Hair Transplant at 37 for Receded Hairline and Density

It has been 6 years since my first FUT procedure. Things are very stable. Shedding is well controlled with finasteride and Nizoral shampoo.

The scar is nearly impossible to find, even when searching with a comb. My hairline is not dense, but it is more square, and gives me enough hair to part and style without looking bad- I even get complements from time to time. It is not the thick hair of my teens but as feel more confident and that worth a lot.

I would do it again in a heartbeat if I thought I’d get a denser result, and someday may. The FUE procedure was far simpler in terms of recovery and scarring, so I’d recommend that for most people. The SMP is great for those with a shaved or buzzed hairstyle, no need to hesitate on that.

I am now considering a hair advancement surgery because my forehead has always been large, and this would help both problems at once.

Best of luck to those interested in this procedure. Dr Wasserbauer is definitely worth contacting if you are interested.

It's now 2 years since my first surgery. There is definately some hair where there was none, and I am grateful for that. The density of the "revised" areas is no where near the rest of the hair on my crown. The hairline now takes on the appearance of a person with a receedING hairline (Very thin in corners), vs someone with a receedED hairline (bald in corners). The actual scarring from both procedures is not visible without going in with a comb to look for it, however, with a #2 clipper summer haircut, I look like a skinned cat with missing stripes of hair from both surgeries whitening the scalp. Density checks from beginning to end showed no changes in the density of the hair at the crown of my head (not the hairline).
I met with the doctor and let her know I was grateful to have something instead of nothing, however the hairline revision did not have anywhere near the density and definition I was hoping for, even with 2 surgeries. She offered to have my scars at the back of my head covered by SMP (an ash grey tatoo that visibly replaces the missing hair density). She was not willing to SMP the hairline where the density was noticeable, but I had the option to purchase the service. Of course I'm not happy to settle for a less than great result, but felt it might be unfair to ask for a third surgery, which I was unsure would yield the result anyways.
Was it worth it?
My "better half" tells me that there was no result, but I know that's not true. People less nice than me might have demanded a refund or a third surgery. I seriously question whether a third surgery would give me the density I want, since it's obvious to me that a great deal of transplanted hair (~2,900 total) did not survive the procedure, as this should have been enough for a dense result. Since visible hair gains didn't really occur until 18 months post surgery, I'll wait another 6 months before considering SMP, etc. I do believe the SMP tattooing would be able to bridge the density gap without additional surgeries.
Does it look natural?-
Definately, it looks like it's thinning in the corners.
Is it better than before?
Yes
Do I feel better about what I have now?
Yes
Would I do it again?
Debatable- the high cost of surgery and "subtle" results trouble me. My hair is medium/fine and dark ash blonde/light brown, it looks natural, but it's not coarse enough for a wow result you might see in some patients.
What would I say to someone considering the surgery?-
If you still have some hair, I'd very seriously consider just doing SMP, which would take the place of daily Toppik or other hair densifiers, is much less expensive, and looks good if the tech is good. It does fade with time, I'm told it will last about 4 years before having to redo. This would also look great on someone going for a shaved/buzzed hair look. If you are truly bald and it troubles you to not have hair- go for the surgery, but even if it's a small surgery, TEMPER YOUR EXPECTATIONS, it's probably never going to be enough.

More hairs are visible at this point, not dense, by any means, but the area that was bald/touched up does have some hair, and a softer hairline closer to the squared shape I was hoping for. At last- some progress!