OK...I've heard and read enough!

I happened to be someone who got his youthful look back, and got my confidence built due to the skillful and artistic hands of one Dr. Ted Katz - now with MHR.

First I can't believe anyone who has experienced this procedure under skillful and experienced hands couldn't be overjoyed...yet some are sour...who are they?...There must be some underlying reason for these comments.

So if the procedure works - and I'm proof of it - then like anything else in medicine you've got to choose the right Doc...

And if you've experienced the integrity of what I have - there "ain't" anyone better than Dr. Katz!!

OK...I've heard and read enough!

I happened to be someone who got his youthful look back, and got my confidence built due to the skillful and artistic hands of one Dr. Ted Katz - now with MHR.

First I can't believe anyone who has experienced this procedure under skillful and experienced hands couldn't be overjoyed...yet some are sour...who are they?...There must be some underlying reason for these comments.

So if the procedure works - and I'm proof of it - then like anything else in medicine you've got to choose the right Doc...

And if you've experienced the integrity of what I have - there "ain't" anyone better than Dr. Katz!!

Omniplex

I'm waffling big time on whether or not I should have a HT done. Needless to say, reading these forums causes my head to spin. Your post reeks of conviction for the 'for' side. What was your situation prior to the HT? I'm a solid NW3 and am looking to fill in the temples and maybe add a 1/4" 1/2" on the hairline. The doctor told me during my consultation that I'd need around 700 grafts to accomplish this. My biggest fear is shock loss. While I'm becoming increasing depressed with my situation, my wife tells me my hair looks fine. I'd hate to take the plunge and end up looking worse. I don't have a particularly recent photo to post, but I'm in a similar situation to Carlos (who's posted his picture somewhere on this site). What do you think?

If your Doc said 700 grafts would cover a Norwood 3 he is wrong....way wrong!

Doctors and consultants often purposely underestimate how many grafts you will ultimately need. Their main goal is to get you started down the surgical route. If they were to be honest and tell a guy he'll need four surgeries of 1000 grafts, and it will cost him at least 24 grand, that could possibly scare him off. So instead they say you need one session, of a few hundred grafts. Then later, they tell you you need "fill-in" work. Maybe they'll say that you look fine, but "you may want to choose" to go for more density. Meanwhile, they know full well from experience, that one session would not be enough to satisfy you.

The whole point is to get you to sign up for the first session, because there is no turning back once you do.

Arfy

Although what you had to say isn't necessarily what I wanted to hear I value your opinion very much.

In comparing my situation to some of the before and after photos by classification of baldness on this site, the one that most closely resembles mine is the guy at the middle of the top row on the NW3 page. It says that he had 1200 grafts in one session. If I were to get those kind of results I would be very happy. What would you do if you were in my situation? Once again, your opinion is appreciated.

I looked at the photos you pointed out...if I were you, I would hold off for now. I don't think you are bald enough to get a hair transplant. If I were you, I'd use Propecia and maybe Minoxidil, and halt the recession if possible.

Your situation seems similar to a poster named CarlosM, look for his posts. In my opinion, hair transplants are a last resort, they should not be used for touch-ups and fill-ins. A good HT hairline will not look all that different than the hairline you pointed out- deeply recessed temples, recessed hairlines. Because the HT hairline will still need to look "age-appropriate" at age 50, a "mature" recessed hairline is the correct one for a HT. What little additional coverage you would get from filling in the temples, is not worth "committing yourself" to HT, in my opinion. I already went over some of the reasons I say this, in my answer to Carlos, so I will post a link to some of those threads. You will see that there are some HT doctors who agree that HT are not always the right choice for a guy who wants to just reinforce the hairline. I've heard "don't even consider getting a HT until you are at least a NW3 or above" and I'm not sure you're there yet.

Okay, I thought I could link to the threads, but instead you should look at the post from CarlosM in the "Post Your Own Hair Transplant Photos" forum. (Also, you could try looking for his other threads, by clicking on the little "filecard & man" icon on one of his posts, if you want to read even more about his situation, which seemes similar to yours).

Look at Pat (site administrator's) photos in the "My Recovery Story". Pat was a good candidate, he was not trying to just bolster his temples. He was a NW 3 or 4. Personally, Foxworth, I don't think you are bald enough for a HT yet. You should try to work with what you've got, and hold off for now. You can always go for it later on. HT is one time in life where you lose nothing by waiting, and thinking it over.

Good luck.

[This message was edited by arfy on March 05, 2002 at 03:55 PM.]

If your under 30 you should not consider hair transp[lant surgery. You should wait as long as possible or even not have the surgery. There are to many people that regret the surgery including me.

Thanks Arfy (and Monte). You make a compelling argument for not having a HT done and to be honest, the points you've raised are the very things I've been pondering for couple of years since the idea of HT first popped into my head.

I've seen Carlos' picture and read the posts in that thread and I suppose my situation is similar to his, he is maybe a little thinner up front than I am but where we're identical is our unhappiness with our respective situations. I'm 34 years old and if I'm this choked about my situation now, I can only imagine what I will be like a few years down the road if the loss continues.

I've been on Propecia for a couple of years and maybe it's helped keep some of my hair but I've definitely had some more loss too. Only 2% minoxidil is available in Canada and I used it for a year or so but it didn't appear to do too much. I'm off it now.

I'm still very much undecided and very confused as to what course of action I should take. On one hand there's the possibility of shock loss, future procedures or a crappy HT and on the other there's a possibility I'll get my life back (how's that for overly dramatic?) and not have to constantly think about my hair. I guess I'll just keep reading what you guys have to say and eventually someone will push me on to one side of the fence or the other.

Fox