Advice appreciated (with pics)

[HarryHonolulu]

Hey everybody – I am in the thick of hair restoration research – pun intended – and I would love to hear some thoughts from members of this wonderful group.

 

I am 35 years old, I have been losing hair since I was in my early 20s but it was quite stable and simply looked like a very noticeable receding hair line. Over the past couple of years the hair loss has become quite obvious and I have been using concealers – which saved my ass – as well as Minoxydil and Propecia.

 

I have been consulting with a couple of very good surgeons and the bottom line is that I really hate the idea of a linear scar. If it is it all avoidable without sacrificing a successful result, there is no doubt that I would go down the FUE road instead.

 

I’m just wondering whether given that I would need a large number of grafts this case is not FUE- recommended. I heard different things from different people, some even saying that FUE can be done in larger cases such as mine, the scarring is on a different level compared to FUT (I.e. minimal), and that the results are just as good because ultimately it all comes down to graft placement and who is doing the surgery.

 

I am posting pictures and would absolutely love to hear everybody’s thoughts. This is so helpful.

Edited March 18, 2018 by HarryHonolulu

[velton33]

Hey Harry

 

There are certainly members on here far more knowledgeable than I, but in my mind it comes down a few important factors.

 

Personally I opted for FUT and my reasoning for doing so was mainly two-fold. I have an aggressive hair loss pattern (destined to be a high norwood) and, perhaps even more importantly in my case, the shape of my head. Whereas many can pull of the shaved look with very aesthetically pleasing results, sadly I will never be able to do that successfully.

 

This fact coupled with not wanting to deplete my donor area in case of future loss made FUT and easy choice for me personally. I will never shave it all off, so having a hard to spot linear scar somewhere is not an issue for me. That being said, I have seen some amazing FUE results on this forum and I think that with both procedures it comes down to the skill of the surgeon performing the surgery as well as genetics and all those factors.

 

Even with Propecia it is impossible to say whether any further hair loss will occur further down the line and so I always say that it is best to assume the worst and err on the side of caution. In your case, I think you need to ask yourself whether you think you might shave it all off at any point, in which case a FUT scar would not look good. If not and you do not intend to wear your hair particularly short, I think FUT would be a safer course of action in terms of getting more grafts etc.

 

Whatever you choose to do I think you should be able to get excellent results in the right hands. Hopefully more experienced hands will chip in as well and give their two cents. Keep us posted on what you decide to do. Wish you all the best

[Bill - Seemiller]

Harry,

 

Unless I'm missing something, I'm a little confused. There are 2 photos you've posted that make it look like you have almost a full head of hair with only a little crown thinning while the others make it look like you've lost a lot more hair. Which one is you? Or are the pictures with a lot more hair you from a long time ago?

 

At 35 years old, your hair loss may have stabilized but it's also possible that you'll lose the rest of your natural hair in the surrounding areas. I know that's what happened to me but I was only 27 when I had my first hair transplant.

 

If you are not afraid of a linear scar that will likely be well concealed even when wearing your hair short, I suggest going with "FUT/FUSS" (Follicular unit Transplantation/Follicular Unit Strip Surgery). FUT/FUE (Follicular Unit Transplantation/Follicular Unit Excision - formerly Extraction) will likely take longer for you to get the head of hair you wish and will still create scarring (though a different kind). In my opinion, consult with a few leading hair restoration physicians that are recommended by this community (see the drop down box on the right hand side) and see what they have to say.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[HarryHonolulu]

Bill,

 

It's all me, and it's all from the same "photo session" !

 

I don't know what to say except ... hopefully I'm closer to the full head of hair than the other version of me !! Lol!!

 

In all honesty I am definitely a NW 4. My hair is quite thick and curly so maybe that helps depending on lighting. It's also amazing how much a thickening shampoo can help to maximize the little hair I have on top.

 

(annoyingly the photos rotated in all sorts of weird ways when I posted them)

 

I was all about FUT but after lots of pondering I've concluded that the scar really does upset me. as much as I get that both procedures result in scarring, FUE (especially in the hands of a good surgeon) seems way less invasive than FUT.

 

who are some of your fav FUE surgeons, regardless of location?

[Melvin- Admin]

Hi Harry,

Although most would agree that FUT is a good starting point, it is not always the end all be all, you can start with FUE, just know that you will need more surgeries to achieve the same result, if this is a fair trade off to you, than you should begin researching surgeons. A great starting point is by researching recommended surgeons here https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/hair-loss-doctors.asp

Remember this is just a starting point, utilize this forum to look patient reviews, go on YouTube to see if any one has published their results, reach out past patients of the doctors you are interested in, and always make sure that the results you are seeing are comparable to your situation, for example, if you see someone who was a Norwood II get 1,500 grafts to their hairline and now they look like Brad Pitt, that is a complete different situation than the one you're in, this seems like common sense but video marketing could sway you. Good luck on your research.

[mattj]

I think Bill is looking at your donor area. With the rotated photos, it does look like we're seeing the top of your head.

 

Your hairloss isn't as severe as I was expecting (on the basis of you saying elsewhere that you're a NW5) but you're still probably looking at in excess of 4000 grafts to achieve a reconstructed hairline and good density throughout. It really depends upon how far back to the crown you want to go.