This is BRUTAL. Now what?

[VictimOfDHT]

To those who remember me, I'm the unfortunate son of a bitch who was here about a year ago talking about how my frontal area kept thinning even after 4 HTs (in the front) over a period of more than a decade and I was talking about how I was planning on getting a 5th HT, which I did just over a year ago. All was well and I was pretty happy with those 700 grafts I got -which is why I stopped coming here- until recently. All of a sudden I'm noticing thinning AGAIN. Just visited my doctor -who's one of the best in N. American- and he agreed that I have less hair than I did last time I saw him a few months back. Again, he thinks I'm one of those few unlucky sons of bitches who have a rare condition that causes the transplanted hair to be lost/rejected after a certain period of time (could be a year or could be a few years). Last time he told me this, which was sometime before my last HT, I tried to live in denial and kept thinking maybe I was just losing native hairs (since I had native hair still). But now, it's becoming clear to me that chances are I AM ACTUALLY LOSING MY TRANSPLANTED HAIR since I don't think I have any more native hair left in the front. I'm pretty damn sure all the hair I have in the front now IS transplanted, yet I'm continuing to thin and I still see miniaturizing hairs.
The thing is, NOTHING CAN BE DONE NOW. Any future HTs I might think of doing will end the same way - lost. And after 5 HTs, I'd be exhausting my reserve of donor hair.

There's no word that can describe my anger. Really, what does god get from torturing people like this??? I feel like I could have a heart attack from anger, let alone the sadness.

So now what? What to do? I'm already thinking about getting another HT even if a small one to fill in the thinning area.

ANY DOCTORS HERE HAVE ANY ADVICE, PLEASE? IS THIS THE END OF IT FOR ME?

[clandestine]

I remember you, victim.

My heart goes out to you. I'm sorry for your loss.

Is shaving your head at all a viable option?

[win200]

I'm really sorry to hear what you're going through. That must be agonizing and my heart goes out to you. It sounds, though, like another HT would be a terrible idea. If it's accurate that you're rejecting transplanted hair, it sounds like another HT would only exacerbate the situation by thinning your donor but just ensuring more loss. If you move the donor hair to a recipient area but it falls out, in whole or in part, you're actually paying to have hair REMOVED from your head. Given the anguish you're suffered, I'd say shave everything down to a 2-3 guard and move on. You could get SMP into the scar, which should allow you to have a close crop without detection. Also, Dr. Cole has had very good luck with removing transplanted hair without leaving anything more than very, very trace scars. Maybe he could help clean up the recipient areas if they're looking messy/patchy.

Sincerely, I wish you all the best.

[35YrsAfter]

Just visited my doctor -who's one of the best in N. American- and he agreed that I have less hair than I did last time I saw him a few months back. Again, he thinks I'm one of those few unlucky sons of bitches who have a rare condition that causes the transplanted hair to be lost/rejected after a certain period of time (could be a year or could be a few years).

ANY DOCTORS HERE HAVE ANY ADVICE, PLEASE? IS THIS THE END OF IT FOR ME?

Your doctor believes you are experiencing graft rejection? I have heard of this and it's considered extremely rare. Has your donor area shown any signs of thinning? Are you in the US? I know Lupus is a form of overactive immune system where a person's body attacks its own cells.

Ten years ago, I had some major thinning in my donor area. At the time I was taking Allegra for allergies, glucosamine+chondroitin for joint pain and Ibuprofen. All of these have various threads with a significant number of people complaining of hair loss. I can't say for certain, these medications were the cause of my hair thinning, but now that I don't take them, my hair has improved in the back. Are you comfortable with a short haircut? have you considered beard and chest hair grafts? What is your age if you don't mind me asking?

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
forhair.com
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[35YrsAfter]

I just had a look at my own chart here at Dr. Coles office. In 2005, I looked like a total freak with major previous hair transplant scars from years past showing through at the back and sides of my head. I can barely stand to look at my before pictures. My thinning was worse than I remembered, like Smeagol's hair from Lord of the Rings but with scars. I wouldn't post those photos here, but if any of you want some cheering up, I might consider sending you a worst-of by email.

There is hope using alternative hair should everything else get used up.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
forhair.com
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[Jotronic]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Did your doctor mention Lichen Planopilaris? This is a rare condition that is not understood very well but is similar to Lupus in that it is an autoimmune disorder. I wrote a short article about it recently here...

http://www.hairtransplantmentor.com/hair-loss-information/lichen-planopilaris-or-my-transplants-are-falling-out/

[VictimOfDHT]

Thanks to all those who replied. I really appreciate it.

Clandestine, shaving is not an option for me. First, I don't have a round head. Secondly, I don't know how bad my scars look but I have more than one and it's not only on the back but on the side from my very first HT (which was a small one). But most importantly, I just hate baldness. I've hated it all my life even when I was a boy. To think of myself bald is unimaginable. If I couldn't look in the mirror when I was barely thinning, how the hell am I going to look in it if I was bald? Then there's the transplanted area that I don't know what it would look like if all the hair is lost.

35Yrsafter, There's no sign of thinning in the donor site. I'm in Canada but had HTs both here and in the US long time ago and by 4 different doctors altogether. The thing is, after my first couple HTs my hair was nice and thick then I was thinning again after about 3 years, so I had my next HT and things were really good after that for about 5 or 6 years then this massive shed hit all over my head -that was about 3 years ago and I was sure it was because I had switched to some minoxidil on ebay that turned out nothing more than a snake oil- which left my hair thinner all over including my transplanted area (which by that time had already been transplanted 4 times.

This last HT I had was only a year ago and now I'm already thinning, which would make it the shortest time ever. This is driving me crazy. Why? What the hell is happening? Why some times it takes years to shed the hair but this time only a year? I had a biopsy done before my last HT and it didn't reveal anything (from what the doctor told me) and that's why I went ahead with the HT. I'm wondering, would a biopsy be any good in revealing any immune disorders or foretelling a problem like mine?
I still look thicker than I did before my last HT though but looks like more thinning is coming judging by the past. And after almost 4500 grafts, I think I should look thicker than I am right not and the doctor thinks so too.

I have a skin condition and I don't know if it has anything to do with this but doubt it. I've always suffered from stubborn dandruff. It's actually more like psoriasis where the skin turns red and dandruff flakes are much bigger than just the normal dandruff. But again, I don't think this would cause transplanted hairs to be shed especially that they seem to grow and last for some time (years/year). If it is an auto immune, why the hell does it not attack the hairs in their donor site (before the HT)? What makes this god damn thing attack the hairs once they're moved a few inches from their original site? I know about autoimmune disorders but I don't get how this affects transplanted hairs, and at random times (could be a year or many years). It's either I have it or I don't but I guess god has different ways to torture people and these ways don't follow any rules or laws.
Sometimes I think it's because I wear a baseball cap (almost all the time). But can that really affect transplanted hairs, once they've taken hold? I don't think.

I don't know what else to do now. I don't want to surrender to baldness but what are my options? I have body hair but it's fine and I don't know how that would be of any use and from what I know it costs a whole lot more than head hair and I don't have the money for that kind of transplant. My beard isn't a thick one and I don't see how it's going to be enough. But then, would that hair be attacked? I heard that for some reason it's not affected like the head hair. My other option, which I'm not even sure is a real option is to consider Dr. Gho's HT. But I'm not even sure if the guy's method is even proved to work (to regenerate hair in the donor site). Any word on him? Legit or not? Yes I know it too will be a waste of money -especially that it's much more expensive than regular HTs- since the transplanted hairs are likely to be lost but I would like to buy myself more time (with hair) as long as my donor hair isn't depleted.

This is more than devastating to me. In the past I used to reassure myself by telling myself there's always HT even though it might not be a perfect solution and even though money is very hard to come by for me but now, I can no longer tell myself that. This is a nightmare. I can't even begin to think what things would be like if I did lose all the transplanted hair but I hope that won't happen.

Jotronic, I don't think it's LPP. The doctor didn't mention anything like that.

Thank you all and I still would love to hear from a doctor or any one with any info on this.

[VictimOfDHT]

A question to those who have had HTs in the past, can you see your scalp when your hair is wet in the shower or does the new hair cover it completely? How would you rate your thickness compared to your original hair? I appreciate your reply.

[Kalio]

I can't comment on your last question yet since I am only just three months in on my transplant, but I wonder, is a hairsystem not a viable option for you? I have seen very nice results from people using hairsystems. Just take a look at what it does for Enrique Iglesias.

[LT56]

Thanks to all those who replied. I really appreciate it.

Clandestine, shaving is not an option for me. First, I don't have a round head. Secondly, I don't know how bad my scars look but I have more than one and it's not only on the back but on the side from my very first HT (which was a small one). But most importantly, I just hate baldness. I've hated it all my life even when I was a boy. To think of myself bald is unimaginable. If I couldn't look in the mirror when I was barely thinning, how the hell am I going to look in it if I was bald? Then there's the transplanted area that I don't know what it would look like if all the hair is lost.

35Yrsafter, There's no sign of thinning in the donor site. I'm in Canada but had HTs both here and in the US long time ago and by 4 different doctors altogether. The thing is, after my first couple HTs my hair was nice and thick then I was thinning again after about 3 years, so I had my next HT and things were really good after that for about 5 or 6 years then this massive shed hit all over my head -that was about 3 years ago and I was sure it was because I had switched to some minoxidil on ebay that turned out nothing more than a snake oil- which left my hair thinner all over including my transplanted area (which by that time had already been transplanted 4 times.

This last HT I had was only a year ago and now I'm already thinning, which would make it the shortest time ever. This is driving me crazy. Why? What the hell is happening? Why some times it takes years to shed the hair but this time only a year? I had a biopsy done before my last HT and it didn't reveal anything (from what the doctor told me) and that's why I went ahead with the HT. I'm wondering, would a biopsy be any good in revealing any immune disorders or foretelling a problem like mine?
I still look thicker than I did before my last HT though but looks like more thinning is coming judging by the past. And after almost 4500 grafts, I think I should look thicker than I am right not and the doctor thinks so too.

I have a skin condition and I don't know if it has anything to do with this but doubt it. I've always suffered from stubborn dandruff. It's actually more like psoriasis where the skin turns red and dandruff flakes are much bigger than just the normal dandruff. But again, I don't think this would cause transplanted hairs to be shed especially that they seem to grow and last for some time (years/year). If it is an auto immune, why the hell does it not attack the hairs in their donor site (before the HT)? What makes this god damn thing attack the hairs once they're moved a few inches from their original site? I know about autoimmune disorders but I don't get how this affects transplanted hairs, and at random times (could be a year or many years). It's either I have it or I don't but I guess god has different ways to torture people and these ways don't follow any rules or laws.
Sometimes I think it's because I wear a baseball cap (almost all the time). But can that really affect transplanted hairs, once they've taken hold? I don't think.

I don't know what else to do now. I don't want to surrender to baldness but what are my options? I have body hair but it's fine and I don't know how that would be of any use and from what I know it costs a whole lot more than head hair and I don't have the money for that kind of transplant. My beard isn't a thick one and I don't see how it's going to be enough. But then, would that hair be attacked? I heard that for some reason it's not affected like the head hair. My other option, which I'm not even sure is a real option is to consider Dr. Gho's HT. But I'm not even sure if the guy's method is even proved to work (to regenerate hair in the donor site). Any word on him? Legit or not? Yes I know it too will be a waste of money -especially that it's much more expensive than regular HTs- since the transplanted hairs are likely to be lost but I would like to buy myself more time (with hair) as long as my donor hair isn't depleted.

This is more than devastating to me. In the past I used to reassure myself by telling myself there's always HT even though it might not be a perfect solution and even though money is very hard to come by for me but now, I can no longer tell myself that. This is a nightmare. I can't even begin to think what things would be like if I did lose all the transplanted hair but I hope that won't happen.

Jotronic, I don't think it's LPP. The doctor didn't mention anything like that.

Thank you all and I still would love to hear from a doctor or any one with any info on this.

So sorry to hear about your situation VictimofdHT. Have you thought of taking Dutasteride? BTW, what city do you live in? I'm in Ottawa.

[VictimOfDHT]

Sorry for the late reply. I couldn't find my thread and never received any notifications by email (unusual).

Kalio, hairpiece wouldn't be an option for me because of my hair type (coarse and too wavy). The expense is considerable too from what I know. I don't think it's worth all the headache, embarrassment and money but I don't know if it'll ever come to that moment when I see there's no other options.

Thanks, LT56. I have taken Dut in the past and it didn't do anything that I noticed, so I went back on Fin, which I've been taking for over 10 years (along with Minox).

I'm still serious about getting another HT. I just can't imagine going bald. My mind really is unable to accept it. I've been sick (from stress and depression) since my last interview with my doctor. I just sleep all day and have stopped working with no plans of doing anything, and have been checking my hair in the mirror non stop.

This time though I'm thinking FUEs. I'm in the West Coast and I don't think there are doctors here who are good with it but from what I remember there are some on the East Coast but I'd like some names again, if anybody knows some.
I'd also appreciate it if someone gave me an idea on the cost of FUEs in the US vs Canada.

Also, I'm willing to volunteer for any experiments currently underway by any doctors. I just can't live with this torture. Not after all the pain and expense I've been through. I'll fight this ****ing curse or die trying.

[hairlosskills]

Victim are you still around?

[hairlessM]

But most importantly, I just hate baldness. I've hated it all my life even when I was a boy. To think of myself bald is unimaginable. If I couldn't look in the mirror when I was barely thinning, how the hell am I going to look in it if I was bald?

Well suck it up, because you might be one day. I say this because I find what you said to be hugely insulting. At the top of the page forum is loads of images of men with hair transplants and guess what, they still look like garbage, they may have slightly more hair but they are all ugly as sin to begin with and no matter what hair they have they will never be attractive.

[baldozer]

It really surprises me when people are so much against being bald. To me, its one of the coolest and most badass look, especially if you have a great face with high cheekbones, a prominent brow ridge and a great body. It makes you look more masculine and menacing. Facial hair add even more to the coolness. I am the type of guy who would rather look a little intimidating and mysterious than look like a pretty woman. Therefore, I like the bald look.