hello,
I am writing as a new forum member, (after an absence of several years), and thought to solicit advice from other forum members.

About 14 years ago, in my early 30's, I had my first HT, followed by two others in the two succeeding years. The HT's were great. The hair looked healthy. I augmented with propecia and minoxidil, and Nioxin and Nizoral shampoos.

Now 47, and more than a dozen years later, my hair is beginning to thin again...the thinness is especially evident on my sides and particularly on my left side. It actually looks pretty bad. Some of this may be stress related, as I've been under a lot of stress right now. The hair on the top looks OK though, and the hair on the crown is so-so.

Nonetheless, I am considering a complete shave, because the sides look quite grim. The only problem is that the scarring left over my three previous HT's is signficant. I've actually buzzed my hair before, and aside from the unattractive scarring, the look really wasn't so bad.
The only problems were, the self consciousness of the scars, and what I felt was a need to make up a story to explain the scarring....and I hated lying about why the scars were there.

I now feel caught between two options. One is to keep the hair as is, and live with the pronounced shedding on the side, or just buzz my hair again and live with the self consciousness of the scars.

Sorry for this long message, but I appreciate anyone's feedback. Thank you to all.

Is the scarring very wide or poor?

Given the advancements of closure techniques today, a scar revision could cure you up, get you some extra grafts and enable you to thin your scars out a bit.

On the other hand, doing some FUE sessions into the actual scar tissue may not be bad--- Dr. Rose, Dr. Harris, Dr. Feller would be a very nice choice to consult with for this option.

Dr. Rose would also be a great choice for a scar revision as well.

Take Care,
J