Old Baldy

FWIW, for all three of my HT's, most growth occurred after 5 months.

FWIW, I was the same way with my three HT's.

I guess if you want temporary coverage it would be ok. I doubt my HT doctor would have done it though. Knowing him, he would have laughed and said "okey dokey" and not done it.

Mike: This is nothing new. For many, many years testosterone has been suspected of contributing a little bit to MPB.

I just saw your pictures Scorpian. I think you'll be fine. Your HT is growing in very well IMHO.

FWIW, I think those NO products are very healthy for you. I've been taking arginine capsules for years. They are precursors to NOS and I think they are very good for you.

Yes, there is old age baldness that I guess we'll experience if we live long enough.

Interesting about Nizoral Spex. Thanks for the info.

FWIW, my HT doctor said I could start back on supplements right away. I did after every HT and have never had excessive bleeding FWIW. (I have no idea about the laser comb though.) Plus, I ate so healthy it would make you sick to your stomach how healthy I ate for the first two weeks everytime I've gotten surgery. (Any kind of surgery, not just an HT.) Every HT, I healed quickly (i.e., I've had three HT's, the last one on July 15th). You've got to eat your fresh fruits and veggies till the cows come home after surgery IMHO. (Of course, we should all eat more of that stuff anyways.) My HT doctor bragged how well he made the donor scar and stitched it up, and how well I healed after my last two HT's. (I just smiled and complimented him, but knew I had a BIG part in that by eating so sickeningly healthy for those first two weeks.) I eat fairly healthy anyways but I really kick it into high gear whenever I get surgery. I honestly think it helps ALOT in the healing process. I'm sure it doesn't hurt.

Bill: Does Dr. Keene always take her strips so high in the rear area?

Diverso: You, as you know, have aggressive balding. You have to go to a HT doctor to get a professional opinion. NW7's can sometimes get fairly decent coverage after multiple surgeries. But you should email some pictures to some of the recommended doctors on this site. Go to the calculation section of this site and you'll see that for a NW6 or NW7 you'll probably need at least 7,000 to 8,000 grafts for decent coverage. (This is assuming a 40 grafts per sq. centimeter density.) Here's the link to the graft calculation: http://www.hairlosslearningcen...ments/mm/introa.html

JS: My surgeries hurt for the first few days in the donor area but weren't that bad. You'll probably be just fine in that regard. Yes, the first 3-4 months are not great but it isn't as bad as you are thinking IMHO. Most likely, you'll be fine going with the doctor you are choosing. I've had three surgeries, the most recent about 10 days ago. Overall, total grafts equalled about 7,600 and I was about a NW5 when I began this HT journey in September, 2004. If I can handle it I'm sure you, or any of the other guys, can handle it also. It's basically minor surgery that won't leave you inactive for very long. But the "doldrum" period can be a pain in the butt. Not the end of the world though. Good luck, I'm sure you will be able to handle the "hassle" part very well!!

Remember mmhce that Bill, Joe and Spex all had over 7,000 grafts to achieve density that was acceptable to them. So drugs and treatments didn't work well enough for them, as well as for thousands upon thousands of other balding men. That's just a plain fact for pete's sake. You have to honestly admit that Joe Riley is, at least, on par with their hairloss? I wish I could tell Joe Riley differently but I assume he wants an honest, heartfelt answer.

Drugs and treatment rarely, if ever, provide growth to shiney bald spots. (And roughly 2/3's of his scalp is shiney with the temples going also.) This is not bad advice. It is truthful advice. Go to the calculation section, and for a NW7, he needs at least 7,000 grafts to achieve a 40/sq.cm result. He has fine hair and maybe will need more. Don't lead Joe down the primrose path. He clearly has aggressive balding. Be honest with him on your advice. Isn't ironic you mention Bill, Joe and Spex, who all needed at least 7,000 grafts to bring their hair back to acceptable density levels in their minds?

No.

IMHO Joe, you are on your way to a NW6 (and maybe a NW7). Go to the chart on this site and calculate how many transplants you will need. (Drugs and treatments will not do it IMHO. Not even close. It is extremely rare for anyone to get hairs back in shiney bald areas like the frontal portion of your scalp. You might be able to save some of the rear hair follicles with drugs. But at your rate of young balding, I have to honestly say that that is a crapshoot at best. I'm sorry but you do appear to have agressive balding.) My guess is you will eventually need at least 8,000 FU transplants to achieve the illusion of density. (Oh heck, maybe a little less or a little more but you'll get what I mean when you go to the calculation section of this site.) Send some pictures to reputable HT doctors on this site and get a professional opinion. (The pros have to see your donor area in detail also so they can make an educated guess on how many FU's you have available for transplanting.) Calculation program: http://www.hairlosslearningcen...ments/mm/introa.html

Ok, thanks for the info. Dr. Lindsey! Thank you also Dr. Gabel!

Dr. Lindsey: How long do you recommend a patient use saline sprays or other moisturizers after surgery? Is there any time limit, or can we use it for as long as we get relief (i.e., for me, I used homemade saline spray for about 3-4 weeks to also help with the intense itching I had)? I used the saline spray less each day as time went on but it always gave me temporary relief from the itching. Thanks for any info.

RTC: I believe (like sunnye) that olive oil is a hall of fame oil. Inhibits some forms of cancer, anti-oxidant capabilities and an anti-inflammatory. Here's just one example from the medical community (there are many more): http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/72/3/853 I gulp down a mouthful every day. Maybe coincidental but my HDL ratio is always good even though cholesterol is always a little high.

+1 for the saline spray.

Based on (1) Pat's report of his visit to the clinic and (2) the pictures of the transplant operations, I think you should recommend Dr. Simmons for hair transplant surgeries.

Bill wrote, in part: LMS and Hopefull, this is what you two are doing IMHO. That's why I posted my opinion. Many men have had successful HT's who have been a NW5 or NW6 IMHO. (Two examples are Bill and Joe IMHO.) That's all I'm really trying to point out.

I'll say it again. If you think the HT industry is full of shisters then do not get an HT. Bill was nice, your attitude is way too negative hopeful IMHO. There are many good surgeons out there who can give decent coverage (eventually) to a NW 6. Now a NW 7 is pushing the limits, I will admit that. I've had two HT's (the second one not four months yet, so I have to see how that turns out). Neither of them were performed at Hasson and Wong. Yet, I've seen MANY pictures, read stories, etc., about H&W, and they are about as reputable a clinic as there is IMHO. Joe is above board and one of the most honest posters I've ever seen on the internet IMHO. He harbors no ill will and will not lie to you or I. Sure there is no cure for hairloss. I'm old now and probably know this as well as anyone. You should have seen the wacked out remedies I saw as a kid. UNBELIEVABLE!!! Sure there is no perfect HT surgery. However, HT's have come a long way and there are MANY successful surgeries and MANY patients who are happy with their results. (And this applies to NW 6's also.) I can't believe how some people think all HT's are promoted "criminally" with little result for the present or future, when there are so MANY blogs showing before and after pictures from members proving cosmetically significant results can be achieved. As far as survival of the grafts, I've seen hundreds of old corn row grafts placed many, many years ago that have survived and still growing. They look like sh** but are still growing. So, IMHO, the vast majority of donor hairs will last for decades. Sure there are shisters out there but there are also alot of reputable surgeons who do good work IMHO. Hasson and Wong are two of them IMHO. There are more. If you don't trust the HT industry then don't get a hair transplant. It's just that simple. But to give the impression that successful long-term HT's are a pipe dream isn't true IMHO.

I feel somewhat responsible for hair_boy's banning. I didn't mean it to turn out this way. All I was saying is, if you don't trust the HT profession then don't get an HT. Although newbies need to know the BS out there, they also need to know there are reputable surgeons out there along with the fact that HT's are not perfect. That's all I was trying to point out. I understood hair_boy's overall concerns, he just went too far with them IMHO. Here's an example: A few years back I criticized Dr. Rassman for downplaying HM for (what I thought was for) the purpose of keeping his HT business successful. It was a cheap shot because here we are, years later, and HM is still not available. That was all Dr. Rassman was saying. I was wrong to attack him and he was correct when he said, "don't expect HM to come out as soon as others would have you believe". I went too far with my negativity and learned from it. That's all hair_boy needs to do IMHO. Anyway, maybe next time, I'll just keep my big mouth shut.

ive got to disagree here.... its crazy to me that so many dont quite realize the 'promises made vs. results delivered' when it comes to hair transplantation... i dont care WHO the doc is.... im skeptical as hell of the industry and guess what.. apart from on side of my scar stretching i got a decent HT.... i have hair up front now, where i would otherwise be bald today..however ive got a whole HOST of future(and some current)issues with it as well,as a result of my HTs. things i was NEVER informed of til it was to late to make a better longterm decision. now i dont play a victim and i accept resposibility for this but posters comming here to inform of the REALITIES and LIMITATIONS cross no lines and do not go to far..... should we all instead encourage every SUFFERER to just jump on in and go for it cause a handful of docs in the WORLD produce decent results MOST the time.. not all the time.. HTS ARE DANGEROUS, AND THEY ARE RISKY NO MATTER WHAT DR YOU GO TO... THIS FACT SHOULD BE KNOWN BY ALL CONSIDERING IT.... its not. by many who never find these forums online, but IMO its not even known by all that DO find these forums.... they are still sold, on cherry picked pictures. and the idea that HTs can actually fix THEIR hairloss. clinging to hope that their result can be what a small % have been..***results may vary***.. talk about an understatment should we all know HTs come with ZERO gurarantees??? yes... do we?? no.... so when people like myself who have been there say this shit is SERIOUS,and you better be DAMN sure you know what your in for because it will be a LONG TERM FIGHT AGAINST YOUR HAIRLOSS REGARDLESS OF WHAT ROUTE YOU TAKE. people should listen. cause its truth...... there is a common thought process on these online forums that "as long as you go to a TOP DOC you will be just fine".... its FALSE... you only better your chances of being satisfied... that is until you require future work later on PGP-- i agree that not all FUE clinic are the same also Franklin---- i 100% agree with your post above. I have no problem with what you are saying LMS. It's when a member is at a point mentally where, overall, he/she doesn't trust HT doctors as a whole, then I suggest they don't get an HT. Obviously there are shenanigans going on in this industry and people should be aware of the BS. That was not my point with hair_boy. He appeared to feel the HT industry, as a whole, was full of dishonest, disreputable people. If that is how someone feels then they shouldn't get an HT IMHO. I don't think Dr. Feller and Dr. Rassman are disreputable and people should listen to them when it comes to their comments on HT's. If someone feels those two doctors are quacks/liars, etc., they shouldn't ever get an HT IMHO. Those two doctors know their stuff and have been doing it for a long time. You have to eventually accept/believe something from someone LMS or forget about getting an HT.