Dewayne

10 month results here. I can tell some difference from my 9 month pics, but I think the lighting from the sun made it look thicker then but to me it looks thicker now at 10.

Again, I wish I would've went ahead and addressed my crown but it's very cool to not have to constantly worry about the old plug job getting noticed.

It's also cool to see people look at you like they know something's different, but they can't quite put a finger on it.

Anyway, tell me what you think so far.

I think they will, for the most part. Of course some will have enough demand that they won't have to. But, I never thought cars would drop like they have and you can just about steal a Ford or Chevy right now.

What is copy farm? I hear you on the expense, but to be fair a lot of these drugs would have never been invented if all they could get was $4 a bottle. So, the patent really spurs research and this and every other industry is done for economic purposes, first and foremost.

imun,

I wish you could post the pics in an album, so we could see them all lined up. At the top left, click NEW, and then PHOTO ALBUM and it'll walk you through it. Lining them up in an album will show a much clearer picture.

Having said that, you don't look as bald in your 'afters' so that's a plus. It's just hard for my untrained eyes to make a judgement based on those pics.

Originally posted by rohamonster:

i got a price of 1700 follicular units- 3400+ follicles for $10,000 dollars im guessing a little high, but i think the survival rate and minimal scar and the fact i would not have to travel, ( during and for follow up visits). I was told by bosely that i could get 3000 for $11000.00 that they had a cancellation and a slot to fill, seemed just a reason to come down on the price, i think they had said 3000 graft , would be like 8000 grafts , they even said i could have someone take out the stiches( dont seem like they were concerned about follow up? sorry for the rambling

rohamonster,

If you're in the Atlanta area, as am I, then you might consider driving to Charlotte as well. Now, I think Griffin does quality work, but he was a little too high for me as well. And, he prescribed me topical finasteride, which he made at his office, for $38 per month and I took it for two years. Several doctors have since told me it didn't work topically, so that turned me off somewhat.

My quote from Cooley was 2500 grafts for $10,000. If you pay in certified check, there is a 10% discount, so I ended up paying $9,000. That price includes two nights in a hotel. It's really not a tough drive from Atlanta.

I'm not trying to pimp him, but his prices were just about the lowest of any doc I consulted with. And, I think he's very good as well.

But, there is something to be said for having the doctor in town. Maybe you could offer Griffin $8000 for 2,000 grafts. All he can say is no.

Having said all that, I'd give Griffin that or more before I'd go near a Bosley. It's just too risky; you might get a certified hack doing your transplant.

I've seen some of his results, and I even went to him for a consult. A poster, Transplant Dude?? had a procedure with him and was really happy.

For various reasons, I drove within a mile of his office on 285 on my way to Charlotte to have Cooley do my procedure. I think he does quality work, though.

Get back to work, man! Tell your coworkers you've got a viral infection or something.

My procedure was finished Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and I went in to my office on Monday at 11:00 a.m. I have a secretary and I'm sure she noticed something was up. But, the most obvious thing was the hairline where I had old plugs removed. And I'm a diffuse thinner so my existing hairs covered mine as well.

In my opinon, Freezeout, it's best to keep this whole process as simple as possible - and it can get confusing.

I don't know about all the certifications, etc., but I know a lot of piss-poor clinics can meet requirements and get certified. Hair tranplants are still pretty much unregulated as far as good-looking cosmetic results go. And while a doctor might meet all the requirements set forth by some medical body, they don't care if you look like Bozo the Clown or Brad Pitt; as long as everything was clean, safe, etc.

The REAL proof is in the pudding. Check out the thousands of pictures and posts on this site and narrow your search down to four or five clinics that provide consistant, world-class results. The owners of this site travel around and make their own recommendations, but the 'volunteer' army of posters on here is where the greatest benefit lies. Look for posters who are 7 months + out and send them messages, look at their pics, ask them questions, etc. and the list of great clinics will start to narrow a bit.

Where are you?

Originally posted by Leeson:

Had CIT in 2007. Wasn't happy.

Leeson,

I noticed you've also had work done by Latham's as have I. I'd like to hear your experience if you could PM me. Not that I think they are butchers, but I haven't really ever known anyone who has had a procedure done there; besides myself of course.

Both have stellar reputations, for sure. In my opinion, a good way to select your surgeon after narrowing it down to a couple or three top-flight doctors is to use the tie-breaker of cost and distance. Can you drive to one of the offices? I fly a lot, but I felt much better in my own car when I was only 4 hours away.

I know money is no object to most people on here, but for me Cooley was about 10% cheaper than a couple others I was considering - $1,000.

I think that's somewhat unusual. There are some who do it, but I think standard is a 25% deposit and then payment on the day of your procedure. If you skip on the appointment, they get to keep your deposit.

If it's uncomfortable for you to meet his terms, politely tell them some of the best surgeons in world work by a similar pay schedule as the one I've described above and would he be willing to do the same.

Personally, I wouldn't follow that because if something major happened, like a death in the family, it might be difficult to get the money back. Who knows, something could happen and you don't go through with the procedure at all.

The difference in my scar now, after the Trichophytic closure, versus the 1991 closure I got is big. I cannot express how much better and undetectable it is now.

If anyone would like to drive to Atlanta and try to find my scar now, I'll buy your lunch if you can!

Not pimping a particular doc, because I'm sure some others can do the same but I'm thrilled with the looks of the back of my head. It appears hairs have grown through and that's what's making it undetectable.

Hello ej,

I'm sure there are a number of world-class surgeons who could do that for you. I had a rather poor transplant back in 1991 and my scar was visible when I tried to cut my hair fairly short or even when I went swimming.

Let me tell you, Dr. Cooley did my last transplant and at 5 months or so, it was completely undetectable. I'd recommend finding a doc who does the trycho. closure (not sure about the whole spelling).

Just last night, after 9 months, I was running a comb up the back of my head and I'm telling you it can't be seen. He's in Charlotte, NC, but I'm sure there is a good clinic near you who could do that for you. Just make sure they do this type of closure.

And while you're at it, I'd have him/her do a transplant as the donor part is generally the most complicated part anyway.

Originally posted by Ceasar08:

I've never had a problem. Sometimes you just have to be extra patient and follow-up on your inquiries a few times.

 

I think that it makes sense that the best doctors are going to have clogged e-mail boxes, busy phone lines, and long waiting times when scheduling surgery. It's the trade off of going to someone with a great reputation.

 

I'd be more concerned with the doctors who answer my e-mail in thirty seconds, follow-up with ten phone calls, and then offer to do the transplant the following day.

Ceaser,

That is about the smartest post I've read in quiet a while, and I couldn't agree more. Initially, I felt Dr. Cooley was difficult to reach but I kept on and found that if I email him personally he usually checks it every morning just before 7 a.m. and responds.

He's in the operating room all day, so I quickly figured out why he wasn't sitting by the phone all day.

I had similar issues as you all, except with different clinics! The only reason I didn't go to Feller was the distance, and the fact it was in NYC.

But, I can tell you a lot of clinics have these issues and I learned to just bear it and overlook a lot of it.

I'm positive these clinics are overloaded with contact with people who'll never have a transplant. My advice is to understand this up front and try again. It's worth it.

Originally posted by PLEASE GROW PLEASE:

Well what are you waiting for

Maybe some of you all could pitch in and give me a scholarship.....

Seriously though, I've spent waaay too much money this year and just spent another $9k on my 16-year-old a car. It'll be a little while for me getting back in the chair.

I'd say you're about right, if heart and brain surgery is a 10 then hair transplant would be a 2 or 3.

A 1 would probably be....taking tonsils out?

Thank you all for the comments. I look and feel much better for sure.

The one piece of advice I'd give, after nine months, is to get what you want from the start.

I now wish I'd taken Jotronic's advice and went for 4,000 grafts. At the time, I had three surgeons recommend 2,500 grafts after seeing my pics and one, Hassan, recommend 4,000. If you check my posts back last February, you'd see that I couldn't understand the difference in recommendations.

So, my opinion is two-fold: Because of the online/phone consult, the three doctors didn't fully appreciate my level of thinning; OR, if given a choice most clinics prefer a 2,500 graft session as it's more like a normal day.

Either way, I'm happy but I do have a bald crown. I believe Cooley is one of the best, and his skills go beyond the appearance of the finished transplant, but I do wish I'd gotten at least another 1,000 to the crown.

At first I thought that it would have to be bad to come back that next day and get cut again. However, I suppose once you get a couple more of those shots it probably doesn't make a difference as far as pain goes.

And really, the pain meds don't wear off for a few days anyway. Keep us informed as it will be interesting to know how that feels and works. Good luck.

notsosure:

I'm fairly sure there are at least 100 people on here who'd pay $25,000 to have your hair, so that's why you're getting those comments.

But, to a guy like me hair transplants aren't a big deal anymore, but I WAS a lot balder than you. Now I'm only a little balder.

All that said, there are plenty of docs in the midwest / northeast outside of Indiana. If cost is not a factor, consider Feller, Cooley, Bernstein, H&W, etc. You could get 2,000 grafts and probably look 18 again from the looks of your hair.

"These pretzels are making me thirsty...."

-One of my favorite Seinfelds.

Both Propecia and Proscar have the same active ingredient, finasteride. The Propecia is 1mg, which was the dosage used and approved to treat hairloss. Proscar is 5mg, and is much cheaper b/c it doesn't claim to grow hair. But, it's the same thing - finasteride.

While there is debate on this topic, I suggest you check out this thread where Dr. Cooley participates and gives his thoughts on the acceptable dosages. http://hair-restoration-info.c...831071693#2831071693

FWIW, I take a 5mg Proscar tablet and break (bite) it into 1/3's. I take the 1/3 tablet every M-W-F.

Originally posted by PLEASE GROW PLEASE:

We had decided on 1800 grafts during our discussions over the phone/online but I ended up getting 2128 grafts .Some of the grafts beyond the 1800 that we had discussed were actually free!( you can get the correct numbers from Dr. Lindsey if you want)

Congrats but most top clinics give you ALL the extras for free

PGP, I'm a little suprised at your response to a first time poster who has just finished a positive, life-changing experience. I've been on this board a year, and I've read many instances where patients were charged some fee for any 'extras'. I was tickled to get a 100 or so extra too, but it's still worth reporting, imo.

Topfloor,

Thanks for posting and keep us updated on your progress.

The best estimate I've heard, but I'm sort of a statistics based person, is from Dr. Cooley:

-At 6 months,

25% of patients will have attained 75% of their growth,

50% of patients will have attained 50% of their growth,

25% of patients will have attained 25% of their growth.

So, the hard part is knowing which percentile you're in. Personally, I've learned that I'm in probably the 25%/25% group, because I started noticing my growth around month 7 and it's really improved lately, at month 9.

The middle group is typical, so odds are at month 6 you've only experienced 50% or so of the growth you'll get. After you get 100% growth, expect the hairs to start fattening up starting around months 10 - 12 and look even fuller.

Originally posted by mmhce:

Perhaps there is great difficulty in getting patients to return to the clinics at specificied periods to record biometrics and photo-documentation. I am not excusing insufficient documentation on the part of the doctors, but would just like to point out that many of the patients come from great distances to receive surgery.

 

Options may include the doctor/clinic giving discounts to the patient on subsequent surgeries if they (the doctors/clinics) are allowed to study and record the patients' progress, paid airfare and hotel accomodations.

 

Additionally/alternately the clinic may inform the patient as to how to photo document the progress at least, bearing in mind that there are other measurable biometrics such as increase in hair shaft diameter and so on that must be measured with microscopes and other highly refined instruments.

 

This is why it is important that the patients record for themselves progress, via photos and may/should choose to create a blog on this forum to share the progress and result,(relative to the attending surgeon).

 

I believe incentives given to patients, by the doctors or clinics could be instrumental in promoting proper documentation.

 

Please criticize my comments.

I think you're dead-on. Just take me, for example. I do plan on going back just for some good one year "after" pics, but I'm going to have to take a day off work (I'm a commission only type business so I won't get paid), buy a hotel, and drive four hours one way to do it. Now, I'm not 100% I'll do it, but I'm going to try.

And, I've posted on this board like 1,000 times! So, take someone who is unlike most of us who doesn't follow this site daily, I bet it's hard as hell to get him to come back for some solid after pics.