Transplant while keeping the hair long

[terrapin89]

Hi all,

I'm new here, this is my first post. I'm a 31-year old male; first started noticing my hair thinning a little under a decade ago. I've been on finasteride since then (on and off, wish I had been better about staying on it) and recently started using minoxidil as well. Using the finasteride definitely seems like it likely slowed the loss to the point where it's relatively stable, but I'm at the point where I this bothers me enough that I want to do a transplant.

I want to do a transplant soon. What I need is a surgeon who specializes in doing the procedure without shaving hair. I have very long hair (past shoulder length). I love my hair. It's a part of my identity, to myself and for other people as well. I can't shave it; doing that would mean losing ~2.5 years before it was back how I have it now.

I could potentially shave the donor region if I absolutely had to (and cover it with the long hair in the back), but I can't shave the recipient region. I know of at least one surgeon who has said he's capable of doing the procedure without shaving and working through existing hair, but I wanted to ask here to see who you all recommend. This seems like a great community and I'll likely be spending a decent amount of time here. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[Curious25]

21 minutes ago, terrapin89 said:

I could potentially shave the donor region if I absolutely had to (and cover it with the long hair in the back), but I can't shave the recipient region

Here’s your solution - any decent doctor will comfortably be able to offer this option. 
 

Great hair by the way, choose your surgeon wisely - the hairline restoration is arguably the most important area to get right. 

[voxman]

Lots of Docs do 'no shave/long hair' surgeries.  By 'Long Hair' they mean 2-3 inches in the recipient area, not 18" like yours, but the procedure is really the same. 

You can get a FUT and the scar will NEVER show through your mane.  FUE might be trickier because the donor area will be much larger than the simple FUT scar.  

Edited May 17, 2021 by voxman

[Future Hair Doc]

2 hours ago, terrapin89 said:

Hi all,

I'm new here, this is my first post. I'm a 31-year old male; first started noticing my hair thinning a little under a decade ago. I've been on finasteride since then (on and off, wish I had been better about staying on it) and recently started using minoxidil as well. Using the finasteride definitely seems like it likely slowed the loss to the point where it's relatively stable, but I'm at the point where I this bothers me enough that I want to do a transplant.

I want to do a transplant soon. What I need is a surgeon who specializes in doing the procedure without shaving hair. I have very long hair (past shoulder length). I love my hair. It's a part of my identity, to myself and for other people as well. I can't shave it; doing that would mean losing ~2.5 years before it was back how I have it now.

I could potentially shave the donor region if I absolutely had to (and cover it with the long hair in the back), but I can't shave the recipient region. I know of at least one surgeon who has said he's capable of doing the procedure without shaving and working through existing hair, but I wanted to ask here to see who you all recommend. This seems like a great community and I'll likely be spending a decent amount of time here. Thanks for any insight you can provide.

Are you looking to get an FUT or FUE? 

I would consult with the recommended surgeons on here:

https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Consult-a-Physician/hair-transplant-surgeons.asp?sr=HRN

I believe @Dr. Vladimir Paninehas extensive experience with this. You should consult with him and see what he says. 

[BDK081522]

You do understand that the recepient hair sheds and grows from nothing correct? So it will take 3 years for the transplanted hair to catch up to your existing length. It's going to look odd for a very long time unless you somehow style it to cover up the transplant. Honestly better to shave and start growing everything from scratch. Everyone wants immediate  gratification nowadays. Hair restoration is a long and emotional journey and will affect your appearance for the rest of your life. 3 years is only a drop in the bucket. 

[terrapin89]

33 minutes ago, BDK081522 said:

You do understand that the recepient hair sheds and grows from nothing correct? So it will take 3 years for the transplanted hair to catch up to your existing length. It's going to look odd for a very long time unless you somehow style it to cover up the transplant. Honestly better to shave and start growing everything from scratch. Everyone wants immediate  gratification nowadays. Hair restoration is a long and emotional journey and will affect your appearance for the rest of your life. 3 years is only a drop in the bucket. 

I know it will look strange for a while; I was planning on maybe wearing a headband or something in public for some months after the procedure. After a year or so of growth won't it hopefully blend alright with my existing hair? I was thinking it hopefully doesn't have to be exactly the same length there to not look strange.

[BDK081522]

One year after the procedure is approximately only 7-8 months of growth. The grafts lie dormant for 4-5 months and then come in thin and wispy. It takes roughly 12-18 months to mature and mimic the surrounding hair caliber. Also, remember that your not matching the density of your native hair. Only about half the density  is able to be transplanted in one procedure. So, keep that in mind as well. Transplants are the illusion of density. It takes multiple passes to achieve true density and most patient's donor can't handle that. 

Edited May 18, 2021 by BDK081522

[Melvin- Admin]

Are you deciding on FUT? It’s not possible to do long hair FUE with the number of grafts you’ll need. 

[Raphael84]

7 hours ago, terrapin89 said:

I was planning on maybe wearing a headband or something in public for some months after the procedure.

You would really want to avoid this to be honest. Many guys will wear caps or headwear that allows some "air space" post surgery until their result grows in, but to wear a headband directly on top of the recipient area that may cause some friction and not allow the recipient area the best environment would not be recommended. 

[terrapin89]

9 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Are you deciding on FUT? It’s not possible to do long hair FUE with the number of grafts you’ll need. 

Yeah, I was figuring I'd probably most likely need to do FUT, does that make sense? How many grafts do you think I need?

[terrapin89]

4 hours ago, Raphael84 said:

You would really want to avoid this to be honest. Many guys will wear caps or headwear that allows some "air space" post surgery until their result grows in, but to wear a headband directly on top of the recipient area that may cause some friction and not allow the recipient area the best environment would not be recommended. 

Even months after the procedure and a minority of the time?

[Raphael84]

56 minutes ago, terrapin89 said:

Even months after the procedure and a minority of the time?

I would question how long is months after the procedure and how much is a minority of the time?

After the significant investment both financially and emotionally in surgery, I would always encourage any patient to ensure the very best environment for their scalp and both recipient and donor area as possible post surgery. It is human nature to "stretch" the boundaries. Sure, if it is a very minimal amount of time, very infrequently and many months post surgery, it most likely would not have any impact. But my understanding from your post was that you were considering wearing a headband each time you were in public for several months, which is quite a different situation. I would suggest wearing a cap that would allow the recipient area some space and present a more optimal environment for your transplanted grafts.

[terrapin89]

3 minutes ago, Raphael84 said:

I would question how long is months after the procedure and how much is a minority of the time?

After the significant investment both financially and emotionally in surgery, I would always encourage any patient to ensure the very best environment for their scalp and both recipient and donor area as possible post surgery. It is human nature to "stretch" the boundaries. Sure, if it is a very minimal amount of time, very infrequently and many months post surgery, it most likely would not have any impact. But my understanding from your post was that you were considering wearing a headband each time you were in public for several months, which is quite a different situation. I would suggest wearing a cap that would allow the recipient area some space and present a more optimal environment for your transplanted grafts.

Thanks, I see. I was also considering attempting to do something similar to what's seen in this series of images; this would hopefully be better? 

https://www.hairlossdoctors.com/photogallery/female-before-and-after-hair-transplant-photos-3542/healing-series-49426