unclejesse777

Can't decide, I totally get that, and I think that doctors should approach theses cases with caution. Thank you for seeing my point as well.

You're completely right, not everyone needs that type of hairline to get a great result. That's not what I'm saying. But there are those of us, like me, and from what I can tell so far, xtatic5 too, who desire that type of hairline to make us happy. So, what I am saying is that in those types of situations, if that's what a patient wants, and the doctor feels that this particular type of procedure is right for them, then they should be able to have it done. However, it seems like almost every time someone comes on the forum and says they want to have their hairline lowered and their temples closed, right away people start posting comments saying how they shouldn't do it, because it won't look appropriate when they're 50, and they need to be conservative for future procedures. It's like they just assume everyone is automatically going to lose more hair later in their lives, and that simply isn't the case. I'm aware that some people may lose their hair later in life, but that doesn't mean everyone is going to. As we all know, hair loss is mostly genetic. Also, I didn't mean that planning for the future by going with a more conservative hairline is a crock. In fact, I clearly said in my last post that I think someone who is at greater risk for future hair loss should absolutely be more conservative with their grafts. Of course that's not a crock, and I think that is the right thing to do in those cases. But again, that doesn't include everyone. There are plenty of people who might experience a little hair loss, and then have it stabilize and never lose any more. And if those people decide they want to restore a more youthful hairline, then that is their right. What is a crock is saying that someone won't look appropriate when they're older if they don't have a more conservative hairline. And that is what a lot of people imply on these forums, whenever a case like xtatic5's comes up. Again, not trying to start a fight, just making a point. How can someone who is older look inappropriate, simply because they have a lower hairline? I stand by my statement that that is a crock, and it is. Some people lose hair, other's don't, so what exactly is appropriate anyway? To say one person looks appropriate because he has a higher hairline and some recession, while another person doesn't because he has a lower hairline with no recession is just crazy. Again, can anyone honestly say that people like Brad Pitt, John Stamos, Bill Clinton, or Richard Gere don't look appropriate for their ages, simply because they have great hairlines? That's ridiculous. Look, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and that's just mine. I don't think people should just make comments that suggest lower hairlines don't look good when people get older, because that simply isn't true. There are many people who have great hairlines well into their old age, and they look fine. Some people may agree with me, others may disagree. To each his own.

Yeah, I have to say I've never heard of or seen anyone's far-head drop with age either. I've only ever seen it get higher, when certain people lose more hair. And that isn't the case for everyone either. Not everyone is going to lose hair throughout their whole life. Some people may experience a little hair loss in their 20s, and then have it stabilize. That's the way it was with me. s2thoudriver, I know that there are plenty of bad surgeons out there who will just take a patient's money, and do what ever to them, without considering the future. However, that doesn't describe Dr. Feller or my experience at all, simply because he gave me what I wanted. I experienced my hair loss between the ages of 19 and 22, and then it stopped, and I didn't experience any more for nearly 10 years. So I finally decided to have a procedure done. When my scalp was analyzed, I was told there was no reason to believe I would experience any further hair loss, plus there is no history of baldness in my family. In addition, donor supply wasn't an issue, so there was no reason for me to be conservative. Now I realize that many patients don't fit into my category and can't achieve the same results as I did. In those cases, or in any case a doctor should always be up front and honest about what type of results can be achieved. Of course if someone shows signs that they may experience further hair loss, then they should be more conservative with their grafts and graft placement, and their surgeon should definitely address those issues before any procedure is performed. But in cases like mine I don't see any reason why a doctor can't or shouldn't give the patient what they want. And in my opinion the whole "future appropriate" thing is a crock. It's one thing for a surgeon to be honest with a patient about what can be achieved. Obviously people with extensive hair loss can't and shouldn't expect to get their high school hairline back. But for people who haven't experienced that much, and don't show any signs of experiencing future loss, there's no reason why they can't expect to get what they want. For anyone to say, "Oh, a hairline like that won't look appropriate when you're 50," is just ridiculous. Look at John Stamos and Brad Pitt. They're both 49, and they look amazing. Is anyone really going to say that their hairlines don't look appropriate for their ages? Also, is anybody going to tell me that they'd rather have a hairline like Jude Law or Nicolas Cage rather than one of these guys if given a choice? I'm not trying to start an argument or anything, just making a point, and that is that no matter what age you are, a fuller head of hair always looks better than a thinner or lesser one. Just Google "Ralph Macchio Hair Transplant" and tell me where he looks better, before or after? And he's 51 for the record. Richard Gere is an even better example. He's 63 and still has a fantastic head of hair. I really don't see how anyone looks inappropriate with a full head of hair later in life. I honestly think that's something people with more extensive hair loss came up with to feel better about the limitations of their own procedures. Don't get me wrong, I know most people don't expect to get a hairline like mine and many are completely happy with their results, and rightfully so. I'm not saying everyone should want or expect to get a high school type hairline, but for people to say that a hairline like the one I have won't look age appropriate in the future is just ignorant in my opinion. As for the Michael Jackson reference, I get what you're saying, but that's something completely different. He went way overboard with the amount of things he did to his face to the point where he didn't even look human any more. I only had my hairline lowered some. I still look like me, just a younger and a little better looking version of me. That's all xtatic5 is looking to do as well. Xtatic5, glad to see you're taking your time about making a decision. Like I said earlier, I don't think it would hurt for you to speak with Dr. Feller, even if you decide to go with someone else. I know he'll give you an honest assessment of everything. Again good luck to you, and keep us posted.

Chris, thanks for the compliment. You're right, I had less area to fill in. I did mention that in my previous post, because I wanted to give xatic5 an honest and realistic opinion, particularly about the number of grafts he might need. Xatic5, I don't know, maybe the picture is a bad angle, but it does look like you have a high hairline. Not saying that to insult you or anything. Again, I just want to give you some honest insight as someone who's been through this already. While the hairline you want may only be lowered by 3cm, keep in mind that it has to go across your entire far-head, which makes the total area to be covered quite large. Honestly, for an area that size, I don't think 2500 grafts will cut it. The surgeon might be able to spread them out over the entire area, but I think it will probably look kinda thin and you'll most likely need a second procedure. I'm only telling you this, because I don't want you to be misinformed about anything. That is what I feel happened to me when I consulted for my first procedure. I was originally quoted for 1100 grafts, and actually told that anything more might be too much. So, I was believing that after 1 procedure of 1100 grafts I'd be set. Then, on the day of my surgery I was told I was going too probably need a second procedure. Trust me the 1100 grafts I was given hardly even made a dent. That's when I decided to go see Dr. Feller, who gave me another 2200 on top of the 1100 I already had. And I've actually gone back to him since to add more even more density. Now I should probably mention that I'm not your typical hair transplant patient. First off, I had a lot more hair to begin with than most patients, and only wanted to focus on my hairline. Second, I've heard many patients say that the goal is to achieve 50% of native density. That wasn't my goal though. I'm extremely vain, and a perfectionist, so I wanted to get my density as close to 100% as possible. But my point is that I've had over 4500 grafts put into my hairline region, and I had a smaller area to fill in than you do. Now it all depends on what your goals are. As I said, many patients are happy achieving 50% of their native density. But I honestly believe that even with thick, curly, black hair, 2500 grafts isn't going to be enough for that size area, particularly if you want good density. You could always get the 2500 grafts and then decide if you want a second procedure done, but again, I don't think that amount of grafts will get you what you want. I'm not trying to be negative here, I just want to make sure you have a realistic idea of what you can expect. I really would recommend that you consult with Dr. Feller before making any final decisions. The man is fantastic at what he does, and my experiences with him have been nothing but positive. Plus, it couldn't hurt to get 1 more opinion, especially from a doctor who is recommended by the forum. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck, and I hope my insight helped a little. Keep us posted.

Hey man, despite what some others might say, I personally don't think your expectations are unrealistic, but there are a few things to consider. First, it looks to me like you're already a Norwood 3. I think you said one of the surgeons told you that you shouldn't progress beyond that, which is a good sign. If that's true, then you shouldn't really have to worry about conserving grafts for later procedures, which would allow you to focus entirely on the frontal region and hairline, like you want to. I'm just curious, have you consulted with Dr. Feller? I've had work done with him, and really can't say enough good things about him. I also wanted to lower my hairline, and have been thrilled with the results. Now let me just say, I was only a Norwood 2, and the area I wanted filled in was a little smaller, but after Dr. Feller determined that I most likely wasn't going to lose any more hair, he had no problem giving me the hairline I wanted. You can read about my experience and see some pictures here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160946-my-hair-restoration-journey-dr-feller.html Currently my hairline begins 5.5 cm above my eyebrows. Some may think that's too low, but I love it. I've never bought into the whole "Low hairlines don't look appropriate on older men" thing. Guys like Brad Pitt, Richard Gere & Bill Clinton all look fine to me. So, if you really want to lower your hairline I think you should definitely at least consult with Dr. Feller. If he determines that you shouldn't experience more hair loss in the future, I'm sure he can help you. There's one other thing you should know though. To cover an area the size of the one you showed in your picture, you're going to need more than 2500 grafts. I'd say you'll probably need closer to 5000 to get really good density. Good luck man.

I know how hard the waiting part can be, but you have to try and relax and be patient. 2 months is way too early to try and judge results. You most likely won't see anything start until about 4 months, and even then, it's still early. The 4 month mark is usually when hair starts growing in, and in the months that follow more will come, and the hair will satrt to mature. You won't see a final result till about 1 year. The waiting is the hardest part, but hang in there.

I have to say, Dr. Feller, I agree with FUEmaster. I don't think the pictures on your website do you any justice either. In fact, they don't even begin to. Don't get me wrong, there are some nice results, but I think many of the pictures we see here on the forum show off just what you're actually capable of. A lot of the pics I saw on here were definitely one of the influences that persuaded me to come to you. Just my thoughts. Great work on this patient too. Talk to you soon.

Honestly, I think the reason you haven't seen anyone mention it, is because it doesn't happen. The only way the shape of someone's face may appear to change a little is when they have a new hairline created, and that's because of how the hairline frames the face. The actual shape of the face does not change. A person may experience some post-op swelling in the face, but that always goes down in a few days time. The strip they remove from the donor area doesn't affect the skin on your face at all. Biscuit and Dr. Charles both bring up very good points.

Hey man, I was in the same boat as you. I went to Dr. Feller, and had a great experience, and terrific results. He evaluated me, listened to what I had to say, and even let me design the hairline. You can read about my experience here (Scroll down for pics). http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160946-my-hair-restoration-journey-dr-feller.html Good luck with everything.

Hey, sorry to hear about your situation. After reading your post, I checked out some of their advertisements on Youtube, and just like you said, it never makes any mention of wigs. In fact, I don't know if you saw this one, but people in it actually say they are receiving laser treatment and regrowing their own hair. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VjnkbhXnXA&feature=related Maybe it can help serve as some evidence in your case against them. Hope it works out for you.

I was never told to actually remove them. Basically yeah, the post-op instructions I received just said resume your normal hair washing, and don't be afraid to massage the grafts as it is important to keep both the donor and transplanted area clean. It also said you will see the tops of the grafts scab up and start to fall off, and that this is normal. I was also told it was ok to do what I did, and roll my finger tips over the scabs to help remove them from the grafts. However, I only did this when the scabs had already started to come off on their own, which was I'd say around day 5-6. I was never told to actually remove the scabs, and I never have. I just let them begin to fall off on their own, and rolled my finger tips over them to help them along a little.

Bonkerstonker - I followed my post-op instructions, which were to take a normal shower on the 4th day after surgery. However, I wouldn't say I've ever "aggresiively" removed any scabs. I applied shampoo and gently massaged the graft area with my finger tips to work the shampoo in a little, but I've always been a little afraid to rub too hard. For drying I would just blot lightly with a towel. As the scabs started to come off, I would kind of roll my finger tips over them lightly and gently work them out of the grafts. I've always been cautious, afraid that I might accidentally dislodge some grafts if I went too hard. My approach seems to work pretty well though, as Dr. Feller even commented on the good job I did cleaning them.

Hairthere - Yes, I was extremely careful and followed all post-op instructions to a T. I believe the only thing that was different was that Dr. Feller's instructions said to return to a normal shower 4 days after surgery, and I believe Dr. Dorin's said 5 days. Also, I believe the excessive scabbing Dr. Dorin referred to was in the donor area. In fact I remember him telling me that when he removed the sutures. I don't think that would have effected the grafts. I'm not sure why the grafts didn't yield a great growth rate, but I guess it's just one of those things that unfortunately happens sometimes.

Hey man, I'm guessing you live in the Florida area, since you mentioned seeing Dr. Charles. I don't know how you feel about traveling, but I've had work done with Dr. Feller in Great Neck, NY. You can check out my pics a little further down on the page. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160946-my-hair-restoration-journey-dr-feller.html I had around 2200 grafts put into my hairline area. My guess is you'd probably need around the same. I had FUT. Though I've never shaved my head really short, the scar isn't noticeable at all with some hair grown out a little. I can't really say if you should do FUT or FUE, though I have heard that FUT is cheaper and yields a better graft survival rate, meaning better results. Hope this helps some. Good luck.

Futbol9, I would try and see as many pictures of results from patients of both doctors before making a final decision. Obviously if the quality of one doctor's work appears to be superior, that is the way to go. However, if there doesn't really appear to be much of a difference, and the work of both look impressive to you, then I would go with Meshkin, as you would be getting an extra 700 grafts for the same price, which would increase your density. Good luck.