I'm scared to get a hair transplant

[Demitri]

I'm booked in for 2,000-2,500 grafts to strengthen the hairline and slightly close temples. I think I've done everything right - I'm not that young, 35, and my before/after photos have not changed much since starting finasteride in 2018, and my loss is relatively minor compared to most patients I see, NW2 perhaps, and I am booked in with what you guys here seem to commonly refer to as one of the top surgeons in the world, and my surgery goals are not agressive. I have questions, I cannot find the ones searching on these forums:

1. I've seen a few forum posts of guys who had transplants, but then a few months after the transplant suddenly lose a lot of the rest of their hair, even in something like the crown where they weren't even having work done.  What if I'm one of those guys where surgery kicks my baldness progression into overdrive?

2. Due to the pandemic, my photos were sent in. I followed Joe Tillman's guide on sending in photos, and I believe the photos I sent were good.  But what happens if I get there and they have a closer look and decide either I haven't lost enough hair, or alternatively, that I am bound to lose much more hair and my goals cannot be achieved.  And this is AFTER I paid the deposit.

I'm 'content' with the way I look right now, and I don't want to ruin it. But at the same time I know I'll be kicking myself later if I don't do this, I wont get the time off again, I really want to. So yeah, scared.

[Mr S]

Who are you booked in with? I found being booked in with a doctor with steady consistant results very much put my mind at ease.

Its always a worry to loose more hair after. Which is quite often why most paitents will usually end up getting more transplants down the line, you have to be prepared for this.
The good news is that you are on fin so you stand a best chance slowing this process down the best you can.

Any reputable clinic should return your deposit if upon arrival they find somthing that wont let them go ahead. You should discuss this with the clinic prior though if you are worried.

With all that said if you are indeed content with how you look maybe a hair transplant is not for you.

[CharlesRobinson]

Not to worry for getting the hair transplant, my uncle live in london and he take the hair transplantation by searching on the google and find the best hair transplant clinic in london, use the modern technology and have the expert team. Now, the new hairs are  grown on his head. So, donot hesitate just take precautions for some time after the transplantation.

[Kruchie]

7 hours ago, Demitri said:

I'm booked in for 2,000-2,500 grafts to strengthen the hairline and slightly close temples. I think I've done everything right - I'm not that young, 35, and my before/after photos have not changed much since starting finasteride in 2018, and my loss is relatively minor compared to most patients I see, NW2 perhaps, and I am booked in with what you guys here seem to commonly refer to as one of the top surgeons in the world, and my surgery goals are not agressive. I have questions, I cannot find the ones searching on these forums:

1. I've seen a few forum posts of guys who had transplants, but then a few months after the transplant suddenly lose a lot of the rest of their hair, even in something like the crown where they weren't even having work done.  What if I'm one of those guys where surgery kicks my baldness progression into overdrive?

2. Due to the pandemic, my photos were sent in. I followed Joe Tillman's guide on sending in photos, and I believe the photos I sent were good.  But what happens if I get there and they have a closer look and decide either I haven't lost enough hair, or alternatively, that I am bound to lose much more hair and my goals cannot be achieved.  And this is AFTER I paid the deposit.

I'm 'content' with the way I look right now, and I don't want to ruin it. But at the same time I know I'll be kicking myself later if I don't do this, I wont get the time off again, I really want to. So yeah, scared.

Ahhh I know exactly how you feel. I deliberated about a HT on and off for 5 years, thought of every outcome - good and bad. I think given that you've been taking Fin for a long while before your HT means you won't experience much shock loss, if any. 

IF you're a NW2, would it be worth you trying other options before having a HT? There's a lot of options out there. Tbh, if I felt content with my hair, I would not have a HT. Content is good, you can probably stay at baseline for a long time. 

Can we see some pics maybe? 

[Mycroft]

7 hours ago, Demitri said:

I'm booked in for 2,000-2,500 grafts to strengthen the hairline and slightly close temples. I think I've done everything right - I'm not that young, 35, and my before/after photos have not changed much since starting finasteride in 2018, and my loss is relatively minor compared to most patients I see, NW2 perhaps, and I am booked in with what you guys here seem to commonly refer to as one of the top surgeons in the world, and my surgery goals are not agressive. I have questions, I cannot find the ones searching on these forums:

1. I've seen a few forum posts of guys who had transplants, but then a few months after the transplant suddenly lose a lot of the rest of their hair, even in something like the crown where they weren't even having work done.  What if I'm one of those guys where surgery kicks my baldness progression into overdrive?

2. Due to the pandemic, my photos were sent in. I followed Joe Tillman's guide on sending in photos, and I believe the photos I sent were good.  But what happens if I get there and they have a closer look and decide either I haven't lost enough hair, or alternatively, that I am bound to lose much more hair and my goals cannot be achieved.  And this is AFTER I paid the deposit.

I'm 'content' with the way I look right now, and I don't want to ruin it. But at the same time I know I'll be kicking myself later if I don't do this, I wont get the time off again, I really want to. So yeah, scared.

I'm around your age and I've certainly had many of the same thoughts. I have had some pretty good results with non-surgical methods that will hopefully delay if not stave off my need/desire for a transplant.

 

1. This can absolutely happen, and it's a possibility that you have to consider before going into surgery. Do you have a plan if this (or another bad turnout) happens to you? Will you be able to live with that plan? Do you have the donor and the financial means to try again if you need repair work?

2. If they decide you haven't lost enough hair but already took your deposit I would hope that an exception would be made by an ethical surgeon and a refund would be given. This is also good news for you because it means your hair loss is truly negligible. On this note, I see you saying you've already booked. Did you consult with multiple surgeons to get a few different opinions before locking in? If all of them seemed to be on the same page you can probably be a bit more comfortable with the recommendation.

Did any of the surgeons comment on prediction for future advancement of hair loss? Does male pattern baldness run in either side of your family? If so, what does that hair loss look like?

Candidly, if you are content with the way you look right now you should not have a hair transplant. Things can and do go wrong even with the best surgeons doing top notch work, simply because certain factors like patient physiology can be unpredictable. You should really only be considering surgery if you're unhappy with the way your hair looks and it is something that eats at you on a regular basis.

 

Since you took consult photos maybe consider sharing them here to get some thoughts from other forum members and definitely get second opinions from other doctors if you haven't already. Bottom line though, even if we pretend surgery has a 99% success rate, which it doesn't, you could still be someone that falls within the 1% failure rate. The only question is whether you think it is worth the risk based on the factors that you can control. 

[Demitri]

My family history of hair loss not strong, I would call it medium.  No one has gone bald before 50, and those guys didn't even have finasteride.

I say I am content with my hair because at 35 I've seen worse, but my hairline is thin and there is indeed loss:  Feller and Bloxham recommended 1500-200 grafts, HW recommended 2000-2500 FUE. I will go with their judgement as I know both are ethical surgeons.  Is donor ok to have 2500 FUE?

 

 

[Mycroft]

The donor looks fine in this picture although for donor in particular the thing that really matters is the in person eval from the person operating. It looks like you could get 2,500 FUE without issue but it doesn't address some of the other questions. 

What will you do if you lose more hair behind your transplant, or if you have a subpar result? Are you mentally and financially prepared for future procedures? Even with moderate hair loss history in your family you could always be the outlier who goes further, and if you've watched the hair transplant mentor videos you know not even the best surgeons cannot guarantee a success. 

If you went in for 2500 FUE tomorrow and had a subpar result, would you be able to live with that?

Do you have any images of the area you're looking to have worked on? I'm not telling you any of this because I want to scare you, but I do want you to understand the risk to reward ratio before you jump into surgery because once you do you can't take it back and you're locked in for life.

 

[Melvin- Admin]

If you’re okay with your hair why not leave it alone? Hair transplant surgery is a serious life long commitment, it’s usually the last resort. Perhaps you’d be better off using concealers to add some thickness to the hairline.