SMP or transplant?

[SeanT1]

Hi!
I'm six months after my FUE hair transplant, very happy!
I only got work done at the front, not crown area.

I was wondering if I should get work done on my crown,
Which do you think is better for my situation, another hair transplant or SMP?

The crown looks ok in the right light conditions, but awful in the worst (ie. direct sunlight).
Taking 1mg of finasteride every day for one whole year now.  I'm 26 years old.

(Worst case lighting from above)

 

(Frontal hairline six months result for reference )

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by SeanToman

[Tamagochihandler]

Option SMP: it seems to be more conservative, less risky because as far as I know it is reversible in time (it will fade and finally disappear), it is cheaper, less time consuming (no post op) and it preserves your donnor. 
I do not know how SMP would match your current hair length. This is a point to consider.

Option HT: it would look more natural (undetectable if done by a good surgeon) but you will “burn” more grafts from your donor, specially because crowns need much more grafts than other areas.

[Gatsby]

If you feel that your hair has now stabilized from finasteride then SMP can be excellent in supporting the illusion of more density (after all that's what a hair transplant is - an illusion of full hair). If you do choose this though ensure you do your research for an SMP artist who is excellent in creating hair density as you would when researching for a hair transplant surgeon. All the best.

[SeanT1]

12 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

If you feel that your hair has now stabilized from finasteride then SMP can be excellent in supporting the illusion of more density (after all that's what a hair transplant is - an illusion of full hair). If you do choose this though ensure you do your research for an SMP artist who is excellent in creating hair density as you would when researching for a hair transplant surgeon. All the best.

Thank you Gatsby, as always!

I'm going to arrange a consultation with DotMicro, they won 3rd place prior to lockdown at micropigmentationuk.
Their result samples & Instagram looks quite promising.
https://dot-micro.com/

 

I think my hair has stabilised.  I do lose 3-4 hairs each shower from the crown but doesn't seem to be too much of an issue.
So you feel that my hair isn't too thin and SMP should do the job?

Edited March 16, 2022 by SeanToman

[Z--]

I think at 26, crown work seems risky. I'd probably do SMP for now and revisit around 30 years old to see the level of loss there tbh.

[SeanT1]

Hi! It's been almost a year since I made this post.

Since then I've gotten SMP work done (three sessions) and I thought to share the results here for reference, hope this helps someone.
(I'm also on finasteride which may have increased the crown density over the past year)

 

[Gatsby]

Great stuff @SeanToman. Indoors the SMP will definitely give you a greater illusion of density. 👌

[gillenator]

On 3/15/2022 at 9:29 PM, SeanToman said:

Thank you Gatsby, as always!

I'm going to arrange a consultation with DotMicro, they won 3rd place prior to lockdown at micropigmentationuk.
Their result samples & Instagram looks quite promising.
https://dot-micro.com/

 

I think my hair has stabilised.  I do lose 3-4 hairs each shower from the crown but doesn't seem to be too much of an issue.
So you feel that my hair isn't too thin and SMP should do the job?

Do you have some beard donor that could be lightly used in your crown?…only adding a small amount of beard grafts to support some quality SMP…would look great IMHO…and your overall appearance has progressed into an excellent visual result!…and at 6 months, you have more coming, WOW!

Edited February 18, 2023 by gillenator

[BaldEagle]

10 hours ago, SeanToman said:

Since then I've gotten SMP work done (three sessions) and I thought to share the results here for reference, hope this helps someone.

This is an extremely impressive result. I was wondering about my options too

Do you have these results under more harsh lighting? Also, are you able to share where you got your SMP work done?

[Al - Moderator]

That SMP looks a lot better than I thought it would. I'm glad that option is working for you.

 

[SeanT1]

1 hour ago, BaldEagle said:

This is an extremely impressive result. I was wondering about my options too

Do you have these results under more harsh lighting? Also, are you able to share where you got your SMP work done?

Hi, thank you for the feedback!

There are several factors to consider when getting SMP.  Lighting is essential for SMP to look good, which is why a lot of people say it only works well indoors, I agree with this.  SMP (though minor) helps give a nice textured look under your scalp rather than seeing the scalp itself, however it's important to note that if you only get partial SMP work done (say on the crown only) you WILL notice a colour difference of your scalp if your hair is too short.  I only got the top of my scalp done and not the sides. 

Here is an example;

 

Here's an example of how light can affect density; this is the same room, same time, just standing under a harsh light vs not;

(Outdoors)

 

In conclusion, SMP is better than having nothing at all in my opinion, but just note the impact is very minor when it comes to outdoors as your scalp will still reflect the light.  Depending on your hairstyle choice; you may also need to have your full head done rather than one particular area.
It's certainly worth trying if you're worried about overusing grafts, the crown is a tricky area to achieve density through a hair transplant so anything is better than nothing in my opinion.

(More images and references found here: 

 )

Edited February 18, 2023 by SeanToman

[SeanT1]

9 hours ago, gillenator said:

Do you have some beard donor that could be lightly used in your crown?…only adding a small amount of beard grafts to support some quality SMP…would look great IMHO…and your overall appearance has progressed into an excellent visual result!…and at 6 months, you have more coming, WOW!

Hi! Alas I have poor genetics when it comes to growing facial hair.
It has been 17 months since my hair transplant in Turkey.

I may consider a smaller transplant in the future (specifically for improving density) but I'm trying to be cautious given my age (27) and thin hair.

[gillenator]

I could not agree more with your comments about SMP…it certainly is not the “be all” to “end all” but it can definitely make a visual difference in an accommodating environment when the lighting is right…ultimately, SMP will reduce the reflection of light off the scalp and is ideal for individuals who have a similar profile as you.

[FITA]

On 2/18/2023 at 1:32 PM, SeanToman said:

Hi, thank you for the feedback!

There are several factors to consider when getting SMP.  Lighting is essential for SMP to look good, which is why a lot of people say it only works well indoors, I agree with this.  SMP (though minor) helps give a nice textured look under your scalp rather than seeing the scalp itself, however it's important to note that if you only get partial SMP work done (say on the crown only) you WILL notice a colour difference of your scalp if your hair is too short.  I only got the top of my scalp done and not the sides. 

Here is an example;

 

Here's an example of how light can affect density; this is the same room, same time, just standing under a harsh light vs not;

(Outdoors)

 

In conclusion, SMP is better than having nothing at all in my opinion, but just note the impact is very minor when it comes to outdoors as your scalp will still reflect the light.  Depending on your hairstyle choice; you may also need to have your full head done rather than one particular area.
It's certainly worth trying if you're worried about overusing grafts, the crown is a tricky area to achieve density through a hair transplant so anything is better than nothing in my opinion.

(More images and references found here: 

 )

Did you consider SMP for the donor too? Or are you still planning on another surgery so you’re going to wait?

[SeanT1]

Hi, yes sir.  I plan to do the donor in the future to help with the color imbalance.  But I'm going to wait until after a second hair transplant to do so.

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@SeanToman,

Congratulations on your recent FUE procedure.  I don’t know all of your details but you look pretty young. My opinion, I would not touch the crown at this point but instead, consider using non-surgical solutions such as finasteride and minoxidil for at least a year or two to see how they work for you. In the early stages of hair loss such as in your case in the crown, they typically do pretty well at slowing down or stopping the progression of genetic fullness. In some cases, they may even help to reverse some of the hair loss process making your hair appear thicker without the need for surgery.

if you really feel the need to do something, I would suggest going the SMP route although I do suggest still researching and talking to a doctor about finasteride and Minoxidil. Since SMP is typically temporary, you still may want to consider non-surgeon solutions to help possibly thicken up the crown area and attempt to get your hair loss under control.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant 

[mr_peanutbutter]

fibers will do wonders outdoors

[slartibartfast]

You are so young with hair loss but have had a great result. Try to be as conservative as possible. Hold off on transplant.

[SeanT1]

On 6/7/2023 at 5:41 PM, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@SeanToman,

Congratulations on your recent FUE procedure.  I don’t know all of your details but you look pretty young. My opinion, I would not touch the crown at this point but instead, consider using non-surgical solutions such as finasteride and minoxidil for at least a year or two to see how they work for you. In the early stages of hair loss such as in your case in the crown, they typically do pretty well at slowing down or stopping the progression of genetic fullness. In some cases, they may even help to reverse some of the hair loss process making your hair appear thicker without the need for surgery.

if you really feel the need to do something, I would suggest going the SMP route although I do suggest still researching and talking to a doctor about finasteride and Minoxidil. Since SMP is typically temporary, you still may want to consider non-surgeon solutions to help possibly thicken up the crown area and attempt to get your hair loss under control.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant 

 

22 hours ago, slartibartfast said:

You are so young with hair loss but have had a great result. Try to be as conservative as possible. Hold off on transplant.

Thanks friends,
I think if I was to have a second transplant it might be when I'm 28 and only a small one for my temples?
Say around 1000 grafts maximum and no more.  Would this be a safe bet?

 

I understand with fixing the temples you also need to lower the hairline slightly too.

Edited June 13, 2023 by SeanToman

[Gatsby]

This is just my opinion but I would hold off depending on how many grafts you have left in the bank. I only say this because at 27/8 (?) if your crown opens up or you want more density in the future (ten, twenty years from now) you don't want to snooker yourself. I think how you added SMP was a great move and aided in getting more perceived coverage without resorting to using hair grafts. All the best! 👍

[Etownone]

On 2/17/2023 at 8:28 PM, SeanToman said:

Hi! It's been almost a year since I made this post.

Since then I've gotten SMP work done (three sessions) and I thought to share the results here for reference, hope this helps someone.
(I'm also on finasteride which may have increased the crown density over the past year)

 

I'm on the fence on smp.... 

Your results came out great. 

 

Where did you get it done? 

[SeanT1]

5 hours ago, Etownone said:

I'm on the fence on smp.... 

Your results came out great. 

 

Where did you get it done? 

Thanks sir, dot-micro in Northern Ireland.  I think it was something like £1200? I don't recall.

[gillenator]

It’s a quality job for sure, and if it helps keep some back-up donor, it’s well worth it IMHO.

[SeanT1]

9 hours ago, gillenator said:

It’s a quality job for sure, and if it helps keep some back-up donor, it’s well worth it IMHO.

Thank you!
Hoping to get SMP on my donor scars but I'm holding off until I need/get a second transplant first.

[Etownone]

Like 3 years ago I was ready to get my smp here with Ahead Inc in NJ, after having had one consultation with them, but when I called for the follow up to set up appt,   then told me they don't do SMP for density anymore.  Said something that about getting mixed resutls.