HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

[forhair]

Although Dr. Cole's current work is, by far, the most natural I've seen on the web

You basically answered your own question, I don't see any risk in having a small FIT session in your age and in your degree of hair loss. It is always good to wait tho...
Me personally could have waited and probably live comfortably with my hair loss another 10 years, but now when i see the outcome of my procedure i don't feel any regret at all. it actually increases my anger for more work.
It is basically up to you and how you feel about your hair loss, it will never hurt to wait a couple of years... but if you want to take action then this is the time since FIT provides excellent results with no visible scarring and if you don't like it you can always just shave your head and move on.

[drcole]

Hair transplant surgery is not right for you until you are right for it. Don't jump the gun if you are not ready. Consider, however that only a small fraction of men with a class 2 to 3 at 37 years of age will advance to a more severe form of hair loss. There is a very good probablity that your hair loss will not be extreme.

Good questions to ask yourself are: How long do you want to wait before you get a more youthful look? Are you happy with your present appearance? Would you like to look better while you are young enough to get the maximal enjoyment out of it or can you wait?

Strip surgery is more of a do all you can do when you do it procedure. FUE is more of a do what you need now procedure. One of the nice things about FUE is you can always rever to a strip at a later time, but you can never undo a strip scar entirely. Sure you can camaflage it with more FUE grafts into the scar, but will it ever be as good as no scar?

Until you are ready, stay on the Propecia. If you stop it, you will begin to loose hair and you will never be able to return to the point you were when you stoped without surgery. When hair restoration surgery is right for you, hopefully you will know. I wish I could tell you specifically when this is, but there is no one objective way to do this. Time is on your side though. If you were a class 3 at age 20, we'd be expecting some really significant hair loss. Still i've seen some class 2 individuals who did not progress beyond and early 3 over 10 years after their initial presentation at age 23. This may be the exception rather than the rule. we never want to sell someone on a hair transplant. we want only to help restore those individuals who are ready to take a proactive course in restoring their hair.

[forhair]

The thing about hair loss and thinning in the front is that it changes the "frame" of the face and takes some getting used to.

This is so true!
This is the first thing that i noticed after my HT, my forehead used to be 7 fingers (yes..i used to count it ) and now it is 5 fingers. i really didn't like my receding forehead, it changed my face frame totally. i had never cared about my crown tho.
It is almost imposable to rollback to a 16 years old hair line with the same density...but it is possible to lower the hair line with enough density to make you look superb.

[drcole]

I am glad you were sucessful in accepting your hair loss. This is a succesful treatment. Remember that hair loss due to androgenic alopecia is not a medical illness exactly. It is due to genes and hormones, but it is a natural occurrence. Treatment for your hair loss is geared toward improving your self perceptions. If you are more comfortable with your hair loss at this time, you have succesfully treated you hair loss without surgery. Remember to keep the medications for hair loss in mind including Propecia, Minoxidil, topical spironolactone, and Nizoral shampoo. Hopefully you will cease to concern yourself with your hair loss. If not, we will be happy to see what we can do for you.

[css]

Hi,

> It is almost imposable to rollback to a 16 years old hair line with the
> same density...but it is possible to lower the hair line with enough
> density to make you look superb.

Based on what I read on your website, my understanding is that it *IS* possible if I use body hair (provided I have enough reserve, which is my case)

Not to mean any offense, but I have the feeling that while you're very confident regarding FIT, the use of body hair (with FIT) isn't ready for prime time. From what I've read so far, the use of body hair is the exception rather than the rule (only for those who explicitly ask in order to get better density or when scalp is damaged for instance)

Am I correct ? Dr Cole, can you please give a clear statement regarding the use of body hair ?

Thanks!
KG.

[drcole]

body hair transplants are for the individuals with a reduced or depleted donor area. they are for body hair such as eye brows. they are still somewhat theoretical in terms of scalp coverage. We do not know if the length will increase and we do not know how many or what percentage will grow over time. there is no question whether it grows. it does grow. it grows well. however, you are correct. body hair transplants are not ready for prime time. they are for people with little other hope for the most part. they are for individuals who are innovators. they are not for the main stream and they should not be used to encourage individuals to begin hair transplant surgery. over the next year we hope to have more information regarding body hair. as the data comes in, we will pass it on.