Louisjams

I think you can definitely spot miniaturization when it is far along, but in most people early on it can be very hard to call.

I looked into lasers for hair loss in a fairly detailed way a few years ago after a friend swore by lasercomb. I could not be convinced that this technique did anything and I never even tried it.

To make a somewhat larger point, I think that this bulletin board, and most internet bulletin boards in general, are skewed towards the extremes. For example, look at how many mega sessions get posted here, but the average HT in the USA is still between 2000-2500 grafts. I have noticed here and on other hair loss boards that results posted tend to be one of two kinds: 1) Look at how amazing my results are! or 2) Look at how awful my results are! This is, essentially, sample error. Statistically, most average patients have average results and probably do not bother to post pics. Could there be a bigger problem with FUE having less than stellar results more commonly than FUT? Possibly. Can we say so based on the postings on the board? I'm not so sure.

Most people seem to come in with an average of right around 2.0 I notice.

Nice result! Fair skinned individuals tend to scar less overall.

A few thoughts: 1) I do not know Dr. Boden and I am not here to praise or damn him. 2) It sounds like he has some satisfied pts with good outcomes and others with less than ideal outcomes. 3) I imagine that most HT surgeons out there have a mix of good, great, and not so good outcomes. 4) I do think it is good that Boden himself came here to stand up for his reputation.

I never heard of this doctor before.

Looks about right. Should gain thickness and fullness with time.

I think Dr. Lindsey makes some excellent points, although I think you might be too young for HT. IMHO, older pts are more likely to be satisfied with HT than younger pts. This does not mean that their results are better or worse, just that they are satisfied more. Younger guys seem to really want a full(er) head of hair which may not always be achievable, while older pts or pts who had very advanced hair loss pre-HT, are more likely to be satisfied with a more modest result and a higher hairline. A 40 or 50 year old man may be very comfortable with a mature (high) hairline, but this may not satisfy someone in their 20's.

It would be interesting to actually see hair follicle counts at the time of transplant as compared to, say, 1 year later. Theoretically, this could be done but would be very, very hard and time consuming. Maybe easiest in a NW6 who had HT.

You are on your way! Looks very encouraging!

Many say that it takes a full 18 months for the final results to be truly apparent. I have read in a few places that at 6 months you are at 50% of where you can expect to be in 18 months. If I was you I would be patient and take monthly pics so you can really track your progress.

The average hair transplant surgery in the US is still usually between 2000-2500 grafts (despite some of the very large sessions we see on these boards), and many people do not get crown work done. In this range, you can get good front coverage and top coverage with a mature hairline i.e. somewhat high. If you want a lower hairline or dense front reconstruction that may not be enough grafts for you.

I think FUT does not rule out future FUE. I have heard some surgeons have a preference to do FUT after FUT but I know people who had FUE after FUT without any issues.

To answer the question of the OP, I think that a great many men do nothing, a good portion do meds, and only a few do HT. While the number of HTs in the US is growing, compared to the overall number of men with MPB it is quite small. I think that a big part of this is that even in 2015 HT is still beyond the price range of most people.

Getting haircuts definitely went from fun to not fun when I started to lose my hair. After a while, I just got my own clippers and started doing it myself to keep it as short as I wanted it. Also it let me get more frequent cuts.

Wow. Just read the entire thread. Very, very scary. I am literally in shock from this case.

I think if you are in NY you should definitely meet with Dr. Bernstein. He is extremely knowledgeable, serious, and will give you a very frank assessment. He will not sugar coat things. If you are not a good candidate he will tell you. His website give hundreds of examples of his work and more data about his patients than any other site I know, and his online Q&A is extremely helpful.

Just r.e. nizoral again, I went to a drugstore near my home this weekend and they had 4 bottles of Nizoral, so I grabbed all of them. Goes with my "looking for it all of the time" theme.

To the poster who asked where I get the nizoral: I get it here and there. I always look for it in supermarkets and pharmacies when I am there for regular shopping. Usually they do not have it but if they do I basically buy all of it (usually 2 bottles at most at a time is all they stock). I have found it at lots of stores, but for unclear reasons most seem to have it only intermittently. Sometimes I go for long periods and cannot find any.

Thanks to the two of you for responding. I am using Nizoral 1% as well as rogaine. Only the Nizoral seems to help the SD. Scar5, I think if I did anything I would go for FUE, but why did you say to avoid a strip harvest?

Please be kind-this is my first post. I would like some advice from the group here about my situation. I feel like I am mentally "stuck" and cannot decide which way to go r.e. HT surgery or not. I am 41 and started losing my hair when I was 19. I always had very fine hair, so when I started to lose my hair it became cosmetically apparent very quickly. I am a redhead with straight hair. I have been using Rogaine since I started to lose my hair at 19 and feel like it has definitely helped me slow my progression quite a bit. My brother started losing his hair at the same age as me and he rapidly progressed to total baldness on top-he never used Rogaine. I used Propecia twice: once in my twenties for about a year or two but was not sure I got results and again in my late thirties. The second time I used Propecia I definitely thought it was helping but I started to get some unwanted side effects and stopped. The decision to stop was tough as the regrowth was quite real. The side effects went away but I am now very reluctant to use Propecia again. I now have quite significant hair loss: very thin on the front and on top: you can see my whole scalp on top. I have kept my hair very short (but not truly buzzed) for many years, and I go through periods where I am fine with my hair loss and other periods where it bothers me almost to the point of distraction. During these times I consider seeing a surgeon about HT, but I am kind of scarred by a bad prior experience. Over a decade ago I went to a surgeon and had a consultation about a HT procedure. The surgeon, who is very famous, gave me an incredibly cursory evaluation, failed to notice that I had significant seborrheic dermatitis on my scalp, and put tremendous pressure on me to have a procedure right away. I left the office shaken and never followed up. I am (fortunately) very healthy, have a good job, a loving wife and children, and can afford surgery if I went that route. I am extremely frightened of getting a bad outcome from HT surgery. I.e. I am not in love with how my hair looks but would be profoundly upset if I had a bad outcome i.e. something that looked very artificial, bad scars, etc. I am also concerned that I may need several procedures to get a really good outcome. In all fairness I am not looking for magic; I would be happy with some modest coverage in the front and at the crown: I know I will never look the way I did when I was 17 years old. So, here are my questions: Should I just go the last step and get a super short buzz cut or should I see another HT surgeon for another evaluation? Should I get the buzz cut and then see how that feels for a few months before considering seeing at HT surgeon? Is my ongoing seborrheic dermatitis a roadblock for a HT procedure? Should I be trying anything else besides Rogaine? Thanks! Louis