Forrest Gump

Creative, from the pictures that you posted, it seems you need more than 5000 grafts. I am not sure if any doctor will be willing to do an FUE for 5000 grafts; you would need several rounds of surgeries. An FUT on the other hand, can give you 5,000 grafts possibly in 1 seating, or at the most in 2 seatings. Also, even if you keep your hair reasonably short, the FUT scare, from a good surgery outcome, won't be visible. Of course, if you prefer a buzz cut (or almost shaved down look), then obviously, the scar would be visible.

BigAllan, I had some "interesting" side effects after taking Propecia, and mine were totally different from what others experience. My sex drive actually went up after I started taking Propecia. I once had a thread about that, and I think Dr. Lindsay had an interesting explanation for this phenomenon. In fact, the first few weeks after I first started taking Propecia, my sex drive was insatiable, and I wasn't complaining btw My other side effect were the occasional hot flashes. I did a google search, and apparently hot flashes in men can be due to fluctuations in testosterone level. Since Propecia affects the testosterone level, this outcome sounds feasible. Now, I take Propecia at intervals - e.g., once every 2 days and sometimes once every 3 days. My hot flashes are now gone, but I think I have increased sex drives on the days I take Propecia (don't know if it's a placebo effect though).

Dontbeafool, your post sounds a bit suspicious since it is a blanket statement and without any supporting evidence. Do you have any pictures to support your claims? I look forward to seeing your pictures.

Stripped, from the picture, it seems that you already had nice thick hair before. I am not sure why you did a HT surgery. Is this your first HT, or did you have any before?

Looks nice! You must be very happy. Btw, how many grafts did you get?

I guessed it helps. My doctor asked me to apply Vitamin E oil.

My main discomfort was while sleeping. It was pretty bad for the first couple of weeks and somewhat bad for an additional couple of weeks. About 2 months post-op, I was sleeping almost normal with hardly any discomfort. For regular (non-sleep related) activities, it was bad for the first couple of days. In fact, the first night of the surgery was very bad for me; I was nauseated and dizzy. After 3 or 4 days, I was almost able to do regular stuff without too much discomfort. However, the discomfort during sleeping persisted for a few weeks, as I mentioned above.

NeedHair75, most of the clinics that I am aware of usually give a generous travel discount (and sometimes full reimbursement) for out of town patients.

I would wear a hat in the sun the first 6 months or so.

Baldboy, IMO, 21 yrs is too young for a HT. You might want to wait for at least a couple of years, and then go and talk to a very "ethical" doctor, who would have your best interests at heart, and won't be just after your money.

I have to go with danoush here. He definitely looks horrible. I don't know if the unfortunate results are due to any physiological flaws in his system or if it is due to inefficient surgical procedures, but the final results suck.

Cole, first of all, you have acted like a perfect gentleman and shown exemplary temperament in handling this horrible outcome. Although you might have asked for a lower hairline, the doctor, being the bigger expert in the room, should not have gone for it, with the specified amounts of grafts. For example, when I went for my HT, I asked my doctor to lower my hairline, but he did some facial measurments and told me that a lower hairline won't suit my face. So he turned down my suggestion for a lower hairline. I hope you get this resolved positively, because right now, it looks pretty messed up. Not only is the transplanted area bad, the donor area is worse.

Disappointed, there are 2 Shapiro brothers - Ron and Paul. From the postings on this forum, I think Dr Ron is the more famous one, but Dr Paul also does solid work. Several doctors do 4000 graft sessions these days. I personally like the hairline designs of Drs Shapiro, Rahal, and Feller, in no particular order. If you're looking for a big megasession (of say 5000 grafts or more), then Drs. Hasson and Wong are ahead of others.

From the comments that I have seen on this forum, it seems HairClub and Bosley are pretty bad. However, I have no personal experience with either of these. In southern California, I have heard the names of Meshkin, Reed, Ross, Rassman, and Carman. There might be a few others. Do a search on these names on this forum, and see if you like their work. You can also search for other doctors in southern California.

It'll be pretty uncomfortable the first few weeks. Things would be slightly better after the sutures/staples are taken out, but it might be a couple of months before you feel somewhat comfortable. However, you might get used to the discomfort after the first few days.

Bleachcola, good points. I faced a similar dilemma. I spent months deliberating if I am making the right choice spending so much money just to have a fuller head of hair. Depending on the amount of grafts you need, it can usually cost anything from $4000 to $25000. That's a lot of money for anyone. Hence, it is important to do a lot of research before committing to a HT surgery. Btw, right now, I am very happy that I went through the HT. I look a lot younger now than I did over a year ago. I am 35 yrs old, and recently, I have had really young ladies (around 20 yrs of age or so) glancing at me, making eye contact, and even smiling... something that hasn't happened since I graduated from college 10+ years ago. So right now, I don't feel that bad about having spent all that money. However, who knows how I'll feel in 10 yrs from now. So think through this very carefully and do your research well.

Platinum, sorry to see your poor results. Based on the pictures that you've posted, I would have been very very unhappy with the results. Hopefully, you'll get this resolved/repaired soon. Good luck!

Baldingbum, if I were you, I would prioritize on paying off my current outstanding debts before I even think about adding more debt through an optional cosmetic surgery like HT surgery. Once you pay off your current debt on the Citibank card, it'll be easier to get approved for a new card. Moreover, many new cards have 0% interest rates (for 6 months, 12 months, etc.) on balance transfers. So it's in your best interest to pay off the current balance before adding new debt. My 2 cents...

Baldingbum, if you have a bad credit history, it might be tough to get a credit card in today's environment. However, you might still be able to get a credit card from the bank(s) where you have your deposits.

Danoush, the pictures of your scars look terrible. If the pictures are telling the true story, you got butchered. I also find it interesting that Dr Ochs removed all his posts after the mention of legal action on Danoush's part. As others have already said, this is a very unfortunate situation overall. Hope some solution emerges.

Unclebenjie, I recall seeing posts from some of Dr Mahadevia's patients. Some of them seem very happy with the outcomes, while a couple are not. Do a search on these forums for Dr Mahadevia, and you'll see what these patients have to say. I think I saw recent posts from someone with the name of saifuddin (spelling incorrect?) who seems very happy with this HT with Dr. Mahadevia. Send him a private message and he can give you his first hand experience with Dr Mahadevia. Good luck!

For the doctor, there are better ways to handle this than send "unprofessional" emails. Danoush, I don't see this as blackmail. If after paying for 4000 grafts, you apparently had a growth of a mere 200 grafts, you have reasons to be upset. So far, from what you've posted on this forum, I don't see anything remotely related to blackmailing.

Speegs, a reputed doctor (Shapiro) already offers FUE for $5 per graft, and I believe he has been doing so for a while. There are also a few coalition doctors who offer $3 per graft for FUT. Do a search on the doctors to see which ones do.

Danoush, sorry to hear about your unfortunate outcome. You might want to post some additional pictures to better present your case. Good luck with your legal options and future repairs.

I'll second what hair_me_out said, and would also add that you might want to start using Rogaine also. See if these stabilize your hairloss. Your hairline looks decent right now, but if you want to lower your hairline (for whatever reason), you can consider a HT surgery in the future. However, for the time being, I think Propecia and Rogaine should be quite helpful, and if you're lucky, you might not need a HT surgery ever. Good luck!