new and need advice

[dallas001]

I am 43 years old and am experiencing some hair loss on the top/front of my head. Indoors it doesn't look too bad but in the sunlight you can see a lot of my scalp. I have seen Dr. Peter Panagotacos and Dr. Sarah Wassabauer. It was recommended that I could use 1,700 to 2,000 graffs. I assume that both are reputable but I was wondering what you folks thought. Is one better than the other? Or is there someone else entirely that I should consider seeing? I just starting taking finasteride a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully that helps reduce further loss. I also do have some concerns about the transplant.

Will it look strange when the transplanted hairs start to grow?

Will there be shock loss to native hair in the area of the transplant?

How likely is it that the scar may become noticeable say 20n- 30 years down the road? I know they say that you aren't supposed to lose the hair on the back of your head, but you never know.

Then what about the native hair in the transplanted area...is the finasteride supposed to prevent loss of that hair down the road?

I guess I'm not too concerned about the immediate results...more what happens down the line.

Any advice that you folks could give would be greatly appreciated. I am leaning towards the surgery but I'm not sure who to go with or if I should wait a period of time to see in the finasteride could actually cause some hair to start growing again.

G

[spm]

I would wait and see how good the meds work. Once your cut you can't go back. Spencer always says hair transplants should be your last resort and I agree. No need to have a scar or worse a mangled scar for life. There are some good products in clinical trials right now and you might not need one down the road.

[inspects]

I am 43 years old and am experiencing some hair loss on the top/front of my head. Indoors it doesn't look too bad but in the sunlight you can see a lot of my scalp. I have seen Dr. Peter Panagotacos and Dr. Sarah Wassabauer. It was recommended that I could use 1,700 to 2,000 graffs. I assume that both are reputable but I was wondering what you folks thought. Is one better than the other? Or is there someone else entirely that I should consider seeing? I just starting taking finasteride a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully that helps reduce further loss. I also do have some concerns about the transplant.

Will it look strange when the transplanted hairs start to grow?

Not really, I had 2500 FUT done 11 months ago, there is no sign of a scar, my hair came in nicely, I'm very pleased.

Will there be shock loss to native hair in the area of the transplant?

I didn't have any I noticed, although the top of my head was VERY thin.

How likely is it that the scar may become noticeable say 20n- 30 years down the road? I know they say that you aren't supposed to lose the hair on the back of your head, but you never know.

Highly unlikely if you find a good surgeon, my GF cannot find any line without really doing a lot of searching, its basically nonexistent in my opinion.

Then what about the native hair in the transplanted area...is the finasteride supposed to prevent loss of that hair down the road?

My hair loss stopped completely within the first couple months of using 1-mg Fin, I wish I would have known about the drug much sooner, I probably could have saved half the hair I lost through the years, I'm 57 years old.

I guess I'm not too concerned about the immediate results...more what happens down the line.

I would say you're at a good age to have the procedure, but I'm not a surgeon, your best advise would come from a highly qualified transplant doctor.

Any advice that you folks could give would be greatly appreciated. I am leaning towards the surgery but I'm not sure who to go with or if I should wait a period of time to see in the finasteride could actually cause some hair to start growing again.

I wouldn't expect much hair growth, but you will notice you're not losing ground any longer by taking Fin. It certainly worked for me anyway. My hair is much stronger and thicker in the back where I had less follicles transplanted, so it may help-promote some growth. I will keep taking Fin, I have had ZERO side effects, unlike younger men who may.

Not knowing where you're located its hard to give any names of doctors who have a proven track record on this forum, the names you mentioned I have ever heard.

Use the search function on this forum, "Topcat" has posted very good information through the years, which may transpire you to be very careful who you pick for your procedure. I didn't know this forum existed when I had my transplant.

I guess I was lucky to find a great surgeon in Scottsdale Arizona without much online information to help me. Actually I had no idea there was so much information available until I happened to find this forum and others after I had my procedure done.

You should use the information on this forum to your advantage. There is a wealth of information available about the top transplant surgeons available throughout the world right here.

[topcat]

Well at 43 you should have enough life experience to make a good decisions. Just have as many consultations as possible and you can now without traveling too much, just have them online using very clear up close pictures. Taking pictures is easy once you get the hang of it.

Most that get into trouble with hair transplants are really young guys in their 20's. They tend to believe anything and all it takes is making the wrong connection which is sometimes just a matter of luck.

It can be a very life enhancing procedure regardless of the technique fue/strip but personally I don't feel a strip would be appropriate for very young guys with minimal hair loss. In your situation it comes down to weighing the pros and cons of each technique and making a decision that is best for you.

[dallas001]

Thank you for the responses. I live in Hawaii and I feel the better Drs. must be on the mainland. I recently visited the Oakland/San Fran area and went the the two Drs. for consultations. I can travel pretty much anywhere should I decide to get the procedure done. I would like to know who the top Drs. are, preferably somewhere close to the west coast (although if there is someone exceptionally better I would be willing to travel further).