Native hair falling

[2ndchance]

Hi everyone, I’m new here.


I had a 1,800 graft hair transplant about 6 years ago. I’m not on any DHT blockers due to side effects, only using topical minox. The grafts were placed on my hairline and temples (no mid scalp), so it kind of forms a “circle” in the front.
single hairs were used in the front, it looks pretty natural.

The result was great for the first 3.5 years, but now most of my native hair has thinned or disappeared. I’m hanging on to what’s left, but it feels like shaving it all off is around the corner and pretty much inevitable.

Does anyone have experience with how this looks once shaved?
Will it end up looking like “horns” in the front, or more like a normal balding pattern? My donor area seems fine and I’m mainly worried about how the frontal area will look.

I’m not interested in another hair transplant or SMP, just want to put an end to this saga and shave regularly.

Thanks, guys.

 

[Dr Bicer’s Consultant]

Hello @2ndchance , the first difference you are likely to see when shaved is the change in hair density. Especially if your native hair is healthy when it meets the transplanted hair the density will be slightly lower, how noticeable will be influenced on your hair characteristics. When you cut/shave very short you lose the illusion of fullness, that longer hair creates from a hair transplant.

Another potential issue, more so if you don´t clean shave and leave a little stubble will be the angle and orientation the transplanted hair has been placed. Wrong angled or directed hairs can often be hidden with long hair, but the shorter the hair it begins to be exposed. Scarring will generally not be an issue in the recipient area unless you have any pitting or ridging as this will be exposed. However, if you intend to shave all your hair, around the donor if you shave you will expose the scarring, FUT strip or more likely FUE white dot. Depending how the extraction is spread and managed it can look a little uniform with rows or small cylindrical scars, unfortunately the only way you will know is to shave, as often longer hair manages to hide how it looks.

 

[2ndchance]

Hello @2ndchance , the first difference you are likely to see when shaved is the change in hair density. Especially if your native hair is healthy when it meets the transplanted hair the density will be slightly lower, how noticeable will be influenced on your hair characteristics. When you cut/shave very short you lose the illusion of fullness, that longer hair creates from a hair transplant.

Another potential issue, more so if you don´t clean shave and leave a little stubble will be the angle and orientation the transplanted hair has been placed. Wrong angled or directed hairs can often be hidden with long hair, but the shorter the hair it begins to be exposed. Scarring will generally not be an issue in the recipient area unless you have any pitting or ridging as this will be exposed. However, if you intend to shave all your hair, around the donor if you shave you will expose the scarring, FUT strip or more likely FUE white dot. Depending how the extraction is spread and managed it can look a little uniform with rows or small cylindrical scars, unfortunately the only way you will know is to shave, as often longer hair manages to hide how it looks.

Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it!
My question is how will everything look once my native hair is almost completely gone and I’m shaving it down to 0.5/0 (which is what I’m planning to do)?
I’m actually more concerned about how the shaved recipient area will look, since the donor area currently looks fine with minimal scarring.
Do you have experience with patients who keep their hair shaved this short? do the transplanted hair look weird on a shaved head? like shadowing?

Thanks again

 

[Dr Bicer’s Consultant]

Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it!
My question is how will everything look once my native hair is almost completely gone and I’m shaving it down to 0.5/0 (which is what I’m planning to do)?
I’m actually more concerned about how the shaved recipient area will look, since the donor area currently looks fine with minimal scarring.
Do you have experience with patients who keep their hair shaved this short? do the transplanted hair look weird on a shaved head? like shadowing?

Thanks again

Hello @2ndchance , it is not common to see someone with a hair transplant who then shaves to 0 or around that. Assuming they are happy with the work shaving their hair goes against having the hair transplant really. The concept of a hair transplant is to regain the look of fullness and the shorter the hair is that look of fullness reduces. Take SMP, the vast majority that have the treatment are high NW patterns, maybe not wishing to have a hair transplant or it cannot give the full coverage. I doubt many NW3 or below have SMP and then shave the remaining hair to blend, and keep it shaved.

If you have lost your hair with the only remaining being the transplanted hair then you will be left with the shadow in the shape of the transplanted area. Your natural hair characteristics will play a role in how obvious this is, for example if you have thick dark hair and a pale skin complexion it will be more obvious than finer, blonde hair against a pale skin complexion and vice versa for darker skin complexions.

 

[Bigmac]

@2ndchance Would it be possible to post a picture?

 

[josh145]

Put a picture on it would really help