hairbank

Welcome to the forum, Nice to hear you're taking a positive approach about the loss and are starting with other options before considering a transplant, it's refreshing. If you haven't heard of it or tried it, something you may want to consider is Propecia (Finasteride). I'm guessing you've heard of it, if not, search this site and you'll find plenty of information. In many cases it can halt or drastically slow your loss. A good hair & scalp cleansing regimen is also helpful.

I agree 100%........Actually, I just had my 2nd HT about 1 month ago and I can already tell my scar is much more thin than the first. I'm guessing in a few months it'll be undetectable and I'm sure I won't have any concern about clipping it to #2 or #3. The new Trychophytic closure method is amazing!

I'm not 100% on this so other posters chime in if I'm off track..................but, I believe the growth of the HT hair in the recipient area will mirror it's growth from the back/sides of your head. This is one of the reasons hairline work is difficult...........your native hair in the hairline is of a "finer" appearance. Replacing it with "thicker" hair requires a skilled surgeon to achieve a natural appearance. Kind of a plus anyway since we all want a thick "look" to the finished product.

I agree with incubus99 on the Laser Comb, from what I hear it won't help. Propecia (Finasteride) is the best "proven" product to stop hair loss and, for a few fortunate individuals, can regrow a little hair. It blocks 70% of the type-II DHT attacking the hair. Results person by person have varied. Some who post here have halted their loss with it. I would guess it is helping you somewhat. You can search the site for information on Avodart (Duasteride). It is a blocker of both type-II and type-I DHT that attacks the hair and is shown to block 90%, but, the jury is still out on long term effects. I recently started taking Finasteride after much research on both. Are you using any scalp and/or haircare products. I started a Nizoral/Nioxin regimen that has made my scalp and hair feel better. Both are used to give optimal condition for hair growth. Hope this helps.

I've never heard of them before seeing this post. After looking at the site, IMO a couple of the hairlines don't look too natural.....and......as for some of the graft counts and amount of coverage shown, something's not adding up!! I'd do some thorough research before considering them and meet some of the HT patients.

FUE is obviously not near as popular as STRIP..........I wish I had a recommendation for you but I've not considered it for myself so haven't done too much research. Have you tried searching the site? I seem to remember some posts about Doc's that do offer it here. Anyone else care to comment?

dhuge67, Wow......I have to disagree with your assessment of this site. For me, it has provided very valuable and unbiased information. Any covert posters or "sale-pushers" as you have mentioned IMO have been bumped off the site by our former moderator (Robert) or Pat. As for positives about the Coalition Surgeons.......most seem to come from satisfied patients who share their stories and photos. So, to an extent, we can all judge for ourselves based on the finished product. I commend Pat for taking the time to personally visit their clinics and inspect the type and quality of work being performed. I think it has been shown on this site in recent past that coalition members are held accountable for their work or they're not recommended here..........despite whether or not they support this site.

Yes, Hasson and Wong and sort of paved the way for the top surgeons to consider mega sessions of anywhere from 3000-7000. Tough to put a finger on the different results. Usually more grafts = a fuller thicker appearance, but, some people have fine hair versus thick hair and hair that has a little bit of a wave or curl can show a more full appearance. If you haven't seen it, go to the patient photo's on Hasson and Wong's website then click on patient pics.........they provide detail and a "blow by blow" accounting of growth after HT with final results. I found it to be very helpful.

Just-a-guy, It pains me, as I'm sure it does all of us here, to hear of your very unfortunate experience. Unfortunately, Bosely has delievered some very, very poor and inconsistent results over the years. If you'd have ended up with a quality surgeon I'm sure you'd have had a totally different experience. Hang in there. At 4 months post-op while you should have a little growth you're still a few months away from seeing a dramatic change. If you don't mind sharing, who did the second HT? Be patient and see how things turn out. Hopefully, you will be pleasantly surprised. If, by chance, things are now how you want them to be, there are several here that have undergone poor HT procedures...........go to a quality Doc and end up looking great. Check out the Coalition Surgeons at the top of this page and view some of their work. Each of them is in a league of their own when it comes to hair transplants. Take care and good luck to you!

I guess I'm wondering why HT hair wouldn't be subject to shock loss when donor hair is because they're the same, right? Any thoughts?

I agree with the content of your reply and consider your source to be "excellent"......Doc Shapiro is truly one of the best from what I've seen and heard. I can say in my case.........for my first HT the amount of shocked hair in and around the recipient area that did not return was far more than 20%. Tough to measure because you have new HT hair growing in around existing hair, but, in my cased I had my hair clipped down all the way for my second HT (with Dr. Wong) and he advised that I did not have much native hair left on top........mostly HT hair.

dhuge67, I wouldn't stress out about it.............just give it a little time and see how it turns out. IF....you want to thicken later if/when you have further loss you can. IMO from the amount you had placed in the area shown you're going to have decent coverage............it really wasn't too big an area. Take a look at my before and after pics from 1st HT........I only had around 1200 grafts "filled in" around existing hair in the front and they even put a few in the mid-scalp and sides. I had a fair amount of shock loss and I suspect many that did not return so I'd say 75% of what remained on top was HT hair (Dr. Wong confirmed this during my 2nd procedure). From the front I look like I have pretty thick hair. Now, if someone looks down from the top.......maybe a little thin but not bad. Jagdish had a good tip for you if you care to measure it out. Anything around the 40-45 plus range per cm2 should give you dense coverage. For reference, look at the incisions from my 2nd HT on the crown.......Dr. Wong was going for 45-50 cm2 and the "little red dots" are pretty clear. As far as the type of hair allowing for more spacing, I doubt it. I believe the only instance in which this is the case would be someone with very wavy or curly hair. Hang in there......I'll bet you'll be pleased with the results.

I agree w/ pb.............. I would equate any pain during the procedure with maybe a "pin prick" here or there. This is only at the beginning when they numb the donor area and then the recipient site. It's really nothing............especially when I think about having hair on top of my head again. Healing for me was a breeze. Never any soreness in the recipient area.........a little in the donor area for a few days, that's it.

Thought I'd bump this back up to the top...........anyone care to share their thoughts on this?

Everyone, For those of you that have had more than one HT (or simply have knowledge regarding this), is HT hair from prior sessions susceptible to Shock Loss in addition to the already-susceptible MPB hair?? I had some filling in around HT hair during my 2nd HT about 1 month ago and seem to have experienced some Shock Loss to prior HT hair . I'm equating this to the Shock Loss experienced by many to hair in the donor area though it is not susceptible to MPB. Any thoughts on this?

Everyone, For those of you that have had more than one HT (or simply have knowledge regarding this), is HT hair from prior sessions susceptible to Shock Loss in addition to the already-susceptible MPB hair?? I had some filling in around HT hair during my 2nd HT about 1 month ago and seem to have experienced some Shock Loss to prior HT hair . I'm equating this to the Shock Loss experienced by many to hair in the donor area though it is not susceptible to MPB. Any thoughts on this?

elastic, If you take proper care in cleansing the recipient area scabs from the HT should be gone a week to 10 days post-op. To my knowledge, the redness varies greatly from one person to the next. I'm 1 month post-op from my 2nd HT, redness has pretty much been gone for a week or so. You can really tell I had anything done in the recipient area unless you get it under just the right lighting conditions and are extremely close- I'd venture to guess it'd be impossible for anyone but me to see. Don't know about bumps as I don't think I had any except for some pimple-looking ingrown hairs occasionally from new growth. As for working out, do some searching on the site as there are several threads and varying opinions on this. My $.02, wait at least a month before working out post-op. Some places tell you okay after 2 weeks and, as far as the grafts are concerned, you're probably fine. However, several have concerns about "stretching" the scar with intense workouts which I believe to be a valid point. I have no experience with FUE but since you're not "sliced from ear to ear" ( ) during the process I'll bet you're fine at the 2 week mark. Shock loss varies..........my first HT I received 1200 grafts in and around lots of existing hair. Many of my existing hairs jumped ship and, I believe, drowned in the process (i.e. did not return). My understanding is that these would have been the MPB susceptible hair that were close to dying off anyway. Look at my Hair Loss Weblog to see pics on my first HT..........even with some shock loss it's much, much thicker. You can also experience shock in the donor hair but it should all grow back since it's not MPB susceptible hair. Hope this helps.

usmc3675, Welcome to the forum and congrats on your return from the tour of duty. I salute you for your service to the USA! Yes, you'll see several negative posts regarding Bosely and MHR as there have been some bad experiences. Unfortunately, there's no real way to tell what success you'll have other than to "wait it out". That's the tough part. Anyone can give you their opinion but without being there to "see" the technique they used first-hand, who knows? Did you seem to heal properly in the recipient area and donor area? How does each area look now? As far as growth goes EVERYONE is different. Don't despair because your at 4 months and see little growth. Most people do see at least some activity between 2-3 months (crown work somtimes sprouts later) but growth can and does occur all the way up to a year or later. If I were you and you can't see "anything" after 6 months, I'd go back to the Doc and ask them to check it out. As far has recent hair loss.........many people experience what is referred to as "shock loss" after a HT. This normally occurs within the first few months. If the "shocked" hair was in the last stages of survival from male pattern baldness, it's likely not to return. Otherwise, you should notice regrowth of the hair you've shed. As far as Propecia goes, I do believe many experience shedding of hair when taking it for the first 6 months or so. Your body does adjust to it in a sense because the shedding should stop and you should notice better quality hair when it returns. I've not heard reports to the effect that you should need to change your regimen after a certain period of time. Maybe someone else can respond here? I suggest you give it a little more time and see what happens, then, if no noticeable results talk with your Doc. Good luck,

Congrats Hairworthy, Sounds like you're on your way to a smooth recovery..............hope you have some early sprouter's! Keep us posted with your progress.

Looks like you've healed up nicely and should start start experiencing some growth pretty soon. Hang in there and keep us updated. I'm about 10 days behind you from my 2nd HT...............waiting for the results is a real pain! Wish those little guys would start sprouting quicker.

I'd like to hear other replies on this as well. I just started on finasteride about 3 weeks ago after my 2nd HT. Dr. Wong advised me to take 1.25mg every other day...........the thought process being finasteride has a life of 72 hours in the body so taking it every 48 hours will do the same as taking it every day. I've never heard any information on the doseage being related to weight. Does anyone have further information on this? About duasteride..........if you're thinking of taking it you may want to read a recent thread I posted about the questionable long-term unknowns. You can read about it here. I'm aware of it's success against both types of DHT but at what cost?

Ifloss, Thanks for posting your updated pics..........it looks like you have a lot of positive things happening on top of your head! For only 2 months out you're looking good. Keep posting the updates and let us know how it goes.

Can you feel where it came from/find the source of the bleeding? I think it's odd that you'd have bleeding after 2 months. If I were you I'd call the Doc for his opinion.

I just started the Nizoral and Nioxin regimen after my 2nd HT 1 month ago so I can't really give you too much of a personal recommendation other than my scalp "feels" better. The theory behind using it it to give your scalp optimal conditions for hair growth and provide nutrients to the hair. I read many of the threads here and other sites before deciding to use it because of the many, many positive comments. I tried minox years ago but quit because of the hassle and the way it made my hair feel. Propecia should inhibit DHT anywhere on the scalp to halt further loss and regenerate existing hair. Regrowth has been shown in the crown but not the frontal region to my knowledge. I'm not sure about minox. The key to any concealer is to have enough hair for it to look natural. There are threads on this site you can refer to, also look at the "Shampoos, sprays and concealers" folder on the forum. Good luck and keep us posted.

For starters, at your age, I'd recommend you try Propecia (finasteride) to halt further loss. It's the only thing proven to stop hair loss and blocks 70% of the DHT (causes hair loss) which is attacking your "male-pattern-baldness" susceptible hair. Also, you may want to start a good hair and scalp care regimen. Search for threads on Nioxin and Nizoral for starters. There's no real answer to your first question. Everyone's loss is different taking place in different ways and at different ages. Most people, myself included, would advise you not to consider it at your age. It's best to wait until a sure pattern of loss is evident to best devise a plan of attack for the future. I started losing my hair at age 23 but didn't get my first hair transplant until age 38. I wish Propecia would have been available then or known to me.....might have saved me from having a hair transplant. Another thing, if you transplant hair around existing hair, shock loss is a concern..............some of your native hair may or may not return. As far as cost goes it varies. Usually you'll get a discount if you get more than 2000 grafts. I'd say a good average for you on a per graft basis would be between $3 & $5 per graft.