Well everyone, I have not been on the forums much for a while but I wanted to touch base with everyone on my history and future with HT. In March of 2005 I went to Dr.A and recieved about 2500 FUE grafts in the frontal area and crown, it was a split of about 2000/front, 500/crown. Overall, i am quite pleased with the result. Dr.A has made it so I can now avoid wearing a hat when I need to and with a little toppik, you can't tell I have any kind of hairloss issue. I was a Norwood 4-5 before. Now, my issue is that I am heavy into watersports and being a helicopter pilot, I am also subject to HIGH wind conditions from rotor downwash. When I "do" my hair, I use toppik and hairspray, and water or high wind is not a good thing for me. It also takes me a while to get my hair to look "just right" with the toppik in the front. Now I am going back for dense packing. I have high hopes in that this will solve my problem completely. When my hair is wet, it definately looks thin in the front and pretty bad in the crown. I have stabilized pretty well with the consistant use of finastride and minox. I emailed Dr.A with some pictures and he recommended about 2500 grafts to fill in the thin areas with dense packing. We are going with 2700 and I expect the result will be great! Finally I will be able to go hatless with no additional "fixing." I'm soooo excited.
The first time I did FUE as I was very concerned about the scar, this time I can't afford the FUE but have been assured that the new scar technique so that I am not too concerned about it.
I'll be sure to post up many before the first time, before the second time and after pictures.

I know it seems odd to go from FUE to strip but with the latest technology in strip and the cost, I figure it is worth a try. I will never shave my head, and that is what made me decide to go with strip. No I am not expecting to have ZERO scar but I do expect to have a not-so-standing-out scar that doesn't really show unless you are looking for it, since I plan to keep my hair length at a 3-4 cut at minimum.

The cost of it is not the only factor here. I have time away to consider (1 day vs. 5 days) the density factor, and BTW ADP, thanks for your input but I do have OTHER financial responsibilities that prevent me from dropping the extra money on going FUE when I consider the pro's vs. con's here. It is what I can afford (you don't know my other bills) to do and with the con (the scar) being the only "con" here, and there being positives, I see the scar as not that big of a deal considering the new scar technique and that I will never succumb to being bald (shaven or just getting there naturally) it is worth the trade off. Who knows maybe I will be back here crying about it full of regret and saying you were right, but I doubt that will happen. If I do feel that way, I will let you know first.

I am pleased with the FUE, its just that when I weigh out the options, I feel that dense packing with strip is the way to inexpensively achieve the result I am looking for. Yes, if I won the lottery tomorrow, I would probably call Dr.A and switch it to a FUE procedure in all honesty. But money is a factor here and I don't want to "wait till I can afford FUE again."

I am optimistic about the scar. I don't expect it to be undetectible under any conditions but with my hair at a 3-4 I do. That is all I would be worried about as I have no problem keeping my hair at that length. 

Going back next week.

Detailed forum discussion for this topic can be found at:

http://www.hairsite4.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=12&topic_id=48389&mode=full