The surgeon was proud of this picket fence which is what it will look like when it grows out. What is a normal hairline is one that has a transition zone from the forehead to the thicker hair. Look at members of your family (male and female) and I think that will show you what normal is.
There does appear to be short hairs about an inch long (see arrow) suggesting that these are new hairs brought on by your Finasteride, minoxidil and microneedling approach.
4 months on minoxidil and microneedling with good initial results. I will be curious on how long it will last. Are you going to stop doing the microneedling and just continue with the minoxidil? You should probably continue the microneedling at least a few times each year.
The combination of Dutastereide, minoxidil and microneedling shows that the corner thinning (shown by arrows) has lessened with this treatment. These are early results and further benefit can be expected over more time.
It is always interesting to know that you are not alone when you are worried about hair loss. You are fortunate that you are in 2020 when the art of the hair transplants is as good as the natural hair growing normally. Had you done it 30 years ago, you would not have been so lucky like Joe Biden (had plugs that were fixed) or Donald Trump (who had a scalp reduction and now is probably bald with a good hair system).
See if you can tell who had hair transplants and who has a hair system from this list: https://www.buzzfeed.com/kimberleydadds/42-celebrity-men-who-are-less-bald-than-they-used-to-be
The number of grafts depends upon a variety of factors including (1) The thickness of your hair shaft (to determine your hair mass index), your donor density (to determine your lifetime donor supply of hair which is finite, (3) what areas you need to cover (not clear from the photos) and best covered in a conversation over the phone or an in-person evaluation. I would question if you adequately treated this first on the possibility of reversing the hair loss.
The usual time is a month, but some people may take a few months. The drug stays in your tissues for up to one month
If you leave a hair piece on your head for 6 weeks, the hair will grow under it and the skin sweat will start to stink. These systems must be washed along with your scalp on a regular basis.
If at the 8 month mark I desire more density, would another operation be appropriate or should I wait until 1 year?
Since 95% of the growth (possibly not length but growth) occurs within the first 8 months, a second surgery can then be done if the desired goals are not met. By the 8th month, you will have a good idea what the value of the first transplant is.
I’m already losing hair anyway. I have no issues committing to a hair system for the rest of my life especially with how good they look and how nice it’s been having one
Everyone makes choices. A hair transplant is complete freedom from worrying about your hair or going to the wig salon every two or three weeks for the rest of your life, plus, a hair system in a 7 year period is more expensive than a hair transplant and the costs go on and on. good luck!
This type of transplanted hairline is not normal. I am not sure what either the doctor was thinking when he gave this man this hairline or if the patient approved or asked for it specifically. This fortunately, can be fixed.
You are young enough to get a good response to drugs like finasateride with minoxidil. Many men young men add microneedling with even better results.
This is probably a joke, but it was worth sharing with my readership if only for a chuckle.
Balding men before hair transplants were around from tressless
If you came to me as your surgeon, I would turn you down because your hairline is excellent as is. The surgery will not match it and changing the shape is not a good idea. Your temple peaks are perfect, but in your design you are making them straight up and curving the frontal hairline in a more feminine shape
An FUE hair transplant depletes the donor area. The greater the number of grafts, the greater the depletion and the see-through look you will develop. Each patient should research this subject before having an FUE with a large number of grafts. 5000 grafts for most people might be a bit too-much but that depends upon the original donor density you have. What is bothering me about the photo is that the surgeon who harvested your donor area went very high, well above the permanent zone which means that some of the grafts may fall out eventually if your balding pattern moves into your crown. More balding will also cause the scars from the FUE to show on your crown. That might imply that the surgeon made his/her decisions based upon their need for money if he/she charged you by the graft, not for your benefit. If you had this done in Turkey, then clearly whoever did your surgery had no clue as to what was permanent hair and what is not.
