Crown HT?

[Hair4Days]

Has anyone had their crown transplanted? How are your results? Did you do the frontal half first and then the crown? 
 

Also for anyone who only got their front half worked on, how does it look with a thinner crown? Is it easy to pull off with any specific hairstyles/products?

[ciaus]

Haven't had to deal with the crown thanks to finasteride -if you haven't tried it you should for about a year and then re-evaluate -and do minoxidil too. The crown and middle top areas respond the best to the medications and are the most difficult to fix with hair transplants. Usually docs want to wait until your loss has been stabilized with the meds, or the dust has settled and there's nothing left for you to lose back there. But if you are pretty advanced in years and your loss hasn't progressed for years, you might be ready.

 

Toppik and Dermmatch are concealers you apply daily and are great for adding thickness to your hairs and covering your exposed scalp areas to match your hair color. You can get them on amazon and other places. Here's a link to a recent forum topic on dermmatch

 

 

[Hair4Days]

1 hour ago, ciaus said:

Haven't had to deal with the crown thanks to finasteride -if you haven't tried it you should for about a year and then re-evaluate -and do minoxidil too. The crown and middle top areas respond the best to the medications and are the most difficult to fix with hair transplants. Usually docs want to wait until your loss has been stabilized with the meds, or the dust has settled and there's nothing left for you to lose back there. But if you are pretty advanced in years and your loss hasn't progressed for years, you might be ready.

 

Toppik and Dermmatch are concealers you apply daily and are great for adding thickness to your hairs and covering your exposed scalp areas to match your hair color. You can get them on amazon and other places. Here's a link to a recent forum topic on dermmatch

 

 

I understand finasteride helps with stabilizing the crown but i refuse to rely/commit to a daily tablet that could give me sexual side effects. I’ve read too many horror stories on the negative effects. I rather just let the hair go and rebuild it all via surgery. 

Plus your genetics always win in the end and what’s meant to be will always happen so i also feel it’s not wise to ignore the fact that the crown will eventually be bald so i rather take the hope for the best but prepare for the worst approach.. why do you say it’s the most difficult to treat via surgery?

 

[ciaus]

The internet is a wonderful place for horror stories, both real and imagined. The vast majority of guys that take finasteride don't have sexual side effects, and of the minority that do some of those are so stressed out and obsessed about possibly getting the sexual side effects that they psych themselves into actually having sexual performance issues. I don't know how old you are and how much loss you have, or will have, but if you are going to chase the goal of filling in your crown without meds I would advise you wait until you stop losing back there for good number of years.

 

There's plenty of stuff out there on why the crown is the most difficult area, here's a little page summary from The International Alliance of Hair restoration Surgeons

https://www.iahrs.org/index.php/hair-transplant-basics/crown-hair-transplants

[InterventionalPDoc]

Check out 1978matt: recent crown work with great results!

[Curious25]

2 hours ago, ciaus said:

The internet is a wonderful place for horror stories, both real and imagined. The vast majority of guys that take finasteride don't have sexual side effects, and of the minority that do some of those are so stressed out and obsessed about possibly getting the sexual side effects that they psych themselves into actually having sexual performance issues. I don't know how old you are and how much loss you have, or will have, but if you are going to chase the goal of filling in your crown without meds I would advise you wait until you stop losing back there for good number of years.

 

There's plenty of stuff out there on why the crown is the most difficult area, here's a little page summary from The International Alliance of Hair restoration Surgeons

https://www.iahrs.org/index.php/hair-transplant-basics/crown-hair-transplants

Although I believe your intentions are good, random forum members like you casually advising other random forum members to start taking a drug designed to block the conversion process in creating one of the bodys most androgenic male hormones is absurd. 
 

You have no idea of OP’s past or current condition, as neither potentially, could he. 
 

The advice should always be - Hey, there are medical options available - however you MUST consult with a urologist/endocrinologist/hrt specialist beforehand, regarding the use of this drug. 
 

I’ve recently been fortunate enough to visit  a senior urological consultant, after years of what I thought was pretty solid due diligence and research on my behalf, in which I had reasoned with myself a compromise I was prepared to try - only to have had my eyes Re-opened a lot more than what I was expecting. 

[Curious25]

1 hour ago, InterventionalPDoc said:

Check out 1978matt: recent crown work with great results!

@makehairgreatagain another one - both Konior patients. 
 

@DEB1982 2 procedures and a larger  amounts of grafts used, however stellar result. 

 

@Portugal25 is a good recent example of a very blank canvas who’s gained good coverage predominantly from BHT. 

[Britanium]

Hi

Yes I have had at least 4000 grafts put in to the Crown. You need someone who is capable of  recreating the whorl pattern. It’s known as the black hole of grafts though! So it’s best to have a plan on how many grafts your going to use across the whole scalp. I’m quite happy I didn’t use all mine upfront. Other people may choose to use most up front and just a small amount on the crown. All down to you and your own requirements. 
 

[Hair4Days]

8 hours ago, ciaus said:

The internet is a wonderful place for horror stories, both real and imagined. The vast majority of guys that take finasteride don't have sexual side effects, and of the minority that do some of those are so stressed out and obsessed about possibly getting the sexual side effects that they psych themselves into actually having sexual performance issues. I don't know how old you are and how much loss you have, or will have, but if you are going to chase the goal of filling in your crown without meds I would advise you wait until you stop losing back there for good number of years.

 

There's plenty of stuff out there on why the crown is the most difficult area, here's a little page summary from The International Alliance of Hair restoration Surgeons

https://www.iahrs.org/index.php/hair-transplant-basics/crown-hair-transplants

The truth is, the internet is the only way we can judge a medication. It could either do its job successfully for however long.. or i could experience sexual side effects.. potentially permanent.. according to the internet. There’s even a foundation for those suffering from post finasteride syndrome. I’m just not willing to roll that dice. Especially when you have doctors saying the average patient can achieve coverage front to back if they went completely bald, so i rather just do surgery and if i have to sacrifice less density in the crown i can use a little concealer. I just realistically want to see some crown results on here 

[Hair4Days]

4 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Hi

Yes I have had at least 4000 grafts put in to the Crown. You need someone who is capable of  recreating the whorl pattern. It’s known as the black hole of grafts though! So it’s best to have a plan on how many grafts your going to use across the whole scalp. I’m quite happy I didn’t use all mine upfront. Other people may choose to use most up front and just a small amount on the crown. All down to you and your own requirements. 
 

4K in the crown? I’m guessing it’s crazy dense? How many did you use upfront?

[Britanium]

It’s not crazy dense at all as i didnt have much there to begin with. But it’s now covered adequately. I had about the same upfront. 
Without all these grafts I would be Norwood 5/6. 
 

[ciaus]

6 hours ago, Curious25 said:

Although I believe your intentions are good, random forum members like you casually advising other random forum members to start taking a drug designed to block the conversion process in creating one of the bodys most androgenic male hormones is absurd. 

You're just as random a forum member as me, and I have the overwhelming evidence on my side that most guys, myself included for many years, don't have any issues taking the drug.

 

6 hours ago, Curious25 said:

You have no idea of OP’s past or current condition, as neither potentially, could he. 
 

The advice should always be - Hey, there are medical options available - however you MUST consult with a urologist/endocrinologist/hrt specialist beforehand, regarding the use of this drug. 

 

Neither do you. We aren't talking about going out to grab some Rogaine off the grocery store shelf. The fact is you can't get finasteride without a doctor's prescription, which involves seeing a doctor, who is more qualified to give medical advice than either of us, and can make specialist referrals to urologists/endocrinologists as needed.

You can't eliminate all the risk in life, and most people do alot more damage and put their bodies at more risk everyday by how they eat, don't excercise, etc., than the risk from possible drug side effects.

 

----

To the OP, you are betting on the fact that you have enough donor hair to cover all the loss you'll ever have. That's a pretty bold assumption, especially if you aren't going to take the meds. Each hair follicle has a genetically coded level of vulnerability to DHT, some hairs succumb fast, others not for decades, and you hope you have as much donor hair that's immune to it as possible.

If you are going to get into the arena, you fight to win -finasteride is an important weapon in the battle, essential for alot of guys if they are going to win. if your doc gives you the ok to take the finasteride and you end up with side effects, you stop the finasteride, and at least you know you tried.

 

Edited August 14, 2020 by ciaus

[Hair4Days]

28 minutes ago, ciaus said:

 

 

----

To the OP, you are betting on the fact that you have enough donor hair to cover all the loss you'll ever have. That's a pretty bold assumption, especially if you aren't going to take the meds. Each hair follicle has a genetically coded level of vulnerability to DHT, some hairs succumb fast, others not for decades, and you hope you have as much donor hair that's immune to it as possible.

I have read and seen it’s possible to get satisfying coverage from hairline to the crown if you became a nw6, considering you have good quality donor hair. I have been told i have good donor. During my consults, doctors had told me that you can get basically full coverage with two large strip surgery’s consisting of about 2500 grafts each.. and then a couple thousand more grafts via fue. Knowing i have this much donor in the bank, it makes me feel confident that if i never took finasteride.. then with surgery alone i can get front to back coverage. Not saying completely dense, but cosmetically acceptable.. dense through the mid scalp, then sacrificing density towards the crown which I’m fine with 

Edited August 14, 2020 by James C

[ciaus]

Alot of things are possible, and only time will reveal how much you actually have in the bank, I really hope it works out for you.

1 hour ago, James C said:

The truth is, the internet is the only way we can judge a medication.

This is surprising coming from someone trying to play it safe, I completely disagree. Stick with your doctors and get second opinions.

[Curious25]

3 hours ago, ciaus said:

You're just as random a forum member as me, and I have the overwhelming evidence on my side that most guys, myself included for many years, don't have any issues taking the drug.

 

 

Neither do you. We aren't talking about going out to grab some Rogaine off the grocery store shelf. The fact is you can't get finasteride without a doctor's prescription, which involves seeing a doctor, who is more qualified to give medical advice than either of us, and can make specialist referrals to urologists/endocrinologists as needed.

You can't eliminate all the risk in life, and most people do alot more damage and put their bodies at more risk everyday by how they eat, don't excercise, etc., than the risk from possible drug side effects.

 

----

To the OP, you are betting on the fact that you have enough donor hair to cover all the loss you'll ever have. That's a pretty bold assumption, especially if you aren't going to take the meds. Each hair follicle has a genetically coded level of vulnerability to DHT, some hairs succumb fast, others not for decades, and you hope you have as much donor hair that's immune to it as possible.

If you are going to get into the arena, you fight to win -finasteride is an important weapon in the battle, essential for alot of guys if they are going to win. if your doc gives you the ok to take the finasteride and you end up with side effects, you stop the finasteride, and at least you know you tried.

 

Yes but I’m the random forum member telling him to go and see a specialist about it. You’re the random forum member telling him to go and jump on it. And you don’t need to see a doctor, you can buy it online at the click of the button, or in the UK you can go to a pharmacy answer a few questions with the pharmacist and walk out of the shop with a 6 month supply. 
 

Poor lifestyle and diet can contribute to detrimental health effects, sure . . But they don’t actively seek to block an enzyme involved in hormone conversion. 
 

Look I’m glad for you that you have had a positive experience taking the medication, I wish everyone did - who wouldn’t want to take a small pill each day for it to halt their hairloss and potentially regrow some it back, it’s a no brainer. 
 

However it’s unfortunately not as simple as that, and undoubtedly comes with the potential of some pretty severe health risks - most of which, I would argue, the majority of hair loss sufferers wouldn’t deem a beneficial trade off for their hair.
 

For that reason I encourage EVERYONE to research, educate, and consult with specialists in this field before making the correct and informed decision. 
 

Call me blind, but I fail to see how anyone could have an issue with that stance. 

[Hair4Days]

2 hours ago, ciaus said:

Alot of things are possible, and only time will reveal how much you actually have in the bank, I really hope it works out for you.

This is surprising coming from someone trying to play it safe, I completely disagree. Stick with your doctors and get second opinions.

My doctor told me exactly what I’m voicing here. I’m not making any of this up. My doctor here in Ny doesn’t rely on finasteride to hold onto any native hairs. He feels genetics will always take over although He does agree it can slow the process down. I guess this means the medication will eventually not be as effective. But the plan is to expect for the worst..by starting the hairline conservative, starting with strip to utilize the entire donor, and run with it. I personally have enough problems and i don’t need any more with sides from finasteride, even if the likeliness is low 

[ciaus]

14 minutes ago, Curious25 said:

You’re the random forum member telling him to go and jump on it. And you don’t need to see a doctor, you can buy it online at the click of the button, or in the UK you can go to a pharmacy answer a few questions with the pharmacist and walk out of the shop with a 6 month supply. 

 

What isn't a click away from being purchased? And you can lie to your doctor about your health situations/history and get a script for stuff alot more dangerous than finasteride.

 

The starting point here is that we are law abiding adults trying to honestly address hair loss, and you can't legally 'jump' without a doctor.

 

I've seen your posts on this topic and they are more anxiety-inspiring than they need to be -that's my opinion and you're not going to change my mind on it. Continue to state your position and I'll continue with mine. From here let's leave the man's thread alone as far as the topic of meds go, he's already stated his position.

[ciaus]

3 minutes ago, James C said:

My doctor told me exactly what I’m voicing here.

 

Sorry for your thread getting hijacked into the side topic on medications. You've heard both sides here and from your doctor, and you have a position.

 

You originally asked about crown transplants results and how they blend with the frontal half, hair styling. (i had to go back and read that) lol

[Hair4Days]

56 minutes ago, ciaus said:

 

Sorry for your thread getting hijacked into the side topic on medications. You've heard both sides here and from your doctor, and you have a position.

 

You originally asked about crown transplants results and how they blend with the frontal half, hair styling. (i had to go back and read that) lol

Lol no worries man. These are valid debates. I appreciate your input.  Trust me, i wish i wasn’t paranoid about meds. I’m just sticking firm on not using them for personal reasons. 
but anyways.. how bad is having a wide open crown with Coverage 3/4 back? Just Incase the donor depletes and the far crown can’t be addressed. 

[Tao]

For what its worth, here is my crown journey.  Just for reference, first pic is where I started before I had 3 transplants over 11 years.  First pass was 2,900 graft FUT to restore hairline.  2nd pass a little over a year later was 2,400 graft FUT to shore up hairline and part and address the crown.  In March of this year, I had a 1,600 graft FUE to address the crown black hole and shore up the part.  Crowns take a lot of grafts to get good coverage and a lot depends on your hair and skin characteristics as well as the skill of the doctor, obviously.

First pic is where I started from. Second pic is after the first FUT.  Third pic is the final result of my second FUT.  4th is where I ended up 9 years later (with no minoxidil or Propecia).  And finally, the last two is where I am today, 5 months out of my most recent FUE crown surgery.

Edited August 14, 2020 by Tao

[voxman]

That's a good result, Tao.  How old are you now?

Edited August 14, 2020 by voxman

[Tao]

20 minutes ago, voxman said:

That's a good result, Tao.  How old are you now?

53!

[Curious25]

Amazing result and fits with the OP’s narrative of what he’s hoping for. Great to see it can be done. Congrats 

[Curious25]

3 hours ago, ciaus said:

 

What isn't a click away from being purchased? And you can lie to your doctor about your health situations/history and get a script for stuff alot more dangerous than finasteride.

 

The starting point here is that we are law abiding adults trying to honestly address hair loss, and you can't legally 'jump' without a doctor.

 

I've seen your posts on this topic and they are more anxiety-inspiring than they need to be -that's my opinion and you're not going to change my mind on it. Continue to state your position and I'll continue with mine. From here let's leave the man's thread alone as far as the topic of meds go, he's already stated his position.

You’re not worth arguing with because you can’t articulate the contradictions in what you have said in your previous posts to what you say in your replies. 

[voxman]

57 minutes ago, Tao said:

53!

That should serve you well.  My crown is not doing as well but that was never my focus.

And at my age now it's just not worth the time and expense as I've so much more to prioritize.  I am very happy with my hair and can only hope my wife combs it well when I'm in my casket.