Hair transplants, yea or nay?

[ChiGirl]

I'm looking to have hair transplant surgery to fill in my MPB and create a more feminine hairline.  I found a local doctor who does that.  He even advertises he works with transgender clients.  So I feel good about that.

But I have a couple questions:
-Has anybody done this with success?  I don't want to waste my money, but I definitely don't want to wear a wig forever.
-Should it do it ASAP or should I wait until after I start hormones to see what of anything grows back?

I have nice thick hair on all sides, but thin & wispy on top.  So I think I should have plenty of donor hairs, but I will have to see what the doc says.  Thanks!

Charlotte

[barbie]

I'm looking to have hair transplant surgery to fill in my MPB and create a more feminine hairline.  I found a local doctor who does that.  He even advertises he works with transgender clients.  So I feel good about that.

But I have a couple questions:
-Has anybody done this with success?  I don't want to waste my money, but I definitely don't want to wear a wig forever.
-Should it do it ASAP or should I wait until after I start hormones to see what of anything grows back?

I have nice thick hair on all sides, but thin & wispy on top.  So I think I should have plenty of donor hairs, but I will have to see what the doc says.  Thanks!

Charlotte

Two of my male colleagues at their 50s underwent it, and they seem to be satisfied with the results. I heard that it costed about a few thousand US$.

barbie~~

[Elainagirl59]

Hi Charlotte,

I have not done hair replacement myself, but I do know another trans woman who has.  I have also done a little research for myself as well.

In my opinion:

You asked about waiting till after you start hormones.  That might be fine, but you need to be doing things now.  I would get on Finasteride and Monoxidil, like yesterday!  I would also invest in a laser comb.  The hair replacement people I spoke with during my research recommend this approach.  Hair retention is better than hair replacement. 

My next question is are you planning any facial surgery?  Facial surgery will have an impact!  If you are thinking of doing anything that would involve your forehead, it needs to be done first. 

Hair replacement takes a while to "take hold."  Depending how bad your hair loss is, it can take a couple of years for things to look their best.  There is a limit to how many follicles can be done each session.

"Wispy" is a pretty subjective term.  There is a scale for hair loss, it is the Norwood Scale.

I am not sure why you are not on hrt. Propecia is used by lots of men and any PCP can prescribe it.   

Good Luck,
Elaina

[Jill F]

Hair trans*plants are best done after a couple of years on HRT, and always after FFS, not before.  If you do that, you will lose some of them from the excised skin and probably need a few more to help cover the scars.

It turns out that you might not need them in the end.  Anyone who saw my hair 2 1/2 years ago would have read me as nothing but male, but now it looks plausibly cis female.

Please get on finasteride (or dutasteride!) and minoxidil for sure right away.  Estrogen helped me out even more, and 2 1/2 years later my hair is back with a vengeance.

Hair transplants are expensive, and I would consider them only as a last resort.   

[Rachel]

I went on Finasteride 3 months or 4 months prior to HRT. I had to wait 5 months for HRT. I started minoxidil perhaps 1.5 years ago. I have had a lot of regrowth.  Eventually I will need transplants but after forehead surgery I may need 30 to 40% the transplants I would have needed 3 years ago. Oh, I have a laser helmet on now.

[odysseus513]

Would it not depend on the timeline for having FFS? If you are not planning to have forehead surgery for a couple of years, why would transplants react any differently than normal hair?