Am I A Candidate? 30/m With Crowning/diffuse Thinning

[Mike77]

Hello. My hair has been thinning for about a decade. I was on minoxidil in the past, but gave it up. Started finasteride a few months ago after not taking it consistently forever. I am considering a hair transplant surgery, but not sure if I'm a good candidate due to the diffuse thinning. My hair is very thick on the sides and back. Here's a photo for reference.

My plan was to go to the Dominican and get about 4000 grafts done, looking to spend under 15k if possible. I don't think the results of finasteride would come in yet, but I'm not sure. Thanks.

 

[hanginginthewire]

Stick with finasteride but yeah I'd think you'd need a transplant. I think you are a good candidate but what do I know?

 

[Mike77]

Thanks for the reply. my concern was on another post stating that when you start crowning and it begins thinning towards the front, you're not a good candidate (e.g I guess the assumption is that the front will continue falling out, and may not have enough hair in the back). I'm just about to start law school, so looks are somewhat important for landing a good job. I honestly only care about the next 10 years, and don't care if I'm bald after that. I'm not sure if I should wait and see if finasteride can at least halt my hair loss before signing up?

 

[hanginginthewire]

Thanks for the reply. my concern was on another post stating that when you start crowning and it begins thinning towards the front, you're not a good candidate (e.g I guess the assumption is that the front will continue falling out, and may not have enough hair in the back). I'm just about to start law school, so looks are somewhat important for landing a good job. I honestly only care about the next 10 years, and don't care if I'm bald after that. I'm not sure if I should wait and see if finasteride can at least halt my hair loss before signing up?

Ah, I see yes. Theyre usually want to transplant up front and work backwards yeah. Your forelock looks strong - lots of guys keep the forelock for years and years. Maybe you could transplant around the forelock and still start transplanting front to back?

But yeah, given that you are so young and your hair loss must be fairly recent, stick with propecia for awhile and see where you are at. Hopefully we will get new info about possible new treatments too. (I always get a chill typing a sentence about five years™ hope though because I know some dude in 2030 is going to read this thread and laugh at our naivete.)

 

[Mike77]

Haha, good point. Well I figured within 3-6 months my finasteride should halt any further loss, and if I were to get the transplant done in a couple months, I could go back a few years in hair loss. I'm just looking to be where I was in my mid 20's or early 20's, I'm not expecting anything unrealistic. I start school in september, and first year interviews are around Feb, so still 8 months. I figured if I did the surgeory over the summer, I would have some improvement by then.

 

[JeanLucBB]

Haha, good point. Well I figured within 3-6 months my finasteride should halt any further loss, and if I were to get the transplant done in a couple months, I could go back a few years in hair loss. I'm just looking to be where I was in my mid 20's or early 20's, I'm not expecting anything unrealistic. I start school in september, and first year interviews are around Feb, so still 8 months. I figured if I did the surgeory over the summer, I would have some improvement by then.

If you have 15k to spend I'd recommend going to Turkey for a high end but cheap doctor like Koray Erdogan for who can do 5000 grafts over 2 days. Stick with the finasteride and maybe add nizoral 2% 2-3 times per week.

 

[topcat]

Do you understand the numbers? What is your donor capacity long term in follicular units? What is the potential area of loss in sq/cm long term? Just get a tape measure and measure your head and post an estimate.


Do you understand that hair transplantation is skin grafting? You are cutting out thousands of pieces of skin with fue. Maybe 4000-5000 depending on your donor then you are cutting out holes to place those pieces of skin into. The room for error is absolutely zero. Maybe you already know this but it's good to ask as many younger guys simply do not understand it all well enough.

 

[Pequod]

It's hard to say how well your donor area is from that photo but assuming it is healthy then yes you could get 4000 grafts and it would do wonders for your loss. Just pick one of the top hair transplant doctors for the procedure and you should be fine.

 

[Mike77]

If you have 15k to spend I'd recommend going to Turkey for a high end but cheap doctor like Koray Erdogan for who can do 5000 grafts over 2 days. Stick with the finasteride and maybe add nizoral 2% 2-3 times per week.

Why Turkey? I figured DR would be cheaper since I live in Canada.

 

[Mike77]

Do you understand the numbers? What is your donor capacity long term in follicular units? What is the potential area of loss in sq/cm long term? Just get a tape measure and measure your head and post an estimate.


Do you understand that hair transplantation is skin grafting? You are cutting out thousands of pieces of skin with fue. Maybe 4000-5000 depending on your donor then you are cutting out holes to place those pieces of skin into. The room for error is absolutely zero. Maybe you already know this but it's good to ask as many younger guys simply do not understand it all well enough.

No, I don't know the numbers exactly, just been doing research online. I have fairly thick hair on the sides and back, thin in the front, and sparse in the crown. Is there info online on how to do this?

I've been researching it, and have minimal concerns on the procedure. My worry is that 10 years later I'll be forced to shave and have an ugly scar on my head. Any thoughts?

 

[Mike77]

It's hard to say how well your donor area is from that photo but assuming it is healthy then yes you could get 4000 grafts and it would do wonders for your loss. Just pick one of the top hair transplant doctors for the procedure and you should be fine.

Thanks for the information. I believe 2-5000 is the range I am looking at. I figured I could always start with 2 and that will add a lot of density to the crown and make the front a bit thicker, so i no longer look obviously balding. Is this realistic to do for under 15k all inclusive (flights, hotel, etc.) from Canada? Cheers.

 

[JeanLucBB]

Thanks for the information. I believe 2-5000 is the range I am looking at. I figured I could always start with 2 and that will add a lot of density to the crown and make the front a bit thicker, so i no longer look obviously balding. Is this realistic to do for under 15k all inclusive (flights, hotel, etc.) from Canada? Cheers.

There are no worthwhile doctors in the Dominican R unless you want to butcher yourself and waste a lot of money.For the price you're looking at Koray Erdogan from Istanbul is one of the best doctors in the world and regularly does FUE cases of 5000 grafts which is likely what you need. If you're worried about the scar FUE is ideal.

You're going to get substantially more benefit doing it in one hit rather than multiple procedures.

 

[Mike77]

There are no worthwhile doctors in the Dominican R unless you want to butcher yourself and waste a lot of money.For the price you're looking at Koray Erdogan from Istanbul is one of the best doctors in the world and regularly does FUE cases of 5000 grafts which is likely what you need. If you're worried about the scar FUE is ideal.

You're going to get substantially more benefit doing it in one hit rather than multiple procedures.

Good to know; i thought it was better to do over a few visits? I've been trying to research what to expect from scarring, but I know it depends on the person. I'll start looking them up. What's a ballpark cost for 5000 grafts?

 

[JeanLucBB]

Good to know; i thought it was better to do over a few visits? I've been trying to research what to expect from scarring, but I know it depends on the person. I'll start looking them up. What's a ballpark cost for 5000 grafts?

The cheapest doctors that are worth going to and experienced with that sort of megassession for the amount of grafts you need are likely Hasson + Wong in Canada for FUT which would be around 19000 Canadian dollars or Koray Erdogan in Istanbul for FUE at around 19000 Canadian dollars as well both for 5000 grafts. If you're worried about scarring then likely opt for FUE.

There is no reason to do it over multiple visits rather than a single procedure, the only doctors who suggest that likely do so because they can't do megassessions or aren't confident in their work.

 

[spring15]

There is no reason to do it over multiple visits rather than a single procedure, the only doctors who suggest that likely do so because they can't do megassessions or aren't confident in their work.

Dr Feller would rip into you were he here. Lol

 

[topcat]

Mike most will lose about 20,000 fu of the 40,000 they have on their head. From the 20,000 fu that is left in the donor most can safely extract maybe 5000. Even that donor area of 20,000 will thin over time so not only will the donor thin but some of those transplanted hairs will be lost over time. At it’s original density 5000 fu will fit into a 3” square. The best most surgeon can transplant is 50% density which would be 40 fu/sq cm giving you a potential area of coverage that is 3” X 6” of 50% density which can be see through depending on how it is styled but acceptable for most. You potentially have an area of loss that is 3” X 6” now. Did you measure it? What it the measurement? You could fill that area now with 5000. What happens when the surrounding hair drops and separates from the transplanted hair?


You are working with a very limited number when it comes to hair transplantation so you have to have a plan on paper and you need to be able to logically explain it. If you can’t do this then you are not ready for hair transplant. The forums are consistently worked by marketers getting you to sign up so understand this is all part of the game. Should the hair transplant not go well your skin will most likely be distorted and that is the real risk. Skin ulcers, distortions, etc are universally perceived as being highly repulsive. The evolutionary reason for this is that it is a potential sign of disease. This is how many who have signed up have in fact not improved their situation but have drastically made it worse.



Keep researching and observe these posters like Jean who go around getting guys to sign up and use logic. Ask yourself what is going on here? Is he a marketer or just very young with no life experience. Maybe he just does not fully understand the consequences of the procedure long term.

 

[topcat]

Mike let me ask you a question. If I am giving you logical advice based on math and 32 years of experience as a patient why would a poster like Jean give me 24 dislikes? How would you explain it?

 

[JeanLucBB]

Mike let me ask you a question. If I am giving you logical advice based on math and 32 years of experience as a patient why would a poster like Jean give me 24 dislikes? How would you explain it?

Because your math based approach doesn't add up and makes flawed assumptions. You don't take into account that the human eye cannot distinguish a difference in density until one has lost more than half. Also your comment that the average person can only take 5000 FU is simply a lie plain and simple. The average person through both FUT and FUE together has close to 8000 in the safe zone, along with 1000 potential beard grafts and the possibility of SMP for the added illusion of density.

You assume that you have to achieve 100% density in the recipient area for a cosmetically significant improvement. That is bullshit, and to say otherwise makes you sound like a moron. Look at the major hair restoration forums, the vast majority of results even with average doctors are getting cosmetic improvements, even if not full coverage and density . Not everyone expects full coverage, and you don't need 100% of original density to get a good result like you suggest. Your math is bullshit and doesn't take into account reality.

The average hair thickness is about 55 microns, in which case 30 fu/sq cm will give a very strong result across the majority of the scalp, with around 50 fu/sq in the hairline. This is easily achievable for most patients.

Your mistake is that you were stupid enough to go to bad doctors again, and again and again who destroyed your donor and gave you shitty results. That isn't an issue with hair transplant surgery, that is an issue with YOU.

 

[topcat]

This 3” square represents the area of 5000 fu at 80 fu/sq/cm. Most can safely have this amount extracted from the back of their head if it is spread out along the back and sides without going to high up into the crown or too low into the nape area. For anyone to believe they can extract more than that is naive and they are the new victims. Ethical doctors do not extract more than 5000 grafts by way of FUE and the close to 20 years of FUE history clearly shows that. Except now with some of the new boys on the block that are looking to extract as much cash in the shortest period of time before it all blows up.


Sorry Jean but you got suckered into believing numbers that will not add up long term you just don’t know it yet. Others can learn from your mistake. I have several terms in my book on the hair transplant industry. In your case the term “Fenderhead” applies. It’s what the industry does to very young guys like yourself. Very soon you will need another 2000 grafts right behind the ones you already had placed. As time goes by and the rest thins behind it you will have no donor at least not long term. You will then end up with nothing behind the hairline hence the term “Fenderhead” sorry but this is the reality. And if you do extract more from the donor area you will look like you had chemotherapy by the time you are 40.


Mike research history in order to understand the present. Much of it comes down to basic math. Plenty of multi millionaires and billionaires that have had procedures and many of them now shave their heads with only scars to show for it. Did they go to the wrong doctors or did the math not add up for them?


Joe Rogan, David Lee Roth, Elton John, Richard Simmons, David Guest, Nicholas Cage, Oliver Stone, Joe Biden it’s a very, very long list. It has nothing to do with finance it has to do with donor supply and what you do with it.

After you are done looking up some of these people start looking up any hair transplant doctor in the world and look at his results. Jean doesn't quite get it yet.

 

[JeanLucBB]

This 3” square represents the area of 5000 fu at 80 fu/sq/cm. Most can safely have this amount extracted from the back of their head if it is spread out along the back and sides without going to high up into the crown or too low into the nape area. For anyone to believe they can extract more than that is naive and they are the new victims. Ethical doctors do not extract more than 5000 grafts by way of FUE and the close to 20 years of FUE history clearly shows that. Except now with some of the new boys on the block that are looking to extract as much cash in the shortest period of time before it all blows up.


Sorry Jean but you got suckered into believing numbers that will not add up long term you just don’t know it yet. Others can learn from your mistake. I have several terms in my book on the hair transplant industry. In your case the term “Fenderhead” applies. It’s what the industry does to very young guys like yourself. Very soon you will need another 2000 grafts right behind the ones you already had placed. As time goes by and the rest thins behind it you will have no donor at least not long term. You will then end up with nothing behind the hairline hence the term “Fenderhead” sorry but this is the reality. And if you do extract more from the donor area you will look like you had chemotherapy by the time you are 40.


Mike research history in order to understand the present. Much of it comes down to basic math. Plenty of multi millionaires and billionaires that have had procedures and many of them now shave their heads with only scars to show for it. Did they go to the wrong doctors or did the math not add up for them?


Joe Rogan, David Lee Roth, Elton John, Richard Simmons, David Guest, Nicholas Cage, Oliver Stone, Joe Biden it’s a very, very long list. It has nothing to do with finance it has to do with donor supply and what you do with it.

After you are done looking up some of these people start looking up any hair transplant doctor in the world and look at his results. Jean doesn't quite get it yet.


View attachment 54542

I am well aware I will need more grafts in the future you f*****g jackass. You cannot just say "ethical doctors do not extract more than 5000 grafts by way of FUE" when routinely top end doctors are taking up into 7-8000 regularly with strong looking donors. The point is that while on finasteride you can maintain effectively and the average donor will support good coverage for aesthetic improvement but not full coverage.

You're bringing up celebrities that often got transplants back in the days of plugs and micrografts, and others that went to bad doctors. Elon Musk was a norwood 5 and went to a norwood 1. Why? Because he went to a good doctor. Mconahey was a norwood 3 in 1999 and is a norwood one in 2017 with a great transplant from Konior.

Honestly, please f*** off because you're helping no one with your idiotic posts. Even with 5000 FUE grafts that covers the majority of a norwood 5s balding area to the level of significant cosmetic improvement. The idea that you are going to be left with a few hairs at the front and nothing behind it is f*****g stupid. Hair at the front with a balding crown is a NATURAL balding pattern, even if you can't cover the whole area it isn't going to look unnatural. I'm sorry that you are a f*****g idiot and went to shitty doctors who botched your donor and head but that is your fault, not the transplant industries.