Watch and Judge this SMP + Low Density FUE HT

[alexXx999]

Hello guys, 

I'm trying to find some answer to my questions and after spending days and days behind this forum, i'd say i'm still dubious about what to do...

I'd say my pattern is a NW6/NW7, i'm  losing my hair now, but my thinning is all over, i can't tolerate finasteride, minoxidil stopped to work, so i am dealing with the fact that i'll be soon a NW6/NW7.

My general idea is that covering a NW7 is difficoult, expecially with my donor hair, i'll attach some pics of my donor and current hair.

 

Anyway, since my grandpa was around a nw6 at 30, my uncle is nw6 and my dad is nw5v heading to a NW6  and the fact that my hair are thinning in that same exact pattern, i know what can i expect in the next few years... 

So obviously i started to do some research, Melvin's results are so motivational but i suspect my hair loss area is bigger and probably even my donor area isn't as good as his, even tho i have a small head, i think my total NW7 pattern could be 200 square centimeters or less because i also wore the smallest size for helmets and caps.

Since i shaved my head i'd say i could accept this look if i can cope and give the illusion of a full head, that's why i started to get interested in SMP, after some videos i realized that the "darkest" and better results that i would like to achieve looks fake in extensive norwood if you don't have any hair underneath, so i started to look for some results online and i found just few results, one of the most interesting ones is the following: Click here  

This gentleman has had only 2000 grafts to cover a NW4v area, with an average density of 18 grafts/cm^2 which is good in combination with an SMP, i think his results are good and he has achieved  a great illusion of a shaved head, that low density  grafts  solved some problems, for example, the shine that SMP gives, the  3D effect, so you can shave every few days instead of everyday,  because even if your hair will grow, you can blend them with SMP and have  a great look.... and also the touch sensation... often  girls touches my head, i'd be embarassed if a girl touches my head and she feels hair only on the sides.

I personally don't like his hairline, i'd be less conservative and i'll go for a lower hairline since with that density you have less problem using donor hair.

Of course thinking about having the same style for the rest of your life kinda sucks, i'm only 23 and i'll be the same for the rest of my life, but i feel like i don't have much choice...

I'm gonna have some online consulation with some surgeons and i'll send them some pics to try to understand how many grafts they could safely extract from my donor area.

Is there some tool/trick that i can use to calculate the average density of my donor area and the surface that i should cover? i'd like to do some calculations.

I'd like to know what you guys think about this results, you can see the full results after 1 year in the third page.

In the attachment here some pics of my donor hair

 

[LaserCap]

The good news is the fact you're still enjoying a lot of native hair.  The time to be on medication is now before you lose it.  Once gone it never returns.  

The concern, as you know, is - your pattern is developing into something very advanced.  You may be experiencing retrograde as well.

Since we know this, let's move on to the meds.  How do you know Rogaine stopped working?

Why can't you tolerate Propecia? Be very specific.

Patients have a tendency to think and be quite reactive to the fact, if they don't see a visual result, they are in the erroneous belief the medication is not working. The medication is not intended to regrow hair.  Nothing regrows hair.  The medication is intended to help keep the hair you have. To retain.  So, if you look the same as you did a year ago, the medication did what it was supposed to do. From your excerpt I assume you did notice improvement.  This might mean you experienced enhancement of the native hair. If so, you need to get back into whatever you were doing.

There are two types of loss.  Shedding is one of them.  The follicle gets tired of producing and goes into a resting phase.  in a matter of a weeks/months, the hair returns. So, if you see hair in the tub, sink, pillow - let it go, this is normal.  The loss you don't see is what we're concerned about.

The hair you don't see is happening as we speak.  Go to  the bathroom under a bright light and look at the hairline area- including the temporal areas, (corners).  You'll note some strands are very thick and robust.  Others are finer and you might find some that are so thin they're hardly contributing.  This hair eventually disappears. That's hair loss.

Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP are the modalities we typically discuss when dealing with this condition.  I have a few questions,

Propecia, how were you taking it?

Rogaine, how were you applying it and how many times a day.

Do you own a laser?

Have you discussed PRP with the doctor?

With regards to SMP, great idea. Find an experienced group.  The use of organic ink is important as this will be metabolized and will not turn into other colors like a tattoo does, (yellowish or blue-purple).  This will help with the contrast you're experiencing, (Black hair, light scalp). Some of the doctors listed in this forum do the work).

Do not despair, many in this forum can help you....Get well educated and be judicious with your grafts.  More importantly, give serious consideration to meds for a good year before you do anything.  You are truly at a stage where there are a number of options.

 

 

[alexXx999]

9 minutes ago, LaserCap said:

The good news is the fact you're still enjoying a lot of native hair.  The time to be on medication is now before you lose it.  Once gone it never returns.  

The concern, as you know, is - your pattern is developing into something very advanced.  You may be experiencing retrograde as well.

Since we know this, let's move on to the meds.  How do you know Rogaine stopped working?

Why can't you tolerate Propecia? Be very specific.

Patients have a tendency to think and be quite reactive to the fact, if they don't see a visual result, they are in the erroneous belief the medication is not working. The medication is not intended to regrow hair.  Nothing regrows hair.  The medication is intended to help keep the hair you have. To retain.  So, if you look the same as you did a year ago, the medication did what it was supposed to do. From your excerpt I assume you did notice improvement.  This might mean you experienced enhancement of the native hair. If so, you need to get back into whatever you were doing.

There are two types of loss.  Shedding is one of them.  The follicle gets tired of producing and goes into a resting phase.  in a matter of a weeks/months, the hair returns. So, if you see hair in the tub, sink, pillow - let it go, this is normal.  The loss you don't see is what we're concerned about.

The hair you don't see is happening as we speak.  Go to  the bathroom under a bright light and look at the hairline area- including the temporal areas, (corners).  You'll note some strands are very thick and robust.  Others are finer and you might find some that are so thin they're hardly contributing.  This hair eventually disappears. That's hair loss.

Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP are the modalities we typically discuss when dealing with this condition.  I have a few questions,

Propecia, how were you taking it?

Rogaine, how were you applying it and how many times a day.

Do you own a laser?

Have you discussed PRP with the doctor?

With regards to SMP, great idea. Find an experienced group.  The use of organic ink is important as this will be metabolized and will not turn into other colors like a tattoo does, (yellowish or blue-purple).  This will help with the contrast you're experiencing, (Black hair, light scalp). Some of the doctors listed in this forum do the work).

Do not despair, many in this forum can help you....Get well educated and be judicious with your grafts.  More importantly, give serious consideration to meds for a good year before you do anything.  You are truly at a stage where there are a number of options.

 

 

Thanks for your answer, i tried topical Fin for a while and then my nipples became enormous, I started to develop gynecomastia and I got also ED, had a bad time with the girls at the time, also I got a bad depression and fatigue, same thing with the oral version, I tried 1 mg, 0.5, then 0.25, then 0.25 every other day and then 0.25 mg every 3 days, same sides, I don't want to deal with that situation again. 

Minoxidil stopped to work because now I am shaved 0 guard and I lost almost every hair you see in the pics, temples went back and density went downhill, i'll post a recent pic of one week ago, I just had these pics to show the donor hair with long hair since now I'm shaved 0 guard. 

Minoxidil stopped working 100% sure because I lost a big amount of hair, the pics I posted in the first post were from less than 1 year ago, so in the lest few months this is the results, I already consider myself a nw6/7,that's why i:m planning everything as a nw6/7...but let the pics talks for me, retrograde is highly unlikely as I checked ALL my parents history and all of them are NW6. 

Edited October 16, 2019 by alexXx999

[LaserCap]

Get back on Rogaine, 2 X per day.  Put a cap full press down onto the scalp and massage.  The medication is systemic. If you put it on the crown area, for example, it will be working your whole head.

Laser, 3 times per week, for 30 minutes.  You can contact Dr. Arocha or Dr. Alexander.  They are providers of LaserCap. There are studies available and carries a lifetime warranty. 

With regards to Rogaine, seems it was working but when you stopped, there went the hair you would have lot had you not been on medication.  You still have a significant amount of hair....get on the meds before you lose it.

[alexXx999]

48 minutes ago, LaserCap said:

Get back on Rogaine, 2 X per day.  Put a cap full press down onto the scalp and massage.  The medication is systemic. If you put it on the crown area, for example, it will be working your whole head.

Laser, 3 times per week, for 30 minutes.  You can contact Dr. Arocha or Dr. Alexander.  They are providers of LaserCap. There are studies available and carries a lifetime warranty. 

With regards to Rogaine, seems it was working but when you stopped, there went the hair you would have lot had you not been on medication.  You still have a significant amount of hair....get on the meds before you lose it.

I'm still on minoxidil, never stopped, minox 8% liquid twice a day, can't do more than that, not gonna spend other thousand dollars for a laser cap, lots of people haven't had any results 

[LaserCap]

One of the big issues I find with laser use is the fact that most providers don't scope.  Scopes are very inexpensive.  Can't tell you how many times I would scope an area and again 6 months later....It's always..."I didn't realize it was working!"  If hair thickened up anywhere - would you be able to detect it? I doubt it.  That is costly? Of course.  But the alternatives....keep purchasing this, keep purchasing that....and a transplant? $5K - $15K.  

Always keep in mind - when people say they have not had results...they honestly don't know what they're talking about. It is likely they retained but wished the hair would magically reappear. 

[Runandy]

In regards to laser, does it provide cosmetic results? And, in some extent in regards to Fin and Minoxidil does it provide satisfactory cosmetic results? Sure, they are proven to retain the hair that you have or in some cases help to regrow some hair, but is it a satisfactory ‘cosmetic’ result? For majority, no.  When someone says, but there’s an actual increase in hair or small improvement that can be seen through scope my reaction is always who cares if you can’t really see it! Being bald is not a disease. We are not here because we are sick. We are here because we want satisfactory cosmetic results and I’ve yet to see medication or laser to provide that. The only thing I’ve seen to provide that is a transplant, aside from wearing a hairpiece. So more power to those who undergo laser treatment for years upon years for an inferior result to that of a transplant. I think this poster is on to the right idea of transplant in combination with smp. 

[Jhonny]

I like your plan alex and honestly this is something I am considering too.

Laser cap mmmm, my only personal opinion....waste of money....

[alexXx999]

I'm looking for some pics to understand how does 20 grafts x cm^2 looks like or 25 grafts x cm^2, because I think it is the density i could expect from my donor zone to cover my nw6/7 area, still looking for some results of HT + Low density SMP