Mike73

I feel I've improved again a little over the last 2 months. The hair feels sturdier and thicker. I guess I may still experience some improvement over the next few months and that's probably it. Very happy with the results and it really changes the way I look

Wow, time flies. Anyways, here's my 10 month update. I think I've improved again. Very, very happy, that's all I can say.

Would you mind posting a picture of your hairline? It's funny how we all experience things so differently. Perhaps you have just a tiny imperfection that at the end of the day bothers you. I was in serious denial about my hair loss initially. My girlfriend pointed out I was losing hair and I would not listen to her at all in the beginning. Then I took a more careful look and was shocked. You see yourself in the mirror every day and you don't really 'see' it happening. Propecia helped me somewhat recover in the beginning but soon I realized it only goes so far. My surgery has made my hair look much better, but now I have a realistic idea of where I am and what I need. The front looks ok now, but I know I will keep losing my 'original' hair. The top/back of my head is quite thin so next time I get a surgery, I will most likely want 30-40% in the front and 60-70% on the top/back. I also found Dr. Cotterill's approach honest and most of all - realistic and objective. But at the end of the day, you must be happy with your choice. I wish you luck with whichever path you choose.

I don't know, but lots of doctors partner is with 3rd party financing companies. Just drop them an email. When I emailed them I believe the receptionist answered my questions within a day or two if I'm not mistaken.

by the way, I think 500 grafts will take you nowhere. For some reason, I thought 1000-2000 would be enough for me. Now I realize 4000 is fully justified, plus I still have a balding area on top/back of my head I want to address later. It's easy to under estimate the number unless you're talking about very minor touch up. I was told by more than one doctor I definitely need more than 1000-2000 to avoid disappointment and I'm glad I listened to them. If you go under the knife, you might as well do it right.

I'm not sure what his minimum is, but just email him and ask - they were quick when I initially contacted them. And Dr. Cotterill agreed to do the consultation on a weekend day which was great because my wife wanted to be there. Also, attaching my 7 month update. VERY happy with the results so far and I've been told it can still improve another 10-15%. I look very different and the scar has become unnoticable.

Here's a 5 month update. I'm quite happy with the results. Especially the photo from the front shows the significant increase in hair density. In before photo, you can clearly see the scalp through the hair, but not anymore. If you have any question, let me know!

Hey everyone Here's my 4 month before/after pic. It's a bit hard to tell how much I've improved ; my hair is now quite a bit longer. Initially, it appears that 5-10% of my grafts survived and didn't drop. Then perhaps at 2.5 month mark I appeared to have some growth but very modest. Just a hair here and there. It was a bit hard to monitor though because the grafts were implanted between my existing hair. I guess I'm moderately happy with my results for the time being, but I'm a bit concerned about the fact that I haven't see a new hair grow for a long time. I keep inspecting my scalp almost daily and push hair aside to see new hair coming out - but see nothing. Is it possible that new growth can happen even after 4 months? I hope so..!

Just did some closer inspection today and realized I've lost most of the grafts. Well, it had to happen. I guess the next updates will come when they start growing back.

I wonder why there's so much resistance towards 'meds'. The side effects affect very tiny percentage of users. Try it - if you don't like it, drop it. I'm very happy with Fin - I belong to the lucky group that actually experienced hair regrowth when I started taking it 2+ years ago. I'll never stop using it. No side effects whatsoever and I pay approx. $10 / month.

The scar is well covered by hair, so nothing to report there either. It has healed well, but I can still feel it.

Nothing much to report. There may be some shock loss on the new grafts, but I'm not sure. Most , if not all, are still there and growing. The top of my hair is slightly red still, but I have no problem walking around in public without wearing a hat.

Yes, this was my first HT. I will probably post 3 week update photos today or tomorrow. I don't think 3970 was a limitation by the donor area. The surgery was quite long, started 7:30am and we finished around 5pm.

3970 - the length is around 9 inches I guess - never measured it

You mean you're not impressed by his before/after photos? They look pretty good to me. Keeping fingers crossed - hoping to get good results.

I had HT done by Dr. Cotterill almost 3 weeks ago. Everything's going good so far, but of course it's too early to say anything. You can see some status photos here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160346-dr-cotterill-toronto.html Let me know if you have any questions.

Does anyone know if there has even been extensive enough surveys to get a *general* idea how happy people are on average with HT surgeries? Is it something like 70% happy, 15% somewhat satisfied, 15% unhappy? What's your gut feeling? I'd be curious to know. Obviously, it's not possible to achieve 100% happy customers. So, if that's something that everyone is willing to admit simply because it's a fact, I don't see anything wrong if someone says they're unhappy with the results. Perhaps the problem here is that people expect a 'miracle' and they were never given an estimate of what the likelihood of less than optimal results are - generating unflattering comments.

Why? It's the same exact product, just a different strength. Why pay 5x more..?

Hi Lorenzo Thanks for your response. How will it be worse? Just the frustration of losing the hair? Or can the transplanted area start looking worse? I'm kind of ok with the redness because I'm taller than most people and I have some hair I can use to cover the redness. If the skin doesn't look any worse until a bit later, I'll be fine with that.

Just want to give you an update and two photos. The top of my head has healed incredibly fast. Almost all the scabs fell off in the shower today, I'm now 8 days post op. The scar in the back is of course more noticable, but if you don't know to look for it, I doubt you'll really notice it. In the second photo, you'll see the new grafts growing hair really nicely. Well, at least I'm going to enjoy seeing them grow until it's time to say a bitter good bye for couple of months

Interestingly, the nurse that took off the stitches said they're securele anchored at this point and saw no problem in gel use immediately. I will use it sparingly, only in situations where it can help me such as meeting, but as said she though it's fine to use it already. It's been a week since my surgery.

Well, the stitches are off now and most of the scabs have fallen off. As I left the doctor's office, I was hit by this "that's it!?" feeling! Meaning, it's all done now - hard to believe. All I need to do now is wait. Only restriction now is, no weight lifting for a week. In hindsight, this was an incredibly easy operation. I've had couple of others earlier (other parts of my body) and they both more or less crippled me for a while. The only inconvenience my HT surgery caused was that I've been wearing a cap in the public for a week and will continue to do so for another week or so. Wow.. not a big deal AT all. My hair growth is faster than average person's (which I believe is around 1/2" per month, please correct me if I'm wrong). My graft hair has grown from zero to approx. 1/3 inch in 7 days. I know they're likely to fall off, but I'm glad to see they're enjoing the new 'soil' and getting all the nutrients they need to grow in the future..!

Good to hear! How do I find your album?

Just a quick update - can't wait for my stitches to be removed tomorrow. I feel like the back of my head has been shaved and a piece of duct tape has been put on - squeezing my skin and making it feel 'tight'. Uncomfortable, but not unbearable. The ends of the cut feel 'bumpy', like there's liquid inside them. Perhaps I have a mild infection in my cuts, but nothing that feels serious. I'll discuss it with my doctor and let you know. The top of my head is getting increasingly itchy and I resists the temptation of removing the scabs myself LOL! I do have regular business meetings on a weekly basis and I can't wait to look 'normal' again. Wearing a cap - not exactly ideal... I just wish the next week or so would fast forward and get me back to my normal look. I will post more shots when the scabs are off and I look different.

Oh, absolutely.. I wasn't planning to put any on yet. People seem to agree to the grafts are securely anchored after 7-10 days so if I give it an extra week or two, it might be safe to use gel? But I will ask the doctor for sure. I'm seeing him soon to get my stitches removed.