See-through hair

[Atomic]

Julius,

I must admit that is pretty amazing results!

 

If you are going to get a HT I really hope that you get results like that.

 

That result is something we all hope for & dream about.

 

So yes it looks like you got me on that one.

 

Like you I would like to see some members come forward & show us that thier HT stands up to the harsh light test.

[Julius]

Hey Atomic, I am starting to agree more and more with you and if we don't get a member come forward soon and say "my ht stands up by not looking see-through in harsh lighting" I think I might start a thread entitled 'All hts look thin in harsh lighting'. Cheers

[thanatopsis_awry]

Julius, the issue of perspective and what metric we are using to determine "see through" needs to be clarified. But I'm not sure it even can truly be clarified since it is such a subjective, and, importantly, moving target.

 

When I spike my hair up it is "see through"; when I style it most any other way, including how I want to style it, it isn't. Is my HT "see through"? I don't know.

 

With any HT that doesn't restor *true*-density, there will be the interplay of exposure: a certain, given degree of actual density over the backdrop of hair characteristics that when styled or not-styled like ______ will look _____.

 

For most any you can take their hair and make it look see-thru; the question is really under what conditons is this happening, and how do these specific instances reflect your specific wants/desires.

[Julius]

Hi thana I would really like to see some picks of you with the new do no flash and no product outside in full sunlight then under the same conditions the old do spiked up. Likewise it would be much appreciated by any forum members with good hts to do the same and post them here.

Mattj had a good point about shuffle in that he's moving it around so fast that it's hard to get a good look and it doesn't look like real strong sunlight. Though I do remember someone who meet him in person saying his hair is as good as it looks in the pictures.

 

And it goes without saying but I still would be elated to hear from those themselves whose ht can stand up to harsh lighting including full sunlight and not produce the see-through look. Cheers

[thanatopsis_awry]

I hear ya....even sunlight can be "deceptive". I've found that the angle of how the light is reflecting can really make density can rise and fall accordingly. I also think that only truly strong sun "exposes" thinness to an appreciable degree that basic indoor lighting doesn't.

 

I'm actually going to be in Florida this week, so I have little excuse not to get some sun and get some pics taken for this thread.

[Julius]

Many thanks thana I can't wait for the pics!

 

And I have some great news; I have recently been sending private messages to some individuals who look like they have had sublime hts. And I got a response from one who said that his ht is solid in full sunlight and believe it or not even looks better. I will be posting his reply in full if I receive his permission. Cheers

[Julius]

The forum member has contacted me again by private message saying that he stands by what he said but that he did want to be revealed as he doesn't have the time to debate this.

This member also like shuffle has had multiple procedures to get where he is.

 

 

 

Another member who had a great dense packed ht told me that in full sunlight it looks a little see-through giving the appearance that he is just slightly thinning.

 

To any members who are concerned about revealing that their ht can stand up to harsh lighting including full sunlight and not produce the see-through look as they do not want to have to defend themselves please feel free send me a private message I promise not to reveal your identity. Cheers

[Julius]

Thanks for such honest feedback Spex. The scalp must be minimally see-through in harsh lighting and close inspection judging by your pictures. I am pretty much convinced now that HTs will ALWAYS be see through under direct sunlight and very close inspection. A better question for you is do people think you have a natural FULL head of hair in harsh lighting and close inspection? And if that is the case do they just put the see-throughness down to naturally thin hair or something else? Cheers

[Julius]

Thanks Spex but I don't fully understand when you say Ht is like fur, if the scalp showed up I could only put it down to three things 1) naturally thin hair 2) thinning 3) a hair transplant. I would love to hear about other members' experience with the see-throughness, what do people not knowing they have had a ht put it down to? Cheers

[biscuit]

I consider my transplant "moderate" coverage because I had 4400 grafts over a large area. In the brightest sunlight it can look thin at times, but so does most peoples' hair if you look close in those conditions.

 

Some people could interpret the attached photo as looking thin, others would be ecstatic to have that much hair. I never think my hair looks obviously thin.

 

[Julius]

Thanks for your reply Biscuit your result is one of my all time favourites! So many of great results seem to be coming from H&W it makes me wonder if they are doing something different to produce thicker ht results?

[Julius]

I have just received a private message from another forum member saying that his hair holds up well in harsh light normally, but it probably wouldn't if he put gel in it. This patient had a density of 70 grafts per cm2 and also said that it does look natural.

[Julius]

I have received several new messages from other forum members on this subject. One said his ht could stand up to harsh lighting including full sunlight and not produce the see-through for the first 2 years after his ht, but now has thinned out a bit, as he quit taking any meds. Another forum member who has not had a ht but has done a lot of research tells me that NW 5 or higher will probably have to deal with a see-thru look to some extent. A forum member who is a medical student pointed out to me that many people without mpb look thinner and their scalp becomes more apparent in harsh lighting.

 

Anyone else whose ht can stand up to harsh lighting including full sunlight and not produce the see-through or has an opinion on this issue please share.

 

Cheers

[mattj]

Julius, you seem very fixated on this issue. I understand that you would want a transplant to look as close as humanly possible to a head of dense, natural hair, but really, unless a transplant is below average in density is will be thick enough to convince people that you have good hair.

 

I don't remember seeing your photos (if you've posted them) but surely if you're looking into getting a transplant then the realistic, achievable results are going to be an improvement on your current hair situation.

[SharpTooth]

I think a lot of times this is really based on one's PERCEPTION. A friend of mine since 15 yr of age had always had thin/flat hair; you could see some of his scalp in bright light pretty easily. But that's what nature gave him.

 

IMO, to define the perfect HT as an inability to see one's scalp is not realistic. Again IMO, i think the perfect HT is when a patient walks away happy with THEIR OWN results. I think hair greed's fine, but I think problems/fixations happen when I'm constantly comparing myself to what other's have.

 

Julius -- i'm not implying that you are obssessed, just thinking outloud about the trap that any of us self-conscious about our hair can fall into.

 

But I do agree with Matt -- i saw a significant improvement in my own self-confidence as the hair began to fill in! <mad scientist roaring laughter>

[Julius]

Sorry if I sound obsessed, but I really don't want the bird's nest on top of my head look which to be honest is seen with many hts. I would go with what density the doctor thinks is appropriate after inspection of my hair, but if he thought dense packing was appropriate then I would go for it. Especially as it seems all the very BEST hts are dense packed, just to name a few Shuffle for one had a density of over 65 grafts per cm2 due to favourable scalp geometry in having a small head, while Spex had a density of over 55 grafts per cm2 with minimal balding, I also think evolution had a high density procedure again with minimal balding. Further London lad and NicNitro's large donor supplies, I think, have enabled them to have to achieve a density of over 45 grafts per cm2, meaning they too had dense packing. Danny Noonan & BadhairUK & the frontal half of Bobman's ht were all dense packed and the list goes on and on. I just want to mimic what looks good (only if the doctor thinks it expedient of course). Cheers

[petergibbons]

I think if you look even at a non-balding person's head, you will see some see through. My father is 67 years old with no noticable hair loss (NW2 - 2.5) and when his hair is wet you can see scalp. Oh and he's pale like me and has black hair (no greying!)

 

Hair is never as close together as we think it is. If you happen to find yourself in a lot of harsh lighting situations, such as on a TV set or something, you can always use concealers.

 

I really believe some of the hair heart throbs in hollywood (Dempsey, Pitt, etc) all use some kind of concealer even though they are non-balding. It is just like using makeup on stage.

 

So fret not. I am 4 months post my second HT (3703 grafts) and it seems like I will be able to see through but then I realize that hair stacks up on top of itself and you get a lot of density looking down. In front you want a gradual transition zone so it looks natural.

 

Also, finasteride will do wonders. Even if you can not regrow hair, your follicles will start to be released from the death-grip of DHT apoptosis and they will widen a bit, making your hair appear thicker.

 

My father is just.. lucky. I am 32.9 years old and was a slightly diffuse NW3 before my HT in 9/09 and a bit thinner NW3 before my first HT in 3/02. I can still see through if I look enough but most people don't stare at our hair as much as we do.

 

I can look at any guy even a non-balding one and find a bit of thinning.

 

For reference, take a look at Chris O'Donnell (NCIS: Los Angeles) He keeps his hair cropped very short because it has thinned. He is a Diffuse (Patterned) Thinner, so he might even have a NW6 pattern but with proper application of Toppik he still gets to be a heart throb.

 

My wife thinks we're all so vain.

[Julius]

I agree that people not suffering mpb can have some see-throughness, but there is a point (or density) where it looks like thinning or balding & not naturally thin hair. Personally I would rather shave it than use concealers. The transition zone sure is needed so it looks natural and the stack up effect through styling sounds like a great thing for improving density. If you can would it be possible to post pictures of your hair?

Cheers