jacksonbrowne

Hello all,

i own a lab grade stereo microscope. Can I use it to measure hair shaft diameter? If so, kindly provide instructions. Do they make glass covers for slides that include a micrometre ruler scale?

I plan on characterizing and studying my own head to measure the efficacy of any possible future treatments as well as see if stopping wellbutrin has any effect on hair shaft diameter, growth rate density.

In addition, I plan on looking at samples of my male relatives for fun and to see if any patterns/trends emerge.

Does Rogaine stimulate the growth of ALL hairs or just ones susceptible to MPB? Do only mpb susceptible follices shed?

Very minor improvement, but my temporal peaks have thickened slightly since applying it there for the past 3 months.

Do topical anti-aging creams have any effect positive or negative on hair growth? Ingredients, like Vitamin E, retinol, DMAE, alpha lipoic acid?

Have any studies been done? If those creams had any effect, i'm sure i would have noticed since i've been using them daily for close to 16years now.

Rogaine is a topical solution so this piqued my curiosity.

Thank you

@jacksonbrowne, spex:

My original question has mainly to do with credibility (what could be taken as an evasion about one's medical school), given that the industry is obviously dominated by marketers and hype for a number of reasons (for one thing, better doctors would probably prefer something with more respectability).

 

DO's and MD's have had a contentious relationship for years, not so much anymore, but look at the stats:

-DO's make less money on avg than MD's

-DO schools get VERY little in the way of research grants

-DO applicants in general have lower MCAT scores

Having said that, Allopathic medicine is so rigid and seems to pride itself on consistent results, thus making the wrong diagnosis 9 out of 10 times is more important than getting it right out of 1/10 times.

People choose OD schools for a variety of reasons. I had a friend who got into MD schools out of state, but did not want to leave California.

I had another who got rejected by MD school and went DO in lieu of going to some fringe school in the Philippines.

In terms of presentation, I appreciate Dr's like Glenn Charles who puts it all out there without pretension.

You talking about Feller? Look at the intials. He's a DO (Osteopath). Are you aware of the differences in training methodology between an DO (Osteopath) and MD? Both are full doctors, and require the same amount of rigorous training to get licensed to practice medine. DO schools are distinct from MD schools and candidates from both compete for the most of the same residencies and fellowships.

In some cases, I prefer DO's vs MD's. As to your original question, I place very little emphasis on medical school.

More telling is postgraduate training. Look at who they studied under, the specialty, experience and clinic. If they trained with a prominent doctor like Rassman, Bernstein, etc....

Aesthetic surgery like this is all about skill, practice and volume. A doc who does hair transplants as a side biz obviously cannot afford a dedicated staff of hair techs nor does it have the volume to keep skills fresh. Surgical skills do get a bit rusty if not practiced consistently. HT's are all about team effort like football.

I hold Robert Leonard as an example of clinics I avoid. Guy BURIES his DO degree DEEP into his bio, will not give you a graft count, and his before and after photo's, look like he used a boatload of bondo and masking tape along with smoke and mirrors. Despite this, his best work, the stuff he displays, still looks very mediocre despite Cadillac pricing.

http://www.hairdr.com/pages/dr-leonard

He's been offering the best of outdated procedures for 23.9years, all of a sudden gets a Neograft machine, gets on his local TV news station and postures like he's on the cutting edge and an FUE guru when he has ZERO experience and neglible training.He's not a bad surgeon, but merely mediocre having a consistent track record of producing mediocre transplants for the last 24years. Leonard just doesn'tt have the talent or skill to pull it off.

Dr. Feller, DO, on the otherhand, doesn't do any of that shady stuff.I do not know enough about his practice to give an educated opinion, but he does appear to have a proven track record.

He was pretty confident and fully aware of the high tendency of scarring for asians.

 

As clarification for those reading up on my situation. He transitioned into a new suture technique that many HT doctors are starting to do.

 

I explicitly asked him what he would do differently, and he said "I'm going back to my tried and tested technique"

Thanks for helping out another Asian dude. Did you ask him what his 'tried and tested technique' is and what his 'new suture technique that many HT doctors are starting to do' is?

Thanks

Doc Rassman has a method where he advocates cutting hair into pea sized holes in stragetic locations on the scalp (i believe 8 holes) to track progressive miniaturization.

That seems very unpractical

this White House heavyweight isn't fooling anyone with that rug. It looks very very fake. The guy, Peter Orszag is some sort of Washington ladies man.

Peter Orszag's Hair: Toupee Or Not Toupee? (PHOTOS, POLL)

@Megatron, he was disappointed with the results, thus he really really wanting to fix it. I told him it was okay, but he was not happy.

 

@RCWest, make sure to ask Dr. Cooley on the type of sutures he is using, the type he used on me had poor results

Knowing that Asian's have higher tendencies towards scarring, did he explain to you why he chose his original closure method and what he would have done differently next time?

This sort of saddens me because Sam Lam is exactly the kind of guy who I would like to trust to slice and dice my head.

Stellar academic credentials, membership, published and peer reviewed.

He did his residency in Otalaryncology at Columbia which is a tough slot to land.

Maybe he's a good actor, but his vids are very candid and he infuses passion into those vids so it sounds exremely convincing both in content and delivery.

Ugh, i'm doing more research on his work. Where can I find more examples since alot of the stuff seems to be censored?

What I have a hard time understanding is when someone describes "shedding".

 

What is SHEDDING? It sure must mean something different to everyone. I read a post where I young man described his shedding as losing 9 or more hairs after a shower. Geez, I have been losing 20 or more one regular basis for years and I'm not close to bald. I thought that was normal?

 

Can anyone tell me what is considered normal?

Thats one of my peeves in general where terms either aren't defined very well or people just use terms interchangeably.

With something as crucial as MPB, I wish terms were defined more clearly, but the thing about 'normal' and hairloss don't apply since every case is unique with patterns and trends only valid as guidelines on an individual basis rather than true prognosis.

Shedding/thinning/miniaturization, what's the difference between the 3?

I've been on wellbutrin SR 300mg daily for close to 9 months now and the top of my scalp def looks thinner and my hair growth rate has noticeably slowed since I haven't gotten a haircut in at least 8 months.

It increased my libido noticeably and i haven't smoked in 9 months. It also packs some energy and gives a mood boost so I like it alot. But the potential hair thinning bit is too high a price to pay.

Any other anti-depressant meds that don't make you feel tired i should ask my doc about?

Even people witih awesome hair thin out. Look at Bill Clinton for example. On the train, i see older guys in there 50's and 60's with all white hair and even with full hair, it's obvious that it's thinner than when they younger.

After a shower, looked at the top of my head with a handheld mirror angled against the wall mirror.

Saw some scalp. How do I track the progress of thinning and is there a way to distinguish between natural age related thinning and male pattern baldness?

My day is totally ruined, even with a hat on with this on my mind.

Wow, I really feel for you. I sport a similar hairline to you. In the past 2 years. The corners have receded back to the point where it's difficult to sweep my hair forward w/o gaps in the corner. So my self esteem is at an all time low.

All I can say is that, looking back, I wish I had a procedure done at your age, but now at 31, I wouldn't have known what my hairline would have looked like.

I'm of the opinion now that in your 20's and 30's is time to have a great hairline and when it matters most. My life certainly would have turned out differently in school and with girls due to my own self image issues.

Believe me, it F'in SUCKS to have a hairline like that in your 20's

Did the doc discuss with you that Asians have a higher propensity for hyperthrophic scarring and any potential mitigation strategies?

Thanks for being Asian and posting this stuff. I'm very concerned myself and fully expect scarring like that.

I'm constanly going to the bathroom each day to check my hair. It's also thick enough in the front where I can comb it down to achieve desired hairlines. Man, I always feel better about my looks both from the front and sides when the temple regions are filled in.

I also look at pics where light/angle hit it so it looks like i have a flat hairline. It's devestating to me and being in school with 19/20year old guys with awesome hair and hot 19-21 year old girls is super depressing.

I'd rather be balding in the crown area than temples since it wouldn't be so noticeable to me.

Back on topic. I've been on Wellbutrin SR 300mg daily for the past 8 months. In that time i've noticed changes to my hair.

Overall growth doesn't seem as fast and the hair that do fallout seem shorter. Whereas before I only had to shave every 48 hours, it now takes 72-96hours to achieve the same growth.

also some chest hairs are thickening as well as hair around my nipples.

hair growth rate has definitely slowed and i'd like to examine my hair under a microscope to see if the hairshaft diameter varies from bulb to end.

I too was born with a hairline that was receding. The corners of my forehead have always been wayyyy back and the front part of the hairline was super high, but the good thing for me is that Ive kept most of my hair and I am 39. I just had the corners of my hairline touched up and in fact, have hair where I never had it. The front hairline, at most, went back a 1/4 inch. It's ironic that some of the people I went to school with had hair I envied....but they were bald by their mid 20s. So I guess I cant complain too much.....

 

I too wanted a hairline that I never had in my teens, and may do so at some point. I wear my a way that it covers up the corners of my hairline that had transplants done a month ago. I may, in a couple of years, get the front lowered some...but am afraid to. I am so used to having a high hairline that I am actually used to it...plus, should I go bald, it's less donor hair that I would to use elsewhere.

I know exactly how you feel! I'm not gay, but i've admired certain dudes hairlines that are now non-existent!

At 39, aren't you fairly confident of keeping the rest of your hair?

I'd go for an even straighter hairline than you have drawn on, you deserve it after all these years, how much hair do your male relations have?

Thanks for the kind words. Both my dad and uncle are bald, and i had the shittiest hairline in the extended family of male relatives which number around 10. It sucks even more when your family is making fun of you. My oldest cousin finally went bald so he's quiet now. My 34 yr old brother still has ALL his hair which sucks as a younger brother.

The hairline I drew is the hairline I had as a kid. I always had long bangs as a kid to cover up the corners. always a source of consternation.

If/when I do get a HT, I want to lower the corners and get a flat hairline since i have excellent donor density, but i'm afraid of Jon Gosselin style recession.

This is me at almost 31. Ugh. Asian male, wavy coarse hair. Was born with a ****ty hairline around Norwood 3 so it's always been a sore spot for me. I think it's somewhere around a Norwood 3A to 4A. I'm ready to do a hair transplant now and would like some opinions and feedback.

Have been taking Wellbutrin for 5 months which has coincided with a thinning of my hair and it doesn't grow as fast as it used to. I'm not sure if there is a direct link or just coincidence.

In addition in the past 2 weeks, i've quit drinking 2-3litres of diet coke daily and avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible. I smoked for 10 years and quit 5 months ago coinciding with wellbutrin.

I'm really hoping that with transplant surgery, I can get the hairline I never had in my teens and twenties.

Do y'all think I could get a flatter hairline than juvenile to bring the corners and temples out? How many grafts do you guys think I need?