Is a HT really worth it ?

[sivy28]

Hi from the information ive gathered off this and other sites im beginning to question whether all the cost effort and trauma one goes through having a ht is really worth it .

 

it seems nearly all will not be happy with just one ht Spex will back me on this , so after everything you have to go through most are not happy with density and will need a second pass or possible 3rd . It seems once you have been sucked in theres no going back . this is also true if you shave your head as most cannot shave right down to 0 after a ht so its a one way journey

 

there is also the risk that it might not work anyway, with lots of factors affecting whether the outcome will be good but then even if it is you will still want a second pass.

 

then you will also have to face a life on meds which have potential side effects which affect the quality of life for some .

 

I can see the temptation of ht's but it is making me think now are you just better off shaving and getting on with it ? unless i am picking up on a disproportionate number of unhappy people due to the nature of forums to vent complaints ?

 

to be honest though i do seem to see lots of posts of people with see through hair not too happy to be told its because of their expectations ?

 

I hope im wrong as im booked in in a few weeks and dont know which way to go at the moment

 

sivy

[mav23100gunther]

Yes, it completely transformed my life and made me look a decade younger. Best thing I ever did and money well spent.

[Spanker]

If your profile is right, a 51 year old norwood 3 is a prime candidate for a ht. I really idsagree that most peoole are unhappy with their transplant. Look at what spex used to look like compare to now. I've had 4 good years with one. As in a thread earlier this week. The happest patients are usually older or on meds IMO. Ht will not give you native density. But a lot of people are happy with them.

 

However, if you can shave your head and move on, I always suggest that. Saves you money and surgerys. No doubt that if that is something you can handle well, its the way to go.

[B1gM1ke]

I had my hair transplant nearly 6 months ago and I feel like it has already made a big difference for me. I was a norwood 4 heading 5 pretty fast and the worst part of it was seeing myself in pictures taken during the holidays or special events and seeing my hairline getting progressively worst.

 

I look forward to every haircut I get because I get to see the transplanted hairs growing in and blending in better with the rest of my hair. I usually get a number 6 cut at the barber.

 

Also, I started finasteride over 6 months ago and can see it making a difference in my crown area.

[voxman]

66 going on 67 and I love my hair. Of course, I love my self too so that helps.

[Mikey1970]

I have seen the good & bad. If a person has significant loss and goes with a great surgeon the results can be fantastic & a big boost to confidence/self esteem.

 

If however the person has minimal loss & has perfectionist traits HT's can be dangerous. Small surgeries can lead to shock loss & a worse outcome, which lead to further surgeries & the person can find themselves on the merrygo'round.

[TakingThePlunge]

Speaking for myself, it was 100% worth it. Every time I see an old pic of me before my hair transplants I'm shocked. My only regret is that I didn't do it earlier.

[ndubya]

My wife was baffled when I told her that I wanted to get a transplant. She told me that I didn't need Anything done. She went with me and supported me the whole way thru(awesome woman). I showed her pics of my pre-op a while ago and she was stunned at the difference. She said"omg, I really never noticed you had hair loss, but dang, what a difference".

She said I went from "Hot" to "Super-Mega- Ultra Hot":D:rolleyes:

But, seriously, she said although she was against it at first she thinks it was a good move.

Confidence is up.

Find a good doc and do something about your hair loss, gentlemen! !

[sivy28]

its great guys to here some positive outcomes , are these after 1 HT or multiple ? , it would be interesting to find out what is the main cause of the second pass , is it just hair greed , or because most are unhappy with the density of what a fue / fut gives ?

 

Im a norwood 3a i think really, i have a solid donor never took any meds and i can see now that as things are starting to thin a bit more on the top and middle id be a good case for fin to halt this .

im not a perfectionist so wouldnt expect a 22 year olds density and hairline , i would be embarrassed to think people knew i was vain enough to have a HT , even for my own family apart from my wife she supports it .

Im weighing it all up at the moment , ive lost my hairline since 29 and hated the way i look on photos etc and the thought of getting a hairline back would be fantastic .

at 51 , and in a happy marriage , my wife likes me either way hair or shaved , but saying that i secretly think she prefers me with hair , but really its about me , my esteem confidence etc.

im at the point of pulling out , not because of fear , ive had other surgery before its not that kind of fear , its the fear of is it worth it going through all that , especially the first 4 months , then to end up with an outcome ive got to fill in again , but with this it could end up worse eg people being able to tell youve had a HT due to it looking unnatural . but then you are stuck as you cant shave , and need to pursue fin and more surgery bloody hell its a gamble when you look at it past the odd one or 2 fantastic results .

On the other hand though that glimmer of hope to have a hairline again and the feeling it could bring is what drives us on i suppose i guess thats why im here i just wish it wasnt such a big gamble.

Edited October 1, 2016 by sivy28

[sivy28]

spanker ive looked at your profile too mate , wow great result , what do you mean when you say 4 good years ? also it would have been easy for you to hide having one done as you had a great amount of hair to start and you didnt get it shaved exposing great big red patches on your head and looking freakish. most with more extensive balding wouldnt be able to do that so its a much bigger trauma to go through .

heres another though when we get really old what happens then are left with odd bits of transplanted hair in the front and a scarred bald head ? or will we need to keep having adjustments until we are planted too lol.

[ndubya]

spanker ive looked at your profile too mate , wow great result , what do you mean when you say 4 good years ? also it would have been easy for you to hide having one done as you had a great amount of hair to start and you didnt get it shaved exposing great big red patches on your head and looking freakish. most with more extensive balding wouldnt be able to do that so its a much bigger trauma to go through .

heres another though when we get really old what happens then are left with odd bits of transplanted hair in the front and a scarred bald head ? or will we need to keep having adjustments until we are planted too lol.

 

If you want to look "right" then yes you will have to keep having more procedures. God Willing and Donor Willing

 

I know you were addressing Spanker, just my .02 cents

[Spanker]

will we need to keep having adjustments until we are planted too lol.

 

Haha. Well, yes? Kind of? It depends.

 

Usually, I think that you are looking at about 3 transplants over a lifetime if you are very young, and for the 50 and older crowd 1 to 2. I think that your hairloss and your expectations/needs decrease as you get older. If you are say a NW4 or above, your doc will likely implant you so that you always look normal even if you never get another transplant (just less hair), For the low norwoods that still had their forelock like me, that is something that you can't really do without and if you lose it, you will need to go back and get that filled in for a natural look. As far as 4 good years, that just means that is how long ago I got transplanted. When you think about it, it is actually a substantial period of your adult like to look good and feel good about your hair. It is still going strong and I am not planning a touchup (which I do not NEED but it would just be icing on the cake) for another 2 years.

 

I think that transplants are great, but especially for guys in your age bracket. It is like a second lease. I was 32 and had enough hair that if felt great, but it wasn't life changing.

[Melvin- Admin]

I think it all depends on your expectations, some one who's older and has minor hair loss is probably able to look like they're not balding at all, in that sense I agree with Spanker, however in my personal experience I knew going in to it I would never have total coverage with good density, what I have achieved thus far has completely transformed my life for the better, because my expectations were realistic going in to it I've actually been surprised by my results in a good way.

 

In my opinion any man that understands the limitations of surgery and has realistic expectations is the prime candidate.

[sivy28]

nicely said htsoon , to be honest as i said im not expecting a youth hairline , im 51 its my temples that are gone and i think now the forelock is thinning a little if i could get an acceptable hairline eg nothing looking unnatural with enough hair so it dosnt look wispy or see through then id be well chuffed i wouldnt want to have to keep chasing more hair , is it possible to get this first time round or is it just the lucky rare cases

[Melvin- Admin]

nicely said htsoon , to be honest as i said im not expecting a youth hairline , im 51 its my temples that are gone and i think now the forelock is thinning a little if i could get an acceptable hairline eg nothing looking unnatural with enough hair so it dosnt look wispy or see through then id be well chuffed i wouldnt want to have to keep chasing more hair , is it possible to get this first time round or is it just the lucky rare cases

 

Of course it's possible take a look at the many examples on this site, I documented my hairline surgery take a look at my photos. I think the vast majority of men who are unhappy with their results are young men who had surgery too young and now don't have enough donor to cover the rest of their head, or men with very minor hair loss with unrealistic expectations.

 

It's important to remember hair transplants do not stop hair loss, you're a Norwood 3 now but what if you start to bald in your crown or midscalp? This is why men get multiple procedures, even at age 51 it is a possibility you may require another surgery in your lifetime keep that in mind, especially since you are not taking hair loss medications.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Melvin-HTsoon