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Is One Hair Transplant Enough Over A Lifetime?


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I got a dm earlier, from a guy who wanted to have one hair transplant and that was it. He didn't want to take medication, didn't want to get more hair transplants, he wanted only one. What do you guys think the best advice would be for someone like that? I would love to hear the communities thoughts. Maybe i'll send the thread to him if there are good responses.

 

Is One Hair Transplant Enough Over A Lifetime?


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

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Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

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He needs to start going through this forum first of all. There's not a "one and done" offering especially if you're against taking medication. I think that's the biggest challenge hair transplant doctor's face is to set realistic expectations with patients. Everyone wants the same amount of volume they had when they were 15 but everyone's case is so vastly different. It really is a lifelong journey of learning, collaborating, being patient and appreciative of what hair you still do have.

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44 minutes ago, makehairgreatagain said:

He needs to start going through this forum first of all. There's not a "one and done" offering especially if you're against taking medication. I think that's the biggest challenge hair transplant doctor's face is to set realistic expectations with patients. Everyone wants the same amount of volume they had when they were 15 but everyone's case is so vastly different. It really is a lifelong journey of learning, collaborating, being patient and appreciative of what hair you still do have.

Great response and advice 🙌🏼

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I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube.

 

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The one and done attitude is probably the biggest problem with the entire industry, and a big part of what makes it predatory for many patients. Full stop.

Choosing not to even try medication is always going to be a dumb choice, in my opinion. Without it, your donor area is less reliable and you're chasing a moving target unless you're already full NW 6-7. 

You see this often in younger guys with aggressive loss who "won't care" what they look like when they're "old." What a ridiculous idea. 

Advice for this is don't. You're just going to make your situation worse or end up disappointed. There are outliers, sure. But he's probably not one of them. Shave your head, try a hair system, but stay away from surgery. You're not willing to play ball so you might as well be shooting yourself in the foot at the start of a marathon.

 

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I would also say it depends on your age when you have your ht. If you have your procedure when your 50+ it may well be all you need.

I had one 6 months ago at 45 and I’m hoping I’ll not need another especially if I stay on fin, which I’m currently trying at a lower dose to try and reduce or eliminate a few sides I experienced.

But if you have your procedure early let’s say in your 20’s I’d say your likely to need 2 or 3 procedures.

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7 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I got a dm earlier, from a guy who wanted to have one hair transplant and that was it. He didn't want to take medication, didn't want to get more hair transplants, he wanted only one.

Find a doc who will tell you what you want to hear. Easy.

FUT procedure w/ Dr. K (2012)
Second FUT, Dr. K, Nov. 2020 (mini update)
Third procedure, FUE, Dr. K, 03/21, 400 beard to scar (latest update)

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Getting that first HT pretty much signs you up for at least one more HT down the road.  A newbie should be told to expect that. 

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Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008

Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013

Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

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7 hours ago, Mycroft said:

The one and done attitude is probably the biggest problem with the entire industry, and a big part of what makes it predatory for many patients. Full stop.

Choosing not to even try medication is always going to be a dumb choice, in my opinion. Without it, your donor area is less reliable and you're chasing a moving target unless you're already full NW 6-7. 

You see this often in younger guys with aggressive loss who "won't care" what they look like when they're "old." What a ridiculous idea. 

Advice for this is don't. You're just going to make your situation worse or end up disappointed. There are outliers, sure. But he's probably not one of them. Shave your head, try a hair system, but stay away from surgery. You're not willing to play ball so you might as well be shooting yourself in the foot at the start of a marathon.

 

Great response I agree with all points.


I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice.

Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey

View my thread

Topical dutasteride journey 

Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog.

Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube.

 

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We try to predict the future hair loss during the consultation.  Medication does help slow further progress but understandable when patients don’t want to take it.  It’s important to explain well to patients so they can make an informed decision.

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During any given consultation, if the place is reputable, there will be a fact finding period as well as an educative one.  First, is there family history of hair loss.  Does the patient follow a Norwood and Ludwig pattern? is he young with an aggressive pattern? Or is the loss gradual?  Once reality hits, here comes education.  Medical therapies, etc.  But there is always something that remains constant...If you've shown the propensity to lose, you will continue losing.  What will the end result be? If we had a hair crystal ball it would make the work a lot easier.  

I think it is important to understand patterns and the way people typically lose hair.  In an advanced pattern, typically most will keep some hair in the forelock , a thinner look in the middle section, (top), and and empty back, (crown).  So, if a patient is adamant about not following a preventive regimen, the suggestion should be to create a very conservative hairline that will serve him well regardless of what happens.  Concentrate most in the front with well receded temporal areas so he will always have something to frame the face, blend grafts through the top, and leave the back alone.  He can always revisit the issue depending on all the factors we are familiar with.

Patient Consultant for Dr. Arocha at Arocha Hair Restoration. 

I am not a medical professional and my comments should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own. 

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The gentleman needs to learn/educate himself more on hair loss, as well as medical and surgical solutions for this. Getting involved with this community will help him tremendously.

My advice does not constitute a patient-physician relationship nor as medical advice and all medical questions/concerns should be addressed to your medical provider. 

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At this moment in time the next thread up is for a guy that just got a HT on a whim and wants to get it undone immediately. And never have another one. Thus demonstrating that one transplant can not only be enough, but occasionally too much for one lifetime. 

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Actually, Dr. Rassman, whos blog I follow, said if you reach your final pattern and then get a hair transplant, you can potentially never need a second one.

So it's pretty simple. Drink heavily, do tons of hard drugs, don't sleep, and then boom. All you need is one transplant.

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Why would he want one transplant? Everyone I have ever known started off wanting no hair transplants. They only start wanting the first one because they lost some hair. Even after wanting the first one, nobody ever wants to have more than that one transplant if they don't have to. I never thought about getting a hair transplant until I felt I needed one. So if he feels like he wants one hair transplant, what is going to stop him from wanting another hair transplant if he continues losing hair? If we could all get to decide how much hair we are going to lose we would all choose to lose none and nobody would ever get hair transplants. Obviously it doesn't work that way.

 

 

Edited by BeHappy

Al

Forum Moderator

(formerly BeHappy)

I am a forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here.

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