Questions

[Yeah]

My story is similar to:

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1513

I'm a 27yr old male, and I was on accutane for 4 1/2 months. I just stopped two weeks ago. There is a history of MPB in the family, and I am noticing my hair is following suit. In the last 2 months of being on accutane, I started having scalp pain, and of course, my hairline in the past 2 months has receded and I now have a defined widows peak. I hope the pain disappears, but who knows. I also have slight thinning on the crown (never did pre accutane).

I started using rogaine a couple weeks ago. I'm not going to go on propecia as the side effects are not something I'm willing to risk.

If you looked at me, you would probably say "yeah, he has somewhat thinning hair, but still has a lot."


My questions (and these are going to sound dumb):

Are consultations always done in person? Are photos ever enough to go on
before you made your trip for the HT?

This probably varies by surgeon, but financially, are payments made or is it usually paid in full?

I'm confused as to how the process works. So you get a HT and the thinning areas are filled in, hairline is sculpted. But the non donor hair is still going to thin. I assume this means going back for several more surgeries. Is this how it works?

Then of course there's that whole strip/fue thing. I typically had long hair so it would never have been an issue, but now I have short hair and I like it lol. Damn. Now there's that scar visibility risk.

[CIT_Girl]

1) Consultations do not always have to be done in person. Many physicians offer the option of virtual consultations in which you submit a series of photos and background information online for the physician to review. This is not as ideal as coming into an office for a physician to examine your hair density, caliber, condition, etc. in person but, because many patients travel for procedures, virtual consults are a common approach.

2) At our clinic, we require payments be made in full prior the the procedure. However, patients have the option of financing their procedure through third-party lenders, such as Chase Health Advantage.

3) Hair loss is a lifelong process and that's something you need to keep in mind when you start thinking about hair resoration surgery. We typically advise patients to try and stabilize their hair loss with medical therapy before undergoing a procedure. If you have a HT at a young age and/or continue to lose a significant amount of hair, there is a good chance you will need subsequent procedures. You also have to keep in mind that donor supply is limited so you do not want to be too aggressive early on and deplete that supply prematurely. Make sure you speak to any prospective surgeons about developing a long-term plan for hair loss and hair restoration surgery.

4) FUE vs strip is a personal preference. Although FUE is more expensive than strip but I personally believe that it is a superior procedure and a better option for someone young like you, who may want to wear their hair short in the future.

Feel free to ask any other questions you may have- there are certainly no dumb questions when you are trying to educate yourself about a decision as significant as hair restoration surgery!

Feel free to ask