Opinions regarding a potential HT

[Daniel2037]

Hi all, 

This is Daniel. I have been spending a lot of time on this forum and I have finally decided to create a topic and ask for some advice. 

I am currently 34 years old and I have been considering hair transplant for a while. My family has always been trying to dissuade me, saying that it's way too early. 

I have attached a few photos and would like to know your view. 

 

Just a few things to have in mind: 

I have done a few online consultations with a few doctors who recommended FUE and 2000 to 2500 graphs (2 sides and midscalp).

One of them mentionned he could see some miniaturisation but wasn't sure and recommended a face to face consultation to make sure of it. 

Another thing to mention is that I am not willing to take finasteride. 

Knowing all this (no finasteride and possible miniaturisation) I am wondering if a HT would help or not.  I am particularly concerned about shock loss and am worried I could end up having only the new transplanted hair on my scalp.. I usually manage to hide my baldness so don't want the HT to do more harm than good. 

English is not my first language so apologies if there are any mistakes. 

Thanks in advance for your comments/advice.

Cheers. 

[Sean]

Daniel, this brings back memories when I see your case.  I had more native hair then you.  You seem to have decent donor and probably may have above average density.  

Your hairs are finer then some other folks hair textures.  If you do undergo FUE, it has to be done very delicately.  And heat, torsion, unsatisfactory surgical protocol for your hair type can put your graft yield in  Jeapordy.  

I would research a little more at what is the best route to take.  Probably would reach out and do consults with AT LEAST 10 surgeons to see what each say.  Definitely be weary of any dense packing suggestions and other methods.  Donor is limited, you have to plan carefully.  

One advantage you may have is the amount of ones and hair texture you probably have can create a really natural looking hairline if done right.  

Do not get confused between what is marketed and what is actually achievable for YOUR OWN hair type.  Tread carefully and best of luck.  I really mean that.

[Daniel2037]

Thanks very much for your advice and support Sean. 

My plan is to go with one of the recommended physicians (I am thinking Dr. Wu in Taiwan) to make sure the HR is done properly. 

Also, following your advice, I have been doing a few other consultations. One of the doctor recommended to be conservative and mention 1200 to 1300 graphs to cover the temporal area. Knowing I won't use Finateride he insisted in not doing the mid scalp area because planting grafts between existing hair could be causing a shock loss.  

I am wondering if this could be the good approach? This would also mean undergoing a second surgery in a few years. 

Attached a few additional photos of my  hair wet and combed backwards to expose the problem 

[Legend007]

Run from the clinic that recommended 1200 grafts.. u need the whole frontal third done .. at least 3000 grafts .. ur forelock seems  weak .. u need to transplant into that whole area.. or else in a few years that forelock be gone n u be left with two temples n space in the middle .. u need to have a game plan and understand how things work .. 

[Daniel2037]

Thanks for your comments Legend007. This conservative approach was to avoid shock loss and I understand that it would have involved a second surgery in a few years. I trust your judgement (as I have read many of your posts) and I am ruling that option out.  

I don't mind doing more graphs but knowing I won't take Finasteride I am afraid of the potential shock loss that could cause me to be left with some space in the middle too.

 

 

[Legend007]

u should check out other members when the same hairloss pattern as u , n decide the best route for u .. u have miniaturization hairs around ur forelock so it’s bound to go soon . U don’t do to do the whole forelock but at least reinforce the front of it .. jean has the same hairloss as u .. check out his transplant 3k+ for first surgery ..

1500 grafts don’t do much .. I’m doing 2k grafts just into the hairline , zone 1 n 2.. ur hairloss reaches to zone 3 already .. u don’t want to set urself up with a result u won’t be satisfied with by getting  a lower number of grafts than u should .. especially when u have fine thin hair .. the dudes with thick curly hair can get away with lower grafts .. But not us ..

[Melvin- Admin]

Welcome to the forum Daniel,

You have been given some good advice by Legend, but i'm not exactly sure what you're looking to achieve with surgery. Do you want to lower the hairline? or reinforce the existing hairline with more density? If you plan on lowering the hairline 1,200 grafts seems too conservative and the result would not be very dense at all. Now if you plan on keeping the same shape to your hairline and just add density I think 1,200 grafts would make a difference, but it may not be that dense either.

Also, you mentioned going to a Dr. Wu, I do remember this surgeon potentially being recommended a few years ago, but he withdrew his name from recommendation. Now this does not necessarily reflect negatively on his work, but I just wanted to clarify that he is not a recommended physician. Here is our full list of pre-screened hair restoration surgeons.

Warm regards-Melvin

[JayLDD]

Tend to agree that rebuilding the forelock and closing off the hairline at the temple areas is probably going to be around the 3k mark. Unfortunately you have significant diffuse thinning and are quite far gone, it's quite likely that without finasteride you will hit a slick bald NW5 in the near future, you are surely going to be playing catchup without it. The smart choice for you is to read the studies on finasteride and talk to a few surgeons and doctors about it. It's not worth spending money on transplants in my opinion for someone in your situation that isn't on finasteride, and truthfully you haven't done your research properly if you're thinking about transplants but not finasteride. Finasteride is more helpful, is 100x cheaper, and is significantly less risky. 

 

By the way, the doctor saying he wasn't sure if he could see miniaturisation was either an absolute clown or likely just trying to get you into the office. You clearly have bad diffusing and miniaturisation across the scalp.

[True]

If you're not willing to fin, forget about transplant.

Shave head and get SMP.

Edited August 7, 2018 by True

[Daniel2037]

Thanks very much for your comments guys, this is really helpful. 

Cheers,

Daniel

[hairlossPA]

being dead serious, forget the horror stories of fin and just try it. dont let it get in your head. i was too scared to take it 2 years ago and just started 2 months ago. no regrets, no side effects.

[Daniel2037]

Thanks mate but in addition to the multiple testimonies, two of my close friends experienced side effects caused by Finasteride and strongly dissuaded me to use it. I'll make more research but at this stage I have no trust in it. 

[Rawkerboi]

1 hour ago, Daniel2037 said:

Thanks mate but in addition to the multiple testimonies, two of my close friends experienced side effects caused by Finasteride and strongly dissuaded me to use it. I'll make more research but at this stage I have no trust in it. 

What if you never experience any side effects? What if you gain some hairs, which you have lost? What if it helps you to maintain what you have? Research, bit more and remember one thing, side effects of Finasteride is literally blown out of proportion on Internet.

Well even if you do experience any side effects, you can drop off the medications.

[Legend007]

people on here that recommends fin to u is just trying to help out .. because they n myself included didn’t want to use it either .. n have tried many other drugs n supplements to help our hair .. but the reality is .. almost nothing helps .. it just slows it down .. I’ve been on fin for a year n I feel even balder .. because I tried other things n wasted time n let my hair thin to a point where meds don’t seem effective .. n my hair is a lot better than urs .. but the inevitable is coming because the hair is still thinning . N In ur case .. even if u take any preventive meds .. ur frontal third is a goner soon or In a few years .. but ur crown n vertex , it’s still intact .. which is good news.. if it’s still thick u have a chance to prolong its life cycle . If it’s thin already .. u be a Norwood 5-6 with or without meds .. so taking fin is up to u .. it’s ur hair .. it doesn’t affect anyone but u..  but yep a good transplant .. should fix ur frontal 3rd .. probably need two tranplants to make it dense though ..n fin is not a requirement ..  glad to have u on the forum .. best wishes to ya .. 

[TrixGlendevon]

See a doctor in person and see how many grafts you have. If you have a lot, you may not have to use meds. I am not sure if you will have enough to get away with that though.

[Daniel2037]

Thanks very much for all your valuable advice guys. I have spent all night thinking about it and I believe the best option for me is to wait a few more years before considering HT. The last thing I want is to get something I won't bet satisfied with. So I am gonna wait my frontal third to be completely gone and when that happens, I will be able to consider HT without risking shock loss and ending up with space in the middle. 

[TrixGlendevon]

Why not have a consultation with a few doctors now? They don't cost anything and you will be much better informed.

[Melvin- Admin]

Your plan is not bad, it’s always better to plan a hair transplant with a “blank canvas” so to speak, I essentially did the same thing and I don’t take finasteride. 

[TrixGlendevon]

3 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Your plan is not bad, it’s always better to plan a hair transplant with a “blank canvas” so to speak, I essentially did the same thing and I don’t take finasteride. 

I didn't know you don't take fin either Melvin. How many grafts did you have done and how many was your total donor capacity calculated to be?

[Melvin- Admin]

2 hours ago, TrixGlendevon said:

I didn't know you don't take fin either Melvin. How many grafts did you have done and how many was your total donor capacity calculated to be?

I have had 5,300 grafts total and my total capacity is thought to be around 6,500-7,000 via FUE only, more if I choose to have a strip procedure. In fact, Bill our Managing Publisher doesn't take Finasteride either, taking medication is a personal choice and obviously there are risks associated with not taking Finasteride just like there are risks with having a hair transplant. That's why I always recommend individuals at least try Finasteride, because the vast majority don't experience side effects. But I don't believe that Finasteride is an absolute requirement, especially if you have already lost the bulk of your hair.

Warm regards- Melvin

[Speegs]

An HT would help restore your frontal third, but you'll always be chasing hair loss if you refuse to take preventative medications such as finsteride, which could preserve your crown and mid scalp from further loss and help you avoid future baldness or surgeries.

Edited August 9, 2018 by Speegs

[Daniel2037]

5 hours ago, TrixGlendevon said:

Why not have a consultation with a few doctors now? They don't cost anything and you will be much better informed.

I am based in Australia and we don't have any good doctors here. I have consulted two of them but I didn't learn much. 

[Speegs]

14 hours ago, Daniel2037 said:

I am based in Australia and we don't have any good doctors here. I have consulted two of them but I didn't learn much. 

Going to North America is in your best interests as an Aussie, save up for some medical tourism, excellent US and Canadian doctors on that West Coast, closest flights to Oz, especially in Portland, Oregon (Gabel) and British Columbia, Canada where Hasson & Wong are.

On the plus side both Oregon and British Columbia are gorgeous, so you can site see in down time and have a real vacay.

Gabel was my doc, he does excellent comprehensive online skype consultations, even with international patients. I recommend you check in to it, he's incredibly accommodating and empathetic.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2018 by Speegs