By the way arfy, when do you think a hair transplant is a good idea? Or do you think the risks almost always outweigh the potential benefits?
There's a bunch of different factors to consider, when deciding if a transplant is worth doing. Age (mature is usually better), financial status (wealthy is preferred, obviously), pattern of hair loss (isolated frontal loss is better than diffuse thinning or crown loss), caliber of hair (coarse is better, although it means the hairline can require extra attention. Etc. I never say that "nobody" should get hair transplants. But certainly there are specific guys who probably shouldn't. And if you have a mix of factors, it will likely have a negative impact on your final results.
If I read your story correctly, you are 37? Your photos are pretty terrible quality, as you admit, so it's hard to be certain. But I don't see anything really wrong with your hair. Your hairline looks fine for your age. In your other thread, you say you are looking into experimental treatments (like wounding... really?) and you're obviously here thinking about surgery. Since it seems like you only have recession of the hairline (and not bad - just an inch or so higher than you would like) you might very well be pleased with your results, after a couple of surgeries (doctors usually can't dense pack grafts very closely in one single pass, as it it impacts graft survival, so it will take multiple surgeries). However, your hairline is totally acceptable now, at this "mature" level, and it's also quite strong (no diffuse thinning in the hairline) which in my view makes surgery unnecessary.
So weight the pros and cons yourself. You have an idea of what you think the pros might be. The cons are the financial costs, the experience of multiple surgeries (I find it unpleasant, and would compare it to dental surgery except it lasts for an entire day), the downtime waiting for your scalp to heal (can you wear a hat at your job?) Also, waiting for the hairs to grow in, then grow to proper length (your second surgery would occur at some point, so you'd go through the healing process a second time, then the growth stage). They say it takes 12 to 18 months for a transplant surgery to "mature" (and you might want multiple surgeries, and they can't be performed too closely together in time - so it's a slow process). There's a chance that the transplanted hairs don't match the other hair perfectly (direction, texture, density, styling ability) or that the surgery causes shock loss (more of a concern for diffuse thinners, but still possible).
I would like to see better pics. From what I see, there's no real reason for you to even consider a transplant, except you have very good hair and you have the idea that a transplant can help you achieve perfect hair. Most of us talking here have lousy hair, and are trying to get it to look average (in my case, just hoping to look normal after experiencing bad work). In my view, you may be on a foolish mission (better pics would help) but who am I to say how you spend your life? I think hair transplants are a last resort for most people, and I don't see you needing to use that option. Who knows though, maybe you will be pleased. But there's no free lunch. Your hair won't really be perfect. You'll have a strip scar or you'll have FUE scarring (maybe impossible for others to see, but it will be there). The surface of the recipient area will be affected too. Your scalp is permanently altered by surgery. It's not like getting a haircut. They are moving very small skin grafts (which happen to contain hairs). In the best case scenario, the surgical evidence is not noticeable. In the worst case scenario, it's very noticeable.
One more thing... somebody said that FUE yield and strip yield are the same. It really depends on the doctor, but generally speaking strip is easier to perform correctly (all things being equal with a competent clinic) and the graft survival rate should be higher. Since you have a limited recipient area, it won't matter (you're not going to be pushing the limits of your donor supply) and many guys are willing to sacrifice almost-perfect graft survival with strip surgery, for the much less invasive (but slightly less efficient, survival-wise) FUE surgery. (This logic makes sense to me as well). I don't think either method can honestly claim 100% survival rates though. And there are a lot of FUE doctors still learning the procedure (so their survival rate will be lower) and certain guys have even worse FUE survival rate because of their hair characteristics (very curly hair is said to be difficult, for example). But FUE is not as efficient as strip for survival rates. Some of the FUE doctors make a big point of claiming a high survival rate (because it's been an issue in the past). That should tell you something (FUE doctors still feel they have something to prove to their strip-performing colleagues).
My bottom line advice for you though is probably to move on, and obsess about other more productive things. There will be plenty of other guys who urge you to "go for it!" but they will be nowhere to be found, should something go wrong. Maybe you should "go for it" I don't know. But I don't think people should get cosmetic surgery on a casual basis. Would you get a nose job if your nose was only 95% perfect? That's kind of what you're asking about, only with your hair. However, for some reason, hair is a lot trickier to get right than nose jobs and other cosmetic surgeries.
A good option for you would be to go meet some recommended doctors, on a purely informational mission. Gather a bunch of opinions... see what the doctors say. Ask them what the pros and cons are. It's easier to discuss this stuff accurately when looking at somebody in person. And you shouldn't be getting diagnoses from other patients. A lot of guys don't know what they're talking about, and occasionally there are people online who are paid to shill for the doctors, either they work for the clinic or the doctor provides free grafts. Take any online encouragement with a grain of salt. Anybody who who works at a clinic (besides the doctor) who had a transplant works probably there because their results are above average. Try to meet average patients who look like you do. I don't know your location but see if there is anybody who you can meet in person, from online discussion boards.
