Kez

Bat country indeed ! Robert, you are a mine of information.

Good thread chaps. Raises some real issues. I long ago realised that we are more than external appearances, external pursuits, external aspirations. We are something special inside, ultimately, and what IS that something special inside ? This is every man's quest, one way or another. We are definitely more than either our our appearance or worldly careers, or lovely women for that matter. Fortunately, through hard work, I found the answer to this. Something deep within which in unaffected by the externals. But nonetheless, the external world does press on one, and going bald is a bloody headache! I'm so glad now that I have not only the inner island of strength, but also hair on what was once a bald pate. Life is short, and the clock is ticking. Maximise your time here on this planet.

elshugh - Hang in there brother. The whole damn HT thing is anxiety and joy mixed ( if you have a good surgeon ). My own history was a 3,500 HT late May, and it seemed most of the grafts stayed in, laid low for several weeks, then have very slowly grown, so now, at 5 months, I have them at about an inch long, which means I have good coverage on what was a totally bald NW5 scalp. BUT, the density is poor - clearly thin compared with my other hair. So I'm also playing a waiting game; will more sprout, or is that it? I don't know either. I'm assured everything will be OK, but it's a waiting game ... a waiting game. . .

Hey, what's this boys ? Am I missing out on some wild legal drugs here? Sounds like "Fear And Loathing in the HT Forums" or something. What's the effect, downside ? Please state...

This was an issue for me, as I got to my surgeon as a Norwood 5 more or less. I signed up for 3,500 FUs & I asked him to leave the bald spot so's to make sure I get a good hairline. He didn't comply! He told me he was filling in the bald spot giving me a higher hairline, saying that, in his opinion, it would be a better job, and in any case, my combed-forward "Caesar" hair style would lower the hairline. Shamefully, I suspected him of lining me up for a second job(!), but I have to say, 5 months on, I'm inclined to agree with his judgement. Provided you have sufficient donor hair some kind of coverage on the crown looks better. But if you feel strongly about your hairline, make sure you make it clear to your surgeon.

I have to say I'm impressed with the level of expertise ( way ahead of mine), and the time you guys take with your posts on this forum. Not so long ago, someone was suggesting this forum might be "going downhill". In my experience, it's the best forum for this kind of thoughtful in-depth discussion, in a slow-moving thread that stays around for enough time for people to give it thought.

Smoothy - Excellent post. Does anyone know what foods contain useful levels of copper? I always assume that we need supplements only because we've strayed from a "wholesome" diet.

Seconded.

Better still, brew your own microbrew. Delicious, and good for the scalp too. ( so I tell myself )

>> I just recived my final edition of norwood weekly.I am disapionted to say I will not be renewing my subscription >> Splendid! But listen old boy, it's all very well to leave the rest of us here while you swan off with your rathead apparatus, under the misguided impression you no longer have a care in the world. Are you aware of the .. smell.. coming off of your posts? Every time I peruse this thread, I'm almost flattened by the odious effluvium exuding from my computer. I suggest you see a good physician, and possibly subscribe to "Farters Bazaar". >> What am I gonna tell the guys at work, I was obducted by aliens and the scar was a result of their expirement. >> This would never have been convincing. Everyone knows they don't do hair jobs. Look at their bloody domes, man - all Norwood 10s!

According to Smoothy: >> Oh hey Solid,-- blah blah yourself to death-- get hurt in Canada and they do not even have updated MRI or Catscan machines (my friend who is a World known Neurosurgeon has done pro bona work a couple times a year in Canada as well as lectures/training Canadian doctors-- he says their equipment is 25yrs behind the US technology-- especially for life threatning treatments) So it sounds like, SOlid, you need to live in Canada where you will save an extra 20% on your drugs, but pay 50% in Income taxes as well as 10% sales taxes-- and if you need medical attention, wait for a week before they can diagnose your problem--- Best of luck being a Canadian citizen. >>> Hey Smoothy - I'm neither an American nor Canadian citizen, so maybe I can take a step back and point something out which troubles me greatly about my future move to the US. In the US, the number one cause of personal bankrupcy is getting ill - not being covered by your plan, or not having insurance - not having the huge amount of money required for your treatment. 40 million Americans, including a very good friend of mine in Oregon, have no health cover at all (they can't afford it), and I can assure you, it pisses them off . In my country as well as Canada, yes, we pay higher taxes, but hey, come to Europe and take a look around at how well off we are. Nodody's poor. We're rich countries, ( as is the USA - richest nation on Earth ) yet nobody's having to take food stamps here. And NO-ONE gets bankrupted through getting sick. Much as I love America, your healthcare system has serious flaws ( 40 million of them ) and denial just makes things worse. Read the stories of those hard-working blue-collar Americans who go BROKE through getting sick.

As for shampoo, it's hard to decide what's best for you. HeadNShoulders may or may not suit. On this forum you'll find a few well-recommended shampoos. I use "Avalon" which is also a favourite among HT patients. It's organic and gentle, made in the USA, but distributed in Great Britain by www.alexander-essentials.com It's pretty much trial and error around this shortlist though. Best shampoo I ever had was a powdered Rosemary shampoo my local hippie health shop sold a decade ago. Left my hair "shiny and smooth" just like those TV ads! Impossible to get now. Modern shampoos all seem too strong, too chemical, take too much out; then you have the same dilemma over choosing a conditioner to redress the balance. Robert - I see a lot of posts around warning of online pharmacies ripping people off with fake and even contaminated drugs ( i.e. Propecia ). Is www.drugstore.com genuine ? Where is it located ?

This question seems to come around regularly, and I can give you my own two cents worth. I've found that it does have a mild subduing effect on sexual desire, which in my case at least, is no bad thing. I've always marvelled how men of my age seem to need this "Viagra" stuff, when I need more like an "anti-viagra", just to keep the beast down a bit. With Propecia, I find the beast is a little more subdued, but by golly is still no slouch when the time is right and I need to get him up and running. Don't worry !.....

Hey, I think we need to give people a chance, until proven otherwise. I can well understand someone starting off working for a hair clinic ( how else do they get training/experience ? ) then leaving it behind and doing better. >>>> East Coast >>>> I see Dr. Katz's website sites on the expressway. They are insulting. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Please be specific. What do they say that is insulting ?

AND .. your custom avatar has to be in .JPG format. I tried uploading a 48*48 BMP and it was refused. ( Hope I don't get sued by Robert Crumb...... )

>>> Dr. Bernstein in NY told me that if I got a transplant, eventually, the area around my sides would continue to thin out, eventually leaving me with an island in the front where the transplanted hairs would be placed >>> This is a good point. It's something I've wondered about myself. Was he speaking generally or being specific to one patient? Does anyone have any input on this? If it's true, it kind of discredits the whole HT principle, high quality undetectable F.U. grafting notwithstanding. Like the long term efffects of medications, how can one know if this will happen or not, unless we have (plenty of) people who've had a modern FU HT for a long time - a contradiction in terms, since FU techniques are comparatively recent. . .

Where'd you get that fancy "avatar" ? Did you upload your own? I tried uploading a custom avatar, and found it just wouldn't work.

That's pretty unfair on your homeland, Hairworthy. As I recall we had wall to wall sunshine this Spring, and last year was the hottest & driest in twenty years. We didn't have the fires that California experienced, but we had comparable levels of drought. This weekend's set fair, and I'd say the climate here is generally comparable to Oregon, which I've known in all four seasons.

Originally from Forum Moderator: . . . . " Cigarettes and coffee were my vices." Robert - you're in good company here. I recall an interview with Frank Zappa set in San Francisco - when queried why he smoked by the (health-conscious) attendees, he avowed that, to him , coffee and cigarettes were 'food'. . . Lots of laughs. . .

Arfy's right. The problem is of course that you probably don't wish to wait until you actually need a "mega-session" but are anxious about what you see starting to happen, and want to stop it. I didn't even consider HT as an option as I slowly saw myself getting balder & balder. I got kind of resigned to it. You may consider cutting your hair short - it really conceals the balding, and these days buzz cuts and even shaven heads (at least here in the UK) are "fashionable". I know it's tough, but before I took action I was completely bald on top . In May this year I was ready for a big session and took the plunge with 3,500 grafts, and I've no desire to go back for more. What's more, I expect my balding had pretty much run its course, and don't expect much more to come. If you do it piecemeal, you're going to not only get the collateral damage, but see more balding in your existing hair as time goes on. Tough choices! ....

You're right to be wary of medications which go on for life; there are two schools of thought on this; there's no obligatory medication regimen. The boys here give good advice, but it's a personal decision which way you go. My surgeon ( also three months ago ) advised me to take Propecia following the transplant - not to help the transplanted grafts, but to protect the regular hair from further balding. I'm taking the pills, but I can see me letting things tail off in time, as I have the same reservations about medication as yourself. The hair is growing pretty well so far, but as you say, it's early days at 3 months. Play it by ear. And welcome to the hairy house!

Welcome, WV - one way to find your way through the mass of information is to use the "Find" button at the top of each page. This will help you to gather information on a single topic from multiple threads.

taoofjiord - >Is it harder to meet women if one is balding?> This one keeps coming up, and always results in a tug-of-war. Your average bloke will scream YES!!!!!! and then others will chip in with "BUT...look at --- ( famous bald guys with women all over them ) " So the answer is: how do you yourself feel about it ? British TV recently did a documentary of a bloke in his early thirties who was pretty bald, and normally buzzed his hair. He was pretty self-confident and enjoyed going clubbing with his mates regularly. The show's presenters got him to use a hairpiece, and try chatting up the women both with and without hair. The overall result was that the women preferred him WITH hair, and he himself, despite his normal confidence, felt that the hair made a big difference - made him look "ten years younger". I certainly feel a lot better since my HT has started to grow; I can see the years coming off ( and may even go on for some cosmetic facial surgery, being an "older" guy, unlike all you 25-year old pups ) (By the way, I'm visiting Sognefjiord, Norway, next week. Any relation ? )

Social - You state using Nioxin shampoo as part of your regimen. Could you give us a brief summary of it's properties, benefits? I've tried a search on it, but there are a lot of threads which just mention it, without elaborating. Does it help? And if so, how ?

Just to post the contrary example: I've been a serious fish consumer much of my adult life - mostly fatty fish like herring, salmon, sardines - as I just feel good on it. Nevertheless, I ended up a Norwood 5 case anyway. Probably because my granddad was a Norwood 6 by the time he was 50 ( and he never considered HT )