FUE - Am I suitable

[mnvbrtn]

I'm a 34 year old. You can see the pics. I think I have a dense donor area on the back and researching about FUE. 

How many procedures do you think will it take to cover the whole area.

 

 

Edited August 24, 2020 by mnvbrtn
added side and back views

[LaserCap]

Based on the photos - which do not show your sides nor donor,..............

Large diffused pattern with a lot of miniaturized native hair.  While you may have adequate donor, I doubt you'll have enough to cover the whole had.  Besides, that's just a bad idea all around.

Go to the mall and start looking at people with a 5/6 pattern.  How do they lose their hair? They tend to keep a strong front, medium type density in the mid section, and much weaker in the crown.  And with a very conservative hairline, (well receded). 

I would encourage you to do as many grafts as you can and concentrate them on the front and top and leave the back for a later time.  When you're content with the results in the front, you can then tackle the crown.

But wait......Are you doing any type of medical therapy? There is a chance you not only retain, but could enhance much of what you have.  The opposite is also true. What if the meds do nothing and you continue dipping in the donor? You can potentially lose all the grafts.

Have you had any consultations?

[Melvin- Admin]

What are your expectations? Your candidacy depends on your expectations

[Tao]

You appear to be starting where I started.  I had three surgeries (2 FUT and a FUE) for a total of about 6,700 grafts over 11 years.  It's possible I had better (e.g more and thicker caliber) donor hair but you'd need several consultations with good doctors to determine that.  My head is looking pretty different these days.  

[mnvbrtn]

Updated side and back pics as well. Never on any medication. Tried rogaine for few years. 

Looking for the whole but mainly trying for hairline and top. And never had any consultations and looking for the doc in central US

[Hair4Days]

9 hours ago, LaserCap said:

Based on the photos - which do not show your sides nor donor,..............

Large diffused pattern with a lot of miniaturized native hair.  While you may have adequate donor, I doubt you'll have enough to cover the whole had.  Besides, that's just a bad idea all around.

Go to the mall and start looking at people with a 5/6 pattern.  How do they lose their hair? They tend to keep a strong front, medium type density in the mid section, and much weaker in the crown.  And with a very conservative hairline, (well receded). 

I would encourage you to do as many grafts as you can and concentrate them on the front and top and leave the back for a later time.  When you're content with the results in the front, you can then tackle the crown.

But wait......Are you doing any type of medical therapy? There is a chance you not only retain, but could enhance much of what you have.  The opposite is also true. What if the meds do nothing and you continue dipping in the donor? You can potentially lose all the grafts.

Have you had any consultations?

Would gentleman be able to max out his donor with fue and then use beard grafts to cover his whole top?

[JohnCasper]

You look very similar to me.  I had two surgeries and a total of 7,125 graphs starting 8 years ago.  I've never taken any medication related to hair retention.  My wife is a hair-dresser and cuts my hair regularly and she has noticed no change in my recipient areas for 8 years.  Check out my website posted below for lots of photos and videos.

[LaserCap]

13 hours ago, James C said:

Would gentleman be able to max out his donor with fue and then use beard grafts to cover his whole top?

There is beard, and body hair.  That's not the issue. Let's talk about how hair grows.

Hair in the front grows forward at an angle.  This is typically the reason why most will suggest hairline design be on the conservative side.  Besides being age and pattern appropriate, everyone should think the hairline will automatically be about 2 inches down from its new home.

On the top, the hair also grows forward and it shingles. In the crown, however, hair grows differently, it swirls. 

We all share a whirl.  It is the weakest point.  The hair grows away from the point and does not shingle.  Let's do an exercise.  Get a piece of paper and a pen.  Draw a dot.  Now draw a plus sign intersecting the point.  Imagine that being procedure 1.  Turn the paper up, (or down), a mm.  Do the same.  How many plus signs do you need to make before you can fill the circle?  Transplants are similar.  The crown can eat your lunch. You run out of donor and then you lose the front.  

It is important to recognize it is the front you see when looking in the mirror.  It is also what others see when they interact with you.  Having hair in the front will always serve you well.  And if the back still bothers you, style your hair in a way in which it will help you cover the back.  Can you eventually do the back? Sure, but this depends on the results of the front and donor availability. Be happy with the front and then make the decision.

Don't forget medications

[Melvin- Admin]

16 hours ago, mnvbrtn said:

Updated side and back pics as well. Never on any medication. Tried rogaine for few years. 

Looking for the whole but mainly trying for hairline and top. And never had any consultations and looking for the doc in central US

You have to accept that you will never have a full head of hair again, especially if you don’t take finasteride. If that’s okay with you, I’d say you’re a suitable candidate.

[Hair4Days]

3 hours ago, LaserCap said:

 

 Can you eventually do the back? Sure, but this depends on the results of the front and donor availability. Be happy with the front and then make the decision.

 

Well understood LaserCap. However, it may be hard to be happy with the front not knowing if you can do the back or not. I think it’s easier to enjoy your front when your doctor confirms you do indeed have the donor for some kind of crown coverage in the future, hence why it’s very important to have in person consultations with experienced surgeons. 

[LaserCap]

If that's the way you're thinking, it is imperative you be on some type of medical therapy.

[Hair4Days]

47 minutes ago, LaserCap said:

If that's the way you're thinking, it is imperative you be on some type of medical therapy.

Why, if a doctor gives me the green light that my donor is suitable for the long haul? 

[Gabreille Nelson Mukhia]

On 8/24/2020 at 7:52 PM, mnvbrtn said:

I'm a 34 year old. You can see the pics. I think I have a dense donor area on the back and researching about FUE. 

How many procedures do you think will it take to cover the whole area.

 

 

Why don't you try Finasteride for a year to see how it works on your mid scalp and crown. You would get a better idea of how many grafts would be required after that. In the sense that your pre existing hair would thicken up. Maybe you would be satisfied with the coverage and might want to go for tge frontal zone restoration only.

[mnvbrtn]

 

9 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

You have to accept that you will never have a full head of hair again, especially if you don’t take finasteride. If that’s okay with you, I’d say you’re a suitable candidate.

Decided to try finasteride for 6 months and want to see the results.

how and where can I request the prescription 

[LaserCap]

On 8/25/2020 at 2:34 PM, James C said:

Why, if a doctor gives me the green light that my donor is suitable for the long haul? 

If you look at the perimeter of the crown you'll notice that the thinning is progressing.  We call this dipping.  If this continues, it will obviously have an effect on the donor.  If you are a bit premature and move forward with transplants you can potentially lose all the grafts, particularly if they came from the area that thinned.

If a doctor gives you the green light without confirming the effectiveness of the meds, I would run the other way as fast as I could.

[Hair4Days]

5 minutes ago, LaserCap said:

If you look at the perimeter of the crown you'll notice that the thinning is progressing.  We call this dipping.  If this continues, it will obviously have an effect on the donor.  If you are a bit premature and move forward with transplants you can potentially lose all the grafts, particularly if they came from the area that thinned.

If a doctor gives you the green light without confirming the effectiveness of the meds, I would run the other way as fast as I could.

There are safe zones in the donor. Especially when performing FUT. Even in megasession FUE procedures, you notice doctors harvesting under and around the dip of the crown. I do agree finasteride will slow the process down..but I’d still proceed assuming my hair will eventually look exactly what my genetics are meant to be..overall i don’t think it’s smart to rely on a medication that you don’t know if you’d tolerate, or lose its potency over time. You should still plan for the worst, and that in my opinion includes being examined thorough enough to determine if you’re likely to get grafts in the crown in the future or not. 

[LaserCap]

In most cases, agree. But you are "not" most cases.  You have an advanced, large pattern and still young.  At this point nothing is safe.  If you end up being a class 7, you'll be stuck and in trouble.

If you do try meds and they work, they'll continue working for as long as you take them.  If you stop, you'll lose the benefit.  This is as far as Finasteride is concerned.  I am aware Rogaine tends to lose some of its effect at about 7 years.  Perhaps you should try multiple modalities and give them a year.  You can then decide what to do based on results.  With regards to side effects, you'll know immediately.  And, if you don't get them, you never will.  Give yourself a good week to confirm this. If you are indeed, "affected" forget about transplants and consider SMP or something else.

An examination of the doctor will not guarantee anything.  He, like the rest of us, does not have a hair crystal ball to tell what's going to happen in the future.

[Hair4Days]

2 hours ago, LaserCap said:

you are indeed, "affected" forget about transplants and consider SMP or something else.

 

I respect your input on finasteride. And it makes sense. But why would you recommend forgetting about a transplant if you are indeed affected by the medication and chose not to take it? I’ve seen countless Ht cases on this network showing high Norwood patients really turning things around with surgery alone. I understand everybody is different, But if you were a nw 6 already, had excellent donor, and in the hands of an experienced nw 6,7 doctor.. you wouldn’t feel confident in a large HT restoration? I’ve seen it be proven. Please tell me, in your opinion, how much coverage you think this particular patient can get with surgery alone? Considering his pattern progresses down to a solid 6/7.  Rough guesstimate? It seems like you think a transplant is only suitable for mild/moderate balding? And there’s nothing wrong with that, I love hearing other people’s opinions.

[Melvin- Admin]

1 minute ago, James C said:

I respect your input on finasteride. And it makes sense. But why would you recommend forgetting about a transplant if you are indeed affected by the medication and chose not to take it? I’ve seen countless Ht cases on this network showing high Norwood patients really turning things around with surgery alone. I understand everybody is different, But if you were a nw 6 already, had excellent donor, and in the hands of an experienced nw 6,7 doctor.. you wouldn’t feel confident in a large HT restoration? I’ve seen it be proven. Please tell me, in your opinion, how much coverage you think this particular patient can get with surgery alone? Considering his pattern progresses down to a solid 6/7.  Rough guesstimate? It seems like you think a transplant is only suitable for mild/moderate balding? And there’s nothing wrong with that, I love hearing other people’s opinions.

He’s not saying you can’t have a hair transplant, but full coverage of the crown without finasteride, is highly unlikely. The crown is ever expanding and your donor supply is finite, and reducing. Imagine you have two buckets of paint, but the walls you have to paint keep getting larger and expanding.

At some point, you have to make the choice where you should concentrate the paint you have to make it appear like the walls are painted. It’s clear covering the walls entirely with paint will not be an option. It becomes an option if you take medicine to prevent the walls from expanding. 

[Hair4Days]

1 hour ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

He’s not saying you can’t have a hair transplant, but full coverage of the crown without finasteride, is highly unlikely. The crown is ever expanding and your donor supply is finite, and reducing. 

I agree full crown coverage isn’t obtainable. Surgeons admit this. But I’ve been told from every doctor I’ve consulted with that Atleast some coverage is possible if you use the donor correctly. I wouldn’t even want a thick crown for life. At then point it becomes more obvious of a ht. A thinner, lighter covered crown is just fine. Isn’t this how yours is Melvin ?

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, James C said:

I agree full crown coverage isn’t obtainable. Surgeons admit this. But I’ve been told from every doctor I’ve consulted with that Atleast some coverage is possible if you use the donor correctly. I wouldn’t even want a thick crown for life. At then point it becomes more obvious of a ht. A thinner, lighter covered crown is just fine. Isn’t this how yours is Melvin ?

I basically have a thin bald spot for my crown, theres some hair there that was transplanted, which allows me to use hair loss concealers, but what I consider adequate coverage, others may deem inadequate. 

[Hair4Days]

5 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I basically have a thin bald spot for my crown, theres some hair there that was transplanted, which allows me to use hair loss concealers, but what I consider adequate coverage, others may deem inadequate. 

Have you considered beard hair to top it off? On the crown ?

[Melvin- Admin]

1 hour ago, James C said:

Have you considered beard hair to top it off? On the crown ?

Considered it, but BHT has a lower yield, and I’m not sure it would blend with my scalp hair. I have a curly beard and straight hair.

[JohnCasper]

Interesting comments on the medications taken for hair retention.  I'm sure they may work for some or most but I've never taken any medication for hair loss/retention.  I had over 7,000 grafts transplanted eight years ago this month.  My wife is a hair dresser and cuts my hair on a regular basis.  She examines my head monthly and has not noticed any apparent hair loss in the recipient areas.  Maybe there has been a little hair loss but its just not noticeable.  Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones.  I just never wanted to take a regiment of medications the rest of my life.

[OliverAtom]

On 8/26/2020 at 2:53 AM, mnvbrtn said:

 

Decided to try finasteride for 6 months and want to see the results.

how and where can I request the prescription 

This is a very interesting Post.
I think you have taken the best decision, try Finas for 6 months and then see and decide...
But I´m with some of the people suggesting to focus on the front. That´s the most important and what all will look at... the crown well... and when you are 60 it may even be fine to have a low density over it.

Will be waiting for your update!
Best of luck!