Fear of hair transplant

[Gatsby]

30 minutes ago, wprevil said:

What do you by your hairline is aggressive?

Aggressive means losing your hair quickly in your 20's. For example the frontal third in a only a few years. Are you able to take minoxidil for your MPB?

[GoliGoliGoli]

2 hours ago, shiba1985 said:

Depends on how you look at it. You could be that 1 out of 10 that has a bad result. The thing is, if you go to a reputable surgeon, even the worse possible result wont leave you "scarred." The horror stories usually happen from non reputable clinics where patients get butchered, donor zone gets obliterated, and you are stuck in a limbo where you cant shave your noggin, nor can you grow your unsightly hair out. That outcome is highly unlikely at a reputable clinic. 

 

In what scenario would you not be able to shave your noggin?

Edited July 5, 2022 by GoliGoliGoli

[shiba1985]

1 hour ago, wprevil said:

Right, with a top surgeon your chances of a bad result are higher than one from a hair mill.

That one statement of yours is giving me confidence to go for it with a top surgeon. But I'm a nw3 now. I'd like to get at least a nw2 with temples filled and thinning front filled in too. But I'm stuck in decision.

You will be fine. Go for it. Don’t overthink it too much. 

[GoliGoliGoli]

2 hours ago, Gatsby said:

The true answer will never be known due to the explosion of surgery all around the world over the past 20 years, let alone the past two years. There are no guarantees and even the top ten surgeons in the world (which in itself is a rather elusive figure to measure) would (should tell you) that there are no guarantees except that they will do their best. But if you factored in all of the surgery (outside of hair mills) carried out around the world I would hazard a guess to say that more patients are dissatisfied with there results than are. I would be very confident that here in Australia the overwhelming vast majority are dissatisfied with their results. If you were to point out what the flaws are (doubles in the hairline, poor angle placement, poor candidate, etc ) then that figure would rise to 99% at a guess.

Do you think that 99% number is true even for those who accept a 2nd or possibly 3rd HT will be needed? You were gracious enough to respond to my other thread so you have some idea of where my heads at in all of this. 

[shiba1985]

2 minutes ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

In what scenario would you not be able to shave your noggin?

Bad scarring of donor and or recipient area. Larger than necessary  punches used. Poor graft insertion. All can leave scars.

[GoliGoliGoli]

2 minutes ago, shiba1985 said:

Bad scarring of donor and or recipient area. Larger than necessary  punches used. Poor graft insertion. All can leave scars.

Hm interesting. I feel like the chances of this are pretty minimal though. Maybe the type of thing you notice if you look closely but most people wont see or notice. 

[NARMAK]

5 hours ago, wprevil said:

Appreciate your feedback! Yeah thats what I hope for. I've done my research for about 2 years now and plan on seeing a top notch doctor in europe.

So I cant take meds like dust or fin since I have a medical issue. My doctor strongly advised against taking any. 

What do you by your hairline is aggressive? Like youre losing hair in that area?

I meant aggressive in terms of the design. Keeping it lower and temples forward. I understand you may not be able to take Finasteride and that's fine, you can still get a hair transplant but you have to usually adjust your expectations in a different direction and design. 

[Z--]

8 hours ago, wprevil said:

So I grade myself as a nw2 - nw3. I want to fill the temples and fill hair in the front which is thinning.

Is it possible to fill a part of the scalp that has hair but is thinning?

Seems feasible. Plenty of doctor's work around native hair. A lot will depend on your age. How old are you?

[wprevil]

6 hours ago, Z-- said:

Seems feasible. Plenty of doctor's work around native hair. A lot will depend on your age. How old are you?

I'm 48.

Just afraid of losing hair to shock loss in the area of my scalp thats thinning but still has air.

Looking forward to your reply!

[wprevil]

12 hours ago, shiba1985 said:

You will be fine. Go for it. Don’t overthink it too much. 

Damn! Wish you could be able to go inside my head and kick me in the ass to encourage me more! Lol

But yeah I'm trying to get in touch with this doc in europe. But when I call the clinic I get a voice message, nothing more. Very frustrating!!

[wprevil]

12 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Aggressive means losing your hair quickly in your 20's. For example the frontal third in a only a few years. Are you able to take minoxidil for your MPB?

I gotcha now.

So I'm hesitant in taking any meds because my doc advised against taking fin and dust although he didnt mention min. But I'll talk to my doc about that and see what he advises.

But I read that you shed hair under min. For how long? I dont know. But if I do shed how long ill the shedding last do you know?

[wprevil]

12 hours ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

Do you think that 99% number is true even for those who accept a 2nd or possibly 3rd HT will be needed?

Yeah I have to agree. 99% would put all those aussie clinics out of business for sure.

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@wprevil,

I see there’s already been a ton of replies on this topic and to be honest I haven’t read most of them. So, I apologize if this is already been said dozens of times but I thought I would give you my input since this is an important topic.

The truth is, every surgery procedure is accompanied by certain risks. However, as long as you’ve selected a skilled and experienced surgeon with a proven track record of producing consistent outstanding results, these risks are quite minimal. Hair growth healed is typically in the high 90% tile, scarring is virtually undetectable and even more so if you undergo FUE, the  procedure is pain-free and the healing process is a breeze with typically only nominal discomfort.

in my opinion, the worst part of the entire hair restoration experience is the wait between the procedure and the end result. That said, the most difficult part is doing your due diligence in researching and selecting a surgeon that most impresses you and has a consistent proven track record of producing outstanding results.

So have you started The physician selection process yet?  Have you narrowed your selection down and if so, what was your process?  Just be sure to take your time on this and consult with those who are considering.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant 

Edited July 5, 2022 by Rahal Hair Transplant

[Vann]

21 minutes ago, wprevil said:

I gotcha now.

So I'm hesitant in taking any meds because my doc advised against taking fin and dust although he didnt mention min. But I'll talk to my doc about that and see what he advises.

But I read that you shed hair under min. For how long? I dont know. But if I do shed how long ill the shedding last do you know?

There is no one size fits all. You can shed about 80% of your gained vellus hairs that will regrow thicker. You could shed absolutely nothing and have them grow stronger. It really depends on how your body reacts to the medication in its given hair cycle. However, most people based off the numbers shed between 3-6 months. But its hard to tell if its comparable only to one drug because most often some people are taking other medications together (fin/dut/LLT/etc.). There are studies that solely have people taking minox alone and it really varies.

Most of the drugs however, take about 12 months to yield major effects and sometimes you can be a hyper responder who yields them relatively quickly. Hopefully, if you do take any medications I hope it responds very well for you.

[GaryStruthers]

10 minutes ago, Vann said:

There is no one size fits all. You can shed about 80% of your gained vellus hairs that will regrow thicker. You could shed absolutely nothing and have them grow stronger. It really depends on how your body reacts to the medication in its given hair cycle. However, most people based off the numbers shed between 3-6 months. But its hard to tell if its comparable only to one drug because most often some people are taking other medications together (fin/dut/LLT/etc.). There are studies that solely have people taking minox alone and it really varies.

Most of the drugs however, take about 12 months to yield major effects and sometimes you can be a hyper responder who yields them relatively quickly. Hopefully, if you do take any medications I hope it responds very well for you.

Hey Vann. Not to derail the thread, but should I anticipate a shed when moving from topical Kirkland Min to oral?

[Vann]

Just now, GaryStruthers said:

Hey Vann. Not to derail the thread, but should I anticipate a shed when moving from topical Kirkland Min to oral?

Well I will say I am no medical expert. But if you’re taking a stronger dose of minoxidil I would say you should expect to. Given the medication is affecting your body more. Therefore it should effect your hair in its growth cycle.

ex: when I switched from fin to dut. I shed slightly but then had massive gains (not sure if it was because I looked slightly bad in the shed or dut was that much better) but I’ve always been a hyper responder to those medications. Everyone is different

[wprevil]

38 minutes ago, Vann said:

There is no one size fits all. You can shed about 80% of your gained vellus hairs that will regrow thicker. You could shed absolutely nothing and have them grow stronger. It really depends on how your body reacts to the medication in its given hair cycle. However, most people based off the numbers shed between 3-6 months. But its hard to tell if its comparable only to one drug because most often some people are taking other medications together (fin/dut/LLT/etc.). There are studies that solely have people taking minox alone and it really varies.

Most of the drugs however, take about 12 months to yield major effects and sometimes you can be a hyper responder who yields them relatively quickly. Hopefully, if you do take any medications I hope it responds very well for you.

Wow so around 80% of hair covered under min will be shed?? Thats WAY too much. On top of that shedding takes 3 - 6 months?? Wow it takes as long as a hair transplant.

I dont know, this sounds like its too much to take especially when I show up at work and have people staring at my shedding head.

I'll ask you this: What about applying min to ONLY the temple area which has no hair? Can min somehow spread under the scalp to areas of hair that will make them shed?

[Vann]

5 minutes ago, wprevil said:

Wow so around 80% of hair covered under min will be shed?? Thats WAY too much. On top of that shedding takes 3 - 6 months?? Wow it takes as long as a hair transplant.

I dont know, this sounds like its too much to take especially when I show up at work and have people staring at my shedding head.

I'll ask you this: What about applying min to ONLY the temple area which has no hair? Can min somehow spread under the scalp to areas of hair that will make them shed?

Well the thing is. You don’t just lose all your hairs at once it’s gradual. When it does it come back stronger and thicker. It usually looks better before it looks worse and when it does look worse it doesn’t mean it will be bad.

say for example you are completely bald and always shave your head but have smaller hairs. If you grow them long they don’t cover much. But if you took the medication it’ll grow thicker and look worse because those hairs cover more visible area. 
if you have pre existing hair it’ll still cover those areas but it will blend in slowly. It doesn’t mean you’ll lose all of the 80% it’s gradual and will take time. 
 

Also those stat numbers are not a definite thing. I can’t say you have 6 hairs in the telogen phase and 100 hairs in Anagen. It just doesn’t work that way. You may shed 30% the first month and then nothing month 5-9 and maybe shed 50% through the year. I would recommend speaking with your physician and getting an accurate measure based off what they best think in person.

edit: regardless of where minoxidil is applied it will yield different results whether crown or mid scalp. But it will still cause some type of shedding whether minor or major because your hair is growing.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Vann

[wprevil]

56 minutes ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@wprevil,

The truth is, every surgery procedure is accompanied by certain risks. However, as long as you’ve selected a skilled and experienced surgeon with a proven track record of producing consistent outstanding results, these risks are quite minimal. Hair growth healed is typically in the high 90% tile, scarring is virtually undetectable and even more so if you undergo FUE, the  procedure is pain-free and the healing process is a breeze with typically only nominal discomfort.

Hey hi appreciate this. I've looked into rahal before but never had the time to delve deeper.

You advised finding an experienced surgeon with a track record of producing good results. Whats your clinic's success rate in producing great results? And whats your name?

[wprevil]

3 minutes ago, Vann said:

edit: regardless of where minoxidil is applied it will yield different results whether crown or mid scalp. But it will still cause some type of shedding whether minor or major because your hair is growing.

So say you apply min to only an area say the temple area with no hair. Youre saying that min can still cause hair loss in areas with hair even though you ONLY applied it in the temple area? So min travels under the scalp and can affect other unintended areas?

[Vann]

3 minutes ago, wprevil said:

So say you apply min to only an area say the temple area with no hair. Youre saying that min can still cause hair loss in areas with hair even though you ONLY applied it in the temple area? So min travels under the scalp and can affect other unintended areas?

You can apply minox anywhere. It doesn’t guarantee it’ll help those miniaturized hairs to grow but if it does grow… those hairs will need to fall out (shed) and regrow into the thicker maturitized hair that was nourished by the medication.

[Al - Moderator]

You are 48 and you it sounds like you don't have major hair loss and just want to be able to style yor hair a bit easier without worrying that it's getting to the point where you can't hide it any more.

If that's the case then go for a minimal procedure just to bulk up some of what you already have. This way there is minimal chance of any big disasters and even if it doesn't turn out great it should be an easy fix or even be hideable for a while with your existing hair.

Most USA based Drs prefer the conservative approach, so you may want to look at some of their before and after pics of guys in the 50 year old range who just wanted to improve their look a bit.

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by BeHappy

[wprevil]

3 hours ago, BeHappy said:

You are 48 and you it sounds like you don't have major hair loss and just want to be able to style your hair a bit easier without worrying that it's getting to the point where you can't hide it any more.

If that's the case then go for a minimal procedure just to bulk up some of what you already have.

Hi Behappy,

You hit it right on the nose! You described me to a tee. So yeah thats me, trying to not waste a lot of time in front of the mirror in efforts to hide the temple areas. It especially gets frustrating when trying to find that sweet spot of covering that area but looking good at the same time. Every day is seriously a unique challenge, I kid you not.

So yeah I was looking into dr. pinto but his clinic notified me that its fully booked solid for a while. So I'm scratching him off the list at least temporarily. Also looked into dr. Couto. Again he's booked crazy solid. Blame covid!

Your suggestion on a minimal procedure is something well worth pursuing. Its not high risk and its cheaper too! If you have any docs worth lookking into, give me a shout!

Edited July 6, 2022 by wprevil

[GoliGoliGoli]

Post some pics if you dont mind

[mavigo]

On 7/4/2022 at 2:38 PM, wprevil said:

OK I got 2 questions as I never had a  hair transplant but want to get one for end of year i hope.

Ok so I'm crazy scared if something doesnt go right a year later post ops. I mean I know everyone has had this fear. but how did you deal with it at least psycologically?

I know theres no any stats on number of successful transplants. But with a top ten surgeon whats a rough estimates on how successful they can be to give me an idea for reassurance>?

It depends on what you define as "success". My doctor (Dr. Holt) considered my procedure to be a success. He even noted down that my archaic 1 cm wide FUT scar was "nicely done".  Yeah, so I lived the nightmare of having a bad transplant and becoming a repair patient. 

Reassure yourself and do your research. Don't go to a local shyster like I did. Pick a few doctors off of the recommended list on this website and review their before and afters. Ask those doctors how they would react to a bad outcome.