Surgeon recommendations

[win200]

Hi all,

I'm 6 months out from a FUT procedure that placed roughly 1,500 grafts into my hairline. I'm pleased with the work, but I'm guessing that it'll need a little bit of augmentation for the sake of density, as it's pretty sparse. I'd venture 500 - 1,000 grafts maximum.

I don't want to change the hairline (it was transplanted rather low, and I certainly don't want to move it lower), but I'd like to find someone who's particularly skilled with hairlines and creating natural results.

Also, for a procedure of that size, would FUE be advisable? If so, who's particularly good with that method?

All suggestions / recommendations appreciated. I know 6 months is too early for a second procedure, but I'm just trying to plan out my next year, including consultations.

Thanks!

[Spex]

Hey Win,

There are a variety of good solid FUE surgeons out there and for 500-1000 grafts its certainly a viable option.

However you already have a strip scar so no reason that this couldnt be revised whilst harvesting appropriate number for you and leaving the scar in similar situ as now. You get more bang for buck with strip and the yield is generally a little higher with cases of this size compared to FUE.

How is your original strip scar ?

Defo wait 12-18 months however before pulling the trigger as growth can take many months to mature and you dont want to prematurely alter things that might not need altering

Best
Spex

[win200]

Hey Win,

There are a variety of good solid FUE surgeons out there and for 500-1000 grafts its certainly a viable option.

However you already have a strip scar so no reason that this couldnt be revised whilst harvesting appropriate number for you and leaving the scar in similar situ as now. You get more bang for buck with strip and the yield is generally a little higher with cases of this size compared to FUE.

How is your original strip scar ?

Defo wait 12-18 months however before pulling the trigger as growth can take many months to mature and you dont want to prematurely alter things that might not need altering

Best
Spex

That all makes sense, Spex. The scar looks good; still a little redness, but it does look like it's widened at all. It's a rather wide scar (18 cm) given the number of grafts harvested.

Good thoughts about going FUT. I just didn't know if 500 grafts was even worth doing another strip, but if that's the more logical option, fine.

The three names that I've focused on at this point are Hasson & Wong, Dr. Gabel, and Dr. Feller. H&W and Dr. Gabel have the nice benefit of being within 3 hours driving distance from me, but I'm not averse at all to traveling to Dr. Feller--particularly considering the amazing results I've seen him deliver in hairlines. I know H&W are more known for their megasessions, which I don't need.

[win200]

And good point re: waiting. I had good, early growth, but it's coming in very kinked / frizzy, so I really can't tell how the angle placement looks, and the hair isn't integrating well because it's creating this spider's-nest tufts in the hairline. That doesn't bother me at all, though, because I know the hair normalizes with time. It's amazing to me that some surgeons recommend second procedures within 6 months!

[Spex]

Consult in person with whomever you feel comfortable with. There are a number of great HT surgeons out there - Find one you feel most comfortable with.

A word of advice in my experience - you always need more hair than you think. Hair is also like money - you always want a little more - nature of the beast.

My advice is wait it out and at the point you feel confident you are no longer seeing any further progress from your last HT then start to consult with different surgeons to get a feel for how many grafts you actually need based on your specific goal. You might be surprised that you well need more than 500.

If you do only need 500 grafts then seriously entertain FUE in my opinion. However if you get the feeling based on your goal you need 1000 then consider strip in my opinion in light that you have already had strip.

Be patient and allow your last HT to come in and truly establish itself

Best
Spex

[win200]

A word of advice in my experience - you always need more hair than you think. Hair is also like money - you always want a little more - nature of the beast.

Ah, sage words. Really, I'd like a procedure of 50,000 grafts...

I'm just balancing between building up cosmetically appealing density in the front and preserving donor hair for future loss. I'm only 30, so it's pretty tough to anticipate what I'm facing, and I don't want to blow it all on the front. I mean, hopefully we'll have other options in the next 5-10 years, but I don't want to hang my hat on that and then be SOL after having used 4,000 grafts in my hairline and having little to fill in the rest if I have extensive loss.

[Spex]

I concur. That is why important to wait it out and allow the HT to mature in order to determine what else is required, if at all

Best
S

[mattj]

It sounds like your hair still has some maturing to do, which is to be expected at 6 months. And I agree that it's definitely too early to judge density.

You might only be 30 years old, but you've only had a very small procedure so far and even after the second you should still be left with a lot of grafts in reserve for the future.