Good candidate for a crown job? - plus images

[letsgetitdone]

Hi everyone!

 

I'd really appreciate your opinion since after years of dealing with my hair and after lurking for a while here, I want to take the plunge and do a FUE on my crown + possible hairline. The crown has been bugging me for years and is my main concern. i'm looking to fill it up completely.

 

I was on Propecia for 8 years before stopping, had a massive shed and gotten from only crown to this crown + diffused state (btw what NW am I?) and now I'm on the meds again. I've added images of both dry and wet hair. In reality my hair looks better (I took the photos under a very bright light).

 

Am I a good candidate? is it possible to get a full head of hair again (how many grafts to fill crown?)?. I'm in the look for a top crown surgeon but even after weeks of researching I still don't see great FUE crown jobs. Money is not a concern (I'm in Europe and willing to travel if necessary).

 

Your thoughts?

[ontop]

This time I would definitely stick with meds especially when your still in your late 20s.

Remember, taking Medications is a life long commitment & you will get a shed from time to time, especially at the very start.

 

The crown is notorious to suck up a lot of your donor bank & for you could be around the 3k plus, take a look at lorenzo in spain, or HDC clinic in cyprus.

[letsgetitdone]

Yes I'm not leaving Propecia any time soon now. Got a bad reaction to either Minox or Nizoral that has caused Folicutis after one application (now I'm on antibiotics). I want to fully commit, but in my state I can't even style my hair and my crown is completely bald.

 

I gotta get a FUE either way (if not then it stays in my donor area so what's the point of that). Never heard of these docs, gotta do a research on them. What about Rahal and dr. Feriduni?

[azakdan2682]

If you are looking to get both areas done it is likely going to take multiple surgeries and may not be able to do it all in one year. It is certainly possible from what I have gathered. May want to look into a product called adenogen. It is like minox, just no side affects. I am not sure if it would help the crown now since it is pretty much bald, but could help other thinning areas. Your hairline looks intact, just need to do some density packing.

[Melvin- Admin]

Honestly you're not a good candidate for a crown restoration, you're 29 years old, typically most surgeons don't want to perform the surgery till at least 35 years of age but some won't do it till you're 40.

 

From the photos i can tell that you're destined to be Norwood 5-6, basically all of the hair on the top is miniaturized you have diffuse hair loss, I know I have the same type of hair loss, often we underestimate our baldness because of the hairline, but make not mistake about it you will have extensive balding down the line. Keeping finasteride will certainly help delay it, but inevitably the top will go.

 

In hair restoration you have to really think critically and carefully about how you utilize your grafts. You have to consider the future and the fact that grafts are finite in number, coming up with a "master plan" is essential. Now I can tell you that the crown is the least important part of hair restoration. You want to make sure you address the hairline and midscalp first and foremost, I would monitor your situation for at least another 6 months, then meet up with a hair restoration doctor and devise a master plan. I would caution doing your crown at this point especially since there is a good chance it may open up wider and then you'll have what's referred to as a "donut hole" all the best.

[letsgetitdone]

Honestly you're not a good candidate for a crown restoration, you're 29 years old, typically most surgeons don't want to perform the surgery till at least 35 years of age but some won't do it till you're 40.

 

From the photos i can tell that you're destined to be Norwood 5-6, basically all of the hair on the top is miniaturized you have diffuse hair loss, I know I have the same type of hair loss, often we underestimate our baldness because of the hairline, but make not mistake about it you will have extensive balding down the line. Keeping finasteride will certainly help delay it, but inevitably the top will go.

 

In hair restoration you have to really think critically and carefully about how you utilize your grafts. You have to consider the future and the fact that grafts are finite in number, coming up with a "master plan" is essential. Now I can tell you that the crown is the least important part of hair restoration. You want to make sure you address the hairline and midscalp first and foremost, I would monitor your situation for at least another 6 months, then meet up with a hair restoration doctor and devise a master plan. I would caution doing your crown at this point especially since there is a good chance it may open up wider and then you'll have what's referred to as a "donut hole" all the best.

 

I've seen your posts (in detail) a few weeks ago and I get what you and others are saying (and the reasoning behind it which is logical). But I know that my hair responds well to Propecia, since I've been using it for years, and if I stick to it and have a crown FUE then maybe the glory days will shine once again upon me.

 

I see people doing crowns at 22-25, I didn't think this was a special thing, I mean I know my status is bad but I've seen worse (I think?). I can't stress how my crown bothers me and it has a major effect on my self-esteem to be honest (conscious about it every single day). I'm not going to sit until I'm 35 (or 6 months for that matter).

 

I would rather do a crown job and run on the premise that in the future we would be able to multiply unites using stem cell research. What do you think?

[1978matt]

It looks like you're a NW5 and as such require about 5000 grafts. Yes you do have hair left but it seems a bit on the thin side and likely to go at some stage, even with Fin.

 

If you wear your hair anywhere near that sort of length then I'd say go to a doctor and get 4000+FUT. High quality grafts and no nonsense!

 

I would only touch the crown as part of a session that also tackles the frontal loss. It's never going to be very dense back there (probably 10 grafts per cm2) but at least you will have hair and the option of concealers if it really bothers you. Work around the shape of your current hairline and avoid trying to drop it too low.

[letsgetitdone]

It looks like you're a NW5 and as such require about 5000 grafts. Yes you do have hair left but it seems a bit on the thin side and likely to go at some stage, even with Fin.

 

If you wear your hair anywhere near that sort of length then I'd say go to a doctor and get 4000+FUT. High quality grafts and no nonsense!

 

I would only touch the crown as part of a session that also tackles the frontal loss. It's never going to be very dense back there (probably 10 grafts per cm2) but at least you will have hair and the option of concealers if it really bothers you. Work around the shape of your current hairline and avoid trying to drop it too low.

 

Hey Matt, thanks for the reply. I went through your journey thread +vid and was really impressed!. I added a flattering pic (this is how I usually look), are you sure I'm nw5?. I see what you say about tackling the frontal loss. do you think I could pull off a pushed back hair style of high hairline-forelock density to cover the back or is this wishful thinking?

 

I'm inclined to do a FUE because if my condition becomes worse I'd want the option to shave it all off.

[lorenzo]

I'm inclined to do a FUE because if my condition becomes worse I'd want the option to shave it all off.

You are able to cut your hair very short if you have done FUE. Whether it is noticeable if you shave it depends on a few factors. How you heal and the color of your skin. FUE is not a scarless technique so you will see in most cases white dots. How noticeable depends on the number of grafts, the type of FUE a clinics does and your healing. I can't picture any doctor guaranteeing that you can shave your heads and not notice the dots. You could always shave your head now and do SMP and see how you like it.

Having said that I agree with a lot of what the posters are saying. If you take meds and have a transplant in the crown it probably will maintain and it will have a big cosmetic difference. The second you quite meds there is a strong possibility you will continue to lose hair in the crown and the area will expand. Therefore to avoid having an island of transplant hair surround by no hair you would have to have another transplant if your donor allows it.

Based on the photos you first showed I agree with Matt. You are an NW5 and without meds could even head towards a 6.

Good luck!

[farmcat]

Look at Dr. Lorenzo in Spain....

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZReMHLJtrmN2DPZWsP98-A

 

 

he does great crown work.....I had 2751 grafts in my crown (NW6) and my results are great (in my opinion).....there is a 2751 crown case on his youtube channel but that is not me

[JON86]

Honestly you're not a good candidate for a crown restoration, you're 29 years old, typically most surgeons don't want to perform the surgery till at least 35 years of age but some won't do it till you're 40.

 

From the photos i can tell that you're destined to be Norwood 5-6, basically all of the hair on the top is miniaturized you have diffuse hair loss, I know I have the same type of hair loss, often we underestimate our baldness because of the hairline, but make not mistake about it you will have extensive balding down the line. Keeping finasteride will certainly help delay it, but inevitably the top will go.

 

In hair restoration you have to really think critically and carefully about how you utilize your grafts. You have to consider the future and the fact that grafts are finite in number, coming up with a "master plan" is essential. Now I can tell you that the crown is the least important part of hair restoration. You want to make sure you address the hairline and midscalp first and foremost, I would monitor your situation for at least another 6 months, then meet up with a hair restoration doctor and devise a master plan. I would caution doing your crown at this point especially since there is a good chance it may open up wider and then you'll have what's referred to as a "donut hole" all the best.

 

I agree 100% with this advice and he knows what he is talking about . If you look at his pictures you will see the smart approach for someone that is a high norwood number. Also consider this . Propecia can stop being effective some report it loses benefits in five to ten years. I recently had an fut and my doctor had one of the best repair jobs on this site I have seen. The patient had transplants at a young age then lost his lateral humps when he got older. My doctor told me the patient was lucky that in his prior surgeries they did not go too aggressive with the hair line or waste hair in the crown. He was lucky he had enough grafts left. The crown is called the black hole for a reason it eats up a ton of grafts. Nobody is trying to scare you just giving you opinions. Keep doing research and consult with several doctors. Also you may want to do some research on shock loss. With a diffuse pattern a transplant can cause you to lose the hair that is already shrinking. Don't put much faith in cloning or other false claims. We have all been reading the same stories about growing hair on mice for years. You still have a lot of hair hopefully propecia can maintain it for a long time. Nobody is saying you can't have your crown done just be smart and research, research, research. Meet with a couple of quality doctors and compare what they say.

[Shampoo]

If you wear your hair anywhere near that sort of length then I'd say go to a doctor and get 4000+FUT. High quality grafts and no nonsense! I would only touch the crown as part of a session that also tackles the frontal loss. It's never going to be very dense back there (probably 10 grafts per cm2) but at least you will have hair and the option of concealers if it really bothers you.

 

Wise words. Go with an elite doctor because with your level of loss at your age you can't afford any mistakes. Also with an elite surgeon you can stay with the same doctor because you are going to over time need multiple surgeries. Stay on meds. For the time being Nanogen concealer would mostly "solve" your crown issue, but Nanogen is addictive, pricey, and I am a bit concerned about the health issues of breathing the fibers long term.