considering hair transplant

[densehair2016]

Hi, I'm 38 years young, was losing hair for last 10 years or so and it seems my hair loss is more or less stabilized now.

I'm looking at possible treatments for this potentially a hair transplant.

Pls can you advise the best ways for me to restore most of the hair.

[Tech123]

Hi,

 

I've had 2 FUE procedures with mixed reviews so here are my thoughts.

 

First one I took the cheap route to Turkey via Longvita. Reading through the website they had doctors who'd done thousands of procedures so all looked good, all for the third of the price you'd pay in the UK - 2000 pounds inclusive for 3000 grafts.

 

I had my consultation via phone and photos sent, paid my money and went for my procedure. When I landed there as expected had people pick me up and take me to my hotel first, then onto the clinic.

 

At this point my first concerns started to appear. I saw the Doctor for all of a couple of minutes and then went down to the surgery area, where a outline was drawn for where I'd like my hairline. The interpreter who was supposed to be there was ill, so language was an issue.

 

The procedure itself was carried out by assistants and the Doctor who was advertised as the one who done the surgery was no where to be seen. In the end I had 2000 grafts done because 3000 was not required. My head was shaved and the downtime was about 6 months to get back to normal with a full head of hair.

 

The results, well they were mixed where in one particular area I did not get the density I had specifically asked for.

 

The moral, you only get what you pay for; my suspicion with these places is they pay Doctors to advertise themselves but are not even involved in the surgery of your hair, hence the reason they are so cheap. It's not worth the risks and if you cannot afford it, wait until you can.

 

I had my second procedure in the UK via Rejuvenate clinic in Harley street, wow what a totally different experience. The surgeon who was well know in the industry with his assistant who been working with him for 20 years did the procedure. This was done using UFUE (where they do not need to shave the hair) because the surgeon is skilled enough to do it without the hair shaved.

 

I was awake all of the time and they talked to me through the entire procedure. I am confident the results will be good and expect them to become visible in the next couple of months. The downtime was 1 week apposed to 6 months before, what a difference a good surgeon makes.

 

I also have the phone number available for aftercare if required, not that I have needed it yet.

 

 

One final point, if you are doing a procedure expect to do more then one to get the desired results. It will probably take 2-3 procedures to get the desired results, anyone telling you otherwise is not being truthful. This is because whilst the implanted hair will not fall out, your existing hair will do with male pattern hair loss, so further surgery will be required.

 

I hope the above help.

[gillenator]

Looks like your first post so welcome to this community...

 

Just wanted to say that from your photos, you have a diffused thinning pattern throughout the top of your entire scalp...and so the risk of having transplant surgery would potentially be shock loss.

 

You may want to look at restoring the frontal third to start with and not sure if you have started meds like low dose finasteride, but that could help stabilize the loss in the mid-scalp and crown and buy you some time.

 

Definitely get some multiple opinions and have your donor zone evaluated in person before making any decisions related to surgery.

[dagwood]

You might want to think of a strategy. Coverage on what part of the scalp is a priority to you? personally, I transplanted my hairline because it effects my appearance the most. Also , the back of the scalp was such a big bald/thin spot that it would have depleted my donor supply. So the rest of the scalp I wanted to try restoring with treatment (fin,minox,nizoral).

 

It took less than a year for my hair to look almost full. treatment can really work.

 

in the future I might need another transplant, if the meds cant keep my hair. Im working my way from the front(hairline) to the back. At some point I might have to just leave the back bald if it gets bad again.

Edited February 18, 2017 by dagwood

[ArochaHair]

It looks like you have a dense donor region so I don't think donor supply is an issue. This means you have a lot of donor hair to address your loss.

 

Surgical hair restoration can be a wonderful procedure but you should look into preventive measures before you decide to have surgery. Consider minoxidil and finasteride to halt your loss or else your loss will continue. It may seem like it has stabilized but it has not, especially with you being only 38 years old.

 

Consider the two types of procedures that are available, strip and FUE, and decide which is best for you. The only things to consider are:

 

1. Cost. FUE is generally more expensive than strip (FUT) but it also depends on where you go.

2. Your preferred hair style. If you prefer a shorter cut, #3 guard or shorter, FUE may be better because you can get away with shorter hairstyles and not have to worry about the linear scar from strip. If you don't care to have your hair so short then strip may be the better choice.

 

Don't rush into a surgical decision. Take your time and learn what you can about the pros and cons of options that are presented to you. Visit as many doctors as you can for one on one consultations and ask to meet former patients so you can judge for yourself what results look like from each clinic.

[Speegs]

Hello and welcome!

 

As a few have already asked before, are you on finasteride? Because if not I'd hesitate to say your hair loss is stabilized.

 

I recommend you get on that pronto if you aren't, give it a few months to see if it's working and if it even helps you regain any hair, it sometimes can.

 

As for restoring what you've lost beyond that, a transplant is possible.

 

I'd recommend exploring an FUT procedure as your first option, this will help you harness as much donor hair as possible both now and with an eye on the future if it's decided you need more than one procedure.

 

FUT is considered by many to be a wise course of action for a first hair transplant if you have a significant portion of scalp to tackle with coverage and density.

 

FUE in my humble estimation, is best used for small cases and/or if FUT is no longer an option for physiological reasons such as a tight scalp or if you've maximized your use of FUT strips from past procedures.

 

As others have advised, take your time with research, do not rush this decision. It is a permanent and lifestyle altering one, it can greatly augment your appearance in the right hands, and leave you very frustrated if done incorrectly.

 

It's a decision that represents a lot of investment in trust, capital, patience and time and you don't want to exhaust or squander any of those on a rushed decision.

[densehair2016]

Hi,I have started using rogaine foam (5% minoxidil) but after just using it for a week have started noticing ED symptoms.

 

I've not previously had any of these issues and since this is the only medicine i'm taking i have noticed a significant difference.

 

I've stopped using it for a week and things are getting back to normal. Although minoxidil does not talk sexual sides, it seems it does happen to some people.

 

I'm not sure if i should get back to it or try a different medicine. Pls advise.

[Hairprincess]

It looks like you would be a good candidate for surgery, its hard to tell if the donor area is dense based on the photos. I think it would be a good idea to look into prevention methods like finasteride and rogaine. If you are having the issues with the Rogaine its best to discontinue. You should make an appt with a local Dermatologist and see what your options are. There is also a laser cap that could be very helpful as well. Make sure to do your research when looking for a HT Doc!

Good Luck!

[gillenator]

Hi,I have started using rogaine foam (5% minoxidil) but after just using it for a week have started noticing ED symptoms.

 

I've not previously had any of these issues and since this is the only medicine i'm taking i have noticed a significant difference.

 

I've stopped using it for a week and things are getting back to normal. Although minoxidil does not talk sexual sides, it seems it does happen to some people.

 

I'm not sure if i should get back to it or try a different medicine. Pls advise.

 

That's the first time I have heard of that side effect for someone using minoxidil.

[Anayahismail]

i think you would be the great candidate for surgery. According to my knowledge, there are two types of method one surgical and other one is non surgical . FUT,FUE and robotic hair transplant are the surgical methods while mesotherapy for hair regrowth , scalp pigmentation and PRP and ACell are non surgical treatments. First, i would recommend that you should look into the non surgical treatment after that you should go for surgical treatments.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Densehair2016,

 

It's interesting because I was just about to reply about how dense the hair on the sides and back of your scalp looks in the picture and then I noticed that your alias is dense hair. Hopefully, your hair is as dense in real life as it appears in the picture. If it is, you may be a very good candidate for a large hair transplant mega session with one of our outstanding physicians. I encourage you to spend some time researching physicians on this discussion forum and then choosing one that you are most impressed with. Each physician has their own specialty, in your case, I would personally go with the physician who specializes in FUT mega sessions. FUE is great too, but unless you plan on completely shaving the sides and back of your scalp, that's probably not the procedure for you although only you can determine what's best for your needs. As for me, I would rather go with maximizing my available toner hair for transplanting, in which case, FUT is the best for start and then maybe going to FUE if you need it.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill