Hair questions - HRT improving hairline. Hair transplants?

[PennyW]

I've been on HRT for almost 5 months now, and I really like what it's doing to me, however I feel my hair is a bit of an issue. I seem to pass pretty well, despite being 6'4", although I do get very occasional stares. I think my hair-line is probably my biggest issue - Here's a photo making the most of the hair that I do have. I haven't really noticed much change in my hair line from HRT, and I've been on finasteride too for about 10 months.
I am thinking of maybe eventually getting FFS, although people mostly tell me it won't be needed. As part of that would either be a scalp advance or hair transplants.

I'm feeling a bit impatient however - If you get hair transplants you need to wait for them to grow out, and it's taken me a full year to get my hair to this length. I'm considering just getting hair transplants done now to feminize my hairline.

So my questions are - How long to wait for HRT to improve the hairline, given it really hasn't at this stage? Is it worth getting hair transplants now, and worrying about FFS later if and when it happens? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Here's a photo:

[JLT1]

Hi!!!

Great questions.

Monixadil may help.  I use the cheap stuff from Walmart and I only use it one a day.  That has helped.

I use mild soap shanpoo.  There are several brands and I only wash every other day.  I like this stuff from JC Pennys in a white bottle with red letters.  The rest of the time I rince well.  I do wash after sweating....

I had FFS first and then covered the scar from brow bossing with a hair transplant.  Covered it and gave me a lower hair line.

I took me five months post hair transplant to get 3/4 inch of thin hair at the transplant site which is really fast.

So, plan your FFS with hair transplant in mind..

What are you planning to do for FFS?

HRT has been good to you BTW...

HUGS

Jen

[PennyW]

What I'm planning to do for FFS is in a bit of flux, but in order of preference: Jaw, Forehead, Nose.

I'm kinda feeling like I don't actually need it. Also I saw an orthodontist yesterday and he suggested some jaw surgery as part of fixing teeth, so that would only mean forehead. I'd have to travel overseas for that, so thinking maybe just leave it.

On the flipside, I was kinda thinking travelling for FFS, and then coming back to work full time after that, but maybe I can just go FT without any of the bother... I dunno.

[Ⓥ]

Just know that if you get hair transplants and THEN get forehead work done, all you'll do is ruin your frontal hair transplants after they slice you from temple to temple (yes, I made that sound graphic on purpose haha).

Get FFS done, then hair.  If you feel hair is preventing you from passing and cannot wait, get a wig knowing it's a temporary evil... plus it'll give your real, natural hair a bit more time to grow in/out and you may not even need either procedure once your hair is longer (you could benefit from FFS imo though).

^ My 2¢ ^

[PennyW]

Just know that if you get hair transplants and THEN get forehead work done, all you'll do is ruin your frontal hair transplants after they slice you from temple to temple (yes, I made that sound graphic on purpose haha).

That's basically what I was wondering. Would the transplants be messed up by later FFS. Do you know this for sure? or just speculating?

[Ⓥ]

That's basically what I was wondering. Would the transplants be messed up by later FFS. Do you know this for sure? or just speculating?

The director of VSC (Virginia Surgical Center, a hair transplant company based here in VA) very much stressed to me more than a couple of times that I should get any brow/forehead work done and out of the way first before considering getting hair transplants.  They know this from direct experience: they have had girls ruin their frontal transplants due to getting FFS afterward and then they come back for a redo.  If you get transplants after getting brow/forehead work done, they can put grafts into/around the scar and make it invisible.

I had a thought for you though Penny:  what may be possible (and you'd have to research yourself because this is one thing I confess ignorance in) is the endoscopic technique that Dr. Zukowski touts which apparently isn't as traumatic as open procedures.  Perhaps he or his office could give info as to how that could possibly affect hair transplants.  I cannot and will not make any judgment calls on his forehead results... but I absolutely can say with 100% certitude that type-3 procedures are superior to anything else out there, and that procedure is only achievable with a full incision across the entirety of the scalp, which would ruin your hair grafts as mentioned above.

[JLT1]

I had FFS with Dr Z.  Big scar, nice forehead.  I also had hair transplant with Dr Z a year later, do Ok

Hugs

Jen
 

[Roni]

For me I had FFS first, and then hair transplants to fix what FFS couldn't. Also HRT didn't improve my hairline, so I had to get FFS and hair transplants.

You can do it whatever way you want obviously. I know girls who have gotten just transplants and it was enough to feminize their face. However if you're going for FFS anyway, it might be wise to do that first as it may be enough to fix your hairline. Why waste money on hair transplants when FFS might be enough? Also as ladies here have stated, you can use the transplant to cover any hairline scars left behind by FFS, should you decide to go for a transplant after.

I feel like the transplant I had definitely improved my hairline. We added a few hundred hair grafts around my hairline area. The hairline and forehead (eyebrows included) are 100% the two most important things for face feminization in my opinion.

However my hairline still isn't completely feminized yet, so I am looking at going for a second round. I pass with my hair down but when wind starts blowing my hair around, or when I tie my hair in a top bun, my hairline still looks male.

[Cathrine]

I think as a general rule, from what I've understood before hair roots completely die there's tiny hairs there. They're often blond but that depends on your natural hair color. If those hairs are present it's likely that the hair roots will regenerate from the general hormonal therapy or from finasteride (or similar products).

There are exceptions though, sometimes hair roots can _appear_ dead but still over a long time regenerate if you're lucky (depends on how recently they stopped producing hairs). After about a year on hormones (and possibly finasteride treatment) you can look and see if there's any new tiny hairs appearing.