When is it time for "Round 2"...?

[thanatopsis_awry]

Slightly premature, but it's been weighing on my mind. My first HT, while not yet complete, has been an outstanding (astounding?) success. However, I was a NW4 at the age of 21, so the war rages on.

 

Feller said two things that struck me when I saw him @ month 8 -- that I would essentially never have to be bald, and that while my crown had actually improved a bit, the area behind the frontal 1/3rd had begun to thin further. The former fills me with hope, the latter worries me as it is def thinning out. I'm not at the pt. of using concealer, but I have to be more strategic in styling, my hair has to be at a more optimal length...etc...etc....

 

Also, and this could be my imagination, a shed, or the new styling product I'm using, but my hairline seems a bit thinner -- any correlation, perhaps, to the recent thinning hampering the HT's illusion of density?

 

Anyways, when do I go in for Round 2? When I have to start using concealer? When 1.5k would fix it? When 3k? Do I bunker down, wait it out with concealer till' I need like 4k+ and go in a fell swoop, or do I attack incrementally (but at what rate..) and relegate myself to undergoing extra-procedures....

 

Ideally, I would almost like to have my ultimate pattern come full swing ASAP -- smack me in the head w/ a NW5.5, and I'll carpetbomb. My fear is this long, painful, slow process of increased thinning...more losses....less density....greater difficulty to disguise....and I can't conceptually figure out when it is best to go in for the proverbial Round 2.....

[thanatopsis_awry]

Slightly premature, but it's been weighing on my mind. My first HT, while not yet complete, has been an outstanding (astounding?) success. However, I was a NW4 at the age of 21, so the war rages on.

 

Feller said two things that struck me when I saw him @ month 8 -- that I would essentially never have to be bald, and that while my crown had actually improved a bit, the area behind the frontal 1/3rd had begun to thin further. The former fills me with hope, the latter worries me as it is def thinning out. I'm not at the pt. of using concealer, but I have to be more strategic in styling, my hair has to be at a more optimal length...etc...etc....

 

Also, and this could be my imagination, a shed, or the new styling product I'm using, but my hairline seems a bit thinner -- any correlation, perhaps, to the recent thinning hampering the HT's illusion of density?

 

Anyways, when do I go in for Round 2? When I have to start using concealer? When 1.5k would fix it? When 3k? Do I bunker down, wait it out with concealer till' I need like 4k+ and go in a fell swoop, or do I attack incrementally (but at what rate..) and relegate myself to undergoing extra-procedures....

 

Ideally, I would almost like to have my ultimate pattern come full swing ASAP -- smack me in the head w/ a NW5.5, and I'll carpetbomb. My fear is this long, painful, slow process of increased thinning...more losses....less density....greater difficulty to disguise....and I can't conceptually figure out when it is best to go in for the proverbial Round 2.....

[Bill - Seemiller]

thanatopsis,

 

It sounds like you have thought a lot about this, may even over-thought :-).

 

In my opinion, waiting a full year is optimal before going for round 2. Scalp laxity starts to return around month 6, and at the one year point, both the recipient and donor scar are considered mature.

 

There is no way to guarantee you won't continue to lose native hair - that much you know. You will ultimately have to decide with your doctor the best course of action given the progression of male pattern baldness for you. Given that you are young, you should also keep some donor hair in reserve for subsequent sessions and not over densify a single area.

 

If you want the appearance of full density as you continue to lose hair, concealer may be inevitable. I've given up the quest of trying to make it appear like I have absolutely no signs of thinning. I'm just happy that I no longer have "no signs of hair" .

 

But each patient is different and so are their expectations. I'm sure you and Dr. Feller will work out a game plan best suited for you.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Eman]

thana, I have thought about this topic a lot as well. And I always come back to "enjoy what you have now". You cannot worry about something you really have no control over. Just continue living until you get to the point where it really bothers you again. You have a great result so enjoy it!!!

 

I look back at the years when I did have more hair and remember worrying about future loss, instead of enjoying what I had at the time...c'est la vie!!

 

Personally, I would wait until I needed at least another 3000+ (preferably 4000--well hopefully I will never need that many more). IMO, I would not want to go in for a bunch of smaller sessions.

[mochi]

I just finished my first HT with Dr. Siporin today and I while I will say that it wasn't the funnest thing to do. I think I made the right decision with the right doctor.

 

I am approaching a NW4, profuse thinning but the pattern is there. My goals was to thicken what I have and maintain a receding hairline that was thick. I am young (25) and don't want to bet against the odds that I will not progress any further. Therefull my goal is to give me a look that will allow me to age gracefully. As you grow older, I think a bit of a receding hairline adds some "character" to a person.

[hairthere]

this week will officially be the 1 year mark for me, and i'm in the same boat thana. overall i'm very happy i went the ht route, but the area directly behind the hairline does concern me as it is thinning. i do apply some dermatch to it which i would rather not have to do. i'm going to go see dr. feller sometime soon to discuss if it's possible to do a postage stamp fue as i'm nowhere near ready for another strip (monetarily, physically, etc.).

 

at my last visit the doc said i had about another 2500-3k grafts left. i do agree with your sentiment that i'd rather my balding just reach it's max so i can strip out and be done with it.

 

i also know i'm way overdue with posting some pics. i'll try and get them done soon.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Thx for the replies -- all very sound words that I'll take into consideration! The most alarming thing to me is that my hairline seems thinner...I noticed this about a week ago....three things:

 

*it seems "softer"...much less wild....could this "maturation" have come at the expense of illusion of density? Or could this be tied to some shed I'm going through, which could have ties to the "maturation" process....

 

*if I def have thinned behind the hairline could this also lead to less perceived density in the hairline region itself?

 

*i'm going to go back to the old styling product starting tomorrow, where I have a big wedding to attend...maybe this in and of itself could be the solution (...?)

 

I guess I could have also just suddenly lost what little native hair I did have remaining in the HT-zone....don't think that's likely, but it'd suck.

[latinlotus]

It is highly unlikely that your hairline is thinning, as you don't have any native hairs left there...sometimes your mind can play tricks on you. Did you take pics to compare?

 

I think your result is fantastic, so stop worry too much.

[thanatopsis_awry]

"Did you take pics to compare" -- no, vgood idea....it very well could be my mind playing tricks on me....and you're right, I basically had no native terminal hairs left....my hairline does seem *considerably* softer....it was quite "wild" up until recently, which for sure would go hand in hand with me being ~10months out.

 

The softening of the hairline, using a new styling product, my perception of increased thinning behind the HT zone....I can't help but think the aforementioned is somehow tied to my hairline seeming thinner.....could just be my mind, though....for the wedding I'll be using my old styling product so that should clear up one of the three potentialities.

[Dr. Ricardo Mejia]

MY general advice to patients is if you are happy with the result of the first procedure and comfortable and enjoying the new hair growth, then there is no need to have a second procedure done. The need for a second procedure as was mentioned is when it starts bothering you again. To some degree this is irrespective of density and coverage. Each person has there own comfort level. Some are very ecstatic with 1500 grafts in the frontal third, others are not happy until they have achieved 8000 grafts and they can no longer see any area of their scalp. It is a personal decision when a patient is ready for the next procedure. As far as surgery goes, in most cases, doctors can always find added areas to fill in with greater coverage and density. Good luck with your decision.

[Mr. GQ]

shedding is very common in fall/winter time. i know it is for me. so wait and see when spring/summer comes you might notice improvement. I know I do. my $0.02.

[balody]

hi thana.

i was going to post earlier but couldn't think how to put across what i thought,here goes...

i think it could be our mind playing tricks.

from having the jubilation and euphoria of seeing new hair on almost a weekly basis from month 3, to then not noticing it because a)its slowing down at month 10 and b)the abundance of new hair hiding the late comers??classic hair greed(density greed?)

or...

and i feel this to be truer,that the new hair goes through a "shit phase"at about month 10 to 12?

it's at this point when everyone starts talking about "maturing".

i don't know if the hair matures or just goes back into a "non shit phase",but something definately happens between 12 and 16 and you feel a lot better.(i did anyway)

also your hair looked quite long and funky last time you posted.could it be youv'e let it get a little too long(ht hair looks thinner the longer it gets).

have you thought about a buzz(not v short)to see what it looks like?

oh well,i dont know if that made any sense.but i do know where your coming from.

get some pics up!

[kman]

I'm also noticing some slight thinning with my own HT at 8+ months. I'm wondering if it isn't a bit of an "optical illusion", as balody suggests. We see lots of new growth that overwhelms anything else going on with our hair, like normal cyclical shedding. Once the rapid new growth eases off, we now notice the shedding that may typically occur when the hair goes through it's normal growth/loss phases? Yes, additional thinning behind the hairline could also have an influence on the density of your hairline, or illusion thereof, if it is significant or close to the hairline or under harsh lighting, but you likely know this already.

 

As far as when to do round 2, I don't care for the down time so I personally don't think I would go back for anything less than 2000-2500 grafts. I guess it depends on how well you can hide the hairloss. At a minimum I would wait til i reached the 18 month mark.

 

Given that you still have "maturation" of the hair to go through, I think you will see improvement of your hairline over the next several months and no longer notice the "thinning" you notice now.

 

Kman

[thanatopsis_awry]

Good to hear from you guys...puts things into much better perspective!

[MikeTheDane]

Hey man, long time no chat.

 

If i were you, i would try not to panic about it and give it another few months of comparing and evaluating.

 

Am i understanding this right? That the area BEHIND the donor area feels like its thinning, or is it the donor area itself?

 

Either way, you did receive a high density on your frontal 1/3 so naturally, at some point, a minor procedure to cover up any hair lost behind this line will be inevitable.

 

Hard to say when to get it done - only you can tell when it botheres you beyond the point where you are satisfied.

[stamos]

As everyone said it is up to you, but from your pictures, if I was you I wouldn't do it for the present time, maybe after years to see how you are going and to have a clearer image as to were you will add hair.