December 1, 2005 1:16 AM GMT
Hi girls...
It's been a long time since I last posted anything really seriously on this site. I guess that's just down to the situation I'm in - I'm still engaged in mortal battle with the NHS
Anyways, after spending a couple of weeks in Vienna in the last month, and coming back to the UK, I've come to realise something. I've always known that appearance-wise, I simply don't pass all that well at the moment. but when I came back to the UK, from the cold of Wien to the cold of Bridgend, I was wearing a hat, scarf, and carrying my little home made bag
The taxi driver at the train station when he saw me as I leaned to his window to ask him for a lift had obviously no question in his mind that I was a woman, and I wasn't even trying! (untill of course he started talking to me in the cab, which left him with a confused impression I think! lol)
this has shown me that my impassibility essentially comes down to just two things. The lump on my throat (which isn't really all that large), but more importantly, my hair.
I my hairline has receded somewhat, which I could probably get away with to some extent were it not for the fact that it's receded significantly on my temples. Sure, my hair is a little thinner than it could be on the top of my head, but it's really not all that bad. It's just a lack of hair on my temples. Two pretty small areas on either side of the front of my head.
I don't want to wear a wig - I love my hair - it's long, fine, soft, and silky. It seems a shame to be forced to wear a false hairpiece just for the sake of two tiny little patches of my head, and I find the idea very upsetting. It's a real downer on my confidence too.
Could anybody tell me what my options are (bearing in mind they'd have to be pretty easily affordable! I'm skint!), or whether the NHS might be able to help in any way? I'm already self medicating on HRT, and so if I can get help of ANY kind from the NHS with it it would help me greatly, but I don't want to go buying Finasteride only to find out it does nothing for me, as I don't know it's effectiveness. Would I be right in suggesting that a hair transplant would be a private treatment only thing and cost a fortune, even for a small area?
December 1, 2005 2:11 AM GMT
Your options are, Finasteride, Dutasteride, scalp advance (more at the temples), hair transplant, or combination of any of these.
I’m not entirely sure, but I think the NHS would prescribe one of the above drugs, and I’ve heard positive testimonies of both, but I don’t think they would fund hair transplant or scalp advance.
None of these would be cheap, but maybe not as much as you think. Transplants usually depend on the number of follicles needed to be grafted, so if you dig around a bit you should be able to get some idea of cost.
Perhaps the best thing to do would be to start on Finasteride, if not effective after several months move on to Dutasteride (I think it’s a little “stronger”, in laywoman’s terms, I’ll let someone else do the science), if still not effective have a scalp advance and/or transplants. In theory the scalp advance would reduce the area needing to be treated via transplant. Though after a scalp advance, or any forehead work, I have heard reports of things getting worse before they get better, hair can fall out after major surgery, but it’s usually only temporary. In any case, you will need to wait several months between the two procedures.
My problem is really a very high hairline, the whole lot needs to come forward, so I’m considering doing all of the above, combining the scalp advance with reduction of the brow bones (done via the same incision), another strong male marker in most of us, and maybe a slight brow lift, which if all done properly could reduce a few forehead wrinkles too.
And trach shave, well I just can’t wait for that…
xx
