natural hair color and impact to HT

[cdalee440]

As the title states it harder for HT to look natural for someone with blond hair vs dark hair? 

Probably a silly question but I haven't seen anything posted from anyone with blond hair like myself. Especially in the summer in Arizona.

 

[harryforreal]

Hairs from the back of your hair may be thicker and darker than the ones at the front.

For me this created a bizarre looking dark frontal hairline with lighter hairs behind it.

Very unnatural looking.

[cdalee440]

Interesting, I didn't even think about that part. I was questioning more if a lighter color hair line makes it easier to see areas where the transplant has been performed. 

[Gatsby]

It's all about contrast. If you have pale skin and dark hair, the contrast is more and so the hairline is more noticeable. However surgery from an excellent surgeon makes this a non issue today.

[harryforreal]

"surgery from an excellent surgeon makes this a non issue today."

I would not agree that it is a non-issue.

There are different factors that can make a HT noticeable even with a top rated surgeon - for me it was lingering redness for more than 2 years (treated ultimately with V-Beam laser) and bumpy skin texture (treated with medical micro-needling and radio frequency micro-needling).

I agree that on this forum blonde hair examples are less common than darker hair (at least so it seems to me), due I'm sure to the multi-ethnic make up of members on this English language site.

Out of curiosity I googled hair clinics in Scandinavia (I have spent a fair amount of time in Stockholm).

Nordic Hair Clinic had a lot of results pictures, but the resolution of the pictures is not high definition.

Still, it might give you some idea.

Look at the women hair results as the women are typically styling their hair pulled back and you can see the hairline better.

 

 

[Al - Moderator]

@Bandit90 is light brown, almost blond in some spots. His transplant came out great, but you can see the darker hairs in his crown that were taken from his beard.

 

 

[Westview]

Grey-ish, silver hair on pasty white skin (like I have) is the best.

My hair looks similar to Anderson Cooper's hair and I can get away with not having a full head of hair

[harryforreal]

I agree that Bandit90 obtained an impressive result.

At the same time, this picture also highlights another issue - coarse, wiry transplanted hairs.

Not only did my HT have a darker hairs along the front, the transplanted hairs were extremely coarse and wiry - it completely obscured the soft, wavy hair and gentle curls I had at the front of my hairline and replaced it with "Einstein hair."

I have literally ziplock bags of dark, wiry transplanted hairs that I plucked to try and soften my hairline to like it was before.  

These were transplanted hairs harvested from my head, not elsewhere on my body.

I should say that I was not at all educated about HT before going in for a consultation about a thinning spot at the front of my hairline which was alway a bit high (I teach elementary school and should add that high hairlines are very common in children, especially blonde children).

The doctor said he could fill it in and lower the hairline.  Sounded appealing to have a Brad Pitt hairline.

In retrospect I should have FIRST tried Finasteride - I think it was such a small patch it would have filled in, and I would have kept my naturally soft and gentle curls, possibly saving myself years of agony and a ton of $$$$$.

 

 

 

 

[Al - Moderator]

11 hours ago, harryforreal said:

Not only did my HT have a darker hairs along the front, the transplanted hairs were extremely coarse and wiry - it completely obscured the soft, wavy hair and gentle curls I had at the front of my hairline and replaced it with "Einstein hair."

I have literally ziplock bags of dark, wiry transplanted hairs that I plucked to try and soften my hairline to like it was before.  

These were transplanted hairs harvested from my head, not elsewhere on my body.

 

How long after your transplant did you start plucking the hairs? It's normal for the first growth cycle to be wiry. You usually have to wait until the next growth cycle for the hair to soften. Do they still grow in like that?

 

[Gatsby]

On 9/9/2024 at 7:37 PM, harryforreal said:

"surgery from an excellent surgeon makes this a non issue today."

I would not agree that it is a non-issue.

There are different factors that can make a HT noticeable even with a top rated surgeon - for me it was lingering redness for more than 2 years (treated ultimately with V-Beam laser) and bumpy skin texture (treated with medical micro-needling and radio frequency micro-needling).

I agree that on this forum blonde hair examples are less common than darker hair (at least so it seems to me), due I'm sure to the multi-ethnic make up of members on this English language site.

Out of curiosity I googled hair clinics in Scandinavia (I have spent a fair amount of time in Stockholm).

Nordic Hair Clinic had a lot of results pictures, but the resolution of the pictures is not high definition.

Still, it might give you some idea.

Look at the women hair results as the women are typically styling their hair pulled back and you can see the hairline better.

 

 

This is why I always state that medication is the first port of call and surgery is a last resort. If you can shave your head you have one.

[harryforreal]

8 hours ago, Al - Moderator said:

 

How long after your transplant did you start plucking the hairs? It's normal for the first growth cycle to be wiry. You usually have to wait until the next growth cycle for the hair to soften. Do they still grow in like that?

 

More than 18 months.

 

[harryforreal]

8 hours ago, Gatsby said:

This is why I always state that medication is the first port of call and surgery is a last resort. If you can shave your head you have one.

100% agree - hindsight is 20/20!!!

[cdalee440]

I respect your comment Gatsby but just where is or how do I determine that line in the sand between medication and surgery? Meds for a year or possibly two?  I'll be 60 in a few weeks and I cant imagine meds alone would or could reverse what Mother Nature or genetics saw fit to take over the last half century. That is why Im here, to learn from the subject matter experts and their experiences and get back what I once had.

I have blond hair and if surgery isn't the best option to help reverse my loss and hopefully improve my self esteem I don't want to waste, my time or money or time. Yes, I mentioned time twice as time is more important to me at this age than money.  Every moment Im on this site I learn something good and maybe not so good for my situation so I ask if you guys know of a secret position or medication where I can forgo surgery please share it. (light hearted comment obviously).

[harryforreal]

46 minutes ago, cdalee440 said:

...I don't want to waste, my time or money or time...

FIRST try medication.

 

If you end up dissatisfied with the results of a HT - and I would say at least 50% are not happy with their first HT (on this site you frequently see people saying it takes "2 or 3 HT" to get it "right"), you will spend a LOT MORE TIME and money trying to "fix" an unhappy result.

 

Think about it: 2-3 HT to get it right - how much time is that? 3 - 6 years?

Are you prepared to wait 6 years for a final product?  Because that is definitely a possibility.

 

Without pictures I think it's difficult for people to evaluate your current position.

 

But Finasteride is not permanent.  If you're not happy, you can STILL do the HT.

 

However, once you do the HT, there's no going back.

 

Finasteride costs me about $1.80 per month.  

 

It's really a no brainer to try the Finasteride FIRST - and any doctor can prescribe it, including your GP.  No special trip to a Hair Transplant surgeon necessary to try Finasteride.

 

 

[Gatsby]

3 hours ago, cdalee440 said:

I respect your comment Gatsby but just where is or how do I determine that line in the sand between medication and surgery? Meds for a year or possibly two?  I'll be 60 in a few weeks and I cant imagine meds alone would or could reverse what Mother Nature or genetics saw fit to take over the last half century. That is why Im here, to learn from the subject matter experts and their experiences and get back what I once had.

I have blond hair and if surgery isn't the best option to help reverse my loss and hopefully improve my self esteem I don't want to waste, my time or money or time. Yes, I mentioned time twice as time is more important to me at this age than money.  Every moment Im on this site I learn something good and maybe not so good for my situation so I ask if you guys know of a secret position or medication where I can forgo surgery please share it. (light hearted comment obviously).

Without pics it's hard to offer accurate advice. I'm also in my late 50's. I also had to wait for two years due to a Covid lockdown and even since that was lifted it's been two and a half years since my first repair procedure and six months since my last surgery. When it comes to surgery everything is about patience. The reason for medication (regardless or perhaps even more so) is that it positions you in a better place for surgery. You may find that your donor hair will strengthen and your lower crown may fill in. Waiting for this while on medication will affect your surgeon's approach come the day of surgery. All the best. 👍

[cdalee440]

This is where I currently am. I am taking both of these, topical minoxidil for almost a full year and 1mg of finasteride for just about a month and yes I realize the latter takes about a year to see any real benefits.

 

[cdalee440]

On 9/10/2024 at 10:21 PM, Gatsby said:

Without pics it's hard to offer accurate advice. I'm also in my late 50's. I also had to wait for two years due to a Covid lockdown and even since that was lifted it's been two and a half years since my first repair procedure and six months since my last surgery. When it comes to surgery everything is about patience. The reason for medication (regardless or perhaps even more so) is that it positions you in a better place for surgery. You may find that your donor hair will strengthen and your lower crown may fill in. Waiting for this while on medication will affect your surgeon's approach come the day of surgery. All the best. 👍

ask for pictures and you shall receive. only about a week ago, lol. I should have followed up but work gets in the way of life.

Anyhow, any thoughts about my original question noted below about HT and blond hair?

Thanks

On 9/8/2024 at 6:27 AM, cdalee440 said:

As the title states it harder for HT to look natural for someone with blond hair vs dark hair? 

Probably a silly question but I haven't seen anything posted from anyone with blond hair like myself. Especially in the summer in Arizona.