hdude46

Mine are blue but they are long and oval. They are dr. reddy generic and i get them from my local pharmacy. ive been on them 6 months and i cant tell if they are working or not. some days i feel like they are, others i dont. im taking pictures to keep track. everyone tells me the generics are fine as long as they are from a legit source, which they are, but i kinda was expecting to see better results, or atleast results where i knew it was working

This result could have been accomplished with half as many grafts...don't understand the need to waste grafts. looks good otherwise...

Did you know about the Dermatitis before you went to H&W or did you find out while you were there. What were your symptoms and did Dr. Hasson say how to treat it not only now but in the future? Other than that congrats!

Can Dr. Feller please chime in on this thread like he was doing earlier before we completely call this a dud? I take it his lack of posting means this therapy hasnt produced squat...

Hey Janna, When you say both the patient and Dr. Shapiro discussed expectations and goals, can you explain that a bit further by what you mean. Just using this case as an example, what did Dr. Shapiro say was possible given this particular patients characteristics and what did the patient expect was possible when he entered the clinic? Might be kind of a weird question, but always wondered about this part of the procedure/consultation.

I think Dr. Alexander should give you some money back. He is a really good doc but I would be hesitant to let him touch my head again knowing these could be the results again. I would insist he puts money toward a new surgery for you, whether that be performed by him, or someone like H&W or SMG. Just my two cents...

tc17, i think u are mistaken about my grasp about potential problems down the road...again. No one can predict the futre. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you will realize there is no way any dr can tell ANY patient what he will become no matter at what age. However, I'm willing to trust physicians such as Dr. Shapiro or Dr. Hasson ect. that know and have been involved in ht's much longer than you have to look after the younger patient b/c they have transplanted in young patients before, some much younger than me. Again, hair characteristics, family history, use of meds, ect. play a large role, and yes, they can't count for everything, but at some point any patient under 40 getting a ht is taking a risk. I think everyone hears you loud and clear. A lot of your posts are 'what about the future', and thats good, but you have no idea anything about that patients family history, use of meds, hair characteristics ect. For someone like yourself who has a family full of nw5,6,7's, it makes sense to be very concerned, but not everyone is like this. My point is that every case is different and the physician and patient will make a surgical plan that fits and is best. Its very good to be concerned about the future, hell I am very much so, but at some point you will have to get in the chair if you want to fix your problem. For you, that sounds like it will be sometime in your 40's, and thats fine and smart. For others, that time is younger b/c they can afford to based on their particular case where it might be less of a risk if that makes sense.

Thanks Dr. Reed, this makes more sense to me. I think I just misunderstood your original post a bit. thanks for the nice writeup.

Thanks Dr. Reed. I must say though, part of your response directly contradicts the response to similar questions of some of the very very top clinics in this coalition. Saying that this young man, or every young man, is no different than someone who is 35 (when planning surgically) I have to disagree with based on what I have heard from other top clinics I have consulted with. It seems you do a one size fits all on the 3v pattern on every patient who is under 35. I will agree that it is safe, but what about the 22 nw5 and the 35 yr old nw3? I don't see why the two would have the same surgical plan. Its obvious the 22 yr old would have a a significantly greater chance of advancing to a 6-7 than the 35 yr old. Isn't rate and aggressiveness of the balding a huge factor in where one ends up? What about hair characteristics, family history, donor density, ect. Are Hasson and Wong or Shapiro Medical, arguably the two leading clinics in the field, making mistakes by planting hairlines not in the 3v pattern in patients under 35? I'm very skeptical of your claim there is no difference between two patients such as the ones described above. Moreover, I dont understand how using finasteride is misleading. Every clinic I've consulted with swears by its effectiveness and longevity. I can understand and appreciate your philosophy, however there are simply some clinics out there who can simply do more with the same amount of grafts than others. You are right in that no one can predict the future of mpb, but it would seem the risks would be far greater for someone in their early 20's than mid 30's, instead of seemingly the same, especially if the level of loss is greater for the younger patient. To say there is no difference from myself to this patient SEEMS a bit absurd based on my conversations with other clinics. Is a 25 yr old nw2 the same as a 25 yr old nw5? Again, does every 25 yr old have the same hair characterisitcs, family history, rate of loss, use of medication, ect? No. I appreciate your explanation, but it goes against a lot of leading clinics on here you don't transplant in the 3v pattern in patients under 35.

not every 20 something yr old who is balding is headed for a nw6-7, in fact if u look at most peoples blogs on here i think u will see a lot of the same 'i started losing my hair in my late teens early 20's'. By your standards no one should have a ht unless they are 60 and nw2 w/ no chance of donor thinning. C'mon, I think the docs here, which are recommended for a reason, have ethics and know what they are doing. aaron1234 got grafts in his crown and he is about the same age, from arguably the best clinic here IMO. troubling? maybe to you, but I doubt they would steer a patient wrong and not look out for his well being.

my dad is 60 and his donor hair is thicker than a lot of people in their 20 and 30's on here. My grandpa is 82 and his hair could easily hide a scar. Obviously everyone is different, but people with donor thinning usually have very very extensive baldness. At 40 your life is likely halfway over, and your level of baldness, I wouldnt have any worries if I were you. Chances are it will look great for the duration of your life.

Dr. Reed, I'm just a little confused here. You gave a very nice write-up about the concerns and cautions that you have in transplanting men in their 20's, yet you still gave this young man over 4,000 grafts despite those concerns. Why? I'm not sure what exactly constitutes 'significant balding' or at what age a balding pattern emerges, but from your post it seems you think no one in their 20's should be a candidate for a ht. Being only 25 myself, I am concerned about future loss but have no where near the level of balding this young man who is younger than me has, and have been told I have above average donor density and hair thickness by the top clinic in this coalition imo. I would also say that the rate of my loss is fairly slow as well. Does this mean i should hold off until I'm 30 (btw I'm taking propecia)? Do you believe propecia will hold onto most of this patients native hair and that's why you performed the surgery? I'm just trying to figure out why you would use over 4,000 grafts on a 24 yr old after your write up would suggest rarely should a dr perform a ht on someone in their 20's, especially when this particular case seems like he isnt exactly to be the ideal '20 something yr old candidate.' I would say over 95% of the blogs of people I read on here say their hair loss began in their late teens or early twenties, and almost all of them say they wish they would have had a ht procedure and jumped on propecia sooner. So I'm just looking for a little clarity on this based on your statements above.

Not that you need to hear it from another poster, but yeah definitely stay on it. There have been many guys on here and some who I have talked to via email who have been on it 10-15 years who say its still working pretty well for them. Some have said they've lost maybe a little bit from where they started at, but nonetheless say its doing well for them and couldn't imagine where they would be without it.

Im not disagreeing with you or 'flippantly dismissing your position'. But any ethical dr. on here, which most are considering their recommendation on this site, is going to plan for the future for their patients. They always include a plan for 'just in case' scenario. But lets face it, not everyone is at risk for going to a nw6-7. Thats why some have lower hairlines than others and not everyone has the hairline that dr. beehner did for this patient, same goes with crown work. In a 10 yr follow up study to the propecia 5 yr study by the fda almost all the patients had similar hair counts as the did at the 5 yr mark. Yes, some patients will lose hair, but at a considerably slower rate. Yes, people with family history's of nw6-7's are more prone to having donor thinning. But just b/c THIS man looked like this at this age doesn't mean we all will at 50. Who knows about his family history, use meds (doubtful), rate of loss, ect. Thats also to ignore that in 50 some yrs, I would be willing to bet their are more useful hairloss treatments that propecia and rogaine. heck probably within the next 10-20 years. No use in getting in a back and forth discussion. I think the best is for patients to consult their physician and lay out a plan for THEM.

cameras 15-20 yrs ago are going to make anything look thick. if i were u, i would get on proscar and not worry too much about what you are going to look like as an 87 yr old man. if u are so concerned as to what u might look like and how u might progress, getting a ht is probably not the best option for you. Its a risk for everyone who does it.

u need to get on propecia if u want to go thru with a ht this young and being as bald as u are.

Janna, this might be a stupid question, but is there any way to tell how good a patients donor supply might be w/o microscopic analysis (ie by the patient himself or if he sent photos with a comb lifted in the back)?

Janna this is impressive. Dr. Shapiro has an artistic eye that is second to no one. Can I ask how old the patient is and how many grafts dr. shapiro thinks he has left? i also cant tell if the patient has some thinning on the sides that might drop his patttern to nw5 or 6 in time. it could just be the lighting though and i could be mistaken.

Hey Bullitnut I'm really happy for you. You look great my friend. Quick question for you if you don't mind me asking, What did Dr. Shapiro tell you about possible future loss? I take it he is a very big believer in the proscar being effective? Thanks!

Joe, I have to disagree with you on only a small and minor point. Was this guy really a NW 6? He had absolutely no loss below the crown and his pattern is similar to shuffle's. I would argue he was a nw4 or 5, bur def not a 6.

I think for H&W, this is a below average result. With that said, another surgery should get you where you want. H&W will most likely be able to pull a lot more grafts than 2,000, and also excise the scar to make it smaller. SMG doesn't require you to shave down, but that may limit the number of grafts they are able to harvest. I agree with thana, you are once procedure away from a good looking mop. You dont have any loss beloe the crown so you should be able to fill the entire top. good luck

I honestly bet you could organize a class action lawsuit against armani. i would start getting in touch with other unhappy patients of his (there are tons) and contact a lawyer to see what your options are. its time this hack of a doc pays before other lives are ruined... also, as other have said, shapiro medical and hasson & wong can most likely repair your husbands problem. i would get in touch with them asap. they might be sympathetic and offer a discount.

Joe these look awesome. Two things one did you get my email and two have you had a chance to see theemperor's blog on the blog page. seems he had less than satisfying results from dr wong. if you could address those two things i would be grateful!

Unfortunately this all to common for Armani. He is a terrible surgeon and a thief who should have his medical license revoked. I just hope people will stop going to him and realize what he is, a liar, a bad ht surgeon, and someone who ruins lives. Your husband not getting his touch up from him up is a blessing. I would contact Shapiro Medical Group in MN or Hasson & Wong in Vancouves and talk to them about a repair for your husband. Those two clinics are the best in the world. There are a few other docs that are a bit cheaper who are very very good but I would start with those two clinics first and see if they can help him. Hope that helps...