Davis91

Hi Janna, How many CM2 of scalp was covered by the transplant?

Having visited a number of the "top docs" noted on this site, I can unerstand how critical communication and expectation setting is, and while the burden is both on patient and doctor, it really is crtical for the doctor to set the bar straight. I know it is a business, but the best plastic surgeons tend to be both technically and verbally competent--the execution and the communication/expectation setting to the client, even if it means turning business away. Agree the H&W have set the bar as far as videos go, even if those shown are usually good results.

Hi WE, Would you be able to state the CM2 area that eneded to be covered in the crown and in the front? Thanks

Depends on your long-term outlook on life. I understand the hesitation on the meds. You will get a lot of people that tell you that you should be on them, and all things being equal, you should be to preserve your back and possibly regrow some. On the other hand, there are long-term health considerations that just have not been determined yet, even if you do not get sides. So you have to assume that you might progress to say a NW6. That being said, if you want to go with FUE to preserve the short hair option, be prepared to chase the balding pattern only as far back as the FUE total amount will allow, which may only be half way back and no crown depending on supply. And that look may be fine in the long run. Or, for better yield and survivability, use strip and be careful to preserve enough for the long run. Just be wary either way about the docs that recommend 3-4K just in the front at this point (especially FUE). I think that is too much given where your balding may head. Your donor characteristics will change with each surgery and over time, affecting total supply. Better to be a little conservative given your family history, come in pretending that you are already an NW6 and ask the doc how to approach. Finally, strip will head up in about a month and you will get sensations over the course of the year as it heals. FUE will heal up quicker but it is still surgery, and your individual healing characteristics will determine your recovery time.

Hi Matt, Do you know what is the FU CM2 in each of the zones? Thanks

Well done to doctor and patient.

I think 15 years is realistic for a major new product or type of service to hit the market in a way like propecia and rogaine have (although propecia is under siege at the moment). Hair cloning seems to be the ultimate goal and to bring this to market in an affordable way AFTER testing and confirming it will work will take some time. I actually think there are new innovations that are happening now that will bridge that gap to a certain extent. Repair cases are part of those innovations, work like Dr. Umar has been trying. New ways of dealing with scar tissues, FUE into scar, etc. etc., I think will become more common in some practices as technique develops.

May I please ask a distantly related question concerning a H&W patient? Is the fellow in this H&W repair section link an NW6? (I just admire the tactical placement of a small number of grafts, the final result can stand on its own, etc.) Hair Transplant Photos Hair Transplant Gallery - Hasson & Wong. Sessions: 1. Grafts: 3711

Sorry, meant to say what happens here is NOT an easy thing to reverse.

Hi Again, Sorry to be a frequent commentator on this one. I also agree that there is no better way than in-person consultations/viewing and the cost are justified for the reasons stated above by Dr. Rassman. Telephone consults are also helpful. I think the key here Dr. Rassman is that there are a limited number of options for SMP--basically the names like NHI, Good Look Inc., and HIS get floated with a few others. The issue is if a reader had to pick just one to visit or they could only afford to visit one, what information is being presented to them in a transparent, honest way? The ultimate test (for me anyway) is how they present pictures and videos, and whether it seems like too much of a sales pitch. The original poster to this subject got a bad impression from GLI due to their agressive marketing pitch and inability to answer some questions. On the other hand, you and your team are medical professionals who can probably answer these questions more easily. However, GLI tries (it seems) to take photos in a consistent lighting and with a consitent angle-sometimes not a NHI strength. Here we have a very new part of the transplant-repair game and very few players. Someone needs to step up and become the gold standard here, and no one has done this yet. As you say Dr. Rassman, what happens here is an easy thing to reverse--indeed SMP may be more difficult to reverse from a cosmetic standpoint than a bad transplant. To help add to our information, you have offered to make videos which is great. May I please suggest that the FUE fill in videos are helpful, but the strip scar SMP videos will be equally if not even more important! Let me give you an example of what I think most viewers would react to negatively--see this link and fast forward to 1:04, when exactly 3.5 seconds worth of the strip repair is shown and then some funny camera shaking goes on. Its like a magician waving their left hand to distract the audience to what is going on with the right hand! Go to the testimonial section in the middle and open the video on the lower (viewer's) right title hair transplant scar repair: Video Gallery | Good Look Ink 3 seconds out of a 3:50 second video showing the final product. It all looked so promising until we are forced to ask, "why will they not show the strip scar on video in a reasonable way??!" Sorry to carry on. I tell you Dr. Rassman, if you produce some quality videos of strip scar SMP repair, I will be on the next flight to L.A.!

Hi Dr. Rassman, Yes, did not mean to put you in deity status! "Good" of you to check in. I fully agree that a great way to check outcomes is to see patients in person. However, as you can imagine for the majority of people outside of your area, making a specific trip may be difficult. All I and others who share a similar position ask for is a little more transparency. I am specifically referring to taking videos of SMP scar repair. The few videos that are out there seem to avoid more than a few seconds of showing a SMP type scar repair (per earlier posts in this section), and they are of dubious quality. While potentially promising, we need more information. Quality video is a way to help us. The same with FUE into scar results. While this is not a post on that subject, I believe that the doctors/companies that find a way to capture the market for HT scar repair will have a very steady business line for awhile. But these are early days for SMP and to an extent FUE's into HT scars. Time To Do Something's search echoes many other similar ones here, and probably countless others who sit quietly trying to figure out how to undo a mistake, or enhance a partial outcome. WHen that one company or doctor sets the gold standard for transparency on results, we will know it.

I think it is indeed god of Dr. Rassman to have checked in. I also like the idea of replacing the front picture on his website with an actual patient. But beyond this, to all the SMP places: GIVE US "REAL" VIDEOS OF SCAR REPAIRS--LINGER, MOVE AROUND TO DIFFERENT ANGLES, SHOW IT IN DIFFERENT LIGHTING--STOP GIVING 5 MINUTE VIDEOS WHERE 98% IS ABOUT HOW GREAT YOU WERE TREATED OR YOUR INNER JOURNEY. WE WANT TO SEE RESULTS AND HOW THEY LOOK IN A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS.

This is an excellent post. These questions are critical towards getting some answers from the SMP places and will help push developments in the field (I hope). The idea of a safe, semi-permanent ink is very, very interesting, both in covering scars and covering the whole scalp. There is also the subject of pricing. Scar5, you might have more information on this, but I have been quoted some high prices just for the strip scar ($2500 for example for 31 CM2 strip) vs. $5000 for the whole head. However, I think the issue of technique and also safety are far more relevant in the short term. It would also be great to get some examples on this forum for commentary by the experts and forum members.

TTDS, I have been researching the company you refer to as well, Good Look Ink. in Minneapolis regarding SMP (or their equivalent). Indeed they go very, very hard on the sales pitch front. They have some good photos of scar repair patients but both they (and other similar companies) come up way short on videos of the same for scar patients. They just posted a new video and again, the actual amount of time (very little) that they spend on showing the scar post procedure in a video says something about the approach. There are a lot of unknowns with this stuff and I am a little surprised that Dr. Shapiro is endorsing this particular company (or at least it seems that they are based on Good Look Ink.'s videos). Maybe someone from Dr. Shapiro's office can comment on their current relationship with GLI.

Hi Matt, Thanks for posting an advanced NW level for Dr. Rahal. Can you please post more of these examples from Dr. Rahal as we usually (or lately) see his hairline cases with tons of grafts put in, which is fine. However, it would be good to expand out the portfolio a bit to see more challenging NW cases (a la Hasson and Wong, who seem to make a major effort on the video/photo transparency), and ensure that the before and after shots show all sides (per Mr. Bonkerstonker's comments). Thanks.