I Want an FUE Procedure After Already Having 3 Strip Procedures

I had 3 strip hair transplants in the late 1990s, they came out OK but being that I’m around a 5-6 on the Norwood scale and got only a little more than 3,000 grafts total, it’s just too dang thin. All-in-all I’ve never quite decided for sure whether going the HT route was worth it or not, sometimes I think yes, sometimes I should have just shaved my head.

Anyway I’ve researched FUE quite a bit over the past year or so and have signed up for a 1,000-1,200 FUE procedure over 2 days with a doctor who is known as being one of the best in the business at FUE. My goal is fairly modest I think — no crown work or lowering the hairline or anything, just adding grafts on top towards the front to make it look less thin (I won’t even say thicker, I’ll settle for less thin). I’m hoping this final result meets my expectations (which I truly believe are realistic and not at all grandiose).

Does my plan sound reasonable to you? Or would you say there’s a big chance I’ll end up in the same unenthusiastic place about the whole thing, minus $8-$10K and a few more weeks of my life?

You put me in a very precarious position with your question. While it is understandable that you are seeking a second opinion on your decision to have an FUE procedure, you are asking me if the clinical judgment made by your doctor was correct without a formal examination from me. If you would like a second opinion, please make an appointment to see me.

That being said, if your doctor cannot answer the same questions you are posing to me then there is a communication issue. As a Class 6 pattern with 3000 grafts already in, I would expect (assuming that a complete pattern balding was your ‘before’ status) that the addition of 1000 grafts now to the 3000 that is already there may make only a marginal impact on the thin appearance. There are tricks in the art of this process that can make 1000 grafts act like 2000 grafts. Of course, what I am saying does not reflect the characteristics of your hair or its thickness, or the surgeons plan or in particular what you look like now and where these grafts are going to be put.