How many grafts do you think I'd need? video with proposed hairline included.

[giegnosiganoe]

Previous thread, for reference: 

Sorry for another thread about my personal situation, but I'm getting very close to booking a procedure (the current COVID situation makes dealing with recovery more than ideal) and I wanted some final opinions. I also feel like these videos I'm providing should be more useful than the pictures we usually see.

In my previous thread, I have a lot of pictures, and some videos at the bottom of the thread with long/buzzed hair.

I've recently taken another video, again with my buzzed hair, but wet at the front and marked with a proposed hairline. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJYxG2Z6mcU

When seen straight on, I have the outline and illusion of a NW2-ish hairline, but when seen from 90 degrees, you can that my temples are very diffuse and wispy - probably a NW3. I don't mind the density of my frontal scalp too much and think there's enough hair there to give an illusion, but I feel like the reduced density of the temples really brings down my appearance.

Do you think 1500-2000 grafts would be enough to fill that area? I think most of them would need to go to the temples because I want them to match to the density of the rest of my frontal scalp. Probably would want some to strengthen the frontal band overall as well? Thanks for any opinions.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

I would say you are a diffuse NW5. I had similar hair at your age, be very careful. Are you on any meds? 

[giegnosiganoe]

24 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I would say you are a diffuse NW5. I had similar hair at your age, be very careful. Are you on any meds? 

Yes, DHT blocker (fin then switched to dut) and min for the past year. No change.

[Melvin- Admin]

18 minutes ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Yes, DHT blocker (fin then switched to dut) and min for the past year. No change.

Well that’s good, but are you trying to lowe your entire hairline or just close in the temples?

[giegnosiganoe]

12 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Well that’s good, but are you trying to lowe your entire hairline or just close in the temples?

I linked this video above, maybe you missed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJYxG2Z6mcU

In there I marked a hairline, what do you think?

[Gatsby]

Personally I think you should exhaust all your medication options with minoxidil and finasteride for a good length of time. As you know hair loss is progressive you need to think about your scalp/hair down the track when you are in your 30's, 40's, 50's, etc. And believe me those numbers seem a long way away but they do go quickly! If you do go down the path with a hair transplant remember that you need a hairline that you can grow into, not out of! I was obsessed with a low hairline and it was the worst decision I have ever made in my life! I would let teh surgeon (if he is worth his weight) to dictate what would be the ideal hairline for 'you' as everyone is different with your thoughts included. You have to live with this for the rest of your life and the hairline is the first thing people notice. Remember you can always have a hair transplant 'tomorrow.' Take care!

[Gatsby]

I failed to answer part of your original question. The amount of grafts will vary on the surgeon performing the HT. The art of an excellent HT is to give the illusion of have more hair than you actually have. An excellent HT surgeon for example could achieve this with say 20% less grafts then an inferior/less experienced HT surgeon. Also more grafts used in a poorly performed HT can make the naturalness look even worse. Their are many goals in the art of obtaining a great hair transplant. The number one goal is always naturalness. The aim is not so that you look like you have had a great hair transplant. The aim is so that you look like you never had one at all. All the best!

[Melvin- Admin]

20 minutes ago, giegnosiganoe said:

I linked this video above, maybe you missed it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJYxG2Z6mcU

In there I marked a hairline, what do you think?

Well, I think it's good that you are following the hairline you already have, which is mature. My only concern is that you still have a great deal of hair. Transplanting in between so many native hairs may cause shock loss. In my opinion, you could achieve a good result with 1,500 grafts, but keep in mind you will probably suffer some shock loss.

[giegnosiganoe]

21 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Personally I think you should exhaust all your medication options with minoxidil and finasteride for a good length of time. As you know hair loss is progressive you need to think about your scalp/hair down the track when you are in your 30's, 40's, 50's, etc. And believe me those numbers seem a long way away but they do go quickly! If you do go down the path with a hair transplant remember that you need a hairline that you can grow into, not out of! I was obsessed with a low hairline and it was the worst decision I have ever made in my life! I would let teh surgeon (if he is worth his weight) to dictate what would be the ideal hairline for 'you' as everyone is different with your thoughts included. You have to live with this for the rest of your life and the hairline is the first thing people notice. Remember you can always have a hair transplant 'tomorrow.' Take care!

I agree, but I wouldn't consider the hairline I marked to be "low". It seems to be pretty mature in my eyes, about a NW2.

 

26 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

I failed to answer part of your original question. The amount of grafts will vary on the surgeon performing the HT. The art of an excellent HT is to give the illusion of have more hair than you actually have. An excellent HT surgeon for example could achieve this with say 20% less grafts then an inferior/less experienced HT surgeon. Also more grafts used in a poorly performed HT can make the naturalness look even worse. Their are many goals in the art of obtaining a great hair transplant. The number one goal is always naturalness. The aim is not so that you look like you have had a great hair transplant. The aim is so that you look like you never had one at all. All the best!

That makes sense, I'm just looking for an estimate. Money is not a concern so I'm definitely going for an experienced surgeon

 

57 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Well, I think it's good that you are following the hairline you already have, which is mature. My only concern is that you still have a great deal of hair. Transplanting in between so many native hairs may cause shock loss. In my opinion, you could achieve a good result with 1,500 grafts, but keep in mind you will probably suffer some shock loss.

That makes sense, and is worrying. Is this also an issue when you do a second pass through previously transplanted areas? Or is that not a concern because those hairs are DHT resistant?

[Melvin- Admin]

15 minutes ago, giegnosiganoe said:

I agree, but I wouldn't consider the hairline I marked to be "low". It seems to be pretty mature in my eyes, about a NW2.

 

That makes sense, I'm just looking for an estimate. Money is not a concern so I'm definitely going for an experienced surgeon

 

That makes sense, and is worrying. Is this also an issue when you do a second pass through previously transplanted areas? Or is that not a concern because those hairs are DHT resistant?

It's a concern even when you do a second pass, shaving your head minimizes the risk somewhat, but there will always be some degree of shock loss when you transplanting between a lot of hair.

[Taken4Granted]

Hey,  first post in many, many years. I’ve been losing my hair since about age 22. I looked into HT then and concluded that the risk was too high considering everything that would change, even if I had gone with a good surgeon. Now I’m 34 and I know I made the right call. I’ve lost hair in places I didn’t expect. My profile pic is from my early twenties btw.

It’s obvious that you’re gonna have your hands full in 5-10 years. Messing around with your donor hair for the sake of that small space around your hair line is ridiculous. Trust me, I know it’s hard around the time when it starts to show (you’re not even quite that far), but chill and plan ahead. You’ll be glad you did. 

Edited June 7, 2020 by Taken4Granted

[giegnosiganoe]

51 minutes ago, Taken4Granted said:

Hey,  first post in many, many years. I’ve been losing my hair since about age 22. I looked into HT then and concluded that the risk was too high considering everything that would change, even if I had gone with a good surgeon. Now I’m 34 and I know I made the right call. I’ve lost hair in places I didn’t expect. My profile pic is from my early twenties btw.

It’s obvious that you’re gonna have your hands full in 5-10 years. Messing around with your donor hair for the sake of that small space around your hair line is ridiculous. Trust me, I know it’s hard around the time when it starts to show (you’re not even quite that far), but chill and plan ahead. You’ll be glad you did. 

Thanks for the advice. As much as I hate my current hair (it probably looks worse in person if it doesn't appear to be that bad to you) and wanted to go forward with a procedure, I've made the decision to wait a couple of years to ensure I've stabilized. I'm going to try to rely on concealer for the time being.

I wish there were more long term finasteride before/after pictures. Have you been on it since the age of 22? Do you have a current picture you could share to show how your hair loss has progressed?

Edited June 7, 2020 by giegnosiganoe

[Taken4Granted]

41 minutes ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Have you been on it since the age of 22? Do you have a current picture you could share to show how your hair loss has progressed?

I did take fin 1mg for 6-7 years, which slowed it down and bought me the continuity I needed to adjust. Ultimately, I decided it wasn’t worth the sides anymore. I’ve had 4 gyno surgeries and still have hormonal issues today. I’d rather be bald than ever touch it again.

I’m attaching current photos: 

- 1 right before a shower with yesterday’s toppik still on

- 2 right out of the shower, front and back

The front is unsurprising given the early photo, but even in that forgiving light you can see the back is going to be a big problem. By 40-50, I’ll be NW5+ easy.

I’m gonna get married in 2022, so I’m at the moment where I need to decide whether I’m doing this. I was hoping it would be less risky by now, but it looks like hack jobs are still very common.

 

[giegnosiganoe]

@Taken4Granted Sorry to hear you've had sides on fin. While you were on it, did you notice further loss? I haven't had any sides with dutasteride, and don't see myself ever getting off of it, so I wonder if it can prevent further loss. Most hair transplant surgeons I've talked to seem to think that it should prevent further loss, but I'm not too sure since I haven't seen many examples of this. If it really did, that would mean I wouldn't have to wait too long before getting a procedure.

Edited June 7, 2020 by giegnosiganoe

[Taken4Granted]

@giegnosiganoe

Yes, it reversed what you see in my profile pic by a significant margin and set the clock back by a couple years. It started going again a couple years later and got to the point where I had visible hair loss and had to cut it short. That’s when I decided that it wasn’t worth the sides. There was a year or two of accelerated loss after that, but it eventually stabilized. Looking back, I I think it was good for buying a little time but only delayed the inevitable and certainly didn’t cut it as a long-term solution. I feel like it worked really well for me, too, which probably goes hand-in-hand with the side effects. Ofc everyone’s experience is different, but I would tell younger guys to plan for an uphill battle and start adjusting your look so the transition is less abrupt.

Edited June 7, 2020 by Taken4Granted