6 months on Fin (pics); diffused thinning. HT plan for early next year

[Panamera13]

hello again,

6 months update on this journey - Started taking Fin in Feb and after 6 months hair loss has definitely stopped; not too much regrowth though.

Planning for HT (FUE only, no scar) in Jan/Feb (when you can still go by wearing a cap ) of 2019. Docs on radar: H&W; Rahal and Bhatti (I'm in Texas, US). I'm looking for acceptable/realistic results only as I know I can't be 18 again (i miss those long shiny and silky hair LOL)

I also met with one patient rep of a leading clinic in person who suggested I could get 2000 via FUE; 2500 might be pushing it. The patient rep didn't do all the measurements (donor vs required) etc, so it was more of a visual check. When you go to the actual clinic - What tests/checks are done that tell you how much donor you have etc; how good is your laxity or visual inspection is as good as it gets? I would be willing to fly to meet the doc if they can do a better check and give more accurate answers (even if I have to pay for the consultation).

Which one of these docs is a better option for diffused thinning - planning front/mid scalp for now. Will worry about crown later. The issue is I'm not completely bald so would inserting hair b/w other hair lead to shock loss. Some forum posts say if you're a diffused thinner stay away from HT. I recently started LLLT aka magical laser cap ( I know, I know) to see if there will be any benefit. Worst case it's helping with by seboherric dermatitis ( I have itchy scalp where I'm balding, not anywhere else), another problem. I also have a lot of gray hair. Basically all problems that could possibly exist.

Anyway, see the two pics, 6 months apart and tell me how I should proceed further on this journey. thx.

Edited August 14, 2018 by Panamera13
edit.

[Panamera13]

Bump.

Any examples of diffused thinning successes. 

[PeloDinero]

With your level of loss, you need FUT. You won’t be satisfied with FUE. 

[jjsrader]

But nobody cares about FUE being advisable for 'limited balding' anymore - guys are having 5-7K FUE early in life and then say they'll do FUT down the road if they are still bothered by progressive hair loss.

FUE is rapidly gaining acceptance as the norm - not the exception.  But whatever - people can do what they want - it's their money, their head/scalp. 

Edited August 17, 2018 by jjsrader

[BadBeat]

He absolutely can do FUE....if he focused more on the hairline and 1/3rd being he could have a decent result and frame his face. Gonna be tough to fill in the crown 100% but he might not care that much about that anyway.

[JayLDD]

Honestly this is a case in which either a surgeon who has experience with high graft numbers via FUE like Lorenzo or Erdogan is ideal if you're going with FUE, but you're ultimately going to be better off opting for FUT. Especially considering you're looking at HnW you are probably better off just getting the absolute largest FUT session you can with them. 

 

2000-2500 grafts would be of minimal cosmetic impact. When you say you want to be realistic about results, you could still get full coverage in the frontal third,midscalp and some of the crown with a hairline where it currently is but you're looking closer to the 5k graft mark.  In terms of the diffusing I've had hair placed in much denser areas than yours on multiple occasions and never experienced shock loss, it's less of an issue than its made out to be.

 

If you're going to go for surgery to begin with, you may as well go for a surgeon that is suited to your case and isn't overly tentative about it as 2-2500 grafts would be.

[Legend007]

if u still young n have the finances n determination to go through a long journey for some hair at this level of a hairloss .. I say go for it .. n choose surgeons that specializes in high graft counts .. then go for it ..

it must be difficult for ya man ..

i feel ya .. I’m suffering from much less hair loss than u n it’s a struggle for me .. so best wishes to ya .. 

[Panamera13]

Thanks for all the replies.

My worry about FUT is that SCAR. I see many bald/clean shaven people with that scar in public and it doesn't look good. With FUE, If things don'r work out, I can at least have a good buzz look.

Question: With FUE if I can get 2000-2500...how much will FUT give me? 3000 or 5000?

 

[Panamera13]

13 hours ago, Legend007 said:

if u still young n have the finances n determination to go through a long journey for some hair at this level of a hairloss .. I say go for it .. n choose surgeons that specializes in high graft counts .. then go for it ..

it must be difficult for ya man ..

i feel ya .. I’m suffering from much less hair loss than u n it’s a struggle for me .. so best wishes to ya .. 

Well I'm 39 and ready for the journey. I'm also ok with money but would like to use it wisely. HT is something I want to do right or not do at all. That's why trying to get all the info/resources together to make a decision.

I generally keep my hair short on the side, Number 0,1,2.....so worried about the scar. 

Can someone like H&W totally make the scar relatively invisible?

[Melvin- Admin]

What are your goals? If you want to maximize your donor, you should opt for FUT first then FUE. Using both procedures will ultimately give you the most grafts. With that said, I had nearly identical hair loss as you and I’m happy. However, is it perfect? No, I can still see scalp when it’s wet and have some weak areas. But with toppik I have an appearance of a full head of hair.

So it just depends on your specific goals. When I went in to hair restoration my goal was to have enough hair to style and not look completely bald. Now I can style my hair anyway I want and appear to be not balding at all with concealer. But that’s not the route that everyone wants to go, which is understandable, but hair restoration has its limitations.

[Panamera13]

1 minute ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

. When I went in to hair restoration my goal was to have enough hair to style and not look completely bald. Now I can style my hair anyway I want and appear to be not balding at all with concealer. 

That's exactly my goal. To have just enough hair to style and look my age. I don't want to look 19..but I don't want to look 49.  I'm even ok with not using toppik....at my age, 39, some thinning is ok. so, If I able to cover my front and mid - I think I'll be happy with the results.

How many hair/grafts would I need for that? 2500 or 4500?

I'm going to go over your pics now and read about your journey.

[Panamera13]

Front Pic.

[Melvin- Admin]

10 hours ago, Panamera13 said:

That's exactly my goal. To have just enough hair to style and look my age. I don't want to look 19..but I don't want to look 49.  I'm even ok with not using toppik....at my age, 39, some thinning is ok. so, If I able to cover my front and mid - I think I'll be happy with the results.

How many hair/grafts would I need for that? 2500 or 4500?

I'm going to go over your pics now and read about your journey.

You would need a minimum of 4,500 grafts, can you post pictures of your donor?

[Panamera13]

On 8/18/2018 at 12:18 AM, Melvin-Moderator said:

You would need a minimum of 4,500 grafts, can you post pictures of your donor?

 

here you go; at this time my hair is colored; I have a lot of gray hair in the back