michaeljames

Hello LookingToLearn; Hair Loss can be is a complex heriditary condition. It has not been isolated to one parental side or the other. Presently the thought is that it can be a combination of both. Here is some good basic reading on genetics and hair loss:. All the Best Michael

Hello Devilhunter; There are some basic facts regarding shedding. It is a normal part of the hair growth cycle and most people will shed as much as 50 to 100 hairs per day. This is because approximately 10% of our scalp hairs are in resting phase at any given time. In the period the hair shaft is shed and another grows to take its place. Weight lifting or natural supplements cannot adversly effect you hair loss. Hair loss in men is primarily do to the adverse effects of DHT that is it. The medication you are using is suppose to inhibit the negative effects of DHT. If you are not having the outcome desired it is time to consult with skilled and knowledgable HT surgeon. All the Best, Michael

Hi Geneticfreak, First off ... YES ... always mention changes like this in your doctors visit. You may even want to give them a call. It is possible that you may have a more severe case of folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicle) that requires some minor medical treatment. You invested a lot emotionally and financailly in your hair restortation journey; see your physician. All the Best, Michael

Hello Sjones; Just came across your HTN query. Great that you had a consult with a good surgeon. Your results will depend on the amount of donor hair you have available for the transplant. I have witnessed some amazing transitions for NW5 and NW6 that look amazing. Regarding, what others have to say I offer the following. As long as you feel good about your self image and the changes you made in your self image thats all that matters. Sure people say things that sometimes does sit right with our emotional being but in the end that is on them. So, go for what is going to enhance your quality of life. All the Best, Michael.

Hello BummedinCA, This is Michael, I work with Dr. Mohebi (HTN recommended) he also chairs the ISHRS FUE committee, through him I am quite familiar with the process.I understand that you are having some postop remorse. I encourage you not to make such a snap evaluation, it is simply to soon mate! Believe me so many of us have been through it but you just need to have some patience in the process just as you did with your medical treatment regimen. I know this is hard as we are anticipating the moment when we will finally be happy with our restored self image; so give yourself a chance. Time will surely pass and your results will be best seen after six months barring any other trauma. Perhaps like other members you can post regular photo arrays. This helps you to evaluate the changes beyound the mirror and to get through the process. I assure you plenty of folks here will follow along and continue to give you the support needed. All the Best, Michael.

Hello VMan, You are only 3 weeks postop and you could be experiencing a little shock loss in the donor area as well. Your images look pretty good. Give yourself a minimum of 8 months before putting yourself through such anxiousness. It appears that you scar will heal well and with straight hair be undetectable to others. After a year if you find some reservation about the appearance of the scar or you want to go to a short hair style there are some great scar revision alternatives which work great. Here are a couple of examples: FUE and SMP Scar Revision Donor Wound Scar Revision All the Best, Michael

Hi Moss, Thats what the forum i all about. Happy to hear you went to the medical professional who give you the best guidance. Sorry, you have other stuff going on but it seems your on the way to recovery and can start your Propecia regiman again soon. Take care and All the Best, Michael

Hello again Mickey, Though I do not challenge the veracity of your story and indeed not all HT's yield great results. However, I understand that you may not want to name the surgeon; but since this is a consumer drive forum at least an array of images would be very supportive. This can be done and still protect the identities you are concealing but allow us to better understand what has unfortunately happened. I say this because the nature of the internet in general allows for unsubstantiated claims to be said. So, though as in my first post on this thread accept the coherence of your discussion and indeed empathize with your circumstance it would be more helpful to view the results. All the Best, Michael

Hello Tom, You will find top HT surgeons recommended here on HTN. The consumer advocates who run and support this forum have done an excellent job in rigorously evaluating the surgeons recommended. So, after personally evaluating several surgeons you can make a great choice in whom you feel comfortable to provide your procedure. Many of them are worth extensive travel in order to get the best professional skills to conduct your HT surgery. I hope this helps and wish you all the best on your journey. Michael

Hello Matt, Many people have better luck with Propecia than Rogaine and I have friends who have used it for years with success. However, your decision to move towards HT may indeed be the best solution for a natural and proven solution in the long run. This all depends upon your microscopic evaluation and consult. In regards to preferring a surgeon there is often an expected bias to the surgeon who one has used successfully. The HTN does a fantastic job on watching live surgeries and evaluating there practices. California being the Mecca of Entertainment does boast an inordinate number of skilled HT surgeons, missing from your list Parsa Mohebi, MD medical director of Los Angeles based hair restoration centers and also recommended here. The best thing is to interview with several surgeons personally and make a decision that fits best for you. I wish you all the best, Michael

Hello Where from Here, Many of us on the HTN forum can empathize with your position regarding your scar, Before commenting on that I would like to share a thought regarding ethics with HT surgeons.Ethics is always a personal choice but in general most doctors or other professionals who are confident in their abilities and who hold high ethics will not comment on the work of peers without full scope of information. However, many of the recommended surgeons here are able to provide alternatives for hair transplant scar revision. Seeking the consult of an HTN recommended surgeon may be of certain benefit for you. All the Best, Michael

Hi Rocknroll; Great handle mate. Clearly based on your photo and comment your in the early stages of MPB, but it is apparent. Holistic methods have only anecdotal evidence in support of them. I am not saying they cant work ... but the clinical body of evidence needed to enthusiastically recommend them is just not their. I always choose holistic methods first in my lifestyle; the support is not yet there in terms of the great potion or supplement that definitively halts hair loss and fosters hair growth. Remember, the first issue is to stop the adverse effects of DHT on affected hair. Then promote healthy growth of hair from the affected follicles. No natural remedy has been proven to effectively do that. Transplanting hair from the permanent zone to balding areas is a natural, proven and permanent solution for many people suffering from pattern baldness. The recommended surgeons on HTN are among the leaders worldwide in HT procedures. All the Best, Michael.

Hello Moss, If you think you are having an adverse reaction to a medication do not take it lightly. This could be an indicator of low blood pressure. Incidentally the initial discovery of these medical treatments were observations when the medication was being studied for treating hypertension (high blood pressure). Bottom line mate; should immediately call the doctor who prescribed for you. Erring on the side of caution you might discontinue use until you have a clear and definitive instruction from your doctor. All the Best, Michael

Hi Alexj4, Look HT is resolving hair loss for a lot of people even at levels of hair loss beyound NW 5. So, in general of course HT is a positive option for most. However, without a good set of images posted it is very hard to advise you. Based on your comment regarding a look similar to actor Jason Strathum; then an FUE procedure may be ideal along with some SMP (Scalp Micro-Pigmentation) if you would like to stay with that look. Post some picks and we can better help. All the Best, Michael

Hello Dactum, It is clear you have some varying recommendations on the number of grafts available for you. However, the underlying for you was limited scalp laxity. Based on this I have two recommendations for you. Make sure the most accurate measurement of your laxity is obtained, utilize exercises to improve your laxity prior to surgery, remeasure for the improvement. An increase in scalp laxity will allow for a greater donor strip and enhance the availability of more grafts. All the Best, Michael

Hello Wayek, You know you have a family of folks who really know what your experiencing. If your regimen of Propecia is no longer stemming the tide, I really suggest you get an updated evaluation from an HTN doctor in making a decision on your new medical treatment. Also a thorough microscopic evaluation will help you get a picture of future hair loss. The reality is for many of us earlier intervention with some level of HT is the best solution. What I can say is that getting medical professional advice is the best alternative. It is not to late to start using MInoxidil but in most cases it means you must keep using it or lose any benefits. As a patient advocate I sometimes feel a bit of redundancy but with all the experience we have as forum users in the end the best advice comes with a prudent medical course of action recommended by the best surgeons who some of us work for. I hope this helps in some way. All the Best, Michael

Hello Bllorayne, This is a very inaccurate statement. The cornerstone of HT is that donor hairs from he permanent zone of the scalp (the back and sides of the head where hair follicles are not susceptible to the adverse effects of DHT). Transplanted scalp hair usually last the lifetime of the person when done by the top HT surgeons. These doctors and their teams transplant a high percentage of grafts to recipient bald areas. Meaning the grafts are not damaged during the procedure yielding great results. Beware of doctors who give false and misleading information. Hope this helps, All the Best, Michael

Hi Paul, It's great you have given your hair restoration a lot of thought. Addressing it earlier can be of benefit by not having a drastic change. As long as your microscopic evaluation and consult provided a good predictor of future hair loss. Your expectations seems reasonable and 500 grafts would probably go well to establishing the hairline you want. You might want to consider what we term in our Los Angeles and Beverly Hills clinics "Celebrity FUE" because of our clientele we have become expert of providing gradual change and not interrupting their busy lifestyles. I hope this helps, all the best, Michael

Hello SV, Shock loss by nature is temporary in most instances. Poor preparation of recipient sites can transect previous transplanted hair and cause hair loss. This is not truly shock loss but rather HT done by a less skilled surgeon in many cases. That just underscores the value of this forum with a strong list of recommended surgeons. So as so often recommended consult with the top doctors listed here and get a medically informed opinion particular to your case. I hope all the best, Michael.

Hello Birdness, The number of grafts definitely varies. In our US Hair Restoration clinics (I'm a patient advocate there) we have had some good success with NW 6 patients who have had grafts from 2000 to 4500 FUs with excellent results. Some HT surgeons also count grafts differently. I do know that the satisfaction and Los Angeles based centers we are proud of the satisfaction our patients with more advanced cases of MPB have. So be certain that in the hands of the skilled recommended HTN surgeons there is hope.

Hi FIdelity, Let's take your questions in order: 1) Yes. FUE is more demanding on the medical team and patient. The individual extraction of the FUs is the primary reason for this. The doctor I work with is the chairman of the ISHRS FUE committee researching and studying the best practices for FUE procedure. 2) At US Hair Restoration where he is medical director he tries to keep the FUE sessions about 500 grafts for optimum results.3) Not being a surgeon but familiar it looks like you would need about 3000 FUs to create the stubble shade you are looking for this may be possible if your body hair is suitable to aid in donor hair supply. 4) The cost of FUE is usually 6 to 8 dollars per graft. This can better be determined with the doctor you choose. It is better get firm costs with those you consult with. 5) Your time estimate seems realistic but again that will be effected by the number of grafts per session. 6) There was no ? here. 7) There are many good surgeons recommended on HTN. Of course I can highly recommend you get a consult (online are free) from Dr. Parsa Mohebi who I mentioned earlier. All the Best, Michael

Hello Seatt26, The CVG (Cutis Verticis Gyrata) displayed in your images is an untreatable condition caused by thickening of the scalp. Scalp reduction probably would have minimum success. Also the ridges in your scalp intersect the permanent zone making HT a challenging procedure as well. This will take a full examination by one of the best HT surgeons out there. Non-surgical medical treatment of Minoxidil or Propecia might be a better first step. Also your advanced stage may not provided the number of donor hairs needed to give the level of coverage and density you might be looking for. However if you could restore some hairs through medical treatment than either of the FUT procedures could work for you. As always I say get yourself a consult from an HTN recommended doctor. All the Best, Michael.

Hello East Coast; Your question on the surface lends to thinking of course this can be done because FUT methods both 'Strip Method" and FUE procedures have advanced greatly in the past few years. However depending on which type of surgery you had, the health of the grafts at present and the level of transection; all makes your query more unique. This underscores the need of using one of the best surgeons and one who experience and recommendation is high. Depending on the density there is also the chance a "Celebrity FUE" can provide the aesthetics and change without too much fanfare. This procedure is minimally invasive and not just for celebrites. All the Best, Michael.

Hi Adam; I understand your clarity about searching for a doctor who is experienced in well recommended. This is always the best approach and one of the driving purposes behind HTN. HTN is a consumer driven forum and doctors recommended here go a thorough peer and consumer evaluation. I can without reservation recommend Dr. Parsa Mohebi whom I work for and who is recommended on this forum. Dr. Mohebi currently is chairman of the ISHRS FUE committee and has conducted studies in FUE to advance the procedure.

Hello David, There is so much misinformation out there. When someone does not get the results and the woes of their tales traverse cyblerspace misleading information seems to abound. The best surgeons like those recommended on HTN get the same top resutls from either FUE or Strip Method procedures. The reason is quite simple they are transplanting the same permanent hairs in both forms of procedures. So if your HT surgery is in the right skilled hands no matter which procedure you choose the results should be fine. The issue that may have led to this type of rumour is someone who was not suited for FUE surgery and or a FOX test was not conducted to predetermine the level of transection (damage) to follicles that might occur. FUE is a very important type of surgery that is benefiting hair restoration in many ways when in the hands of the best surgeons. The ISHRS has formed a new committee of distinguished surgeons to further enhance the use of FUE. The physcian I work for is chair of the committee and I am privilege to learn how these doctors are enthusiastically looking to improve FUE. Hope this helps, All the Best, Michael