don't drewl over hair grafts

[CCS]

When I had my first procedure, with 13 grafts per cm2, I thought I looked so much better. Amazing how a little bit can make someone look better. My friends said it looked better, but I was still high and thin. I had two more procedure, each time looking better. But I still see I am just thinner and higher and wider than the NW1's. Most people think I'm over 30 when they see my hair.

hair transplant docs know you can't get near ideal. They tell you time and again that 50% is a reasonable goal. But some I guess can harvest more donor hair with FUE over a broader area. Anyway, docs tell you that you don't want to look juvenile. Not true. A nW1 is not juvenile. That is just to make you feel better.

Unless you are a NW2 getting 70% density to go to NW1, your results just won't be good enough. Well, if you are a NW5 or 6, and just want to put the appearance of hair on the top of your head, and have a high hairline and open vertex, that will work too.

Some people will point out that my corners did not grow in after the 3rd procedure, but the temples and center did, finally. So I have areas with 40-50% density, and I can tell you it is just very thin. When my hair is angled right after shower, it can look pretty good. With dermmatch and stuff, I don't look bad. But it does not look like locks of hair, the hair line is still high, and the temples very wide. I think I'd need another 10,000 to get where I want. I was NW4a, and trying to hit NW1.

The point of my rant: I wish I had saved $14,000 and just got $100 front partials from toplace.com. They are undetectable to touch and sight at any distance and can go in the pool or rain, and they breath and are real hair. I will continue using dermmatch, but just for the scar on the back of my head. I'm shaving my front, and wish I did not have to. I guess shaving does not take too long. I shave my face each day, so my scalp is not much more.

A point the veterans here may agree with me on: You don't know if fiansteride will keep your hair in front. I don't know if my front got worse, or my back just got better. But with the strongest regimen I know of, i can tell that I can't count on keeping my hair behind my grafts. If you are young, you might go bald. My advice is to give a piece a try before getting grafts. Get swiss lace with remi hair, make temple flaps, match your density, curl, and direction, and send a hair sample for color match. I really really wish I had done that. Don't get me wrong: grafts are way better than staying bad. But a piece is king. No one will know unless they are around you 24-7 and see you change it. Wear it till graft prices come down.

 

[CCS]

I'm in my 20's though. If you are 50, married, and just getting hair for your job, then maybe you won't care as much as long as you are just not bald.

 

[s.a.f]

This is just whats known in the hair transplant community as 'hair greed' its totally natural. Basicly people will always want more hair. Thats why very few people have just one procedure.
Most people are happy with the results for a breif period of time. Then once your hair transplant grows out you soon become accustomed to the new look and its not long before you want more. someone who is nw3/4 and has his hair restored to a perfectly acceptable by comparison nw2, will eventually start to desire a nw1 hairline forgeting just how far they've already come.
When I look at how I used to be with a nw6 I cant believe how I lived like that. My hair now is far from ideal but these days I look totally different and younger now than 5+ yrs ago. But having said that I'm still desperate to improve my hair and I know that I'll never be totally satisfied with it.

 

[Optimist]

Hey CCS,

Aren't you jumping the gun by saying you wish you had done a toplace instead of a hair transplant, consideriing that you havn't done it yet. There may be all kinds of considerations that will come up with wearing a hairpiece that you don't know about. Plus, I think its worthwhile pointing out that you didn't go to a top Doctor. You can't judge all hair transplant's based on a medicre doctor, that would be like basing your opinion on hairpieces on Mens Hair Club.

 

[s.a.f]

Hey CCS,
Aren't you jumping the gun by saying you wish you had done a toplace instead of a hair transplant, consideriing that you havn't done it yet.

This is CCS we're talking about, remember a couple of months back steroids were the answer. :roll: Now they've been binned. Its going to be interesting to see what he's posting 6months from now and when he finds that even with the peice the girls dont come flocking. :shakehead:

 

[starman]

hmm I don't know. Imagine the humiliation if your hair piece fell out! glue or no glue.

plus, as someone here mentioned earlier, have you even tried it yourself? how long? unless I see/read about people (and I'm not talking about those newcomers who randomly appear for a couple of posts to promote their company's goods then disappear again), if the veterans of this board started using this then maybe I'll think twice but right now I shall persue hair transplant.

 

[Guest]

Although superficial hair pieces, systems, whatever have improved greatly, they are still a pain. I know, I wore them for 11 years. And they are not cheap either. If I could have back all of the money I spent on systems, the maint, the coloring, etc, etc ,etc, I would have been able to pay for two procedures in full, and more.

The technology was not accpetable to me until 1995-1996 and that was why I wore them as long as I did. IMHO, getting a good hair transplant is no comparison to the hassle and maint of systems.

I still think most people can detect them too. CCS, what are you going to do when she starts to run her fingers through your hair? Will you back away? She might think you are rejecting her... :dunno:

 

[CCS]

according to those who use them, swiss lace hair pieces are not detectable to the touch, even when pressing fingernails against the scalp. They can't be seen withing a few inches either. They look like the hairs are growing out of the scalp, even in the hairline. Technology has improved. I'll have to put mine on before I can report this with authority.

A full top costs $175. Two for $310. A front partial, which I'll be getting, is two for $190. They last about 4 months if you take care of them, though a few people got them to last a year. Oxidation of the dye is the main downside. You change them every 2-3 days, which takes 30 minutes. They are comfy, though you have to do extra procedures to get a much stronger hold that can withstand strong hair pulling. Hair stroking is not an issue. Swimming and underwater swimming are OK as long as you are not under more than 5 or 10 seconds. More than that and you have to use tape instead of glue. Don't trust this yet. I'll have a full report in a few months.

If I had got these in 2003 instead of my grafts, I'd have saved well over $10,000 and look 10x better. Spending 30 minutes every two days would be much better than spending 6 months being very careful in the gym so I don't rip open my sutures.

 

[Lucky_UK]

who did your grafts CCS? and how many did you have?

 

[CCS]

I'd rather not give the identity away. Some of my hairs definitely curl the wrong direction. But if I rub my grafts enough, I can get most of them to lay down in the right direction. I don't know if this is a surgical issue, or if I just need to train them. Maybe my hair took years to train, and the transplanted follicles need more training.

I just look forwards to getting a piece and being able to specify which way I want every hair pointing. I'm tired of fighting this.

Even if all the hairs were done right, they would still be too thin, and I'd still be posting here. Yes, my docs were less than perfect. I'm just letting you guys know that if you want to go from NW3+ to near full density NW1, you will be disappointed. hair transplant gives the appearance of hair, but not youthfully thick hair. If you have coverage, but don't like your thickness, you will probably be happy for a year tops before you want more thickness after your hair transplant.

If you are NW2 and want to go to Nw1 with a lot of grafts, go for it. But if you are diffuse, or have advance baldness and want to look youthful, I think the piece is better. Grafts are good for putting hair on top of your head so you can say you are not bald. They are not good for making you look very good.

 

[jackstraw419]

looks like you went to a bunch of wrong hair transplant docs. if your hair transplant experience were great, then I guess you would have been cheering and advocating hair transplant to others.

 

[Guest]

IMHO, a young Norwood 2 trying to go back to a Norwwod 1 is not a good idea. That individual is more a candidate for Propecia and possibly minoxidil. If your family history dictates higher classes of hairloss, then you definitely want to wait and see how things turn out while you are on the meds.

CCS, most of us already know you had all of your work done by Dr. Sharon Keene in Arizona. But the hair system thing is not a simple as that.

Hair systems for those with advanced hairloss can be a better option for the sole reason that they are not good hair transplant candidates. And I know the quality of them have improved, but wait until you get one and you'll see what I mean regarding the maintanence and cost of it.

If you feel that is your best option CCS, then go for it. Everyone feels different, and only you can decide for yourself. If it improves the quality of your life, and makes you happier, then we understand.

How do you think you will feel as you get older?

 

[Hair Come Back]

I have worn a hair piece for twenty years. They have improved over the years and I currently wear a lace replacement until my hair transplant has matured. The reason I just got a hair transplant is because after 20 years I just can't stand the maintenance any more. I think the older one get the less tolorence they have for the MAJOR upkeep these things are. Some of them can look very natural but in order to keep them like that it is a huge amount of work and expense. To keep them looking fresh they have to be replaced every four months and you must pay extra for the special service required every month. As natural as mine looked I would sometimes catch people looking at it so I was very self conscience. I also think as one gets older less density is more natural and appropriate vs. keeping the density that one had when they were 20.

I had my first hair transplant in July and going back for my second one in January. I must decide if the next grafts are going in the front where the first 2520 went or if I want to put them on the crown. I am a Norwood 5 and I think I'll probably need them in the front to thicken up where the first ones went. What I plan to do is use a lace piece on the crown. After wearing a piece that covered from front to back a crown piece will be a piece of cake.

 

[s.a.f]

I would wait longer than 6months before going back for a 2nd op.

 

[Hair Come Back]

Thanks for the advice. Could you elaborate on why you would wait more than six months for the second procedure? It will actually be 6 1/2 months. I asked Dr. Epstein about that and he said there shouldn't be a problem but we would evaluate the progress the first part of January. He said 80% of the hair should be above the surface by then and he doesn't seem to feel that there would be any problem with putting new grafts over where some of the previous ones might not have sprouted yet. Was there another reason you feel I should wait and if so how long?

 

[Guest]

I am absolutely SHOCKED by the response you got from your doctor. Even if 80% of the grafts broke surface of the scalp in the first six months, which I highly doubt, IT IS STILL WAY TOO EARLY! Having additonal grafts done in the same recipient area within one year is totally unnecessary and IMHO, totally uncalled for. If you waited 20 years to have the first procedure, WHAT'S THE RUSH? Why the urgency? Where is the fire?

Does risking transection of some of the remaining grafts make any sense to you? TRANSECTING ANY GRAFTS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!! Any way you look at it, it does not make any sense whatsoever. You had alot of grafts done and probably paid good money for them so why risk ANY of them? You won't even have proper caliber maturation in 12 months post-op much less 6 months.

It is not my intention to offend you, but are you pushing for this second procedure in January and your Doctor is simply agreeing to it? Or is this HIS idea? We really need to know this for the benefit of other patients.

Lastly, thanks for sharing your story. I wore hair systems for 11 years and had four procedures done. I know what a pain they are!

YOU OWE IT TO YOURSELF TO WAIT IT OUT! You are in control, don't forget that.

 

[Hair Come Back]

I am so confused. I don't know who or what to believe. He is one of the top doctors in the world for hair transplant's however I also respect the advice from the posters on this forum. I still wear the replacement and will continue to do so until the hair transplant has grown in. It would be a shock for a lot of people if I came in one day with a full head of hair and a bald head the next. Now that I have had the hair transplant I must secure the hair piece with clips which is driving me crazy. I want to get this thing off of my head as soon as possible but not if it means damaging my hair transplant.

I have not pushed this date, it is my doctor who said I could come back then. I figured from what I have read that most people aren't happy with the density of the first hair transplant so they have a second one. I am a NW5 and had 2520 grafts put in the front third of my head. I have a bald spot on my crown about the size of a baseball that hasn't been touched. Since I will probably use the next grafts in the front to thicken it up I will more than likely use a partial hair piece on the crown. I talked to my stylist and he said he has several clients who had hair transplant's that now use a partial hair piece on the crown and it looks very natural and blends well. He said it is undetectable. My doctor also said the same thing.

On a side note, I have wanted to talk to someone who wore a hair replacement and then had a hair transplant. I believe most people on this forum didn't wear a hair replacement but just had a hair transplant. Most say they are very happy with their results but they are basing that on going from bald or very thin to having some hair. So I believe they don't have anything to compare the hair transplant to like we do. With us we were used to a full head of hair so my question to you is are you happy with the results going from a hair replacement to a Hair Transplant?

 

[Guest]

Haircomeback,

Listen to me my friend. I know EXACTLY what you are dealiong with because i went through the same thing. I wore hair systems for 11 years and then got my first hair transplant. Yes, going from meaga density to much lower density and even thinning areas are in fact the visual transition that you will go through. There is a real key to this, and you can do it with success.

First off, recognize and accept the fact that most of the people you are around every day know that you wear a system. Thank God, most are kind about it. But like you said, at times you'll catch people with eye-drift.

Here's the secret. You have to gradually and methodically "reduce the density" in the systems you wear. That's what I did. But I did it over the first nine months post-op. The problem with systems is that they are way too dense to begin with. That, more than anything, triggers the eye drift to look closer. So you have to gradually reduce the density and even move the system's hairline back to where your surgical hairline is placed. See what I mean. So you will have to have a few more systems made that will customize the approximate look you will end up with from the hair transplants. See what I mean?

I work with ALOT of guys who are transitioning out of systems. Also keep in mind that it is not a perfect transition. Meaning, you can only customize the system to general approximations. You will never be able to get the system to look as exactly as your finished hair transplant result, but you can get close to it.

YOU CAN take the visual shock out of it. Don't freak out! You will get through this just fine. You now have a viable plan! Agree? The many who know you wore a system will also notice the nice change into your natural hair growing again. You'll get compliments. You'll see. Thank God you are seeing a talented Doctor. However, I still question the ethics in his timing. That still is way too early IMHO. You don't want to risk damaging ANY of the grafts from the first procedure. You just can't argue with the physiological science that supports this concern, and neither can your Doctor. Timing is everything.

I never charge patients for my support. If you want, you can e-mail me and I will reply with my direct phone number. Call me if you want to elaborate more regarding any more questions that you may have. You can get through this okay! :jump:

 

[CCS]

I am absolutely SHOCKED by the response you got from your doctor. Even if 80% of the grafts broke surface of the scalp in the first six months, which I highly doubt, IT IS STILL WAY TOO EARLY! Having additonal grafts done in the same recipient area within one year is totally unnecessary and IMHO, totally uncalled for.

Dr Keene let me have my next procedure 7 months after the previous one. My hairs were barely growing out, so it was difficult to know how much of my density increase was from the first procedure and how much was from the second.

I just wish I had gotten a piece and saved money. But considering that I used to be waiting for HM, I can't be complaining that $30 per month will give me perfect hair. At that price, I don't know if I'll even pay for HM when it does come out.

 

[CCS]

I still wear the replacement and will continue to do so until the hair transplant has grown in. It would be a shock for a lot of people if I came in one day with a full head of hair and a bald head the next. Now that I have had the hair transplant I must secure the hair piece with clips which is driving me crazy. I want to get this thing off of my head as soon as possible but not if it means damaging my hair transplant.

The hair transplant will not look nearly as good as the piece, but at least you won't have as much maintainance. You won't have to gel your hair either, since it will be too thin to look good gelled.