the B spot

Glad you found us here hairismylife. I am sure Dr. Ron will be able to sort you out!!! Look forward to following your progress, Jason

I think you look much better DJ---- thanks for sharing.

Hey Wantego, we have begun posting our FUE work--we recently added a 3.5 month update to the 1st FUE case we shared, in addition to adding cktp (a member here) his immediate post-op and 4 day post-op pics. We are hopeful that more of our patients will be open to sharing their photos as we continue. As far as 400-800 FUE grafts, yes that would be done in one day---we would however, have you come back in the 2nd day, just to have a look and make sure all the grafts are secure, etc... I think we are finding most of the people who seek SMG out for FUE express some commonalities. They want SMG to do their hairline. They want our customer service. They find our pricing to be fair and reasonable. The know we stand behind our work for 15+ years. They need 2500 grafts or less to accomplish their goals for their fue session. I would say the average FUE session is 2 day 1400-1600 grafts. (estimate off the top of my head)---but we have done some repair work, some scar repairs, etc... as well. Take Care, Jason

You really do need to wait a bit---- the biggest issue is pulling or stretching out your scar by putting to much tension on your closure. Now I'll hazard a guess to say that sex either by yourself or with others will involve considerable movement and potential strain on the back of the head so I suggest laying off. Take Care, Jason

Koozie--- I would need your age but either way, you look as if your donor is in tremendous shape, but you do have general thinning throughout the male pattern. Given that you mention your a student, I gather your young---I would be hesitant to really touch any of the mid-scalp/top of crown thin areas and any hairline work would need to be conservative, with an eye toward the future. Given your current status, I'm not sure your really a candidate at this time... however, I would be happy to talk with you and go over your options, even if it means you decide to hold off for a couple of years before deciding to go forward. Take Care, Jason

Tos, I don't think have a beer or two will kill you..... just be careful...alcohol and transplants generally end up with head bumps and falling down! Also, watch your friends who are taking up your slack! Happy 4th, Jason

Congrats Tos!!!! WOW!!!!! What a great looking post-op pic!!!! Your going to be one happy camper in the coming months my friend. On a side note: I am happy to report Tos did NOT show up naked Seriously tho' happy healing and growing my friend--I look forward to meeting up with you sometime in the future. Take Care, Jason

Hi Pianoman, What we do is get some very clear pics, your age, family history, whether your on meds, and then a description of what your looking for. Dr. Shapiro has a look at the photos along with Matt and they come up with a plan they feel best meets your goals. At that point, we generally draw very clearly what areas we will be transplanted (to be finalized the day before or morning of surgery) and we email that back--- I generally spend time on the phone with patients (30min-1hr) and Matt does a very in-depth consultation with every patient--even if they have spent time on the phone with me. Basically speaking, unless your a prior work is terrible and there is some oddity about your request, we can 90-95% firm up the approach via electronic and phone communication. We spend some time addressing and approaching patient consults via email. Send your pics to me at jason@shapiromedical.com ---no strings, no pressure--- we'll give you an idea of what your looking at. Take Care, Jason

At 23, it would be difficult to recommend a strip surgery OR FUE. It is highly doubtful your a candidate. My advice is to wait a bit to see how the propecia works out. There certainly is no set in stone age, so perhaps with pics zmmey might turn out to be a candidate, but at 23 years old, it is more likely he is not a candidate and needs to wait. Take Care, Jason

tos--we do NOT want any naked patients--even if you show up with a wad of cash, clothes will be found for you Shorts are fine---make sure to wear a button up shirt-- as you do not want to be pulling a tee-shirt over your head post-op. Let me know if you need anything else! Jason

Of course it is only 2.00 per graft Tos! Just for you, don't tell anyone else tho', cool? I know your excited and your going to have a great result---I am looking forward to seeing your pics if/when you decide to share them. Take Care, Jason

Hey Dew--it depends on how dense your native hair is---we could certainly just buzz the donor area and leave the recipient area if that is a concern. If you have additional questions feel free to PM me, if you like. Take Care, Jason

What's up-- our fue pricing is 6.00 per graft with a 500.00 travel discount. Is that what Matt quoted you for? Our strip pricing is slightly cheaper. Take Care, Jason

LOL-- thana, leeson and myself had a pretty good time last night-- none of us could sleep, so I figured what the hell, right? Hair was certainly a topic, but we meandered off to other topics after a bit.... Yeah Bill, I think maybe we should do something--I remember the chat's from the past that were pretty fun. Let me know, I am up for being a regular. Jason

I'm in the chat room if anyone wants to yak about whatever. I'll stay in there for 10-15 min to see if anyone is interested.

I'm in the chat room if anyone wants to yak about whatever. I'll stay in there for 10-15 min to see if anyone is interested.

Thom--- at 27, with fairly strong crown and some gradual receding, your certainly a candidate for re-establishing your hairline. I disagree with 1500 and 3000 grafts---I think you need 1800-2200 grafts to re-establish the hairline, pinch into the temples just a bit, but not close them off. This should blend nicely with your existing native hair, give you an excellent natural look now, but still place the hairline in an appropriate spot, in case you thin further as you age. This is certainly no knock on the docs you have consulted with --Dr. Rahal and H&W do excellent work---just a difference of approach. Also, have you decided on strip/fue? You should research both options, as you only need frontal work at this time--I imagine that is why you contacted Dr. Cole. Please feel free to ask as many questions as you like. Take Care, Jason

Any grafts that are growing in the scar tissue will be separated, trimmed, and placed just like any other grafts the strip yield. Good question---and one that will likely come up---It is doubtful that one would choose to do another strip once FUE is done into the scar---any future hairloss would likely be progressive and you would likely do some small fue sessions to keep your look together. But either way, the amount of grafts used to disguise a scar is pretty low--if you lost some due to low blood supply, etc... it would not be the end of the world, and again, you could do another strip in the future. Take Care, Jason

Hi Vince, let me add my voice to those recommending Dr. Konior, he does excellent work. IMHO, after seeing his work over the last few years, he should be mentioned when anyone mentions "top clinics" Photos and videos provide excellent reference to a physician skill, but seeing patients in person is the true measure. I trust if you get a chance to meet some of Dr. Konior's patients in person, you will change your mind. Additionally, his donor closures are excellent as well. Anyway, I just wanted to add my opinion as well. Take Care, Jason

Hi Btc-- to go along with the excellent information Bill posted, another helpful approach would be to post some clear pics of yourself and add your age and try to research your family history on both sides. Myself and many other members will be able to help comment directly on your situation. Take Care, Jason

Does this mean that excising and reclosing a widened scar is the better first course of action (rather than filling via FUE) where it is possible? In many cases, reducing the actual scar via strip excision is the best option first. The idea is even if you can reduce a wide scar by 50% (ie scar is 8mm wide, reduced to 4-5mm) then there is simply less surface area to disguise. Another point is for some patients, excising a wider than normal scars say 4-5mm wide, which is right outside the 1-2.5mm scars we are looking for, down to a 1.5-2mm that new thinner scar may be able to be truly disguised. Of course, there are those who will simply not go through another strip session and for them fue is a great choice. Hope this answers your question! Jason

Curious, when a single blade scalpel is used in the hands of a detail oriented, top flight doctor such as Dr. Ron and Dr. Paul the loss is negligible--even if it is, say 5%--there is absolutely no data that supports fue being consistently that good on every patient. There is no bias..fue is great and is embraced fully by Dr. Shapiro--what we don't do is pretend fue is something it is not. Take Care, Jason

RCB--unless I get some clear pics of your situation, it will be difficult to respond to your situation directly. If you would like an opinion from Dr. Ron Shapiro please send your pics to me at jason@shapiromedical.com It will be best if you get several opinions/options before committing to any surgery. Take Care, Jason

Hi Jmorgan--transplanting into existing native hair without shocking out or transecting the existing hair takes some skill. If you would like, either post some pics of your loss or send them to me at jason@shapiromedical.com with your age and I and other members can give you a better opinion. There are several top clinics that can work in and around existing hair, if you do a search on the work posted here you will get enough information to consult with these clinics. Take Care, Jason

You want to try to limit yourself--for example, maybe smoking 4-5 cigs a day won't be bad, but if you smoke a pack a day, plus drink 3-4 cups of coffee, drink caffeinated sodas, and eat poorly, there may be an effect on your growth. The moral of the story is no excess--if you cannot quit all together. Take Care, Jason