Joe thanks thats great perspective. Those are the questions I have been trying to ask myself but the fact is they are hard questions to answer, which is what makes this decision so difficult. There is an extremely high level of uncertainty about. It honestly feels like playing blackjack and you know about 80 percent of the cards that the dealer will pull next but still unsure about a few (maybe a bad analogy)
1. If the surgery fails..I don't know, I hope it wouldnt. If it did I would hope I would be able to go back to the shaved look that I currently sport without much difficulty. If I couldn't do that I'm really not sure what I would do. I guess I would have to look at what others had done in a similar situation and figured out what worked.
2. Again, Im not sure. I feel like I've spent countless hours trying to figure out the answer to that question. Dr. K uses a .6mm according the coordinator and uses the D.E.S. technique which supposedly prevents an ellipse by adjusting the angle after it is in the skin and reduces scarring? (maybe I have that backwards) Either way the fact they have a specific technique geared toward minimizing skin damage during extraction was a factor in my decision to consult with ASMED clinic. I would attempt to still shave my head. If the dots were bad to the point I would seek SMP or trichopigmentation I guess. These are questions ive tried to get others to help me answer.
3. If the surgery is a success I think I will love my appearance. If not and I have to cut it short again then im back to square 1 with the addition of some marks on the back of my head which would suck. How bad would it suck? Im not sure since I have not actually had to live that situation.
4. Im not sure what my donor capacity is. I think if I fly all the way out there and I am told my total donor is like 5500 grafts or something like that I would decide against the procedure and cut my losses. I would use the time there to visit in Istanbul which seems to be nice, although I must admit I am a little nervous about traveling there with the way the media has reported on the refugee crisis and anti-american propaganda in the region.
I guess in conclusion, theres no way for me to really grasp the gravity of the situation or decision to get an HT. I think a lot of people in my position have felt the same way. You really don't know what its going to be like until you do it. The pay off could be huge!!! if it it fails.. well the real question is would I be worse off than I am now? and if so by how much. These are questions I cant answer, I don't they can be answered by anyone. I Just wish I knew how far my hair loss will progress, Im 26 now. I wonder where Ill be at 36?
I see a lot of "I hope" in your post. I get it but I think you should think about these possibilities. I know the technique they told you about, it's a simple angle adjustment once the punch punctures the tissue. A small circle is smaller than a small ellipse made with the same tool. It's simple, really.
I didn't realize you are 26. I'm going to say this then leave you alone to figure things about for yourself. I just want to make sure you are as informed as is reasonably possible because you are very young and you have aggressive loss that will only get worse with time. That latter part is a guarantee, which is rare in this business.
I personally think that if you have to have surgery you should go with a smaller session. Almost every top clinic I know of will limit their procedures to no more than 2500 grafts, sometimes 3000, in any session. I'm not talking about these two day megasessions where it is 2500 each day; I'm talking about in total during the visit. This allows you to have two benefits.
1. You're not going to waste all of your donor in one shot with very little to none left to allow for repair work if any is necessary.
2. Your donor won't look as bad with 2500 grafts taken compared to if 5000 are taken.
I'm not saying this because I think Dr. Koray's staff will screw things up, quite the contrary actually, they are very efficient but I say this because every clinic has screw ups. You think of any clinic name, they've screwed up. Bottom line is, you don't want to be "that guy" that gets the result of a screw up.
I've been in this business a long time and after many years of working in the "megasession" business I am against them. Keep in mind, on my own head I've got over 10,000 grafts (mostly FUSS), but I've also never had a surgery larger than 2488 grafts. This is all just food for thought so I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do.
In the meantime, I recommend you check out my Youtube channel for the videos I shot documenting my first trip to Istanbul. It's designed to give you an idea of what to expect during your travel and what the city looks like as you travel through it. I wind up at Dr. Karadeniz's office but it is only five minutes from Dr. Erdogan's so the journey will be the same. The travel part is a two video series but the overall documentary is five videos in total (currently) with more to come.
I have't thought of that pic is a long time but I think you or someone else asked me about in a year or so ago. Anyway, just for you, I spent an hour searching and I finally found it. Use it as much as you like
To recap, I made this image by taking a shot of my own head and then I photoshopped a NW6 pattern as if I never had any work done. I then did my best guesstimate of what a donor strip that contains 5000 grafts would look like if it were just placed on the top of my scalp without being dissected. The purpose is to show people just how little hair 5000 grafts is when compared to the surface area it is intended to cover.
I see a lot of "I hope" in your post. I get it but I think you should think about these possibilities. I know the technique they told you about, it's a simple angle adjustment once the punch punctures the tissue. A small circle is smaller than a small ellipse made with the same tool. It's simple, really.
I didn't realize you are 26. I'm going to say this then leave you alone to figure things about for yourself. I just want to make sure you are as informed as is reasonably possible because you are very young and you have aggressive loss that will only get worse with time. That latter part is a guarantee, which is rare in this business.
I personally think that if you have to have surgery you should go with a smaller session. Almost every top clinic I know of will limit their procedures to no more than 2500 grafts, sometimes 3000, in any session. I'm not talking about these two day megasessions where it is 2500 each day; I'm talking about in total during the visit. This allows you to have two benefits.
1. You're not going to waste all of your donor in one shot with very little to none left to allow for repair work if any is necessary.
2. Your donor won't look as bad with 2500 grafts taken compared to if 5000 are taken.
I'm not saying this because I think Dr. Koray's staff will screw things up, quite the contrary actually, they are very efficient but I say this because every clinic has screw ups. You think of any clinic name, they've screwed up. Bottom line is, you don't want to be "that guy" that gets the result of a screw up.
I've been in this business a long time and after many years of working in the "megasession" business I am against them. Keep in mind, on my own head I've got over 10,000 grafts (mostly FUSS), but I've also never had a surgery larger than 2488 grafts. This is all just food for thought so I wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do.
In the meantime, I recommend you check out my Youtube channel for the videos I shot documenting my first trip to Istanbul. It's designed to give you an idea of what to expect during your travel and what the city looks like as you travel through it. I wind up at Dr. Karadeniz's office but it is only five minutes from Dr. Erdogan's so the journey will be the same. The travel part is a two video series but the overall documentary is five videos in total (currently) with more to come.
Well Joe I got all the way to the airport this morning, stood there for about 20 minutes thinking everything over and I just felt in my gut that I shouldn't do it. So I got back in the car and went to work. Every single person that knew my plan told me not to do it. and then on here everyone presented the HT as huge risk. I kept thinking "what if this goes bad and destroys my scalp"? it just seems like a huge risk. Im only 26 no so i think i need to wait til im 30 before having anything done since my loss is so aggressive. I am pretty much a NW 6 as of now. I just think that having thin crappy hair would drive me more insane than just being liberated of the issue all together (like I am Now) Ill call into to the show tomorrow and describe my experience.
Well Joe I got all the way to the airport this morning, stood there for about 20 minutes thinking everything over and I just felt in my gut that I shouldn't do it. So I got back in the car and went to work. Every single person that knew my plan told me not to do it. and then on here everyone presented the HT as huge risk. I kept thinking "what if this goes bad and destroys my scalp"? it just seems like a huge risk. Im only 26 no so i think i need to wait til im 30 before having anything done since my loss is so aggressive. I am pretty much a NW 6 as of now. I just think that having thin crappy hair would drive me more insane than just being liberated of the issue all together (like I am Now) Ill call into to the show tomorrow and describe my experience.
Well, good for you. I think that if anyone can pull back and resist surgery and move forward then that is a good thing. From a business perspective, obviously it isn't, but what matters is your mental and physical well being. I commend you for listening to your gut. This happens a lot and most people push through and have results they are happy with but there is nothing wrong with doing what you did. I know it must have been difficult.
My advise would be to continue doing your research but if you still feel comfortable with Dr. Erdogan then make that trip to Istanbul and maybe talk to him about doing a smaller procedure if the larger one concerns you. Perhaps try 2500 for the front and then go from there. In the meantime, I don't recall, but are you taking meds? This is extremely important at this stage in the game because while you're already a NW6, being 26 means that statistically you're probably going to see NW7 in the next ten to fifteen years. Your loss is more advanced than my own was at the same age and I was a NW5 at 25 and a NW6 sometime by the age of 31. Dr. Wong put me on Proscar, 1/4 tablet EOD and that stopped me from getting worse and even made a slight improvement for my crown.
We will be live tomorrow (fingers crossed) so please do call in.
Originally Posted by boldat25
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