starr

Hi guys, I decided to sell a bunch of products I had purchased from HairDirect.com when my intention was to wear hair systems until a cure came along...but I got impatient and invested in another transplant instead. So I'm selling my box of products for a pretty decent price if you're in Canada. If you're interested, here's the link to my Craigslist ad: Stock of Hair Replacement / Hair System Products from HairDirect PS> I hope I'm not violating any rules by posting this here. I'm hoping to help out someone who is local - god knows its expensive to get these, especially from the USA. Cheers

My doc recommended i start at 1/4 tab per day but I have to say in my eagerness to get results, I'm tempted to go for 1/2 tab a day. Not to mention, sometimes the second cut makes 1/4 tabs seem a little less than they should be....

Yeah I am thinking about all that. Considering transplant to the front vs to the back. Considering hair system for the back only. Considering short low density all around. Lots of decisions to make...

Dear readers... just looking for a place to vent. I know I cant turn back the clock but I feel so STUPID for having ever gotten off meds to prevent hair loss. What did I think I was invicible 7 years ago, having managed to get thru my 20s and 30s in acceptable shape. Now that my career on stage and on camera is finally taking off, my crown has almost vanished completely, and most of my donor hair is now sitting in the front in a straight very nice hairline... F*ck why did I ever get off the drugs? Cause I was afraid I'd become impotent!!! But if after 7 years of taking it I was still able to perform, why the heck did I ever get off? Been on hair system for 4 months - not liking it. Debating to continue or not. But I've read how the adhseive CAN damage possibly permanently the follicles. And well, the area Im attaching to are the areas that Im either trying to save or that I had transplanted. Sounds to me like this is not a good plan. Seems to me that I need to get on Fin or Dut ASAP, do my laxity exercises, and get whatever grafts I can have put back in the vertex to at least even out the appearance. I know some people concentrate in getting the front done but to me, an opening in the back just kills it. I'd rather dermmatch it on days I dont wear hats. Praying for a miracle thru getting back on meds and another surgery. A bit dissappointed about the dangers of the hair system... when its on, I look spectacular.

I did email Dr .Vories about FUE from beard and I was not impressed by the response. Doesnt do it nor does the clinic manager seem to be aware that it is actually a procedure (to take from the beard and use it as filler on the scalp).

I was wondering if anyone knows after how many weeks of laxity exercises does the laxity "plateau" and reach a point where it wont get any more elastic? I'd like to plan my surgery to give me enough time to increase my laxity because I'm currently limited, but at the same time, I dont want to delay it too much if the scalp doesnt stretch more past a certain number of weeks or months. Anyone know the magic number?

1. Is there a reason why I would "not" be able to use beard if I've got plenty in my neck? 2. Can multiple sessions be carried out in consecutive days? Its going to be hard to be evaluated "in person" by a doc that does beard FUE as the only one in my area is Dr. Jones and we all know his reputation. Dr, Rahal, although he does not do beard, did look at it (visually) and mentioned Dr. Umar. Would that opinion suffice? My upcoming consult with Dr. Wesley will also be only visual since it's over Skype. Other than that, as long as I know a "beard only" session can be done IF god forbid, I run out of donor scalp, then I can go ahead and book my 2nd FUT before the end of 2015 so that by this time next year I can have an idea of where I stand once most of my scalp donor has been moved.

@hairthere: thanks for the consult. much appreciated. not very often we get to talk in person with someone else who has gone thru some procedures.. and i agree with the current plan of action. I'm currently scheduled for a skype consult with Dr. Wesley to find out if he can do FUE from beard donor only in case my 2nd FUT depletes my scalp donor. I'm also considering short-term wearing a system (which I already have) BEHIND my Dr.Rahal transplanted hairline. Going to start taking big dose of biotin again to help grow that quickly. Like other things, I wonder why I ever stopped! @ CantDecide: if I could get 2500 grafts I would be treating myself to a 24 hr happy dance. The current estimate is 1500 grafts only, and thats not enough on its own (hence why supplementing with beard or smp / dermmatch) will give better results. However, you can be sure I am religiously doing the laxity exercises now... who knows, maybe I can get it up to 2000 grafts with a few months of laxity exercises under my belt. Just going to be tricky doing those if i wear the system in the meantime! @bilbo: yes, Ian the owner of the Toronto HISHair told me he had it done 13 years ago, when it was just starting out.. he only recommends permanent SMP and shows his scalp to "prove" that it still looks good long term. IMO it did look a little bluish, but had I not known that he had it done, I probably would not have noticed. If you are going to wear with longer hair, perhaps it's even less of an issue.

Hi everyone, I'm missing ONE piece of information to move forward and make a decision. I'm close to committing to a 2nd FUT with Dr. Rahal in order to put as much hair in my vertex area as possible, but it likely wont be enough for a nice illusion of density unless I get SMP or beard filler added later. But those options are icing on the cake and I have to get the hair transplanted first. I know some surgeons will combine scalp donor with beard donor during their FUE procedure, but since I can yield more grafts from an FUT and it's less expensive, I'm really tempted to do that in order to maximize my harvest from the scalp. But I want to make sure that if this FUT leaves no more donor hair available on my scalp (which cannot be predicted for sure), that an FUE surgeon would be able to do a "beard filler only" FUE session. Does anyone know the answer to this question? Can any surgeon here comment?

Hey trapps, my consult was just "ok". Ian was honest enough to tell me he doesnt recommend it at this point. I could come back and see him once all the transplants are done...one thing I noticed though is that he has had his SMP for 13 years and he says it looks good, well, it does BUT if you "know" its smp, you can sort of tell its kinda blue-ish. No SMP for me at this point.

Hey Sean, just wondering... since you seem to be an advocate for going international, why is it that you chose Dr. Rahal for both of your surgeries? I'm in a similar boat...I'm looking at my options for HT #2.

lmao i needed a chuckle. this hair stuff is too consuming!

I have been off for 7 years... if i recall though there was something about delayed ejaculation... im not sure though if it was the person's poor technique (lol) or not, but I think it did affect me that way. Not excited to start taking it again but Ive been advised to in order to keep my sides from dropping too low...

I was on finasteride for 7 years and ive been off for 7 years now. Regrets? Hard to tell.. glad I gave my body a break but will never know if it would be what it is today. Anyway, I'm wondering the same thing... I almost feel like trying dutasteride just cause I never tried it... Im only starting to research it, but I found out about it thru someone's signature about the twins where one took it and the other didnt.

BTW, what are the differences in down-time between FUT and FUE if you dont wear the shaved look? FUT means my on camera acting career goes on hiatus while the top of my scalp grows back to catch up with the back and sides...so usually this will take months. Whats FUE like?

I thought about that last suggestion you made but I know the day would come where I would no longer want to wear a system. Me at 82 putting on a system? NO WAY! So I'd rather save my remaining donor and place it elsewhere. As for getting lighter density in a system, I know what you mean. However, if Im going to pay for something I dont want it to look the way I would look without one. Honestly, hair systems have drained my wallet and my energy. Do you wear one?

LOL thanks that made me laugh. We could even change it to the starving artist who gives his gig money to wealthy HT docs so he can keep auditioning with a solid chance of booking! OK...thats my rant. I think I agree with the direction about getting back on meds after a 7 year break. Getting SMP done so I can live with myself without a system (or feel more comfortable under my system) - get the FUT scar covered up while Im at it, and start researching FUE options outside the box (the box being Canada/US)... I'll keep reading posts here and hopefully get more info to fill in the gaps or solidify my plan. Right now, I'd really like to find a recommended Dr. that has affordable (though not suspiciously cheap) FUE with a track record of doing GREAT mix of beard and scalp. The hair under my chinny chin chin wants to relocate. And to think a few years ago after doing laser hair removal on my chest I was thinking of doing my neck. Whew! Close call! Will see what Ko says about the FUE...

I think thats well said. Dr. Rahal did an amazing hairline - I could not stop smiling for the first year or two. But I think he should have advised me that this might limit me the day when the crown would go... I'm happy to have this forum in order to get some ideas and advice, but I have to say...now I'm confused! Cheaper to get FUE outside of Canada. However, not with the top doctors. But I need a mix of beard and scalp, which if I understand correctly, most still dont have a track record for good work in this area... Ugh. Back to square zero.

Will do.. "fo sho"! It's on my to-do list for this week!

KO, Im in Canada and based on your figures and XE.com, a 3K graft procedure with FUE done by Lorenzo or Bisanga would be approx 14000$CDN, so yeah, its roughly the same price as an FUT here. In my case, still a bit more expensive but not THAT much. Questions: - where in Europe are Lorenzo and Bisanga located? - do we also save all the Canadian tax we would pay on the procedure if it was done here or do they charge a certain tax? - can 3K grafts be done in a single session with FUE or would I need to stay over there for a number of days/weeks? - do they all have experience using beard hair too?

Are you saying that FUE is only more expensive than FUT in Canada/USA? If that is truly the case, then yes I can see why a trip could be justified....

No, I verified my numbers and had 4339 grafts done in hairline, gradually going into midscalp a little. Upon recent consultation with Dr. Rahal for help in filling the area seen on my avatar pic, he said he could probably get 1500grafts from a 2nd FUT but that I would have to combine after with SMP or beard hair to optimize results. We did not talk about FUE except for my beard, which he recommended I see Dr. Umar in Los Angeles. Why he did not talk about FUE from my scalp I'm not certain... maybe price..or maybe cause he follows the traditional model of FUT, FUT, and FUE?

BTW, CantDecide, did you get SMP done in your hairline as well? (to make it look fuller) I hadnt thought about it but perhaps another solution for me would be that with SMP supplementing my own transplanted hairline, I could potentially wear a system BEHIND the hairline until I can afford the FUE. Just wondering how SMP looks to supplement a "longer hair" hairline?

for the front i always had lace (either french, swiss, or ultrafine). but i think the density was probably too "abrupt" for the biological hair I was leaving... since i'm considering SMP, this could possibly be what I need to make it blend better with a hair system (?)

I did that the first time around but I found that it did not do much. I only left a very small width of the hairline to blend in, as had been recommended to me. Its possible that my own hairline was contrasting too much with the density of the system, I dont recall. I just ended up shaving it off for sake of simplicity. But yes that would be an option to possibly try again if detectability was the only thing of concern.