marc515515

I had 2700+ grafts with Dr. Feller on October 3, 2005. I'm now beginning to see the early signs of growth. It was an overall excellent experience.

I would recommend you also get a consultation with Alan Feller in Great Neck, NY, on Long Island. I had 2700+ graft procedure with Feller in October 2005.

Dhuge: Like everyone else here, I wish you the best. Many men have been permanently disfigured by this surgery, and none of us want to see another guy suffer that fate. I've skimmed much of this thread, and I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but it's a fact that a lot of the top HT surgeons refuse to operate on anyone under 25, let alone someone who's only 20. Doesn't that give you pause? I'm not sure you realize what a life-changing experience a strip HT is. You're going to be someone who's had major cosmetic surgery. That's a big deal, even in 2006. And there's no way to reverse it. Once the back of your scalp has been cut open and sewn back together, there's no returning it to its original state. I was 26 when I had my first procedure, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into or what the psychological ramifications of it would be. Please, do more research and make an informed decision. Since you're in Eastern PA, my recommendation for you would be to take a drive to Great Neck, NY, and get a consultation with the surgeon I had my last procedure with, Dr. Alan Feller. There's no charge, you'll meet with the doctor personally, and Dr. F has a reputation for giving honest appraisals and doing excellent work. Good luck.

I would recommend you get a consultation with Dr. Feller in Great Neck, NY. You'll meet with the doctor himself, not with anyone else. I had a 2700+ graft procedure with him in October.

JW: I'm relieved to hear that your dad is going to Hasson & Wong and not to one of the thousands of awful surgeons who are out there preying on insecure people, and I'm glad that you are going to encourage your mother to learn more about this subject. Remember, you only have one scalp. There are guys your age who have had HT and basically ruined their lives as a result. Take your time and don't rush into anything. Marc

21 is WAY too young to even consider HT--most ethical doctors will not perform surgery on anyone under 25. Your father has already scheduled a procedure? How much research has he done? Is it with one of the top surgeons, e.g. those recommended on this board? If not, PLEASE advise him to slow down and reconsider. This is a huge, life-changing experience, and a negative result can be disastrous. Good luck and be careful. Your parents would benefit from viewing this site as well.

Unless you're really lucky and heal exceptionally well or maybe are having a very small procedure, you're probably going to need to take more time off work than a day. I had a 2700+ graft procedure in October 2005. Everything went according to plan, and I've healed very well, but the week after the procedure was pretty rough. I had swelling all over my face which took about four days to drain away and clear up, and I didn't even have it as bad as a lot of guys. It's not uncommon for eyes to temporarily swell up, which thankfully didn't happen to me. Regardless, good luck. I hope everything works out for you. But don't think this is some minor procedure.

Kamin: Everyone on this community is happy for you that you got a good result with MHR, and no one denies that MHR may have some good doctors. However, the way they market themselves, e.g. their "It's the Hair, Dude!" ad campaign, is, in my humble opinion, sleazy and unethical. It preys upon men's insecurity and promises unrealistic results. The ads are available on their website if anyone wants to check them out and judge for himself. Marc

If you're looking at NYC doctors, you might want to consider Dr. Feller as well. He's in Great Neck, NY, on Long Island.

Time to grow: One thing to keep in mind is that a hair transplant, even an outstanding one, is not a substitute for having a full head of natural hair. The goal is to create an "illusion of coverage," framing the face with hair. Under everyday circumstances, hardly anyone would suspect that your hair was not completely natural. However, your hair is still likely to look somewhat thin. No one has enough donor hair to cover their crown. You're still going to have a bald spot. But the harshness of stage lighting, I think, is another matter. My guess is that you would still need to wear a wig when you were performing unless of course the character you were playing was a man with thinning hair. These are just my thoughts. Spend a lot of time on the boards and talk to as many patients as you can. Best of luck to you. Marc

You might want to get a consultation with Dr. Feller as well. He's in Great Neck, NY, on Long Island.

I tried to upload seven photos, but it looks like the experiment failed. Sorry about that! Jacob S: I'm not sure of the exact count of the number of grafts I've had. I'd estimate it being around 2800 or so total.

I am 33 years old, and I have had 7 (that's right, SEVEN) strip procedures. My first was when I was in October 1998 when I was 26, and my seventh was in December 2002. The first five were with a NYC doctor whose name I've never heard mentioned on this board. The sessions were extremely small, probably around 300 grafts. The next two were with a different doctor and were a little larger, about 650 grafts each.

I am 33 years old, and I have had 7 (that's right, SEVEN) strip procedures. My first was when I was in October 1998 when I was 26, and my seventh was in December 2002. The first five were with a NYC doctor whose name I've never heard mentioned on this board. The sessions were extremely small, probably around 300 grafts. The next two were with a different doctor and were a little larger, about 650 grafts each.

Thanks for the reply, Robert. I'll post some photos soon.

Hi everyone. My name is Marc. I've been lurking and occasionally posting for the last few months but have not really introduced myself yet. I am 33 years old, and I have had 7 (that's right, SEVEN) strip procedures. My first was when I was in October 1998 when I was 26, and my seventh was in December 2002. The first five were with a NYC doctor whose name I've never heard mentioned on this board. The sessions were extremely small, probably around 300 grafts. The next two were with a different doctor and were a little larger, about 650 grafts each. In the last two weeks I've had a consultation with both Robert Bernstein (of NYC) and Alan Feller (of Great Neck, NY). Both doctors impressed me very much on a personal level. They seemed caring and honest, and both met with me personally and gave me plenty of time to ask any questions I had. They agreed in their assessment of the current state of my hair--that I am very, very lucky, especially considering the very high number of procedures I've had and that I started seven years ago. Both considered my hairline and donor scar to be of decent quality. (I'm completely happy with my hairline but wish my scar was thinner--my hopes regarding scarring are probably not realistic.) My density, however, is not very good, and both thought I would benefit from another procedure. My previous procedures were (if I'm not mistaken) micrografts and not follicular units. But I'm lucky in that I have wavy brown hair that looks fuller and gives better coverage than most straight hair. However, the two doctors disagreed as far as what my next procedure should consist of. Bernstein, I know, has a reputation for being very conservative. He thought the density of my donor area was not very good and suggested we do a small procedure of about 600 grafts, strengthening the hairline a bit and filling in some of the weak spots behind the hairline. I asked him about FUE, but he seemed very skeptical and couldn't recommend it for me. This afternoon I met with Feller, and he was much more optimistic about what I might achieve. He suggested a large strip session of 2000 grafts, maybe more. He thought that would be enough to give me really good overall coverage. In about a year after the procedure, he said he might be able to do an FUE procedure of around 500 grafts in which we could try to fill in the donor scar a bit. I should also add that at this point pretty much all the hair on the top of my head is transplanted. I've never used Propecia or Rogaine. Any thoughts or suggestions that anyone might have would be appreciated. Though both doctors impressed me, right now I'm leaning towards going with Feller. I'm not sure if 600 grafts from Bernstein, and the marginal improvement that would provide, would be worth the expense and inconvenience of an eighth (eighth!) procedure. Thanks, Marc

Hi everyone. My name is Marc. I've been lurking and occasionally posting for the last few months but have not really introduced myself yet. I am 33 years old, and I have had 7 (that's right, SEVEN) strip procedures. My first was when I was in October 1998 when I was 26, and my seventh was in December 2002. The first five were with a NYC doctor whose name I've never heard mentioned on this board. The sessions were extremely small, probably around 300 grafts. The next two were with a different doctor and were a little larger, about 650 grafts each. In the last two weeks I've had a consultation with both Robert Bernstein (of NYC) and Alan Feller (of Great Neck, NY). Both doctors impressed me very much on a personal level. They seemed caring and honest, and both met with me personally and gave me plenty of time to ask any questions I had. They agreed in their assessment of the current state of my hair--that I am very, very lucky, especially considering the very high number of procedures I've had and that I started seven years ago. Both considered my hairline and donor scar to be of decent quality. (I'm completely happy with my hairline but wish my scar was thinner--my hopes regarding scarring are probably not realistic.) My density, however, is not very good, and both thought I would benefit from another procedure. My previous procedures were (if I'm not mistaken) micrografts and not follicular units. But I'm lucky in that I have wavy brown hair that looks fuller and gives better coverage than most straight hair. However, the two doctors disagreed as far as what my next procedure should consist of. Bernstein, I know, has a reputation for being very conservative. He thought the density of my donor area was not very good and suggested we do a small procedure of about 600 grafts, strengthening the hairline a bit and filling in some of the weak spots behind the hairline. I asked him about FUE, but he seemed very skeptical and couldn't recommend it for me. This afternoon I met with Feller, and he was much more optimistic about what I might achieve. He suggested a large strip session of 2000 grafts, maybe more. He thought that would be enough to give me really good overall coverage. In about a year after the procedure, he said he might be able to do an FUE procedure of around 500 grafts in which we could try to fill in the donor scar a bit. I should also add that at this point pretty much all the hair on the top of my head is transplanted. I've never used Propecia or Rogaine. Any thoughts or suggestions that anyone might have would be appreciated. Though both doctors impressed me, right now I'm leaning towards going with Feller. I'm not sure if 600 grafts from Bernstein, and the marginal improvement that would provide, would be worth the expense and inconvenience of an eighth (eighth!) procedure. Thanks, Marc

I'd stay away from him. Do a search for his name under "Find." Here's one link that came up: http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7466.../410105862#410105862

Most of the hair on top of my head is transplanted, and though it's not as thick as my natural hair was, it feels perfectly normal. Does anyone else find it a bit strange that Ashley doesn't know this guy's first name, yet she knows for certain that he's had a hair transplant?

Dr. Rose: Thank you for sharing this with us. Is the "ledge closure" technique an option for patients who have had previous strip surgeries (and who are hoping to shrink their scar a bit)? Marc

I'm considering it. I exchanged emails with one of his assistants. The open house is at 8 PM.