Dewayne

Anyone familiar with Anderson in Atlanta?

Hi, sorry to post on such an old thread, but does Dermmatch still stay put through sweat and swimming etc... if applied dry?

No. It has a certain feel to it, and most would dissolve in water.

Bill,

 

Do you have any records on Dr. Cooley (Charlotte, NC) on his success rate?

I don't get on much anymore, but for some reason I get email notifications of some threads that I "subscribe to". This is one.

But, I'm about three years out from Cooley doing a repair job on a Latham's Hair Clinic job from back in 1991. I am very happy and it's undetectable. Maybe I'll get to go back soon for another 2500 or so for my crown, but my oldest is starting a private college and I'm still recovering, business wise, from the downturn. And my wife's boob job is next anyway.

Cooley's one of the best though, no doubt about it.

Dewayne

Man, forget about the others and see Cooley in Charlotte!

Duuuuuudddde!

Man, he'll look like Sebastian Bach by the 11-month mark....

Originally posted by Martin M:

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

I think with the advice, I should be able to reduce or eliminate the redness in my recipient area. But I don't think the Toppik and Dermatch will do much in the way of making this area look more full. It's relatively still bald with only a few hairs sprouting, and concealers work best on areas that are thin, not totally barren.

 

Is a temporary hair system really out of the question at this point?

If it's a family reunion I wouldn't stress about it much honestly. I mean, if they are real close family they'll be supportive in whatever you do. My three sisters and mom have been very happy for me and would never betray confidence. My dad's bald, but he still loves me so he's cool with it.

As for cousins I see every couple or three years? You know, I just wouldn't worry with it personally. Chances are if they ever tried to gossip about you they'd run into someone sympathetic to you, so who cares....

You could always say you had a nasty boil cut off and wear a hat and act shamed.

Wow! Looks great. Age appropriate, undetectable, good job.

My advice is take off about 6 weeks to two months. I mean, this is too important. It won't take long to get back in shape.

You can still feel it after month on the bench, particularly the 'scar' area.

Check out the results of this study. I know it should be down in 'Hair Loss Drugs', but felt it important and I didn't want it to get buried.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/201..._med_prostate_cancer

Dr. Lindsey gets the Oscar for most realistic pics. That fourth one still has my wife shook up. That's raw as hell!

I think it'll look much better though.

Bump.....

Todd from Tennessee......

Here is a good example of the way my hair was going, in case you see this blog. I didn't have as many graphs as this guy (but now wish I would've went for 1000 more), but I was a diffuse thinner as well.

As I said before, I never looked anywhere near as good as the "model" patients that Latham's advertised. I would continue looking....

Dr. Cooley had a great post about this topic 3 or 4 yrs. ago. You should be able to locate it, but he essentially agreed with what your doctor friend said. Not because of side effects, but he thinks there is just as much benefit taking the lower dose amount.

Try the search and see if you can see it under his posts.

from an old veteran. I've sort of got a good life back, and don't come on here much anymore; but just a year and half ago I would stay on this site at least an hour or two a day..everyday. Here are some things I've learned:

1. You will still want to look good at 40! Some guys at 20 think it won't matter after they get out of their "prime". But let me tell you, your definition of prime will change too. I imagine my 74 year old dad still wants to look good. Don't be overly aggressive.

2. It's better to not get a transplant at all than to get a bad one! I got 400 plugs, or a 100 - can't remember....at the age of 24 and pretty much spent the next 15 years trying to hide the awful work. Even though the ladies at "Hair Club for Men" told me mine actually looked pretty good....

3. Get at least three opinions. I got four or five, and discovered the best docs usually make the same general recommendations, so be wary of the one making extraordinary promises.

4. When you get your hair back, even though it might not be as thick as an 18 year olds, you probably won't come back to the site much. The real reason is this: You just won't think about your hair all that much. I wish I had more, but I don't think about it much now and I don't see people looking at my head like I did before..(see#2)

5. Price matters, but only in that the best doctors will generally be within 10 - 15% of each other. Those quacks with the $2 per graph billboards will have you HIDING for the next several years as well.

6. Take finasteride. I quit it for about three months and I could tell I experienced some thinning. Take a Viagra if you have to, but there shouldn't be any side effects.

7. You might experience growth after 9 months. Tests may show it's minimal, but by-God my eyes don't lie. I did!

8a. Don't exercise for a month or two after your surgery. This is too damn important, and none of us are in such great shape that a couple months off will be devistating. Actors do it all the time for movie roles. Sly Stallone once gained 40 pounds for a movie, and then afterwards got back into great shape. Stretch that scar because you don't want to lose 10 pounds off your bench press and see how you like it.

8b. Just because you get hair, it doesn't mean that you'll suddenly get your 18-year-old body back either. It's still hard to lose 20 pounds, so if that's an issue with you (like me) consider getting in great shape first. Sometimes that makes so much difference, you might not even want or need hair. Think Bruce Willis here.

9. The 'ugly phase' is inevitable I think. Mine looked good at four months, and then at six it looked like hell. Just give it a year.

10. Research at least three months on doctors, the procedure, etc. I think an educated patient is more likely to get a better transplant personally. This site was a great resource for me, and really has changed my life. I found several great doctors and decided on Cooley. If I had an extra $9k, I'd go back for another, but I've got a kid preparing for college, a mortgage, a wife who wants some new boobies, and a lot of other committments right now.

I'm certainly a diffuse thinner, but didn't experience any shock loss from what I can tell. I think surgeon skill and the use of very small instruments helps avoid some of this, but I'm no doctor.

Take the finasteride is the best advice I can give, along with a top world class surgeon. I've had a great experience, even though I'm still somewhat thin. At least I've got a natural look now.

I would suspect this guy will look even thicker at the 12-month point. My biggest differences came between 3-5 months, and then again at the 9 - 12 month time; in relation to noticing a big difference in picture results.

Yep. I think I'm well above average in my understanding of health, hair loss, etc. so I get frustrated with clerks at pharmacies, and even some doctors who don't know as much about it as I do.

Just try to make it uncomfortable for them too.

Originally posted by aaron1234:

Some complained their hair was getting "too thick" on Finasteride? I haven't heard that, but I find it sort of odd. Hopefully some of it will grow back. Why did you stop in the first place? Were you experiencing any sides?

Just a joke as there have been some on here from time to time complaining after a transplant that their hair was getting too thick. Just the difference can be hard to get used to I guess, but I too was a (little) worried about for a few minutes back then.

That's not why I quit the finasteride though, but my hair was thicker then.

I can tell you I notice the difference. I'd taken the topical solution prescribed by Dr. Griffin for 2 years, and then Proscar for 14 months or so and then stopped. I was starting to think, like some others you've heard on here, that my hair was getting "too thick". Not really, but it was quite different.

However, being off of it for the past 5 months I can tell you I've noticed thinning in my middle and crown. So, I've called my pharmacist and will be picking up my 3-month supply tomorrow! I hope it will start growing back, if in fact I've lost some.

Take it fwiw.......

That's not a good price anyway, at any age. You can get that many grafts for $4500 at one of the top docs in the U.S.

I didn't have any side effects, and I used both finasteride and Androgel together for a year. Honestly I don't use either now.

On the Androgel, it helps for sure. But I went and had a sleep apnea test done and now use a C-pap (sp?) machine when I sleep. My problem was I was a very light sleeper and snore a little too.

But, since I corrected the sleep thing my T went back to normal levels. I also work out and do cardio more than ever so that could have helped.

Dr. Cooley addressed your question to me, and said there should be NO effects of using both Androgel and Proscar together.

I just quit the finasteride because I got tired of paying $85 every 3 months and I've been thinning for 20 years so I'm not sure it was helping reverse my loss. Anyway, hope this helps.

Dewayne

Originally posted by omy:

Excellent repair work Dr. Cooley . Very wise not to graft below the frontal plugs . Did these cored grafts require stitching to heal ?

I am not this patient, but I had similar plugs and Dr. Cooley removed two rows from the front and several unnatural plugs in my crown. For mine, there was no stitching required and they were generally unnoticeable after a week or two.

The new FU's were completely undetectable after a couple of days (with a little of my hair covering), but the big ones take a little longer.

I wonder if this patient was a former / current poster here. I remember communicating with a man of Indian decent who had plugs, just as I did, who was going to Cooley.

Great result either way.

My wife has been pretty great about it (but I did support her "eye job" and promise a "boob job" a little later.

When we first got married, I still had a loan payment of about $130 on my first transplant. Finally she broke down and asked me about it after a few months of marriage. But she was cool about it all through everything.

I'd try to get her to sympathize with your situation by asking her to think about how she'd feel about losing her hair, or a breast, etc. It's not really about looks so much as confidence. Hell, I hated being bald in front of my poker buddies and I don't have a homosexual bone in my body. So, it's not a vanity thing. Try and get her to see that, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Originally posted by John Malloy:

Hey Acrobaz,

I apologize if my post was harsh. While it is too early to judge my Ht with Feller, I'm emotionally wounded from my first Ht, and grow more skeptical everyday I don't see growth from my second. I do understand I've been a pessimistic voice about Ht's on the forum lately, but trust me, if this turns out ok in a couple of months, I'll be Feller's best advertisement since the internet. Once again, I will be a constant voice about Ht's for a long time. And that goes whether the news is good or bad. I feel that is the right thing to do. I wish I would have done more research before my first HT. Anyway, I want to reiterate that I'm sorry for so harsh. I am just so stressed out and I've been like this since my first HT.

The 3 - 6 month time was the worst for me. But, I still noticed thickening up to 14 months or so. I felt like things really started to happen around month 7 or 8.

Mine was a little different, as Cooley completely took out a couple rows in the my front of the old transplant and most of the unnatural ones in my crown. So, for a few months I did look more thin than before, but it really looks natural now.

Back in '03, a stylist kept rubbing the back of my head and saying something about a "line" in the back of my head. I was suprised she hadn't noticed my plug transplant but it was the first time she had. She assumed it was a hat line or something after cutting it down.

On the other hand, a few people over the years had noticed my transplant and made comments about it.

I can spot a scar from a mile away, but I don't think everyone will or even can. Most people are so worried about what they look like they'll never notice the rest of us. On the other hand, some people want to see something bad about everyone, and they'll look closely for any flaw.