I am 22 yrs old with verry thin hair at the top. I am in the US and my cousin (37 yrs old) did a HT in Dominican Republic with Dr. Alba Reyes. He says she's good. So i scheduled an appointment for June 2nd and payed 20% of the cost to reserve a seat for the surgery. Now, howver, i am beginning to have drawbacks. My family is all against me getting one. They say i am too young and should wait. Also, they say that the pain is going to way too much. Now i am afraid. I was very excited, but now my emotions are crushed! I dont know what to do! Is the pain really that bad? What if i do the HT, and it doesnt work out for me. I am so confused and im only 2 wks away. Should i cancel? i need advice

BTW..i did use Propecia (1mg) for more than a yr. No growth results. I used Procerin also, and Rogain. i used those drugs Religiously! i did not get the results i hoped for. Therefore, i am turning to Surgery. I met with a "Hair Club" consultant..They wanted me to pay 11,250$ for one session. Thats way too much. i am a student and dont have that kind of money. In D.R., they are charging me 4,250$ for FUE megasession

Thin,

Your family is right in 1 aspect, You are to young! You dont know how your baldness is going to progress.

As far as Propecia, Its not meant for hair re-growth, "although it does grow in a small % of people" it's meant to stop/slow the hairloss. I would suggest you get back on it ASAP. Procerin is crap! Rogaine is also good to use!

As far as "PAIN" is concerned now adays that's not to much of an issue w/ a skilled surgeon. I've never heard of Dr. Alba Reyes, but that doesnt mean she's not good. Does your cousin have the same type of hairloss as you? Some people w/ minimal hairloss can have what they percieve as good results even if the doc isnt that good.

If the HT doesnt work it may have the potential to be even more devistating than just being bald.

To sum it up, 1) get on Propecia and Rogaine,
2) Wait a couple of years to see how your NW level progresses to and 3)try shaving your head for a while. You may like it

All my uncles and cousins from my moms side are bald. They have the horseshoe going. I have thinned out to the point where you can see the horseshoe develop.

Using the find button you can enter her name and do a search. Not much came out except for one patient who sounds like he is doing her promotion, he did not reply to the more pointed questions from our moderator. IMO you are young for a HT, stay on Propecia, the results may not be too obvious but there is a high probability it slowed down your hair loss. I would never consider doing a HT with a Dr who has not been fully audited by the experts on this Forum. Why take the chance? The consequences are not worth it. You could come up with an excuse and get your deposit back. The most important thing is to take your time, don't rush into this, take a few months to read and learn from this amazing Forum and you' see that you'll end up making the best decision. You could start by posting photos of your hair (no flash) and you'll get great feedback even from surgeons who frequent our site. Keep us posted.

__________________
My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Siporin

Hey TM123,

Everyone here can sure relate to your struggle. What you are growing through can be impactful and you are not alone.

I agree with the advice given. There's no need to rush to a decision, give yourself some time to think things through and valdate all the pros and cons. Consult with several coalition doctors so that you may get a good understanding of your level of loss and what you can and cannot accomplish. That is critical in order to set your expectations correctly. A good doc will explain your situation in detail. Once you are clear on what you can expect think it through, validate if this is acceptable and then plan for a procedure.

How long ago did your cousin have a procedure with Dr. Reyes? If under 1.5 yrs why don't you wait to see how that turns out? Also research some of the results of other patients here with similar loss as you.

All this will help keep you focused on your options and goals and less on panicking. There is no harm in postponing until you are ready to make an informed decision. That way you lesson the likelihood of "buyer's remorse". Most if not all of the docs here are not going anywhwere anytime soon and you have plenty of good choices.

Believe me we've all been there and most will probably agree that taking your time to make sure you are ready is better than rushing in or making a decision based on your emotions. You have options.

__________________
HIGA
2400 Grafts with Dr. Epstein 11/8/06
Nizoral 3X/week
Rogaine foam 2x/day

thank you all for your respones..this is the doctors website http://www.albareyes.com/eng/inicio.aspx just in case anyone is wondering...I tried propecia for a little over a year..it stopped hairloss, but no regrowth. Also, it got too expensive for me...i need to get my money back and wait some more time..The only thing is once i paid, she sent me an email stating the amount i put down and it said NO REFUNDS..wut am i gonna do now..im screwed.

Thinman123-
I agree with the suggestions/comments of all previous posters. Trust your instincts and your family. The commitment to go ahead with surgery is a significant one, and one that should NOT be entered into lightly. I strongly recommend that you avail yourself to the services of a known, well documented hair restoration surgeon. Geographical location should be given the least amount of "weight" in your decision; the cost of flying to point "x" will be a fraction of the total cost of the procedure, and many surgeons (myself included) offer "travel discounts" to offset that expense. You want to be COMFORTABLE with your commitment to a procedure which will produce virtually permanent results. There is a big, big difference between permanent "looks ok, but, not really natural..." and, permanent "man that's an amazing job- I wouldn't have guessed you have had a transplant". BIG difference.
Take your time. Continue to utilize the forum- it's an excellent resource.
Best of luck to you.

Sincerely,

Timothy Carman, MD

__________________
Dr. Timothy Carman
La Jolla Hair Restoration Medical Center

Proud Smile Club member

Dr. Timothy Carman is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

Thinman123-
I just noted your last post. That fact right there- that the surgeon is that inflexible as to refuse to refund your deposit (and such a significant deposit at that)- THAT in and of itself is a red flag.....to me that speaks to ethics, specifically a lack of, in my humble opinion.

Timothy Carman, MD

__________________
Dr. Timothy Carman
La Jolla Hair Restoration Medical Center

Proud Smile Club member

Dr. Timothy Carman is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

Thin,

Did you read my Post? Propecia propably wont regrow your hair. It stops hair loss.

.

You're not screwed You may have lost a few bucks, but think about the guys who go ahead and get a HT and it doesnt work. Now you've got a huge scar and you've paid the full amount. That my friend is screwed!