Close-cropped Buzz-cut After hair transplant - Is It Possible?

[Ljpviper]

Topcat, your a few years older than me. I am 46. I had plug grafts at 19 imagine 1989. 20 years old no internet just magazines articles. Lucky I got on propecia in 95 and have still amount of decent hair. I understand you warnings about hair transplants, etc. In this day and age people have the Internet to do research if there to stupid not to research shame on them.

You seem bitter with your bad outcomes, but I bet 100 percent if you were 20 now and loosin hair u would jump on propecia I know I would. As you stated no transplant would ever give 100 percent natural results. Good luck

 

[topcat]

Topcat, your a few years older than me. I am 46. I had plug grafts at 19 imagine 1989. 20 years old no internet just magazines articles. Lucky I got on propecia in 95 and have still amount of decent hair. I understand you warnings about hair transplants, etc. In this day and age people have the Internet to do research if there to stupid not to research shame on them.

You seem bitter with your bad outcomes, but I bet 100 percent if you were 20 now and loosin hair u would jump on propecia I know I would. As you stated no transplant would ever give 100 percent natural results. Good luck

Well if I was in my 20's and didn't have the additional 23 years of life experience I probably would hop on Propecia. But if I was given the additional 32 years of life experience at 23 absolutely no way in hell would I use Propecia................no way. For so many reasons too numerous to list here.

Actually people misunderstand me. I'm not bitter in fact the hair transplant experience at 23 changed my life in so many ways that are positive I'm not sure that I would change it.

What bothers me is the online game that is played. It is predatory and marketing fraud only the youngsters don't know it. Would I be upset if I knew a pedophile was down at the playlot............of course that to me is a normal reaction. I certainly wouldn't describe it as being bitter but maybe others think differently and believe it's not their business. Most of those that work in the hair transplant business don't strike me as being real men so that is understandable and many of those that are really young just don't have the life experience. So hopefully others step forward and explain all of this, I think I do my part.

In this day an age people are still somewhat asleep. You can easily look towards social media where groups are formed. What those that join don't understand it they are being marketed to so I think we can agree that it's important to point it out. Then if they choose to buy into it than that is their decision. You know it's kind of like a cult. Most that are in one don't know it...........just the way it works. Doesn't mean you are going to wake them up by pointing it out so the hair transplant industry probably doesn't have much to worry about at least for the moment.

And I should add I did have a very positive experience with Dr. ******** so it's not all bad just mostly bad.

And Dr. Woods has always been vocal over the years.......maybe he paid a price for doing the right thing. Dr. Cole also seems to be heading in that same direction..........good for him. Enough of all the bullsh*t and marketing fraud. Just be honest so young guys can make good decisions. If the procedure is not for them then so be it. No need to try to fool them with all this online nonsense.

Anyone reading this thread should go back and read everyone of my posts. It's based on 32 years of experience and 18 years of experience online observing the marketers. Certainly it has some value and looking at it will not cause you harm.

 

[WMQ]

actually i want more info on that chinese dude.

@WMQ have you got a link to this dudes thread please?

if this guys buzz cut pics were his final result then i may start looking into this idea more. but i gotta see more pics. i need more info. who is doctor was, seeing other patients, close up pics etc

interestingly enough, the best results ive ever seen with hair transplants, including the guys going for the buzz cut look, are from random/unknown practices or ones with bad reputations.

Here are the threads:

http://bbs.haotoufa.com/thread-19266-1-1.html
http://bbs.haotoufa.com/thread-110913-1-1.html

try not to read into that forum though

 

[Crystalclear12]

This is a very informative thread. Problem with this site is people feed off each other because everyone wants to be told what they want to hear. Truth is hair transplants are an absolute scam. That's the truth. I've been on the edge of getting one for years but i always bring myself back to reality. 100% of every hair transplant result pic are always combed the same way. If it's a video you can tell they're combing it in such a way to make it look optimal, it's so obvious. If the results were flawless they wouldn't need to do this. Plus in the long run it just won't solve your problem you'll just digging yourself into a deeper hole. Thanks for the comments topcat and tano

 

[gimmiehairorgimmiedeath]

This is a very informative thread. Problem with this site is people feed off each other because everyone wants to be told what they want to hear. Truth is hair transplants are an absolute scam. That's the truth. I've been on the edge of getting one for years but i always bring myself back to reality. 100% of every hair transplant result pic are always combed the same way. If it's a video you can tell they're combing it in such a way to make it look optimal, it's so obvious. If the results were flawless they wouldn't need to do this. Plus in the long run it just won't solve your problem you'll just digging yourself into a deeper hole. Thanks for the comments topcat and tano

Are we not doing that already? We comb our hair a certain way to make it look fuller/better, cut it in ways to minimize the thinning appearance/recession, etc. Transplants are just more of the same except you actually have a hairline to frame your face instead of a pathetic frontal tuft with receded temples. Nobody ever claims hair transplant are anything other then an illusion of density. I've seen tons of guys who got their hair transplant done with a top surgeon and say it was a totally life changing experience for them, know a couple personally.

You guys sound like children with that "all or nothing" approach. Like if you can't have massive density and total reversal of your loss then anything less is a scam and not worth doing. I understand you're trying to talk yourself out of it but damn...

 

[Crystalclear12]

Are we not doing that already? We comb our hair a certain way to make it look fuller/better, cut it in ways to minimize the thinning appearance/recession, etc. Transplants are just more of the same except you actually have a hairline to frame your face instead of a pathetic frontal tuft with receded temples. Nobody ever claims hair transplant are anything other then an illusion of density. I've seen tons of guys who got their hair transplant done with a top surgeon and say it was a totally life changing experience for them, know a couple personally.

You guys sound like children with that "all or nothing" approach. Like if you can't have massive density and total reversal of your loss then anything less is a scam and not worth doing. I understand you're trying to talk yourself out of it but damn...

When even top surgeons are transplanting 25 year olds from a Norwood 2-3 to a legit Norwood 1, that's a scam because they know damn well they'll have further loss and need to come back. I could easily drop 10k in a hair transplant I just don't like gambling. I don't want to be 40 with a weird looking diffused looking frontal zone with gaps etc. I'm 27 I don't know how bald I'll get. My hair is stable and I'm a Norwood 2 for 6-7 years but I could be a Norwood 5 in 5 years I have no clue. Not a risk I would take because me, personally, I'd rather have no hair than a thin looking fluff on my head. When it's very low density it doesn't look natural because the hairs themselves are thick.

 

[gimmiehairorgimmiedeath]

When even top surgeons are transplanting 25 year olds from a Norwood 2-3 to a legit Norwood 1, that's a scam because they know damn well they'll have further loss and need to come back. I could easily drop 10k in a hair transplant I just don't like gambling. I don't want to be 40 with a weird looking diffused looking frontal zone with gaps etc. I'm 27 I don't know how bald I'll get. My hair is stable and I'm a Norwood 2 for 6-7 years but I could be a Norwood 5 in 5 years I have no clue. Not a risk I would take because me, personally, I'd rather have no hair than a thin looking fluff on my head. When it's very low density it doesn't look natural because the hairs themselves are thick.

I've consulted/talked to a few top doctors (Rahal, Konior, Gabel), I'm a Norwood 3 28 y/o with some crown thinning, been on finasteride 2 years and halted loss. Every single one of them has stressed how important it is for me to stay conservative with my hairline due to the hard to predict future loss, they also all recommended I don't touch my thinning crown right now but wait at least a few years to see what it does because it could easily end up draining my donor bank trying to keep up with it. They've all stressed realistic expectations and the need for future procedures as native loss progresses and think FUT is the best choice for guys in my position even though FUE makes them twice as much money per procedure.

I get the distinct impression none of them would do a NW1 for me if I asked. They have reputations to uphold especially since their business lives and dies on reputation, and sending ticking time bombs out into the world is a sure fire way to destroy their business.

Makes me wonder if you've even talked to these top doctors you claim are scamming their patients....

 

[Crystalclear12]

I've consulted/talked to a few top doctors (Rahal, Konior, Gabel), I'm a Norwood 3 28 y/o with some crown thinning, been on finasteride 2 years and halted loss. Every single one of them has stressed how important it is for me to stay conservative with my hairline due to the hard to predict future loss, they also all recommended I don't touch my thinning crown right now but wait at least a few years to see what it does because it could easily end up draining my donor bank trying to keep up with it. They've all stressed realistic expectations and the need for future procedures as native loss progresses and think FUT is the best choice for guys in my position even though FUE makes them twice as much money per procedure.

I get the distinct impression none of them would do a NW1 for me if I asked. They have reputations to uphold especially since their business lives and dies on reputation, and sending ticking time bombs out into the world is a sure fire way to destroy their business.

Makes me wonder if you've even talked to these top doctors you claim are scamming their patients....

Lmao. You fell into the marketing trap. Act like they care, tell them plan for the future blah blah. I'm had a consult with rahal, cole, and Leonard (local). All they care about is their results. You can't say rahal or any of the top doctors wouldn't move a nw3 to a nw1 then you're high. Rahal is constantly pumping out dense nw1s on young patients. Cole is the most conservative but still at the end of the day they want their final result to look good when it's done, not in 10 years. That's the facts of hair transplant. Any hair transplant Doctor will tell you not to touch the crown early because 1. It's a black hole for grafts, and 2 because it's not as much of a transformation per graft as hairline work is. It's a business. They all offer financing too, like are you kidding.

 

[gimmiehairorgimmiedeath]

Also a large part of this is risk assessment and deciding what level of risk you're willing to accept. If finasteride is working for you then you take that into account, you do research on future treatments and what the odds are of something coming along in the next 10-15 years that can maintain native hair, or that can do that and thicken it up.

And you also make your decision on the assumption that nothing will come and finasteride will stop working at some point, hence the conservative hairline and going FUT to max out donor graft numbers instead of raping your donor with 4000 FUE for a good look now then being sh*t out of luck years down the line because you were scared of a thin scar on the back of your head.

Also what your likely native loss is, is there any family history of full blown Norwood 6/7 or does the sides/back seem to hold strong in old family members? That makes a big difference, 8-10k grafts on a Norwood 5 is doable and gives a decent enough result (especially for people who look f*****g awful bald). Norwood 6/7 in my opinion need not apply for hair transplant, it's too much real estate to cover. They need stem cell/cloning stuff to become reality.

 

[gimmiehairorgimmiedeath]

Lmao. You fell into the marketing trap. Act like they care, tell them plan for the future blah blah. I'm had a consult with rahal, cole, and Leonard (local). All they care about is their results. You can't say rahal or any of the top doctors wouldn't move a nw3 to a nw1 then you're high. Rahal is constantly pumping out dense nw1s on young patients. Cole is the most conservative but still at the end of the day they want their final result to look good when it's done, not in 10 years. That's the facts of hair transplant. Any hair transplant Doctor will tell you not to touch the crown early because 1. It's a black hole for grafts, and 2 because it's not as much of a transformation per graft as hairline work is. It's a business. They all offer financing too, like are you kidding.

What does offering financing have to do with anything? They do that because it's a large expense, just like a car... And I don't see Rahal doing that (pumping out young NW1), no idea where you're getting that from. You're quite obviously trying to defend your personal decision here, meanwhile there are tons of guys out enjoying their new head of hair because they nutted up and took the risk. The choice is your own but don't act like your personal decision is the only way forward for everyone.

For the record I'm not decided one way or another, my primary decision factors aren't the procedure itself but the potential future treatments and how much I trust finasteride to maintain my native hair for another 10-20 years.

 

[Crystalclear12]

What does offering financing have to do with anything? They do that because it's a large expense, just like a car... And I don't see Rahal doing that (pumping out young NW1), no idea where you're getting that from. You're quite obviously trying to defend your personal decision here, meanwhile there are tons of guys out enjoying their new head of hair because they nutted up and took the risk. The choice is your own but don't act like your personal decision is the only way forward for everyone.

For the record I'm not decided one way or another, my primary decision factors aren't the procedure itself but the potential future treatments and how much I trust finasteride to maintain my native hair for another 10-20 years.

 

[Crystalclear12]

Took all of .03 seconds to find the like 5th pic of rahal hair transplant

 

[Crystalclear12]

Should I continue

 

[gimmiehairorgimmiedeath]

One example does not = pumping them out non-stop. Also that guy is the A pattern for a hair transplant, no crown/vertex/midscap thinning, strong frontal tuft, just a bit of a receded hairline. Also don't know his age, if he is mid-late 30's then that's totally different then a 24 year old or something.

 

[Crystalclear12]

Same

 

[Crystalclear12]

One example does not = pumping them out non-stop. Also that guy is the A pattern for a hair transplant, no crown/vertex/midscap thinning, strong frontal tuft, just a bit of a receded hairline. Also don't know his age, if he is mid-late 30's then that's totally different then a 24 year old or something.

The last pic the kids 25. That's the only one I checked

 

[gimmiehairorgimmiedeath]

The last pic the kids 25. That's the only one I checked

Yeah that's aggressive then (he is still the A grade candidate for a more aggressive hairline besides his age though, in terms of loss pattern), Rahal is known for being more aggressive though so it fits. He recommended me 2200 grafts and to stay very conservative, who knows if I could push him to give me a NW1 but there's been zero attempt on his part to push me there, everything has been in the opposite direction.

Gabel and Konior made a specific point to push me away from squaring the temples off in the interest of long term planning/aesthetics and to not touch the crown/vertex area for years, Rahal actually said that depending on how future loss unfolds the crown might have to be left alone completely. I don't know how this whole marketing scam thing you are talking about is playing in here, I've got a BBA in marketing and have done work in the field so I know generally how marketing works.

Konior has a flawless reputation and a year long waiting list and turns away over 50% of guys who come to him looking for a procedure, he has zero reason to take on a case that risks that rep of being highly ethical and a meticulous high grade surgeon. There's been zero appealing to my emotions and selling me unethical plans for an increased profit on their end or anything of the sort, as far as I can tell they're willingly giving up profit in the interest of my long term success with restoration. I consciously worded my emails and attitude on video consults to make it seem I am totally willing and emotionally driven to throw grafts at my crown right now, they all very politely told me to f*** off with that bullshit.

Personally I think H&W are the sketchiest of the well known and respected surgeons, they seem to have zero issue with throwing 5-6k grafts at a late 20's Norwood 3-4 with crown thinning with a huge strip that goes all the way up the sides of the head above the ears. Diep is another one that is questionable, he does pretty insane lowering on young guys where unlike those Rahal cases you posted that aren't lowering the center of the hairline but just filling in the temples, Diep lower the center line an inch or more with temples to match, sh*t is crazy. The worst of all though are the FUE mega-session doctors over in Turkey who are absolutely demolishing people's donors with 6000 graft procedures, I shudder every time I read about them.

There are a bunch of ethical top docs though who genuinely seem to care about their patients well being and aren't out to screw them over in search of a little bit more money.

 

[Crystalclear12]

Yeah that's aggressive then (he is still the A grade candidate for a more aggressive hairline besides his age though, in terms of loss pattern), Rahal is known for being more aggressive though so it fits. He recommended me 2200 grafts and to stay very conservative, who knows if I could push him to give me a NW1 but there's been zero attempt on his part to push me there, everything has been in the opposite direction.

Gabel and Konior made a specific point to push me away from squaring the temples off in the interest of long term planning/aesthetics and to not touch the crown/vertex area for years, Rahal actually said that depending on how future loss unfolds the crown might have to be left alone completely. I don't know how this whole marketing scam thing you are talking about is playing in here, I've got a BBA in marketing and have done work in the field so I know generally how marketing works.

Konior has a flawless reputation and a year long waiting list and turns away over 50% of guys who come to him looking for a procedure, he has zero reason to take on a case that risks that rep of being highly ethical and a meticulous high grade surgeon. There's been zero appealing to my emotions and selling me unethical plans for an increased profit on their end or anything of the sort, as far as I can tell they're willingly giving up profit in the interest of my long term success with restoration. I consciously worded my emails and attitude on video consults to make it seem I am totally willing and emotionally driven to throw grafts at my crown right now, they all very politely told me to f*** off with that bullshit.

Personally I think H&W are the sketchiest of the well known and respected surgeons, they seem to have zero issue with throwing 5-6k grafts at a late 20's Norwood 3-4 with crown thinning with a huge strip that goes all the way up the sides of the head above the ears. Diep is another one that is questionable, he does pretty insane lowering on young guys where unlike those Rahal cases you posted that aren't lowering the center of the hairline but just filling in the temples, Diep lower the center line an inch or more with temples to match, sh*t is crazy.

Konior has a year long waiting list? I've never once heard of a hair transplant surgeon this booked. Not any of the top 10. Not sure where you got that fact but I guess my point is what they're being as ethical as they can be in a fraud business. How many top hair transplant docs have hair transplants themselves? I know many that literally waited until they were in their 40s to have work done even though they had a receding hairline most their life. What does that tell you? Obviously they will be as conservative as they can be but at the end of the day you have enough donor to have about 25% density, that looks terrible. If were to get one, the only thing I would do is pack the front probably 2/3 and leave the back, but I honestly doubt I would ever do it. That's the best business to get into though think about it. Offering finance for desperate balding young men is sad in my eyes.

 

[gimmiehairorgimmiedeath]

Konior has a year long waiting list? I've never once heard of a hair transplant surgeon this booked. Not any of the top 10. Not sure where you got that fact but I guess my point is what they're being as ethical as they can be in a fraud business. How many top hair transplant docs have hair transplants themselves? I know many that literally waited until they were in their 40s to have work done even though they had a receding hairline most their life. What does that tell you? Obviously they will be as conservative as they can be but at the end of the day you have enough donor to have about 25% density, that looks terrible. If were to get one, the only thing I would do is pack the front probably 2/3 and leave the back, but I honestly doubt I would ever do it. That's the best business to get into though think about it. Offering finance for desperate balding young men is sad in my eyes.

Got it from his office and from other guys who are waiting in line, he's a year out even though his prices are higher then most anyone else, part of the reason for that is he does one a day and almost everything on his own vs having an army of techs do everything for him. One of the main reasons I got in contact with him, his opinion is arguably the most unbiased you'll find due to his lack of need for patients and how many he turns away for being bad candidates.

I know Cooley had a hair transplant done by his own assistants/technicians, don't know about any of the others. He is another one I'm gunna consult with (haven't heard back for a few days). Konior says he would let Gabel work on his hair which is pretty high praise, their surgical process/methodology is very similar and they've done work together so it makes sense though.

I don't see hair transplant's as unethical if the surgeon informs the patient of the limitations, downsides and what the master plan of their restoration will look like over the course of the following decades so they go into it with their eyes open and with realistic expectations. Nothing is perfect but modern hair transplant from these top docs are impressive, I've seen 4k grafts done on a Norwood 6 that made a massive difference, yeah it was still a bit thin and the hairline high so overall was a very mediocre head of hair by normal standards but the guys look 20+ years younger and still have another 4-5k grafts in the bank since they went FUT first, assuming an average donor of course, that also plays into the decision. Weak donor=unfit for a hair transplant in my opinion, need at least an average one.


I think a crucial thing you have to come to terms with is that you'll never have a full native head of hair back (right now anyway, who knows what the future will bring), it's gunna be an illusion and you'll still have only a mediocre head of hair compared to the lucky guys like Jake Gyllenhall that have flawless native Norwood 0-1. But for guys who can't rock a bald head at all (like me, just don't have the face for it) almost anything is better then nothing, I tried it and concluded that I refuse to spend my remaining years on this earth in such a state unless absolutely necessary (aka finasteride doesn't work and I'm clearly destined for a quick and early Norwood 6/7). Given the quality of current top Doctor transplants and that finasteride is working for me with no sides for 2 years, the risks are acceptable, for me.

You gotta be able to take risks. Inevitably we all get super old and die anyway, trying to bubble wrap your life experience won't save you. So it becomes a personal decision of how much negative potentiality you can accept. What I hear more then anything from guys who put off a hair transplant for 10-15 years is how they regretted not doing it sooner even though it was riskier because those years were essentially lost. Can't ever get your 30's and 40's back.

On the flipside there are more positive ones then ever before right now with stem cell/regenerative advancements that are only now starting to really take off and will accelerate over the coming few decades. One of the risks/bets now regarding a hair transplant decision is betting on their being something other then finasteride to hold native hair loss at bay within the next 10-20 years, personally I think there will be and it's factoring into my decision, I'm not relying on it completely otherwise I'd go to H&W and do a mega 5k session for a killer head of hair in my 30's but it's a real enough possibility to influence my decision.

 

[topcat]

You gotta be able to take risks. Inevitably we all get super old and die anyway, trying to bubble wrap your life experience won't save you. So it becomes a personal decision of how much negative potentiality you can accept. What I hear more then anything from guys who put off a hair transplant for 10-15 years is how they regretted not doing it sooner even though it was riskier because those years were essentially lost. Can't ever get your 30's and 40's back.

On the flipside there are more positive ones then ever before right now with stem cell/regenerative advancements that are only now starting to really take off and will accelerate over the coming few decades.

Just read yet another thread of a real patient coming back posting about his hair transplant on another forum.

He describes it as soul crushing

Too much of what is presented online with forums is self generated by marketers talking up the procedure. The marketing principle of scarcity is used on a consistent basis by only a couple of clinics and it follows a pattern. Yes go to the clinic that is booked up for 5 years.............they must be really good. It's a no brainer.........right?

The patient with the soul crushing experience didn't know how it works but he seems to be learning..............learning the hard way. It is not a simple procedure and it very often does not make a young man's life better. For many it turns it into a nightmare.