transplant options

[sapcote]

i'd really appreciate any help/advice i can get. I've been suffering from hairloss since i was about 23, and i'm 34 now. I was on propecia for nearly a year about 8 or 9 years ago, but decided to come off it as i had pain in my testicles - can't remember if the pain was caused by the propecia use but i associated it with its use so i stopped taking the drug.


I had a consultation in bangkok, thailand with dr prath at the start of the year, he said i had v.good donar density and said how many grafts i got (he only does FUT) would depend on me, but i could get somewhere in the region of 4-5,000. I'm concerned with the side of my head and the back - as can be seen in the pictures i am losing the hair on the right side of my head and also at the back a little. As the hair to be transpanted comes from these regions, wouldn't the fact that it's thinning there reduce the success rate of the transplant?


what kind of success can i expect from a transplant? Is strip surgery the best for me as I have a large area to cover, I don't wear my hair short, and due to the more reasonable cost?


I read that you should go on propecia at least 6 months BEFORE surgery? Is this true? I hope to either have the transplant feb-april 2012, or if not then it would have to be the following year at the same time. shoud i start propecia now, 4 months before the possible transplant, or wait another year whilst being on propecia?
i'd like to do it the transpant this winter and get it over with - hairloss is sucking the life out of me!!


what kind of hair could i reasonably expect to have after the transplanted hair has grown in, as can be seen in the picture, when i brush it all forward and spray it down with A LOT of hairspray, it looks ok, but it can be pulled apart revealing the bald scalp . i don't want to be able to pull it apart and reveal the bald scalp.....i'm less concerned with temples receding and lowering the hair line....

 

[sapcote]

scroll down for more pics

 

[sapcote]

here's the right side, it's thinning here too! i'd say it happened sometime this year. the left side it totally fine

 

[sapcote]

here's one more pic of the hair how it normally looks when brushed forward...sorry for the bad quality pic.......i don't know if this is the exact forum location to ask, but any advice on the best type of haircut i could go for now, can't shave it off, with half a can of hairspray on it it doesn't look half bad haha.....

i'd really appreciate any comments/advice etc i could get; i posted the same stuff on a couple of other forums and only got one comment...thanks

 

[Bigmac]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

I`ve only seen a few of Dr Paths online results which do look good.

If i were in your shoes i would give the Meds a go for at least 3 months and have my HT February time.Just watch out for sides incase the drug caused them last time you tried it.Your hair does appear to be thinning on the side, this may have nothing to do with DHT and you should get it checked out by a doctor.I take it there was no thinning when you consulted with Dr Path.

On the plus side your donor looks good at the back, imo a 3000/4000 graft FUT should give you a very nice result if you choose to go down this route.

Hope that helps.

Bm.

 

[janna]

Hi,

Maybe it's due to poor quality pics or not seeing you in person, 4-5000 estimate seems high. At this point, you could consider addressing your front 1/3rd or a little beyond with around 3000 grafts. You can address other areas in another session if you found that they started bothering you.

If you are reconsidering Propecia, I'd start on it right away. Few months should be sufficient to find out if you're effected by sides.

 

[sapcote]

yes i think i'll give propecia another go as soon as I can, hopefully this week if i can see a doc......if I develop symptoms again and subsequently come off the drug, what would this mean for the chances of having a successful transplant? could i still go ahead and get a transplant, or would it not be advisable to have a transplant if i have to come off the meds?

 

[Bigmac]

Yea you can still have a HT without being on meds, the doctor will explain the risks but he/she can plan for this and plant your tansplanted hair accordingly so it will still look natural if you do lose more hair.

Hopefully you`ll be fine with the meds.

Take care.

Bm.