So pretty much everyone told me there's no hope for me.. What do you think?

[k.fareed]

Hey everyone.

So I've done a few consultations with different clinics and they all told me that I won't be able to get a surgery because my donor area is too weak.

Only one clinic was willing to do the work, they said I'll need 4400 grafts and will have to do two sessions, with some grafts extracted from the beard area, but other that that no one else thinks I can get it done.

What do you think?

[Ajamilo]

Really simple bro: shave your head and go one with your life

[NARMAK]

Firstly, i am no expert so take it as simple another person's opinion like you, but your pictures objectively looking are not indicating a great situation. You have thinning all over your scalp including your donor area. That's probably going to be the biggest hurdle for any reputable clinic to even want to deal with 

The "just shave it bro(!)" advice isn't to everybody a good idea, but also suggesting a hair system might not be what the person wants. And it will 100% mess the area up at the top. 

Have you actually taken any medication or Minoxidil etc.?

Maybe starting some treatments might help and get you to a stage where the thinning looks vastly improved. 

[k.fareed]

3 minutes ago, NARMAK said:

Firstly, i am no expert so take it as simple another person's opinion like you, but your pictures objectively looking are not indicating a great situation. You have thinning all over your scalp including your donor area. That's probably going to be the biggest hurdle for any reputable clinic to even want to deal with 

The "just shave it bro(!)" advice isn't to everybody a good idea, but also suggesting a hair system might not be what the person wants. And it will 100% mess the area up at the top. 

Have you actually taken any medication or Minoxidil etc.?

Maybe starting some treatments might help and get you to a stage where the thinning looks vastly improved. 

I totally agree with what you're saying, I used to take minoxidil but I I didn't really see much of an improvement, so I thought a HT would be a better solution but now I'm starting to find out that I might not be able to do that either and I totally can't stand having a hair system either, so if all hope is lost, then shaving it is.. 

[BurnieBurns]

If I were you I’d look into oral minoxidil because that will also thicken for donor.

I you have demonstrate 6 months of stability, it may be worth proceeding.

THEN I would go to a clinic specialising in body hair transplantation like Dr U or Eugenix. IF they can get enough scalp hair for the hairline then mix the rest with beard and body hair it’ll make a pretty bit difference.

[k.fareed]

19 minutes ago, BurnieBurns said:

If I were you I’d look into oral minoxidil because that will also thicken for donor.

I you have demonstrate 6 months of stability, it may be worth proceeding.

THEN I would go to a clinic specialising in body hair transplantation like Dr U or Eugenix. IF they can get enough scalp hair for the hairline then mix the rest with beard and body hair it’ll make a pretty bit difference.

That sounds like a good idea, do you think the oral minoxidil is better than the topical one and approximately how long would I need to use it for to get decent results? 

[Zoomster]

I think you might possibly have DUPA..worth having a proper assessment to rule it in or out ..I'd echo what the previous poster suggested ..shave it and forget about HT...orrr full SMP restoration..you seem to have the right head Shape and skin tone for one of those knockout results we see from time to time  ...Gooduck with it .

[k.fareed]

3 minutes ago, Zoomster said:

I think you might possibly have DUPA..worth having a proper assessment to rule it in or out ..I'd echo what the previous poster suggested ..shave it and forget about HT...orrr full SMP restoration..you seem to have the right head Shape and skin tone for one of those knockout results we see from time to time  ...Gooduck with it .

Thank you, I already do shave it completely I only let it grow so I can get a proper assessment for an HT which seems to be unlikely, I'll take a look at the SMP, sounds like a good alternative. Any specific advice concerning that? 

[Zoomster]

@Gatsbycould you give this gentleman a steer re SMP Do’s  and Dont’s....?

[aaron1234]

Get on finasteride, or dutasteride, or oral minoxidil and see if it helps.  But yeah, you are not a great candidate for a HT.

[digi23]

4 hours ago, k.fareed said:

Hey everyone.

So I've done a few consultations with different clinics and they all told me that I won't be able to get a surgery because my donor area is too weak.

Only one clinic was willing to do the work, they said I'll need 4400 grafts and will have to do two sessions, with some grafts extracted from the beard area, but other that that no one else thinks I can get it done.

What do you think?

Like others mentioned already, looks like you are not a good candidate because of thinning everywhere, even in the donor zone. 

On a positive note, you have awesome beard and your head shape looks really good for the shave look with beard. 

[ciaus]

Minoxidil doesn't address the underlying reason you're losing your hair, whether you try the oral or topical versions, all its doing is thickening your hairs and extending the growth cycles until the DHT finishes off your hair follicles. As for starting a DHT blocker like finasteride or dutasteride, most guys that do respond just maintain what they currently have or the loss rate slows down. Not many guys gain back much of what they've already loss. 

I wouldn't risk hair transplants, nobody can see into the future and guarantee you results. The only guarantee is that you'll get some scarring in the donor area where they take the hair. And then you'll have to worry about trying to keep the scars concealed so people don't stare at your head.

Your best options are to

1) just shave it

2) SMP

3) don't even bother shaving it

4) hair system

[NARMAK]

3 hours ago, k.fareed said:

I totally agree with what you're saying, I used to take minoxidil but I I didn't really see much of an improvement, so I thought a HT would be a better solution but now I'm starting to find out that I might not be able to do that either and I totally can't stand having a hair system either, so if all hope is lost, then shaving it is.. 

So, in regards to treatment. Finasteride will possibly help by blocking DHT and if it is even your donor area being sensitive, it could help there and thicken it up 

Minoxidil by itself isn't great because it doesn't address the root cause of the hair loss usually which is DHT. In combination with Finasteride, taking Minoxidil and Microneedling with a dermapen might be the best option. 

The whole aspect of shave it, rock a beard etc. is all well and good, but not everybody wants that, so always look at what options you personally have. Find the solution that you're happy with and i wish you all the best on that.

[bald-and-bearded]

Other than what others already said, body hair transplants can be worth looking into if you are desperate.

Mohebi has a good page on it: https://parsamohebi.com/hair-transplant/follicular-unit-extraction-fue/body-hair-transplant/

 

[Britanium]

@k.fareedYeh unfortunately you don’t look like a good candidate for a hair transplant. Who was the clinic saying 4.4K ? If the majority are saying your donor is too weak then I would be wary of someone saying you are able to get that amount.. 

Do you really want to further thin out the donor area ? It just doesn’t look like it’s the way forward for you. 

[HappyMan2021]

shave it and be free. 

[LaserCaps]

 The first strike against you is the color of hair and scalp.  The contrast is not helping you.  The first thing I would do is to let your hair grow for a solid 2 weeks, perhaps longer.  Let's see if the hair shingles and provides coverage.  The second thing I would do is do all modalities, Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP for a good year.  It takes that long to see what exactly the regimen will accomplish. 

Fortunately, you still have hair.  It is miniaturized but has not left the building.

Transplant conversation pending outcome.

[Jerome]

Did you shave your head in these photos before taking them.

 

 

[k.fareed]

14 minutes ago, Jerome said:

Did you shave your head in these photos before taking them.

 

 

I normally shave it completely, but I'd been growing it for about a little over two weeks in this picture 

[AB2000]

13 hours ago, k.fareed said:

Hey everyone.

So I've done a few consultations with different clinics and they all told me that I won't be able to get a surgery because my donor area is too weak.

Only one clinic was willing to do the work, they said I'll need 4400 grafts and will have to do two sessions, with some grafts extracted from the beard area, but other that that no one else thinks I can get it done.
 

I was in the same situation.  Since then I've had 14k grafts.  Keep looking around and if you do go the HT route go with something realistic and conservative.  There is no way to make up for all the hairloss you have had.

[Jerome]

57 minutes ago, k.fareed said:

I normally shave it completely, but I'd been growing it for about a little over two weeks in this picture 

maby thats why it looks so thin cause u didnt grow it out enough to show where the actual balding or thinning is.

[BurnieBurns]

16 hours ago, k.fareed said:

That sounds like a good idea, do you think the oral minoxidil is better than the topical one and approximately how long would I need to use it for to get decent results? 

I'd say 6 months, but you'd need an experienced doctor to say for sure. Yes it is typically more effective that minoxidil and will thicken up all hair rather than just where you apply it. You'll get a lot of nay sayers but there are clinics nowadays who achieve pretty remarkable results with beard hair.

[Gatsby]

You've got a great shaped head. As you already shave you could have SMP to add to it. You could even consider taking finasteride to see if you can maintain what you have to give SMP an even more realistic look. 👌

[mmokin]

On 1/14/2022 at 10:56 PM, AB2000 said:

I was in the same situation.  Since then I've had 14k grafts.  Keep looking around and if you do go the HT route go with something realistic and conservative.  There is no way to make up for all the hairloss you have had.

how did you get up to 14k grafts?

[AB2000]

20 hours ago, mmokin said:

how did you get up to 14k grafts?

Scalp, beard, chest, arms, back.