thinkingaboutit

i contacted Dr. Shapiro's office today. I was surprised to hear that Dr. Shapiro uses staples to instead of sutures to close donor area. Has anyone had experience with staples? Is the scardonor scar any different from the use of staples than they would be fgrom sutures? I was also surprised to hear that Dr. Paul Rose is a member of the Shapiro Medical Group. Didn't Dr. Rose recently post about his development of a higher quality donor scar/ Dr. Rose uses suturesw to close. I am just a little confused about the difference in choice of closure techniques from 2 emminent surgeons in the same medical group. The surgeon that I had my first consult with had his transplants performed by Dr. Shapiro. I think that speakks highly of the man,..that he is surgeon's choice. I have been esstimated to need 1200-1800 grafts at my first consult. If I wanted to reduce my initial expense and limit the number of grafts to 1000 in a smaller area,...what might be the pros and cons of that? It seems like there would be less liklihood of shockloss with fewer grafts in existing hair areas? Would there be a problem in donor and recipient sites if I decided to have a second procedure rather than having so many in 1 first session? What am I not considering?

i contacted Dr. Shapiro's office today. I was surprised to hear that Dr. Shapiro uses staples to instead of sutures to close donor area. Has anyone had experience with staples? Is the scardonor scar any different from the use of staples than they would be fgrom sutures? I was also surprised to hear that Dr. Paul Rose is a member of the Shapiro Medical Group. Didn't Dr. Rose recently post about his development of a higher quality donor scar/ Dr. Rose uses suturesw to close. I am just a little confused about the difference in choice of closure techniques from 2 emminent surgeons in the same medical group. The surgeon that I had my first consult with had his transplants performed by Dr. Shapiro. I think that speakks highly of the man,..that he is surgeon's choice. I have been esstimated to need 1200-1800 grafts at my first consult. If I wanted to reduce my initial expense and limit the number of grafts to 1000 in a smaller area,...what might be the pros and cons of that? It seems like there would be less liklihood of shockloss with fewer grafts in existing hair areas? Would there be a problem in donor and recipient sites if I decided to have a second procedure rather than having so many in 1 first session? What am I not considering?

MaHair I appreciate your responses.You certainly are a voice that causes one to pause and think again. I am sorry for the heartache that you endure from your experience. you say " ongoing process " If I were 25 and not 49 I would absolutely agree with you. ( given the amount of recession.)Are you convinced that it will be an ongoing process in all situations? How would you advise someone who is so depressed by what they see in the mirror that it affects their whole life, when there is the opportunity to make changes with the current level of expertise in this procedure? Again, your responses are very welcome and affect many people.

Oh, one other question, Is there a site where I can go to investigate if a surgeon has any pending litigation against him? Any thoughts on dr. W--F in Cincy?

On the day after surgery, assuming that the procedure is performed by a competent surgeon without any complications,....would I most likely be able to sit in a college class without anyone noticing? ( assuming also that I have good coverage and recipient area should be covered)What about the donor area? Most surgeons advertise " pencil thin" donor scars.Do they mean as thick as the pencil or as thin as the lead? If there is to be shockloss,what would be the timeframe postop that it would occur? Would it happen all at once or over an extended period of time? The surgeon I am considering suggested 1200-1800 grafts. ( Dr. W in Cincy) My budget will allow the low end of that estimate.If I decided to move the hairline a little higher to maintain density in a smaller area,..could I have the hairline lowered a bit at a later time if I decided to, or would the technique used in the hairline cause that option to be less than ideal? Is 30 per sqCM considered good density for the hairline area? If not,what is a good # and how far back would that density be placed? 3 weeks post op,..vets,...Did you feel pretty good about yourself and confident about your procedure or were you very self-conscious with an elevated sense of awkwardness about your appearance?

On the day after surgery, assuming that the procedure is performed by a competent surgeon without any complications,....would I most likely be able to sit in a college class without anyone noticing? ( assuming also that I have good coverage and recipient area should be covered)What about the donor area? Most surgeons advertise " pencil thin" donor scars.Do they mean as thick as the pencil or as thin as the lead? If there is to be shockloss,what would be the timeframe postop that it would occur? Would it happen all at once or over an extended period of time? The surgeon I am considering suggested 1200-1800 grafts. ( Dr. W in Cincy) My budget will allow the low end of that estimate.If I decided to move the hairline a little higher to maintain density in a smaller area,..could I have the hairline lowered a bit at a later time if I decided to, or would the technique used in the hairline cause that option to be less than ideal? Is 30 per sqCM considered good density for the hairline area? If not,what is a good # and how far back would that density be placed? 3 weeks post op,..vets,...Did you feel pretty good about yourself and confident about your procedure or were you very self-conscious with an elevated sense of awkwardness about your appearance?

how do you find out if a surgeon has any pending litigation against him? Is there a site you can post where I could investigate that information.

I have been thinking about a HT myself, for a considerable amount of time.Like you, I first considered a HT when I was about 26 when I had mild temporal recession.( Unlike like you, I am now almost 50) back then I went for a consult with a popular HT dr who was in Cincinnati at the time and is now very popular in Pittsburg. I AM SO GLAD I DIDNT!!! It just didn't feel right at the time and I have since heard many bad reviews about that dr. and the "latest procedure that leaves almost imperceptible results" was the old punch graft method that yields HORRIBLE results. That is one reason why I am so apprehensive now and cautious with methods that are considered "the latest that yields totally natural results."( although, admitttedly today's procedures are light years better, still,...) Instead of getting a HT back then ( I too was very depressed after a girl I loved ditched me for a guy with much cooler hair than I) I became a health nut. I became vegetarian, and worked out religiously. I read books that touted natural methods to prevent baldness and incorporated the suggestions into my lifestyle.I believe natural remedies have a lot of merit. They did not prevent me from losing hair but I think it slowed it down considerably. I come to that conclusion by comparing myself to my brothers, 1 a year older one 7 years younger than me. They did not live healthy lifestyles and my hair is much,much thicker and fuller than theirs.Besides that, I am in far better over all physical shape which I attribute to a healthy lifestyle. If you decide to go the HT route at your young age you can plan on investing a considerable fortune in your head. Money that could buy a house or, if invested wisely, will multiply several times over. Have you tried growing your hair a little longer? Growing a beard or moustache? I have not ruled out a HT for myself and I would not presume to tell someone else what to do on that issue, but, I would strongly advise someone to live a healthy lifestyle first as a means to beat depression, reduce the rate of hair loss and to prepare oneself so that if in the eventuality he does opt for that surgery he is in the best physical shape that he can be in to achieve the finest post op results.

I would be very interested in participating in that offer. I would be ready in early-mid July to take advantage of it.

Does every patient suffer from shock loss to some degree? If not, approximately what percentage of patients do suffer that adverse affect?

Does every patient suffer from shock loss to some degree? If not, approximately what percentage of patients do suffer that adverse affect?

Immediately post-op,..would someone have a good idea what the final result will look like in 6+months? ( minus the scabbing and blood ) I mean, would you know the density and look of hairline? How will donor and recipient area look at 3 weeks and 4 weeks post op? Would it be realistic, considering if one had already been on a pre-op regimine of vitamins and exercise to schedule a consult and have the procedure done on the next day? I ask this because I am considering Dr. Cooley but live far outside his area. I would like to do it in one trip. Would it be adviseable to go swimming in the saltwater of the ocean a few days after the surgery but before the stitches have been removed? Should a patient insist on double layer sutures in the recipient area?

Immediately post-op,..would someone have a good idea what the final result will look like in 6+months? ( minus the scabbing and blood ) I mean, would you know the density and look of hairline? How will donor and recipient area look at 3 weeks and 4 weeks post op? Would it be realistic, considering if one had already been on a pre-op regimine of vitamins and exercise to schedule a consult and have the procedure done on the next day? I ask this because I am considering Dr. Cooley but live far outside his area. I would like to do it in one trip. Would it be adviseable to go swimming in the saltwater of the ocean a few days after the surgery but before the stitches have been removed? Should a patient insist on double layer sutures in the recipient area?

How long does it typically take to cut,remove then sew up the strip? Are incisions being made in recipient area while the strip is open? How does the surgeon know how much area to cut for, say, 1200 grafts that the are removed equals exactly 1200 grafts? What if more or less area than necessary is removed?

Also wondering if vets took supplements like VitC and Arnica pre and post surgery and if that had any results.

Did most of you HT vets sleep sitting up for the first 5-6 days after HT like Wallywonka did? I wonder if that might make a big difference on post surgery healing. If you spend more time sitting that reclining after surgery I think that there might be less swelling and bruising and therefore less trauma to the area such that healing would be quicker. just curious if there is a correlation.

Thanks for all the great comments. This is an excellent site. Seems that there is a such vast spectrum of personal experiences that it is difficult to reach a concensus. At almost 49 I don't like what I see when I look in the mirror. Honestly, physically I am in extremely good shape for someone even half my age but my face looks tired and my hair has thinned a lot over the past year.( I am a N2a-3) I want to hit 50 looking as strong above the neck as I do below AND I will be seing an old girlfriend later this summer ( she is much younger than me )and I want to look as good as I can and be as confident as possible when I see her. I am having some elective surgery in early june to address the tiredness in my face. It is mild to moderate surgery. Swelling or discoloration could last 2 weeks. For some longer, others less time. How soon after such an experience might it be safe to undergo a 1200-1500 HT with enough recuperation capicity to expect ultimum results? How might someone feel emotionally and look physically at the 4week post op point after HT surgery? Would it be better to wait until after meeting someone that you want to make a strong impression on to have a HT ( given the short time-frame window,...ps/ it will be another year before I will have 4 weeks straight to be away from my work.)

Curious from HT vets,..Did you feel self-conscious, depressed, uneasy after your HT? If so, how long did it last before you broke out of your depression or were able to walk around, especially amongst co-workers or associates, before you did not feel uneasy anymore, wondering if there were unwelcome aspects of HT still drawing attention to you?

Curious from HT vets,..Did you feel self-conscious, depressed, uneasy after your HT? If so, how long did it last before you broke out of your depression or were able to walk around, especially amongst co-workers or associates, before you did not feel uneasy anymore, wondering if there were unwelcome aspects of HT still drawing attention to you?

what is folligen solution? Where do you get it?

I am considering an FUE or fut this summer in early june although I have not yet made any formal arrangements. I have not yet even gone for a consult. At 48 I want to correct some temporal recession. I am considering a high density procedure over a small area so that I might reduce the possibility of excessive shock-loss and so that I might monitor the procedure a bit before I make a stronger commitment. I estimate that I might need 500-800 transplants to satisfy me at this time. How long might a procedure like that take? I am a long distance cyclist,..how soon after the procedure would I be able to engage in very strenuous physical activity without risking optimum results? Who is currently using the smallest diameter tool used for placement of the follicular units?

I am considering an FUE or fut this summer in early june although I have not yet made any formal arrangements. I have not yet even gone for a consult. At 48 I want to correct some temporal recession. I am considering a high density procedure over a small area so that I might reduce the possibility of excessive shock-loss and so that I might monitor the procedure a bit before I make a stronger commitment. I estimate that I might need 500-800 transplants to satisfy me at this time. How long might a procedure like that take? I am a long distance cyclist,..how soon after the procedure would I be able to engage in very strenuous physical activity without risking optimum results? Who is currently using the smallest diameter tool used for placement of the follicular units?