HT- why not?

[riotboy]

I'm 29 and have had thinning hair for 5-6 years now. It started at the corners and now it's showing at the crown and top middle of my head reaching around to the frontal area (behind hairline) and touching my corners.

 

I've been on Propecia for about a month now and hope it works. But as i'm getting quite self conscious about all of this during a time when i should be having fun -- i'm thinking about getting FUE or FUSS or whatever it's called.

 

I generally have shaggy hair and it covers it ok, but lets be realistic. It's still obvious.

 

So, i guess my question is: should i try FUE or FUSS? I have the money to afford it. I work from home so hiding the first few days will be easy. Although I don't want to shave my head to get this done. I also live in a city that offers Dr. Armani. It seems like a easy choice.

 

A couple of questions:

-Do I *need* to shave my head?

-What is the REAL success rate of getting this done?

-Why do people decide *not* to get this done?

-If i get this done- i will still lose hair. Can i keep going back to touch up the new areas?

-How long will the transplant last?

-How obvious is it that i had this done? if i cut my hair short will people see it?

-are there any individual pictures that show cost so i can get an idea?

[riotboy]

I'm 29 and have had thinning hair for 5-6 years now. It started at the corners and now it's showing at the crown and top middle of my head reaching around to the frontal area (behind hairline) and touching my corners.

 

I've been on Propecia for about a month now and hope it works. But as i'm getting quite self conscious about all of this during a time when i should be having fun -- i'm thinking about getting FUE or FUSS or whatever it's called.

 

I generally have shaggy hair and it covers it ok, but lets be realistic. It's still obvious.

 

So, i guess my question is: should i try FUE or FUSS? I have the money to afford it. I work from home so hiding the first few days will be easy. Although I don't want to shave my head to get this done. I also live in a city that offers Dr. Armani. It seems like a easy choice.

 

A couple of questions:

-Do I *need* to shave my head?

-What is the REAL success rate of getting this done?

-Why do people decide *not* to get this done?

-If i get this done- i will still lose hair. Can i keep going back to touch up the new areas?

-How long will the transplant last?

-How obvious is it that i had this done? if i cut my hair short will people see it?

-are there any individual pictures that show cost so i can get an idea?

[Bill - Seemiller]

riotboy,

 

Welcome to our forum community.

 

So you know, FUE and FUSS/FUT are two completely different hair transplant procedures. To learn about the differences, click here.

 

I'm glad to hear you started taking Propecia as this has a pretty good chance of preventing future loss. Hair transplant surgery may be an option for you, but be sure to research and consult with a few leading physicians in the field to determine whether or not you are a candidate.

 

In my opinion, not every hair transplant procedure requires a patient to shave their head. Some surgeons do require it for most/all sessions while others don't at all. Some surgeons require for some, but not all. For another discussion thread on this topic, see To Shave or Not to Shave.

 

Hair transplants performed by highly skilled and experienced surgeons are highly successful. Risks are associated with any surgery, so be sure to learn and ask doctors you are considering about them. But there are very few random complete failures.

 

Hair transplant surgery is not for everyone. Some simply accept their baldness. Some don't like the idea of surgery. Some don't want to spend the money. The list of reasons why some do not get surgery can go on and on. But many who have decided to go through surgery like myself don't look back after we've restored a lot of hair.

 

Subsequent surgeries can be performed and should be expected in the event of future loss. But since donor hair supply is limited, working out a long term strategic plan with your doctor is vital to its long term success.

 

The hair transplant procedure lasts between 8-12 hours. But the results last a lifetime.

 

If you select a highly skilled surgeon with a proven track record of success, your results will be so natural that even your hair stylist can't detect them. However, since hair is being taken from the sides and back of your head, you will be left with scarring. The type of scarring will depend on the procedure, but in most cases, scarring is undetectable even when wearing your hair fairly short on the sides and back of your head. It would be unrealistic however, to expect that you can shave your head completely without showing signs of scarring.

 

There are plenty of photos on this forum posted by patients, but admittedly, most do not put a "cost" next to it. If you look through my hair restoration journey (linked below), you will notice that I broke down the cost of each surgery I had. I'll bottom line it for you - it's very expensive. You will ultimately have to decide how much hair loss emotionally affects you and whether or not the money is worth the investment. In my opinion, though I've spent almost $30,000 over 3 years to get 7500 grafts on an almost completely bald head, I wouldn't trade my head of hair to get my money back!

 

I hope this helps get you started in your research.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[riotboy]

thank you for the detailed response!

 

I see that one method involved something called "strips" where they actually remove scalp and the other method removes a large area around the strand of hair?

 

I think ultimately i can't really see a reason why i wouldn't do this. I've only really got two (vain) concerns. One being afterwards that everyone will be able to tell and bust my nuts and it will look unnatural. I see a lot of posts on various forums that speak about different doctors. People have both good and bad to say about almost everyone. So it's a bit of a gamble i suppose.