24 year old and need advices/opinions

[azazelgs]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm 24 years old, NW 3 (thinning way to nw 4-5). Family pattern is all NW5-6 but pretty strong in crown, crown thinning starts generally not before 40's. I'm seriously considering HT. I've been researching this site for 6 months now but still i have tons of questions and i'll be more than happy that i could get some advices/answers from you guys. ( Sorry i have no photos since i changed my pc and lost my cam )

 

1-I know that scalp laxity plays a huge factor on ht. If someone needs 2 or more sessions , will laxity decrease at the second procedure??

 

2- I had a consultation with Dr. Kulahci and she told me i have app. 80/cm2 grafts in donor area. What is the maximum graft that i can reach in ht? (only fut? only fue? fut+fue?)

 

3- Eventhough fut seems more reliable and consistent,nowadays i'm planning on fue with Dr. Keser, Turkey. Is it possible that he can use donor from sides (above ear) and near neck side at the back so that i can keep all fut donors later?I had a online consultation with Dr.Rahal and told me i need app 2500 grafts 2 months ago. Can I reach that number with fue and without touching fut donor?

 

4-If I do fue and loose my native hair later on (it's pretty possible in my case), i know it's gonna look weird. So in order to avoid this, may i use grafts from NON-safe area and than loose them later more naturaly?( That's because i really don't wanna leave my youth bald so i'm ok with some sort of a temporary solution maybe for 5-10 years)

 

 

I'd really appriciate any opinions since i really need it. I may sound ignorant(i know i am about ht) but i really want to find a solution since i really don't wanna live my youth like this.

[TheEmperor]

Everything I have read about Keser is that he will turn you away due to your age and balding pattern.

 

I think you should be OK as long as the HT is done as if planning for a NW5/6. I do not believe FUE is recommended for NW5+ restorations.

 

You are still very young. Much will depend on you hair quality and eventual level of baldness.

 

If you dont plan on shaving, strip is probably the better option. If you donor density is 80/cm2 and a typical strip is about 30cm x 1.5, then you can probably get 45*80 or 3600 grafts with your first strip. If your laxity is higher, then more.

 

FUE extractions will decrease the number of grafts available for FUT.

 

Good luck.

[azazelgs]

emperor,

 

FUE extractions will decrease the number of grafts available for FUT

 

but if i get my donor from above ear and near neck(which are not stip's area) should i be still losing my donor for fut?

 

 

 

If you dont plan on shaving, strip is probably the better option. If you donor density is 80/cm2 and a typical strip is about 30cm x 1.5, then you can probably get 45*80 or 3600 grafts with your first strip. If your laxity is higher, then more.

 

3600? is that all i could get or could i get another 30*1.5 at another session? and how many sessions will i be able to get?

 

Addingly, as i mentioned in first post i just like to save my youth because those days won't come back again and i don't wanna waste it at home all the time,hiding from the world. If there is any temporary/permanent way that i can loose this look, i'd go for it.

[MikeTheDane]

I don't think it's a good idea to use non-permanent hair. You have no idea of knowing how long it's going to last. It could be as little as two years, or as much as 10. Also, when the hair falls off you will have tiny scars on your scalp that were otherwise hidden by hairs.

 

My advice is to shave down and get on propecia and rogaine for 6-8 months. If you have no further loss or maybe even improvements you may consider a HT. Meanwhile educate yourself continuously.

 

When you FUE, you deplete a big % of the donor for FUT. Also, I've never seen anyone receive more than 3000 grafts from fue alone, while I have seen 10000+ from FUT. Just some food for thought, if you continue to bald and require a 2nd op, you can't continue forever to use FUE.

 

In my book, fue is for >40 and <NW3

[EpilepticSceptic]

Azazelgs,

 

Man, you're really driving yourself nuts over this brother ! Try and post some pics (top down shots) of your head in natural sunlight. This will be the best way to get good advice on here. Also, get some shots of your donor hair in the back as well.

 

I'm 17 years older than you and still a Norwood 3.5v heading to a 4. And my biggest concern is still how to have the HT designed to accomodate future loss in case I end up NW6 by age 50. I don't think I will end up NW6, but I feel one needs to plan ahead for the worst case scenario so as not to end up a prisoner for life from poorly planned cosmetic surgery.

 

I'd be very nervous about a HT at your age, but I am very conservative about this. I've been researching for years, and I'm more cautious now than ever! In the beginning I thought everything was peaches and cream because of the new URFUT techniques. But I have since seen too many cases come and go through the years where patients regretted the HT as the worst decision of their life, and in EVERY case it had to do with future loss and heading to Norwood 5/6/7 territory. All these guys looked great for a few years (and were happy) but exhausted donor supply thinking they'd hold on to the rest of the native hair.

 

The only thing worse than being completely bald is being stuck with some weird looking HT combover for the rest of your life. I've talked about this quite a bit on forums, but never once had a reply from a HT doc or a moderator.

 

Hmm, I wonder why ?

[youngsuccess]

Originally posted by labrat69:

I've talked about this quite a bit on forums, but never once had a reply from a HT doc or a moderator.

 

Hmm, I wonder why ?

 

Labrat,

 

There's no reason to arrogantly imply that you're perceived as some kind of threat here.

 

Cautious, conservative planning is not a new concept. Other members and HTN-affiliated physicians have been making similar arguments since the site's inception, which is probably why your posts haven't garnered the attention you expect. Most of the doctors who participate on the forum probably haven't even seen your comments to begin with.

 

There's no reason challenge your views because they're completely conventional and widely accepted. I don't understand. Do you want people to disagree with you?

 

Best,

 

Anthony (youngsuccess)

[Bill - Seemiller]

Labrat,

 

I happen to agree with your assertion. Does that make you feel better? :-)

 

Do you really think those who run and/or are affiliated with this community want hair transplant patients to look ridiculous in 10, 30, and even 50+ years? Of course not! I myself am a 4 time hair transplant patient. I certainly don't want to look ridiculous when I'm older, nor would I want others to.

 

Truthfully, Anthony's reply was spot on and I really couldn't have said it any better myself.

 

Bill

[EpilepticSceptic]

Anthony & Bill,

 

Wow, I finally get a response from 2 moderators at once (lol) !!

 

But all joking aside, I really do deeply appreciate this site and the transparency so please don't think I am being negative just to be negative. Actually, in my case "conservative planning" makes a whole lotta sense because I'm much older than the OP and my loss is relatively stabalized between NW3/4. I'm probably a HT surgeon's dream because I'm on the proscar long term as well, and I'm not after teenage density hair which would look stupid anyway on a grown man.

 

But just how does a 24 year old NW3 heading to NW5/6/7 go about "conservatively" planning a HT ? If the young lad will be a full blown NW6 in 10 years, exactly how can he even remotely plan out a HT today that will give him any kind of cosmetic improvement over where he already is ?

 

If a NW2 hairline is established today and everything behind that vanishes in 5 years, how will that be dealt with ? Does the patient have to have a thin, see-through NW2 hairline planted today so that if/when he heads to NW6 the rest of the hair can be planted with a see-through look as well, therefore having evenly distributed density throughout ? And if this is the case, won't the end result of that be some sort of weird looking combover or diffuse thinning look where the sides still look thicker than the top ?

 

Oh yeah, and how will planning a conservative see-through hairline satisfy the desires of a 24 year old patient ?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Labrat,

 

You're asking some great questions, all of which should be discussed and explored by anyone considering a hair transplant - especially younger hair loss sufferers with hair loss patterns indicating high potential for advanced Norwood levels.

 

I can only provide you with general answers, because the specifics will always vary from patient to patient.

 

But regarding your question:

 

"But just how does a 24 year old NW3 heading to NW5/6/7 go about "conservatively" planning a HT ? If the young lad will be a full blown NW6 in 10 years, exactly how can he even remotely plan out a HT today that will give him any kind of cosmetic improvement over where he already is ?"

 

There are several principles here to consider, many of which overlap.

 

1) The patient's expectations and goals: Ultimately, a quality physician should work with prospective patients, come to an understanding of their goals, and then determine and discuss with them whether or not their goals are reachable given their specific case.

 

2) Establishing realistic expectations and learning what can be expected: Restoring a full head of hair is simply out of the question for those heading to advanced degrees of balding. It's the responsibility of a physician to help prospective patients understand what can and can't be accomplished with hair transplant surgery given their individual characteristics.

 

3) Whether or not a patient has the donor availability to meet their goals: After a careful evaluation of the donor and recipient areas, a physician should discern and discuss with the patient whether or not they feel the patient's goals can be met. If the doctor feels a patient's goals are unrealistic, it's their responsibility to turn away the patient. As an example, if the patient won't be satisfied with a slightly see-through head of hair under certain lights even under the best circumstances, the doctor should turn him/her away.

 

4) Proper long term planning: It's not always in a patient's best interest to have hair transplant surgery right away or even at all. Medical therapy may be recommended for a few years first to see how they respond. In most cases of advanced balding, multiple procedures are often needed over several years in order to meet the patient's goals, that is, assuming they're realistic (see number 2).

 

What many evaluate as "results" after a single procedure, I'd call "interim results". For instance I've seen physians present examples of single transplanted cases of 3000 grafts on a Norwood 5A for instance, and receive negative comments. However, these members were evaluating the procedure as a final result rather than the interim result. Meanwhile, I've seen some physicians who've performed 4 procedures of 1500 grafts on a Norwood 5A praised for producing an excellent result. This isn't necessarily wrong however, had the physician in the latter example presented photos after the first procedure, he'd get negative feedback.

 

Personally, I'd really like to start seeing physicians present their long term hair restoration plan for each patient they post results for. Even if a patient chooses not to return to complete the plan, it'd be nice to know what the physician wanted to accomplish long term to help them meet their ultimate goals.

 

Obviously, one must be ready to adapt and change the plan somewhat since hair loss is progressive and unpredictable. However, discussing all possibilities ahead of time will ultimately help the patient make an informed decision even prior to undergoing his first surgery.

 

I'd sum the above up with these two sentences: Determining a patient's expectations and whether or not they can be met with surgical hair restoration is vital. Anyone who's expectations can't be met given their donor availability and multiple procedures should NOT undergo hair transplant surgery.

 

I want to add that the question of ethics arises here as unfortunately, some physicians out there will do and say anything to get patients in the door. Thus, it's critical for patients to take plenty of time to research and ultimately consult with and select ethical and reputable hair restoration physicians who will always have their best interest in mind. This very statement is exactly why we don't just allow anyone to advertise here. Instead, we prescreen surgeons and only recommend those we believe in.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Bill - Seemiller]

P.S. I was going to ask you to start a new topic on this so we didn't hijack azazelgs thread. But since I've been talking to azazelgs publicly and privately, I felt the above information can also benefit him.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Bill,

 

I think your last post is the best thing I've read about HTs ever on any of the forums! It makes the potential HT patient really THINK about what they are signing up for, and I really appreciate that.

 

Thank you for that very well thought out reply that I think was so good it could actually become a sticky !

 

Oh yeah, and you mention you'd like to see docs posting what their long term planning is for each patient along with the pics. I think that's a GREAT idea, and another related issue IMO that would VASTLY improve this site is if with every case docs post results of we could also know the specifics of the patient's characteristics. Whenever I see a great looking result I immediately want to know that patient's hair caliber, donor density, laxity, transplant density throughout, and size of balding areas to be covered.

 

Since so many patient's today are doing online consultations and flying 3000 miles to get surgery before the doc has even examined their head, it could only help potential patients to be able to approach this more scientifically to know if their goals are acheivable.

[splitting hairs]

Here's my advice, Plan as if you are going to be a NW 6.

 

Give FUE a miss - you can't get 2500 Grafts without it significantly reducing graft survival as FUE grafts are damaged more easily.

 

Get on Propecia - it will dramatically delay your hairloss.

 

Consult with Hasson and Wong: they deal with cases of extensive hairloss so they know how you should approach this (but then any coalition doc should).

 

Address the front third first.

 

You can maximise the number of grafts you can get by doing strip surgery until you have no more laxity, then doing FUE. If you do FUE first, you will reduce the efficiency of future strip as your density will be less.

 

You can't do fue from just certain areas as grafts need to be taken from the most dense areas.

 

My advice: Go for strip surgery, then do FUE after. But that's a long way off - get on propecia now, and get a strip procedure.

 

Good luck.

[azazelgs]

thank you everyone for contributing to my thread.

 

P.S. I was going to ask you to start a new topic on this so we didn't hijack azazelgs thread. But since I've been talking to azazelgs publicly and privately, I felt the above information can also benefit him.

 

Exactly Bill, thank you for your informations.

 

Labrat,

 

 

The only thing worse than being completely bald is being stuck with some weird looking HT combover for the rest of your life.

 

That's the MOST important question in my mind about doing it or not. That's why i'm writing ,researching and trying to come up with a solution for myself. I know no solution would be more reliable than what doctor offers, I'm gathering some thoughts from the ones who had experiences with the issue.

 

My main issue is I really (I mean really) hate deep temporal recessions and I have one.Maybe i can accept baldness but not this.My frontal zone has not receeded yet and when I look into mirror, I see thinning still occurs from sides so it seems it's gonna be worse and worse.

 

As for a 24 year old, I really have some realistic expectations. In my previous thread ("very important question to young lads")i said i can really go for a hairline like Tom Ford. And in the tread there is a picture that MikeTheDane posted,(Jude Law) and that's what I HATE and that's exactly where i'm heading. That's why i wanna( and need to) do something about it.

 

Maybe I sounded stupid and ignorant( i'm ignorant that's for sure)to offer to have FUE from non-safe areas but if I cover my sides just for 5-6 years , then my loss will seem more "reasonable" to me. Again, I know no guarantees with that.

 

As labrat told , I'm scared to death that I'm gonna look like a freak when i loose my native hair. I know i'm gonna end up nw 6,(i'm on propecia and nizoral for 4 months now) sometimes i wish I'd be nw6 right now that i can take immidiate action.As someone said in another post, we're the most cruel judges of ourselves. Everyone around me tell me that "what are you concerning about? you still have hair and look good." But i don't feel that way and that's the main issue. Some days I look into mirror and see myself really good.(of course in "innocent lighting and looking from some distance) And then I walk out on a street and see my reflection somewhere, i can't describe that feeling. I feel sick , i become ashamed that i'd go out like this ,it's like everyone is looking at my hair and making fun of me.

 

So my main point is I have to do something about it. I know the wisest thing right now to "wait for stabilise" but please don't tell me that,any of you.That's why i'm thinking about EVERY possible option as i mentioned . As i said before , I can really live with a hairline like Tom Ford (1) , and i can go for temporary solution for 5 years(2).Those are my 2 main ways to have a realistic results.As I said this, I really appreciate every opinion based on this.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Azazelgs,

 

Well, if you hate Jude Law's hair in that photo MTD posted, then just try to imagine how you will feel when you are a NW5 or 6 !!!! The harsh truth is that you can't even remotely imagine now how that will make you feel, because you are not yet there. Once you are there, however, you would be willing to spend 3 years in Gauntanomo Bay just to have hair like Jude Law's again.

 

You see, that's the problem IMO with young guys seeking HTs. They have NO IDEA yet what more advanced balding makes you look like. It will make you look 25 years older than you are. I have a friend who is 30 years old and a NW6, and when chicks guess his age it's ALWAYS early 50s !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Think about that for a minute, they TRULY BELIEVE this dude is in his 50s and approaching grandpa age !!!

 

Dude, if peeps around you don't notice your hair issues then imagine how you will feel once they DO notice it ? Don't worry, that is soon to come. When the day arrives that the people around you just look at you with sad eyes and try not to say anything to you, THEN you will truly know what baldness is all about !! When chicks in your age group go out of their way to NOT make eye contact with you on the street, then you will know what it means !!

 

My advice to you is to enjoy the little time you have left with decent hair, the precious days of rapidly waning youth! You may be back here in 5 years dreaming of having 50% of the hair that Jude Law has in that photo!

[Bill - Seemiller]

Labrat,

 

I've been communicating tips to physicians on presenting realistic and compelling photo albums for years. While some do a terrific job of providing detailed pictures and plenty of information for this community to truly be able to evaluate and appreciate the result, others continue to provide the bare minimum. It's a bit frustrating to see this especially when I know these physicians do excellent work.

 

At the end of the day, prospective patients will most likely choose those physicians who go the extra mile by providing the detail that our educated community is looking for. Perhaps this will provide the motivation some physicians need to put more effort into presenting more information and better quality pictures showing multiple angles.

 

Thanks for your feedback,

 

Bill

[EpilepticSceptic]

Bill,

 

I hear ya brother! I guess some clinics are just too busy with word-of-mouth referrals.

 

But even though some of the clinics' photos and videos are truly realistic looking, I still think when viewing final outcomes it would be extremely helpful to always know a patient's FU donor density, average # of hairs per FU, hair caliber, transplant density, and estimated # of FUs available for future work.

 

To prospective patients who have already had a consultation and know these very important specifics concerning their own case, knowing these details can only aid in discerning whether or not results viewed online are realisitc potential outcomes for the viewer.

 

The lack of listing these important details I would say is the biggest source of frustration for me whenever viewing photo/video albums of patients whose results I find impressive and similar to what I would like to acheive.

[hdude46]

This thread is a perfect example of why some people on the internet don't know anything and that u need to talk to a physician. FUE does not deplete a big % of the donor for FUT. This is not the first time MTD has made some ridiculous claim and stated it as fact. The fact is fue allows for hairs that otherwise cannot be harvested from a strip procedure to be harvested.

 

Secondly, proscar works very well for most people. I have seen and heard from from a lot of people who have been on the drug since its inception in 1997 that have lost little to no remaining hair. Even if its effectiveness does wane with time, generally it still dramatically slows hair loss than w/o it. Most physicians swear by it. Moreover, your genetic may not even have a nw6 pattern mapped out for you. In 20-30 yrs, Im pretty sure there will be better hair loss treatments other than propecia and rogaine on the market.

 

Talk to a doctor and he can lay out a good plan out for you. Too many people here think they are experts about this stuff when in reality they don't know what they are talking about. good luck man.

[MikeTheDane]

Originally posted by hdude46:

This thread is a perfect example of why some people on the internet don't know anything and that u need to talk to a physician. FUE does not deplete a big % of the donor for FUT. This is not the first time MTD has made some ridiculous claim and stated it as fact. The fact is fue allows for hairs that otherwise cannot be harvested from a strip procedure to be harvested.

 

Secondly, proscar works very well for most people. I have seen and heard from from a lot of people who have been on the drug since its inception in 1997 that have lost little to no remaining hair. Even if its effectiveness does wane with time, generally it still dramatically slows hair loss than w/o it. Most physicians swear by it. Moreover, your genetic may not even have a nw6 pattern mapped out for you. In 20-30 yrs, Im pretty sure there will be better hair loss treatments other than propecia and rogaine on the market.

 

Talk to a doctor and he can lay out a good plan out for you. Too many people here think they are experts about this stuff when in reality they don't know what they are talking about. good luck man.

 

You know, I generally don't respond to adhominem.

 

If you're going to bring past arguements into a new thread, atleast make me(and everyone else) the courtesy of being specific, otherwise you're just lashing out.

 

When you use FUE before you use strip, you're using some of the grafts that otherwise would be used for strip. While it is true that FUE allows for usage of grafts possibly not accessible by strip, it's my belief that only holds true if the stripdonor has been depleted.

 

The reasons can be several. You may not be able to get more strip due to laxity issues, even though some donor is still available. Fue can then be used to target these remaining areas, but if you had started with fue you had no way of knowing what this 'leftover' donor area would be, and instead harvest grafts inside the strip donor area. Naturally, this gives the patient less grafts per square inch leading to lesser yields.

 

While the endyield might be the same, the latter approach is a big more risky.

 

What happens if you get a big scar from your strip and require a lot of FUE work to repair it, but you have little FUE donor left? Or maybe you have some bald spots that needs to be filled in?

 

So, to recap: When you start with strip and finish with FUE, you know exactly where you can harvest fue from. When you start with fue and finish with strip, you immediately target deplete some of the grafts being used for strip.

 

So unless you have already decided you prefer the short buzzed look, or you're 40+ and no more than NW3, or have a good chance of ending up as a NW7, I think FUE should be used as a 'back up plan' Atleast this is my conviction, and if you feel differently I suggest that you argue your point rather than lashing out.

 

I'll admit it might have been a bit polar of me to say big % though.

[ultimate]

So unless you have already decided you prefer the short buzzed look, or you're 40+ and no more than NW3, or have a good chance of ending up as a NW7

 

How can one be sure that they won't be NW7, specially under 30 year olds?

i thought hair loss is something difficult to predict.

[EpilepticSceptic]

This is exactly my problem with the whole FUE vs STRIP debate! There are so many dudes on these boards that preach FUE as the way to go, as if strip is outdated or too risky.

 

But WHO are those that strip is too risky for ?

 

1) guys that are under 30 (with average or below average donor)and are not sure if they'll end up NW6/7 in the next 10-20 years. They are afraid of being stuck with a strip scar if the donor thins out, so they desperately want to play it safe and retain the option of very short buzzcuts so they can at all costs avoid the dreaded bozo the clown fringe of hair look.

 

2)guys who are 40+ and will probably never advance beyond NW4 for their entire life, but for some stupid reason want to retain the option of having buzzcuts even though they will have great looking NW2 hair with a decent plant.

 

So WHY is it in the case of #2 that such a patient should spend more money on FUE ? If he will never have diffuse donor and the scar will never show, and he will never want to shave his head because he has beautiful, full looking NW2 hair, then WHY would FUE be the smarter choice ?

 

And in the case of #1, this is probably a patient that will need 7000 or more grafts if he ever wanted a decent looking head of hair; but he wants to "play it safe" getting FUE at a young age so he can shave down if/when balding advances rapidly. Should such a patient even be considering HT surgery anyway ? Why not just shave down TODAY and forget about HTs completely ?

 

I just think that those people who want to retain the option to shave down should just forget about HTs alltogether. If one truly believes there is ANY chance he will become a NW7 by age 40, then he should not be getting any kind of HT in his 20s or 30s !!

 

Such a patient should wait until he is 40 and see where he is at before even thinking about HTs at all. And guess what ? He'll still retain the option of shaving down at age 40 because he did nothing and it didn't cost him a dime !!

 

 

 

Originally posted by ultimate:

So unless you have already decided you prefer the short buzzed look, or you're 40+ and no more than NW3, or have a good chance of ending up as a NW7

 

How can one be sure that they won't be NW7, specially under 30 year olds?

i thought hair loss is something difficult to predict.

[azazelgs]

thanks everyone for your opinions.

 

However, none of you have given me a direct advice except splitting hairs.

 

Labrat,

 

I really do respect your opinions and thoughts but now i see that it's impossible to understand what i've been going through.Because every time you post something(somewhere) it ends up as a debate with you and some other guy who says the opposite.

 

I am a guy who is highly affected by this hair loss issue pshchologically and wanna do something about it. Please do not take this as an insult, but there is no way that you can understand my feelings.

 

Bill,

 

As being the wisest person ?± know about HT's, your opinions mean a lot to me since you had your first surgery when u were 27 which is not very far to my age.

 

MikeTheDane,

 

I started following your posts when I first see your signature "Young Lads Below 25 unite" and your pictures give a lot of inspiration to me both as we're at similar ages and i can consider a HT in europe since i live in Turkey.Thanks again for your interest, hope to be keep in touch.

 

As to sum, I really appreciate some direct advices about it, please that would mean a lot to me.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Azazelgs,

 

Sorry if my posts have confused you, but it's not wise to make the assumption that I can't understand what you're going through. On the contrary, I probably understand what you're going through even better than you do because I am 17 years older than you. There's a saying "been there, done that".

 

There is no quick fix, easy solution to MPB. Trust me, I WISH there was !! I thought by 2010 younger guys would have far better options than I did back in the 1990s. The truth is that HTs have come a long way, but donor supply is still a MAJOR problem and that hasn't changed at all. You said earlier that Jude Law's hair in that photo really bothered you. Jesus Christ dude, if THAT bothers you then you have no idea what REAL MPB will do to you !! In 5 years you may very well be DREAMING of having hair that looks half that good, and that is no exaggeration. You clearly have no idea yet the level of desperation that will result from advanced MPB !

 

HTs are still a huge gamble unfortunately for younger patients under 30 who truly show signs of heading to NW6/7. You may get a few good years out of a HT today, but if/when your MPB progresses badly then you'll be on the HT treadmill desperately chasing a "semi-normal appearence" and not even caring about your hairloss anymore.

 

There are a number of guys on the HT repair forums who had good modern work done 5-10 years ago, but are now spending thousands of dollars just to get all the HT hair on top lasered out. Why ? Because they became a NW6/7 and can no longer "hide" the fact they had HT work, and it looks very awkward in public. And they just don't have the donor and laxity of guys like Bill in order to get more surgeries and "fix" the problem. They are stuck, and it's like being the character in a Kafka novel compared to just normal baldness.

 

Dude, I'm not trying to scare you. You just haven't done enough research on this yet IMO, and it's obvious. Look harder for the "dark side" of HTs and you will indeed find some very discomforting cases out there. Go to the "repair" sections on various hairloss sites and see just how the guys who had HTs in their 20s feel now in their 30s since they progressed to NW6/7. It's a very desperate, sad crowd indeed who dreams of just being bald and shaving it down. And no, I'm not just talking about old plug jobs either.

[azazelgs]

labrat 69,

 

If i tell the things i told you to someone else, he would probably start sort of a "fight" rather than giving me that kind of sophisticated answer, so thank you very much.

 

I'd like to answer to you as much as i can so i hope everyone (especially you) can understand and give some advices about what i've been through.

 

You said earlier that Jude Law's hair in that photo really bothered you. Jesus Christ dude, if THAT bothers you then you have no idea what REAL MPB will do to you !!

 

What i ment was i really HATE that type of baldess, i wish my pattern wasn't like that.However, today i did some math to find out the approximate grafts i need and thanked god i have still some at the front for reducing the number, so i got your point just a few hours ago

 

 

HTs are still a huge gamble unfortunately for younger patients under 30 who truly show signs of heading to NW6/7. You may get a few good years out of a HT today, but if/when your MPB progresses badly then you'll be on the HT treadmill desperately chasing a "semi-normal appearence" and not even caring about your hairloss anymore.

 

As i told you before thats my biggest concern and only thing that keeps me away from that operation room. Sometimes i look to my self and say "i still look good, don't worry about it for a few years" but mostly when i see my self i say "what the hell happened to me just in two years?". I feel like nothing and my day becomes devaststated. I don't feel like myself, nothing starts to make me happy and everything that makes me "me" goes away, starting to become this neurotic, unconfident and a "complete looser" type of guy. Believe me, 3-4 years ago i was the exact opposite of that. So i think and i say "I'm 24, alone and pschologically unstable , so i must do something about it beacuse i don't wanna live like that".

 

 

Dude, I'm not trying to scare you. You just haven't done enough research on this yet IMO, and it's obvious. Look harder for the "dark side" of HTs and you will indeed find some very discomforting cases out there. Go to the "repair" sections on various hairloss sites and see just how the guys who had HTs in their 20s feel now in their 30s since they progressed to NW6/7

 

 

I've reached my 6 month mark on this website and spend hours and hours seeing and comparing results, reading posts and progresses, evaluating pros and cons. I know if you research about the term "Hair Transplant" it's ocean, endless information. So i won't stop my search about it.

 

I don't know if i told this before, I online-consulted with Dr. Rahal 2 months ago and he told me i'd need approximately 2500 grafts for my hairline. Then on , i talked with Adrian for like 20 times back and forth. I constantly stressed out about my age, my family pattern , usage of propecia, my donor density and asked very stupid questions. Many thanks to him, he answered all of my silly questions and explained to me about having this procedure , pros/cons and what to expect and what to not.

 

One of the first things i learned from this forum was top 3 docs in the world is Feller, Rahal, H&W (i'm sorry that makes 4) I've not seen a sigle negative comments about those related to results ,approaches and ethical issues. I really trust Dr. Rahal and Adrian and I concluded that we're both thinking about a long-term plan. I dont have a single doubt about Dr. Rahal's ethical approach, thats one thing i can trust of.

 

So what's my "worst-case scenenio? I'd give my shot with Rahal , maybe two or more sessions and if i max out my donor i'd fue my scar and shave it. But this gives me at least 10 years with my hair. "Doing nothing" right now makes me crazy , just know that.

 

Next week i'm planning to have a haircut down to #1 or 2 to first see my self how i look. I'll do my best to get used to it but if i don't , i'll look to my other options as soon as possible.

 

There's a saying "been there, done that".

 

If you been there, you'd probably know that there's nothing worse than being a man that you cannot recognise anymore and don't wanna live with. I don't wanna live like that, that's my main issue and i'll do whatever to get over this.

 

Again , thanks for your sincere reply.

[hdude46]

your post is so full of flaws i dont even know where to begin.

 

the goal of a ht shouldnt be to look good for 10 yrs, it should be to look good for the rest of your life. So u look good til 34, then what? you'll have another 40-50 yrs left of life. u will care how u look later in life. u are thinking very shortsighted right now..

 

the worst case scenrio is not as simple as u make it sound. what happens if u progress to a nw6 or 7? getting 2500 graphs in the temples at 24 is not very wise. i would get on propecia for a few yrs and see how u respond before going forward.

 

i know hair loss is hard thing to deal w/, and im not trying to trivialize it, but geez man it seems like u got deeper self esteem issues than what a ht can fix.

 

6 months is not a long time, ive been researching ht's for yrs. slow down and step off the ledge and dont make an emotional decision.

[Megatron]

azazelgs - I think everyone who experienced MPB at an early age, myself included, can relate on some level to what you're going through. It's one thing to be a NW3 at 40 and it's another thing to be a NW3 at 24. I completely understand that these are the years where you are going out, meeting women, hanging with friends etc...and MPB sucks as it relates to all that.

 

That said, being a NW3 isn't the end of the world either. You got to play the cards you've been dealt man. Simply put, the stress and depression doesn't help anything (perhaps it makes things worse) so I suggest you try and deal with that instead of hoping a HT will solve it.

 

On the bright side, I truly believe that HTs work give the greatest cosmetic benefit for NW 3 patients with a good crown, like you.

 

Of course, your age is a concern if you continue to experience aggressive hair loss. Are you on Rogaine/Propecia and if so for how long and has it stabilized your hair loss? If not, are you willing to commit to using Rogaine & Propecia for the next 10+ years?

 

ps. I agree that those docs you mentioned have the most impressive catalog of patient's results. But, that's not to say there aren't equally as good docs out there without as many patient blog results. Also, what looks good today may not stand the test of time if the doctor/patient haven't planned an appropriate LT hair loss strategy. Personally, I feel no one should seek a teenage hairline when doing a HT.