Planning Your Hair Transplant Journey

[Hattingen Hair]

Jessops ´ dilemma is very common; we don ´t want to talk for Jessop obviously as we do not know him personally.

Because we live in a society where more things are available to more people and elective/cosmetic surgery is becoming more acceptable and becoming much better technically and cosmetically there can almost become a feeling that we either need it or simply want it and this can lead to long term, sometimes even short term bad consequences.

This €œneed €, in no small way driven by the industry needs to be put into context. There is nothing wrong in wanting hair, and there is nothing wrong in losing your hair; assuming you want to reverse hair loss it then comes down to €¦ €¦

When do you pull the trigger?

As Jessop said finances are a large part, should you get into debt for it, not the best idea, should you build up and do smaller sessions, a possibility if the long term planning allows and your donor can manage multiple small ops, but then some say do not make your decision based on finances, do what is correct for you with long term planning.

We touched on open dialogue and talking to other hair transplant patients; talking with multiple clinics will give diverse opinions on your situation and how it should be planned; you will find the planning differs on many occasions, keep a degree of openness, a willingness to take on-board ideas; it may not be what you wish to hear all the time but on reflection it may be good advice. Always feel free to ask questions and ask for answers to be qualified, you will be given opinions and it is important to build an idea what is correct and what is in your best interests today for your long term well-being.

Talking with previous patients help a great deal, especially if you can meet them in person, see what a hair transplant looks like in reality from different clinics, there will be differences in the placement techniques, planning and it will give you help in deciding which offers you the best option.

 

[ziggs11]

For ongoing smaller surgeries, how does it work with merging transplanted hair into areas that are noticeably thinning, but not yet totally devoid of hair? For example, the indentations rising up from the temples and the front of the bridge.

Is existing hair likely to be damaged, making it unwise to transplant into thinning areas, or can a doctor reinforce these areas while retaining native hairs?

 

[Hattingen Hair]

ziggs11 wrote:

For ongoing smaller surgeries, how does it work with merging transplanted hair into areas that are noticeably thinning, but not yet totally devoid of hair? For example, the indentations rising up from the temples and the front of the bridge.

Is existing hair likely to be damaged, making it unwise to transplant into thinning areas, or can a doctor reinforce these areas while retaining native hairs?

Hi ziggs11,

Working around native hair is always difficult, diffused thinning for example does not always make for a good candidate. One of the problems if the area is obviously thinning the actual hair will be showing signs of thinning also, it will be finer. To rebuild the density required to make the HT successful would really mean having to place either over or close to the native hair and the result would be the native hair will stop growing, or if still growing the chance is the thinning process would be rapidly increased so it will stop anyway and then leave the area thinner.

You need to bite into the stronger native hair to ensure you don ´t end up with a thinning "no-mans land" between the two areas. So it is best, in our opinion, to go over any weaker hair and ensure a solid result in one pass rather than potentially having to go back into the same area again in the relative near future.

 

[Bigmac]

Great read, thanks for posting this thread.

 

[Hattingen Hair]

Bigmac wrote:

Great read, thanks for posting this thread.

Hi BM,

Thanks for the comment; we believe it is an important point we try to make and one that effects every newbie that starts to research hair transplantation as well as those that have had the misfortune of a poor procedure and need to look at their future.

When researching for many the focus is on short term happiness, "repairing" the problem they see at the time, choosing the correct doctor/clinic that fits your goals short term is important, hair line design etc, but also going further and ensuring the emphasis is on the long term strategy and planning.

 

[Coopman]

Hattingen

Great postings by the way. In my experience of researching hair transplants on various internet forums and consulting online with many different Hair Clinics in Europe and the USA, the sales reps employed by these clinics are very pushy. Being a bit older and wiser (im 35) and not a guy in their early 20s you immediately see through these transparent sales techniques.
The sales rep after consulting the HT Doctor (i would assume), immediately comes back with the usual, "you need 2000-2500 grafts to restore your temporal areas" and then on many occasions reccommend strip instead of FUE as it's cheaper, the graft success rate is higher and the scar will be barely visible even if you buzz down to a No.2.
As soon as i mention im planning to have several smaller conservative sessions by FUE and give valid reasons why im doing so, the sales reps lose interest in me. Now thats a good thing for me, but the 20 somethings out there become the future victims in this instance.
I must also mention that the Clinics i have consulted online that are advertised on here, have very well behaved Reps. Replying with intelligent answers to all my queries and specific requirements.
But some Reps who represent some very well known Clinics are obviously more interested in convincing the younger patient to have a larger number of grafts than they originally wanted or thought they needed. More grafts, more commission i guess. But equally the way they try to convince that Strip is better than FUE is not just baffling, it's criminal to do that to someone who is in their early 20's with future loss unknown.
This is a very shady industry and trying to find the right Clinic, with a Surgeon and Technicians who take great pride in their work is a huge minefield.
Hopefully more 20 somethings will find this forum, but most find Hair Transplant Network and it is very easy to become convinced that if your HT Surgeon is IAHRS then you are in a safe pair of hands on there.

 

[Hattingen Hair]

Hi Coopman,

As such, aspects such as technique are decided on hair characteristics, need for hair and suitability, we may have a preference but if our natural attributes work against us there is little that can done, we can ´t change the tools we have been given. In your case if your hair characteristics allow you to have smaller FUE sessions and gradually rebuild your hair, still reach your goals short and long term with good donor management then great, you personally have the luxury of choice, but some do not.

One potential problem is some think hair transplant is the same for all, they look at what may appear to be similar cases to them, then choose a technique, choose a hair line design and go for it!

A hair transplant needs to be designed around the individual ´s qualities, it ´s not a situation where one, or even two plans fit all, every procedure is bespoke to the person. The starting age has to be an important factor when planning, regardless of technique, once the first procedure has been performed the donor and recipient can never be returned to a virgin state so the initial timing and planning can have huge ramifications on the person ´s long term happiness.

best of luck by the way with whomever you decide to go with.

 

[Bigmac]

I agree, a long term plan is essential for the patient and an ethical approach by the clinic.