hairbank

I dont' have anything to add that has not already been said. charlieb - realize that, as Bill mentioned, we all wish you the best and hope this turns out great. At the same time, there is concern regarding any HT Doc recommended by the site that produces what could be considered questionable work. I had crown work done by Dr. Wong, who personally I consider to be the best crown Doc in the business, and it looked nothing like this. I understand that the Doc may be going for a layering effect, and, who knows, maybe it will be better than expected? 1126 grafts isn't very many for the crown though. I'll be anxious to hear Dr. Martinick's response to Pat's inquiry.

Hey BI, No offense taken to the question at all...............hey, we all like sex, eh? Nobody wants any issues in that department, do they?? We balding types (or formerly balding types) have to stick together! I just turned 41 and can tell you that I do think my sex drive has slowed down over the years...............not that I have sex any less than I used to ! Well.............I'm freshly divorced but now I have a girlfriend that likes sex more than the x-wife did so there is a "pot-o-gold" at the end of the rainbow .............I digress.... I can tell you this........I started Fin Feb. 2006 and did not notice an increase or decrease in the volume of ejaculate. So, odds are in your favor that Fin by itself won't make things any different than they are. If I were you, I'd check with a Doc and get his/her opinion about your issue, and what may or may not happen with fin. Since fin is also taken for BPH (enlarged prostate) surely questions like these will have come up before. Best of luck!

You may want to consult with your Doc about going to an every other Day regimen. This is what Dr. Wong recommended for me when I started taking Fin in Feb 2006. I actually quarter proscar so I'm taking around 1.25mg every other day. I have received benefit evidenced by mild regrowth in the hairline so it is likely helping in other areas. I've never had any issues with ED whatsoever. When I first started taking it, I wondered whether or not I had experienced a decrease in sex drive but believe it was more mental and self-induced as I haven't had any problems in that department ! The every other day regiment for Fin is based on the idea that Fin actively fights DHT in your body for a period of 72 hours, so, the daily required doseage isn't necessary.

Yep.........this is exactly why I never used rogaine for any length of time. Very messy regimen. I'm guessing at 2 months you probably don't have much, if any, benefit from rogaine yet anyway and likely won't notice anything if you stop. You never know..........totally your call. If simply can't stand the regimen and it's only been 2 months, to me that would be a good indicator that it isn't something I will be doing for life !

IMO this is a great suggestion. By all accounts, you really have quite a bit of hair left. Maybe less than you used to, but compared to many on this site you've got lots of hair . More than enough to pick a style that compliments your face and "go for it". Grow the hair out, get in the chair with a good stylist and enjoy what you have while you have it. As for HT...........I agree with the others..........you're way too young to have any idea of what your ultimate loss pattern will be or how far it will go. Get on the preventatives ASAP......Finasteride and Rogaine. Realize that either is a big commitment as any hair you keep or gain because of them will quickly be gone if you stop. Fin is a pill so it's easy, I found the rogaine regimen to be too messy for me. So, be sure you're ready to start them and are in it for the long haul. Best of luck to you,

As a substitute for #4 I thought maybe a doo-rag.......beret or something very loose-fitting. I considered this if I ever go back for a 3rd HT with temple-work. Who's doing your work, Steve? Where you traveling to?

How old are you? Has this pattern been established for awhile? I've seen people with loss like you describe. Unfortunately you can't assign a percentage change of whether or not you'll keep the hair.............if I was to wager I'd say no, cause the only proven "safe zone" is the lower portion of the sides and back of the head. Are you taking finasteride, using minoxidil or doing anything for loss prevention? If not, I'd recommend considering it to see if it can help you hang on to what you have.

Bill, Amazing transformation my friend. It really, really looks great. I can't think of a person more deserving....................you've given mucho back to the HT community.............thanks for everything!

wanthairs, The number of grafts that can be moved will be directly proportional the the amount of donor that can be moved...............make sense? I hope I understand you correctly. This past year I've seen many clinics raise the bar on mega sessions, I'm talking about sessions in excess of 3000 grafts. Now, I've been away from the boards a short while so maybe there are some recent Docs performing larger sessions. In my book, the clinic who consistently has done this is Hasson and Wong. Right up with the would be Dr. Shapiro maybe along with Dr. Feller and Dr. Rahal?? I believe there are many clinics who now perform session sizes of 3000 quite regularly, but, those that exceed 4000 on average are quite rare.

Most people stay in the house for the first few days, after that, a hat will do. Then, as was mentioned, for most, after 2 weeks, you should be able to be to the point where it's not that noticable. I returned to work at just under 2 weeks and no one ever knew. One things for sure, we're way more concerned with how we look than others. If you play it down and blow off any stray comments about short hair or whatever, people usually forget about you then second you walk away.

B's Spot-on with his advice , like always!!!! Agreed..............no way. There's so much garbage out there about looking at your mother's father, father's mother...............brother's cousin's sister's mother's uncle twice-removed........well, maybe that's a stretch ! Nope.............totally an unknown that you have to let develop over time. As B mentioned, all the more reason to take a conservative approach when tackling hair loss and possible restoration.

TTDS- I can tell you personally that I chose a different Dr. for HT #2 just because I had learned so much about HT's after HT #1 and knew more of what I needed. I did mega research before HT #2 and landed with Dr. Wong and have never regretted the decision for a second. I had scheduled a 3rd HT scheduled for this past August, also with Dr. Wong, (Doc from HT #2) but had to cancel for personal reasons. I may still go for HT #3 and will go with him if I do. To me, the benefit is that he did the majority of the work on me (3886 grafts versus 1200 from HT #1), is familiar with my situation, he can blend in with his own work better than anyone else and, to me, he's one of the best of the best-----I was extremely satisfied-----so why look anywhere else? Hope this helps!

<span class="ev_code_RED"> Best of luck to you</span>

Bill's right on...........many times it's taken to try and help minimize shock loss. I think most take propecia to prevent further loss rather than count on it for much regrowth. Never heard of a propecia shed giving insight to future MPB/planning for loss. How old are you? If you have rapid loss at a young age I'd highly advise against a HT.

Agreed guys...........the recipient site is likely to feel "funny" for some time. Everyone heals differently. I think for me to even have much feeling at all took at least a few weeks, maybe a month. I wouldn't worry too much, just give some time to heal and go from there.

Look at the Coalition listing as was recommended, do some searching, see what you like or don't like...........read experiences of those who have been there/done that with a particular doc. Use the search feature on the site to help you..........there's TONS of valuable history about all the Docs!! Best of luck!

I'm with JOBI.......... purely personal choice. You'll be healed for sure and likely look about like you did before with not much difference. I'm assuming the fiancee knows about it so I guess it doesn't matter either way. Physically/cosmetically...........I think you'll be fine! If it were me, I suppose I'd go ahead that way it'll just start growing that much quicker. If you don't mind me asking, who's the surgeon?

We are talkin' about HT's, right Joe?? Seriously..........I can't wait to see the results.............I always get a serious case of hair greed when lookin' at Bob's pics !!! Peace,

Given the positive comments and great work I've seen from each..............I'd sit in a chair with either of these two without hesitation. Not sure there's a downside to selecting one versus the other.

Nixoin products are very good for your scalp and hair. You can buy them at any Walmart salon or other hair salons. I'd recommend you give them a try. However, there's no shampoo out there I know of that actually slows down hairloss. One other thing, stop counting hairs lost..............it'll drive you nuts! We ALL shed, it's part of the growth cycle and is totally normal. If you want to document whether or not you are really loosing hair the only way I know of would be with pics over time.

There's tons of threads on derm if you want to search them. Derm can rub off............I don't use it anymore but when I did, I found the trick was to use a dry or damp towell to lightly rub the excess out after it was dry..............then I styled with gel, mousse.........whatever I wanted and it didn't come out. Plus, it seemed to help take out the chalky look that sometimes came with Derm. Hope this helps,

Agreede, JOBI- Niz in no way will stop hairloss nor will it help you regrow hair. It WILL help cleanse your scalp to assist in providing optimal growth conditions should you pair Minox or Fin with it.

Nope! I dont' think there's any correlation between the performance of either just because your body likes/dislikes meds......sorry!! Hang in there............taking on these regimens is really a commitment. It is best if you can document with pics, otherwise the progress is so gradual you may not be able to tell much is happening. Best of luck.............hope they work for you!

Bob, I might be posting late and missed you before leaving...................wow, round 3..............who'd've thought??? That's great, my friend.............I"m so psyched for you. I've been away from the boards for awhile but it's nice to still see you around. I'll expect a full blow-by-blow when you return you hairy beast :-)!!!! Say hello to the H&W gang from me!

I can't add anything to my brother Bill's post. As for the best............I'm not sure there is a best?? There are SO MANY quality HT surgeons out there. HTN does a great job of reviewing the ones they decide to recommend and hold them accountable for poor performance. I'd start here, review pics and post with others to see what they liked/disliked, then go from there. Best of luck,