Have you gone through a hair transplant? Was it worth it?

Well?

I haven't but am considering it myself. An older relative got one when I was young and it lasted for the next 20 years or so until he died and it looked natural.

They first have to get follicles from the back of your head before transplanting them on the top. I've often wondered: Does it not result in less hair in the back?

Why would the transplanted hair not fall for the same reason the original hair fell in the first place? So many mysteries...

It’s fine. Glad I did it.

Does it look natural or fake, r5? Can you share your experience?

Oh, just saw it... Joe...

The hair at the back where they take it from is, in most men, genetically programmed to not fall out, which is why it is supposed to keep growing the rest of your life in the new transplanted area. You want to avoid the old punch graft kinds of transplants, which don't look natural with many hairs in each graft. You want the many very small grafts, which look more like a natural hairline especially.

They'll numb both the back where they take the grafts from as well as the areas in the front of the head where they will transplant them after they subdivide these, well, strips of hair (and attached root/subcutaneous fat, etc.). Many times they have equipment like special microscopes to help them as they divide the grafts from the back into tiny little grafts of 1 to 2 hairs or so, plus they stitch back the area where they took them from in the back of head. That's where you can have the scar, but basically the hair growing around it in layers would cover it, unless you decided at some point to shave yourself bald (which is unlikely since you're getting the transplant to avoid being bald). It takes a while for all this stuff to heal, and the first couple of nights you have to take medication to control pain. Some of those newly transplanted hairs fall out, but weeks later new hairs emerge, growing thereafter from the roots/fat, etc. under the skin. But you have to research and find good doctor who specializes in this. It's pretty expensive too.

Wow thanks R8. So you need to take medicine like propecia if you get a transplant?

Years ago I looked into this. The "medication to control pain" was codeine. The actual transplanting took all day, with several administrations of the numbing anaesthetic; indeed, there even were "snack breaks."

The cost was in the several thousands range, IIRC.

The serious pain potential, the possibility of infection (part of the doctor's explanation), and that transplants are most effective with "male pattern baldness" and not the all-over hair loss as is more seen with women, made me not pursue the procedure.

R9 Most likely you're getting a transplant so you can stop with the propecia for the most part, though if there's more balding, you can either get another tranplant, or you'll have enough new hair to comb over some, but towards the back where it's not nearly as much of a big deal like a typical in-front combover.

Have you tried other things OP?

Like some LED panels or whatever those lights are called. they claim to help hair grow...

Looks very phony to me but suit yourself

Nope. Before was much worse.^

This doc does good work, but it's expensive.

Just don't go the cheap route.

are those dentures in R13 's picture?

I'd be willing to donate from my big Mediterranean bush if needed.

What about people who take the medication. The docs say if you stop taking the meds your hair will fall out again, so isn’t your body reliant on these meds by now? Won’t it cause the new hair to fall out if you stop taking the meds? I always hope there’s an even more advanced and less painful hair loss solution around the corner. I’d be paranoid every time I find hairs in my shower that it was starting again.

I took propecia years ago and it destroyed my sex drive (known side effect). I stopped the treatment and recovered the libido, fortunately.

r11 That is incorrect. The propecia is required to stop further hair loss. For anyone concerned about propecia side effects, just try it out. the side effects go away when you stop taking it, assuming you have any.

I've had two, OP, and I've been thrilled with the results. Do your due diligence and DON'T cheap out! This is not an area in which you want a bargain.

Its happening to me in the last 2 years. Crazy I’ve been wearing beanie hats since I was 25 simply because I like the style of it so no one knows but my household.

It’s going very slowly. I hate it.

But I don’t mind going the wig route if I had to. I’ve always hated my hair and could never do anything with it so it’s like paying to get a transplant of hair I hate sounds like a waste of money.

If you browse on YouTube there are some European companies doing some amazing hair systems (wigs) (toupe).....

Biden's hair transplant was decades ago, R13. They've gotten MUCH better technology+techniques now.

Just about every male celeb over 45 who's still got the same hairline they had at 30 has had transplants.

I know a few guys who've done it OP and they all are glad they did. But for some it hurt, after anesthesia wore off, way more than they expected.

Can women get a transplant? On the right side, I have a thin hairline, especially at the cowlick and above the ear. I want a transplant to fill in those spots. I wonder how much money are we talking about in my case?

Sure, R26. Here's an article for the fish from Allure magazine

[quote]Hair transplants are typically associated with men seeking a remedy for male-pattern hair loss, but the number of women looking to the procedure has been on the rise. "In our practice, about 27 percent of our surgical patients are female," says Carlos K. Wesley,, a hair restoration surgeon in New York City.

[quote]Both types of transplants can range in price from $5,000 to $20,000 depending on the practitioner performing the procedure and the number of hair follicles that need to be harvested.

Do you get some scarring? Even if I get a transplant now, in my mid 40s, I might want to shave my head in my 60s.

I’d love to do it but the idea of numbing my head scares the shot out of me.

I looked into it and scheduled a Bosley consultation and was turned off by the hard sell. I decided to try Rogaine and Toppik and Procepia. Rogaine was too messy and greasy so I stopped using it. After a while I didn’t even need the Toppik anymore.

From the article at r25

[quote] If you are thinking about a hair transplant but your most intense hair loss occurred in the last two or three years, then you might first consider other methods of hair restoration—things like finasteride, minoxidil, and plasma treatments. (These are things you’ll need to heavily consider after a hair transplant anyway, in order to preserve the hair you've got left.)

I would have hoped once the hair is restored to not have to take any meds to keep it…

[quote] I would have hoped once the hair is restored to not have to take any meds to keep it

The transplanted hair won’t fall out ever. But the rest of your hair at the crown will.

Hair transplants have come a LONG way from the era when Joe Biden got his "plugs". And back in the early 80's thru even the mid to late '90s, they were just that: plugs. Unnatural and not remotely convincing.

Basically there are two types of surgery you can elect to have: FUT (aka the 'strip' method) has the surgeon remove a strip of donor hair (removed in the 'safe zone' at the back of the head) and from that, dissects individual grafts for implantation in the hairline/mid scalp/grown. These grafts can contain anywhere from 1 to 4 hairs each. Hairline restoration can take anywhere from 1500-3000 grafts. Thru careful incision design and placement, the FUT procedure can create a very natural, refined and DENSE looking result. However, the success of this remains dependent on the skill and aesthetic tastes of the surgeon.

FUE (aka the 'non-strip' or 'punch' method) is the latest evolution of this approach. Rather than take a strip (which leaves a minor scar...though accomplished surgeons will make this VERY subtle) they use a manual or robot-assisted 'punch' device (looks like a pen!) to extract grafts throughout your 'safe zone' at the back of your head (rather than one distinct line/strip). The upside is that you get diffused extractions this way: meaning you can shave your head down to a 1 or 2 guard without any fear of seeing that strip scar. There IS still tiny scarring, but 99% of the population won't be looking for it The downside to the FUE is that the graft survival rate and quality of the extraction itself can vary WIDELY. This can lead to a higher number of grafts not 'taking root' and results not nearly as consistent as the older FUT method.

Having said that, FUE has come a long way in the last decade, and there are phenomenal docs around the world who specialize in it and create knockout results. Look at Juan Couto on YouTube to see the magic he works with FUE exclusively. Dr. Rahal in Ottawa, Dr. Hasson in Vancouver, Feller and Bloxam In NY remain some of the big names in North America.

DO NOT go cheap with this surgery. There ARE some exceptional doctors overseas but there are also a lot of hair mills who will take your money and disappoint you. It's also important to recognize this surgery demands good 'donor hair'. What does this mean? Those with finer and darker-colored hair follicles usually have a harder time achieving the illusion of density than those with thicker (or lighter colored) follicles. Remember, even when "densely packed", a hair transplant is still not going to give you your original density back. It can come close, and the result itself can APPEAR as dense (or even more so) but that's more the skill of the surgeon than actual density. What many don't realize is that those with fine (thinner) hair follicles generally have higher overall *density* than those individuals with coarser/thicker follicles. But finer hair still often doesn't appear as 'thick' as the less dense thicker hair. Hair texture also factors into this as well.

Propecia is also must if you're serious about this surgery as well. Otherwise you're potentially flushing tens of thousands of dollars down the toilet. A reputable surgeon WILL assess how good a candidate you are and make suggestions on hairline height, density and future planning. I don't spell all of this out to deter or scare you off surgery, but it's a procedure that must be thoroughly investigated. Good luck!

Also: Avoid Bosley like the plague. Total scam, total hacks. Those aforementioned doctors are just the tip of the iceberg for reputable, accomplished HT surgeons. Check out the Hair Restoration Network forums if you haven't already. You'll give the real scoop and avoid yourself some heartache.

There's 2 main techniques for hair transplants, R28, One does leave a linear scar on your scalp.

The first is called FUT where a "strip" of follicles is removed off the back of your head. That does leave a scar where they sew the gash back together. But a good doc will make a clean scar that will fade to barely noticeable after several years... but still a scar no less.

The other technique, which I think is becoming more predominant, is FUE where they "pluck" follicles from around your head, like a tiny hole-punch taking out tiny chunks around your scalp. For this one, since there's no one place the follicles come from, there's no gash to sew together,

The first type, FUT, is more necessary if it's a big job. It's also less time consuming and is cheaper But FUE leaves no noticeable scar for most.

As a footnote: there WAS a procedure in-between the old school Biden "plugs" and modern FUT/FUT. This was called many names but it was most widely known as "Fleming Mayer Flap". It was a barbaric, highly-risky procedure that many believe Donald Trump underwent. It usually involved a scalp reduction as well (which we know Donny had) If any hair doc suggests this: RUN!

Stan Lee, Sylvester Stallone and Harry Connick all had this procedure. And for a period there, it seemed like the better option over "plugs". But even Stallone and Connick, who walked away with good results (the total exception) were forced to soften their hairlines with FUT/FUE or electrolysis thereafter. Because they're literally carving a new hairline shape/design into the sides of your head, flipping it over to be placed as your new hairline -- the resulting 'flap' causes a very hard edged/thick hairline, with the hairs growing out in the wrong direction. You can begin to see why no one does this anymore!

Successful FUT/FUE celebrity cases include: Joel McHale (he's admittedly had 3 surgeries), David Spade, Christian Slater, Bradley Cooper, Brendon Urie and Elon Musk (he's likely had 2-3 procedures as well).

R36 I'm glad to see some of the guys you mentioned. A couple of them regularly grow their hair long. I prefer my hair to be on the medium long side. Some people have said you have to keep your hair cut short after a transplant, for it to look natural.

R36, Steve Carell had something done too and it looks good.

David Beckham had a really good hair transplant too.

Experiencing what I later realized was normal recession at the temple, I went to a reputable local surgeon in my late 20s who would not perform surgery, saying he couldn’t improve on what I then-currently had. As I was leaving his office, I remarked that I might see him in a few years. Taking another look at my scalp, he said, encouragingly, “I don’t know.” Not satisfied, I sought out a nationally known celebrity surgeon who had offices across the country, including my hometown. He had no hesitation performing surgery. When I was leaving after the procedure, I could see that I ALL the hair where it was parted was gone. When I, in anguish, questioned the doctor, he said, “You we’re going to lose it all eventually.” I said, “Yeah, but not all at once. And not all today.”

Certain that, despite his notoriety, my doctor was a quack, I was petrified that the surgery was a bust. But sure enough, hair starting growing in. But since he operated at the hairline, giving me the hairline of a teenager, I couldn’t stop with the one procedure. So began an odyssey covering many surgeries (most with the original doctor I sought out), & many years.

What started out as a tale of woe eventually settled into a success story. I’m very happy now with the full head of hair I have. And since I don’t have a lot of grey hair, I’ve often wondered if that’s a product of my many transplants, as the source hair seems to lag in turning in grey in most men.

For those with receding hairlines, what about microblading the hairline?

That “before” hairline is not receding, R41.

What is microblading? You’re cutting off more hair?

Vanity, thy name is man.

Honey, you’re not fooling anyone.