Capelli11

I feel like hair loss happens over night...it is such a slow and gradual process that you never really tell when it has officially started...you only realize it when you clearly see it and by then it is too late. When I say too late i mean now you have to take Propecia and try to come from behind and defeat it but never really getting it back to where it was before. That's how I feel my thinning occurred...I am more a frontal third loss but upon going to HT docs for consultations they told me they see some beginning thinning in the back where as I never really noticed it bc like I noted above, hair loss is sooo slow and gradual I never thought that it looked bad. So I got on Propecia to stop it and hopefully revitalize the thinning hairs. I think that you are fully committed with 2 HT's already...even given that you seem to have a good history of no real hairloss, I still wouldn't chance it. I have been on it for almost 6 months and so far so good in regards to sides. I think my hair has thinned a little but nothing crazy...again it is hard to really tell outside of my shower test I noted above.

My opinion is to stay ahead of the game...I totally understand your concern about shedding and how it would make your long hair look but how do you think you would look if you started thinning in your crown? I feel like this happens over night it seems in that one day you see your hair as healthy and then the next day you look again and bam now you have an issue. So at that point you have to start taking it and trying to chase the loss. I would start taking 0.5 mg a day like I did based on extensive research and go from there. If you shed that would suck for the reasons you stated above, but what is the alternative...that you could start thinning and then what?! You will absolutely regret not taking it now vs. taking it after you start thinning. I personally didn't really shed as my test I used and still use is the shower test. I shampoo my head and massage the shampoo into my scalp as a normal routine but then once I am done with that I immediately check my hands to see how many hairs are there. I must say I did this before I started it and there was a good amount of hair consistently on my hands after this. After taking it for a few months, I checked again and substantially less hair now. Bottom line...so many people in life always take medicine and/or do things after something bad has happened whereas they could have been taking it all along to PREVENT the bad thing from happening. (i.e. going to the dentist every 6 months for a routine cleaning...people never go and wait and wait then suddenly their tooth aches and they have cavities...sooo now they wind up going to the dentist anyway and having to endure extra pain getting a preventable cavity filled...all that extra pain and suffering for no reason...u ended up at the dentist anyway!). The goal for hair loss is PREVENTION ! Especially Corv after you have had 2 HT's...have to make it worth it and not lose anymore hair!

Very well said Bill! Francois1: Does it suck that HT's are somewhat expensive...of course but you know what that is life! My philosophy is if the item you are buying is worth the money then buy it! HT doctors have studied and went to years upon years of medical schooling along with studying the art of hair restoration to justify their fee. I think they have every right to charge these prices which are competitive in the industry because they produce results that their patients want. Not sure what you do for a living but how would you feel if your clients/customers didn't think your prices are justified? HT doctors deserve to earn a good living bc not everyone can replace them overnight. Did you ever think to yourself why the McDonald's fry guy is making minimum wage and the heart surgeon is making millions??? Do I really need to explain why?! One adds a unique value that can not be created overnight. HT surgeon's not only have value but they are irreplaceable (at least the top ones are). I be damned to go to a HT doctor who is charging a lot less because in this world you really do get what you pay for...and I am not trying to get a Groupon Hair transplant discount!

Are you on meds?

Good call...I have surgery in Dec.

The thing about Canada is that they tax you at approx. 13% which is nuts...it makes having a HT there more expensive and on top of that if you are not from Canada you may get hit with a "foreign transaction fee" by your credit card company...but these additional fees are nominal when it comes to choosing a great doctor. I will pay it as it is what it is...pretty much no great way around it. HT is definitely something you don't want to really try to get a discount on as it is your appearance you have to live with for the rest of your life!

Lookin good Sean...that hairline is going to be amazing...great temple points too!!! Keep us posted!!!

Good question...H&W state you need to do them 30 minutes in total everyday...but I find it hard to do...i do about 5 min in the am and pm...they tire me out and I have been getting slight headaches when I have been doing them...but I am going to try to keep doing them and for longer periods. Do you have issues/difficulty with doing them too?

Teach...how are you doing? Any updated pics? Hope all is well and healing well!

Hairmee: I must say as others have, that upon reading your first post I can absolutely understand what you are and/or have gone through. I almost felt like I wrote what you wrote to some extent and I could even add some lines about experiences that hairloss has held me down or made me feel bad. The only thing that has honestly saved me is the use of a concealer (Toppik). I say this in that if you only need about 2k grafts Toppik would be perfect and I absolutely suggest you try this product. It is a game changer esp if you don't want to go through with a HT. Have you tried this? It has allowed me to be able to at least TRY to enjoy my life and it has saved my 20's as I am in my 30's currently. I don't think you have any "mental" issues as others perhaps have implied...I think you have the normal thoughts and insecurities that we all suffer from, myself included. I too have been on this forum and others for sooo many years researching every aspect to the point where I feel I literally know everything there is to know in regards to hair transplant education. With this said, my philosophy is well...I'm in my early 30's...I could continue living my Toppik lifestyle praying no one finds out but this has hindered me in other ways...can't go in the pool, hard to date anyone bc they will find out and then what?! or I could take the plunge and calculated risk (due to my due diligence on HT's) and try to at least take some control back in my life regarding hair for once and get a HT. My hair loss issues and they run probably as deep if not more than yours (as all day long I would worry about my hair) will never go away unless I try to act and do something about it. Granted will a HT solve this problem...i hope it will at least give me back the control that my recession has taken from me and I hope it gives me the confidence that I lacked with out it. In closing I want to say that I too am waiting for the true cure to come out (i.e. stem cells, miracle cloning of hair, etc) but like others have said it could be many many years and I don't have the time. I feel at this point, it is either get a HT for myself or just drop it and move on...but my biggest regret/fear is not doing anything and just complaining about it for the rest of my life. I have thankfully decided to take a risk for once in my conservative life and try to be happy...because if I don't take this risk I will live in limbo and continue with thoughts such as your post, which will lead me to where I am at now...which is pergatory. Hang in there and this forum is great to express any feelings you may have and it definitely lets you know you are not alone in this fight!

Scar 5...obviously judging from your handle and also I've noticed some of your threads are very anti-strip...can you elaborate as to your personal story so that I can get a better understanding and perspective as to your opinions? Thanks! Flows: It all depends on what you realistically want to achieve...if you are on a budget...FUE is pretty much double what FUT is give or take so please keep that in mind. If you only want a light coverage and will be happy with that and really don't want any scar, then go with FUE. If you want a fuller head of hair and at the best price, FUT would be a better solution for you (especially based on price). Note that FUT is approx. $3-$5 each vs. FUE approx. $7-10 a graft.

Hey Sean...yeah I'm staying at the Foxbar the night before my procedure and then 4 nights afterwards...so I'm hoping that is enough of time for any swelling to go down...still a little nervous about that. I decided it is cheaper and easier for me to drive even though it is a good drive (7-9 hours give or take). I am curious to see how I will be able to drive though after those 4 nights of staying in Ottawa...can anyone else who had FUT tell me if driving is advisable after say 4 nights? Sean...how are you doing? everything healing...any shedding yet? Hope all is well!

Great...glad everything went well...we all look forward to your blog and pictures. Don't sweat about the FU count...sometimes things need to be corrected before moving ahead...so consider this a huge first step and next year you will finalize it! Good stuff and congrats!!! I hope this starts a string of good luck for u!

Wow...what an amazing accomplishment to be recognized amongst your peers! Congrats to Dr. Wong...it is nice to see people getting recognized for such great achievements that we all have benefited from!

Thanks...I'm curious to see how much it snows in Ottawa...that should add another wonderful element in my HT stress level! lol.

Hey Riggs...no problem as I am always open to speaking to any members to help them out as I have had the great benefit from speaking to sooo many of the members on this forum...it definitely helps! I will email you my phone number.

In my HT pursuit and research I always wondered why this occurred...how can only a select few produce mega-sessions/dense packing? Upon asking some doctors this question, it basically comes down to Dr. skill and comfort with this kind of session. When I first started researching I thought that most decent doctors can do a good HT...but once I started fully researching and meeting with the top docs...I soon realized how much skill really is involved on the Dr's part and also the technicians as they are the ones who have to perform a lot of the work and need to be skilled in dense packing and mega sessions. I don't think all that much attention is on the technicians but they are a big part and I questioned the doctors as to how long their tech's have been with them and their experience. I know Dr. Rahal's techs have been with him for around 11 years...that is exactly what I want because they all know how to work together as a team. Getting back to the original point I feel it comes down to Dr. skill (which includes his training, years performing and his tools used as well).

Good luck...SMG is a great place! Sometimes in life we need something to give us hope and I feel getting back your hair will definitely give you some hope considering you have apparently gone through stressful times...good luck and please keep us all posted!!!

W-O-W! Great results...you must be sooo happy! I can't wait to get my HT with Dr. Rahal in December even more now!!! Congrats!

What a transformation!!! Unbelievable work by Dr. Wong! I have had the pleasure of meeting Jotronic and his hair looks even better in person! Congrats again!

I'm curious as to who your doctor is? Hope all is well now

My opinion regarding Rogaine: You have to apply this twice (once in the morning and once in the evening) per the foam instructions. Now...I never used Rogaine per se but I used to use Revivogen. Forget whether this is better or worse than Rogaine...I'm simply stating that it was annoying and also at times difficult to apply consistently every night. Also, when applied, it made my hair look greasy and wet and was very difficult to style. The good thing about this is that you only had to apply it at night so thankfully I didn't have to go anywhere. Bottom line is I pretty much stopped it bc it was a burden to apply and messy and I just hated having to bring it with me if i stayed over someone's house or vacation. I would say try it if you are ok with putting it in your hair twice a day and will do it consistently...it never hurts to try. The other obvious road is Propecia. Believe me before I took it I researched the heck out of it but decided if I was serious about helping my hairloss and especially if I was serious about getting a HT...I needed to at least give it a shot...and I have. So far so good...no noticeable sides thankfully (been like 5 months). It is easy as you take it in the morning and your done...to me that is the best approach. Corv, you don't want to wake up one day and see that say your mid scalp or crown is beginning to thin...because at that point you are fighting a losing battle...if I were you I would get on Fin to keep all your hair now so you can avoid having to try to come from behind as so many people do.

Lookin good...You are on the road to great hair!

I want to add my 2 cents in that I think Lorenzo's hair looks great in pictures but I must also confirm that I have actually seen his hair IN PERSON! I saw Lorenzo on my consultation with H&W not too long ago and I will tell everyone it looks really good as I got very close to his hair and especially his scar or should I say lack of a scar as it is completely hidden. I was impressed with his HT. I want to also state that Lorenzo is personally a great guy in that he saved me money and time getting a cab back to my hotel and literally drove me back to my hotel and offered great advice on our car ride back! So thanks again Lorenzo and I hope this puts the icing on the cake for you in finishing this thread that the guys head looks great IN PERSON! Hope this clarifies this lighting issue everyone is so worried about...the real test is in person and I confirm his great result! Hope all is well Lorenzo and Grande capelli!!!

I hear ya...I am booked with Rahal in December...I want it to come sooner but I also like it is not all that close so that I can mentally prepare for it and be fully ready when the day approaches. Are you growing out your hair? He told me to grow it out...but I'm thinking after a month or so doesn't everyone cut it to blend everything as best as they can...so what's the point in growing it so much...i am having the frontal third done so nooooo way is my hair going to be that long to cover from the back to the frontal third to cover it. I'm curious to see what everyone does to try to look normal after say a month...any advice as to what everyone does...is it possible to look decent after say a month...granted I know you won't look wonderful but at least half way decent or are we still in hat wearing mode?! lol