Have tried to capture all angles of my hair loss. Hope these bald patches are soon gonna be just an unpleasant memory !

who's your doc of choice?

still at it hairthere !! all i have at the moment is a shortlist of doctors. Have mailed them my situation....process on. As of now the list includes H&W, Shapiro,Feller, Alexander,Rahal & Keene. Might include some other docs as I go along. Should be able to finalize within cpla weeks...

your going to get one GREAT result with all of that thick, curly hair and with such minimal loss. I bet 2k grafts and youll have a full head of hair (or appearance) again.
Im jeaolous...
you don't appear to have any thinning behind the receded area, correct?
that is a good list of docs too.
how old are you again mav?
age hair loss started?
below your left temple, is that thinning or just some patch?

You'll get great results with your hair type. make sure you have a solid gameplan for future loss/hts. your hair looks similar to rahal's posterboy, so i can understand why you'd consider him at the top of your list. i'd definitely consult feller too and keep alexander at the top.

Hi mav,

As good as your hair quality is for a transplant(curly), I suspect it is covering some areas of thinning as well, so please do keep that in mind when you plan for the long term as your hair loss pattern may accelerate or even change. I myself am going to Dr Rahal very soon and would definitely recommend you consult with him.

Good luck!!

Tx ng2bald

Yes 1500-2000 grafts is what the doctors are estimating. Have been classified as a 2A. Actually the snaps that i have posted are kinda like worst case scenario... as for thinning behind the receded area if you have had a look at the top view yes the top is a little sparse at places but overall the appearance is quite dense. Am thinking of getting some sections filled on the top too.

I am 29, 90% of the hair loss happened when i was 23.

I keep my hair quite closely cropped on the sides. Yes there sure is a little diffusion and i wanted the docs to have a look at that....maybe fill it out too.You sure have an eye for detail !!


hairthere : I hope so too mate. Hmm...you think Dr Alexander that good with hairlines? He is impressive no doubt but better results than Feller and Rahal? Guess I need to take a closer look at his work. Tx mate....never hurts to recheck a doc's work.


Hey stratman !! Yes the curly nature of the hair provides an illusion of thickness especially on top where I do have some thinned out sections. I am going to have the doctor have a look when I go in for the surgery and hopefully have them filled....though i suspect there might be quite a bit of shock loss if i do try and get the top fixed - what with native hair packed all around. The hair fall has been pretty static for the last 6 years but then as you said you never know about the future.Tx for the advice mate !

mav, Call me an optismist because I think a doctor will end up dense packing closer to 2800-3000 grafts in that front area considering that a ton of 1s and 2s will be used, so insist on more!!

I agree that your situation is relatively ideal, betwen your minimal loss and hair charachteristics.

You on any treatments? (propecia, rogaine foam, nizoral/revita)

Mav I think you'll definitely get an awsome result with any of those docs on you're list. From what I've seen each has posted numerous exceptional hairline results. Now it's probaly more of a call about which you feel the most comfortable with after speaking with each of them.

If budget allows and if you and the doc feel your future hair loss will be minimal you might even be a good candidate for FUE with someone like Dr. Feller.

Damn, with only 2000 or so grafts all the H&W techs would have to take a half day off :-)

With your characteristics you will be solid after an average size session. It might be a good idea as stated, for you to cut hair very short to reveal full scope of thinning areas since the curly hair might hide actual situation.

hi mav
becarefull while choosing ur doc........i think u need more than 2000 grafts and than everything will be different....all the best dude......

mav,

As a fellow curly wurly i'm in agreement that your good hair characteristics may be camouflaging your hair loss just a little.
Still, i think 2000 fu should be plenty to restore u to your former glory.
I assume you're on the meds to combat future loss.

best of luck in you decision.

Hey all,

Tx for the feedback.

its752 I guess 2000 grafts wd do just fine. 2800 grafts I wdnt know where to place All the docs that I have consulted have given me a range of 1500- 2200. I know there is a dif between an online consultation and the actual figure arrived when a doc sees me in person but i get the gut feel 2k wd be what we wd be looking at....but come to think of it the more the merrier.

NN : I wd keep the suggestion in mind. Yes its a pretty good idea come to think of it because the curly nature of hair does hide the thinning area specially on top.

dominic: wd do mate. This is one of the most imp decisions of my life...wdnt take any decision in haste.

awry, josh: I was on medication for a year when the hairfall started. That was around 6 years back but then I stopped. Was kinda confused as to the effects the meds wd be having on my bod.... Havent been on anything ever since and fortunately fall has been static.

flyby: Yes this is the toughest part...deciding which doc to go with. The ones that i have shorlisted have been giving consistent results over a long period of time...now how does one choose among the best of the best !! ...what a pleasant confusion !!


Guys I am worried about shock loss particularly as I wd need to have quite a bit hair grafted among existing native hair esp on top. Am I justified in being worried. If you take a closer look the forelock section has thinned out and grafts wd need to be placed in between native hair. Any suggestions?

mav, you will most probably encounter shockloss. you have to weigh the benefits and the negatives, and this is one of them. if your on propecia, and the hair is strong, it will grow back but this is one of the grey area's of surgery.....

just make sure the amount of hair being transplanted will be enough to give good density in a worst case scenario.

and in the end, even if you have shockloss, you can touch up the procedure in a year or two, and be relieved to know that it is perminent.