Balding Blog

Over and over again, many doctors don’t know when to quit with excising grafts from the donor area as shown in this photo.

We continue to see over-harvested donor areas where those doing the hair transplants take out so much donor hair that they start making the donor area bald. In this man, clearly the hair transplants also failed as you can see from the top of his head. The donor hairs were also taken from his neck area which is not permanent hair.

 

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Over-harvested donor area in an area where too many grafts were done too close together resulting in a loss of blood supply to the scalp

Both of these young men had too many FUE grafts taken from their donor area and now, even with long hair, have what appears to be balding in the back of the head. Longer hair will help, but Scalp Micropigmentation (https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/scar-covering/) usually solves the appearance but doesn’t replace the missing hair in the donor area.

Time will tell. Longer hair will help. Please resend photos back to me in a couple of months. I am concerned that the blood supply to the donor area may have altered the color of your hair as well reduced the amount of hair significantly.

I suspect that you were over-harvested with grafts taken too low. There is some possible devascularization of the donor area. If the hair does not return by the 6th months, then I would recommend Scalp MicroPigmentation, See here: https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/scar-covering/

Most posts I read on various hair loss forums like Reddit, seem to be from guys who’re in their late teens/early 20’s who were probably going to be able to grow beards anyway, but for whom the minox may have just accelerated the process. Any success stories from older guys? I’m nearing 40 myself and looking for some inspiration. Much appreciated.

Men react differently to hair loss at any age. The most common reactions involve opting for very short haircuts or even shaving their heads. This trend is noticeable in places like airports or shopping centers. Some men embrace this change and never look back.

Others take a different route, seeking ways to regain their hair. Many of them share their experiences and seek solutions on platforms like Reddit or various forums. Some younger men might become fixated on their hair loss due to familial experiences.

Then, there’s a group who prefer not to rely on medications and choose the hair transplant route. They seek an immediate solution, despite the significant cost involved. I’ve performed hair transplants on men as old as 92, driven by various reasons like wanting to appear younger for dating purposes. Typically, men between 35 to 55 years old make this decision. With today’s technology, unlike older methods, about half of men can restore their hair in a single transplant session.

The crucial question here is personal: Does hair loss bother someone enough to (1) commit to lifelong medication (assuming it works), or (2) opt for a hair transplant despite the cost?

There are numerous success stories addressing hair loss, many of which are shared on platforms like Reddit. Are you bothered enough to go through treatments such as daily medications or a hair transplant. Only you can answer this question.

I perform HAIRCHECK tests on most patients who want to start finasteride because I want to be able to follow their progress and if the drug is halting or reversing the hair loss., The HAIRCHECK test gives me a metric which allows me and the patient to know with reasonable certainty what is happening to them and with my experience I can often predict long-term hair loss patterns allowing my patients to build a Master Plan for future planning both for financial reasons and for hair growth reasons. If the HAIRCHECK shows no balding, I don’t prescribe finasteride. Also if a patient is depressed and I feel that there will be a link between finasteride and his depression, I might not prescribe it. My assessment of the patient is always one-on-one and then I have the priveledge to prescribe it or not.

In addition, I take a careful history, get to know the patient and try to understand their sexual history and if they may be good a candidate or not go good candidate for this drug. I have turned people down based upon these discussions.