Advice

[Guest]

Hi Guys

 

I'm gonna be 30 years old in April and started to notice my hair was beginning to recede when I was 18. It became more noticible when I was around 22, so I started taking propecia and using regain. I stopped using propecia when I found out that it has no effect on hair on the front part of the head, and I only used regain for a couple of weeks as it made my scalp itch and caused a rash.

 

I've attached a pic of my hairline (sorry its poor quality), I think I'm a two on the Norwood scale. I get the hairloss from my dad's side of the family, and have a brother but he is showing no sign of receding. I guess my Dad is a Norwood 3 and he's in his early sixties.

 

I know my hairloss is relatively not that bad and seems to be slow, I'm hoping mine will follow my Dad's pattern so the crown and back will hopefully not be affected. But loosing my hair is really starting to affect my confidence and makes me feel shite really.

 

I'm looking into having a hair transplant. I was wondering if anyone could offer advice on the following:

 

FUE vs Strip. Ideally I'd like FUE but not sure I can afford the extra cost, also need to think about future transplants. What's the average time after a strip transfer that the scars or redness is no longer visible? Or how soon after a strip HT can I go back to work without raising eyebrows?

 

I've seen some great looking pics of hair transplants but all seem to have the same hairstyle; combed back, is that because hair density on a receipent area will never match original hair?

 

Also I'd like the option of shaved back and sides, grade 3, is that possible without a scar showing?

 

Can anyone recommend a good surgeon who specialises, or is excellent at doing natural looking hairlines?

 

Cheers and a Merry Christmas

 

Skipp

[Guest]

Hi Guys

 

I'm gonna be 30 years old in April and started to notice my hair was beginning to recede when I was 18. It became more noticible when I was around 22, so I started taking propecia and using regain. I stopped using propecia when I found out that it has no effect on hair on the front part of the head, and I only used regain for a couple of weeks as it made my scalp itch and caused a rash.

 

I've attached a pic of my hairline (sorry its poor quality), I think I'm a two on the Norwood scale. I get the hairloss from my dad's side of the family, and have a brother but he is showing no sign of receding. I guess my Dad is a Norwood 3 and he's in his early sixties.

 

I know my hairloss is relatively not that bad and seems to be slow, I'm hoping mine will follow my Dad's pattern so the crown and back will hopefully not be affected. But loosing my hair is really starting to affect my confidence and makes me feel shite really.

 

I'm looking into having a hair transplant. I was wondering if anyone could offer advice on the following:

 

FUE vs Strip. Ideally I'd like FUE but not sure I can afford the extra cost, also need to think about future transplants. What's the average time after a strip transfer that the scars or redness is no longer visible? Or how soon after a strip HT can I go back to work without raising eyebrows?

 

I've seen some great looking pics of hair transplants but all seem to have the same hairstyle; combed back, is that because hair density on a receipent area will never match original hair?

 

Also I'd like the option of shaved back and sides, grade 3, is that possible without a scar showing?

 

Can anyone recommend a good surgeon who specialises, or is excellent at doing natural looking hairlines?

 

Cheers and a Merry Christmas

 

Skipp

[Guest Cousin_It]

First off, welcome to our board. I am sure you will find answers to many of your questions enabling you to make the right decision in your tranplant.

 

Addressing your statement about Rogaine and Propecia not having an effect on the hairline is not correct, they can. Since it was not documented by the drug companies they cannot make statements concerning this, but a number of people have found that it helped, especially with recent hair loss, and especially at stopping further hair loss in these areas.

 

As far as strip vs FUE, normally the way to go is strip. Just because you have an FUE does not mean you can shave your head, it leaves little dots in the donor area that can be visible. Also when doing an FUE the surgeon shaves the entire donor region in order to extract the grafts. With a strip this is not done and again you cannot shave your head without making it apparent. Also one other point, not everyone can be a good candidate for FUE, due to graft dissection. Normally a surgeon will use the FOX test to determine if you are or not.

 

Redness in the recipient area can be an individual thing, it depends on if you are Histamine positive or not. With some people the redness can last only a few weeks, with some several months, it really depends on you.

 

On the density issue, one never can regain 100% the density he had. Normally you start with 90-100 grafts cm2, anything above 50% will give the illusion of fullness, and that is the objective of the surgeon, achieving this illusion with actually implanting that many grafts.

 

If you are looking for a surgeon you best option is to check the list of Coalition surgeons on this site. All have the ability to give you an excellent transplant. I have no idea where you are located but if you give us this information we may be able to recommend surgeons in the area that you can consult with. Good Luck!

[Bill - Seemiller]

Skippy,

 

Welcome to the forums.

 

Regarding FUE verses Strip...it's really up to you, but surely the cost is higher for FUE. Scarring is not as much of an issue as it used to be, but don't be deceived...FUE CAN also give you scarring, it's just different than strip scarring, but in best case scenerios, I've seen semi-invisible scars for both FUE and Strip (especially with the trichophytic scar). Keep in mind too, that if you keep the hair longer on the sides and back, nobody will even see your scar even the day of surgery since your hair will hide it. But the scar won't mature until about a year, and redness (can last for many months) and possible shockloss can occur around the scar.

 

Getting an HT of course is up to you...of course, if I had as much hair as you, I wouldn't even consider an HT. BUT...go ahead and do consultations with some doctors and see what they recommend.

 

To find a physician, I recommend taking a look at the coalition doctors http://www.hairlosslearningcenter.org/hair-loss-content...s/our_physicians.asp as a start and selecting a doc from there. Feel free to see my personal experiences below in the link on my signature.

 

Bill

[biscuit]

Skippy, your hairline looks good. Most people on HT forums are starting with almost no hair up front and would accept that as their final result.

 

HT's are serious surgeries, so using them to make slightly imperfect hairlines "perfect" is treacherous. Complications can include shockloss, scarring, and a significantly lightened wallet.

 

So take it slow and do a LOT of research. At your age you are going to face your eventual MPB in the next 10-20 years. Some people hang on great until 40 and then lose a bunch. Whatever you do now should take into account the possibility that you might end up a NW6. With that in mind, you don't want a dense 20 year old hairline with nothing behind it.

 

I'd say wait a while, try cutting your hair short to see how you like it. Post some better pics if you think we're underestimating your hairloss.

[biscuit]

Shaving to a #3 with Strip is right on the edge. You might be able to pull it off now, but if you have diffuse thinning later it wouldn't be possible to cut that short. Trichophytic closure could help, but the results are just now starting to come in. The scar usually isn't completely finished healing until about 2 years. So don't base your opinion on scar photos that are less than a year post-op.

[Guest]

Hi Guys

 

Thanks for the welcome and the helpful advice. I hear what you say about FUE not being without a scar risk. It's great there are forums like this with people who know what they are talking about.

 

Bill, one of my worries is that an HT might make my hairloss worse, is that why you say you wouldn't consider an HT if you had the same amount hair as me?

 

Biscuit, I know my hairloss is not that bad, but it really is having an affect on my self esteem. I'm the only one in my family, apart from my Dad who is receding. Do you think I'm wrong to expect my hairloss pattern to follow his so closely?

 

I've spent alot of time examining his hair and I certain he's only a Norton 3, with very little thining and no loss at the crown.

 

I'm going to start on propecia again ASAP, and living in the UK I'm limited to e-mail consults. Although I'm seeing a very highly recommended Coalition US surgeon in January.

 

Here is another pic, afraid its not much better quality.

 

Thanks for your help guys

[biscuit]

Sorry man, but it's almost impossible to make any suggestions based on webcam or cellphone photos. Any kind of digital camera will work a lot better, take the pics in the sunlight and experiment until you get the focus right. My profile has a link to my blog, check out the photos to see the variety of lighting conditions. Indoors is almost always the hardest to shoot and worst conditions for photography.

 

Regarding hairloss in your family, there is no set-in-stone way to tell your future. Most people look to their grandfather on the maternal side as the best guide. But anything can happen. Look for similarities and bank on the worst case scenario.

[Bill - Seemiller]

From Biscuit...

 

Most people look to their grandfather on the maternal side as the best guide.

 

It's crap I tell you...lol. My grandfather on my mother's side has a full thick head of non-receeding hair. He has more hair than most 20 year olds...and as for me...well...just look at my pictures. So Biscuit is right, there is no way to tell with certainty what the future will hold for you. However, looking at family hairloss is important as a guide, but not 100% certain.

 

 

From Skippy...

 

Bill, one of my worries is that an HT might make my hairloss worse, is that why you say you wouldn't consider an HT if you had the same amount hair as me?

 

 

 

The best way to answer this question is, there are risks with surgery and if you get an HT, you have to be willing to take those risks. The biggest risk in your case for perfecting a only slightly imperfect hairline is shockloss and scaring of the donor area. Shockloss is a risk for everyone of course, BUT, if you have any miniaturization in the hairline now, you could expedite the loss of those hairs with surgery (called permanent shockloss). I'm not trying to scare you...just stating the possibility. It's also possible that you won't experience it, and that getting an HT will give you a wonderful hairline. Of course, if you have future loss, you will have to get further HTs to cover the balding areas.

 

Bill

[Guest]

Thanks for all the helpful advice. I'm not sure you did under-estimate my hair loss but here is a pic. Might as well post it as I bought a digital camera in the sales!

 

(not taken in sunlight I'm afraid, sunlight seems to be in short supply round here this time of year

[hairbank]

Skippy,

 

That pic is much better, it may help to take another which shows a full front and/or side view to put the temples and hairline in prospective to your face. We recovering bald guys can be demanding for pic perfection, eh?

 

IMO............I'd try Propecia and maybe minoxidil if you can stand it's messy regimen. The consideration to take/use either is not to be taken lightly. You're probably aware if you've kept or grown hair from the use of either, it will quickly be gone if you stop use. The commitment to use them is for a lifetime so be sure your ready!

 

From the first two pics, a little tough to tell but if you have no diffused thinning your hair really looks pretty good.............probably not what you want to hear but that' my prospective. You can always consult with some of the top Docs recommended here if you'd like by taking some quality pics, emailing them then discussing by phone to get their input.

 

There's NO WAY to tell what your future loss will be so plan conservatively. The whole relative thing...Maternal Grandfather..etc......all bunk. I'm with Bill..........my Maternal Grandfather died at 60 with a full head of dark hair....not even any temple recision. I was NW 4-5 before HT #1 at age 38. Also, I strongly resemble my father who also has/had hairloss but my was from crown forward and he lost his front to back........NO WAY to predict it. As has been said, plan like you'll hit NW 6 or 7.

 

Hope this helps!

[Guest Cousin_It]

Skippy...

 

It appears your current photo was taken a bit too close up. Perhaps if you can take one somewhere between the two, it can better reflect your current status.

 

Like others have said before, do not rush a transplant. There is nothing wrong with having multiple consulations in order to get a feel for what is needed to rectify your condition. I would urge you to have at least one of the doctors map you for miniaturization, this can be a good predictor of what is to come, or rather what you can expect in future hair loss.

 

Looking forward to seeing updates. Best of Luck.

[Guest]

Thanks guys. I'm learning that taking pics of yourself is an art I'm yet to master! Here are two further shoots. I've had an email consultation with one Doc, arranging a phone consultation with another, and an in-person with a doc in January. All coalition Docs.

[Guest]

Here's another

[Bill - Seemiller]

Skippy,

 

Yes, you still need work learning how to take self photos...or maybe a better camera . Photos still blurry...but it still is pretty obvious that you have a good head of hair.

 

Bill