are going to want to fill in areas that currently have hairs down the road. So until they fall out it's a bit difficult to do. Also a HT can cause those hairs to fall out more quickly i.e. shock loss. So you might want to do a H&W 4500 graft session and then give it 5 years. I know what you want to do - get it all done in 10 months and go on with life but there is a real situation here where you'd have to go in for a 3rd session due to no fault of doctor but because you want coverage at age 34 where you have hair at 26. 4500 would do you a lot of good and hold you over for quite a while until you need to do your 2nd.

[Ganderson]

Thx for the reply.....

 

Part of what I mean by recovery, is 1) the lack of exercise, but mainly and most importantly 2) I shave my head now, and when its a 0-1 the loss is minimized.....greatly.....when its this length ( a one, two three, etc) its hard for me to deal with cause im always thinking about it...thats why i want to get the SMP now and then the HT. I think SMP, as a "permanent dermatch" type product just to lower the contrast - would help me out a lot......I'm also 6 foot 5 so its really the sitting down that kills it for me.

 

Dissapointing to hear I wont get good coverage with FUE, i thought that Lorenzo and those guys started to make enough progress. Sigh. Shifting sights more towards H + W or Konior now......

 

Also, if im gona lose the hair in the next 10 years anyway, why not plant over it? Im gonna lose all the hair in the region, clearly. I was more worried if i dipped lower or if there were any signs of that........

[Melvin- Admin]

Thx for the reply.....

 

Part of what I mean by recovery, is 1) the lack of exercise, but mainly and most importantly 2) I shave my head now, and when its a 0-1 the loss is minimized.....greatly.....when its this length ( a one, two three, etc) its hard for me to deal with cause im always thinking about it...thats why i want to get the SMP now and then the HT. I think SMP, as a "permanent dermatch" type product just to lower the contrast - would help me out a lot......I'm also 6 foot 5 so its really the sitting down that kills it for me.

 

Dissapointing to hear I wont get good coverage with FUE, i thought that Lorenzo and those guys started to make enough progress. Sigh. Shifting sights more towards H + W or Konior now......

 

Also, if im gona lose the hair in the next 10 years anyway, why not plant over it? Im gonna lose all the hair in the region, clearly. I was more worried if i dipped lower or if there were any signs of that........

 

Manderson, Lorenzo has made great advances as his YouTube page has dozens of Norwood 6 transformations, I myself have had only FUE, I still have about another 2,000 grafts in the tank which would put me at 6,000 grafts. The smp now is not really a good idea, here's why: your hair is miniaturized so it won't grow as long and thick as the sides will, this will make the SMP look odd compared to the sides, in order for smp to look natural the hair has to be shaved otherwise it will look fake.

 

In my personal opinion I've seen some very impressive FUE work, I've also seen some not so impressive FUT work, doesn't mean either procedures are better or worse. It all comes down to personal preference, I think the general consensus is that FUT+FUE gives you the most lifetime grafts, if you choose to do only one the difference won't be staggering, for example I have maybe 6,000 grafts FUE possibly more, I doubt I'd have much more with FUT maybe 7,000 grafts. However, combing both I'd have probably 3,000 more grafts.

 

Ultimately, the wearing the hair long on the sides forever and having to endure the ugly duckling phase with out being able to buzz my head is what drove me towards FUE. There's been advancements in FUE and I do feel you can get pretty damn close if not equal results. However, if maximizing your grafts are your main objective doing two large strips and FUE the rest is your best route if you can deal with the scar and hair length.

[thisguy1]

 

Also, if im gona lose the hair in the next 10 years anyway, why not plant over it? Im gonna lose all the hair in the region, clearly. I was more worried if i dipped lower or if there were any signs of that........

 

You sound like you want full coverage and you have no idea what your crown prognosis is.

 

A lot of "advanced" norwood 5s and 6s sort of work on the front 80% and then only "sprinkle" their crowns - and thats with 6000+ grafts. I mean in theory you could do 6500 grafts in 2 sessions in next 10 months but you wouldn't be done as your crown could be another case altogether in 6 years.

 

Just giving you some food for thought.

 

Also I didnt mean to imply FUE is not "advanced". When done right you see some awesome results. But I also think its a lot easier to screw up with the amount of material around the bulb being less than in FUT, and also transection issues. And despite "best case scenarios" I just think its a lot easier getting 6000+ grafts out of your head with FUT than FUE. And it seems like you have very aggressive goals so even 6K is probably not going to satisfy you.

 

I get your points about the exercise and the inability to shave yoru head. I guess its up to each person how long they can tolerate looking silly And yes if you are a hardcore workout addict then FUT is going to be an issue for a good # of months.

 

Re: silly look - if you can stand to grow your hair out a bit more some doctors like Cooley, Alexander (and Konior will do it) will do the surgery without shaving down your recipient area. That could help mask some of the silliness of look in ugly duckling stage.

[Ganderson]

Thank you guys - seriously - for your replies.

 

It sounds like I might totally sap my FUE limits on the scalp by reaching 6-7000 grafts. With beard hair looking around 8000. I am going to be pretty damn bald - so I may need 10,000+ to achieve fullness.

 

Honestly, 1) the working out thing bothers me.

2) I get super nervous whenever I think about how I have to grow my hair out to a 4. It hasnt been longer than a 1 in like 5 years (ive been shaving it for 15 years, since i was 12). I just want to grow hair, and have hair for the first time in my life. Thats why im considering this transplant. Now I shave it to hide the baldness to a 0. Am I being a wuss? I look good right now with a buzzed head - mostly because Im a bigger guy and can pull it off...Sigh. It would probably be easier if I had nothing on top. Im diffuse.

 

Help!!! I feel like FUT 2x with hasson is what I have to do, but what I want to do is go to Lorenzo for 3 surgeries and use beard and leg hair to do the rest. Sounds like even that might not be enough to give me full coverage though. Would love to basically get 3000 scalp hair and 1000 beard hair each session, two times from lorenzo. Then go to Umar and see what he can manage to grab from my legs arms and random body areas.

 

I guess the truth is though, theoretically, I should be able to get a strip out of my head stilll.....it might be ear to ear, and it might only be 1500 grafts because I will be depleted.....but it should still be available....i guess the transection rate here is the issue with FUE.

 

The alternative is 2x with hasson which might get me 8000. Then fue all the way up to 10000 and hopefully be done. :-( this is depressing and scary.

[Ganderson]

You sound like you want full coverage and you have no idea what your crown prognosis is.

 

A lot of "advanced" norwood 5s and 6s sort of work on the front 80% and then only "sprinkle" their crowns - and thats with 6000+ grafts. I mean in theory you could do 6500 grafts in 2 sessions in next 10 months but you wouldn't be done as your crown could be another case altogether in 6 years.

 

Just giving you some food for thought.

 

Also I didnt mean to imply FUE is not "advanced". When done right you see some awesome results. But I also think its a lot easier to screw up with the amount of material around the bulb being less than in FUT, and also transection issues. And despite "best case scenarios" I just think its a lot easier getting 6000+ grafts out of your head with FUT than FUE. And it seems like you have very aggressive goals so even 6K is probably not going to satisfy you.

 

I get your points about the exercise and the inability to shave yoru head. I guess its up to each person how long they can tolerate looking silly And yes if you are a hardcore workout addict then FUT is going to be an issue for a good # of months.

 

Re: silly look - if you can stand to grow your hair out a bit more some doctors like Cooley, Alexander (and Konior will do it) will do the surgery without shaving down your recipient area. That could help mask some of the silliness of look in ugly duckling stage.

 

I guess, another way to say this is, are there desperate people who have gone to H + W, only to share the same regrets that I am fearing now? or are they too good

[mav23100gunther]

go get a strip FUT with Dr Hasson and then once stripped out go to Lorenzo for FUE. Once depleted then head to Umar for BHT.

[Ganderson]

go get a strip FUT with Dr Hasson and then once stripped out go to Lorenzo for FUE. Once depleted then head to Umar for BHT.

 

Are you suggesting that I would need this much..?

[Ganderson]

Looks like you are 26 years old and advanced hair loss. Because of your age and stage I'd push you towards FUT. Especially with your goals of not looking balding "at all" etc. FUE generally is not going to get the same yield as FUT and bad FUEs are more common than bad FUTs. I am not saying that because I did FUT - if I was a norwood 2 at age 35 I'd do FUE myself.

 

You talked about a "year of recovery". It's not a year of recovery. Probably 4 weeks where it is "very apparent" and another 4 weeks where it is noticable to some. And then by month 3 you are in the same state as a FUE patient - all shedded out and waiting for growth. The main difference is the first 2 months.

 

So why not do the thing that gets you the most yield and hits the prime donor area in return for 2 months of recovery that is more intense than FUE? 2 months variance is not much in lieu of 30-40-50 years of hair ahead.

 

FUT is also cheaper and you live in the U.S. so travel tot op FUT doctors is easier.

 

Now the only variable is your eventual goals of wearing your hair - you can probably safely get away with guard 5 with FUT and maybe 4. (some guys lower but assume average case not best cases in the world) Can you live with that length on sides and back? If no - than FUT is not for you and you need to go FUE and realize you wont get the same # of grafts in your lifetime. If you are set on guard 2/3 you wont be happy with FUT although some will say go get it and them get FUE into the scar tissue. It's no sure thing.

 

You are essentially now a NW5 - diffuse. By mid 30s that means NW5/NW6 - not diffuse. So for the "not bald" look we are talking 6500-7500+ grafts IMO over 2 surgeries. That's going to be a tough get with FUE only especially if your yield is not 97%+ each time. And even then it's a tough get.

 

Last piece of advise is I'd wait in between surgeries a lot longer than 10 months. If you were 40 I'd advise differently but with your diffuse pattern you are going to want to fill in areas that currently have hairs down the road. So until they fall out it's a bit difficult to do. Also a HT can cause those hairs to fall out more quickly i.e. shock loss. So you might want to do a H&W 4500 graft session and then give it 5 years. I know what you want to do - get it all done in 10 months and go on with life but there is a real situation here where you'd have to go in for a 3rd session due to no fault of doctor but because you want coverage at age 34 where you have hair at 26. 4500 would do you a lot of good and hold you over for quite a while until you need to do your 2nd.

 

By the way Im 28...not sure if that helps or makes a difference lol

[thisguy1]

I guess, another way to say this is, are there desperate people who have gone to H + W, only to share the same regrets that I am fearing now? or are they too good

 

If you really want to keep your hair very short you need to focus on FUE. I've had my hair short for 10 years because I had too - it looks silly to be balding with long sides and back. So I cherish the day I can grow hair out more than a 4 guard haha. I want to be able to comb my hair again - it sounds groovy. Sounds like you do not. So in your case probably FUE is up your alley - but if you want to have a very close cut hair style the FUE risk is of course over harvesting and exposing the small mini scars of FUE. Not an issue if you are pulling out 3000 - something that can be an issue if you are trying to pull out 7000 or whatever. If you are open to body hair or whatever in the crown than FUE can be more of an option as well for you.

 

26 or 28 same issues.

[Ganderson]

If you really want to keep your hair very short you need to focus on FUE. I've had my hair short for 10 years because I had too - it looks silly to be balding with long sides and back. So I cherish the day I can grow hair out more than a 4 guard haha. I want to be able to comb my hair again - it sounds groovy. Sounds like you do not. So in your case probably FUE is up your alley - but if you want to have a very close cut hair style the FUE risk is of course over harvesting and exposing the small mini scars of FUE. Not an issue if you are pulling out 3000 - something that can be an issue if you are trying to pull out 7000 or whatever. If you are open to body hair or whatever in the crown than FUE can be more of an option as well for you.

 

26 or 28 same issues.

 

Its not that I want to keep my hair short in the future - its that after I get a HT, i feel like I will look stupid for 6 months while My sides are a 3 and theres no hair on the top of my head - so thats where my concern is in the short term.

 

The second fear, which is larger, is demonstrated through this guys post

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/182759-my-story-two-futs-going-3-a.html

 

That guy went to Hasson - the same doctor I just said I would go to, and I could end up like him in 10 years! And not be able to shave! So its either roll the dice and maybe maybe not be this guy, or take a shot with FUE but NEVER get full coverage? Sounds like maybe there arent any real options after all :(

[Ganderson]

If you really want to keep your hair very short you need to focus on FUE. I've had my hair short for 10 years because I had too - it looks silly to be balding with long sides and back. So I cherish the day I can grow hair out more than a 4 guard haha. I want to be able to comb my hair again - it sounds groovy. Sounds like you do not. So in your case probably FUE is up your alley - but if you want to have a very close cut hair style the FUE risk is of course over harvesting and exposing the small mini scars of FUE. Not an issue if you are pulling out 3000 - something that can be an issue if you are trying to pull out 7000 or whatever. If you are open to body hair or whatever in the crown than FUE can be more of an option as well for you.

 

26 or 28 same issues.

 

 

Are there Norwood's as high as me (or that I will become) who "regret" FUE because they cant get the same graft count or quality? If yes, then I will get FUT. If not, and they are truly happy, then why not go for FUE? I would prefer not to have an ugly duckling phase because,, for me, I have been buzzing my head to a 0 for the past 10 years, and would rather have it buzzed than have the sides long with nothing on top

[ontop]

Have you thought of just shaving it all off & be done with it?

You seem to have high expectations for a young boy & not taking Meds plus your a high NW

you say you want to keep your hair short & same time worried about the post op such as scar.

again you need to really do some soul searching &again keep your expectations in check.

but if you decide the HT route then for you I would defo recommend FUT & first pass work on the front zone 12& maybe 3 wait 18mths then see.

 

Good luck.

[Garageland]

You have been given some excellent but varying advice and somewhere in that is the best answer for you it depends on what your expectations really are. A transplant at the age of 26 without meds when you already are displaying an advanced level of loss means that you will most likely have to throw everything at it hair wise to get good coverage and density as your native hair is lost.

 

This will include multiple procedures and you are almost certainly not going to get a full crown, you will need to make a compromise on the hairline position. Now you might except a thinning crown and a mature hairline when you are 35 but if you can't accept that now then I wouldn't go ahead FUE or FUT.

 

Your natural scalp laxity would lead you to FUT and using as many grafts as possible but unless you have high density and I can't tell from the photos as they are not clear enough and the hair is too short. Without meds at your age a transplant is only going to make you happy for a short period of time before you need to think about a second one.

 

Take your time to carefully think about this consult with a number of clinics but make sure your photos are clear in natural daylight with no flash, grow the hair out longer for the photos and make sure you do some in person consultations with reputable clinics.

 

Once you have done that as ontop says shave it off and live with it for a while you do appear to have a good head shape for shaving and you will know if this is an option for you. All the best.

[1978matt]

I think you're going to end up at least a 'Billy Zane' level of baldness in the next 10-15 years or so. Try to find the worst case baldness level among relatives and assume that's where you will end up.

 

If you were to do anything now I'd limit it to a Lorenzo-type conservative hairline with ~2000-2500FUE grafts.

 

Provided the doctor doesn't screw up and overharvest you should have a decent 'get out clause' (buzz to grade 1 or 2) in later years.

 

The hairline should at least frame the face but may lack the density for longer hairstyles, which you may have got with FUT.

[Ganderson]

You have been given some excellent but varying advice and somewhere in that is the best answer for you it depends on what your expectations really are. A transplant at the age of 26 without meds when you already are displaying an advanced level of loss means that you will most likely have to throw everything at it hair wise to get good coverage and density as your native hair is lost.

 

This will include multiple procedures and you are almost certainly not going to get a full crown, you will need to make a compromise on the hairline position. Now you might except a thinning crown and a mature hairline when you are 35 but if you can't accept that now then I wouldn't go ahead FUE or FUT.

 

Your natural scalp laxity would lead you to FUT and using as many grafts as possible but unless you have high density and I can't tell from the photos as they are not clear enough and the hair is too short. Without meds at your age a transplant is only going to make you happy for a short period of time before you need to think about a second one.

 

Take your time to carefully think about this consult with a number of clinics but make sure your photos are clear in natural daylight with no flash, grow the hair out longer for the photos and make sure you do some in person consultations with reputable clinics.

 

Once you have done that as ontop says shave it off and live with it for a while you do appear to have a good head shape for shaving and you will know if this is an option for you. All the best.

 

Thanks for the response, I really appreciate the insight.

 

To respond directly to your points - With two surgeries, high laxity, and no meds - and also the SMP base tatted around my head - going to H + W for 2 big ones, over the next 5 years you think would leave me sparse?

 

Theres talk of worst baldness levels in my family - i have 2 uncles who are 7's, my dad is (in his 60's now) becoming a 5 diffuse, and everyone on my mothers side is full head of hair. No one with any loss really (6 brothers).

 

My expectations are not of a juvenile hairline. I dont care about that to be honest - as ive been shaving my head down so long that I cant remember where it originally was. But, I do enjoy having it look "clean" and I think thats part of why i hate growing it out now (thicker on the sides, thin in the crown). I just want it to look "clean" with long hair - not necessarily perfect, but not "happy" and with bald spots. If that cant be acheived then OK, I can live with it - But im seeing guys (like that recent H + W patient - i have more hair than him pre op.....I would be happy with that look post op for the rest of my life!)

 

Am i just being seduced by great pictures?? Garageland, the in person consults seem to go more positively - but I guess thats because most customers want to be sold on the solution. :-/ No easy answers.

[MrGio-WHTCClinic]

The realization of future loss is a concern. Laxity may not help in healing after FUE. What are your goals with SMP? If wearing your hair extremely short is preferred, maybe you should go further with SMP.

[Ganderson]

The realization of future loss is a concern. Laxity may not help in healing after FUE. What are your goals with SMP? If wearing your hair extremely short is preferred, maybe you should go further with SMP.

 

I would prefer to have medium hair length, for the rest of my life.

 

SMP is going to act as a thickener for the next 5 months. It will allow me to grow my hair to a 3 or 4 guard length (just filling in the diffuse areas and not touching the hairlines) at which point I plan on getting either FUT or FUE.