Frontal Hair LossA sensible solution to solving frontal hair loss based on my own personal experience.If you are concerned about frontal hair loss, (also referred to as "a widow's peak," or a receding hair line), you are surely not alone. Nearly every male will experience hair loss in this region at some point in their life. In this small web-site, I will explain and illustrate how I used the only two methods, scalp surgery and hair transplants, that are medically established to defeat the most common form of hair loss in men, frontal hair loss. You are not alone: If a receding hair line or frontal hair loss has been bothering you, take a look around at other men your age. I am constantly comparing my own hair line to everyone else's. Perhaps you are too. If so, you have easily noticed that you are not alone and nearly every man has frontal hair loss. In fact, it is so common, the only time I am amazed at when I compare myself is to see a man with no apparent frontal hair loss. One of my supervisors at work, a man 55 year's old, has no hair loss, front or back. Zip. Zero. His hair looks great. But he is one of the rare, lucky ones. If you are reading this web site, your hair loss is obviously bothering you and you may be ready to do something about it. Please read this site as I will explain how I am solving my frontal hair loss. Propecia & Rogaine are ineffective for frontal hair loss In the course of my investigation into solving my hair loss problems, I quickly discovered that finasteride (propecia) and minoxidil (rogaine) were not going to be of any help in solving my frontal hair loss problem. I offer these two quotes directly from the official web site for each product: -"For most men, PROPECIA increases the number of scalp hairs, helping to fill in thin or balding areas of the scalp. Men taking PROPECIA noted a slowing of hair loss during two years of use. Although results will vary, generally you will not be able to grow back all of the hair you have lost. There is not sufficient evidence that PROPECIA works in the treatment of receding hairline in the temporal area on both sides of the head. -from Pharmacia and Upjohn: "We have not widely studied frontal hair growth in men to-date." - In other words, they are not getting the results the want in their studies. - My opinion. Scalp or Flap Surgery: When I was still in my early 20s, I noticed a widow's peak forming real fast. This was in the early 1990s when hair transplants were $20 a graft!! Although I was committed to correcting this problem, hair transplants at that time were still out of my price range. To see if I had any other options, I consulted with a local plastic surgeon who recommended a tpo scalp flap surgery. Looking at the illustrations below, you will see that it's basically a rotation of the scalp from the side of the head, to front or widow's peak region. Since the density would be good and the flap would cover a large area, I decided to pay the $3000 and go ahead with the surgery.
Click on Image to see full illustrations Nearly 10 years later, my feelings are mixed about having this procedure done. The positive point was it did solve my widow's peak on my left side with a thick coverage of hair, but on the negative, it left me with a straight hair line that is noticable (see picture below - sorry no before pictures available).
I also have a bulge or what they call a "dog ear" which is a raised scalp where they sutured the new scalp in place. Although you can't really see it in the picture, it is felt when I run my hand over my head. And basically, what this is, is one scalp on top of another. Therefore, it is "higher" then the rest of my scalp. Although I am currently correcting the straight line problem with small grafts to break up this line where they sutured my scalp together, it will never look completely natural, as you may notice for yourself. I can only hope it will be less noticable. When people do ask "what happened to your head?" I just tell them I was in a bad car accident and that seems to fool them. But the self-consciousness of their calling attention to it, lingers. Although my hair is "slicked back" in this picture, my normal way of combing it has always been to part it on the left side and let the hair fall over the line and this covers some of it up. I haven't really done much research on this type surgery since I had it done, but I do understand doctors who specialize in this have gotten better at it. Before having flap surgery done, I highly recommend you do your research very thoroughly and look at as many before and after pictures of clients from each doctor you consider. However, after you read my section on hair transplants below, you will understand which solution I recommend and why. Hair Transplants: To solve the widow's peak problem on my right side, nearly 9 years later, I went with hair transplants. I chose a clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, Hair Transplant Center, which charges $3 per graft and offers a $600 travel allowance in the form of free grafts. My first procedure was for 1200 grafts and was done on Feb. 27, 2001. The results can be seen in the photo below. I was fairly happy with this procedure although it took 8 months for me to see results (this is longer then the average for most men). It was a total of 12 months before the new hair was long and strong. The only problem I had with this procedure was the density wasn't there as much as I wanted it to be. However, I did get the coverage I wanted and my widow's peak was much less pronounced. I had another procedure of 1500 grafts done Oct. 13, 2001, and the full results cannot be seen in these photographs yet as it is early May at the time I am writing this (about 7 months after the surgery. However, I am sure these new grafts will provide more density in this area. In another 5 months, I will update this site with new photos of the graft growth in my right temporal region. Grafts were also implanted along my suture line of the flap surgery in an effort to "break up the straight line," so to speak. I am hoping this will make it less noticable, although I know it will not fully correct the "line" problem. My Recommendation: Now that I found a reputable and experiencedhair transplant clinic that offers affordable hair transplants for $3 per graft, personally, I would not choose the scalp flap surgery, if I had it to do all over again. Yes, it took me two procedures to get the density results I want on my left side (still waiting for the second session to kick in), but this is the nature of hair grafts. Hair transplants are definetely a more natural looking way of solving a frontal hair loss problem. Caution Against Internet Hair Loss Scams I also discovered there were a lot of scam artists out there promising a new head of hair if you only purchased their "miracle cure" for hair loss. The very existence of these illegitimate firms ticked me off (pardon my language) so much that I created another web site I invite you to view: www.hairlosslibrary.com/scams/index.html If you are like me, hair loss is a serious matter you do not take lightly. It is very near and dear to your self-identity and self-confidence. Although no one has ever died from hair loss, I often compare it to the traumatic effects women go through when they lose a breast to cancer. Losing your hair is not deadly, but it is definetely an assault on your self-image, your self-esteem, your confidence. Hey, like most people, I just want to feel good about how I look. Who doesn't? Everyone wants to have new cars, new homes, nice clothes, jewelry, expensive toys, etc., - all to look good and feel better about themselves. So, okay, how about a more permanent, natural solution like hair transplants?! So when I see these bogus products offering false hope and conning people out of their money, I get really mad. I got mad enough to create a web-site I can only hope will deter people from wasting their money. From my own experience, I personally recommend hair transplants as the only sensible way to solve your frontal hair loss problem. And since I am happy with my results from the Scottsdale Institute, I recommend this firm and invite you to view their web site at $3 Grafts, $500 Travel Allowance, 26 Years Experience |
