Considering HT, help needed (Bay area)

[Jason12]

Hi, all

 

I am 28. close to NW3 (crown only ) .I started to notice my hair recession (Crown) 5 years ago, but it went really bad 2 years ago. So I have been considering to have a HT.

 

Yesterday, I went to see a " hair doctor", who looks more like a sale manager to me; was told that I would only need one session, 2500 grafts for FUE, and the price tag was around $12000. not informative at all.

 

Going to have consultations with John Diep and Tom Rosanelli next month (John Diep has a long waiting list).

 

 

I wonder if someone can give me some opinions on these two surgeon (experience and cost),

if shaving my head is a better idea (a friend of mine did so)

if multiple HT will be the nightmare I will live with.

if 28 is too young for a HT (cause I may lose more hair in the future)

 

Will post a picture later tonight.

 

 

 

 

Update:

 

I am not on any meds; should I try Minoxidil, Rogaine (from what I have heard, they may slow it down, but dont really help)?

I have a cousin who start to lose his hair since he was 20; My dad start to lose his hair on the crown( yes same spot) 5 years ago (he is 57).

Edited February 1, 2018 by Jason12

[mikeyhwk]

do share the pics they will help us get an idea of your hair loss... but also some further information would help...are you on meds of any kind...what is the progression in the males of your family, your dad siblings etc.

 

28 is on the young side but it's also not so young that a transplant couldn't be done but you have a long road ahead of you in this life...follow up procedures are almost always a given but especially at your age you can expect multiple procedures during your life as progression will continue. If you want the least costly least stressful road shave your head and if it looks good and you can live with it, do that...but if you want hair then by all means share more info and get in to see the top docs, and get more consultations so you can get a clearer picture of what your options are what your future could look like.

 

Diep is a great choice, his track record and results are top notch, he's got lots of patient reports on this forum, cost wise it's higher than what you were quoted for 2500 grafts, think more 7-10 us per graft for fue, it used to be 7 when I talked to him but recent reports say he may have bumped his pricing so not 100% sure what it is today. I say that with the caveat that you're thinking fue...if you're thinking fut then you might want to look at some other options. Even if you're not considering fut it would be a good idea to meet with some docs who do both surgeries well and see if they think you may be better suited to one surgery vs the other. I don't know much of Rosenelli other than he had an unhappy patient on these forums, don't be locked down by location, Diep being in your backyard is a bonus but limiting your options because of proximity is usually one of the ways guys end up with hacks, go to where the best are and talk to them.

[Jason12]

follow up procedures are almost always a given but especially at your age you can expect multiple procedures during your life as progression will continue..

 

Really appreciate your informative comments

 

except the cost of time and money, this is one the reasons why I am hesitating; I dont know if I am strong enough to fight hair loss for the rest of my life.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Jason,

 

Welcome to our hair restoration forum. Unless you plan on shaving the sides and back of your head (which it doesn't appear so based on your long hair), you might want to consider going with strip surgery. It's still state of the art and while you will have a linear scar, in the right surgical hands, it won't be visible, even with a pretty short hair cut. FUE is not scarless but don't get me wrong, it is a viable technique and many of our recommended physicians perform it terrifically.

 

I can't see your donor hair but you do look like a candidate for hair transplant surgery to me - as long as you understand that the crown in particular is usually referred to as the "bottomless pit" because it's almost impossible to obtain "full" density there. That said, you can certain improve the look and feel with hair restoration surgery.

 

I recommend using this forum to search for results and consulting with some of our recommended hair transplant surgeons.

 

P.S. Dr. John Diep is outstanding with FUE. To be honest, I haven't seen much of Dr. Rosanelli's FUE however, he is a great surgeon in general which is why he's recommended here.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Jason12]

wonder if minoxidil is worth to give a shot.

Anyone using minoxidil can give me some heads up?

[mikeyhwk]

Really appreciate your informative comments

 

except the cost of time and money, this is one the reasons why I am hesitating; I dont know if I am strong enough to fight hair loss for the rest of my life.

 

it is a big decision and one you need to weigh carefully because once you're down transplant road, you've obligated yourself to it. It is a large investment of time, money and factor in the annoyance of having to take and stay on meds, it can be not worth it to some. I wish I had shaved my head prior and seen if i could live with it but I was convinced I would look terrible, turns out I looked great which I found out while they were shaving my head right before my fue procedure If you can live with a shaved head and it suits you, then strongly consider it. I can tell you for me, despite looking good with a shaved head, I don't regret for a day that I did my procedures. I was in Mexico over new years not wearing a hat, not worried about coming out of the pool and exposing my thinning spot, I'm dating hotter and younger women, it's taken years off me, I'm more confident, it's changed my life. So I can understand why someone would get it and why they wouldn't want to as well but you need to weigh what doing the transplant would mean for your life, would it change anything and if that cost and lifetime investment are worth what you'd get out of it.

[mikeyhwk]

wonder if minoxidil is worth to give a shot.

Anyone using minoxidil can give me some heads up?

 

Some guys get good results from it, others like myself not so much, created a lot of inflammation on my scalp. I had a couple prominent transplant docs tell me they were not huge fans of it but it is worth a shot to see if it can help you.