aaron1234

@Melvin- Moderator Really enjoyed this interview Melvin, watched the whole thing.  It really is an asset to this forum that you do all of these interviews, keep 'em coming! 

17 hours ago, Hairtroubles said:

Doc, I am just too scared with trying Fin

That is fine, you'll just continue to lose hair.  

This B&A is nothing short of jaw dropping 🥇

Don't despair.  The good news is that this quack probably only took a few hundred grafts and you still have donor to work with.  But be wise with who you go to for round 2.... or just shave it off and move on with your life.  Either option is better than dwelling on a mistake. 

It is believed that Trump had a scalp reduction many years ago, which would explain the peculiar way in which he styles his hair.  Whether he had hairline work done is anybody's guess but totally plausible.  A side note, I have a hunch he's had an alar base reduction (nostril flare reduction surgery) and upper blepharoplasty (upper eyelid surgery).  

Unless there's blood you didn't lose a graft.  Most likely it is just dead skin attached to a shedding follicle.  All part of the process.  

3 minutes ago, giegnosiganoe said:

Month 6. Very happy with the results.

As you should be! 😉

5 hours ago, Saab said:

So many people complain about Finasteride, it's hard see what is the real percentage of those negatively affected. It will be nice to hear from someone who takes Fin 

I've been taking it for 15 years with no problem.  

The party is just getting started 😎

3 hours ago, Saab said:

Finasteride will affect my testosterone

This is incorrect.  Finasteride inhibits testosterone from converting to DHT (dihydrotestosterone).  Testosterone levels are not lowered, in fact a small increase of testosterone has been noticed among users of finasteride. 

4 hours ago, Saab said:

And for some reason I got the impression that in USA they still prefer the strip method and FUE is considered a novelty technique so they charge extra for it. While it Europe it is a widely used method 

Go to a clinic that does both FUT and FUE.  That way you know they will perform the procedure that is right for you, not just the one they are more comfortable with.  

@Raphael84 If this was a 12 month result we'd all be congratulating you - at just 5 months it is simply stellar!  Great detailed write-up (I learned a few things from it) and happy to see someone who gives so much to the community enjoy a fantastic result.  Bravo Dr. Bisanga and congrats! 👏

If you can only spend 10k can you keep saving for another couple years?  You're going to need somewhere between 3-4,000 grafts at least.  If you shortchange the first procedure you're just going to be spending more money later on a second - which could possibly happen regardless where you have the procedure. 

8 minutes ago, bbkish said:

3. Since I am willing to travel, are there other doctors I should consider who are outside of my geographic area (but still in North America)? Basically, who else should I consult with? Hasson? Baubac? Konior? Shapriro? Parsa Mohebi?

If you are not in a rush to get a HT then consult with as many docs as possible until you find one that you really click with.  

To the naked eye your donor looks average, so definitely get it checked out for miniaturization before surgery.  I think consulting with H&W is a good place to start.  I know they are not fans of minoxidil and would probably ask you to stop before surgery - not sure how much good min is doing for you now anyways.  Without being on fin I'd anticipate further loss to your lateral humps and widening of the bottom your crown, so plan accordingly.  

Wow, that sprouted fast!  Looking forward to seeing future updates!

Looking solid even under harsh lighting. Also looks like the transplanted hair is maturing and settling.  💯

Things are looking good, hairline very natural.  Love the vid of the donor area and strip scar.  Happy you did FUT?  Looks like you have more strips in the bank.

1 minute ago, JustAGuy55 said:

Here is the thing it’s hard for me to trust any surgeon at the moment. I was told find someone who is in the ISHRS. Wisiorek is. I filed an ethics complaint with those attached pictures and they found no wrong doing by the surgeon what so ever and dismissed my case. 

The ISHRS is a crapshoot.  Some great and not-so-great surgeons there.  Be patient, do some research on this site.  There are definitely some good surgeons out there.

45 minutes ago, Mark Wolfer said:

How does the microscope view confirm this?

You'd be able to see miniaturization in the donor region (a sign that donor hair is DHT receptive) that might not otherwise be apparent to the naked eye.  

No growth and your donor area looks over harvested.  If you're thinking about round 2 make sure you go to an elite surgeon.  

It certainly seems like a bad FUE surgery leaves a patient worse off than a bad FUT.

Also Dr. Bisanga, "If you can keep your hair transplant good for 10 years you should be happy".  And Dr. Wong, "Hair transplants absolutely do thin."  

I think thinning transplanted hair can happen even if the patient's donor region is healthy or if the patient is on fin, though it may be less likely.  Long term planning should account for this possibility. 

Do what works for you.  If I skip a day of shampooing my scalp gets extremely irritated and itchy.  Others can go days without shampooing and they are fine.  Experiment with different regimes and see what works best for you. 

Edit* If you are going to shower twice a day, maybe shampoo in the mornings and conditioner at night (?).  Just an idea.  

23 hours ago, GorillaSquad said:

But almost always the shockloss is temporary and the hair grow back from what i understand?  I am currently 1 month out pretty sure i lost alot of native hairs in the middle area. Hoping they grow back. They were pretty thick 

Shock loss in the donor region almost always comes back.  Shock loss in the recipient area is less certain since these hairs were more vulnerable in the first place.  

I think it looks great!  Give it a couple days and you might change your mind on it.  

16 hours ago, JDEE0 said:

On meds, your hair likely will just look exactly the same as it does today... makes little sense to me.

That's the assumption I had going into my first HT, and after a year post-op it was mostly gone and I had to transplant the same area over again.  Not saying fin doesn't help, but it doesn't hold onto everything.  @kapiper Go ahead a get a transplant but don't be surprised if you need another one very soon after.  Be ready for that likely scenario.