Considering HT (again) - your thoughts?

[Myr]

I´m thinking to pull a trigger and go for HT. I have somewhat NW3+ hairline and thinking of fixing it. 

In 2017 I cancelled HT because I did not feel comfortable to do it. My main concern is that I can't take finasteride (it destroys my free test) and I worry I would end up in a worse place than before HT down the road. I have been on treatments for almost 9 years now (Min + Nizoral). For a past 6 months I have also added Zix and micro needling. I have not lost that much hair during years.

However, I´m worried about my donor hair which to me is average at best. Mid-scalp is also thinning a bit which is also concerning. Few (Turkish) clinics have said everything is fine and I would need about 2800-3000 grafts. I'm 36 years old btw.

Any thoughts?

Edited June 25, 2021 by Myr

[Melvin- Admin]

Your donor looks patchy, have you gotten your hair loss evaluated before? I’m concerned you may have LPP or scarring alopecia. 

[gillenator]

You definitely want to get a microscopic examination of your donor first.

[Myr]

22 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Your donor looks patchy, have you gotten your hair loss evaluated before? I’m concerned you may have LPP or scarring alopecia. 

 

 

15 hours ago, gillenator said:

You definitely want to get a microscopic examination of your donor first.

Yikes, just googled LPP and scarring alopecia. None of the clinics have said anything about this but those have been online consultations. I do have diagnosis of Alopecia Mucinosa in a past though which is a very rare skin disease. 

Do you think it would be worth to pay a visit to dermatologist before travelling to any HT clinic? I'm considering HLC but if I'm honest, I'm not 100% sure they would give me impartial view if I'm eligible candidate for HT.

[ITA]

@MyrLPP can only be diagnosed by taking a biopsy, a dermoscopy is not enough, and then, if you want advice, visit a trichologist, not a dermatologist.

[mcr7777]

On 6/26/2021 at 4:02 PM, Myr said:

 

 

Yikes, just googled LPP and scarring alopecia. None of the clinics have said anything about this but those have been online consultations. I do have diagnosis of Alopecia Mucinosa in a past though which is a very rare skin disease. 

Do you think it would be worth to pay a visit to dermatologist before travelling to any HT clinic? I'm considering HLC but if I'm honest, I'm not 100% sure they would give me impartial view if I'm eligible candidate for HT.

I'd definitely would recommend seeing a specialist derm before going with a HT. I saw a number of HT doctors including former derms who didn't recognise I had LPP even though I had symptoms and hair loss. I ended up getting a HT and getting diagnosed with LPP afterwards - after itching/burning didn't stop and growth wasn't great.  I wish I'd known beforehand but didn't see a specialist derm - and didn't even realise LPP existed.

 

Do you have symptoms e.g. ithching/burning? 

[mcr7777]

On 6/26/2021 at 4:02 PM, Myr said:

 

 

Yikes, just googled LPP and scarring alopecia. None of the clinics have said anything about this but those have been online consultations. I do have diagnosis of Alopecia Mucinosa in a past though which is a very rare skin disease. 

Do you think it would be worth to pay a visit to dermatologist before travelling to any HT clinic? I'm considering HLC but if I'm honest, I'm not 100% sure they would give me impartial view if I'm eligible candidate for HT.

HT clinics would not be able to diagnose LPP - certainly online - and even in person.   I saw several clinics in UK and none of them recognised I had LPP.  You could always invest in a digital microscope like I did - £18/25 USD on amazon.  You can look at your scalp and see if there are typical LPP symptoms like redness around the follicles, scaling etc.  A quick Google search will show you what LPP looks like on dermoscopy.  It's acutally probably more reliable as a first step than seeing a general derm (many who are not great at spotting LPP as many forum users go years being misdiagnosed).