Hair Transplant

crazydiamond

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Just a quick note to say my pics will be appearing on this site soon, I have had some hair transplant work done and the pics should give an idea what that looks like...good or bad...is in the eye of the beholder i guess. :?
 

whiskey

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CRAZY D
Just checked out your pics - wow you must be over the moon . The density at the front looks identical to the rest . You say that you had 4 x 600 grafts - do you think that doing it a bit at a time helps the healing and allows the grafts to be placed closer together as opposed to banging 2400 grafts in all together ? You have really got me thinking because my hairline is somewhat similar to your before pics although I keep my hair longer . I was thinking about going to dr Farjo & he usually does fairly small sessions also . Did your doctor say how much more doner hair you could get if need be in later life ?
A couple more questions , how long did each session take ?
also what would you consider the most uncomfortable part of the surgery ?

Again , your hair looks fantastic and even though I know what to look for I could honestly say that if I were to stand next to you I would not be able to tell it was a hair transplant .
I don`t suppose you fancy swapping hair ? :D
 

HairlossTalk

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I have to agree with you whiskey - im amazed that you can't tell the difference between the transplanted hair and where the original hair was.

HairLossTalk.com
 

crazydiamond

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uk surgeons

whiskey

Thanks for the comment, yes whenever i wonder if i did the right thing i just look at my before pics and says it all for me. I have to agree with you, in hindsight having 4 sessions did allow them to go back and infill between the grafts so the density is pretty even. It also led to a gradual filling in, so people didnt suddenly think wow, one day not much hair to just slightly receding. The sessions took about 3-4 hours, the hardest part is the local before they remove the donor strip, but after a few mins your ok, they can give you vallium before if you want to calm you down...i didnt, but might be a good idea. I still have reasonable laxity with the scar, and have room at the side as well so they could take another 2-3 without too much problem. But since taking propecia i have not had any thining of my crown, which is pretty thick, so dont think i will need any more sessions.
 

pete2001

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Crazy Diamond,

Your pics are very similar to my hair now, although I have slightly less recession at the temples. I am really impressed with your results. Good on you. I have also had 4 sessions now, all around the 500-600 graft mark except one BIG one which was 2500 grafts (mistake as the scar stretched). I have lost no more hair in the last 3-4 years (except slight temporal recession) and apart from the scar stretching, everything has been fine. Now my scar is a lot thinner and I hope to keep it that way.
 

crazydiamond

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cheers pete

Yes, i'd be happy just maintaining what i have now, which i think looks ok for 40. I will keep up with the current regime this year to see if i can get a little bit more at the temples, and improved density but maintenance now is my main objective.
 

pete2001

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HairlossTalk said:
I have to agree with you whiskey - im amazed that you can't tell the difference between the transplanted hair and where the original hair was.

HairLossTalk.com

Why should you be able to tell the difference? A well done all-follicular unit transplant should be virtually indetectable, certainly from an aerially taken photo. True transplanted hair is thicker and coarser than the softer hair you usually have at the front and vertex. But using Propecia and Minoxidil can improve the density of the frontal and mid-vertex hair and then the transplanted hair (if done well) should blend in very well. That happened with me and I think should happen with any well done FU transplant. Don't assume all hair transplants are pluggy, coarse, straggly and unnatural looking because they certainly aren't. The problems with hair transplants are the scars, undoubtedly.
 

Norris

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I totally agree with you pete. The problems with hair transplant's is the scaring and no matter how thin the surgeons say the scar will be, It will allways be thicker. That is why i have opted for doctor Gho. looking through his website, I finnally spoke to him. His technique is truly the way foward. No scarring, but only 400 grafts per session. This would mean multiple sessions. I'm preparing to fly over and see him soon. I've been on propecia, minoxidil and spironolactone for nearly 2 years and seemed to have totally halted my hairloss and thickened the crown. I now want to restore my hairline. I have a a norwood 1 hairline but its thin. I would not consider strip surgery especially when there is a chance that i could lose more hair( Which i doubt with Dutasteride on it's way). I think the way to go with hair transplant's is GHO..:lol:
Has anyone had any experiences with him :?:
 

HairlossTalk

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pete2001 said:
Why should you be able to tell the difference? A well done all-follicular unit transplant should be virtually indetectable, certainly from an aerially taken photo.
I'm used to being able to tell the difference, because many follicular unit transplants aren't done well. I was glad to see that his was. :)

pete2001 said:
Don't assume all hair transplants are pluggy, coarse, straggly and unnatural looking because they certainly aren't.
I don't have to assume. I've seen many firsthand that looked very unnatural. Even follicular unit transplants. This is why the skill of the surgeon is so very important.

HairLossTalk.com
 

RecedingBoy

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Is it worth it to consider hair transplant if you're mildly receding? Also, are there any techniques/surgeons out there that can do hair transplant without ANY signs that it was done? i.e. if i shave my head, even then it shouldn' tlook like i had a hair transplant. is this possible?
 

crazydiamond

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recedingboy

the only one that can do an hair transplant such that you would be able to shave your head is Dr Woods, the wizard from Oz, as all the others use strip excision that leaves a permanent scar at the back of the head. Woods is very expensive though. If you are mildly receding, the problem is if you get hair transplant and recede some more you will then need to go back for more. hair transplant should be a last resort after u have exhausted other means and better if your hairloss has stabilised.
 

RecedingBoy

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Crazydiamond:

Thanks, and I know, I am one of the biggest proponents of trying to fix it without hair transplant. But, after 2 years of on Finasteride, and seeing NO growth (and we all know its impossible to know if it has 'slowed' it down.. the only real tell tale that its working is if you see regrowth), i have not seen any.

I've been on minoxidil now for a few weeks, and will stick to it more. so far with minoxidil i havne't seen shiet either, but this time around i'm using it with folligen.

In any case, I'm getting DESPERATE. I don't want anyone to know i'm losing hair. So far i've covered it up well. I'm now considering getting a piece for the front, or a minor transplant job. Here's my thinking:

I'm 24 and receding hardcore. I'm probably a Norwood 2.5 now. I spend a lot of time on my hair and it still looks thin. when its wet it looks really thin as well. With a hairpiece or Transplant, at least when its wet it will look good and give me a fuller, thicker hair appearance.

Transplant VS. hairpiece:

good hairpiece = 4k i've heard for one, not including a backup piece.
hairpiece no yucky surgery, no marks, i can pull it off if i wish, don't have to worry about something easily uncorrectable like a bad hair transplant.

Transplant: real hair, permanent, cut it, whatever. BUT, have heard some ppl complain that the other hair around the bald areas, the good hair also fell out due to the 'stress' or whatever of the hair transplant. Cost, 5 dollars a graft i believe?? i can get 800 grafts for price of one hairpiece, and thats good enough for my current condition. After a year or so, i'll get more, and more. I've heard if you do it multiple times, each time not too much, its best.

But, i always want to option of shaving my head. why? because i'm an anol MOFO. I don't want ANYONE to know i've had it done. not even my future wife.


i want all your guys opinions cuz i respect them, and have a lot to learn esp. on hair transplant or hairpieces. THANKS.
 

pete2001

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At 24 you are borderline too young for an hair transplant. But if you really want one, go to Dr Woods in Australia for 600 grafts. It'll cost you $7,000 but you'll have no scar and he's just about the best there is. DO NOT go anywhere for that amount of grafts where they will give you a donor scar. You do NOT want that. As for a hairpiece, they look awful in my opinion, even the very best and yes I have tried them (twice) for a day each time as a trial and they were the advanced skin permeable ones and they looked awful.

Personally I would wait for Dutasteride (end of the year I would think) and use in conjunction with Minoxidil 5%, Folligen and maybe something like topical spironolactone.

Good luck.
 

RecedingBoy

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Pete:

I've seen his site before. Is he really that expensive? 11.67 dollars a graft!! i thought Dr. shapiro was like 5 or 6 bucks? does anyone HERE have any results to show? Is Austrailian trained doctors up to par with American trained? Thanks,

RB.
 

crazydiamond

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RB

Yes he is that expensive, here is his site

http://www.4hair.com.au

I think Shapiro does as good looking results, but you will have a scar, and you have said that you want the option of shaved head so Woods is the only one. I agree with Pete, wait 12 months, stick to a regime to maintain just now, and give Dutasteride a crack. £5000 is a lot of dough, and you would need more in the future. Shave it now man, and see how it looks.
 

RecedingBoy

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crazy, i'm thinking to shave.

a) but, if i shave, and it doesn't suit me, it'll be too late
b) it will take me a LONG time to grow back, my hair has always grown slowly on top, and there won't be any hair to cover up my receded hairline once i take the plunge.

I do agree with you guys on waiting for dutasteride, but.. when the heck is it coming!!

btw, i was looking at various pictures from woods' site, he really is GOOD. man, after 2 weeks the scars were gone from the donor area.

now i have a question, lets say i don't want to incur the flight, stay, surgery costs of woods. Who is the best guy in the U.S. someone who gives a natural hairline and the donor area is scarred less than others? i've seen some pics of strip excision or whatever, and some of them look bad. looks like you were hit with an axe to the back of your head or something. is there any doctor in the states that can at least make the scarring minimal?
 

crazydiamond

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RB

The weight of opinion on US docs is solidly behind Dr Shapiro, but he and Woods seem to have a healthy backlog of clients. I would recommend using http://www.priceline.com for air fares, you just name your price and they check if any airline is willing to offer a seat for that price..works for hotels as well, so fares to Oz and US can be got for half the normal cost.

Things seem to be on the horizon for dutasteride, and concensus would be around last quarter of this year. Good luck.

If your thinking to shave, go to a barber and ask for a number 8, see how that looks, then they can cut a grade at a time there and then, so you get a chance to see how it looks without going to short too soon. A nice tan seems to help carry off the short look as well.
 

RecedingBoy

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when is a good time to get a hair transplant? i'm about a Norwood 2.5 i think but really looks like a Norwood 2. i'm 24. i want a quck permanent solution. its either going to be hair transplant, or hairpiece in a few months. unless DUTA comes out. oh, and i was on Ron shapiro's site, but have not seen pics of the donor area. does anyone have pics of the donor area of ron shapiro?
 

PolarBear

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RecedingBoy said:
when is a good time to get a hair transplant? i'm about a Norwood 2.5 i think but really looks like a Norwood 2. i'm 24. i want a quck permanent solution. its either going to be hair transplant, or hairpiece in a few months. unless DUTA comes out. oh, and i was on Ron shapiro's site, but have not seen pics of the donor area. does anyone have pics of the donor area of ron shapiro?

Just a thought: if you can't stop your hairloss with all treatments that you use (including finast), and you want hair transplant in front, then how your head will look like after few months/years after surgery? You'll need more and more hair transplant's to fill in middle/vertex scalp and are you sure you want that?

Good luck, RecedingBoy, but think twice about this surgical option. There are no comebacks here.

My advice is stick with drugs, there must be something that works for you. Also, it is better to accept nw2 look than later regret after surgery.

Crazydiamond for example looks very nice, but he also stopped his further hairloss. If that it not case with you, then hair transplant is very debatable.
 
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