Hey everyone - I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself to the community and tell you my story. Thanks in advance for any advice or comments you may have or just for taking the time to read this.
I stumbled upon this site a few weeks ago and have picked up quite a bit of good information so far. There seems to be a lot of very knowledgable people who frequent this site. Before going into my situation I will say that if I decide to go through with the surgery I will definitely come back and share my results and try and contribute back to the board in any way I can.
Now, having said all that, I'm a 33 yr old single male that's considering a hair transplant. My grandfather on my Mom's side was completely bald at age 30, so I sort of always knew this was coming. However, my older brother has not experienced nearly as much hair loss as I have. My loss was slow and steady for several years but seems to have picked up speed the last 2-3 years. I'm now getting to the point where I think I'll have to either shave my head or consider surgery.
I live in Baltimore, MD and recently had a consultation with Dr. Jeffrey Schreiber. I didn't see any specific posts about him, although I'm not sure if that necessarily is a bad thing or not. I've read how important it is to find a good doctor though, so I'm hoping to find some reviews on him. My impression of him was good...seemed very knowledgeable and answered all my questions. His qualifications seem good as he's Hopkins trained, although I think plastic surgery is his primary focus. I would be comfortable using him based upon my initial consultation, although I feel like I should probably get a second opinion from someone before deciding on anything (if anyone has a recommendation in the Maryland area I'd appreciate it!) Dr. Schreiber believes that eventually I will end up with a George Costanza look (I forget the technical definition). His recommendation was to do 1,500 grafts and spread them out along 3 areas (front, top-middle, top-back). My hairline has always been a little on the high side, so I don't think he's planning on bringing my hairline down too far in the front...just far enough on the sides to look natural. He thought that 1,500 may be all I need or that in another 10-15 years I may need another round. Cost is $6,000 and would be 1 session.
I have a lot of concerns, but my biggest is the hair not looking natural and what I'll look like immediately post-surgery, and months thereafter. It's my understanding that the transplanted hair will fall out after 10 days on avg, but I would already be back at work by then. So I'm envisioning having hair fuzz-like hair (Dr. says he cuts the donor hairs down very short) on the front-side portion of my forehead immediately following the surgery. But then those will fall out and I'll be back to looking like I currently do for a few months (or worse if other existing hairs fall out) until the hairs start to grow back in. I don't see how you can possibly conceal having had the surgery with all that change going on, not to mention having hairs that are different length than the others on my head?
Other concerns that I was hoping folks could comment on are:
1) Scarring? I know there will be a scar from the donor area, but I'm wondering how visible it may be down the road...should I want to buzz my head would it be very visible?
2) Propecia side-effects: In conjuncture with the surgery he's recommending I start taking Propecia. To this point I've not tried any hair loss treatment, but have heard of mixed reports on various side effects, some of which don't sound too good if you like to be active in a particular area.
3) Dealing with the social stigma of having the surgery. I don't understand why it exists, but it seems to be there and is a concern for me. While the Dr. said the only person who would know I had the surgery was if I was sitting across from another patient or Dr., I'm not entirely sold on that at this point. Would others agree with his comment?
4) 1,500 grafts right amount? I've attached some current pics.
5) Working out? I'm pretty active person and was told no working out for 2 weeks, but I've read things on here that contradict that. What is the main concern with working out and avg time off needed?
Sorry for the long post and thanks again for reading my story. I appreciate any comments or advice you may have, good or bad. Thanks!
 Hi, 33 yr old, hair loss rapidly picking up pace!Printable View
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