Hairloss in brothers

[sausage]

Update on my mission to potentially get a HT:

I am getting so many different opinions from Surgeons about what they recommend.

-One has said have FUT done 2000-3000 grafts to build a hairline and thicken up the rest.

(I am not sure what exactly they think the result of that would be, to me that number of grafts seems far to low, maybe they see my existing hair differently from other surgeons :S)

-One has shown me a photo of a guy who had 6000 FUT grafts done in one session to echo what he thinks I need.

(This is ideally what I am looking at)

-One has said that I need to have 6000 ish grafts, one session then another session a year later.

(2 sessions + a year gap = madness!)

Still more research to do.

[StressedToTheBald]

Sounds confusing. Has anyone recommended FUE ?
As for the number of grafts, look I'm no expert - but I'm at least 1 stage further on the Norwood and I don't think that even I would need 6,000 grafts.. that sounds more like for Norwood 6 or 7 from my perspective. And that would cost a fortune, no way You could do that many grafts in Europe or USA for 15,000 pounds.

[sausage]

Sounds confusing. Has anyone recommended FUE ?
As for the number of grafts, look I'm no expert - but I'm at least 1 stage further on the Norwood and I don't think that even I would need 6,000 grafts.. that sounds more like for Norwood 6 or 7 from my perspective. And that would cost a fortune, no way You could do that many grafts in Europe or USA for 15,000 pounds.

I am too far gone for FUE, as you say 6000 FUE would cost a fortune.

My haor is worse than I originally thought as I do not look in the mirror ever. I took a few photos with my hair at grade 1 under bright light and it looked very thin, you could pretty much only see scalp.

I think partly due to me having my hair at grade 1 made it look pretty bad, I have been asked to grow it longer and take some new photos, I think it will look vastly different if I have it a cm longer. But then again I am not sure why surgeons take what already exists into account when the hair is so thin anyway and will fall out at some point, I'd like to have surgery with the fact that those hairs will not be there in a few years.

6000 grafts can be obtained from 1 strip surgery so I should be able to just get that done all in one session.

I think it will be about £15,000.

[StressedToTheBald]

Sorry to hear that. So, You're sure about going ahead with FUT ?

[sausage]

Sorry to hear that. So, You're sure about going ahead with FUT ?

Possibly, still so much to figure out, it is hard to get the information I need quickly, a lot of surgeons advisers take a few days to reply and sometimes have to wait to talk to the surgeon himself before getting back to me, so its a long game of ping pong at the moment. I need to find out what exactly I can get done which is difficult. I want to be certain of what can be achieved before I make a decision and pay for anything.

So much for buzzing my hair to grade 0 I need to grow it a bit as I said and take more photos to get a more precise view from the surgeon.

One thing I do not understand is......Pretty much every young balding man will end up with none to virtually nothing left on the top of their heads even if they use Minoxidil or Propecia (even if these work they seem to stop working at some point).......

Why do surgeons even let people get FUE done at all when most will run out of donor hair and will one day get to a point where they run out of this donor hair but still have original hair left which will then fall out and leave a stupid looking patch of baldness that cannot be filled in.

Theres many people on here who have hardly receded at all but have had dense packing to fill in their hairlines, these people will be the ones that have an odd looking patch when they are older, yet the surgeons go ahead with these surgeries. If I had done the same thing I would now be at the stage where I would have ran out of donor hair and have a very thin patch.

This makes no sense to me. I can only think its about money. I guess if the patients are balding relatively slowly then at least they should have a full head of hair for the 1st 10 years of balding if they keep going back for transplants, after that time they will have to shave it off or look stupid.

[StressedToTheBald]

Why not go directly to some clinic in UK and see first hand what they'll tell You. You don't have to do the procedure there, but it might help to meet any surgeon directly ! This way if all Your feedback is via online consultations, its not really tangible !

I don't think all balding people end up with nothing. Many might, but I believe many also get stuck with receding hairlines and balding crown, good degree of baldness but still don't loose everything completely.

Regardless if its FUE or FUT - there is a risk of the non-transplanted hairs to fall out at some point or to some degree.. unless You replace every single DHT non resistant hair with the donor DHT resistant hair, but I'm not even sure if and how You plan to do that ? You are not Norwood 7.. with Norwood 4a, You still have good amount of hair that will remain after the procedure and these hairs may or may not fall out in the future.

[sausage]

Regardless if its FUE or FUT - there is a risk of the non-transplanted hairs to fall out at some point or to some degree.. unless You replace every single DHT non resistant hair with the donor DHT resistant hair, but I'm not even sure if and how You plan to do that ? You are not Norwood 7.. with Norwood 4a, You still have good amount of hair that will remain after the procedure and these hairs may or may not fall out in the future.

Apparently a surgeon can tell what hairs will remain if you send them a photo.


I was thinking today of possibly just having a thin density of hair transplanted throughout my head including re-establishing my hairline. A density that would only work with having short hair. I say this because as you know I am not keen on FUT and FUE won't give me full dense coverage.

I think a thin coverage may work if kept short, especially when the donor hair is thinned out due to extraction as this can help make the surrounding hair thinner and blend in with the thin new hair on top.

I will see if this is possible and see if I can get any examples of people who have had a similar thing done (if any).

[StressedToTheBald]

Apparently a surgeon can tell what hairs will remain if you send them a photo.

But how can they know that ? Its like predicting future..

I was thinking today of possibly just having a thin density of hair transplanted throughout my head including re-establishing my hairline. A density that would only work with having short hair. I say this because as you know I am not keen on FUT and FUE won't give me full dense coverage.

I think a thin coverage may work if kept short, especially when the donor hair is thinned out due to extraction as this can help make the surrounding hair thinner and blend in with the thin new hair on top.

I will see if this is possible and see if I can get any examples of people who have had a similar thing done (if any).

That sounds interesting. It something that crossed my mind too. Trouble is, even if this case, to cover the basics in front and in my case in the back as well, still You would need certain density, otherwise it would look weird or thin. I guess with the short haircut this would look better and less grafts required - maybe You could cover the front like that with 1500 grafts ? That would save You a lot of money, but still You would have to go with short haircut always.

[sausage]

But how can they know that ? Its like predicting future..

I see what you mean, Its what I have been told, think its something to do with looking at the thickness of the hair or something, not sure really.

That sounds interesting. It something that crossed my mind too. Trouble is, even if this case, to cover the basics in front and in my case in the back as well, still You would need certain density, otherwise it would look weird or thin. I guess with the short haircut this would look better and less grafts required - maybe You could cover the front like that with 1500 grafts ? That would save You a lot of money, but still You would have to go with short haircut always.

For myself I do not want the existing hair to be taken into consideration. If I got a surgeon to do it, I would want him to imagine I am totally bald on top and go from there.

It would look thin, thats the idea, I would prefer it to be as thick as possible but that is not going to be possible with FUE because of the extent of my hair loss. Its just a way of getting myself away from the hellish FUT. It would also look a lot better than a bald scalp. It would probably look like a thinning scalp but I could deal with that.

Take another look at that guy I posted a pic of that was balding, just imagine that sort of thinness throughout the top of the scalp, I think it would look reasonable as long as it was evenly done, and as I said with the donor areas being thinned out then it will blend in better. I have tried to find a photo of a guy with thinning hair on top - not receding just thinning throughout the top of the head to see what it looks like, but I can't find a photo.

[StressedToTheBald]

Looking forward to hear the outcome, I mean its an interesting idea ! I wonder how much grafts would be required for something like that.. for the most basic density. I might follow Your example in some years time if I savew up the money.. it would still require much less money for a small number of grafts.

But You would still be relying on Your existing hair. Surgeon would only fill in the empty spots to make the equal density with Your existing hair. You won't have bald spots any more but equal thinning hair everywhere. I hope the non-transplanted hair won't fall off in the future, as that would still put the effects of transplant in danger or You would have to do more filling in the future.

[sausage]

Looking forward to hear the outcome, I mean its an interesting idea ! I wonder how much grafts would be required for something like that.. for the most basic density. I might follow Your example in some years time if I savew up the money.. it would still require much less money for a small number of grafts.

Its just an idea, it will probably get ripped apart by surgeons. It also might still need a lot of grafts. I am not sure what amount of grafts they can obtain via FUE I expect a lot, but they just don't like doing it as it aches their arms after a while. + us patients don't like it if it gets to that stage as it means it is costing us a fortune.

I have been told you get around 6000 grafts out of a FUT strip which is about enough to fill the top of a bald head with a reasonable density.

I think I will probably be left knowing FUT is my only option, I ideally want to get this moving but with trials of other treatments results coming out soon maybe I need to wait a few more months before booking anything.

Its such a hard life knowing and thinking daily that I could and possibly would be with this girl I like if I had not lost my hair, it feels like she's there in my reach but I cannot quite grab her as my hairloss is pulling me back. Its so depressing.

If hairloss is affecting you as much as it is affecting me then why don't you take out a loan for a hair transplant, do whatever you can to save or make money and you could get one no problem.

[StressedToTheBald]

Its Your money, Your idea.. if they don't wanna do it.. I'd find someone who would. FUE's surely harder for them to do, they wouldn't charge more otherwise. I don't think donor hair is really a problem, we all have plenty of hair, only not at the bald and thinning spots.

6,000 grafts is a lot, you'd cover whole head surely, but if its FUT, I wouldn't do it to be honest. As for the new trials and research treatments, I'd give anything for them to become reality, but I strongly doubt anything is months away.. no one even knows if it will be just some years, as some doctors say decades - I hope they're wrong.

Don't have to loose a girl. If she's the right one, do short haircut, buy a great hat and give it a go. If its meant to be, You can do transplant in the meantime, further more - if she hears You're doing it for her - she should be honoured.

My situation is much worse, I live in one of the poorest countries.. I barely can afford much more basic stuff, let alone transplant. Loan's no option, wouldn't get one nor I would be able to pay it back.. But still, maybe in a few years, maybe I move out, wishful thinking at least for now !

[sausage]

My situation is much worse, I live in one of the poorest countries.. I barely can afford much more basic stuff, let alone transplant. Loan's no option, wouldn't get one nor I would be able to pay it back.. But still, maybe in a few years, maybe I move out, wishful thinking at least for now !

I know, we both hate FUT, every time I think of it I see a scalpel crunching its way through the back of my head. Yuck!! But I would probably still go through with it if I decide I cannot stay bald, my baldness will only get worse and worse and I will get more and more depressed.

I understand there is no chance treatments will come out in a few months, but an announcement is going to be made by Replicel, if they have had amazing results they may announce a date that the product could come to market. If they were pretty certain of getting something out in a few years time then I would not get a HT, I would just wait for Replicel. So its probably worth me waiting until April to see what happens with it.

Although I ideally want to get something done ASAP. I think If I got a HT in the next few months then I could have hair by the summer, my aim is to get hair then get this girl, time is running out as she may find another guy before then. I know there are other girls out there but this girl is perfect for me.

I am sorry you don't come from a rich country, I guess you have to hope for a more affordable cure, or just try to get on with life. Although even if you had the money right now, you are possibly too far gone for FUE, or it would not be a good idea as one day you will have a bald patch that you cannot fill, the only way to fill it would be by FUT which is a no-no for you.

[StressedToTheBald]

FUT is a big no for me, I agree even if I had the money, further more even if someone would offer it for free, I wouldn't sign up for FUT. Baldness is bad enough for selfconfidence, but having a scar on the back of the head, its just not worth it.

You don't know that You're going to go down the road and get more and more bald. I don't think it has to happen. I have been in the same stage for years ! Today I'm not any worse than I was a few years ago.. and with all the supplements and what else not, I only could have got a tiny bit better.. maybe nothing visible, but still, my baldness hasn't progressed. And the stuff I'm using now, hey - if in 6 months I have visible regrowth - even if its not too much, it would still feel like a miracle.

When is the announcement by Replicel due to happen ? April ?
I hope You're right, it would be brilliant.

Even if You do HT in the next few months, are You would have hair ready for the summer ? I thought there was like 4 months in between when hair might fall off and then some period of up to 12 months for regrowth ? Also, don't know why - but some people report having problem with regrowth.

I wouldn't risk loosing the girl though. If its worth it, You might not have a 2nd chance. Also, best/worst case scenario, You said You'd be willing to wait for Replicel if their announcement is positive, still the cure would be a few years away - long waiting time.

Life's a ... I sadly ended up poor and in the poor country. Yes, the affordable cure would be the solution for me, but in the meantime, I still fight.. I take natural 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, currently on 510mg of beta sitosterol, 300mg of saw palmetto and bunch of other stuff ! It takes 6-12 months to see more visible improvement. Just have to be very patient. If it works out - it will pay off big time !

[StressedToTheBald]

Interesting picture .. 3,000 grafts :

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/album.php?albumid=308&pictureid=2563