I’m new to this forum. For some reason another forum do not even let me mention Dr Woods name, yet privately several posters recommended him to me and his reputation is indeed outstanding.
Having been through a couple of procedures with another Dr, followed by a couple more small touch up’s I began to feel that I was being strung along for repeat procedures when my situation really should have been nailed by a competent surgeon quite easily.
The last procedure I had with my former Dr really landed me in hot water. Always being a receder & hoping for a lower & improved hairline I all of a sudden found myself with a bald spot & thinning, a couple of inches behind the transplanted hairline.
At this stage all trust was broken with my former Dr and I knew I had to research other surgeons. Living in Australia, I travelled interstate and consulted with several other Dr’s. Dr Woods was by far the most assertive, direct and confident in what needed to be done.
Last month I had a HT with Dr Woods to try and resolve this problem & also repair my strip scar at the same time. I have had 1000 grafts to infill my frontal third & 500 grafts using beard/neck hair into the strip scar.
Having read quite a bit on the FUE technique I was surprised to see the quality of sheath & fatty material surrounding each and every follicle. I couldn’t imagine a strip graft looking any healthier. As my procedure involved a fair bit of infilling, Dr Woods ensured that he cherry picked plenty of triple haired grafts for extra density. I really am as confident as I can be that he has done a fantastic job.
Fingers crossed for a good result. If I didn’t try I don’t think I would have ever got the monkey off my back.
With my procedure last month, Dr Woods attention to detail was amazing in comparison to what I have experienced before. Although it will obviously be some time before I know the full results I am so very grateful to him & will never forget his efforts.
“The last procedure I had with my former Dr really landed me in hot water. Always being a receder & hoping for a lower & improved hairline I all of a sudden found myself with a bald spot & thinning, a couple of inches behind the transplanted hairline.”
Are you on any meds for hair loss? It sounds more like you are continuing to lose your hair as your age and your former doctor may have nothing to do with that.
In relation to medications I have taken finasteride in the past but am of the understanding that it loses its effectiveness for men once we enter our 40’s. I am 45 years old now.
I use Rogaine Foam daily.
To be honest I had receded on both temple points at around 18 years of age. I was referred to a Dermatologist and Trichologist by my GP way back then and it was recommended I use Ionil T (Tar based) shampoo for a psoriasis type condition. The Dermatologist told me he expected that would assist me with the hair loss as well, which it has done for all these years.
Nevertheless the receding sides continued to bother me somewhat & finally in 2004 I had my first HT which was successful but very conservative. I moved on with life but always had wished that the surgeon had lowered my hairline a bit more aggressively on that first occasion.
10 years later in 2014 I returned to the same initial surgeon & decided to go for another procedure to improve the hairline. This was where the merry go 'round started. He left significant gaps on both sides and went noticeably lower on one side at the front which required further procedures to fix. So one more procedure led to another & then another! I really regret ever having gone back!
I still consult with a Dermatologist & Trichologist occasionally. The Dermatologist has conducted miniaturization testing/mapping and has assured me that for a person my age my hair is in fact quite stable. The only real significant hair loss I have had since age 18 & certainly in the past 10 years has been shock loss/trauma related from surgery. Needless to say I was VERY selective in screening for another surgeon given my experience as I have been left disappointed by previous procedures.
Whomever told you this basically helped to put you in the position you’re in now. As long as your body is making DHT then there is no mechanism that would prevent finasteride from working for you simply because there is a “4” at the beginning of your age now. You should seriously reconsider using finasteride unless you were having severe side effects to begin with.
I tolerated Fin well, no sides at all. I also know others who have now changed to Dutasteride.
Im very conscious of the importance in trying to stabilize the condition before embarking on surgery.
For what its worth i experienced the permanent shock loss whilst on Fin. Thats another reason why surgeon selection is so crucial - Meds do not protect us from poor surgical technique & in the wrong hands its possible to end up worse off.
5 month update and I have included both pre-op & current photo’s although this site is only allowing me to update one photo at a time.
My main area of concern upon consulting with Dr Woods had been the left temporal region & the photo’s clearly show how this area has been improved. Nevertheless Dr Woods must have noticed weakness on the right side as well as across the frontal third( & this was evident when I shaved down) as he recommended these area’s also be addressed.
There is no doubting that the procedure has strengthened my hairline and improved my area of largest concern. Furthermore Dr Woods has remained in regular contact with me in regards to progress and I am pleased that he genuinely has such concern and understanding of his patients. Having felt as though I had been strung along for repeat procedures previously I reached the stage where there was nothing more important for me than trust in the surgeon, & I have that with Dr Woods. I’m unsure if I will seek or require any further work or small touch ups for a few remaining spots of concern, I do want as good a result as possible but my previous experience has definitely left me emotionally scarred. Think I will be guided by what Dr Woods recommends.
I have cut my own hair for the past 20 or so years Myles. The strip scars really become an issue if you buzz down to below a number 3. I had actually been kidding myself for years that I had a “good scar” & was pretty horrified when I shaved down the first time.
No strip scar patient will ever be scar free, there is still a line that shows up in certain lighting but it is as good as I could ever have hoped for. I don’t think the SMP would have had the same impact if I hadn’t had the FUE done also - SMP works best when it is mixed with hair.
Yes, all 500 grafts for the strip scar were beard, taken from under my chin. Any scarring is a non issue, i never notice it & it is no concern whatsoever.
The FUE improved the scar significantly but being very self conscious of it i decided to try and add some SMP too. Funny thing is, more hair is still continuing to come through the scar even now - for a scar the yield has far exceeded what i expected.
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