Forrest Gump

I'll wait till they have the "buy 1, get one free" promotion

Jokes aside, do your research and see if you get a good feeling about this place and the results they're turning out.

It all boils down to what your goals are and whether they'll be able to fulfill those goals.

The price does seem to be quite low, but usually in life you get what you pay for - so research carefully.

Good luck!

SJD, you've already got great advice. I almost made the mistake of initially going with a hair transplant factory, which promised great results at very low prices.

Just by some gut feeling, I walked away from them at the last minute. Then I started doing a lot of research and also saw first-hand hair transplant results of patients from top docs.

To repeat what others have already said: I'll start off by researching Rahal, Feller, Shapiro, H&W, Alexander, Keene, and other such top docs who turning out consistent results.

Good luck!

Depends on your degree of hair loss and the area covered. If you restore only your hairline and you get very high density of transplant, then you won't look that bad in the sun.

However, if you have extensive balding, then it would be practically impossible to have high density throughout.

For me, it is drastically different than what it was at 6-7 months versus what it is now (at 11 months).

It does thicken up quite a bit.

"couple of hours' drive" should read "couple of hours' flying"

I would stick to doctors in North America. Even if you save a bit of money to have the procedure in a foreign country, is it worth the risk?

I have seen pictures of patients who did their procedure with low cost docs (often in foreign countries); many of these patients had to spend a lot more money later in life trying to repair the damages.

Since you're in Quebec, you're within a couple of hours' drive from some of the best surgeons in the world (in New York, Ottawa, Minnesota, Chicago, etc.).

Again, why take chances in a foreign country, when the cost savings are not even that substantial and you run huge risks?

janna, IMO, your question is a legitimate one. Good luck with your surgery plans.

If Feller was your doc then you have reasons to be very optimistic. From the results that I have seen posted here, Dr Feller seems to be doing consistently good work.

You'll see a drastically different you 12 months from now

I would say about 1500 grafts.

Looks fine. Who was your doctor?

Btw, don't expect to see any new hair before 3 months.

Good luck!

As usual, great job from Dr Rahal.

My guess would be around 3500-4000 grafts... however it depends on your goals and desires.

The best option would be to consult with a qualified doctor and seek expert opinion.

Good luck!

So far looks very nice. Don't worry, 77 days is still to early to notice any significant difference. Wait for a year to see the full cosmetic effects of the surgery. Good luck!

Jeevan, You're starting to look good. Remember, this is only your 6th month, so you still have a long way to go (or is it grow?). From my own experiences and from what I've see for others, your hair growth would reach its peak after 12 months only.

Your hair is going to get even better in the next few months! Congratulations!

Some good points have been made. I personally think there are only a handful of doctors (perhaps 4 or 5) who are consistently producing results where the transplanted hair looks natural enough and gives good illusion of density.

Also, it seems that different docs have different degrees of expertise for hairlines vs. crown areas.

I actually did not feel anything more than a slight pinch, but maybe because my tolerance level for pain is quite high.

In fact the local anaesthesia injection gave me the exact same feeling that I get when getting a flu shot.

However patientgrowth, I am guessing that it might also depend on the doctor and his/her style of injecting. Hopefully, you didn't feel anything for the rest of the surgery.

You might start using minoxidil, and then see what happens. I started using minox since my late 20's, and I think it somewhat stabilized the loss.

Remember, you have limited donor hair supply, and it's possible that things can go worse, especially since you have MPB in your family. What happens if you use some donor hair and fill in the temples, and find out 10 years later that you need more hair for your top, front, or crown?

If you're still obsessed, you can schedule an appointment (in person, or over the phone, or online) with an elite surgeon, and seek their opinion regarding your hair loss.

Good luck!

Follow the pre and post-op advice given by Dr Konior, very religiously.

You won't feel much during the the actual surgery. At the most, there might be a pinching sensation when the local anaesthesia is injected.

I think the most important thing to keep in mind post-op is never to dislodge or damage the transplated grafts.

Good luck!

Talk to some of the hair surgeons (in person, online, or over the phone). See what they have to say. Definitely stay away from Bosley... I have usually heard horror stories about them.

Check out some of the coalition doctors, and do your research. Rahal, Feller, H&W, Shapiro, Alexander, etc. are some of the commonly heard names on this forum, but there are several other very elite doctors as well. Talk to a few of these docs and seek their opinion.

Good luck!

I am told that by the fourth day, the grafts are totally in place, and hence showering on day 7 should be fine. However, you should always ask your doctor instead of guessing.

Bandoayan,

Dr Manoj Khanna is horrible. As part of my job, I have to make frequent travels to Asia, including India. During one such trip, I made an appointment with Manoj Khanna. I've never seen such rude staff at a doctor's office. The lady at the front desk was outright nasty.

Manoj Khanna showed me some of his work (on his PC), and none of them seemed that impressive - however it's also possible that the camera used was not that good. He used sales pressure tactics that I've never seen at any doctor's office. I had the appointment with him on an evening (around 7 pm or so), and he asked me to have my hair transplant surgery the very next day at 8 am (while I was talking about having the surgery 6 months down the line)! Needless to say, I just ran out of the nearest door as fast as I could, before he or his staff members could get a hold of my hair.

Varsity, I have been fortunate enough like you. I got my HT exactly 9 weeks ago. I retained almost all my grafts till about 4 weeks. Between weeks 4-5, I had some shedding, but my estimate is that about 60% of the grafts remained intact.

Those 60% that stayed from the beginning, have grown significantly since then. In addition, since week 7, I am seeing the appearance of new hair - in the places where I had shedding.

I had HT at the hairline only. Right now, at week 9, I am quite happy with what I am seeing.

Good luck to you!

FG

I flew 2 days after my HT. Did not face any problems at the airport or otherwise. However, I did not have staples - so not sure about the metal detectors at airports.

readyand40, I had the exact same reservation as you did. Due to my line of work, there was no way I was shaving off my head.

From my research, I found out that there are several doctors who do NOT require shaving. I guess it also depends on the amount of grafts transplanted and the degree/type of hair loss.

So research around, and I am sure you'll find several doctors who do not require shaving. Btw, I am also based in the New England area, and hence my initial plan was to have the transplant in NY and I did do virtual consulting with several NY area based clinics. However, finally I decided to do the surgery with a coalition doctor in California. So while NY has several top doctors, you might want to keep your options open regarding traveling.

FG

King-Hair,

I believe that the transplanted hair shed at around 4 weeks, and they come back 3 months after the procedure.

I am at my third week after surgery, and I have about 70% of my transplanted hair (about 30% seems to have shed off). I have read in the forums that a lucky few avoid shedding a majority of the transplanted grafts.