the B spot

Hey I'm only 33!!!! Damn....I guess I am old bastard now....Bill you too.

BTW--If Bill and I are old...What does that make Pat

Maxxy, you would be great in this capacity as well....go for it!

I do want to say that my list was by no means exhaustive and I know I missed other deserving candidates, just like Maxxy.

Good Luck to all that apply!

Jason

I don't know if these guys are available, but each of them have offered support to this forum IMHO, as their posts have been balanced and unbiased for the most part. Just a friendly acknowledgment =)

Thanatopsis

TC17

Bullittnut

M&M

Hairhope

Takingtheplunge

All of these gentleman have different backgrounds and/or have chosen different doctors, but from the posts I have seen, each maintains a level head, tries to look at both sides and have been involved with the site for some time.

Please note this is just my opinion, and there are many, many posters I respect and admire for all their great help and I am sure many are deserving, but this is a unique opportunity for a dedicated individual, much the same as several years ago when Bill was chosen for Asst. Publisher.

Again, this is just my opinion and is no way intended to interfere in the decision making process.

Jason

Happy!

John, give it some more time, there is a very big difference between months 7 and months 12-14. You may reach your goals yet! Hang in there!

Jason

Hey Crosby... there is nothing wrong with waiting 5-6 months to see if you experience any sides from the meds.

Waiting to get a HT is NEVER wrong.

Alternatively, those in your position, a bit younger, looking to boost existing native hair, not lowering the hairline and keeping options open for the future is exactly what doing FUE is for.

In your case, you've been on meds for a month, so by Feb you will have been on meds for 4-5 months so you could stay in Feb or maybe look at March as a possibility.

Again, if your feeling pressure to do something, not sure, etc....just wait!!!!

Take Care,

Jason

Hey Bob...Dr. Charles has some of the best patient care in the business. I expect some good things!

Jason

Originally posted by the B spot:

Right Thana... the outlying singles will be thinner, then the transition zone will be progressively thicker, getting to the greater density of the defined zone/frontal core.

 

Julius, even if you transplanted 45-50 singles, 35 2 hair grafts would have greater density as would 30 2+3 hair grafts, so it is not necessarily the graft totals that you use to determine how a HT will look.

 

Hope this is what your looking for =)

 

Take Care,

Jason

J

In SMG's case, Dr. Ron developed his hairline techniques to mimic naturalness and provide density with the appropriate number of grafts per sq cm.

In most cases 40-55 fu cm/2 provides our patients with excellent results. We get maximum yield at this number, but Dr. Ron and Dr. Paul will occasionally go above this given the proper prerequisites as mentioned above..we still get max growth, but we only do this on a select patients.

The leading edge/transition zone is all singles of varying density (about 1cm wide) then the 1's and 2's closely placed together in the defined zone (2 cm wide_ followed by 2's,3's and 4's into the frontal core to prevent a see through look/block light.

Matt Zupan (SMG's Patient Educator) likes to use the forest analogy...the forest is always less dense on the edge, progressively getting more dense as you go in. The same can be said for mother natures hairlines.

A "Dense Pack" is only for patients who, after weighing ALL factors and in the estimation of the doctor, can afford to use a higher number of grafts that would normally be saved for future loss. Most patients are NOT candidates for this, contrary to what has circled the internet the past few years.

Each doctor will have their own techniques, including the amount of grafts, angulation, graft distribution, approach, etc... which a patient should take into consideration before pulling the trigger.

Additionally, one needs to consider the reputation, length of practice, transparency, consistency of results, patient care, staff and judge accordingly.

Take Care,

Jason

Edited for clarification.

Coligion, at SMG we will charge you for how many grafts you get. The only difference is we do not offer a travel discount for smaller sessions.

Take whatever number of grafts we do X 6.00

That is your total.

Take Care,

Jason

You should look at Dr. Bisanga as well. He does both methods, does not push one over the other.

Take your time Balboa....your going to make a proper decision mate....then you can say "Adrian, We did it!!!!"

Jason

Hey Balboa.. at SMG strip is 4.50 per graft, so 2K would be 9K, which includes our travel discount. If we decide on 2K grafts, we generally get a few hundred more and toss them in.

However, I'm not sure you should do strip...I think doing another properly carried FUE session would be best... you could even out your donor and still maintain the short cut...at this point in time, because you have already gone the FUE route..you need to make sure you maintain options and maybe keep a strip session in your back pocket for the future, which you may need.

My opinion of course, and will be happy to discuss strip with you, but I just want to make sure your going forward thinking of all angles.

Take Care,

Jason

Yes...the site is near completion. It will be a source of education in many areas.

I got to see the 99.9% finished product and it looks great.

Glad you had such a positive experience with Dr. Konior tarikali.

Dr. Konior is certainly doing excellent work.

It is always nice to hear the good experiences...I hope you will have time to post a photo or two along the way?

Take Care,

Jason

Hi Coligion.

You have a decision to make. I think if your just wanting 200 or so grafts and your scar is not hindering your hairstyles and affecting you in public, then waiting is fine.

I always say, waiting is never a bad thing.

For FUE out west, I would encourage you to visit Dr. Harris in Colorado. You would be in good hands as he is well respected does fine FUE work.

Otherwise, removing the scar tissue and doing some small temple work via strip is fine as well.

Good Luck!!

Jason

Thanks Severn....the idea is not mine however, I think Dr. Ron and Janna deserve the credit for that.

Either way, these mostly unknown people are hard working and dedicated to producing results day after day...they deserve some recognition in my opinion.

J

If your able to spot an actual line of demarcation on your scalp between where the grafts were taken and not....that might be a problem.

There should be no real noticeable difference if grafts were taken from the donor properly, with the exception of some dots or gaps.

I will say at one month, it is probably early to properly assess the state of ones donor post-op FUE.

My advice is to contact Pats, or Armani and let them know your concerns. They should be able to offer insight.

Take Care,

Jason

Hi Julius.

hairthere is right, generally speaking top doctors have top staff...it goes hand in hand.

However, on SMG's new website, we will have a page with photos of all our techs and their years of experience (I just saw the pre-launch site Monday) so people can get to know our staff a little bit before they plop down in the chair.

It's coming!!!!

You need to wear some type of cap or bandanna that covers your head. It is not ok to put your grafts into direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

You should check with your doctor to see how long he or she wants you to wait this out.

You should be fine to take some trips to tanning salon, if you cover your dome.

Take Care,

Jason

I'll send an Amen to that.

Individualized hairlines and transplants tailored to each person, not a cookie cutter...it's one of the attributes that sets apart the very best from the ordinary.

Take Care,

Jason

Oh, I agree the work looks great....but Dr. Feller did not do Dr. Alexander any favors in the before photos!!!!

He looks seriously pissed!! (I bet he just found out that Dr. Feller was making him buy dinner that night for doing his HT)

All in good fun though....this is a great example of excellent work and putting your trust in the proper hands.

=)

I don't think I would touch the crown.

I think 1800 grafts into the temple/frontal forelock, and going back into the mid-scalp region would provide you with the look your going for.

Another round of 2000 through the frontal forelock/mid-scalp to tie the hairline in sometime down the road would likely be necessary.

You will also need to keep some grafts in reserve if your sides drop to be able to keep your self looking the same all over.

I think if you pulled this off you would look as good as you possibly can. I think if you hit your crown via FUE you would end up chasing the middle continuously and be forced to continue getting HT's as you lose.

I did not say you could never hit the crown, but long-term I think you should forget about it until your 40's---If propecia holds you and the FUE takes care of the short cut/decent density throughout, you can then determine.

At 31 it is too early, imho.

My opinion,

Jason

Dr. Shapiro uses saggittals for his hairlines, but does use coronal/lateral slits when he feels they are necessary.

Take Care,

Jason

Originally posted by omar77:

"Hi,

I read your post about wether or not you are a good FUE candidate.

There are NO highly experienced FUE docs to be found on this board IMHO.

*I disagree...Dr. Harris and Dr. Feller certainly meet the criteria for highly experienced.

 

FUE is giving you a long term plan, strip is thinking short term. Forget about not getting high numbers of grafts using FUE. Let me tell you that FUE will virtually ALWAYS give the option of harvesting more grafts than you ever could using strip.

*This is untrue, speaking in sweeping generalities like this is why some patients find themselves in hot water*

Because strip is limited to the skins laxity! Don't be fooled with the results that some guys get, they are A MINORIY. But for marketing reasons they are presented as if 4000+ grafts (unsplit) are the norm.

Most guys are luckly if they get 3000-3500 from their first strip and maybe another 2000 from their second strip.

If you do go for FUE then ask some questions :

How long have you been performing FUE?

How many grafts can you transplant per day (anything under 1500 is NOT an experienced doc, believe me)* IMHO, clinics that force 1500+ grafts per day regardless of transection rate or future donor density are inexperienced at proper patient care*

How many FUE procdures do you carry out per week? *Somewhat relevant, but not necessarily, based on the reputation of the clinic, and the results*

What size of punches do you use (forget anything above 0,80mm ... tooo big)--- *Again, this is complete B.S. clinics have seen that the 1.0, .9 and .8mm all have use, and when used properly do not leave excessive scarring*

Manual or motorized extraction ---this is fine question, one should ask this during research.

 

Think about the consequences of doing strip, think about the impact on the atonomy of your entire scalp, think about the damaged nerves - blood vesels and waisted grafts (much more then during FUE)

 

*This is FEAR MONGERING garbage from someone who cannot list the positives and negatives of both approaches.

 

At the end of the day, if you do not want to do a strip session, FUE is a fine option. If you want to maximize your total donor, a combination of strip and FUE is excellent. If you want to just do strip, a proven method, that is fine as well.

 

I think what saddens me is that using only ONE approach simply doesn't work for everyone. I think when you start making comments of this ilk, it should be a red flag..proper research, asking questions, and seeing patients in person will help refine the process of choosing a clinic.

 

Needlessly making broad, sweeping statements and using fear to strongarm someone into choosing a particular clinic is really sad.

 

I happen to think using either method is fine Omar, but you should know the positives and negatives to both approaches.

 

Take Care,

Jason

There is no real "best" way.

If you need a very large number of grafts (5000+), then your 1st session should be something 3000 grafts or more, if your donor and laxity can provide this.

There is something to be said for getting an extremely large session, it provides a greater cosmetic impact and can be cheaper from a cost perspective.

However, it is my observation and experience that most of us HT patients end up with at least 2 HT's to reach their goals.

In this vein, a patient needing 5000+ grafts can do a session of 3500, then come back for another 2000-3000 to reach their goals.

Again, there is no right way, but we all agree that for those needing a large amount of grafts, larger sessions are needed to accomplish goals.

Take Care,

Jason