UMan64

2 hours ago, LaserCaps said:

True, scar tissue has no hair.  Hopefully the scar you have is not wide at all so you'll get a greater yield.  How many grafts did you do the first time?  If not many, the doctor could extend the length - ear to ear, to maximize results.  

Thanks!  The first time was around 2,500.

Thanks, @LaserCaps.  Is "excising" the old scar the same as opening up the old scar?  Because he said the number of grafts we'd get by opening up the old scar would be significantly fewer than the number of grafts we'd get by doing a second scar.

12 hours ago, Al - Moderator said:

Since you already had a FUT then I'd do another FUT since it's the cheaper option and you already have a scar. You shouldn't be creating a 2nd scar though. The Dr should just excise the old scar and make a new one in the same place, so you still have one scar in the same location it is now. You can probably get more grafts if he creates a 2nd scar, but then you have 2 scars. Id prefer to go with less grafts and not create any new scars.

Thanks, @Al - Moderator.  Is "excising" the old scar the same as opening up the old scar?  Because he said the number of grafts we'd get by opening up the old scar would be significantly fewer than the number of grafts we'd get by doing a second scar.

Back in 2010, I had a FUT procedure done with Dr. Dorin.  I was happy with the results, and the results have held up well.  However, I'm now over 40, and I'm at a point where, due to natural hair loss, it might make sense to do a second procedure.  (Also, my last procedure was more focused on the front of my hair, as opposed to the crown.  Whereas with this procedure we'd be able to reverse that and focus a little more on the crown, which is needed.)  I wanted to get folks' thoughts on some questions I have...

1) It sounds like my options this time are FUE, FUT using my existing scar, and FUT opening up a new scar.  And it sounds like the latter, i.e. FUT opening up a new scar, would be my best option if my desire is to yield the maximum number of grafts.  (Dr. Dorin believes he can get as many as 2,200.  He did about 2,500 back in 2010.)  What do folks think about this?  My initial mindset is that given that I already have one scar, having a second scar right beneath it shouldn't be that big of a deal.  And also that if I'm going to go through the trouble of doing a procedure again, I might as well get the most out of it.

2) There are a few "bio enhancements" that Dr. Dorin offers as part of the procedure: hylenex, liposomal ATP post-op spray, and PRP with surgery.  In total, these would add about $1,500 or about 12.5% to the overall cost.  He and his staff walked me through these, but I honestly don't remember much of what they're about, other than that at least one of them will help him maximize the number of grafts he's able to get, which sounds worthwhile.  What are the general opinions on these add-ons and are there any good explanations for what they are?

3) Is the general consensus on Dr. Dorin still positive?  As mentioned, I was happy with the work he did my first time around 14 years ago.  But just want to make sure there isn't anything that's changed in the time since then that I should be aware of.

Thanks in advance for any advice and thoughts that folks are able to share!

I've been taking Propecia since age 20, if not a little earlier.

Around age 30, I got a hair transplant procedure, with positive results.  At the time, my doctor advised that I continue to take Propecia to prevent further hair loss.

I'm now 40, and it's occurred to me that I've now been on Propecia for half my life.  I don't think I've suffered significant side effects, though it's tough to tell at this point as I've been on it so long.  But still, I'm the kind of person who generally doesn't like pumping my body with chemicals unless there's a good argument for it.

Assuming I want to continue to prevent hair loss, should I pretty much plan to be on Propecia for the rest of my life?  Is there anything risky about that?

As a side note, while my hair transplant procedure has held up well, I might consider doing another round at some point in my 40s.

Thanks, guys. I ended up deciding to go with Dr. Dorin. Part of it had to do with scheduling availability and convenience. But beyond that, I think, to your point, that a lot of it ended up coming down to the personal and gut feel factor. Dr. Feller may have a ton of testimonials on here, and I'm sure he's excellent, but I felt Dr. Dorin was a bit more cautious and thoughtful in his recommended approach, which resonated with me since I'm on the younger side and will likely be looking at future procedures depending on how my hair loss progresses.

Moreover, Dr. Fellers administrative staff clearly didn't have its act together. If I were to point to one turning point in my decision, it would be when his office contact replied, in short order, first as if I was scheduling a consultation (when the e-mail chain made it clear that I was scheduling a procedure), and second repeating a procedure that was far off from what I had discussed with Dr. Feller (1,500 grafts when we had clearly reviewed a procedure with 2,500-3,000+ grafts, perhaps she pulled another patient's file). Definitely not the kind of meticulousness you want going to a procedure with this kind of cost and lasting impact!

As far as Dr. Dorin versus Dr. True, I reviewed some of their before-and-after photos side-by-side and it was clear that both are very competent. I'm sure if Dr. Dorin wasn't producing results that were competitive with those of Dr. True, they wouldn't have such a successful practice together.

We'll see how it goes. Wish me luck!

Best,

UMan

I'm contemplating a strip procedure in the next couple months. However, I'm a little bit concerned about the scheduling of my procedure as I'm a big beach bum, and don't want to ruin my summer constantly worrying about protecting my scalp from sun exposure. How big of a deal is this? What precautions will I need to take post-surgery and at what point will I no longer need to be overly worry about exposing my scalp to the sun?

Another concern of mine is being able to go out, particularly to the beach, without being self-conscious that the scabs/reddish-ness from my surgery is still noticeable. I do keep my hair pretty short (generally a two-guard buzzed), though I intend to grow it out a little bit in advance of my surgery. How long does it generally take before evidence of the surgery (besides the scar, of course) fades?

Thanks,

UMan

I'm seeking advice on my decision between Dr. Feller, Dr. Dorin, and Dr. True for a relatively straightforward 2,500-3,000 graft strip procedure, my first. I've had in-person and online consultations with a number of doctors over the past few weeks and came away feeling the best about these two practices. However, I'm now having a lot of trouble deciding between the three doctors...

o Dr. Feller came across as very confident, perhaps even slightly (but not overly) aggressive. But clearly his work and results speaks for themselves, and he seems to have a lot of supporters with very few detractors, from what I can tell on these forums.

o Dr. Dorin came across as very thoughtful, perhaps erring on the side of being conservative, which is fine by me. He clearly doesn't have the presence on these forums that Dr. Feller and Dr. True have, I assume because he hasn't practiced as long, though he does have substantial experience. However, given the lack of testimonials and photos, it's a little tougher for me to get a sense of what kind of results he produces.

o Dr. True I actually didn't meet with, but I would likely have the choice between having him or Dr. Dorin perform my procedure should I choose their practice. It sounds like he would take a very similar approach as Dr. Dorin. I realize that the fact that Dr. True is more senior than Dr. Dorin doesn't mean that he's better at his craft or would produce better results for me, but it does seem to result in there being more testimonials and photos capturing his work, perhaps not as many as Dr. Feller, though.

I'd be grateful for any guidance here. I feel like at the end of the day I probably won't go wrong with any of these three, but given the cost and significance of this procedure, I want to make sure I'm making the best possible choice. Thanks in advance!

Best,

UMan