Do I have enough of a donor bank to cover my bald areas?

[nagual]

So I have been wanting to get a consultation with a surgeon for about a year now but due to covid situation in my country it is not possible.
I am 34 and have been on finasteride for 3 months now(hope it stabilizes the progression of baldness)

My question is, considering that the baldness is progressing towards my donor area ,do I have enough left to cover the completely bald crown and the diffused thinning on the mid-scalp? I don't really care about the hair line, I just wonna make what I have left look full. I have linked the images below:
IMG 1
IMG 2
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[trialAcc]

Probably not man, but try sending the pics to some clinics and see what they say. If you're willing to go for an FUT I'm sure you could get some decent coverage but for FUE I doubt it. See what happens with finasteride though because you have quite a bit of hair that could improve.

 

[Wolf Pack]

Your hair is quite soft looking but I think you can get a passable result especially combined with FUT. Won't be a fullhead but will look decent to mild/moderate balding.

This lad will lose all his hair on top most likely but rather than donor numbers, it's the thickness of the grafts which gives the illusion of a real fullhead to anyone on the street. Even if it looks diffuse, it simply looks like it's just due to being wet because his grafts are of very high quality and of course Erdogan made use of them with his skills. I think you would get 30% of his result and would not be able to comb it up, if you're okay with that and having some hair like a middle aged man with a layered combover, go for it. Expectations really must be known.

 

[trialAcc]

Your hair is quite soft looking but I think you can get a passable result especially combined with FUT. Won't be a fullhead but will look decent to mild/moderate balding.

This lad will lose all his hair on top most likely but rather than donor numbers, it's the thickness of the grafts which gives the illusion of a real fullhead to anyone on the street. Even if it looks diffuse, it simply looks like it's just due to being wet because his grafts are of very high quality and of course Erdogan made use of them with his skills. I think you would get 30% of his result and would not be able to comb it up, if you're okay with that and having some hair like a middle aged man with a layered combover, go for it. Expectations really must be known.

With an FUT and 5.7k graft FUE I bet this guy had 8-9k+ grafts in total. That's a very high number for people to reach that are NW7.

 

[Wolf Pack]

With an FUT and 5.7k graft FUE I bet this guy had 8-9k+ grafts in total. That's a very high number for people to reach that are NW7.

True. I wasn't comparing his situation to this lad's but saying what he can realistically expect is around 30% of this candidate. Well I think his first FUT didn't go too well and I have seen people with this type of hair calibre get good results even just with 6k grafts all over. It just ends up looking thick enough to style youthfully and look like a full head. Head size matters too and I think OP will end up having to have a grandpa combover with thinning, if it makes him feel better he should go for it. I'm not really sure if such a look is better than shaved on a young guy especially one going out in various social circles. But he is in his mid 30s and by his 40s it will look natural with a flat or layered combover if he gets this type of surgery.

 

[trialAcc]

True. I wasn't comparing his situation to this lad's but saying what he can realistically expect is around 30% of this candidate. Well I think his first FUT didn't go too well and I have seen people with this type of hair calibre get good results even just with 6k grafts all over. It just ends up looking thick enough to style youthfully and look like a full head. Head size matters too and I think OP will end up having to have a grandpa combover with thinning, if it makes him feel better he should go for it. I'm not really sure if such a look is better than shaved on a young guy especially one going out in various social circles. But he is in his mid 30s and by his 40s it will look natural with a flat or layered combover if he gets this type of surgery.

Hair transplant values go up as you get older. The problem is that most guys asking these questions are not that age. OP is 34, and I doubt a grandpa combover is what he envisions his hair looking like, especially after a FUT where you lose the ability to realistically shave it after.

For me anyways, that's why I've held off getting a FUE/FUT right now while I'm a NW2.5/3 at 28 despite being able to afford one without going to Turkey or something. Sure I could go get a world class rebuild of my front section, but now I have crown thinning and what happens if I'm destined to be a NW7 in my 30s and the best I would be able to hope for then is a bald looking crown?

People who commit to hair transplants have to be willing to commit to a life time of concealer use if needed. To some that might be a worthy trade off but to me that sounds like hell. I'd rather shave it and never have a worry again then be a slave to concealer products and strategic hairstyles to not look like I'm severely balding. The guy in the video you posted would be a home run of a result in my opinion, but that's also the minimum density I would accept personally.

 

[Wolf Pack]

I have the calibre of the guy I linked (maybe more) and I never had diffuse loss so for me as just a NW2.5, the transplant was worth it in my late 20s. I've never lost hair since then and it's been like 7 years on medication, I had my norwood destination analysed with a scope, you can do this in your 20s and 30s no problem. I agree with you though, I have enough donor to get much better hair than the guy in the video even if I lost it all, but if I didn't maybe a transplant wouldn't have been such a smart idea. He has the minimum acceptable density and "looking normal" whereas for others surgery can open up a can of worms ! Like you, I would never be a slave to concealer and have never used it. A bald crown soaks up a hell of a lot of grafts and he'll still be a baldy unless he has enough grafts to counter it.

Problem is a lot of people do transplants these days that aren't actual candidates, I mean the docs are loving it as they are making a lot of cash from an easy job lol but of course down the line the patient may just end up shaving it anyway.

 

[trialAcc]

I have the calibre of the guy I linked (maybe more) and I never had diffuse loss so for me as just a NW2.5, the transplant was worth it in my late 20s. I've never lost hair since then and it's been like 7 years on medication, I had my norwood destination analysed with a scope, you can do this in your 20s and 30s no problem. I agree with you though, I have enough donor to get much better hair than the guy in the video even if I lost it all, but if I didn't maybe a transplant wouldn't have been such a smart idea. He has the minimum acceptable density and "looking normal" whereas for others surgery can open up a can of worms ! Like you, I would never be a slave to concealer and have never used it. A bald crown soaks up a hell of a lot of grafts and he'll still be a baldy unless he has enough grafts to counter it.

Problem is a lot of people do transplants these days that aren't actual candidates, I mean the docs are loving it as they are making a lot of cash from an easy job lol but of course down the line the patient may just end up shaving it anyway.

You can get your hair observed under a microscope sure but you might not be miniaturizing in those areas at all yet. I'm going to keep my finger on the pulse and probably at least go for a consultation in the next year or so (I have two world class surgeons close by), but otherwise I think I'll just accept my fate and shave it (when needed) until a true regrowth treatment comes along or cloning becomes wide spread. That or at least a 100% prevention method.

What did they tell you that your Norwood destination was?

 

[Wolf Pack]

You can get your hair observed under a microscope sure but you might not be miniaturizing in those areas at all yet. I'm going to keep my finger on the pulse and probably at least go for a consultation in the next year or so (I have two world class surgeons close by), but otherwise I think I'll just accept my fate and shave it (when needed) until a true regrowth treatment comes along or cloning becomes wide spread. That or at least a 100% prevention method.

What did they tell you that your Norwood destination was?

Well, if you read what the top surgeons often say, it's that your pattern is usually determined by your late 20s - Dr Rassman. Sure there are some guys who break the rule, but it's more of an exception and NW6/7 is like 2% of hair loss sufferrers. At a microscopic level, they can see thinning even if it's not visible to the naked eye yet, this is meaningless to do at 20 but 28 onwards, it has serious value for planning. They said mine was Norwood 3 with a small area of thinning in the crown that may happen one day. But I also have 10k thick grafts. Since my treatment and surgery, even hair drs can't see thinning anywhere. If you're diffusing in a NW4-5 pattern with fine hair, I would be careful about surgery.

That said having a full head just has many benefits especially in your youth, I think the sacrifice is worth it if it's possible to attain irrespective of what may happen in future. Just that peace of mind is great if you're inclined like that, normal social interactions, focus on career...discipline and enjoyment just come easier. During this period I also dated a stunner, got settled, various fun encounters, had lots and lots of memories with my friends and new people, sure some of this would have been possible without a fullhead but I don't think I would have enjoyed it much, particularly the tags on social media and I would have been less confident in these social scenarios or unhappy I am not at my best when I am young.

If you can pull off a shaved look, it might not be the end of the world especially if the difference is not day and night with and without hair. In my case it unfortunately was.

 

[nagual]

Your hair is quite soft looking but I think you can get a passable result especially combined with FUT. Won't be a fullhead but will look decent to mild/moderate balding.

This lad will lose all his hair on top most likely but rather than donor numbers, it's the thickness of the grafts which gives the illusion of a real fullhead to anyone on the street. Even if it looks diffuse, it simply looks like it's just due to being wet because his grafts are of very high quality and of course Erdogan made use of them with his skills. I think you would get 30% of his result and would not be able to comb it up, if you're okay with that and having some hair like a middle aged man with a layered combover, go for it. Expectations really must be known.

unfortunately 30% of the dude in you link is no where near good enough. I'd rather shave it off.
why do you think he will lose all the hair on the top though? If he is on Finasteride or something.

 

[trialAcc]

Well, if you read what the top surgeons often say, it's that your pattern is usually determined by your late 20s - Dr Rassman. Sure there are some guys who break the rule, but it's more of an exception and NW6/7 is like 2% of hair loss sufferrers. At a microscopic level, they can see thinning even if it's not visible to the naked eye yet, this is meaningless to do at 20 but 28 onwards, it has serious value for planning. They said mine was Norwood 3 with a small area of thinning in the crown that may happen one day. But I also have 10k thick grafts. Since my treatment and surgery, even hair drs can't see thinning anywhere. If you're diffusing in a NW4-5 pattern with fine hair, I would be careful about surgery.

That said having a full head just has many benefits especially in your youth, I think the sacrifice is worth it if it's possible to attain irrespective of what may happen in future. Just that peace of mind is great if you're inclined like that, normal social interactions, focus on career...discipline and enjoyment just come easier. During this period I also dated a stunner, got settled, various fun encounters, had lots and lots of memories with my friends and new people, sure some of this would have been possible without a fullhead but I don't think I would have enjoyed it much, particularly the tags on social media and I would have been less confident in these social scenarios or unhappy I am not at my best when I am young.

If you can pull off a shaved look, it might not be the end of the world especially if the difference is not day and night with and without hair. In my case it unfortunately was.

Fair point, I'll probably look into it more in the coming months, especially if they can actually look into my future pattern. The hair doesn't really bother me though, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything because my hair is imperfect in my late 20s lol, but I'm also not that close to being fully bald as I'm still a decently dense NW2.5 with minor crown thinning and can style and grow out my hair still. I also don't give a sh*t about social media so that doesn't do much for me either.

I also highly doubt I'm less then a NW4 lol, who loses hair beyond NW2 in their 20s and stops at NW4~? I'm assuming im destined for a NW4 or 5, that's where my grandfather's hairloss stopped (NW4) and he retained most of his crown after losing the entire frontal region in his 30s,

Another thing is that the recovery process for someone like me is brutal. I don't feel like hiding my head for months on end while it grows past the ugly ducking faze. Covid would have been a fantastic time to get one done but I've probably missed the boat in that regard.

 

[nagual]

Probably not man, but try sending the pics to some clinics and see what they say. If you're willing to go for an FUT I'm sure you could get some decent coverage but for FUE I doubt it. See what happens with finasteride though because you have quite a bit of hair that could improve.

strangely enough, most clinics that I sent these very pictures to has said they will do an FUE or FUT on me with no problem. I wonder if they are just bunch of charlatans looking to make money.

 

[nagual]

Well, if you read what the top surgeons often say, it's that your pattern is usually determined by your late 20s - Dr Rassman. Sure there are some guys who break the rule, but it's more of an exception and NW6/7 is like 2% of hair loss sufferrers. At a microscopic level, they can see thinning even if it's not visible to the naked eye yet, this is meaningless to do at 20 but 28 onwards, it has serious value for planning. They said mine was Norwood 3 with a small area of thinning in the crown that may happen one day. But I also have 10k thick grafts. Since my treatment and surgery, even hair drs can't see thinning anywhere. If you're diffusing in a NW4-5 pattern with fine hair, I would be careful about surgery.

That said having a full head just has many benefits especially in your youth, I think the sacrifice is worth it if it's possible to attain irrespective of what may happen in future. Just that peace of mind is great if you're inclined like that, normal social interactions, focus on career...discipline and enjoyment just come easier. During this period I also dated a stunner, got settled, various fun encounters, had lots and lots of memories with my friends and new people, sure some of this would have been possible without a fullhead but I don't think I would have enjoyed it much, particularly the tags on social media and I would have been less confident in these social scenarios or unhappy I am not at my best when I am young.

If you can pull off a shaved look, it might not be the end of the world especially if the difference is not day and night with and without hair. In my case it unfortunately was.

good for you man, my confidence gradually went to sh*t as I lost my hair. I don't even approach women any more. and I don't look good with a shaved head(my own family and friends tells me I look like a cartel assassin)