I'm 46 years old. Had a marginal job with Dr. Anderson in Bellevue WA (he's out of the business I hear).

I have long hair. Long as in down my back.

I don't want to cut it off to do another procedure. Anyone have exp. with no shaving the area and putting in small grafts between the existing hairs. I heard that the existing hairs fall out, it that a high likelihood.

Any guideance (and doctor recommendations) would be appreciated.

This is a killer site. I wish I would have run across it prior to my first procedure.

Wookie

Hey Wookie,

Love your user ID by the way! Yes, many Docs can and do HT's without shaving down. I encourage you to use the "find" feature at this site to read about the benefits of doing so. My first HT was done without shaving down and it went okay.

You can run the risk of shock loss, but as long as you are going to a quality Doc the risk of it being permanent due to follicle transsection should be minimal. Now, if you have native, MPB susceptible hair that is almost gone anyway, it can be shocked out for good. If the hair is just shocked due to surgical trauma, it'll grow back.

Use the Coalition Surgeons (link at top left of page) to pick from for recommendations. There's really a number to choose from. Who you go to will depend on the type HT you need, i.e. do you need a large or small session, hairline or crownwork......the list goes on. Do some consulting and go from there.

Are you doing anything for loss prevention like taking Finasteride or using Minoxidil? Care to share your age and where you land on the Norwood scale?

Best of luck to you........

I'll do one better, here's a pic of this 46 year old hippie (this is my "praying to the hair gods" pic)

I would like some work on my crown (just a little) and some hairline fill in (those nasty receding temples).

Thanks for your quick response and your kindness.

Wookie

IMG_1280_edited.JPG (229 Kb, 217 downloads) Wookie straight on

Hairbank,

Whoopsie, forgot to answer the "drugs currently taken" question.

I'm on Propecia. Have been since 2004. Can say if it's working or not, but I don't think it hurts. Plus I have heard is good for the ol' prostrate.

Wookie

Here's the front hairline I'm thinking of

IMG_1280_edited__1.JPG (153 Kb, 191 downloads)

Hi Wookie and welcome!

I think at 46 you can be pretty aggressive with your hairline, IMO.

I looked at your drawing of a new hairline and I would raise it a bit in the temples, if only to look appropriate as you grow older.

I think your in position to have a top doc really do a great job on you, so as Hairbank suggested, do a search on several docs that interest you and compare and contrast.

I hope this helps you out and congrats for hanging on to all that hair!!!!!

Wookie,

These guys have given you some good info. I personally would go higher with the hairline. I would keep the middle area and lower approx. 1/2 inch in the temple area so that it gives you a more natural look for your age. Ofcourse you can tell me to pound salt but I really wouldn't choose the hairline that you have drawn in as it might look strange as you age further. Remember, you can always lower it later but can never raise it. Just a thought.

You look like a very good candidate for an awesome result with the right doc. Good luck.

Thanks fellas,

I agree with the "you can always lower it later" comment.

Can you give me your top two Doc recommendations based on what you see (my pic, my age, my thoughts). I see that some of you have 100s of posts, so I think in your mind you have an opinion as to which Doc (or two) I should talk to. I will still do the research work, but a point in the right direction can't hurt.

You guys must know. So..........Lay it on me, my brothers!

Wookie

The donor area would have to be cut, but you wouldn't have to cut the recipient area. The procedure will take more time and care, but it can be done.

Janna,

Thanks for the input. I'm trying to avoid the strip cut again. Isn't there a way to go in and remove the hairs to be transplanted one at a time and insert them where they are needed?

I'm not looking at the cost side of things when I ask this (I am not adverse to paying three sessions worth of costs, if this procedure would take three times as long), I'm more interested in knowing whether it can be done first (then I want to explore the cost side of things)

Your thoughts?

Wookie

Hi Wookie,

You'd want to check into Follicular Unit Extraction then. Do a search on this site for FUE. You should be able to find out the pros and cons of this procedure and whether it's right for you.

Good luck to you.

Janna,

What are your pros and cons. You're in the field and on the front line, who better to ask.

I know it's just your opinion, but your opinion is important to me.

Lay them on me. Don't be afraid to say what you really think.

Thanks.

Wookie

Wookie,

Here are the pros and cons the way I see it. I've actually written on this before and I know others have too...so feel free also to use the "find" feature of this forum to find more information.

Pros to FUE

1. Quicker healing and recovery time. Since a strip of tissue is not removed, there is no need for sutures or staples and healing is much faster
2. Lesser potential for bad scarring - this is primarily why people get FUE...though with today's methods for strip closure, scarring can also be minimial with this technique. Let me be clear...both methods will leave you with some sort of scar, even if undetectable...the scarring is just different.

Cons to FUE

1. Session size at max is much smaller than that of Strip. 1000 FUE is a megasession whereas 4000+ is a megasession with Strip
2. Cost of FUE is about twice as expensive
3. There are more viable candidates for Strip than FUE. Dr. Feller admits that ideal candidates are not known until AFTER surgery starts. He also states that he will attempt doing surgery on people he feels MIGHT be candidates, but if it doesn't work after 45 minutes, he will either give them the option for strip surgery or they call it quits.
4. FUE at best has a slightly lesser growth percentage yield than that of Strip. Strip has been known to be between 95-98% and has been quoted as a "sure-fire" thing per Dr. Feller, whereas best case scenerio, FUE can yield about 90% from what I hear. There is some debate over this, but this is what I've gatherred during my time here and elsewhere.

Personally...in your case, I see no benefit to FUE...but it is your decision.

Falc

Okay, you asked for it, jk. (This is my opinion only and not necessarily the opinions of the doctors I work for.)

Can I first ask you why you are avoiding the strip method? And, how long ago did you have your first procedure? The strip closure has improved greatly in the last few years with utilization of the Tricophytic closure. Scar lines are very hard to detect. (You can do a “find” on this method too if you like)

Viewing the FUE method at numerous surgery demonstrations, I just haven’t been sold on it yet. There are few doctors who are dedicated to perfecting it, and they seem to be improving. My main reservation against FUE is the length of time with so few quality grafts to show for it. One of the “pros” is no donor scars. Yet, if you extracted 1500 + grafts, you will eventually be able to detect where they were extracted. On the other hand, if you use the strip method with 500-1000 grafts in mind, you would be hard pressed to find the scar. Even the 5-6000 graft strips are yielding a beautiful donor scar if done by a capable doctor. So, it really depends on how many grafts you ultimately need. There are some cases where FUE may be beneficial, but I think it’s for a select few. If you plan on getting over 1000 grafts, I think the strip method is the way to go.

I heard one of our former patient’s say he wanted a FUE procedure done for his second HT because he just wanted a few hundred grafts. I didn’t understand why he wanted to pay 2 to 3 times more for a FUE procedure when his scar line from a strip would be barely detectable for 200-300 grafts. When you do a second procedure using the strip, the old scar is removed so that you are left with just one fine scar line.

I’m sure you will be getting many posts from those who are “sold” on the FUE method and why they are sold on it. These are just my thoughts since you requested it.

Janna & Falceros,

Thanks a ton for your info. This is truly a great site. I feel the love.

Wookie

Tell me again what Doc you work with?

Wookie

Wookie,

Janna works with Shapiro Medical as per her signature

I don't work for any clinic.

Falc

Anyone ever heard of Dr. Brian Goertz in Bellevue, WA?

Good, Bad, Neutral?

Thanks.

Wookie

Probably not the best time to ask about Dr. Goertz. Personally, I've only seen one pic of his work on this site and it was not good. If you're in WA, no question, go to Hasson and Wong in Vancouver as they are excellent.

Dr. Goertz was responsible for starting a hair loss website apparently moderated by someone under his influence (in my understanding).......seemingly as a possible direct slap in the face of this site, HTN. A few of the Docs recommended here supported the site for a brief time, then, after a short while the site was disabled and still is, I believe.

So............if you're wanting a Good-Bad-Neutral opinion..........I'll opt for Bad from the quality of work I saw and say that I believe his character is in question........just IMO.

Hairbank,

Your honest response is why this site is killer. Think of the hundreds of people (like me originally), that went off an ad or a "recommendation". I had Dr. Anderson (who I understand is out of business) do my first HT, and it's worthless.

This guy is doing a fair amount of advertising. Nightmare!

Wookie