orlhair1

Good luck with your surgery. I just had mine done this week and had a lot of anxiety leading up to it which is natural, but the surgery was not bad at all and I am healing quickly. I had a great experience and I am sure you will as well. I am on day 4 and the redness is mostly gone and I can cover most of the front already with my existing hair. Did have some swelling but it is going away quickly. You will feel great after it is over and will be glad that you did it!

Hal, Just had my surgery with Dr. Ron on Tues. Had the same great experience you did. Day 4 and healing nicely and feeling great about having it done. Hope you are doing well.

Having read the comments by Corvettster, TC and others, I will change my point of view and agree it should be left open. I guess previously I was just thinking how much more can be said about this? However, no one knows unless the thread is open for people to comment on and for TE & HW to discuss as they feel they should be able to. Personally, reading up a lot on threads, including this one, helped me make my decision to have my transplant, understand the importance of communication, expectations and to decide who I wanted to do it. So closing it or locking it could prevent others from valuable information.

I agree......this post is not helpful to anyone trying to find out information about hair transplants. It is unfortunate, but I think it should be closed. Just my opinion.

I agree with you guys. A lot of people simply don't have realistic expectations. I also think it is good to share both good and bad experiences because they are helpful for people doing research as long as it is factually based or legitimate questions. Some of the attacks however are over the top and not really helpful (both against the clinics at times and against the posters at times). If someone is not happy with their results for some reason they should make every effort to discuss and resolve that with their doctor rather than attack them in an open forum. Certainly if the clinic does not respond for some reason, that is good information to know. However I am sure that all of the top clinics will respond to their patients' concerns.

Quick Update. Day 3 post op and no pain. Took vicodin night 1 & 2. Tylenol during the day on day 1 & 2. Updated my photo album with pics from day 3.

What an outstanding result! He must be really happy. Can't wait to see what mine looks like a year from now!

RockZ, Thanks. Looks like you had a great recovery.....next thing you know, your new hair will be growing out!

Thanks. It was about 1000 in the crown.

Here is some additional information. Strip size: 1.5cm width x 27.5 cm length. Vitrase was used in the donor before excision to increase laxity. ACell wound strips were used in the donor closure and ACell fine particles for the graft follicles

3048 Grafts = 6447 Hairs Total

1’s – 633

2’s – 1545

3’s – 756

4’s – 114

I can't figure out how to get the images into the post. Any help in that regard would be appreciated. I created a photo album with 6 pre and post op photos.

Some of the research I have done is that Rogaine combined with Fin works better than either alone. I was one of the lucky ones that ad a very noticeable thickening wit Rogaine and no shedding. However it did lose effectiveness over the years. Still use it but started fin in Feb this year.

Definitely something to pay attention to and discuss with your Dr. However, I would not be alarmed by every study that comes out. It is just one more thing to consider. When you think about it sodas increases the risk of several types of cancer and how many people drink them every day. I am not minimizing it but just suggesting it is not something to overeact to.

Back at the hotel after a great experience with Dr. Shapiro. His brother Paul even popped in a few times. Janna and all the staff were fantastic. Matt stopped in to check on me as well. Everyone went out of there way to make me feel comfortable all day. Ended up with 3048 grafts in both the crown an hairline(more in the hairline) I will post pics and more info when I return to Orlando.

Thanks guys! I will post photos this week sometime. Ready for tomorrow!

Looks great.....very nice!

Well, after all the research and waiting, my big day is finally here. Off to Minneapolis tomorrow for my surgery with Dr. Ron Shapiro on Tuesday. Thanks to all for your input over the time I have been on the forum. I will keep everyone posted.

I have used Rogaine for years. When I first used it I had substantial thickening in the crown area. Over time I think the results started to diminish, although I think it helped me retain a lot of hair I otherwise would have lost. When the foam came out I switched to that because it is easier to use and unscented. I never had any issues with the foam.

Really looks great.

Generic refers to generic Proscar which is a higher dose than Propecia. It is the same drug (finesteride). Propecia is a 1mg dose and Proscar is 5mg. So with generic Proscar you have to cut the pill in to quarters so you get a 1.25mg dose.

Very nice outcome!

Looks great!

Thanks man. I will definitely post some pics and my progress. Surgery is a little more than a week away. I happened to be in Minn. this week on business and stopped by to meet everyone at SMG which put me very much at ease.....ready to go!

Trooper, thanks for your update. Just wanted to let you know that while your post and the thread did cause me pause, I consulted with my Dr. About my concerns and did decide to go forward with my surgery in a couple of weeks. I would encourage anyone to just talk about their concerns and make informed decisions that work for them. I think that posts like yours are very helpful to the process. Best of luck to you with your future surgeries and accomplishing your goals!

Agree. Especially for just under 6 months

I agree with Corvettester completely. Anyone doing their research knows that even in the hands of the top surgeons, occasionally the result is not good or what either the patient or the doctor expected. This needs to be acknowledged in this case and more readily by some in this forum. The good thing for this patient is he chose a top doctor who I am sure will do all he can to help. In this case no level of styling is going to make this a result that anyone would be happy or satisfied with.