BlueSteel

where do you live? There are great surgeons in every part of the world.... (mostly) but those two don't strike a bell as having a great online track record. It could be a gamble.

btw I don't care either way... I prepared for 3 months of looking bad.

the only area I have seen a decent amount of shedding is the left temple (both temples were done higher density)

your opinion is appreciated!

I had 3224 grafts with Feriduni on July 5th, about 4 weeks ago. I have heard people being both "late shedders" meaning they shed at the 5 or 6 week point and others being "graft growers" meaning they have no shedding phase and are the "lucky 2-3%" that start growing from the placed grafts.

Unfortunately there aren't any threads with pics to document this. Thus I wanted to upload mine.

Here is my full thread & story

Lets take a poll, just for kicks!

1. "late shedder"

2. "graft grower"

Wow, only 5 to 10% of the grafts have shed at maximum... post op month #1.... a significant portion look like they are growing.

As odd as this sounds I kinda want them to fall out so that I can "know they are cycling".

Some look "lifeless" many look "growing" but its tough to distinguish trees in a forest.

What are your guys thoughts? Am I one of the lucky 2-3% who retain most of their grafts or just a "late shedder"

because he wants to see it in real life. for anyone that has had a HT they know that they have the "illusion of coverage" which is really an odd thing because you have full caliber hair (non thinning) that is just lower in density on your head. This leads to an appearance that is very different than someone who is naturally balding. This is why people refer to HTs as giving them "see through" hair. This is particularly the case for a NW5 or 6 in their midscalp and crown because of donor depletion issues and low density transplants.

Most HTs do NOT look good under a heavy spotlight, sunlight, or fluorescent light, but under warm incadescent lighting that most people use in homes, restaurants, and lounges they look great. Meeting in a coffee shop will give a favorable impression most likely because they aren't really that well lit.

google "mr 4000 alexander" and you will see one opinion of Dr. Alexander. I am not out here to be negative about Dr. Alexander by the way; I just felt uncomfortable with him and his plan. Everyone is different though, we are here just to share opinions and stories.

Future: Will do...

 

 

Hey Blue

Did you have a procedure done somewhere? Who and how did it go? I have yet to see anything negative about Dr Alexander...

 

I also had the low level laser treatment at dr Friedmans the day after surgery, I believe it has something to do with blood flow possibly opening up the tiny arteries in the scalp a "smidge" (technical term) however I doubt it is some kind of magic bullet. Maybe there is a surgeon online here that can give an honest assessment of the treatment with short med and long term results and not just the salesmans pitch from the manufacturer of the units.

 

And other than one small issue that still needs to be ironed out with Dr Friedmans office the whole procedure start to finish was top notch with all the latest equipment/instruments, well trained caring and experienced staff, cleanliness (one of my priorities) along with a clearly defined day by day care routine to follow to protect the grafts and heal the scar properly.

 

Perhaps the moderators of this forum can come up with an actual satisfaction ratings system 1-10 stars by patients for each surgeon based on factors that got them recommended here or even something like the Ebay feedback system since sifting through 20,000 posts is nearly impossible...just a thought...

There is no evidence that lasercap works. I wish it did, I would wear it everyday

I think that there are several doctors that are "go to" and they are in the coalition recommended list (surgeons like Rahal H&W Lindsey etc)

heres my story.... I haven't been through as much as you my friend. I sincerely hope you find a good surgeon.

There was a recent case from Umar that is beautiful. Check it out here

Hmmmm so for those of us who have just joined, do we just not give advise or opinions? Bit of a rash statement, I can understand it... just don't tar all with one brush.

I think he was just trying to imply that you have to be weary of posters with just two or three posts who rave about a clinic/doctor but the poster hasn't shown any photos or discussed their experience. Its easy to gain credibility here, just post your pics and tell your story... write a few comments for others and the community is going to be receptive and interested in your story.

10,000 grafts would require about 7 or more days to extract and transplant with most surgeons not to mention the scalp trauma and a large amount of money from the patient. Something does not sound right about this post in my honest opinion.

FUE is all that umar focuses on, I bet he did about 2,000 a day and did it in 5 straight days.

the cost is going to be $8 per graft * 10,000 grafts ---> thats $80,000 dollars, also he likely got a discount for showing his face and being in the video.

While that price range seems very expensive, remember its about the cost of a loaded E550 Mercedes. Many people have worked hard all their life and hairloss has always bothered them, they have equity on their 800k home or savings etc and will gladly pay for results rather than buying a brand new car or saving up more for retirement.

there is nothing fishy about the procedure.

Hi guys,I'm from the UK and am currently booked in at Harley street hair clinic in London who only do fue surgery,iv had a consultation there and there website seems to display good before and after photos and have spoken to some previous clients who were happy with their results!however since joining and reading so many people saying avoid the uk at all costs I have started to become nervous and am considering going to see Dr bisanga in Brussels for a consultation! Was wondering if anyone can give me their opinions on Harley street ans de bisanga,especially anyone who has had work some by either clinic! Any input would be very gratefully received!

your donor is limited.... always chose the best surgeon for you, never let travel be a limitation.

I am from Arizona (phoenix) and flew all the way to Belgium to see Dr. Feriduni.

i think the cool thing about this is that most guys with nw6 hairloss have considerable body hair. they probably never considered that an asset until now! this is such a beautiful result.

All great physicians. Sounds like a good plan! Please, keep us updated!

sorry to digress, but i am just curious future... where are you in your training to be a doc?

Blue

No I live about 700 miles away from Phoenix and believe it or not did not find out about Dr Alexander until after the surgery with Dr Friedman. I did a whole lot of reading for a couple of months before I did the physical interviews and for some reason his name just did not pop up. Judging only by the pictures posted online he has some of the best looking final results that I can find anywhere.

I'm sure transparency has been discussed here before and I did have that discussion with Dr Friedman about posted results and he made 2 valid points on the topic:

1. No surgeon is going to post mediocre results (although I have seen some less than flattering results on these forums)

2. The majority of men who opt for surgery do not want their pics posted anywhere (understandable)

I agree with 1 and 2, but most people are comfortable if their face is blotted out.

Also here on the forums the nice thing is that many ppl will come and complain about their bad results from a doc, or post great results with pix as proof that a doc is legitimate. It is the community that makes this place powerful, not the doctors representatives.

I know that many people on the forums like Dr. Alexander, but personally I was a little surprised by his recommendations and wasn't comfortable with him. He told me "laser cap" would be my best choice. I wasn't in agreement then or after doing research, but who knows maybe it works. I just felt weird around him, especially because he told me people with arab hair had xyz qualities. I just didn't know what to say it got weird and silent because I'm not arab, my ethnicity is southern Indian. There were other things in the interaction that just were weird, like the fact that he started talking about the price of the laser cap and how he'd get me a good deal on it (??). I left feeling awkward because I wanted to like him... I really did, I live in Phoenix about 3 minutes from his office.

I hope that at some point you talk to Dr. Umar and find out what sort of repair cases he has done that are similar to yours. The guy has some pretty crazy results for repair patients.

Total front hair line restoration done in 2011. Awesome results. The fact that I have wavy hair helps! I'm so glad I did this.

 

I went on a consult to Bosley in New York. I couldn't afford their price They tried to scare me away from shopping other clinics with that "you get what you pay for" line...and tried to pressure me into making a $1000 deposit that day. I felt like I was in a car dealership!

 

I ended up paying almost half of what Bosley quoted me with a smaller clinic called Nuhart. I couldn't be happier with the results.

 

My advice to all of you fence sitters out there. Just pull the trigger and do it! BUT...... PLEASE...shop around first. There can be a HUGE difference in cost and it has got nothing to do with better or worse quality.

Congrats, but you know what they say... pics, or it didn't happen

this is a very odd and disturbing story

the video ... wow!

simply amazing when you look at how far forward the temple points are.

he went from a nw5 to a nw1. beautiful. I wonder if Dr. Umar did it in 1pass (like 5 or 6 days straight)

Future

RE: Fugly-Not to worry, I chose that name in true candor about my situation and I am very comfortable in my own skin, now if I can get my hair to cooperate just a little LOL!!

Since I have plenty of time for more doc opinions and research, I will more than likely see Dr Bisanga when he comes to DC and possibly a couple other repair specialists as well like Shapiro, Lindsey and Umar again etc...I only have one more shot at this and all opinions count, thanks for your valuable input...

 

Fugly ole' duck

Fugly do you live in the phoenix area? did you ever talk to Dr. Alexander?

I've put it in my package when I've traveled for years now. I did have concerns like you when I first started doing it though; I was nervous security would think it was gun powder or something. Actually, I always have my wife put it in her bag in case we get stopped and asked what it is. I don't want to tell people that I use it to disguise my thinning.

lol, gunpowder is exactly what i was worried they would think it was....

i can just imagine TSA forcing a bald man to show them it really is a concealer by sprinkling Toppik on his head while a line of angry passengers is booing!

Spanker, I think people imagine using beard hair only in the crown or vertex and also blended with scalp hair. In the hairline it would obviously look weird.

Hi guys I am going on a bunch of interviews about month 3 post HT...

just wondering if I can take dermatch and toppik with a spray applicator on my carry on bag.

I'd hate to arrive at an interview without some concealers

has anyone had experience with this?

I think Hasson and Wong also invented the term 'Gold Standard' . For a while Hasson and Wong were the "Gold Standard". As a result, many of the world's financial institutions and the federal reserve had a crises on their hands - Alan Greenspan got confused almost went to H & W for a transplant. His stylist recommended glasses instead.

heh, i get it... you are joking (oooops!)

hi scar5, hasson and wong did not invent the term gold standard, it has been used in medicine for a long time

Hi Fugly, no matter who you decide on I wish you the best of luck ... please keep us updated on your journey.

His office is on 70th & Park upper east side Manhattan, right by DKNY, Prada, and Michael Kors. Everything is really expensive in Manhattan. I lived on 69th and riverside for 10 years and my 1 bedroom apartment was $3300 a month. The cost of doing business is extremely high in NYC. I currently am in Phoenix and all real estate is about 25% of its Manhattan price.

A simpler way to look at is that surgeons like Dr. Wesley, don't require major travel for about 3+ million people. (its $2 for a subway ride if memory serves me correctly) By paying exorbitant lease/rent fees he is essentially "travelling to the patient" and covering the cost of travel.

Taking the train out to see Dr. Feller or a flight to see Dr. Rahal for a face to face consult costs money, the patients money. More importantly it takes time and energy so if you are a lawyer billing $200 an hour and miss a day of work for a flight to Ottawa, you basically spent ~2k plus all travel expenses.

The problem is that when people go into price comparison mode they don't factor in travel and time away into the equation. Also I am sure he has a lot of "window shoppers" who come in to see him, get an idea as to whether they are a good candidate and go bargain basement hunting elsewhere.

Dr. Wesley doesn't have to comment on this; he is just being nice.

Anyone that has run a business is going to understand all this.

I concur with spanker......how I feel about myself is paramount!

 

One thing I should have done when I started losing my hair at 20......see a shrink. I wasn't thinking logically at the time and needed to speak with someone to put my feelings in perspective. Losing the majority of one's hair in his early twenties is tough, but making it worse with poor choices in hair transplant doctors is much much worse. At 20 I felt that it was too embarrassing to speak with anyone, so I figured that I would take on the burden of losing my hair and trying to fix it all by myself.

 

Hopefully someone reading this, a young person losing their hair, will subscribe to my advice and let me know if it helps.

agreed.