hairbank

waittosee - Again - the best results for meds I've EVER seen. Very encouraging to all the twentysomethings on here considering a HT I would think. Thanks so much for posting your updates - enjoy your hair!

Ditto Bill's post - I'd go with quartered Proscar. I buy 30 tablets for $67 at Walmart pharmacy. If you take it daily that's $16.75 per month, or, if you're like me and take it every other day, it's just over $8 per month - not too shabby!

Looks like you got your Q answered........ to clarify.....Finasteride is the actual med. Propecia is a 1mg tab of "finasteride", Proscar is a 5mg tab of "finasteride". Other variations like fincar, same deal, active med is "finasteride". The 1mg dose is used for hairloss, the 5mg dose is used for BPH - an enlarged prostate. Hope this helps -

Hang in there Qbert67- When I looked at your side pics I wondered "where's the scar", because I can't see it. Did you have a shorter scar and higher density, or did it really heal that quickly on the side of your head. The scar takes awhile to completely heal so don't lose heart. I'm a little over one month out and while I'm pleased with my progress the scar is still a tad pink.............you may use mederma or some sort of healing aid to help it. If you want to compare notes, look at my crownwork from HT #2, I had 3886 grafts but also had some placed midscalp.......so, your results will likely be close to mine. Best wishes,

You need to account for where the grafts will be placed for sure. In a perfect world, we'd all love to have 80-120 per sq cm everywhere and just go back to where we were before loss However, donor supply is finite, so...........for me, in the frontal 1/3 I'd say 60-70 grafts per sq cm for a nice, dense, look. Midscalp maybe 45-50. Then the crown, depending on what you're going for, you'll need at least 45-50 as well in most cases if you want good coverage. Maybe will choose to go with 25-30 for crown and focus on frontal 1/3 and midscalp since it's what more people see and that's a valid point. I had around 35-40 grafts per sq cm in the crown from HT #2 and it was still a little thin. After the second pass in some areas of the crown I'm sure I have over 50 grafts per sq cm and maybe more, so, we'll see what the coverage turns out to be when it comes in.

Just wanted to post an update - I did add a frontal shot, top shot and crown shot that Joe forwarded to me (Thanks Joe!) As you can see, coverage was really pretty good on top, the crown is still a little thin but I'll remind you that I clipped down to 1/2", usually I wear it around 1 1/2" long in the crown and it covers pretty good. This will be of interest to those of you who have concerns about shaving down for HT's. After having gone through this a little more than two years ago I admit I was aprehensive to shave down again, then show up at the office with a buzz cut. I was scab-free by day 6 or so, clipped the sides and back to match, even went back to work at 11 days and had no problems. One caveat, I did cut the sides and back to 1/4" to match and the scar's still a little red so I used a little dermmatch and viola......no scar! I'll probably just post monthly progress pics. So far, things are great. most of my feeling has come back everywhere. If anything, I'm healing quicker this time than with HT #2. I'm heading back to the gym day after tomorrow at day 15 and will start with light workouts graduating to heavier stuff at 1 month. I pulled the staples out on day 8, all 71 of them with very little pain whatsoever. Peace -

SD- If you're NW5 and you're wanting anything close to being restored, i.e. having the appearance of a pretty full head of hair, you'll need at least 5000 grafts. I was NW5 before any HT's, just had my 3rd HT giving me 7501 grafts, and when grown in, my hair will be pretty much restored but I'll still have a little bit of a thin look at the very base of my crown. I don't know any of your history and don't want to make blind recommendations to you so if you can share your age and post some pics it would help. As for Dr. Wong, I'm partial since he did my last two HT's but take a look at my blog and the work........it's top notch. I can tell you this, he does the MOST, with the LEAST number of grafts that I've seen, IMO. In other words, he seems to have the ability to make a 3000-4000 graft session look like alot more. As for cost, within reason, H&W is about the same cost as any of the others. Most will give you a big discount when you go over 2000 grafts, and it sounds like you're thinking you'll need to. Hope this helps!

Lol! Nice observation Balody! And very true. I think my change from age 38 at NW5 to now (and after HT 3 growth) makes me look much younger. I can tell you what sealed the deal for me to move forward with my 2nd HT.............I was walking out of Walmart in the winter of 2005 and took a look at the skycam of me walking out of the store.............still a bald eagle in the crown since my first HT didn't touch it. I absolutely "hated" it and was in the chair for HT #2 within 2 months. Now don't go picking on us old geezers too much - I can still outlift most younger guys in the gym ;-)

Thanks guys! Emperor - I basically just had Dr. Wong "even out" all areas on top. I'm pretty sure everything grew from my prior HT w/ him. I was a diffused thinner, though pretty thin before HT #1. Some of my front may be native hair but most is HT hair and with Fin I'm hoping I'll be alright. I'm 41 and my loss was gradual over the years so hopefully what little native hair I have left will stay with Fin's help. Dr. Wong could have pulled more grafts.....my laxity was great, and he did say I have at least 2500 or so left (maybe more) for future use. I'm 6'4"..........nice observation with the door!!! Rambler - yep....my loss and situation were a little unique as I never really had dense packing in the frontal 1/3 and had about 40 grafts per sq cm in the crown for HT #2. Dr. Wong selectively chose to fill in needed areas. kg007 - Long time, my friend!! Thanks for the compliment - I'm anxious to see the overall result!

Here are the pics from my 3rd HT with Dr. Wong. If you look at my befores, I really felt pretty good about where I was at before going in, so, we decided to dense up everywhere spreading some in the crown, midscalp and a little in the frontal third. The middle of my hairline is at 7-7.5cm from my eyebrows..........only one fingers with higher than before loss, so I decided not to lower it at all. We threw in some temple reinforcement for good measure.

Here are the pics from my 3rd HT with Dr. Wong. If you look at my befores, I really felt pretty good about where I was at before going in, so, we decided to dense up everywhere spreading some in the crown, midscalp and a little in the frontal third. The middle of my hairline is at 7-7.5cm from my eyebrows..........only one fingers with higher than before loss, so I decided not to lower it at all. We threw in some temple reinforcement for good measure.

Thanks everyone for the kind words! I'm at day two now and feel great........didn't take any painkillers yesterday at all. Was a little weary at the end of the day but mostly due to walking from gate to gate at the airport for connecting flights! The only thing bothering me right now is the "clown head" look..........UGH, I so badly want to get the clippers and even it out.....I may do it today but likely will wait a few more days to let my new residents get a little more "attached" to their surroundings! KamCal - Nope...staying with same Fin dosage. It's still working for me because the mild regrowth I experienced is still there. In Dr. Wong's words....."if it's not broke....." NW5a - I'll get the breakdown in hairs from the clinic sometime - I did see them but just have never been that curious about it. My donor is in good shape. Dr. Wong was not as agressive with the donor harvest as I decided after reviewing my situation with him that I really didn't need 3500-4000 grafts to accomplish my goals. Actually, he said my laxity was great and I do have more donor hair if I'd ever want more work done....another 2500 would be no problem at all which is a great comfort though I'm hoping to cure my hair greed after this!

Well...........I MADE IT!!! Arrived in Vancouver last night - met Master Wong and crew this morning at 6:15am - received the infamous "clown" haircut and 10 hours later the rest was history. The grand total........2415 grafts. You always want more of course but this actually will fit my needs very well. We decided once again to hit the crown, densed up the frontal 1/3 and midscalp region and had enough left over for some much needed temple-work. I really can't say enough about both of my experiences with Dr. Wong and the whole H&W crew. Jotronic was on hand with his studly head of hair and we chatted a bit in between breaks and may go out and get a bite this eve if I'm feeling up to it.........my two techs were awesome and Dr. Wong, as well as being highly skilled and artistic is just an all around great guy. I was always asked if I felt any pain, needed anything at all, the ordered me lunch.....a very comfortable environment and truly first class all the way. People always worry about the pain........truly it's a non-issue guys. I was always prepped with "now this is going to hurt a little". All I felt was the vibration of the hand-held gadget they use and little pin pricks. Even now, the anesthetic is starting to wear off as I type this and I have yet to take a pill but may just as a preventative. One thing different this time, at least I think it is......they wet down the recipient site after placing the grafts and tamp them lightly to keep the area clean. I think my post-surgery recipient site is even cleaner than last time. I have very, very few dried blood spots. The work is amazingly clean and I can't wait for it to come in. The nice thing is I already had a good stand before shaving down so I'll at least have some hair return before the new stuff comes along. Joe helped me with Pics after the surgery but I don't have a cable with me to post them. I'll put them in my blog as well as in the photo's section sometime over the weekend. Hopefully my case is one that can help many diffuse thinners out there or those that have had their HT's in stages. I was a diffuse thinner before any surgeries and I think it makes it a little tougher for the Doc decide what direction is best to take when performing the HT. I've been thrilled with my results from HT #2 and can't wait for this to come in. Oh, and BTW, my total is now 7501 grafts..........who'd have thought?? Pics to come!

Well...........I MADE IT!!! Arrived in Vancouver last night - met Master Wong and crew this morning at 6:15am - received the infamous "clown" haircut and 10 hours later the rest was history. The grand total........2415 grafts. You always want more of course but this actually will fit my needs very well. We decided once again to hit the crown, densed up the frontal 1/3 and midscalp region and had enough left over for some much needed temple-work. I really can't say enough about both of my experiences with Dr. Wong and the whole H&W crew. Jotronic was on hand with his studly head of hair and we chatted a bit in between breaks and may go out and get a bite this eve if I'm feeling up to it.........my two techs were awesome and Dr. Wong, as well as being highly skilled and artistic is just an all around great guy. I was always asked if I felt any pain, needed anything at all, the ordered me lunch.....a very comfortable environment and truly first class all the way. People always worry about the pain........truly it's a non-issue guys. I was always prepped with "now this is going to hurt a little". All I felt was the vibration of the hand-held gadget they use and little pin pricks. Even now, the anesthetic is starting to wear off as I type this and I have yet to take a pill but may just as a preventative. One thing different this time, at least I think it is......they wet down the recipient site after placing the grafts and tamp them lightly to keep the area clean. I think my post-surgery recipient site is even cleaner than last time. I have very, very few dried blood spots. The work is amazingly clean and I can't wait for it to come in. The nice thing is I already had a good stand before shaving down so I'll at least have some hair return before the new stuff comes along. Joe helped me with Pics after the surgery but I don't have a cable with me to post them. I'll put them in my blog as well as in the photo's section sometime over the weekend. Hopefully my case is one that can help many diffuse thinners out there or those that have had their HT's in stages. I was a diffuse thinner before any surgeries and I think it makes it a little tougher for the Doc decide what direction is best to take when performing the HT. I've been thrilled with my results from HT #2 and can't wait for this to come in. Oh, and BTW, my total is now 7501 grafts..........who'd have thought?? Pics to come!

Hairdini - Very nice results, my friend - just what the Dr. ordered :-). You say you're going back for #2? What are you planning to do? Seriously, if I had your hair I'd be done but unfortunately my crown will prevent me from ever having that mop you have! Best of luck!

I'm not going to guess on this one..........maybe someone who knows will reply?? If I were you I'd call your Doc just to be sure.

Thanks guys! I'll probably end up taking it but am not sure. It seems of all the HT's I've had this one is last minute and has snuck up on me. If I make it to the airport tomorrow remembering button-up shirts for the surgery I'll be lucky! A couple of caveats for this trip..........I think I'm hooking up w/ Jotronic for dinner when I arrive (if we have time), AND LaGrange has graciously moved up his staple removal by one day so we can chat that day. I ended up clipping down to 1/2" on the sides and 3/4" on top for work today and had a couple comments about the summer haircut! Hope they like it because I'll be sporting an even shorter version when I return in 15 days ! Planted the seed for short hair anyway. I'm getting more psyched by the minute!!

Yep..........what dhoose75 said. In time the hair will eventually match the characteristics of your native hair (since that's what it is!). Some people experience this and some don't but it is perfectly normal.

I'm preparing to head to H&W tomorrow for HT #3 with Dr. Wong this Thursday. I travel occasionally but am far from an expert. Are there any issues traveling with a Laptop? I mean like security issues - will it slow me down? I'd like to take mine because I know I'll have an internet link at my Hotel and would like to post pics after. Also - will it hurt a laptop to go through an airport scanner? I absolutely can't lose the hard-drive!!! Any thoughts on this? I'm a little tight on time at the airport and don't want to miss the flight :-)

I'm preparing to head to H&W tomorrow for HT #3 with Dr. Wong this Thursday. I travel occasionally but am far from an expert. Are there any issues traveling with a Laptop? I mean like security issues - will it slow me down? I'd like to take mine because I know I'll have an internet link at my Hotel and would like to post pics after. Also - will it hurt a laptop to go through an airport scanner? I absolutely can't lose the hard-drive!!! Any thoughts on this? I'm a little tight on time at the airport and don't want to miss the flight :-)

dak- Ask your Doc but, no, I don't think it will matter. Quartering Proscar will up your dosage slightly since it's 5mg quartered at 1.25mg each. I actually take 1.25mg every other day at the advice of Dr. Wong and it works for me. Best of luck,

Yes- No question about it, the wait SUCKS! However, you KNOW they'll be popping, it's just a matter of when. I think the most theraputic thing for me while waiting for the grafts to grow was just helping others on the forum. I really enjoyed giving back. So, I encourage you to stay involved and help others with the information you've learned researching your HT. Happy growing..............oh, and I"m going to be behind each of you as I'm going in for HT #3 this Thursday

Not sure about the porn-star moustache ...........but I have to agree with Dewayne about Dr. Leavitt!

Aaron - Don't misunderstand, I think Dr. Epstein does perform quality work - I really do. However, he does not consistently produce session sizes outside the 2500-2900 range. I checked, DJ Dennis had 2953 grafts, can't find MORE_HAIR's so maybe you can help me out on that one since you work for Dr. Epstein and probably can look it up. I pointed this out not to paint Dr. Epstein in a bad light, but to point out that for someone who is NW4 or more, needing a large number of grafts, IMO it's far more advantageous to have more in one session.