niterunner Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Some observations of an oldtimer. I've had 8 transplants over the years. Unfortunately my journey began in the late 80s when I was in my early 40s and when plugs were the big thing. I had 4 sessions between 88 and 92 and used up all of my donor area in the back of my scalp. I am not even sure any of those transplanted hairs are still around. I began looking anew in 2005 when I was in my late 50s. This time around I did my research and consulted with some well known transplant surgeons such as Dr Cooley and Dr Shapiro, among others. The feedback I received was the best doctor in the country was right in my back door, Dr William Parsley out of Louisville KY. Dr Parsley was low key and wasn't prone to self promotion. Instead, he let his work do his talking as well as the admiration of his peers. Dr Parsley retired at the end of 2018. My four sessions and results with Dr Parsley (2005, 2006, 2008, and 2016) could not have gone any better. Choosing him as my transplant surgeon was among the best choices of my life. I couldn't tell you exactly the numbers of grafts Dr Parsley transplanted. Maybe around 3000 to 3200 grafts in all. I do remember my last session in 2016 was 518. The pic below is from late 2018 when I was 71. Click to enlarge. Although I am cursed with baby fine thin hair, luckily it is very curly. A few comments. Although I lived my life as a risk taker living all over the country and making my living as a stock and bond trader, no way would I ever take finasteride. I have always been prone to side effects of any medication as well as various vitamins so I can only imagine the side effects i would suffer with finasteride. Hair or no hair, I would never take anything that messes with my hormones. Instead, I take biotin, collagen, and other supplements for my hair. In case you are wondering, yes, if your hair bothered you when you were young, it will still bother you in old age. Of course that is assuming you make it to old age and in good health. If you don't have your health you have nothing. It is rare, but I have heard of those in their 80s having hair transplants. I will say though the total obsession of full coverage of your scalp isn't as important as you age. I have a bald spot in my back but could care less about trying to conceal it. Recently I wanted to have have one last transplant session to fill in some spots in the top of my scalp. But I was told by the surgeon they could only get 250 to 300.grafts. At my age 250 to 300 grafts (surgery, recovery) is not worth missing out being on the hiking trails. From what I have read, I don't consider FUE as a viable option. Instead I just discovered the power of hair fibers and now using Febron which I feel is far superior to Toppik. The best advice I can give younger people is not hair related. If you want to enjoy life to the fullest in old age then eat lightly and keep moving. Meaning, stay thin and keep exercising. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonelyGraft Posted December 21, 2019 Share Posted December 21, 2019 Thank you for sharing your story. You look great at 72. Do you have pictures showing the condition of your hair before any transplants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niterunner Posted December 21, 2019 Author Share Posted December 21, 2019 24 minutes ago, LonelyGraft said: Thank you for sharing your story. You look great at 72. Do you have pictures showing the condition of your hair before any transplants? The only thing I have is from 1994 when I was 47 and a few years after my plug transplants. My hairline was much higher then and no fullness as compared to now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member paddyirishman Posted December 22, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted December 22, 2019 @niterunner congratulations on a great looking outcome after all the years of dedication. ..................Paddy............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Curious Posted December 23, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted December 23, 2019 Did you ever have some of the plugs removed and redistributed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Dazed Posted December 23, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted December 23, 2019 I am also 72. I see that you have not gone gray. Are you coloring your hair. Other than gray around the ears my hair has stayed brown. I too have a balding spot on the crown, but enough is enough. I only had 2 procedures one FUT and one FUE in 2011 and 2018 respectively. I was in Walmart yesterday and I saw myself in a mirror and I was amazed at how thick my hair looked. I don't use any fibers. I probably have much more donor hair, but I am done with transplants. Styling my hair has become a much bigger issue now that I have hair. Young guys should realize that they will care about how they look as they grow older. "Imagination frames events unknown in wild fantastic shapes of hideous ruin, and what it fears, creates." Hannah More Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niterunner Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 7 hours ago, Curious said: Did you ever have some of the plugs removed and redistributed? No, I was not aware that was an option. That entire experience (plug transplants) was not a good one. The doctor I chose was not very competent. He only performed transplants for a few years and eventually quit because he was not happy with his results. As I mentioned, I am not even sure any of those plugs have survived my old age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niterunner Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Dazed said: I am also 72. I see that you have not gone gray. Are you coloring your hair. Other than gray around the ears my hair has stayed brown. I too have a balding spot on the crown, but enough is enough. I only had 2 procedures one FUT and one FUE in 2011 and 2018 respectively. I was in Walmart yesterday and I saw myself in a mirror and I was amazed at how thick my hair looked. I don't use any fibers. I probably have much more donor hair, but I am done with transplants. Styling my hair has become a much bigger issue now that I have hair. Young guys should realize that they will care about how they look as they grow older. If you are looking at my photo from last year in my original post, trust me, I definitely have lots of gray hairs, especially when the sun hits just right. I don't believe in men coloring their hair. For me, I could care less if my hair were red, white, or blue, just that I have hair. The fibers I just discovered last month. I am surprised at how well they work in covering a particular thinning spot that bothers me. I am tall so the bald spot in my back doesn't bother me. But I do still care about how I look. If only because I lead a lot of hikes and all of my fellow hikers are younger than me. Even though they are well aware of my age, I still don't want to project the image of some old geezer who might get them lost as we do a lot of off trail hiking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Phillyman1996 Posted December 23, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted December 23, 2019 What age did you start to notice hairloss? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niterunner Posted December 23, 2019 Author Share Posted December 23, 2019 7 minutes ago, Phillyman1996 said: What age did you start to notice hairloss? Age 20 in 1967 when I began using Hair and Shoulders Shampoo. Quit using that real quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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