newhairguy

hey everyone, been gone for a bit! Well, tomorrow makes an even 8 weeks for me, and I am wondering... is it safe to assume that the grafts i have left that did NOT fall out will be staying with me for the long haul? I was expecting to lose a lot more than i did, both in shockloss and simply that time when the grafts fall out like 3 weeks after surgery. But almost no shockloss at all, and it looks like 50% or more has stayed intact and is definitely growing. (i'd actually say more, but if its less then i REALLY cant wait till it all grows in!!)Some of the hairs are well over an inch long now and i have recently gotten bold and pulled on a few... seem strong! So what do you think? Am I just lucky, or is this gonna go soon too? Also, my donor scar seems kinda thick. Does anyone else recall feeling that scar around 2 months and thinking it seemed a bit TOO big? (as in, tall, I cant tell how wide it is since i just cant see back there.) Finally... how wide a scar should i have? I mean from ear to ear... how many inches across? I only had 1000 grafts done, and most looke to be 2 hair grafts, a lot of one hairs even... i cant help feeling like the yeild shoulda been higher? Nice to see everyone again, thanks in advance!

hey everyone, been gone for a bit! Well, tomorrow makes an even 8 weeks for me, and I am wondering... is it safe to assume that the grafts i have left that did NOT fall out will be staying with me for the long haul? I was expecting to lose a lot more than i did, both in shockloss and simply that time when the grafts fall out like 3 weeks after surgery. But almost no shockloss at all, and it looks like 50% or more has stayed intact and is definitely growing. (i'd actually say more, but if its less then i REALLY cant wait till it all grows in!!)Some of the hairs are well over an inch long now and i have recently gotten bold and pulled on a few... seem strong! So what do you think? Am I just lucky, or is this gonna go soon too? Also, my donor scar seems kinda thick. Does anyone else recall feeling that scar around 2 months and thinking it seemed a bit TOO big? (as in, tall, I cant tell how wide it is since i just cant see back there.) Finally... how wide a scar should i have? I mean from ear to ear... how many inches across? I only had 1000 grafts done, and most looke to be 2 hair grafts, a lot of one hairs even... i cant help feeling like the yeild shoulda been higher? Nice to see everyone again, thanks in advance!

Wow! I go away for a month or two, and all hell breaks loose! lol! Not into banning anyone, myself, BUT... I have to say that on first logging in here, i saw these threads from "perfect few" and started reading there. I didnt catch on IMMEDIATELY, though my suspicions were up pretty quick. Even newer newbies than me might not see it as fast, or at all... could prove harmful. I hate banning, but sometimes u have to do what u really dont want to do.

Honestly, just a little post to help keep this thread allive and read by young newcomers. Its really pretty solid. One thing I would add... not that it hasn't been trumpeted enough elsewhere BUT... its still worth repeating. If ur looking for a HT, especially when young, do the finasteride (propecia) and Minoxidil (rogaine) thing first for at least a year, see where u are, and when u see a doc finally, get a REAL GOOD ESTIMATION of what your loss pattern may be based on the consultation observations and family history and whatever other relevent info you can include. Then make a decision based on your wants, needs, and probable future loss pattern. Go to a good handful of docs, EVEN IF you find one u like quickly... u can always return to him or her. Like everyone says, travel if u need to, there are many travel incentives for patients. And to the main point I wanted to make... get a REALLY GOOD DOCTOR. All the coalition docs are prolly great (though not all may do what you want, especially when ur young), but there are non-coalition docs who are great too... maybe just as yet undiscovered. Dig around, ask a million questions, and read tons of posts here. Find that good doc who will do what you want (once you have GOOD REASON to believe you really know what you want and know all the pro's and con's about it). Then take that plunge.

Brilliant! That's what i will look for now, the self checkout aisle! I just hope it doesnt come down too much to a self checkout vs. low price... i dont think wal mart or costco have the self check option.

Had a few doubts before the procedure, then mostly just anxious anticipation of something i had wanted for years! Then afterwards, a day or so, is when I really started wondering... OMG, what did i DO??? But its three weeks later now and u know what? I'm pretty happy. Shockloss hasnt been a huge problem (maybe it still could be?) and the area covered looks like it will look good. I am only regretting not having a little more done actually. Oh, and I am not sure of my scar area in the donor site... I am afraid it might be a bit ugly... that worries me now far more than the actual transplanted area. Luckily i wear pretty long hair most of the time. If you have a top rated surgeon, you will be fine... the decision is a good one. Remember, if you back out, you will look in the mirror the very next morning and say, WTF? I could have FIXED this, and now it will only ever get worse and worse... and u will eventually be back, minus your original deposit. Just do it. You will probably be happiest.

oh oh oh... but that ignores the issue about when to take, when to stop. Sorry, nuthing much to say on that. I think Bill and others make sense, but the doc says its cool... gotta look for that third tie-breaking authority!

I'm with Hairbank on this one for sure! Its cheap, some swear by it, and the fact is, it has some legitimate uses for joint maintenance, and i for one have lots to think about in that area, with three knee surgeries under my belt and countless traumas to all the other major joints! lol! So what the heck. Why not.

Hmmm... interesting! I really dont know what is normal. I was told i would have lost all my tranplanted hairs by now (three weeks) but actually almost all of them are staying put and noticeably longer than when first put in. I'm certainly nowhere near losing and beginning regrowth yet! So i guess it just shows all are different... I am hoping the hairs i have will stick around now, but i still expect to lose them. We'll see... and if you are in fact gaining yours back already after fast loss... WOW! that is great!

very cool... gonna try to get some this week. Any opinions on original versus foam? And... its embarrassing to buy! lol! I went 3 times now and just couldnt bring myself to do it. I'm sure most ppl here were a little sketchy at first but have long since gotten over it? Any stories? Lol!

Listen to all these guys, they know thier stuff. Spend a LOT of time reading threads here, and post specific questions... you will be answered.

yup yup... i agree! Planning is the key, being aware of what is possible, what is likely, and what is desired, then weighing it all and making informed decisions. No one wants a head that looks like hell because there werent enuf grafts to keep up with loss. thats not conservative, just common sense (we do this to look better, not worse!) My only gripe with some doctors in the HT community is that they insist on whatever they consider "age appropriate", meaning insisting on at least a sligtly recessed look for all their patients regardless of the patient's wishes. There are millions of men with wery thick, non recessed hair all the way to old age, and there are lots of younger but not "young" guys who look much younger than their age who want their hair to match their face/body. But I know u know all that, and I really respect all the contributions you have made here Bill. You and a half dozen others here have offered more SOUND advice and real knowledge than i ever found in years of looking elsewhere! And Marky, sorry, not to hijack your thread! lol! Rogaine is available damn near anywhere, from Wal-mart to Costco to a million other places... shop around cuz prices do vary, and generic minoxidil is available too (someone else can weigh in on if using that is a good idea, i would think its all the same but i realy dont know)

Yeah, i was real concerned about this myself. I still am. I realize its a trust issue with the doc but no matter what, i will be wary on this issue... video would be nice!

Oh yeah... and i DON'T recomment you waiting until you are 31 necessarily! Lol! I was lucky to have slow loss then did propecia at about 28. You can take it now and see how u want to move by about 23, I'd say. Remember, slow/no loss on propecia = go for the surgery! Fast/large loss = screeeeech! hang tight. It wont be a good decision if a lot more is on the way out right away.

Marky, There are some very conservative members on this board (surgically and aesthetically conservative, idk about anyone's politics!), and there are also some very very knowledgeable and concerned memebers here too. Sometimes they are one and the same. I would have to be one of the LEAST conservative ppl here, as a young guy who started losing hair about 18 and decided an HT was for my by about 24/25. However, I didnt have one until 31, about 3 weeks ago now. Here's my two cents bro... I dont think there's an age minimum for anyone who wants good hair through surgery. There ARE different sets of concerns though, and Bill and a few others have hit it right on the head here with you. You were not on Propecia (proscar, same diff) and you SHOULD BE. Dont go getting an HT until you see how propecia and possibly rogaine will help as well... future loss is likely, in fact its almost guaranteed, with or without drug treatment. But u can minimise it and stabilise it. If you were 21 and on Pro for 2 years and told me you had no major loss in a year or so, i would say, ok, go for it and be aware you will probably NOT solve the problem with it, just look like you have for a few years then need another HT in 5-10 years to fill in the new thinning areas that will pop up in time. Get ur HT, just dont do it yet. Get Pro first, and see if it even helps. Not everyone benefits from it the same way. I seem to have stabilised my loss, i for sure did not reverse any... no new growth at all in almost 3 years. But minimal/no loss. And thats good enuf. I too needed 1000 grafts, and Dr Meshkin did my surgery. I was actually his last patient before the family emergency. I have no verdict yet on the quality of his work... but some days i look and can see... wow, this is gonna be good when it all done. I'll look like i WANT! So, listen to folks here, read lots of other threads. Don't be put off by the guys who have strong, dogmatic opinions of hairloss treatments, and in the end you must do what you WANT, and find the doctor that will treat you as a rational patient. I saw Dr Straub too, and i believe in his integrity. However, he is inflexible and has his ideas... we didnt work. Take Pro-whatever, and watch your progress for at least a year. If you are stable (for at LEAST a year) go for it. But understand, you will almost for sure need it again later. If you are still losing, particularly fast loss... wait even longer. Lose a lot, then do what u must. But dont jump in so that you end up with a nice fringe of hair over your forehead and an ocean of skin behind it. Good luck dude, and i feel your pain. Patience sucks but for now u need it.

thanks!! Had no idea.

Heya FR. Nope, had mine with Dr Meshkin as I mentioned elsewhere, but i DID consult with Dr Straub more than once. In fact he was the very first I ever went to see (saw Straub, Dr Sword, John Lord, then Dr Meshkin in person, and talked to a handful of others as well) I think Dr Straub seemed competent and worth a look. I trusted him. I would have liked him to do my hair but in the end he was not willing to do quite what I wanted, so I simply couldnt justify the cash for soemthing i know, for a fact, i would have virtually resented. Now, maybe he and a zillion other members here are right and i would be sending him christmas baskets full of gratitude 10 years from now, in hindsight, but in any case, I am stubborn and i had a very clear idea of what i wanted from an expensive HT. What I am saying is... Straub turned me down on my terms and i turned him down on his. If nothing else, it leaves me with respect for his integrity. Go see him, it can't hurt. He will give you good direction in any case. I like him.

I started a thread the day after I had it done and it tells a lot of details, if you click my name u can see all the posts i have made. The short answer to your Q is: Dr Meshkin, in orange county, a week ago today. No pics save for the one I posted in a panic 2 days ago after seeing some stuff that freaked me out, probably unnecessarily... again, its posted at length (I'm just tired now and dont want to write it ALL out again! lol!) Good luck, anu more Q's, feel more than free to ask

Slight direction change... why MSM? I have been hearing about that on here quite a bit, but i thought MSM was a joint supplement, like SAM-e and glucosamine/chondroitin? No?

havent gotten my head wet sinceyesterday. The changes happen fast up there... i know I am healing pretty quick. But i still worry about WHAT is healing... looking forward to my visit tomorrow. I do suspect all is good now. But a couple lil areas still worry me... then again I know i am prone to worry, especially right now! Critical time... Thanks again! I'll keep ya posted.

yeah, those varied opinions have kept me off of it all this time, but since reading on this board I have seen a lot of ppl saying it really does/can do SOMETHING, and since I am finally acknowledging that i am thinning in the crown area as well, where Minox is said to be most effective (?), I think its time to add it to the regimine.

Just to toss in my two cents... I asked my HT doc about a proscar prescription, having paid for brand name propecia for almost 3 years now. He said nope, cant do it, its only prescribed for prostate problems. I know it is not "only" prescribed for that, but the point is... it does seem like some hair docs just won't/ dont like prescibing it. I'm gonna be doing some shopping around myself... I like the idea of 5mg generic stuff!

Thanks Bill. The positive feedback I am getting is REALLY encouraging. Of course i will still go in on monday, if only because that will be one week and I want his opinion at that point, on the whole deal. I am still confused why it would be so localized... the white things only being on the right temple area and a tiny bit i the center hairline. But I will sleep a bit easier with all your input... thanks to all!

Thats what I am hoping for!! Go goop! I hope I hope I hope I hope....

Ok, I worked hard to get the best pic i could! Got the area wet again and retook the pic, over and over, then sharpened as best I could. See the white protrusions? is it a problem??