corvettester

Hey all, A buddy of mine was recently refused an HT procedure from two separate HTN recommended clinics in Canada because he is HIV positive. Basically, they told him that in Canada the technicians can legally refuse to work on HIV positive patients. This is the first that I've heard of this. Does anyone know what the law is on this? Is it only for elective surgeries? Does it only apply to technicians and nurses, or doctors too? Corvettester

Aaron, Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember you mentioning something about having an unusually sensitive scalp. Didn't Rogain or Nizoral do a number on you too? I have yet to see a patient with one of these post-op recipient site "redness for several months" cases. I'm not saying that they don't exist, I just haven't seen any yet... I think the vast majority of patients heal sufficiently well within a week or two. I remember it being the biggest non-issue for me after my procedure. After all the hype, I was really surprised at how easily the scabs came off while washing my hair after only a week, leaving the recipient site looking just a little pink only 7 days post-op. Corvettester

Herr HarrHarr, Sounds good man! Nice write up. Please do post some pics soon. I look forward to following your progress as I have heard very nice things about Dr. Pong's practice coming from his patients. Machts gut! Corvettester

The scabs will be completely gone after a week... 10 days at most. Now Chillax, bro! Corvettester

JHBB, Forget about redness. It'll be gone in 10 days most likely. A month is far more than necessary. Here, have a look at my 10 day updates from both of my procedures. I have very fair skin, much fairer than yours, and it is almost undetectable. Hair Restoration Journal -10 Day Update Hair Restoration Journal -HT#2: 10 Day Update I really can't imagine you needing more than two weeks. You may want to reconsider taking so much time off. Otherwise, you'll probably just sit around obsessing for month! LOL! In any event, good luck on your procedure. You've chosen an excellent doctor, no doubt. Corvettester

No pics? What a tease! I guess there really isn't much to show at two months though, so I'll let it slide this time. I'm coming up on two months post-op next week. It just occurred to me that we both had our second HT with Dr. Dorin within a week from each other! It will be interesting to follow each other's progress. Thanks for keeping us updated though. Grow well. Corvettester

Teach, Glad to hear you've been taking care of yourself. I'm just like you, it's not uncommon for my weight to fluctuate 10-15lbs within a month or two either. It really just depends on how much I'm eating and what I'm doing in the gym. Yes, I started doing yoga on my own at 4 weeks post-op. I'll probably start back in the classes in another month or so. Speegs, Yes, I understand that my current weight is healthy. I'm not trying to lose weight, per se. I'm just no longer interested in lifting weights and taking in so much protein via supplementation. As mentioned earlier, my current weight of 155lbs is due to the fact that I drink at least one protein shake and a protein bar a day, which easily adds 800 calories, if not more, to my diet. I know that once I stop the protein shakes and bars and weightlifting, I'm going to drop serious weight. It always happens that way. I was only concerned that it might affect my HT yield. I will still eat plenty of food, a minimum of 2,000 calories a day, and take multivitamins as usual. Corvettester

Matt & Aaron, I'm naturally much thinner. If it weren't for all the weights and protein, I'd be around 140lbs. I've been artificially augmenting my size via weightlifting and protein supplementation for years now. I simply no longer like the look or all the effort it takes. I'm getting burnt out on weights and it really isn't necessary to have so much muscle mass. Not to mention all the effort it takes to maintain it, in time, energy and money. I spend a lot of money on food and too much time at the gym. I'm going back to the Sid Vicious look! I'll definitely tapper down naturally as I'll still be active. I'll make sure to always get at least 2,000 calories in a day. But back to the original question, do I have anything to worry about in regard to my yield? Corvettester

I'm 155lbs at 5'11". Cutting it to 2,500-3,000 sounds smart. It's probably the protein shakes and bars that put me over what I need.

Thanks for the inputs guys. You're right, I'm no porker. I'm 5'11" at 155lbs. I've been artificially maintaining extra weight for the past 10 years by consuming lots of protein (protein shakes and energy bars) in conjunction with daily weightlifting. I'm actually interested in losing muscle mass. I no longer need or want the extra muscle I have. To that end, I plan on dropping 10-15lbs. I currently work out 7 days a week. I do weights, cardio, yoga and I walk a lot too. Yes, I'm a health nut! I plan on phasing out the weights altogether and just sticking with low-impact cardio and yoga. I definitely won't stop eating fat either. It's the protein that I plan on eating less of. Currently, protein makes up about 30% of my diet, with Fat being about 20% and the rest are Carbohydrates. I plan on dropping the protein to about 10% and filling the gap with Carbs. This is because my body responds extremely well to protein. I eat about 3,000-4,000 calories a day because I live such an unusually active lifestyle. So I plan on lowering my caloric intake to about 1,500-2,000 a day, hardly starving myself. Basically, I'm going to cut out all the extra protein I take from post-workout protein shakes and protein rich energy bars, which will easily decrease my daily caloric intake by 1,000 calories. Covettester

Gentlemen, I'm thinking about dropping some weight and I'm interested to know if it will in any way affect the yield from my recent HT. I'm just 6 weeks post-op so I want to make sure to play it safe. I will maintain my strict multivitamin routine to ensure that I'm getting all my micronutrients. Does this sound like it will in any way affect my growth yield? Any advice is welcomed. Corvettester

I've been thinking the exact same thing for some time now. If Rahal and H&W can do it, why can't everyone else? What are they so afraid of? I no longer buy the argument that the higher the FU/cm2, the lower the yield. I think Rahal has put that debate to rest. After all, the next Rahal mega-session failure I see will be the first. Corvettester

Joe, What can I say? Your hair looks great. A true success. A completely undetectable and natural appearance. Congratulations, Joe. Corvettester

Thanks for the input so far guys. Please keep it coming... One thing I didn't realize is that Rogain must be applied twice daily. That is a pretty much a deal breaker because I usually only take one shower per day. I certainly don't wash my hair twice a day, or even once a day. I wash my hair about 5 times per week. As far as wrinkles and premature aging, this is the first I have heard of such side effects. Up until now, I thought that the only side effects were shedding, dry scalp, itchiness or difficulty styling hair. What Joetronic said really hit home with me: do I really want to be a slave to yet another product? Also, I have to be super diligent in taking it, lest any progress be lost. Plus, I don't want to go through a shed. Considering all this, I really don't see the point. However, I'd still like to hear more opinions and experiences if anyone else wants to chime in. Thanks a lot everyone... Corvettester

Gentlemen, I really appreciate all the sound advice on whether or not to start Saw Palmetto and Nizoral. At the recommendation of the community, I have decided against both products. The next fish to fry is Rogain. I'm still researching Propecia so I don't want to debate it until I have a better understanding of it. However, I am actively looking into it and I will bring it to the community soon enough. For those of you don't know my case, I'm a 30 year-old, NW3 who has just underwent my second HT in the hairline and temples for a total of 3,000 grafts FUT. My hair is fine and straight. I have a solid midsection and crown. Genetic balding on my paternal side only. Paternal grandfather a NW7 by his mid twenties, however, my father and my uncles held on to their hair until the late fifties/early sixties. They were mostly NW2/3s. Now in their advanced years, their mostly NW4/5s. So my question is, with my current situation, should I expect any noticeable improvement from Rogain? Do you think it'd be worth it for me? If so, should I apply it only to the affected area only, i.e. my frontal third, or my whole head? I hear that the foam version is best. What percentage should I start with? How often should I apply it? Also, how bad is the shedding and for how long should I expect it? Does it happen only once, or in cycles? Any suggestions or experiences you'd like to share with me would be greatly appreciated. Corvettester

Can't Decide, I'm glad you know better. One thing you may not know about me though is that I work in real estate. Perhaps now you can understand why I am so passionate about people not leveraging their homes for consumption spending. I'm sure you follow the news. How many cases have you seen about people taking out loans against their homes to fund shopping sprees, exotic vacations, new cars, consumer goods, cosmetic surgery, etc... and then come the hard times and ultimately foreclosure. A full head of hair is meaningless to a homeless man. Corvettester

Joey, I'm doing well at 6 weeks post-op. I'm going in for my 2 month follow up in two weeks. If you want to see my progress in person, send me a PM and we can schedule our follow ups next to each other. I'd definitely like to see yours. Either way, thanks for keeping us updated. Corvettester

I've been debating the exact same scenario.... There are just so many variables to consider that it's mind-boggling. To tell you the truth, the decision to start Propecia has been more difficult than my decision to undergo FUT. Corvettester

Disphair, I like your post because you ask good questions and raise very real and meaningful concerns... My comments regarding Levrais' result were directed solely at him. I don't say that to everyone. To answer your question, yes, I believe that Levrais will be completely satisfied with his final result and not succumb to hair greed for the sake of simply having more hair. Levrais is a very level-headed and intelligent poster, as you'll see if you follow his personal case and his contributions to other member cases. There are several other reasons as well. I believe that Levrais won't need another procedure because of what an exceptional result he got from his first procedure. If past is prelude, then he's in for another outstanding result. He has excellent hair characteristics too. Thus, a lower number of grafts for guys like him can go a lot further than it would for someone with my hair characteristics. Further, it seems like a lot of planning went into his first and second procedure. A well planned strategy coupled with an moderate/aggressive approach can basically solve a lot men's hair loss issues provided they're on the lower end of the NW scale... especially when you have a top doc such as Bisanga performing the work. I have yet to disappointing result from him. Granted, hair loss is progressive, but that doesn't mean every NW3V is going to one day become a NW7. A lot of men stabilize naturally or they use Propecia to stabilize hair loss. I don't remember off hand whether or not Levrais is on Propecia. It's true that many men will have to chase their hair loss perhaps their whole lives. I just don't see that happening with Levrais. For his age range and amount of loss (I think he was a NW3V or NW4 in his mid forties), I think it's very reasonable to assume that he isn't going to the high NW levels. Yes, I believe a lot of men move on. What you are witnessing now are those of us who have not yet completed out hair loss journey. If you spend more time on the forums you'll see what I mean. Look into Epileptic Skeptic. He was one of the most prolific, honest and valuable posters on the HTN. He researched for something like 5 years so as to make the best decision possible. Well, after he posted his exception 5-7 months results, we almost never heard from him again... and that is a good thing! Why should he waste any more time here? He had an outstanding result and now he has moved on. Corvettester

Thanks for sharing your experience. From the looks of it, you're healing quite well. I think that amount of grafts you got should give you nice coverage and a very natural looking result. Bisanga frequently produces some of the most impressive results I ever see. Be sure to keep us updated. Grow well. Corvettester

Joey, Hey dude, I hope all is well. You must be at your 10 month update by now. How is it coming along? Any improvements or noticeable maturity? By the way, have you talked with Dr. Dorin lately? What are his thoughts on your progress? Also, have you made any decisions or plans about your second HT? I ask because I went for my second procedure just 10 months after my first. So I'm interested to know how keen you are on getting a second procedure or if you plan on waiting longer... Anyway, thanks for keeping us updated. Grow well. Corvettester

Levrais, I'm really excited to see how your crown is going to turn out. You'll be all done then. What a relief! Thanks for keeping us updated. Grow well. Corvettester

Ahairdown, Glad to hear that you're being looked after by your doc. Most of my growth from my first HT started right after the two month mark too. Considering the amount of grafts you had transplanted, I imagine that by your four month update you'll be looking very different. Also, I had the exact same situation with my right side growing faster than my left. If you check out my two month update, you'll see that at two months post-op I had about 30 FUs sprouting on my right side, and about 15 FUs sprouting on my left side. I hear the same thing all the time, I think it's quite common. Hair Restoration Journal -2 Month Update Anyway, thanks for keeping us updated. Grow well. Corvettester

He is not recommended on the HTN, but you shouldn't hold that against him. He's a great doc and in my opinion, probably the best in all of Europe. Check out some of his patients who post here: Levrais and Sting Ray. Corvettester

Sean, Your insinuation that I am compensated from Care Credit is a desperate attempt at backtracking from your own vacuous and reckless advice, not to mention it's quite insulting. All I said was that I used Care Credit and it worked out well for me. I even qualified my statements with a caveat to the community that there have been valid complaints against Care Credit. So what, am I to not mention my personal experience? What about all the posters touting the benefits of Propecia? Are you going to accuse them of receiving compensation as well? God knows, I've seen more complaints about the side effects of Propecia than I have the failings of Care Credit. Or those that use Nizoral or Rogain? Are they disingenuous shills promoting a dangerous, unproven product? Is Dr. Rahal's rep, Mattj, a shill for so frequently recommending Propecia to patients and HTN members? Just listen to yourself! By your own criteria, your arguments invalidate themselves! You make absolutely no sense whatsoever. I think you’re just having a hard admitting what an idiotic idea it is to put one’s home or car on the line for an HT, hence the backtracking... Nobody needs an HT. Everyone needs a home, and most need a car to commute to work so as to afford a home. Again, this is probably the all-time worst advice that I have ever witnessed on the HTN, a disaster waiting to happen, and it’s coming from you, Sean. Aside from educational discounts and philanthropic work, there is a reason that Apple doesn't negotiate on price. If you can't understand that, and draw the obvious logical inference in regard to hair transplantation, then I don't think that there is anything left for us to discuss. Let's just agree to disagree... Corvttester