JPGR5

I personally know - and see in person - because I am this actual person - that I stated I DO NOT LOOK GOOD BALD and it makes me very uncomfortable having no hair - something I think everyone on here can relate to. From the compliments I have gotten on my hair piece - it's enough to keep it going. So like I said earlier I'm going to stay with what I've got for now.

Well Hi Everybody - Thanks for all your input and feedback. So I've made a decision. Although I like the idea of getting my hairline back, through the consensus here online and from my additional complimentary consultation with Dr. Bernstein yesterday (him making up for the 'quick brush off' he gave me last week), I think it's best that I just sit tight and be patient and wait for something that will benefit me in the long run and more long term in the future and any type of hair transplant for me - whether just the hairline - or plucking every other body hair off of my body for my head is just not worth it. Reasons... 1) I'm a NW7 - not a 6. The hair on the sides and back of my hair is good, but fine as far as density. In fact, in the 'very detailed' consult with Dr. Bernstein (he took a lot of time with me this time around) he showed me how I'm still thinning on the sides and back of my hair. Even though I thought things were status-quo for the past 10 years, apparently not and I'm still not done with my hair loss. 2) THE SCARS! Everyone has mentioned to me how I will have that permanent scar on the back of my head that I will need to keep covered. If I keep things the way they are now, I will still have the option of wearing a hair piece system - or just shaving my head when I get older and just accepting it. I'll be stuck if I have a scar. I have seen people who have gotten bad hair transplants and still shaved their heads - and you can see the bad scar OR the holes where they plugs were pulled out all scared up on the back of their heads. 3) Probably a good thing I saw this, but it is still giving me nightmares - I saw an actual hair transplant surgery on YouTube that was very graphic. I admire and respect all of you who have gone through this surgery because DAMN!!! This surgery I saw was the third surgery this guy was going through and they were taking two strips of hair off of the back of this guy's head. VERY graphic!!! So I was like "NO WAY ARE YOU DOING THAT TO ME!!!" Even if I had enough hair to give me complete coverage, I had second thoughts after seeing that surgery. I would probably still go through with it IF I had enough hair to cover my head - but not for just a few inches to re-create my hairline. 4) A lot of people like my hair! Even though it's a hair piece system, overall it's looks pretty good. I complain about the maintenance of it, but it's nothing compared to what I would have to do if I just got my hairline back. Like I said, I would be stuck having to wear something all the time and make sure the scars are covered. As far as being intimate with a woman - since my wife passed away, I've had a couple of intimate moments - where one woman was running her hands through my hair and said "what's that" - I told her and she was cool with it. The second time, the next morning a gal asked me..."so how long have you been wearing that thing?" That one hurt because I thought she could tell by looking. She then said she was trying to be funny and just noticed it when she ran her fingers through my hair. She didn't notice it when looking at me - in fact, she always complimented my hair. The women I do meet (whether intimate or just being friends) usually tell me they like my hair, so I guess I'm just paranoid wondering 'what if they notice' because I know it's there. Michael5577 - I won't shave my head because I'm one of those guys who looks worse with no hair at all. I have to have something there. And yes, I can play sports and work out at the gym and what not with no problems. My only 'worry' is swimming because the front can lift up. The rest of the hair bonded on my head will stay on, but the front is the part with the most maintenance. That's originally why I wanted my front hairline back. Okay - so the way I left it with Dr. Bernstein is I'm not going to do anything now. He said I would be a perfect candidate for hair cloning - where they will take some hair samples from me and clone as much as I need to give me exactly what I want - with no scarring. The only problem is - hair cloning is not a reality yet. Dr. Bernstein said the research is moving 'very slowly' so it's going to be a while. I'll check back in 10 more years but until that technology is reality - I should stick with what I've got. Dr. Bernstein also complimented me on my 'hair' and said he would never know it was a hair piece. I guess that's saying something. So to keep this youthful look I've got going for me (I'm 42 - yet people think I am between 27 and 32 - because of my my 'hair' and I get compliments on it) and without it I look my age or I will probably look older, I'm not moving forward with any type of transplant. I told Dr. Bernstein that when hair cloning becomes a reality and it is perfected, he can give me a call and we'll talk about what I can do then... ...but for now, I'm keeping what I have. Thanks everyone for listening and giving me your feedback. I'm going to keep active on here so I can stay up to date on the latest technology and maybe give some input for fellow NW7's who feel like they have to do 'something' - and not make any mistakes!

By request, attached here are two hairline photos with me wearing the hair system. One of the pics you can see the front lifting up a little bit (the second one - on the right side of the picture (my left). One of the many times where I don't get all of the bonding in the right places. Also, the bond will get lose and gooey within a week and I'll have to clean the front and try and re-bond it making it look natural. There's also a picture from a few years ago that was taken with me wearing my hair. Keep in mind that this was under professional lighting with a professional head shot photographer. In other photo situations, the front of my hair always looks a bit 'fake' to me. I was thinking if I got my natural hairline back that I would look better in pictures and not worry so much when cameras are out and about... CORRECTION - Just spoke to Dr. True - he said he would give me my hairline back and go back 3 to 4 inches on my head to give me proper density and fullness to match into the hairpiece. Dr. Bernstein said he would just do a half inch for my hairline - so I'm taking him up on his offer for a second (free) consultation. His office even called me this morning to ask when I would like to schedule my consult with him. Still waiting to hear back from Dr. Rahal. Have an appointment with Dr. Feller next week and sent my photos for an online consult with H&W.

See - this is all the honest feedback I need when researching all of this. I don't believe I have 6000 grafts either! If worse comes to worst, I'll just have to keep waiting for hair cloning to start happening and keep wearing my hair piece. I've always had a problem with the front of these things though. I have seen others with their own hairline while wearing a hair system and it looks so much better that way. All I can do is keep asking questions and researching if it's worth softening up my front with a hair line or not. Dr. Bernstein said their would be very small scars from where they would take my donor hair to do this. Right now, I think it's worth it so I can go back to the way I looked when I first had my hair system installed while using my natural hairline. Tomorrow, I could wake up and think "I look just fine with my hair" and not do anything. I did see a strip procedure on YouTube (very graphic) and I honestly freaked out! It made me think, "forget it - even if I do have enough hair, I do not want them doing THAT to me!" So I admire and respect all of you who have gone through this procedure! There is an old man in my grief counciling support group at church (my wife passed away a year ago). and he has his front hairline and nothing behind it - bald except for the horseshoe pattern. I thought to myself, 'all he needs to do is put a hair piece behind that and he'd be set!' As far as this being too risky - that's why I'm getting all of these opinions from surgeons and other HT patients. I want to get all the answers and make a reasonable and smart decision about this. Still playing phone tag with Dr. Dorin - so hopefully I can touch base with him tomorrow. Then again, it was Dr. True who told me he thinks he could get 6000 grafts from my head. I honestly don't believe I have that much. After I talk to Dr. Bernstein again and have my other consultations, I'll figure out what to do next.

I realize that there was little hope for me - thus my only wanting about an 1/2 inch to and inch of my front hairline and maybe some temple work. Beyond that, I don't think anything else can be done so I will have to stay with my hair piece until hair cloning comes into play. I sent my photos to H&W and to Dr. Rahal just to get my third and fourth opinions. Basically I'm looking for someone who can give me a great front hairline. That's all I can do for now.

And here are the photos of my donor area. Sorry that a few are a little blurry - I'm working alone here!

Here are my other pictures that I will be sending out for online consultations...

Thanks HairThere. That guy's 'before' photos look very much like my hair. I would almost use them as a referral to any of the doctor's who do an online consult. In fact, I may have a little less around the edges - but that may be due to the hair piece. As far as 'megasessions' and aggressive doctors, I can see where that would be beneficial. However I'm not sure I want to be that 'aggressive' right now. Dr. True and Dr. Bernstein seem to be on the same page with using body hair for HTs (they're not 'fans' of it) and I have to say neither am I. I personally would like an inch of my front hairline back (including temples) as a start. Give me back my hairline. I can wear the hairpiece behind it for that more natural look until better options and technology comes my way. I will check out Hasson and Wong as well.

Well Hi Everybody - First off, thank you for all of your feedback. It's really helping me make some decisions about what I can do and what I need to do. Here's a follow-up... The more I thought about how I was treated by Dr. Bernstein here in NYC - the more mad I got. . So, I wrote him an email last night telling him how upset I was for the way he brushed me off and treated me so poorly with the consultation. I basically told him how traumatic it has been for me to deal with my hair loss and how I felt brushed off like a 'lost cause' and a waste of time - and to be charged $175 for a 5 minute visit. Dr. Bernstein left me a voicemail this morning apologizing for his behavior with me - telling me he didn't mean to come off that way with me and asked me to call him back so we could discuss my case further. I was hesitant at first - I mean, what can a doctor tell me to make a 'no hope' case feel any better? But I did call him back and we had a long conversation about my situation. Again, he apologized for his comments saying he did not mean to come off that way - and he was going to refund my $175 office visit. Next, he talked about my situation. He feels I'm a NW7 - and any attempt for me to get a full head of hair back with my donor supply is not worth the effort. Especially if I wanted to just have the front third of my head done and leave the crown for a hair piece. That would be more maintenance and a problem for me. I told him I understood that and that the consult I had with Bosley over 10 years ago up to the one I had a couple of weeks ago with Dr. True - I was pretty much told the same thing - my crown can't be treated and just to concentrate on the front. Here's where the confusion happened between us... Originally all I wanted to have done what to have my front hairline back. I'm realistic and know that the crown cannot be treated with my level of hair loss. The place where I have my hair piece serviced has many clients who just had their front hairline done (maybe an inch or so) and they wear the hair piece behind it. Gives it a much more natural look. I've seen these clients up close and they look great - nothing beats a natural looking hairline. I used to have my hairline when I started wearing hair systems and it was great. Now my hairline is gone and I don't like the way the front of the system looks. I explained this to Dr. True and with his evaluation, he said he could recreate my front hairline and even treat front third of my head. I told this Dr. Bernstein and he thought I wanted him to do the same thing - (the front third of my head) and he doesn't recommend I do that. All I want to do is to get my front hairline back. I don't care about the top of my head, front third or crown - I know those are a lost cause until a cure for baldness is discovered or if cloning is perfected. Just give me my front hairline back for now and I'll wear hair systems until I can get my natural hair back. Dr. Bernstein thought I wanted to totally ditch the hair piece and get a full head of hair back. He didn't know I just wanted my front hairline back. That he said he could understand and made more sense. Here is his email to explaining himself... Nice speaking with you. Again, I apologize for your unpleasant experience here. That was not my intent. As we discussed, I will refund your consult fee. If you like, please return for another consult so that I can show you, with a videoscanner, what your donor supply looks like. There will be no charge for this visit. I have attached the photo taken at the time of your consult (with your face cropped) so that you can use it on the net to get additional opinions. Please keep in mind, however, that density measurements are important if you want to do more than just soften the edge of your hairpiece and that these cannot be determined from the photo, so please take all opinions online in that context. So attached is just one photo of the top of my head. I am still waiting for T&D to send me the other photos they took of my head - but this can give everyone here an idea of where I am starting off. Basically this is where I am at now. Now I am going to double check if the 6000 graphs that T&D told me I have is an accurate number (Dr. Bernstein doesn't think it is). But the main thing I want to take care of right now is my front hairline. That's it. Dr. Bernstein thinks that I have enough of a donor supply to recreate my front hairline and give me about a half inch in the front - matching the density of the rest of my hair which will flow nicely to the hair piece system - plus the donor scars will not be that big at all. Also, he can place my hairline where it originally was on my head - I have a few hairs left to show where it was - and since I'm only doing a half inch of hair, he doesn't have to place the hairline higher up on my head. Also, he thinks he can give me a natural soft look with enough density so when I put the hairpiece on, everything will look right. So now the question is do I take Dr. Bernstein up on his offer for another consultation to go into further detail on how I can get my front hairline back...?

I thought the same thing. And the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get that Dr. Bernstein practically showed me the door as soon as I got to his office. A very quick check on my head and then telling me 'no' - and to just wait until hair cloning becomes a reality - or telling me keep wearing my hair system and shave my head when I get older and get a tan and look like him. Then charging me $175 for 5 minutes. I really feel like filing some kind of complaint. Dr. True quoted me a reasonable price. I'm going to ask their sales consultant who took my information at my office visit (Peter) for the photos of my head. If I have to, I can drop by their offices and pick them up in person. Then I'll post them and get a couple of online consultations.

I would be interested in seeing your photos/results, too. I would help me figure out some things. Right now, I'm leaning towards Dr. Rahal. I'm not saying negative about the doctors I've seen so far (except for the one who blew me off!), I'm just liking what I'm hearing about him with my research. I hear great things about Dr. Feller, too. I wonder if doctor's get so busy, that when they see a NW6 they think "I don't have time to work on that" and that's why I was told by that one doctor that he wouldn't give me a hair transplant.

I hope you're right, Multiplier. That's why I want to see a few other surgeons to see if they can do anything with my crown, too. I agree that 6000 grafts I should have great coverage in the front, so why not see what you can do with the back. Also, I have a forrest of nape hair. I'm going to ask about using those hairs as well. I'll post photos as soon as I get them. Maybe I'll ask for the photos on a disc and just pick them up from T&D's office when I'm in the city this week.

Well, some good news is that what they told me at Bosley over 10 years ago regarding my hair loss is pretty much the same as what Dr. True told me last week (NW6) so I'm hoping my hair loss has stopped. And hoping some will come back after I stop bonding my hair system on my head. Also, I really don't want to take Propecia. I heard about the side-effects (including making your manhood shrink) and I don't want to risk that. That's the one thing the ladies love about me!!! :-p! If I only need 3,900 grafts to restore my frontal third - with a decent amount of density, I am going to ask Dr. Dorin if they would consider maybe trying to close my crown with the remaining grafts - maybe try and make it smaller - or if it is enough to give me some coverage - maybe I can use a concealer to fill in the blanks (so to speak). But like I said, I really want the frontal third of my head taken care of - including an amazing looking front hairline! The back of my hair with a hair system on looks fine. It will do until something can be done for my crown. Oh, I'm talking to Dr Dorin now because he called me to answer some of my questions/concerns and we've been playing a little phone tag. I'm hoping he and I can talk this week. I'm talking with Dr. Rahal's office as well. I heard he makes AMAZING front hairlines and donor scars that are practically invisible. Thanks for the info, Corvettester. I will also call Dr. Wesley this week and maybe I can see him on the same day I'm planning to see Dr. Feller. That same afternoon, I am getting my hair replacement serviced - so it will be a big hair day for me! (Oh, and I'm still pissed at Dr. Bernstein for telling me he wouldn't do anything for me!) So my surgeon list so far is... True & Dorin Dr. Feller (consultation in one week) Dr. Rahal (online consultation when I get the photos I need taken and I can email them to him)

Which doctor did you decide to go with?