thinkingaboutit

Robert, to let you know how dumb I am, I haven't figured out how to use the PM.I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. I have rescheduled my Consult w/Dr. Cooley for Fri 7/8 at 1:30.

Robert, thank you for that kind offer. I think that that would be very helpful. Unfortunately, an unexpected fly in the ointment presented itself just this evening and I am going to have to postpone that consult. I will email Dr. Cooley's office this weekend and call Monday to try and reschedule. Hopfully I will be able to get in the following week. Thursday or Friday would be best for me but I am a little flexible. Thank you again for that offer and I hope that I can take you up on that. I can let you know here as soon as I have rescheduled if you like. Mahair, thank you for all your suggestions and information. From your pain you are helping a lot of people. I respect you for that.

Mahair do you have any thoughts on who is best of Rose,Shapiro or Cooley? Or anyone else you feel is best for a first timer. I have consult w/ Dr. Cooley next week. His site says he uses dissolvable sutures for donor area. I question that. There would not be the clearly defined time that sutures would have before being removed as with typical sutures. I wonder if that couldn't present complications. I will ask him about his approach to hairlines, see how he differs from Shapiro on that. I had phone consult w/ Matt at Shapiro's.I did not feel that he listened to me instead chose to do the talking.That makes me nervous. I pressed him about density and how on Shapiro site they speak of 20-25 grafts per sq cm in bald areas.That could not possibly create a denseness that I desire w/ 35-40 minimum. ( IMO)I wonder about that as well.

Wallywonka,..how are you? You haven't posted you in a while and I was wondering how are things growing? Did the transplanted hairs eventually fall out?

I spoke with Matt from Dr. Shapiro's office this evening and we discussed shock-loss. ( a major concern of mine) When grafts are transplanted into areas of existing hair there is the risk of shock loss. The more dense the area that is being grafted into,and the greater the number of grafts implanted into areas of existing hair, the greater the risk of suffering from shock loss.The talent and touch of the surgeon also has an impact on the liklihood and degree of loss. Matt informed me that about 20% of DR. Shapiro's patients suffer some degree of shock loss. In that 20%, 80% of the hair that sheds does grow back.

I think that I have researched the HT process,procedures and evolution in depth and am so disheartened by my own hairloss that I have decided that it is an acceptable risk for me at my age and am prepared to have the surgery. Now, I just need to decide who is the best choice to perform the surgery. I have consults scheduled with Dr. Rose and Shapiro on 7/19 and with Dr. Cooley on 6/30. I would appreciate any opinions on which of these doctors would be best at creating the most natural hairline with the greatest density in ONE procedure on the frontal and temporal recesses with the least amount of shock-loss. I may opt to have the procedure done day-after or days after the consult if that is possible, so crunch time is rapidly approaching and I would very much appreciate all replies. Thank You

I think that I have researched the HT process,procedures and evolution in depth and am so disheartened by my own hairloss that I have decided that it is an acceptable risk for me at my age and am prepared to have the surgery. Now, I just need to decide who is the best choice to perform the surgery. I have consults scheduled with Dr. Rose and Shapiro on 7/19 and with Dr. Cooley on 6/30. I would appreciate any opinions on which of these doctors would be best at creating the most natural hairline with the greatest density in ONE procedure on the frontal and temporal recesses with the least amount of shock-loss. I may opt to have the procedure done day-after or days after the consult if that is possible, so crunch time is rapidly approaching and I would very much appreciate all replies. Thank You

I'm glad that you had a good experience. Just curious, How did you go from avg 400 graft estimates to 1400 grafts and who were some of the surgeons that you had consults with?

I am confused about donor scar. In photos ( as in the Bernstein pic on review forum) with hair lifted by comb to reveal scar area,the incision line is noticeable but the area around the incision line ( approx 1/2 inch above and below ) looks very bald. Why is that?What is the actual scar area, the line or the area around the line? Does the area around the line grow back to full density?

I am confused about donor scar. In photos ( as in the Bernstein pic on review forum) with hair lifted by comb to reveal scar area,the incision line is noticeable but the area around the incision line ( approx 1/2 inch above and below ) looks very bald. Why is that?What is the actual scar area, the line or the area around the line? Does the area around the line grow back to full density?

Make an appointment to have a consult with Dr. Ron Shapiro in Minneapolis. He is extremely highly regarded and can advise you on your options. Read everything on this Forum. Check out the links. Go back through the archives and research anything and everything you can about HT procedures so that you will be informed when you to talk to Dr. Shapiro or some other REPUTABLE surgeon.

where is the hair to be transplanted into a moustache, excised from? Are there any characteristics unique to transplanting facial hair?

where is the hair to be transplanted into a moustache, excised from? Are there any characteristics unique to transplanting facial hair?

Good Luck. Please keep us posted on your experience-your thoughts before and after. Why did you pick the surgeon you did? How many grafts will you be getting and what are your expectations? How have you prepared yourself?

I have made an appointment for consult w/ Dr. Shapiro and Dr. Rose in Minnesota on the 19th of July.I am excited and looking forward to it. I hope to also meet w/ Dr. Cooley sometime this summer and in so doing I will know that I will have done my DD and will have met with 3 of the best, perhaps the best in the profession. I appreciate this board and all the posters. It is your consul and information that has helped direct me to who I am sure are the best practitioners and if I decide to go ahead with the procedure given the many undesireable complications that could result, I will know that it is not because I was taken in and victimized by some Scharlatan Group. Still, I am apprehensive about the procedure itself and am not yet convinced that it has evolved to a level of quality to yield consistently beneficial results.So I will continue to ask this board for help with questions that you might consider,...stupid. Is the texture of transplanted hair different from other hair? Would I have to be as equally careful about how I style my hair after a transplant ( to hide or disguise flaws ) as I do now to cover receeding areas? Are the numbers of corrective procedures being performed to fix old punch graft procedures or are there an equally large number being done to fix total FUT procedures?

I have made an appointment for consult w/ Dr. Shapiro and Dr. Rose in Minnesota on the 19th of July.I am excited and looking forward to it. I hope to also meet w/ Dr. Cooley sometime this summer and in so doing I will know that I will have done my DD and will have met with 3 of the best, perhaps the best in the profession. I appreciate this board and all the posters. It is your consul and information that has helped direct me to who I am sure are the best practitioners and if I decide to go ahead with the procedure given the many undesireable complications that could result, I will know that it is not because I was taken in and victimized by some Scharlatan Group. Still, I am apprehensive about the procedure itself and am not yet convinced that it has evolved to a level of quality to yield consistently beneficial results.So I will continue to ask this board for help with questions that you might consider,...stupid. Is the texture of transplanted hair different from other hair? Would I have to be as equally careful about how I style my hair after a transplant ( to hide or disguise flaws ) as I do now to cover receeding areas? Are the numbers of corrective procedures being performed to fix old punch graft procedures or are there an equally large number being done to fix total FUT procedures?

How can 900 grafts look so dense on 1 person and 2400 look so sparse on another? That seems to be the case on pictures posted on this site today. Is it all talent of the Dr? I understand, of course that the amount of area that needs to be covered is a factor. Suppose you have 40-50 sq CM that you currently want covered with 1200 grafts.Approx 20-30 sq CM of that area has existing hair that is noticeably thinning,the other is hair-free....could that number of grafts yield a result that looks completely natural and of enough density that the area does not look balding?

How can 900 grafts look so dense on 1 person and 2400 look so sparse on another? That seems to be the case on pictures posted on this site today. Is it all talent of the Dr? I understand, of course that the amount of area that needs to be covered is a factor. Suppose you have 40-50 sq CM that you currently want covered with 1200 grafts.Approx 20-30 sq CM of that area has existing hair that is noticeably thinning,the other is hair-free....could that number of grafts yield a result that looks completely natural and of enough density that the area does not look balding?

The more I research, the more questions I have.Yes Mahair, there are a lot of red flags and I did go to that site that you provided. I will monitor it closely to see how it develops. There is an unending stream of HT sites, all proclaiming state of the art,undetectable results. The vast multitude proclamations casts doubt on the ones that are legit and makes one suspicious of all. I marvel also at how the majority of these sites offer repair work. If there is such a demand for repair work,how many dr.s are doing so much damage that repairs are necessary? Even the much maligned "hair mills" offer 'repair'. And what of the before and after photos?A vast majority of the before and afters are shot at different angles and even a small difference in the angle of the shot can make a huge difference in the perception of results. Even on photos that are of like positioning-the patient and dr must see things differently than a detached, discerning eye for in my opinion,even with successful, non-destructive procedures, many of the results are unimpressive and the patient looked better without the added follicles. The same can be said for any cosmetic procedure, but often times the results ARE impressive and have most certainly been a successful,positive-life changing experience for the patient. I think that can be said for the HT procedure as well.IT takes a lot of research to weed out the schlocks and snake oil salesmen to find a professional who can consistently achieve quality results. I will continue with my research because losing my hair is such a drag.

Is the recipient area shaved during a HT?

Is the recipient area shaved during a HT?

Dry grass/ Does transplanted hair have a different texture? Is that just a growing phase it goes through? How common is it? Bumps? again, is that common? A phase?

Ever have one of those days when you just want to give up and move far away where no one will ever see you? Assuming that a HT is performed with the best possible results,...is it undetectable? Are veterans who have had procedures( and have been pleased with the results )glad that they spent their hard earned money this way and gone through so much trouble and anxiety? Did it make you a happier more successful person? Would you do it again? What would you do differently? Do the results look natural and do you and others view you as,..better in some way?

Ever have one of those days when you just want to give up and move far away where no one will ever see you? Assuming that a HT is performed with the best possible results,...is it undetectable? Are veterans who have had procedures( and have been pleased with the results )glad that they spent their hard earned money this way and gone through so much trouble and anxiety? Did it make you a happier more successful person? Would you do it again? What would you do differently? Do the results look natural and do you and others view you as,..better in some way?

fresh, If only the left frontal area of your scalp is affected,I wonder if it is MPB you are suffering from or a result from a chemical burn from your hair treatment. 6 months seems very fast and affecting just one lateral side of the scalp sounds different than MPB which typically would onset more diffusely and bi-latterally. I am not sure what a 'tricologist' is but maybe you should see a dermatologist. They specialize in disorders of the skin and I suspect might give you a more precise diagnosis of what the problem is and clearer explanation of your options.That might ease your anxiety a bit and help you make more informed decisions about possible responses to this situation.