Guys I think this is the correct place to post. I have noticed a significant amount of hair loss on the upper part of my head and overall hair density loss particular to the front hairline and crown. I have tried the product nioxin to see if it helps but no luck so far. I was looking for some input as far as the best way to go about restoring back my hair surgically and how I should go about finding a competent doctor. Do you guys just look for a local place in the city you live or is it worth flying somewhere were the price or work performed might be better?
thanks

Guys I think this is the correct place to post. I have noticed a significant amount of hair loss on the upper part of my head and overall hair density loss particular to the front hairline and crown. I have tried the product nioxin to see if it helps but no luck so far. I was looking for some input as far as the best way to go about restoring back my hair surgically and how I should go about finding a competent doctor. Do you guys just look for a local place in the city you live or is it worth flying somewhere were the price or work performed might be better?

This is, by far, the most popular question for this forum, imo. To travel or not to travel.

I can tell you as I've been on here for a couple of months you are at the right place!

You look to be a classic 'diffuse' thinner, too, and a world-class surgeon will perform surgery so that your 'native' hairs will remain. So, I suspect you'll be advised to find the best surgeon available, period. Once you research, phone consult with, whatever, then let geography be sort of the third or fourth deciding factor.

I'm in Georgia and found good surgeons in Atlanta, Florida, Canada, Arizona and North Carolina. I chose the NC because it was equal between the guys in Florida (500 miles), Canada (1000 miles) and NC (300 miles). The price of these three was close, as was everything else.

I bet some meds would do your crown good as well, so I would get a doc to get you started there as well. How old are you and where are you located?

A lot of these docs give travel discounts, so you might find the costs similar in Boca Raton compared to Illinois - if you were from Ill.

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100? 'mini' grapfts by Latham's Hair Clinic - 1991 (Removed 50 plugs by Cooley 3/08.)
2750 FU 3/20/08 by Dr. Cooley

My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley

Current regimen:
1.66 mg Proscar M-W-F
Rogaine 5% Foam - every now and then
AndroGel - once daily
Lipitor - 5 mg every other day
Weightlifting - 2x per week
Jogging - 3x per week

Simply put, it is worth traveling wherever wherever happens to be once you have researched and found a surgeon/clinic that agrees with you most; sure, if you narrow it down to more than one and are torn between them, factor in location, but it really shouldn't be a consideration at such an early juncture in your decision to pursue a HT.

Also, looking at your pics, you do appear to be a diffuser...I would make sure you don't have Diffused Unpatterned Alopecia; I can't say for sure, but your sides and donor region looks like it has thinned in places, at least in my eyes.

In any event, I would get at least 2 consultations (live or online) with really esteemed clinics -- starting with some Coalition docs is a good start.

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*A Follicles Dying Wish To Clinics*

1 top-down, 1 portrait, 1 side-shot, 1 hairline....4 photos. No flash.

Follicles have asked for centuries, in ten languages, as many times so as to confuse a mathematician.

Enough is enough! Give me documentation or give me death!

Yes i keep getting reassured this is the right place to be...thats great news thanks. I am 26, located in Miami Florida. As far as the meds go they are taken care of by the docs at these clinics that perform the transplant correct?

Man just 6 yrs ago I had so much hair it was incredible, I used to shape it into place with bees wax...now if i put bees wax on it i think whats left will fall off.

Hey any idea on how many grafts I might need to densen things up back to what they were?

Re: your last post...the doctors at the clinics can certaintly hook you up with a propecia/finasteride scrip; I'd estimate ~3500 grafts for you....you could be a "tricky" case because of your diffusion, but an elite doctor can absolutely give you a prognosis that is in your best interest and is most accurate.

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*A Follicles Dying Wish To Clinics*

1 top-down, 1 portrait, 1 side-shot, 1 hairline....4 photos. No flash.

Follicles have asked for centuries, in ten languages, as many times so as to confuse a mathematician.

Enough is enough! Give me documentation or give me death!

Rconce01,

Thanks for posting your photos.

Let me say this, because at this point, I believe this is critical for you:

If you have ANY hope of maintaining the remaining hair on the top of your head, consider getting on Propecia and Rogaine immediately. Of course you should be aware of the benefits and potential side effects of these medications before proceeding however, there is obvious hair miniaturization all over the top of your scalp.

Even in the hands of an elite surgeon, hair transplantation will most likely send these miniaturized hairs into permanent "shock" and they will not grow back. But this is only because they are on their way out anyway.

Therefore, though Dewayne gave you some great advice, I dispute the following statement:

There is actually a good chance that hair transplantation will send the miniaturized hairs into an early grave without using medication first to attempt to strengthen your existing hair.

So as not to pick on Dewayne (I do value his helpful input), he did mention the importance of medication here:

But I believe as a diffuse thinner, Propecia and Rogaine may help more than just the crown.

I do want to mention also that the hair on the sides of your head also appear quite thin. Therefore I think it's a good idea to consult with a dermatologist or hair restoration physician to make sure you don't have diffuse alopecia (as thanatopsis_awry pointed out).

In my opinion, get on a Propecia / Rogaine combination for 1 year before deciding to undergo surgery.

Good luck in your research.

Best wishes,

Bill

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To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

Thanks Bill, your comments make a lot sense. I value your opinion a lot especially on the fact that the existing hair will be potentially lost. It seems all of you agree on the meds. Over the weekend I will see if i set up a consultation with a hair restoration specialist to see if in fact I do have "Diffuse Unpatterned Alopecia" I didn't know this even existed. The apparent hair loss on the sides I noticed in the pics but its not as apparent when I cut my hair. It actually looks as dense as the rest of my hair in the lower part of my head when its not as long as it is now.

I'll keep you guys posted on what they tell me.

Hey, I'm just a stock broker what can I say. But, here's a tip: BUY the company stock of the hairloss / penis enlarging formula that Believe345 is pimping in the other thread...

__________________
100? 'mini' grapfts by Latham's Hair Clinic - 1991 (Removed 50 plugs by Cooley 3/08.)
2750 FU 3/20/08 by Dr. Cooley

My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley

Current regimen:
1.66 mg Proscar M-W-F
Rogaine 5% Foam - every now and then
AndroGel - once daily
Lipitor - 5 mg every other day
Weightlifting - 2x per week
Jogging - 3x per week

I just had my 1st ht in Miami, I flew from Boston Down to Miami. Checkout Dr. Jeff Epstein on Sunset blvd. Here is his site with lots of pics of before and after ht pictures. Foundhair.com He is a world class doc and He has had great feedback on this site as a top notch ht doc. His website is awesome and has alot of info. Good Luck

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