Plugged in the late 1970's and Fued in Nov. 2012

[Lounk61]

Started losing my hair at 17, comb over by 20, plug transplant at 27 in the late 1970's. Terrible results. Had about 1200 plugs front and top. Hair weaves and wigs from then on. Never felt right. Nov 2012 had 2300 grafts done by strip method at 60yrs old. Came out to about 4500 hairs. Was supposed to be 3000 in 2 day mega session but donor area only allowed for 2300 due to laxity and low density. Also have fine slightly wavy hair. All grafts were put into front and sides to create hairline in my Norwood six head. At about almost 7 months now. Still growing but coverage with fine hair is not great. Doc says I'll probably have more donor hair for another session after a year but we won't know how much until then. Top is bald except for the weird looking old plugs. been in touch with Dr Umar for bht consult. Sent him pics. Told me I would need a 3 day session in which he would do 4500 grafts from scalp and beard. Not sure what I'll do. Still have questions for Dr Umar. Not sold on bht. In conclusion. I figure I have maybe 20 years left on this planet. I've lived 40 years without hair on my head not feeling good about it and I'd like to live my last 20 with hair on my head evening things out a bit and feeling better. Hope that happens for me. Any info on BHT experiences would be appreciated. Good luck to all.

[ejj]

I know how it feels , this industry has created a lot of misery for more people than it cares to admit , both from the past and present

Feel free to check out my thread , im on a repair journey with Dr Bisanga utilising my beard hair

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/showthread.php?t=6533

Regards

ejj

[Lounk61]

Wonder how beard hair does on a larger area. Looks good on the area you had done. Was it expensive?

[ejj]

have a look on Bhr`s website all the costs are on there , i found it reasonable compared to others . My approach was to go slow and get a good yeild .

Dr Bisanga patient rep Stephen has had scalp and beard Fue, and the coverage is excellent , i think his pictures are on the website along with other beard hair cases

all the best

ejj

[Lounk61]

Does the beard hair feel and look the same to you on your scalp? Did it hurt much when removed from your face? I sent my profile to Dr Cole and I'm waiting to hear from him. Looks like he's been doing bht for a while and he's in the states. Thanks for your posts and reply.

[ejj]

my beard hair is almost a perfect match to my scalp hair , only difference i see is that it is darker and slightly coarser .

There has been a lot of debate recently whereby some posters and reps of clinics state that body hair looks exactly like ` body hair ` on the head and that it can look ridiculous , i find these comments are made by clinics that dont offer ` beard ` or body hair fue so will leave that one with you .

As for pain , I had 2 shots to the lower gum , much like at the dentist , this froze my face completly for the shots to the face , where i didnt feel a thing , there was no pain or discomfort , take your time and check out some results, Dr Woods in Sydney has some good beard results also

Hope this helps
Ejj

[Lounk61]

will the beard hair grow to the same length as your scalp hair? Also I have fine scalp hair and the beard hair is course. I'm wondering how that will blend. Dr Cole charges $12 per graft. I'll need at least 4000-5000 so that's beyond my means. I'll keep searching. Thanks for your reply.

[ejj]

yes the beard hair grows a similar length to scalp hair , bhr is 6 euro beard graft , be good to see your pictures

all the best
ejj

[wylie]

I'd too like to see your pics. I have seen a dramatic improvement in my own hair since I've had around 3000 beard hair grafts done by Dr. Umar, the last surgery was 5 months ago in December, the one previous was 3 months before that in September. I had 2200 beard hair in September, and around 1200 in December. While it has improved me dramatically I'm still not where I want to be (I've suffered from the 'mini grafts' of the 90's for 20 years).

My hair is very fine and thin, and dark against pale skin, the worst possible combination. Today I can use Prothik to achieve almost full concealment, this was never possible before Dr. Umar's repair.

I've visited both Dr.'s Umar and Cole for surgeries and recommend Dr. Umar. You are likely to get better results with Dr. Umar, my results cannot be compared between the two doctors. I was blown away by my hairline repair by Dr. Umar, as it exceeded my expectations, but the mini grafts camo job is still not where I want it to be.

Dr. Umar is as attentive to a patients concerns as anyone in the industry, and he does make a commitment to his patients that I have learned he is serious about keeping. I hope to have one more final surgery, my 4th with Dr. Umar, to finish everything later this year. I understand your station, its the same one I've been in for 20 years.

I want to make the transition from dramatic improvement to repaired myself in the next 6 months. That means no concealer necessary. I'm not there yet but hope to be. I hope you can get there as well.

[Lounk61]

How old are you now and have you used up your scalp donor area? What Norwood level are you? I have the dark fine hair with the light scalp situation like you. The 2300 strip grafts I had in Nov are growing but I can tell I'll need a ton more to look reasonable. The hairs were put into my bald front and thin temples and sides that were damaged by weaves. My top is bald with some ugly useless plugs up there. Umar wants to start me with a 3 day session of 4500 grafts with scalp and beard hair. At $8 a pop that's $36000 which is too much for me financially at this point. I'd be willing if it wasn't so expensive. I had the 2300 grafts done at $3.50 a pop. And then I don't know for sure how the beard hairs will look up there. Risky and expensive. Not a great combo. I can't do anything for at least another 5 months anyway since I'm at the 7 month stage now.Thanks for cluing me in on your experience with Dr Umar. Wish there was more definitive experiences and results posted on body hair to scalp transplants. Good luck with your results.

[DAVE52]

Have you considered having the plugs from the top removed , and shaving your head

Ive read , on another site , where several guys have done it

Yea , you will have scars on the back ........but it may be a better option

[ejj]

Have you considered having the plugs from the top removed , and shaving your head

Ive read , on another site , where several guys have done it

Yea , you will have scars on the back ........but it may be a better option

Dr Beehner did removal on a guy called ` bachstrad ` it looked great hardly tell were the plugs had been

ejj

[wylie]

How old are you now and have you used up your scalp donor area? What Norwood level are you? I have the dark fine hair with the light scalp situation like you. The 2300 strip grafts I had in Nov are growing but I can tell I'll need a ton more to look reasonable. The hairs were put into my bald front and thin temples and sides that were damaged by weaves. My top is bald with some ugly useless plugs up there. Umar wants to start me with a 3 day session of 4500 grafts with scalp and beard hair. At $8 a pop that's $36000 which is too much for me financially at this point. I'd be willing if it wasn't so expensive. I had the 2300 grafts done at $3.50 a pop. And then I don't know for sure how the beard hairs will look up there. Risky and expensive. Not a great combo. I can't do anything for at least another 5 months anyway since I'm at the 7 month stage now.Thanks for cluing me in on your experience with Dr Umar. Wish there was more definitive experiences and results posted on body hair to scalp transplants. Good luck with your results.

Yes, I have used up my scalp donor. I'm in my 40's. Dr. Umar can restore your hairline like he did mine, using scalp and nape hair. What I've learned in repair is the hairline is the easy part, as nape, scalp and beard can all be used to achieve a completely 100% undetectable hairline (as long as it is not too low, that is another issue). Filling in the plug zone is your real challenge. I wouldn't worry at this point about how the beard hairs are gonna look, Dr. Umar will blend them with your plugs and whatever sources he uses to get a normal look, that is his greatest strength, in my humble opinion. The worry I'd have is sufficient density to conceal the plugs. That is always a concern when repairing a bald scalp that is covered in plugs, getting the density. I'm fairly certain you have more scalp donor available than you might think, after 8 or 9 strips I has much more scalp donor available then I thought I had.

Cost, of course, is always a concern as well. I'd suggest you break your repair into two sessions, or ask Dr. Umar for a break on the cost.

One thing I've learned is do not go into any surgery with anyone unless you have mapped out a plan for a complete repair with your surgeon and you are comfortable with both the plan and the doctor. If for any reason you are not comfortable with either the plan or the doctor, stop right there and don't proceed. You don't have the time, donor, or money to waste. I'd recommend researching all your options, as I've also heard good things about Dr. Bisanga. My advice would be choosing between he or Dr. Umar, as they are both the most skilled at repair utilizing non scalp donor.

Good luck, do your research, and make a plan that will work for you, then stick with it until you are repaired. You might want to consider "cheating' with Prothik or Courve as well, although you might need a few sessions done before you can

[Lounk61]

Thanks again for your valuable info. I'm determined to get this all sorted out and fixed. You're advice on having a total plan is spot on. I don't want to go piece meal on this. There are just too many variables and uncertanties in all of this. Right now I'm waiting to see how the 2300 grafts I got will look after a year. I had them done with Dr Keene in Tucson. She is very good but is not a fan of bht. She thinks I'll have more donor hair to work with but like I said I don't think It'll be enough without the use of body hair to make me look reasonable at my age. I'm still keeping my options open with Dr Umar. I would have to get a break on the cost so I would ask him about that. Being that he told me he would like to start with a 3 day 4500 graft session meaning that would not be the last. I would hope that hair transplant costs will come down some in the future or that some other method is developed. My time is limited though.

[topcat]

Lounk61 my suggestion to you would to go very slowly when using body and beard hair no more than 1000 grafts. Every mega session bht I have viewed over the years appeared to be low in yield. You also need to assess the aesthetics as you go as I have also seen too many results that looked bizarre. It’s not enough to just have hair on you head. If you do go for a mega session which I repeat is a bad idea in my opinion then you also need to accept responsibility for the outcome.

Slow and continued improvement is the best approach in my opinion. You can also view my thread “Follow My Major Repair”. Mega sessions only benefit the clinic and are high risk propositions for the patient.