Should I get a transplant and can you shave your head post transplant?

[LLOBROW]

Hi Guys

Im new to this forum and hoping to get some advice on getting (or not) a FUE transplant. I've been slowly receding for about 20 years, im now 44 years old and its always bothered me but never taken those steps towards a transplant. Ive been through periods where ive actually shaved my head, but preferred having hair and have tried various styles to cover up the receding front (a comb over or comb forward so to speak - im sure you've all been there!) Many yeas and money spent on thickening products, powders and hairsprays to keep it in place in winds... god forbid getting caught in rain, and most sports are out of the question!).

I have enquired with a London doctor and I also spoke with FueGenix in Netherlands that both quoted me around £8-9k. In all honesty, I just dont have this kind of money to spare, I've just had new-born baby twins and I guess their needs come before mine so my only real option would be a cheap - presumably Turkey but you can correct me if theres better cheap options elsewhere. I have been scouring this forum and its a great resource so thank you... I found that you guys recommend Dr Gur at FUECAPILAR so I am currently in talks with them. To clarify what I wanted, was not a 20 year olds hairline... Id much prefer that Jude Law peak he had a few years back with the receding look.

However, I'd like to just get this conversation going and hope you guys can advise me because I talked myself into getting it done, then the more I think about it, the more I talk myself out of getting it done. Reasons being, there seems to be too many factors that worries me more than going bald.

1st issue. Paying all that money and it doesnt take (and not being able to afford or want to do a second transplant (then see issue 4).

2nd issue would be - it takes but you don't like it.

3rd issue is, you get one, like it or not, but in a few years you start losing hair from the rest of your head.

4. if any of the above happens and you just want to shave your head (Vin Diesel BiC style) and be done with it, you can't because of the scarring.

Could anyone offer any advise on post transplants and shaving your head. Has anybody done this and what does it look like? I just can't find anything online, any photos or anyone talking about doing this. If the head looks fine after decent recovery time when bald, then all of the above isn't so much a problem.

Also, just wanted to say I don't take medication for hairless. I did try Finestride a few years back and I found it lowered my labido and I felt pretty depressed on it, so I stopped taking it within a month. I started using Unthin 3 months ago which is a topical spray mix of Finestride and Minoxidil. I have noticed some new hairs coming through but nothing major, but promising early signs - not sure how much extra will grow through.

I've attached a photo of my head if needed.

Thanks in advance.
 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Melvin- Moderator
Removed link

[AlexMeister21]

If you go to a good and consistent doctor, then your first and second concern shouldn't be too much of a worry. Also if you have a good doc, then your FUE scarring shouldn't be noticeable to the average person. Maybe people within the hair transplant community may notice if you shaved your head and they were looking closely at it. If you're not on medication, then it is likely that your hair loss will progress further over time. Maybe you can try spacing out the days you take Fin.

[LLOBROW]

3 hours ago, AlexMeister21 said:

If you go to a good and consistent doctor, then your first and second concern shouldn't be too much of a worry. Also if you have a good doc, then your FUE scarring shouldn't be noticeable to the average person. Maybe people within the hair transplant community may notice if you shaved your head and they were looking closely at it. If you're not on medication, then it is likely that your hair loss will progress further over time. Maybe you can try spacing out the days you take Fin.

I guess then thats what Im asking. I can't afford £8-9k, so are there any Doctors that can do what I need or should I avoid it altogether unless I can pay the big money?

[ciaus]

Having new born twins at 44, congrats and yikes at the same time.  No guessing about it, their needs will come first until your mid 60s at least. You have life's problem in reverse, starting with kids and trying to become more attractive. But you're not aging backwards like Benjamin Button!  

With money in short supply, maybe its time to change what's in your head, rather than what's on top of your head?  Sorry don't mean to sound harsh. 
 

[GHop]

Hi, I have an appointment with FUEGenix next week to do a HT. I have the same question as LLOBrow. Will you be able to shave your head (or have a short haircut) after HT, or will you see scars? 

[AlexMeister21]

3 hours ago, LLOBROW said:

I guess then thats what Im asking. I can't afford £8-9k, so are there any Doctors that can do what I need or should I avoid it altogether unless I can pay the big money?

I think you should avoid it unless you can pay for a good doctor. It's always a gamble going to a clinic that may be cheaper but has mixed results that may have you paying more in the long run. I see some pretty affordable FUE doctors being named around these forums though. Check out this thread and the post made by J-C.
 

 

[LLOBROW]

1 hour ago, ciaus said:

Having new born twins at 44, congrats and yikes at the same time.  No guessing about it, their needs will come first until your mid 60s at least. You have life's problem in reverse, starting with kids and trying to become more attractive. But you're not aging backwards like Benjamin Button!  

With money in short supply, maybe its time to change what's in your head, rather than what's on top of your head?  Sorry don't mean to sound harsh. 
 

Haha, to be fair I’m constantly chasing my youth. I’ve always looked younger than I am, most people think I’m early 30’s and I’m in good shape but the hairline is the big giveaway and these twins are only 5 months old but I feel like I’ve aged 5 years since they were born 😂 

I like what you said about trying to change whats in my head rather than what’s on it 🤯 I guess it’s not about trying to be more attractive, but battle those demons that makes you feel insecure, my wife always tells me just to shave it, but I feel like if I do that’s it, I’m officially old, haha, I think there’s some personal work to do there 

[ciaus]

4 hours ago, LLOBROW said:

Haha, to be fair I’m constantly chasing my youth. I’ve always looked younger than I am, most people think I’m early 30’s and I’m in good shape but the hairline is the big giveaway and these twins are only 5 months old but I feel like I’ve aged 5 years since they were born 😂 

I like what you said about trying to change whats in my head rather than what’s on it 🤯 I guess it’s not about trying to be more attractive, but battle those demons that makes you feel insecure, my wife always tells me just to shave it, but I feel like if I do that’s it, I’m officially old, haha, I think there’s some personal work to do there 

 

Well said, but to be fair we also have to admit there's some legitimacy to your insecurity. We're almost the same age, and my younger sister recently remarried to a guy a few years younger than us. He's taking on her two kids and they got one of their own on the way. My hats off to both of you for ensuring the continuation of the species. I've been arguably too selfish just playing the field, seeing how marriages around me have always failed miserably. Call me worthless, but I count it among my blessings to have gotten this far without being so smitten to have thrown all caution and my sperm to the wind! 

 

Just try to learn and play the current 'game' as best you can. Realize you're up against the long span of history where the underlying evolutionary psychology/biology that has made men and women complementary developed, clashing with the more recent 'social experiment' by affluent western societies to make men and women equals in everything. All the social norms and legal barriers that have historically kept families together, through even the worst, have been pretty much abolished. Add to that the economic mobility women now have to earn the resources men traditionally provided (and the ability to still extract them through court systems that function as if we are in 'traditional' times), and it means relationships, and the downstream quality of the upbringing of your children, are at the mercy of 'wants' more than 'needs.' And according to divorce statistics, that can have a failure rate as high as a coin toss according to some statistics. 

Who knows how this will all pan out in the longer run, though its not looking good with birth rates in all of our 'advanced' economies doing this experiment declining below replacement rates. Keep your finger on that relationship pulse as best you can, and the lines of communication as open as possible. There may come a time, before the primary job of raising the kids is over, where it may end up being a worthwhile investment to address physical attraction ques, like hair, in order to help keep the fire burning and the family together. 

And if you've read this far without being interrupted by the twins or your wife, bravo!  

 

Edited May 24, 2022 by ciaus

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Llobrow,

Given your age, the fact that you’ve been losing hair gradually and slowly since your 20s and in looking at your photos, I would think that you are a good candidate for hair transplant surgery. That said I have a couple of questions.

Are you still losing hair or has it pretty much stabilized at this point? Are you using any medication such as finasteride or minoxidil?  In your post I didn’t see any mention of it so I’m assuming you’re not. If your hair loss has pretty much stabilized, there not be any need for medication. But the purpose of that is to slow down, stop or even reverse the progression of male pattern baldness.  That said, this  medication is better at slowing down and stopping down it’s progression than actually regrowing hair.

Now regarding cost, I’ve just recently posted about this so I’ll give you the short version. I understand that cost is a real issue for most people   But also understand that hair transplant surgery is an elective procedure and it is far better to save up the money you need overtime to get the procedure done right with a surgeon who has a proven ability of producing excellent, consistent results then going to a mystery surgeon without a public record.

So while cost is a real life factor to consider, I implore you to research and select a surgeon recommended by this community with a proven track record of excellent results.    Narrow your selection  down to 3 to 5 surgeons based on consistency of results and how impressed you are with them, consult with them and then as a last condition, consider price and location.

Best Wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

 

Edited May 25, 2022 by Rahal Hair Transplant

[jimmyT]

why not hop on meds for two years to stabilize , save for a decent doc and your kids will be older by then and it will be less hectic 

[Mike10]

35 minutes ago, jimmyT said:

why not hop on meds for two years to stabilize , save for a decent doc and your kids will be older by then and it will be less hectic 

he is not going on meds now all of the sudden in his mid 40s

[LLOBROW]

21 minutes ago, Mike10 said:

he is not going on meds now all of the sudden in his mid 40s

This is true. When I tried finestride a few years back, within 1 month I felt depressed and noticed my sex drive just disappeared… it’s not something I’m interested in taking. I have been using a topical spray of finestride and minoxidil for 3 months and it has started growing a few new hairs at the front… time will tell if it helps majorly

[LLOBROW]

I've had some really good comments on here so thank you all for contributing, and I've made some decisions and almost made the crucial decision.

Right so, I've read and watched videos about taking a reduced amount of Finasteride, so I've bought some 1mg and I've quartered them. I read taking 0.25mg daily is still effective. The idea behind this is reduce any risk of the side effects that stopped me using it previously.

Then that leads me to the transplant. I've had a good response and feeling about Dr Gur at FUECAPILAR, he has consulted to do less grafts than anyone else I spoke to which gives me more confidence in his knowledge and not try to just wow me with big numbers that shouldn't be done. Im also surprised about how cheap he is. Just wanted to get everyones thoughts here. He offers 2 packages. VIP and Standard. 

VIP - 3500 EUR
Dr. Gür performs:
● Consultation with trichoscope,
● Design of the hair line,
● Extraction of all grafts,
● Opening of the channels.

Standard 2500 EUR
Dr. Gür performs:
● Consultation with trichoscope,
● Design of the hair line,
● -
● Opening of the channels.

I'm assuming it must be better to have Dr Gur perform the extraction of all the grafts as part of the VIP package, but if anyone here tells me thats not necessary let me know. Is the extraction the hard part?

[deeznuts]

Pretty sure Dr. G is not being recommended by this forum? Maybe some posters?

I think people generally recommend Dr. Bicer for budget but quality work. 

[LLOBROW]

5 hours ago, deeznuts said:

Pretty sure Dr. G is not being recommended by this forum? Maybe some posters?

I think people generally recommend Dr. Bicer for budget but quality work. 

FUECAPILAR has definitely been recommended by some people in the budget range but appreciate they aren't one of the recommended by the HariRestorationNetwork itself. I've only heard good things about them from other sources I've googled. Dr Bicer isn’t in the budget range, she’s 3EUR per graft, which would be the same prices as I can get here in the UK

Edited May 31, 2022 by LLOBROW

[Grant Giller]

I saw Dr Gur and had an amazing experience. You can email me at ggilla614@gmail.com if you have any questions (i only check the forum every few weeks)