Hair grafts for a thin crown area

[hairavatar]

Nothing has failed. It all worked, I grew a lot back just not enough.

[Tracy C]

I grew a lot back just not enough.

That was my situation a few years ago. The medications were working and I grew a lot of hair back - but it was obvious that not enough hair was going to grow back in certain areas of my scalp. So I had hair transplant surgery to fill in the blanks. So I do understand what you are saying. You think losing your hair sucks? Imagine what it is like to be female and losing your hair.

Transplanting hair into the crown is a bigger deal than you may think it is. More grafts are required than you think you need.

I cannot see your crown but since you describe it as "thin" and not bald, you are more susceptible to shock loss from surgery. Sometimes hair that shocks out will grow back - but sometimes it doesn't. So it is possible for you to end up worse off than before having the surgery. You need to be aware of this possibility.

There are biotech company's working on a solution that may be worth waiting for. The two that interest me the most are Replicel and Histogen. I have complete coverage now but I do not have the density I want. Rather than asking my doctor for another transplant surgery to build up density, I have decided it is best that I wait for the treatments these biotech company's are working on to become available. There is a very strong possibility that the treatment Replicel is working on may immunize hair follicles from the damaging effects of DHT. If that works out to be the case, I will be able to stop taking/using meds and still gain more feminine density. So to me it is absolutely worth waiting for.

[hairavatar]

Thanks for that, that Replicel looks pretty exciting. I would have to hope for a couple of things, that it becomes affordable and available in Australia

For now FUT still seems the more realistically achievable option for me.

[Folly]

Sometimes hair that shocks out will grow back - but sometimes it doesn't.

Hi Tracy C. Do you think terminal hairs, which are healthy and in the anagen phase, can also be permanently lost from a HT ? They always say native hairs that are permanently lost from shock loss were on their way out anyway. Do you think this is true, or can you also permanently lose good terminal hairs ?

So it is possible for you to end up worse off than before having the surgery. You need to be aware of this possibility.

This happened to me. Sucks !!

Thanks.

[Tracy C]

They always say native hairs that are permanently lost from shock loss were on their way out anyway. Do you think this is true?

I am not not a doctor but I do believe that this is probably true because it makes sense.

...or can you also permanently lose good terminal hairs?

I don't know but I doubt it - unless the doctor did something wrong.

[Folly]

Hi Tracy,

Thanks for the reply. In that case, i'm suprised that people are so worried about shock loss because the thin hairs that are in their last cycle provide little to no coverage anyway. They're useless.

Obviously if thicker hairs are lost from shock loss, the patient will have to wait a few months for these hairs to grow back. Do these hairs come back thinner from MPB, as they have been taken out of their anagen phase early ? In which case, your MPB has been accelerated by the HT.

[Tracy C]

i'm suprised that people are so worried about shock loss because the thin hairs that are in their last cycle provide little to no coverage anyway. They're useless.

That is one way to look at it...

The way I see it, it would be best to spend some time trying to re-strengthen those hairs if possible before even having surgery. That way maybe they can survive surgery and add to the final outcome. Every little bit helps. Even if it's only 5%. 5% is still better than nothing. I know... Most guys don't seem to get that "better than nothing" concept.

[Folly]

Gotchya !! Thanks Tracy

[Still-Researching]

To both Hairavatar and Folly,
For sure we have seen both pictures and heard stories on this and other forums about people who had a HT - mainly people with diffuse thinning and mid scalp/crown HTs, where transplanted hairs are inserted close or among existing hairs who has suffered significant shock-loss. The recipient area is traumatized due to the many small insertion cuts, and you risk loose some of your existing hairs, mainly hairs that would shed anyway in short time 6-12 months, but you also risk healthy hairs that could have lived much longer.

This is why you see often good doctors using much more grafts and inserting them in areas, where there are already hairs, as they know that if you only use a few - the existing risk to shed and you will end up worse or same as pre HT.

Hairavatar:
I am no doctor but 800-1000 grafts sounds like very little to be used in the crown area, and I would see this as a big risk of you ending with a result that you will not be happy with. Another thing is that 800-1000 grafts is very little in exchange for a strip scar. Not advocating FUE here - it is fine to go with FUT, but would wait and use propecia/rogaine/nizoral and see if everything is stabilized/improving. Then take contact to IAHRS doctor - make sure to discuss shock-loss and realistic number of grafts to get a satisfactory result. There is a reason that docs call the crown - A black hole - some people can use 2000 grafts and you cannot see it in the crown and it would make an enormous difference in the hairline.

Folly:
Again Folly, sorry to hear about your experience. I hope you will take good time to research before you take any further steps.

[Folly]

but you also risk healthy hairs that could have lived much longer.

Hi Still-researching, thanks for the info. So you're saying you can permanently lose terminal hairs from shock loss too ?

Also, if the terminal hair grows back after shock loss, does it come back thinner due to DHT ?

Folly:
Again Folly, sorry to hear about your experience. I hope you will take good time to research before you take any further steps.

Definitely. Thanks for the advice dude.