(12-31-2011, 05:44 PM)mcat45 Wrote: I think ultimately I'm gonna do a front hairline transplant thats pretty thick and wear a system behind it.

At this stage, its surgically impossible to have a dense transplant that would be as natural looking and thick as a real hairline is.
A surgeon will tell you he can make it appear thicker by staggering the implants, but this illusion will only work if you view the hairs face on.
From all other angles it will appear see thru.

I could have a transplant or two but just havent done it. I dont think its about cost there are surgeons out there who will allow you to pay in installments, plus you could put it on interest free credit cards. And as someone pointed out just because its reported rooney paid 30 grand doesnt mean he did, it is possible he paid that to have the place closed just for him so no-one else would be there and he would then get the special treatment celebs like. Alot of transplants of similiar grafts would cost in the region of £10,000.

The transplant plus hairpiece could look great but I have read reports of people who state its hard to blend the two together.

I'm considering a HT but it would probably mean travelling half way round the world on my own which is a big deal for me, the fact rooney had such great results (remember he still has 6 months of improvements yet to come) had his in the uk makes the likelyhood of me having a ht improve the only drawback is we dont know which doc did his HT.

The best thing about hair pieces is you can get the look you want so if down the line I want a HT at least I dont have to look back and say I wasted years doing nothing and looking like crap.

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(12-31-2011, 07:38 PM)Hersute Wrote:

(12-31-2011, 05:44 PM)mcat45 Wrote: I think ultimately I'm gonna do a front hairline transplant thats pretty thick and wear a system behind it.

At this stage, its surgically impossible to have a dense transplant that would be as natural looking and thick as a real hairline is.
A surgeon will tell you he can make it appear thicker by staggering the implants, but this illusion will only work if you view the hairs face on.
From all other angles it will appear see thru.

Thats not true, plenty of people get amazing results, I understand you didnt get the results you wanted, if you are willing to share which doc did you use and when did you have it done?

I've had this discussion several times before and gone in to those details.
But they're irrelevant really because no surgeon will guarantee you results and there is no way to gauge and quantify someone's expectations.
So its all subjective and therefore pointless to debate.
I can only speak from my personal experience and from having seen recent results first hand.
I don't want to dissuade anyone from looking into it or ultimately having surgery, if thats what they want.
But I am suggesting caution and FULL research before having a procedure, because good results are not dependant upon having enough finances and its not the miracle cure many people think it can be.
I speak for myself when I say that I know a hair piece gives me a more natural, less detectable result than any surgeon could give me.
If that wasn't the case, I'd be under that knife quicker than you can say toupee!

I would continue buying from toplace but get the best stylist I could find and have them do the work, (cut in, bond, highlighting). I have tried many options, transplants did not do well for me, left scars, and the top of my head was partially numb for about 5 years, it slowly returned. "Hair Clubs" ABSOLUTLY SUCKED!!! Concealers left my hair looking dull and fake, this is it guys, what your doing right now is the best option, the secret it knowing how to do it, and I have learned from my brothers here how to do it better than anyplace and all the options I have tried up till now!

I get what you are saying.. i have seen transplants look very whispy and thin etc.. but there are some results i saw on youtube that gave nice density hairlines and they really showed it up close and parted the hair in diff directions. Unless the video is a hoax, they def gave a high density hairline that looked great.. Maybe they have new methods now? if you only wanted a hairline done and use all your donor hair, why couldn't they make it a high density hairline?
here are some examples
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImqKyDID2...ature=plcp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Aqolq7BC...ature=plcp

Thes are BEST CASE examples and they look good, for now. The hair will continue to fall out, and then need to be done again. Untill they come up with a way to reverse and STOP hair loss, transplants are a temporary solution. I wish there was another way but I think tis is it...Toplace, and learn the skill to make it work.

Guys, this thread is gold to me because I researched this matter for months, and gives me an opportunity to condensate my thoughts. Forgive the long post.

To me, hair systems are the way to go. Rich or not, it doesn't matter. Celebrities themselves, who are not exactly stripped for cash, use hair systems:



Were I rich I would, perhaps, have a stock of hair systems to last a lifetime and a personal stylist on retainer so I won't have to bother with styling my hair myself. But that would just be affluenza-induced laziness, not incompetence. Applying and styling your own hair system is not altogether difficult once you get the hang of it.

I considered a transplant, did my research, talked with people who had one and/or considered one, online and offline, and concluded that as it stands, it's too much of a crap shot. Those pictures you see on the websites, the "befores" and "afters", they are their best results. What would be the point of showing botched transplants? They have a business to run.

Just troll the forums for information and you'll see that the reality of hair transplant is a far cry from the miracle they tout it to be. Sometimes what they say verges on false advertising, like guaranteeing a complete restoration of the hair, or at least leading people to believe that that it's even remotely possible. Guaranteeing anything in this specific case is pure bull. You can luck out or not.

Sure, the technology has been making great strides. But in my opinion the risk/cost is not worth it. Yes, I've heard from people satisfied with their results (the jury is still out on the long term results, though). But I also I've heard too many horror stories - visible scars, follicles not taking root leaving quite noticeable spots, or simply unsatisfactory results. Also, hair transplants are not permanent. You'll still lose your hair with time. You're just delaying the inevitable, for a pretty penny and moderate-to-considerable discomfort.

A hair system has nothing to do with your scalp situation or genetics; it is as simple as it gets. It doesn't matter how fast or often you lose your hair. It's fast, undetectable - if done right - and relatively cheap. You don't have to have invasive surgery, and the results are immediate - no surprises whatsoever. You decide to get one, you make a template (or have one made for you by a professional), you style it (or you get a professional cut-in) and what you see is what you get. In real time too! Once you're satisfied, you simply send the cut-and-styled hair system in and get it duplicated. Enjoy your new mane.

And, especially, what you pay is what you get - unlike hair transplants, where the results are visible after months and until then, you'll never be sure whether the whole thing has indeed been successful or not. And if it hasn't been, good luck getting your money back. And perhaps a healthy scalp. And, again, it's not permanent anyway.

Nowadays the lace is undetectable (honestly, I've met people recently with hair systems during my research - they had to convince me that hair was not theirs) and the glues/tapes are so strong the hairpiece won't even come off if you pull it - in fact, I've recently read the story of a boy affected by trichotillomania (long story short: a form of OCD involving a compulsive urge to pull out one's own hair, causing noticeable hair loss) who's been "cured"...with a hair system.

You can read the story here.

And here's a very relevant quote:

Quote:"Because of the glue in the hair system, he couldn't pull his hair out and he retrained his brain to focus on things other than pulling his hair," his mother said.

So yeah, that's right. Someone who pulled his own hair compulsively had to retrain his brain because, simply put, the hair system was stronger than his natural hair. Go figure.

Oh, what else? You can get it fitted as your baldness progresses (or go for a full cap and the heck with it), you can adjust the density as you wish, you can change length, color, position - in short, hair systems give you total freedom of choice and you can literally change your hair at will.

And, by the way, being rich has nothing to do with it. For the cost of a complete hair transplant you can afford about TEN YEARS of hair systems. And I can also break it down for you.

Let's suppose that you're not completely bald and you have a bald or sparse crown area and/or a mangy frontal area/high hairline.

According to this interactive calculator, covering those areas (1, 4,5,6,7) with a fullness of around 35, you'll need around 3500 grafts.

The average cost of a graft being $5, that's $17,500. Add all the ancillary costs such as the consultations, the staff, the painkillers, traveling if you do it "offshore", and all those things and we can probably round it up to at least $19,000.

Now, if a hairpiece lasts 3 months on average (I know - it depends on many factors, some may last even 6 months, some 2, just a ballpark figure) you need about 5 hairpieces per year. Let's say 6, just to stay on the safe side and account for whatever imponderables may crop up. That's about $1,200/year.

Let's add another $500 for all the appurtenances you need - tape, glue, you name it. Now we are at $1,700/year. In 10 years, that's $17,000. That's around $141 per month. Not exactly chump change, but definitely not something for millionaires.

And in 10 years, rest assured, a good chunk of transplanted hair would fall off anyhow.

Just my two cents. Again, sorry for the long post. I'd appreciate comments.

(01-01-2012, 01:53 PM)hairagain Wrote: Thes are BEST CASE examples and they look good, for now. The hair will continue to fall out, and then need to be done again. Untill they come up with a way to reverse and STOP hair loss, transplants are a temporary solution. I wish there was another way but I think tis is it...Toplace, and learn the skill to make it work.

I assume you mean the non transplanted hair will continue to fall out? As the transplanted hair is taken from areas not affected from MPB. Its true that the chances are you will need more than 1 HT but that also depends on how much you've lost already and if you are a good responder to propecia.

(01-02-2012, 12:34 AM)standbyme Wrote: I assume you mean the non transplanted hair will continue to fall out? As the transplanted hair is taken from areas not affected from MPB. Its true that the chances are you will need more than 1 HT but that also depends on how much you've lost already and if you are a good responder to propecia.

And thats the problem.
Its a gamble.
No one can predict what is going to happen with your hair loss in the future and whether or not you will have sufficient donor hair to cover that hair loss.
So you made NEED a further transplant, but not be able to have one.
All the money in the world can't then buy you what you need.

Likewise no one can predict how you'll respond to the necessary drugs and you won't know if they are having side effects until those medical problems appear.
What happens then? You need the drugs to maintain your appearance, but you can't take them because they're ruining your health.

These are all very real & distinct possibilities that have to be realised & considered.

A surgeon will only be able to deal with your appearance here & now.
Its a fact that your appearance will alter with time.
Those changes will present further complications and the need for more surgery and that just guarantees a surgeon more work.

You have to think about yourself and the consequences for your future.
The surgeon won't be doing this for you.

You're the gambler and the surgeon is the casino.
You might get lucky, but the casino is always the ultimate winner.

I'm not saying "Don't do it".
But I am saying "Be aware of the odds and exactly what you're getting into".

I had a consultation with a world renowned hair transplant surgeon when I was 23 and had just begun wearing hair. He told me I was headed for stage 7 hair loss but that I had very good density on my sides and would therefore be able to get good coverage in the front with a bald spot remaining in the crown area. I opted not to proceed with surgery. In my mid 30's my wonderful sides began to get thinner and thinner until the point where even concealers couldn't provide coverage to sufficiently to pull off a topper. I ultimately shaved the sides and now wear a full cap. If I had proceeded with the transplants, I would have been out a lot of money, had a scarred head, and been wearing the same full cap now.