K_2009

Hello everyone. It has been ~13 years since I posted. In 2009 I had a transplant with Dr. Wong here in Vancouver. I have been having 1/4 Finasteride alternate day since then. I am generally content with the results. In fact, I have had a blast with kids, family and social life. You can see my older posts here: https://tinyurl.com/bdea9ded Now that I am 45+, and age is catching up, I am feeling the need for another restoration. To this end, I have a question to you wonderful people. What is the latest in hair restoration (not theoretical, rather applied or practiced solutions)? I believe it was FUT method Dr. Wong did on me back in 2009. What are there newer methods (surgical/non-surgical), doctors/clinics out there ? I am assuming over the last 13 years the landscape has changed a bit. I know I am asking a lot and the info should be out there somewhere. Just trying to pick your brains. Thanks for reading. JK

Hi Rugman & others, Many thanks for posting your expeirence. My sincere apologies for not keeping this thread updated, as I got carried away by a number of family issues. I feel bad to hear about your ordeal, but also pleased to see that corrective actions are in place. I truly hope that your results would fullfill your expectations. If you could post some pics, that would help us too. These days, I am only hoping whatever I have, stays with me. I am not fond of going for another transplant, even though fourtunately I live very close to H/W clinic. To all other folks >>>>>>>>>>>>> Many thanks for wrting. you wont believe how much i was relieved to hear your advice & opinion. These forums definitely are important PR vehicles for HT clinics, no doubt. People who stick to these forums either have vested interest or are hair-o-holic (no offence ). Rest of the guys are like me, who come and go as seasons change. Thats life I guess. Any ways, thanks again. Peace out !

Even though my original/main question was to see if I am loosing it again (and to get indpendent comments), this discussion has evolved far beyond that. I think it would be unfair, if someone from H/W is not allowed to join. Let me take the liberty to invite Joetronic or any other member (who is associated with H/W) to join the fray ;-) Joe, if you are around please feel free to comment. Thanks. K_2009.

Wow, I thought the thread is wrapping up. Thanks for your comments. HI DW, I dont know if I should go as far as calling those two as 'deceptive advertising'. To me those are probably the 'best-case' scenarios. Realistically, no clinic would put lesser cases at the storefront. I think, I need to make a correction to your comment. H/W asked my permission to post pics and I decided to post those myself in the forum. This is simply a privacy issue. Therefore, my picture is not there in the website. I dont know about other patients' pics, but I am confident those were posted under mutual aggreement, only after the patient's consent is reached. Rest, I dont know. Also, the window to publish independent pictures, concerns are always there. I assume, some patients become very satisfied and dont care about looking back. But, I still wonder what happens to the 90% of the majority, if the numbers are correct !! Thanks. Thanks Topcat. I think tonight I will be able to sleep well ;-) Hi ES, I think H/W raised the bar to such a level that categorically showing sub-par or average results would only help them get more acceptance. People will have realistic expectations and would realize that 'Results may vary' still applies. I assume a lot of minor procedures take place all year round, and a lot of potential patients visit the office. No real clue and not really concerned. But, it would be good if we see examples of complications/less-than-standard-results, etc. But, in reality, in a for-profit world, I wonder if that's at all possible. Thanks. Hi topcat, some shiny-ness is probably due to the lighting. With all these variables I wonder how long it would take to find a solution. Could be a good topic for my 2nd PhD..lol. Thanks for your post. DW, Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I can infact go as low as #2, and ppl wont notice the scar. I feel the scar is not a prob for now. Also, some of my real world pics dont really tag me as 'bald'. But, if i am 'balding', thats my worry :-( Thanks. Hi CD, thanks. Yes, without the full pic of the face the story is not quite finished. I will experiment on har size/orientation etc. Thanks everyone for your time and cooperation. K_1009

After gathering a bit more info, I think I should comment on the following: I think this clinic's website has got lots of videos where the scar area is shown as part of demonstration. Also, there are lots of pictures in the web. Joetronic can definitely help you. Thanks for your comments. K

Thanks HouseOfCards. I do hope to receive help. But not sure what help would ease my situation. Would be glad to share my experience. Added you as a friend. Hi EpliepticSeptic, Thanks. I am 33. I went on proscar about a month before the procedure. I didnot make any particular request on how to use the grafts. Nor did anybody ask me. Therefore, I was under the impression that some 'default' method would apply for me. HOwever, just before the surgery, the doctor drew a hairline and briefly discussed his plan to restore that line. The higher density of transplant at the front is reflective of that. "regeneration of the onset of aggressive MPB".....scary scary stuff !! Till now, I think the result is 'ok'. And I have no problem giving all the credit to Dr. Wong and his team. I am mostly concerned about what future holds for me, and if there any way of enhancing the results I have got today !! Yep, I could be an interesting study case, which I dont wanna be ;-) Yes, I am having a lot of mixed feelings and you guys have provided great inputs. To be frank, I was assuming one procedure would be good for me. Why I assumed that... partly I was convinced that the 4600 grafts would take me a long distance. But mostly, I did not get any indication that more fun was inevitably on my way and it was just the beginning ! Rest of the folks, I have responded to your comments in my earlier post. If not, I just want to say thank you, for being with me during this psychologically tormenting time. Keep posting.

:rolleyes:Megatron Thanks for your comments. I have added few more pics below. Some are taken by myself, not professional though (with flash on). Any more comments? :rolleyes:Bill I was really hoping to get your feedback. Many thanks for taking the time. The 'feeling' of recent hair loss is hard for me to quantify. During the 12-15 month mark, a number of life changing events took place (mostly positive). Also, I assumed I have reached the pinnacle of hair growth :-(. For all these reasons I didnot really manage to take pictures and record my new found vigor. But, now that I am giving a closer look, hair-anxiety has become a pain in the butt. I am in touch with Dr. Wong, and I am confident I am in good hands. My only anxiety is, am I heading south? How long will it take to know? On top of the loss of $$, how my appearance is going to be if I am actully loosing hair? etc. etc. Are you aware of any examples of failed transplants for patients under similar conditions (transplant method, age, number of grafts, etc.)? I should have searched it myself, but trying to save some time ;-) One important quesiton I have. I use hair dye once a month (L'Oreal, Clairol stuff). What is your opinion about link between dye and hair-loss?? Few more pics added, feel free to comment. TY. :rolleyes:TC17 I think it looks definitely better in person, particularly because the frontal density is higher. Please see some more pics below (some are not very professional though, used flash). On a relevant note, I found out hair is a wonderful thing, especially when women are around (hope wify is not reading this ). Proscar is the other side of the coin....wish someone comes up with some better drugs. Thanks for you comment. Feel free to post more. :rolleyes:Fingers Crossed Thanks FC. Not only Dr. Wong is one of most reputed doctors, he is one of friendliest doctors I have ever met. So, I dont have any doubt H/W will be with me through this. Having said this, I will take the liberty to share some of my relevant observations/realities in future. I dont plan to take any concealers for now. Everyone is indeed different. Each story is different too. TY. :rolleyes:balody You are right. HT is a ongoing thingy, I realized that a bit too late. I think all transplant clinics should educate their patients more on this area, as well as on expected results. Just as a doctor would advise a patient on a matter of illness (say, for heart problem), HT clinics should lay out a long-term treatment plan that is not biased by $$ figures. Also, they should educate their patients proactively more on the associated realities (scar, numbness, medication, recovery challenges, etc.). :rolleyes:Danielkiwi Thanks for your comments. I am a little worried, that's all. As long as I mange to hang on to whatever I have got today, I will be happy. But, I will definitely need help from H/W, if situation arises. Unfortunately, I dont have 12 month pics. Simply didnot manage to do that. Added some pics, including one for scar. My wife says, the scar is not visible and Dr. Wong says it healed well. Too bad, I cant see it myself :-(. Also not sure how it is going to be when I grow older. Some new pics are added. Please feel free to comment. I personally dont think a complet failure just took place. Rather I am worried about the future. Fingers crossed. Thanks for being with me & others. :rolleyes:HouseOfCards Some more pics added. Dont have 12 month pics. I dont feel like using concealers, simply because its one more artifical thing on my head. Thanks for your post. Thanks all. Look forward to hearing fom you. Peace ! K_2009

Hi All Over the last 1+ year I hardly had any time to write some updates. But, now that 16 months have gone by after the transplant (4658 grafts by Dr. Wong @ H/W), I thought I should post something. I wish I had all positive stories and a happy face. But, these days I am starting to have doubts. During the 12-14 month period post-op, I was very happy to see my youth coming back. But, as time progressed, during the last couple of months I started to notice visible thinning. Recently I had a consultation with Dr. Wong and he indicated 15-17% of the transplanted hair would go dormant. He indicated over the last 20 year or so, he encounter about 5-7 transplant failures. He wanted to monitor my progress. Compared to the recorded 7th month result, the present condition (see 16th month pics) does not seem to be significantly better. Given that I had a surge during the 12-14 month period, I was certainly expecting more than what I have today. Also, I am wondering, if 4658 grafts are supposed to yield this result. Please share your opinion/experience and comment about the results as you view them. H/W reps may not comment, only because I'd like to hear neutral comments (no offence!!). My question basically is, "is it possible that I am balding again and I am heading for an unsuccessful transplant story" ? :confused::confused: Thanks. K_2009. P.S: :rolleyes:Currently I am taking 1/4th of a proscar 3 times a week. On Dr. Wong's suggestion, I am using Polytar shampoo twice a week and only soft soap on regular days. I had 1 session; 4658 grafts by Dr. Wong @ Hasson and Wong [H/W] on March 19, 2009. :rolleyes:In future, I will share my detailed observations & experiences with H/W. For now, these are the only photos that seem to be shareable.

moved..pls ignore/delete....sorry for the wrong forum location.

It amazes me that there are so many negative reviews of proscar, yet 'officially' only 2% face these side-effects. FOr me, I have not seen anything too drastic. I am only 1 month into Procar. Hopefully, things will be ok. Otherwise, I am ready to cut-off my head alltogether to keep my sex drive...lol. T/c

Thanks all. I guess a long road ahead of me. Now it is the phase of deconstruction. T/C

Hi all I have had my HT about 3 weeks back and started on Proscar 1/4 (alt day) about 4 weeks back. Before these, I havnt done anything with my hair as far as restoration goes. Now, I am losing some hair in the transplanted area. Also losing quite a bit around the donor scar. My questions are: Can anybody give a time-line of hair loss related to - Expected loss of transplanted hair - Shock loss of native hair (does it apply for guy like me?) - Proscar related loss - Any other 'loss' missing. This is a long weekend and dont have much chance to talk to my doc. So,would appreciate your comments. Happy easter. K

Hi all I have had my HT about 3 weeks back and started on Proscar 1/4 (alt day) about 4 weeks back. Before these, I havnt done anything with my hair as far as restoration goes. Now, I am losing some hair in the transplanted area. Also losing quite a bit around the donor scar. My questions are: Can anybody give a time-line of hair loss related to - Expected loss of transplanted hair - Shock loss of native hair (does it apply for guy like me?) - Proscar related loss - Any other 'loss' missing. This is a long weekend and dont have much chance to talk to my doc. So,would appreciate your comments. Happy easter. K

This one is a trivial question. But would appreciate your comments. I am taking 1/4 Proscar every alternate day. I am wondering, how many pills should I split at once? Any comments? Also, is a typical storage that comes with the splitter is ok or I should get a more air-tight container? Thanks.