hairbank

Gorpy, Thanks for the update. Your new hairline is coming along nicely and looks great. It'll be fund to watch as it continues to fill in during the upcoming months. Keep us posted. I'm envious as I'm now at the 5 week mark post-2nd HT, experienced shock loss, have some shedding from starting propecia right after HT and no noticeable new growth...........patience, patience, patience!

You'll get varying opinions on this but I wouldn't consider using body hair for a HT before using the hair on my head. Those who don't have enough donor hair may want to use it as a supplement to "fill in". However, the hair texture and growth is different and won't provide as good of coverage as donor hair from your head. From what I understand (others can correct me if I'm wrong) obtaining donor hair from the body would be the same method as FUE. Any particular reason you don't want to consider STRIP as you can get far more grafts for less money? The success rate for growth will be higher for STRIP than for FUE.

I no longer use it since I didn't have enough hair left to see the shine As for manageable hair, I read a recent thread about wetting it again after applying and drying the first time, then towel dry and/or blow dry. When I did use it......as for the hair line, don't have it sopping wet with the stuff when applying there.....just slightly damp. It kind of eases you back from the hair line leaving it looking softer and more natural. It takes a little getting use to but is the most effective, IMO, when you get the hang of it and it's far easier than the the others out there.

I'd vote for Dermmatch on overall effectiveness. Do some thread searching for more opinions. You'll likely need to grow your hair longer for it to be undetectable, though.

We're not too far apart at many ends of the spectrum. I'm 39 (40 this year).......have been losing since about 23 but not really noticeable until about 28-30. My crown was the biggest culprit......thus my decision to totally cover it with the 2nd HT. I can live with the front for now, maybe for good as I have decent coverage. The icing on the cake for my 2nd HT was when I walked through Walmart a few months ago and looked at the "rear-view" video and the horror of my shiner! The rest is history, I hope. Though I didn't like my crown I didn't wear a hat much at all. I guess I kept my hair clipped a little shorter. I did experience same as you for the 1st HT.....I noticed when, before going for the 2nd HT, I clipped everything down to #4 and you could faintly see the edges of the "smile" on my scar. That sucks! However, H&W took care of it nicely during my 2nd HT. Trust me, the Tricho closure method is nothing short of amazing. I clipped below #4 after my 2nd HT to blend the hair and, after my staple removal at 10 days you couldn't see the scar. Who's your 2nd HT with if you don't mind sharing? IMO if you pick a quality surgeon you should have some reasonable comfort in knowing all will go okay. Bottom line.........you've got one life to live. Don't let the hair thing get you down either way. Keep your chin up, our hair is way more important to us than anyone else. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss. Good luck,

I'm with laughter's medicine......Try a Nizoral and Nioxin regimen.

I agree, Gorpy. thinkingaboutit- The majority of the shaved donor will be taken out when the grafts are harvested. You shouldn't have any shaved area left as it will be closed together. I clipped my hair to less than 1/2" after my HT, when the staples were taken out you couldn't see the scar. 3-5" would be overkill and there's no way they should see the scar.

From what I've read, pieces are more expensive that HT's by far......in the long run. For me, it's never been a consideration. Like pushing 40, I too, feel for those who wear them. Maybe there are ones so good you can't spot them..........I dunno. However, there are too many that look like an animal just crawled up on your head and died! I was self-consicous about going bald but I think I would be more so about wondering if someone could "spot the piece" on my head. What about wind, rain, swimming.......and loads of other situations where the piece would inevitably be spotted? I, for one, am very glad I chose to have HT's. I'd definitely would have shaved the noggin' before wearing one.

Point noted............but if this was such an issue why would top Doc's like Dr. Wong and others recommend doing so? By cutting in 4th's I believe the though process is that you'll, at the least, get 1mg of active ingredient per day. Have any studies shown people who cut Proscar versus take Propecia have less effective results?

Best of luck to you but you won't need it at H&W! Be sure to take some before pics for comparison and keep us posted on your progress.

I haven't done it but can answer most unquestionably "YES". Dermatch colors the hair and scalp and, I believe, would have a very shiney appearance if used on a shaved head.

Excellent analogy, incubus. M&M..........from your earlier post about a discussion with Shapiro's consultant, 20 sq.cm. isn't that dense which you're probably aware. I'd rather have not shaved my head, but, to get the density I was looking for felt it was worth it. IMO if you can get it done the Friday before a weekend, then take the whole following week off you'll be okay. If not, I wouldn't do it. I'm about 5 weeks post-op after the shaving (they don't "blade" shave it, mind you, just clipped without a guard on the clippers) and have kept it clipped to 1/2" and probably will until the HT hair takes off. If you decide to do it, start taking MSM about a month prior to your HT. Results vary but after it kicks in (about the 1 month mark for me) your hair can grow twice as fast.

Tough question since everyone's loss is different. For me, it came down to what was the most important to me..........then I reviewed it with the doc for his opinion. Had his strongly differed with mine.....I'd have gone whatever route he recommended since he had far more experience than me. Fortunately, we were in agreement and felt it would be the best use of the number that would likely be harvested. My placement dilemma was front vs. crown. I had a huge B spot on the crown that I was very self-conscious of. While my frontal hair isn't super thick, you can't see through it either. Several go for the "full" look from the front and don't mind leaving the crown thin or with a spot. For me, to this point, I've chosen "decent" coverage on front with no "B spot" in back. Do you have any pics posted? Where are you on the NW scale?

Hey Damo, Looks great! If I look like that after things grow out I'll be a happy camper. Can you post the dates of your procedure along with the number of grafts received? Maybe just me but I'm having a little difficulty adding up the dates/progress from you Weblog.

PerfectFew, Saw your pic's........congrats! It looks like you're healing up nicely. Waiting is the hardest part, hang in there and keep us posted.

cw1, Glad to hear you had a positive experience. Do you have any pics you can post of the procedure?

Your strip scar will be a lot longer than 1 inch. Depending on the size of your HT it could be up to 1 foot. While FUE doesn't leave the long thin scar, it will leave lots and lots of little ones so I doubt you'd want to shave your head. Probably less noticeable than STRIP but I dunno.

Robo, Donor hair does highly vary from one person to the next. You could have as few as 6000 grafts of donor, or as many as 12000 or more. This is why you need to be conservative when planning an HT. When I started the journey to restore my hair a little over a year ago I was 38 years old and had been gradually losing my hair since age 23. My loss pattern was established and, after discussing many, many details with my HT surgeon, I decided on my plan of attack. Supposedly, I have a great donor supply for future loss........to date I've used around 5000+ grafts (not including any lost during donor extraction) and, according to my last HT surgeon, I have at least that many or more remaining. Now, is there a chance my hair loss could end up being so severe that some of my supposed donor hair would be lost and maybe I could be short on supply in the future. Sure. At my age and type of loss, after discussion with a reputable doc, I felt comfortable that my plan of attack was conservative enough to take the risks. Look at my Hair Loss Blog, I did not attempt to recreate an 18 yr old hair line..........at the same time, hopefully when my recent HT comes in to cover my crown, you will not look at me and say "hey, that guy is balding". As far as STRIP and the scar goes, unless you're going to want to shave your head or clip down to #1 it shouldn't be an issue with the refined closure methods used. There are risks associated with any HT............for me, after reviewing the countless success stories, viewing the appearances of what can realistically be achieved, reviewing the work of the top surgeons available (there are many) and doing mega-research on this...............I felt the risks diminished to almost nil. It's a personal choice...........you've got to analyze your situation and make the choice that's best for you.

Glenn- Propecia (Finasteride) is a prescription drug so you need a script for it. You can find non-US or Canada sources to order online but I'd highly advise against it. If you want to try it........use the 5mg pill, Proscar (same as Propecia) you just cut it into 4ths with a pill cutter. It's much more cost effective than Propecia (1mg pill). My HT Doc advised taking 1.25mg every other day since Finasteride actively attacks DHT for 72 hrs. LT- Nizoral 1% you can buy at Walmart or most any similar type store.........its OTC. You can get Nizoral 2% with a script but from what I read it doesn't make much, if any, difference so I went with 1%. Nioxin is OTC and can be purchased online or at many hair salons. I alternate Nizoral 1% and Nioxin but use the Nioxin conditioner after each. I've read Nizoral can aid in in blocking DHT and it aids in maintaining a healthly scalp. Nioxin should cleanse the scalp and help you hair healthy. I use the combo to provide optimal growth conditions.

Several alternate Nizoral with Nioxin shampoo and conditioner. There are several threads on this using the find feature on the forum. I just started this regimen about a month ago..........nothing noticeable yet because I'm keeping my hair buzzed after a HT but my scalp feels better. One added benefit to Nioxin is that it does seem to add fullness to hair in addition to being healthy for it. When I considered Nizoral 1% versus 2% recently I found that there was no noticeable difference so I chose the 1%. I think if you stick with an alternating daily regimen you'll still recieve great benefit and reduce the chance for scalp irritation.

You're talking about the area below the donor "line", right? If so, from what I've read about other HT experiences, this highly varies depending on the individual. I'm about 5 weeks post-op and still have a slight about of numbness in the donor area, probably a little more in the recipient area, but not much in either. Give it another month or two and, if it's not any better, call your Doc.

I agree with Gorpy. Personally, I noticed it between 2-3 weeks my last HT, but, I've heard of those who experience it later.....say 1-2 months after the HT. I experienced it for both HT's in the recipient area, but only the first HT in the donor area. I suspect the 2nd HT surgeon did a better job extracting the donor strip and on closure.

Sounds like there are varying opinions on this. My original question was whether or not HT hair was subject to shock loss at all? In my case some transplanted hair from my first HT seems to have been shocked out but, I'm sure it will come back since it's not susceptible to MPB..........just wasn't aware that it could be subject to being shocked out but I guess so.

Personally, I don't think hats cause hair loss. I do think they may "rub off" different types of hair more easily than others, or maybe just hair that is susceptible to MPB hair. If it isn't MPB hair I bet it would come back....who knows for sure. Remember Cal Ripken? I don't remember how long ago this was but I was watching the game he played in that put him no. 1 in the league for most consecutive games played. I'm guessing it would have been 6-7 years ago.....I dunno for sure and am not sure why I was watching as I'm a St. Louis Cardinal fan. Anyway, lots of fanfare, and I remember Cal taking off his hat..............there was evident hair loss where the back "strap" of the hat went across the back of his head. (i.e. thick hair below, thick hair above - I'm sure only someone from the school of follically challenged would notice, as usual). Now, he was/is already balding......very thin on top with a big "b spot". I highly doubt the "hat" was a cause of his baldness but the type being susceptible to MPB might have aided in the cause of his loss along the hatline. I highly doubt it had anything to do with the "b spot" on the top. Another thing, I think the bald hatline was only on the back, not the sides. Anyway, nothing conclusive, but I thought it was interesting. I can see how someone seeing this may wonder about hats causing baldness...........but I don't buy it. Comments?

Don't be shy about questions. Dr. E is a reputable Doc, has probably heard it before, and, I'm sure will answer any Q's. Some HT doc's do 1 a day, that's it. Others, having more staff, can achieve 2 in a day. My recent HT with Dr. Wong.........he started with me since I had a mega session, then worked in another patient having lesser grafts. How many should they do??? If they have capable staff (and the top Doc's do) they should be able to perform 2 per day without problems. These guys are pro's and most have been doing it a long time. I imagine it comes down to personal preference for the Doc, then they gear up accordingly. Good luck with your consult!