Am I a candidate? 40yo, NW5 or NW6?

[steve1565]

Hello all

 

I've never had a HT before.

I tried finasteride 3 years ago, but it was a nightmare.

I use minoxodil for 5 years now.

 

I started balding in my very early 20's. I am now 40 and the hairloss seems pretty stable for the last 4 years.

 

Would like as much restoration as possible!

 

I have sent requests to Hasson & Wong, Feller & Bloxham, Hattington Hair. I am in the USA.

Who else can I consider?

[steve1565]

Adding donor pics!

[aaron1234]

To the naked eye your donor looks average, so definitely get it checked out for miniaturization before surgery.  I think consulting with H&W is a good place to start.  I know they are not fans of minoxidil and would probably ask you to stop before surgery - not sure how much good min is doing for you now anyways.  Without being on fin I'd anticipate further loss to your lateral humps and widening of the bottom your crown, so plan accordingly.  

[LaserCaps]

Based on the photos you look like a marginal candidate.  The "safe zone" seems rather limited.  It is likely the most conservative doctors will suggest medical therapy before moving forward.  Some may actually give the go-ahead.

There are other modalities other than Finasteride.  Look into PRP and laser.  This combo helps with the reversal of the thinning and may help.  You do seem well demarcated which helps.  Hair loss, however, can be tricky.  Wish we had a hair crystal ball at times.  

I would encourage you to consider all alternatives before moving forward.  And, if are considered a candidate, concentrate your grafts in the front and blend to the area right behind it.  Those will help frame your face and will serve you well down the road.  Forget the crown for now.  Once happy, reassess.  

 

[Westview]

You're an excellent candidate.  You are Norwood 5-ish plus not much retrograde.

You have good sidebanks as well.

I would go with 4000 FUT to cover the top, and then use the rest of your scalp hair plus BHT to cover the crown.

Job done in 2-3 years

[Melvin- Admin]

You look to be a decent candidate, donor looks average. Hair looks to be on the finer side, you need to keep your expectations in check. What are your expectations?

[Gasthoerer]

You are are a below average candidate IMO. The key is to look into your family history and check how far the sides drop in the future. And of course to manage expectations. 

Your high sides are you only plus at the moment. Donor is below average IMO. Hair diameter is thin. From the little I see, I expect not much body hair (right?). No Fin... The further dip of the crown is guaranteed. 

Do you have pics of you donor from a younger age? 

By the way: You should hop on PO (daily - there are special ones for dry skin) and KET shampoo (1-2 week) ASAP. 

[steve1565]

4 hours ago, Gasthoerer said:

You are are a below average candidate IMO. The key is to look into your family history and check how far the sides drop in the future. And of course to manage expectations. 

Your high sides are you only plus at the moment. Donor is below average IMO. Hair diameter is thin. From the little I see, I expect not much body hair (right?). No Fin... The further dip of the crown is guaranteed. 

Do you have pics of you donor from a younger age? 

By the way: You should hop on PO (daily - there are special ones for dry skin) and KET shampoo (1-2 week) ASAP. 

Thanks for all the replies, guys.

I do have quite alot of body hair. Back, chest, stomache, arms. I am not sure if I can find pics of donor from younger.

What's PO?

I will start the KET shampoo again.

 

PS. Lots of dandruff due to not washing my hair for two weeks - ear infection and perforated eardrum!

Edited July 31, 2021 by steve1565

[Rolandas]

I have done a live Q&A on my channel and decided to give my opinion on your case. Starts from 2:37

 

[BLE123]

2 hours ago, Rolandas said:

I have done a live Q&A on my channel and decided to give my opinion on your case. Starts from 2:37

 

I'm thinking Dr Ferreira should hire you to deal with his emails 😄

[Britanium]

57 minutes ago, BLE123 said:

I'm thinking Dr Ferreira should hire you to deal with his emails 😄

Rolandas the rep does have a nice ring to it… 

[Rolandas]

22 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Rolandas the rep does have a nice ring to it… 

Dr. Ferreira isn't looking for one. He wants to reply to emails himself. I already offered him my help with that as he takes over 2-5 months to even reply to email consultations...

[Britanium]

1 minute ago, Rolandas said:

Dr. Ferreira isn't looking for one. He wants to reply to emails himself. I already offered him my help with that as he takes over 2-5 months to even reply to email consultations...

Wow 😯 so there is definitely a need for it ! 

[Melvin- Admin]

5 hours ago, Rolandas said:

Dr. Ferreira isn't looking for one. He wants to reply to emails himself. I already offered him my help with that as he takes over 2-5 months to even reply to email consultations...

That’s a shame, assistance, especially in patient service is never a bad thing.

[GaryStruthers]

6 hours ago, Rolandas said:

Dr. Ferreira isn't looking for one. He wants to reply to emails himself. I already offered him my help with that as he takes over 2-5 months to even reply to email consultations...

Wow, and here I am waiting patiently for him to respond after 6 days. (yes I was holding out on the 48 hour expedited fee of €50)😂

Looks like I'll be paying that!

[Rolandas]

18 minutes ago, GaryStruthers said:

Wow, and here I am waiting patiently for him to respond after 6 days. (yes I was holding out on the 48 hour expedited fee of €50)😂

Looks like I'll be paying that!

Yeah I'd suggest to just pay. Number of people told me they're waiting for 3-5 months for consultation.

[Doron Harati]

Seems to me like NW 5.5-6 with decent average donor, you for surely need 2 procedure, 1st for frontal and hairline, 2nd procedure around second half of the middle scalp backwards to the crown as possible as can.

There could a chance of miniaturization at the orange marker area in the future, but the good thing right now I don't see NW7 signs.

[GaryStruthers]

1 hour ago, Rolandas said:

Yeah I'd suggest to just pay. Number of people told me they're waiting for 3-5 months for consultation.

By the way, I just heard from his office. They're booked up until June 2022. So while I'm on that subject for anyone reading this, is it common to wait over 3 months for any surgeon/appointment? Because that seems crazy.

[Rbs]

5 hours ago, GaryStruthers said:

By the way, I just heard from his office. They're booked up until June 2022. So while I'm on that subject for anyone reading this, is it common to wait over 3 months for any surgeon/appointment? Because that seems crazy.

3 Months for a consultation slot and 8-10 Months for a surgery slot seem to be on par for most of the US Surgeons I checked with while evaluating my options. The surgery timeline was reduced due to Covid but I expect that to bloat up more. This is because they do the surgeries end to end and usually one a day (Which is a great thing!) so leaves less time for consultations AND longer wait times for surgery slots.

[steve1565]

Thanks for all the input guys. I do need to have a good surgeon have an in-person look.

[Melvin- Admin]

In my personal opinion, 3-5 months for a consultation is way too long. Thats why you need to staff people who can perform assessments. Now, in person consultations are different, with Covid I can understand 3 months, but you should not be waiting that long for an online assessment, unless there’s a staffing issue. That said, I agree with paying for virtual zoom consultations. A surgeons time should be compensated.

[steve1565]

Hi all

I thought I would update here.

I had H&W and Dr. Bloxham look at my pictures. Dr. Bloxham estimated 2500 - 3000 grafts, he said he was conservative with such estimates.

H&W had me send video showing my scalp flexibility. They said ~5000 grafts were possible. Both were booked until 8+months out

I ended up in Germany for an unrelated reason, not far from Hattington Hair. I drove down and Dr. Muresanu looked in person. He said I have fine-medium hair, above average density in donor. He estimates 6000 grafts are possible. He drew out a 3-zone plan that would cover all the loss region with a couple mm of overlap. I think it was 40 grafts/cm2 in the hairline front zone, less going back.

Later, he contacted me and had a cancellation. I was able to get an appointment for quite soon after once I made some arrangements. I'm now going in TOMORROW for surgery. It will be done over 2 days.

[Britanium]

20 minutes ago, steve1565 said:

Hi all

I thought I would update here.

I had H&W and Dr. Bloxham look at my pictures. Dr. Bloxham estimated 2500 - 3000 grafts, he said he was conservative with such estimates.

H&W had me send video showing my scalp flexibility. They said ~5000 grafts were possible. Both were booked until 8+months out

I ended up in Germany for an unrelated reason, not far from Hattington Hair. I drove down and Dr. Muresanu looked in person. He said I have fine-medium hair, above average density in donor. He estimates 6000 grafts are possible. He drew out a 3-zone plan that would cover all the loss region with a couple mm of overlap. I think it was 40 grafts/cm2 in the hairline front zone, less going back.

Later, he contacted me and had a cancellation. I was able to get an appointment for quite soon after once I made some arrangements. I'm now going in TOMORROW for surgery. It will be done over 2 days.

That’s a touch …. You have got a excellent Dr and a fantastic plan. They pretty much are doing some of the best FUT mega sessions anywhere worldwide. 
Good luck 🤞 

[TommyLucchese]

On 9/12/2021 at 8:31 PM, steve1565 said:

Hi all

I thought I would update here.

I had H&W and Dr. Bloxham look at my pictures. Dr. Bloxham estimated 2500 - 3000 grafts, he said he was conservative with such estimates.

H&W had me send video showing my scalp flexibility. They said ~5000 grafts were possible. Both were booked until 8+months out

I ended up in Germany for an unrelated reason, not far from Hattington Hair. I drove down and Dr. Muresanu looked in person. He said I have fine-medium hair, above average density in donor. He estimates 6000 grafts are possible. He drew out a 3-zone plan that would cover all the loss region with a couple mm of overlap. I think it was 40 grafts/cm2 in the hairline front zone, less going back.

Later, he contacted me and had a cancellation. I was able to get an appointment for quite soon after once I made some arrangements. I'm now going in TOMORROW for surgery. It will be done over 2 days.

Good news! I was going to reply (didn't realise it was an old thread) and say Hattingen or Eugenix would be great options if you can travel. 

[steve1565]

On Day 3.. Pain on 2nd day was a bitch. The doctor is pretty helpful.

Swelling is pretty bad, minor black eyes. Swelling was worst yesterday, better today. Except for rear incision scar which is still swollen.

Came to ~5300 grafts, 2.4 hair per graft.