NW6 realistic goals?

[Brutus]

Hey!

 

I?m 34 years NW6, started loosing hair since I was 20. I?ve weared hairpieces the last 3 years, but I?m not really happy about it, it feels fake and a lot of work.

 

I miss the feeling of my own hair. The time before I had lost to much hair (I was maybe 24-25) I had a pretty bald crown and little bit thinning hairline but I was happy with it. I?m not looking to cover all head with high density. I would be happy with a bald crown, but some coverage the first half of the head.

 

I?ve meassured the area I would like to cover, it is about 100cm2. Is it possible to think I could get some decent coverage for that area if I leave the crown bald? How many grafts would you think would be needed?

Edited April 11, 2016 by Brutus

[lorenzo]

Its all depends on your donor density and hair characteristics. This is an 33 year old italian patient with hairloss similar than yours that received around 5500 grafts in the first 2/3 of his head. He is coming back this summer for another 2500 more grafts in his crown.

[harin]

Brutus - First of all thanks for posting some decent quality pictures.

 

You are 34 years of age, do you think your shedding has stopped? or still continuing till date?. Looks like on some pics there is some miniaturization of the existing hairline which may indicate further progression of your hairloss (means more receding).

 

As such the donor density looks good inmy opinion.

 

Given you choose your HT specialist with care you could end up with decent head of hair which could look asthetically pleasing!.

 

You could consider looking at fellow NW6 members threads like HTsoon and myself included to get and idea. My thread is my signature. more pictures could be found in my profile albums.

 

hope this helps.

[jesse23]

I agree with Lorenzo it will depend on various factors such as your donor density and hair characteristics how many grafts you will need.

[Dr Tejinder Bhatti]

Hey!

 

I?m 34 years NW6, started loosing hair since I was 20. I?ve weared hairpieces the last 3 years, but I?m not really happy about it, it feels fake and a lot of work.

 

I miss the feeling of my own hair. The time before I had lost to much hair (I was maybe 24-25) I had a pretty bald crown and little bit thinning hairline but I was happy with it. I?m not looking to cover all head with high density. I would be happy with a bald crown, but some coverage the first half of the head.

 

I?ve meassured the area I would like to cover, it is about 100cm2. Is it possible to think I could get some decent coverage for that area if I leave the crown bald? How many grafts would you think would be needed?

 

Hello Mr. Brutus,

 

You have a lot to think about. It is imperative to first address the idea that you are young at 34 years of age and you have obviously had a lot of hair fall. The progression has not ended as you will lose more. Propecia is a consideration or else your future loss is a guarantee. The crown will enlarge and the sides might recede downward.

 

With these issues in mind you must then decide which procedure you would like to undertake. A strip surgery or an FUE surgery? FUE will allow you to have shorter hair styles and specific size grafts can be targeted to help you get the best coverage possible. Your case could require as little as 3000 grafts if you only wish for the front and not the back. This will require a mature placement for your hairline and the coverage will have reduced density as the hair is placed further away from the hairline. This makes the final result natural so there is a blend from the hair zone to the bald zone.

 

You should contact a clinic that you find promising and submit your photos and video for evaluation. If you can try to have contact with the doctor directly for a one on one consultation, this is the best. If you cannot visit in person then you can use Skype.

[Rashid36]

Beard hair rocks

[Dutchie]

Nope, I think you're an excellent candidate.

You're actually a bit better off than me based on your pics, and I'm a NW6 myself.

 

If H&W can fix me, they can fix you too

[Brutus]

Thank you for your replies!

 

I know I should try finasteride a long time ago, but I?m scared of the sideeffects. I?ve battled with major depressions for several years (much due to the hairloss) taking medication for that too. Also read about chronic libido loss after taking Propecia.. What are your thoughts on that?

 

I tried to take some new pics. The hair is little bit shorter on these ones. I got a haircut yesterday for my new hairpiece. So the area in the middle of the back of the head has longer hair, appears much thicker.. It?s cut that way to fit the hairpiece, What do you think, does the donorarea looks allright or is it thin?

 

I draw a red line where I would like to get transplant, crown excluded. I?m also wondering how many grafts per cm2 is a goal for people in my situation. Lets say my area is 100cm2, how many grafts would be needed to get it light covered? Do you have any pics with hair on different density?

Edited April 12, 2016 by Brutus

[Spanker]

I agree with the doc that you still have a lot of hair that you could lose. So, you should be careful. Your donor does not look that great. My concern that after wearing hair, if you did it right, you will not be satisfied (minus all of the work that you won't have to do now). I have seen people go from systems to transplants just to go back, and I have seen system to transplant and never look back. It's a toss up.

 

Don't take this wrong, but have you considered doing nothing? Cutting your hair a little tighter and moving on? Imo, at your age, you future is still a little unsure. I would wait a little longer before pulling the trigger, or considering a small procedure of 3k or less fue to wear your hair short answer have some hair on top, but you will need to save enough to connect the sides in case they drop.

[Dutchie]

I agree with the doc that you still have a lot of hair that you could lose. So, you should be careful. Your donor does not look that great. My concern that after wearing hair, if you did it right, you will not be satisfied (minus all of the work that you won't have to do now). I have seen people go from systems to transplants just to go back, and I have seen system to transplant and never look back. It's a toss up.

 

Don't take this wrong, but have you considered doing nothing? Cutting your hair a little tighter and moving on? Imo, at your age, you future is still a little unsure. I would wait a little longer before pulling the trigger, or considering a small procedure of 3k or less fue to wear your hair short answer have some hair on top, but you will need to save enough to connect the sides in case they drop

I'm sorry Spanker, but I think this is horrible advice. The guy is close to a Norwood 6, now is the time to pull the trigger and get a transplant. Do you think he should wait until he's 80 years old and a NW7??

 

Brutus, I think you have plenty of donor to pull off a decent result. My guess is you have aboot this much to spare (within the red zone). You're about the same NW stage that I'm at.

 

Keep in mind you might have a bigger donor zone, but I'm just being conservative

 

[Garageland]

I agree with the others that mention how important medication is for you as I can see thinning around the edges of the sides and crown so these areas will only expand further. You expectations seem reasonable which is good as it can be quite an adjustment in your mind when moving from a hair system to a transplant.

 

People who wear systems can have unrealistic expectations in regards to density and coverage but I have helped an known many patients make that transition from hair system to transplant. Your donor looks average in terms of density and you appear to have medium-fine hair caliber and I hope you don't mind saying but slightly bigger than average head.

 

This will yield more grafts but ultimately you will need more for coverage. Which method FUT or FUE should be a personal choice dependent on your donor density and laxity and your goals. If you have a very tight scalp which after having looked at thousands of photos you might have then FUE would be the best option.

 

If your laxity is good and you can work at loosening it then you might be a candidate for a larger FUT session. In your case I would recommend some well respected Doctors near to you to get a better handle on what is possible and your donor area. Good luck.

[Melvin- Admin]

Hi Brutus,

After reviewing your second set of pictures with shorter hair, I will say your donor does appear limited. I do think you have some thinning in the nape its hard to see because of the skin to hair contrast but it's definitely thinner, I will say that nearly every norwood 6 man I've seen has this (retro alopecia) it's more common than people think. 34 years old is still kinda young, I don't think it's too young though, future is still uncertain, I think you should at the very least try minoxidil and nizoral to maintain what you have. In my opinion, finasteride at your level of hair loss is pointless, risking impotence for the sake of keeping your side fringes doesn't make sense to me. Not everyone experiences side effects, I did but I took the risk when I was norwood II, given the choice today even if I had never taken it before I would not risk it personally. Anyway you look at it you're bald whether its norwood 6 or 7. I would much rather risk becoming balder which I already am than risk becoming impotent that's just my opinion though.

 

I can only speak for myself but I too was in a similar situation as yourself albeit I had more hair than you but im also 3 years younger. I chose FUE just for the simple reason that future hair loss may occur and if it happens I will be able to cut my hair short and move on with my life. I would say that most definitely the crown will expand in the future, the side fringes (lateral humps) look pretty strong to me, I would have it checked for miniaturization if there's no miniaturization it would be safe to assume you're not going to lose that hair anytime *soon.

[Spanker]

I'm sorry Spanker, but I think this is horrible advice. The guy is close to a Norwood 6, now is the time to pull the trigger and get a transplant. Do you think he should wait until he's 80 years old and a NW7??

 

Brutus, I think you have plenty of donor to pull off a decent result. My guess is you have aboot this much to spare (within the red zone). You're about the same NW stage that I'm at.

 

Keep in mind you might have a bigger donor zone, but I'm just being conservative

 

 

I can assure you that doing nothing is never horrible advice. It can always be worse. I recommend the fue so he can frame his face but still shave if he needs and have enough grafts WHEN his lateral humps drop and crown opens up more to connect. You can pretty clearly see he has some additional thinning . Obviously strip out fut and then fue gets the most grafts, but someetings the most is not the best in the long term.

[Pete-from-Farjo]

Brutus,

 

You've received a lot of good advice already and there's not too much I can add other than to strongly recommend that you get a couple of in-person consultations with some respected clinics. This is the most accurate way to evaluate your situation and to formulate a plan moving forward. Your donor area appears quite thin in some pics, yet ok in others. Only having it properly examined for signs of miniaturisation will give the full picture though. Best of luck.

[delancey]

Hi Brutus,

 

I think you've received some good advice so far. As Spanker pointed out, doing nothing is sometimes the best option. This is of course up to you.

 

What is your dad's Norwood level?

 

Do you have some pictures with the hair system on?

[Dutchie]

I can assure you that doing nothing is never horrible advice. It can always be worse. I recommend the fue so he can frame his face but still shave if he needs and have enough grafts WHEN his lateral humps drop and crown opens up more to connect. You can pretty clearly see he has some additional thinning . Obviously strip out fut and then fue gets the most grafts, but someetings the most is not the best in the long term.

Sorry Spanker, but in this case I respectfully disagree. The guy is in his 30's, he's pretty much a NW6, every year he waits is just another year wasted IMO.

 

I wish I had known aboot FUE/FUT 10 years ago, it wouldve saved me a lot of pain and misery

[Brutus]

Thank you all for your comments! This summer I will try to visit a wellknown surgeon for a live consultation for evaluation.

 

 

That?s so true Dutchie, exactly how I feel. This hairloss has caused me alot of misery and pain, and I will NEVER have a short buzz haircut again. I?ve tried before. The options are either hairsystem or transplant. The backup scenario is to work on the temples with a thin hairline then put the system behind it.

 

I really feel that I?m not looking for a full head of hair again, actually I think the hairsystem are in a sense too perfect, I try to have lower density and more of a mature hairline, that feels better but again, it feels fake, and not to mention all the work with keeping the front edge unvisible.

 

As HTsoon writes about thinned nape hairs, It?s correct, I don?t know if it moves upwards?!

 

Lets say I have a thinner donorarea than average, is it impossible to reach my goals? I?m also open to BHT.

[Melvin- Admin]

 

As HTsoon writes about thinned nape hairs, It?s correct, I don?t know if it moves upwards?!

 

Lets say I have a thinner donorarea than average, is it impossible to reach my goals? I?m also open to BHT.

 

 

Yes retro alopecia moves upwards, it's relatively unknown though in science, I don't think it'll move all the way up to your crown but I would say at least an inch from where it's at now over your lifetime.

 

Would you be happy with this? I think something like this is achievable

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/183066-dr-carlos-k-wesley-replacing-toupee-beard-fue-scalp-fut.html

[Brutus]

Yes retro alopecia moves upwards, it's relatively unknown though in science, I don't think it'll move all the way up to your crown but I would say at least an inch from where it's at now over your lifetime.

 

Would you be happy with this? I think something like this is achievable

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/183066-dr-carlos-k-wesley-replacing-toupee-beard-fue-scalp-fut.html

 

 

Does that mean a FUT would be hard to acomplish?

 

If I would get a result like that i would be very happy

[Brutus]

Hi Brutus,

 

I think you've received some good advice so far. As Spanker pointed out, doing nothing is sometimes the best option. This is of course up to you.

 

What is your dad's Norwood level?

 

Do you have some pictures with the hair system on?

 

My dad?s Norwood is perhaps NW6 now, but he has a little more hair on top and higher lateral humps. he started loosing his hair after his 30?s, his dad has similar but loosing hair even later that dad.. On my mother?s side my grandfather is NW7, his two sons had very aggressive hairloss in their young 20?s I think and are NW7 today I believe.

[Dutchie]

If I would get a result like that i would be very happy

I think based on your pics you should be able to get a similar result

 

Thats so true Dutchie, exactly how I feel. This hairloss has caused me alot of misery and pain, and I will NEVER have a short buzz haircut again

Trust me when I say I know EXACTLY what you're talking about

[Rashid36]

You can only give it a try, if you really want it and hope it works out.

Get down to India they will sort it all out.

Beard hair rocks.

[harin]

My dad?s Norwood is perhaps NW6 now, but he has a little more hair on top and higher lateral humps. he started loosing his hair after his 30?s, his dad has similar but loosing hair even later that dad.. On my mother?s side my grandfather is NW7, his two sons had very aggressive hairloss in their young 20?s I think and are NW7 today I believe.

 

it is almost certain that to achieve a good cosmetic result with coverage which does not look awkward you would need to use your beard hairs...I would consider sending your pictures to some good HT specialists who also do BHT.

 

As such if you only want to have reasonable coverage of your frontal half then scalp donor hairs would probably be sufficient. But the problem of course are those lateral humps which may drop further as you age.

 

I would imagine you would probably end of where I was before transplant by the time ur 40. But as u could see from my case cosmetically good restoration is feasible even with limited donor hairs.....provided they are truly DHT resistant.

 

Good luck brother...always do some extensive research before u jump in.

Edited April 13, 2016 by harin

[Brutus]

it is almost certain that to achieve a good cosmetic result with coverage which does not look awkward you would need to use your beard hairs...I would consider sending your pictures to some good HT specialists who also do BHT.

 

As such if you only want to have reasonable coverage of your frontal half then scalp donor hairs would probably be sufficient. But the problem of course are those lateral humps which may drop further as you age.

 

I would imagine you would probably end of where I was before transplant by the time ur 40. But as u could see from my case cosmetically good restoration is feasible even with limited donor hairs.....provided they are truly DHT resistant.

 

Good luck brother...always do some extensive research before u jump in.

 

 

Thanks man! I will not jump into anything, I?m thinking after long och good research before I know what surgeons, method, etc to choose and if I?m a candidate of course.. Problem where I live is really far distance to surgeons, I hope this summer maybe visit some and get a live consultation.

 

I just checked out your thread, wow what a difference, truly amazing what they can achieve. One question, did you use all your beard hairs, or only them under the jaw bone? Can you use armpit hairs?

 

Question to all of you, what good surgeons in BHT can you recommend?

[Brutus]

I agree with the doc that you still have a lot of hair that you could lose. So, you should be careful. Your donor does not look that great. My concern that after wearing hair, if you did it right, you will not be satisfied (minus all of the work that you won't have to do now). I have seen people go from systems to transplants just to go back, and I have seen system to transplant and never look back. It's a toss up.

 

Don't take this wrong, but have you considered doing nothing? Cutting your hair a little tighter and moving on? Imo, at your age, you future is still a little unsure. I would wait a little longer before pulling the trigger, or considering a small procedure of 3k or less fue to wear your hair short answer have some hair on top, but you will need to save enough to connect the sides in case they drop.

 

 

Before I posted here I pretty much thought I wouldn?t loose that much more hair, but now I realize that I will most certain loose more, maybe alot more than I think.. Thank you really for your comments and of course you?re right with that I should plan this really carefully. What steps to take.

 

One thing I?ve wished for is to just accept the baldness, shave it all off and live my life. I?ve tried it but it become the start of 10 years with stress, anxiety and major depressions. I know it?s all in my mind, I wish that I could face it better but I can?t.

 

I also wondering how using hairpiece affects the hairs that are under and close to the system. I use glue, and the scalp is getting pretty dry.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Brutus