First of all, if I was in your situation, I would not be doing any hair transplants right now. Rather, I would be using Toppik or even Dermatch to cover the thinning areas. When you stated that one side shows more thinning, that could be more subject to shockloss and commit you to more surgery sooner than you may want. So it's a good thing to try and hold onto that natural hair that's still giving you some coverage for as long as you possibly can. I know that easy for me to say since I'm not you, and I'm not trying to shove my own perspectives on you, but if you are 25 now, you will need more work as you get into your thirties, forties, etc. Although many of us would die to have the Brad Pitt hairline, there's no way we can maintain that look over the long term, not even Brad Pitt himself. His hairline will undoubtedly move back with a little more time, you'll see. That's why you never want to commit yourself to something you cannot maintain due to donor limitations.
And if you have the more advanced hairloss classes in your family history, you can bet the farm that you'll need "alot more work". So really, if you foresee yourself needing at least 4,000 plus grafts in your lifetime, "how do you think your donor area will look with 4,000 plus FUE extractions?" That's why many guys who anticipate that level of work do it by strip to avoid the moth-eaten donor appearance.
But I do know first hand what your concerns are with the staples because I just had them in September. It was not as bad as I anticipated and although I did not like the idea, still wanted to take the extra precaution of maintaining a very thin linear scar. It was closed with a trico method so there will be hair growing through it, and no plans to wear really short hair styles.
It's also great to see you have your medicinal regimen in place. How do you like the new Rogaine foam product? Is your hair less greasy feeling than the former Rogaine?
