Hey, read UM's post again. He in fact made it very clear in his first mention of paying child support that IT WAS his first priority and that his hair transplant would have to wait. UM, I know exactly how you feel because I put off my second hair transplant for the very same reasons. My impression is that you are a good guy and you have undoubtedly done lots of research which I commend you for.
unk:
Please allow me to offer you my opinion on your case keeping in mind that I am not a doctor. And thanks for offering to put up your pics because that does take some courage. You are in fact a true class 5 headed for class 6 in the near future. THE GOOD THING is that I am not seeing the miniturization pattern of a class 7. And since the majority of your loss on top has taken place at your thirty-something stage in life, it would show class 7 shadows by now. So let me take an educated guess and say that there are not class 7's in your family history, but yes some class 6's. Feel free to correct me because obviously there are exceptions and I am not seeing your scalp in person under magnification either. My point is that at early thirties, you look like the classic class 6.
Now, a couple of things. Thank goodness you are going on meds. Let me clear up a few points though. First off, yes there are major differences in strengths of finasteride so it does matter. Propecia is low dose and was developed "specifically" for treating male pattern baldness. Proscar is dispensed for treating swelling of the prostrate which I assume you do not have prostrate cancer. However, I also use the Proscar version of finasteride BUT, I cut it four ways with a pill cutter and ingest 1/4 tablet per day. DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT take finasteride in larger doses thinking more is better. DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT buy your initial supply of finasteride over the internet. YES, you do need a presciption for either Propecia or Proscar and you can still buy Proscar at your local pharmacy very cheap. Besides, you're not saving that much money by going to the internet and the local pharmacy is providing the real medication in it's true form, guaranteed. And make SURE you wait and stay on the meds first to see how efficient thay are working for you.
Personally, I think you'll do fine with hair transplant surgery providing your medical history is fine and you heal well. You have enough donor to cover the top ACCORDING to the realistic goals you mentioned in your previous posts.
BUT REALIZE SOMETHING my friend. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Meaning, if you do move forward with hair transplant surgery, you will never be able to wear your hair as short as your pics, PERIOD. And I'm talking strip OR FUE. I don't see your donor as being real dense but you do have above average hair characteristics or what I will call hair quality. Yet you need enough work done (thousands of grafts) that if you do it all by FUE, you will definitely end up with a moth-eaten donor appearance. Remember, your density level appears average at best.
That's why if you heal well, your donor scar should come out thin and you'll be able to get multiple strips done providing your laxity remains adequate to support them. But you will need to wear the length longer going forward, no more buzz cuts. That's the trade-off. If you cannot accept that compromise, DO NOT GET A hair transplant. :roll:
But for many of, it's not a compromise. Look, anyone with considerable loss who undergoes thousands of grafts in surgery GROWS THEIR HAIR OUT. I rarely and I mean rarely see patients undergo that much surgical restoration to only end cutting it all off. Think about it. :whistle:
Either way, I wish you well bro. I love Cal too so you will be moving to a great state. I used to live there myself many years ago. My son is there now in San Diego getting ready for his re-deployment to Iraq. Best wishes to you UM.