Hi everyone,

I'm going for my first ht in a couple of months and i'm curious...does anybody here ever regret starting the ht ball rolling so to speak.

I'm not talking about recipients of old plug, micro, scalp reduction or flap procedures. Nor am i talking about people who went to inferior doctors/clinics who profess to use the latest methods but result in poor quality results.
My question is addressed to everyone here who has had no complaint with the quality of his/her surgeons work, technical mastery and use of ultra refined methods but finds that the results, although good, basically don't match up to expectations.

Are there people here who just wished they had shaved it all off instead of going down the (once started) irreversable ht route and be done with meds,ongoing procedures, downtime, inconvenience,scar, paranoia, shockloss, pain etc etc ?

Very good question.

A good HT starts with a thourough information session for the patient before his treatment.

He needs to know that (in most cases) a full hair restauration is not possible.
Patients that have been doing research on the internet usually have a good idea of what is possible or not possible.

Having said that, some people just dont seem to listen or understand what is being offered ... and still wind up unhappy.

josh b,beverotti is right its all about realistic expectations.most norwood 5 and overs are never going to acheive a full head of hair again.unfortunatly a lot of clinics just show you the lucky ones who have, thereby setting up a lot of guys for a fall.
me myself was happy to go from a bald looking guy to one that is receeding,expected nothing more so i have no regrets.

Josh,

Great advice given by bverotti and balody.

Realistic expectations are extremely important before undergoing hair transplantation surgery.

Though all hair loss sufferers prefer to be able to restore a full head of hair, it is currently impossible for those with greater amounts of hair loss. Those who are older with lesser amounts of hair loss can potentially achieve close to original hair density.

But what you are describing above...I have seen it before. I have seen posts start out as complaints and then out come the pictures revealing a very nice head of hair. Situations like this are certainly a case of too high expectations.

Cheers,

Falc

I like this question and I wish more would respond to give us virgin scalps some input...

I have done a ton of research

*BUT*

I still have not seen a hair transplant in person. People always say that you can't expect a full head of hair again like you had when you were 18.

Honestly, I don't even know what that would feel like on me anyway because it has been so long since I had a full head of hair.

However, many of the guys (i.e. Bobman, Bushy, etc, etc..) go from looking pretty damn bald to having a very low hair line and still have coverage all over.

I know, they have only an "illusion" of density, but that answer doesn't help me as I have only seen them in pictures. I don't know what this illusion looks like up close or under various lighting and how it feels different than a "full head of hair"...

This is precisely why I wanted to know about styling limitations. I wonder if this "illusion" quickly dissipates when an anchor man do or other types of do's are replaced with something with a little more pinash?

Does the hair-Houdini's magical illusion fade away?

SEMANTICS -
Just for you NG2BB

"If da shoe fits wear it. "

Best thing I did for myself in the last 20 years

remember OJ: ...."if DA glove don't fit you must aquit!!!"...

Definitely no regrets for me at all and I'm one of those guys with advanced hair loss. I was well aware of my limitations but am very happy with my results. I agree completely, setting proper expectations with your doc is key.

I've had zero regrets and no complications. HT is definitely the best 6 grand I've ever spent. I was only a norwood 2/3 though so my results were probably much easier to obtain than someone on a higher scale.

thanks for the replys.

Its reassuring to hear people have no regrets.
Maybe its the other site where some people are never happy with their results.

Hairdini,
I really hope i'll be quoting u verbatim in 9 or so months.
"HT is definitely the best 6 grand I've ever spent"

quote:

thanks for the replys.

Its reassuring to hear people have no regrets.
Maybe its the other site where some people are never happy with their results.

Well you have to realize that you eliminated just about anyone who would have regrets in your initial question. You didn't want to hear from anyone who had a HT done years ago or any recent HT that had poor results. You're only asking people who feel they had excellent results. Why would they regret doing it?

It's the people who had bad results or more hair loss over the years who may have some regrets. How do any of the people who had recent excellent results know how they will feel in 5 years after more hair loss? Of course they feel great now.

The way you asked your question made the only possible answers be the ones you received.

quote:

Originally posted by BeHappy:

It's the people who had bad results or more hair loss over the years who may have some regrets. How do any of the people who had recent excellent results know how they will feel in 5 years after more hair loss? Of course they feel great now.

I've seen some pretty young guys with some pretty dense packed frontal hairlines that are surely going to need additional work as inevitable hair loss continues, maybe by the time its a problem they will be able to clone donor hair, but if not, they may come to regret their decision.

A receding front is a smart plan, if you run out of donor hair you can remain looking like you are experiencing normal thinning.

Even with today's surgical techniques and doctor's skill, it's still important to plan for your hair at age 45, not age 25.

Just my .02 on the always interesting topic

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BeHappy:


You didn't want to hear from anyone who had a HT done years ago or any recent HT that had poor results. You're only asking people who feel they had excellent results. Why would they regret doing it? [QUOTE]

behappy,
read my post again. I'm asking if there are people here who can find no fault with their procedure but yet still regret starting down the ht road. THESE PEOPLE DO EXIST !!
Overly high expections could be one reason, lack of density due to donor restrictions another, ongoing costs of further procedures another, styling limitations another(re: ngtgb)

I've seen hundreds of posts from unhappy patients of old techniques but i'm not going to be getting plugs, minis/micros etc so what is the point in including these people in my question.

I'm going for my first procedure very soon and i'm just putting it out there, thats all.
If all the responses are only positive well obviously that can only be of reassurance to me.

your post comes across as being quite negative.
Have u had a bad procedure? I'm interested.

josh-b, Up until about six months ago, I was not very happy with my results of two smaller HTs which started back 4 1/2 years. I just hadn't gottten the results I had hoped to get. Today is another story!! I finally got the results I had at one time only dreamed about, and I'm only 5 1/2 months post-op. I ended up going to the clinic(thanks to this website) that time and time again had the best proof of their work and techniques that were a cut above to say the least. Almost anyone can start an. HT journey today and be confident that they can get the result there looking for well into the future

wylie,
"a receeding front is a smart plan"amen to that brother...that is till hair cloning comes along then im gonna get me a "slash"!
seriously, josh b if you are having doubts its probably time to cancel(for time being).no one can erase your doubts, its your head, hair,and money.of course we all get a bit jittery as we walk through the clinic doors,but assuming you did your research youll be in good hands.
i suggest if you havent shaved head yet do this first,you may love it and never want hair on your head again.whatever you do you wont know untill youve done it.

balody,

i'm not having any doubts and if i were i wouldn't proceed.
I'm just curious to see if theres any negative experiences as described in my initial post.

research, research, research. Thats the number 1 piece of adcice given here, thats what i'm doing.

The shaved head first suggestion is good.I don't have the characteristics to pull it off but a lot of people do.

its752,

3rd time lucky eh? I'm guessing Hasson and wong ?

josh...

best 10 grand i ever spent.....

will probably blow close to 30 grand by the time im done and wont look back.....

josh,

who are you having your procedure with?

I think it is very difficult to know what YOU can expect even after viewing thousands upon thousands of patient photo albums, scrutinizing each square inch of countless bald heads, and attempting to determine the hair density of others while comparing them to yours.

Bottom line is: each INDIVIDUAL is different.

for me, this is what makes this "plunge" a difficult one while I still have enough native hair left to style. You see some guys go from NW5+'s to having more hair then you (or at least me) currently have.then you see others who had an = amount of grafts moved and an = NW level, but end up with a pretty *thin* result; and Im talking about both guys coming from a top notch (even same) doc.

this is clearly the most frustrating aspect of making this decision. I know that I personally will not be happy bald so I will eventually get a ht. The hard part is taking the risk NOW to hopefully get a better result than my current situation, or waiting it out.

Josh: what is your age, NW level, doc, and how many grafts you intend on moving?