DrFuzzy

If you have a look at the graph (sorry dont have it to post here) of serum DHT levels vs time you'll see that propecia has a very long half life. After taking a single dose of propecia, DHT levels take many days (around a week from memory) to return to pre-dose levels. From that graph many have concluded that it is not necessary to take propecia every day, in fact some people take it every second day, or perhaps take a larger dose twice a week. The manufacturer recommends one dose of 1mg per day, but you could get results significantly better than placebo on a dose less than a quater of this. Given its long half life, I think the exact time of the day you take it matters little. I have discussed this with HT doctor in Australia who has the above opinion. The % reduction in DHT is proportional to the dose taken - a higher dose reduces a greater amount of DHT. Some people take a high dose ie 2.5mg once every three days...

Parable, thanks for your advice I have spent sometime thinking about it. My understanding is you are unhappy with your result from Barry White because 1) you ended up with a bad donor scar and 2) your hairline looked unnatural It is a disappointment if your hairline turned out badly, unfortunately I can't make a informed decision as the photos of you I saw posted on this forum were of you with a shaved head. I agree your scar did look terrible. I spoke to Dr Shiell who has had many years of experience with strip surgery at some length about scaring. He convinced me that about 5% of patients end up with a cosmetically poor scar. Thankfully most of them don't complain as it is at the back of their head! However Dr Shiells opinion is that the scar is largely operator independant and suture material independant. Unfortunatley a lot depends on the patients own ability to heal. Dr Shiell has excised and resown numerous bad scars, only to have another bad scar as an end result. Have you considered the possibility that you scar badly, and regardless of who stitched your head you would have a high probability of ending up with a bad scar? Qvaris....I'd like to see some pics. I hope you post some soon for us.

Actually AU$10000 is over US$7000 these days at current exchange rates, which is certainly a lot for 1300 grafts by any means. However, Australian doctors seem to be able to get away with charging more than the Canadians. That said, 10% of damos money would have been GST. I'm also about to pay just over that ($11300 Australian) for 2000 grafts or thereabout from Barry White, and thats after discount for being a doctor myself. I hope my experience is as positive as that of qvaris.

A Melbourne Australia strip surgeon I consulted (B. White) showed me his transplant (by Seager I think) and it wasn't bad for his age. Dr White was nice but I'm a bit disturbed by his comments on FUE suggesting Woods has a 30-40% transection rate and "wastes donor" follicles with his technique. I'm a junior doctor myself and use minoxidil and finasteride and contemplating Dutasteride. I'm 25 and a NW3 and plan to have my first HT in the next 2-3 years.

Dtrojanz explains what I was talking about for those of you who didn't follow. If you were one of the people you see on here with three or four parallel scars at the back of their head, the idea of this would have been a godsend. I doubt i can bring myself to have strip for the measely 1000-1500 grafts i need and risk having a scar knowing i may well end up with more if i want another HT. But I also can't really afford to spend $15000 on FUE either. Why can't they freeze em?

In Australia, the government has a Medicare system that pays most healthcare costs. This includes and excellent prescription medicine scheme, free public hospitals, and free GP visits. This is courtesy of the fact we have one of the highest tax rates in the world up to 50c in a dollar. However, Medicare also subsidise "cosmetic" procedures done in our outside Australia at the rate of 20% of total cost over an initial AU$1500. This includes breast implants, laser hair removal, face lifts etc. This means I'd be reimbursed about US$2000 on a US$12,000 procedure - not bad. I was thinking given that some HT doctors package flights and accommodation, you could realistically get a bigger discount by going to a doctor that has an all inclusive fee including all flights, accommodation, etc because this would also be subsidised to 20%. If the doctor was willing to package the airfaire (or if he even billed you the extra and bought your ticket for you) you could get a 20% discount on your holiday through medicare. I'm not sure if others have a similair system in other counteries, or have similair experiences. Its just a thought.

In Australia, the government has a Medicare system that pays most healthcare costs. This includes and excellent prescription medicine scheme, free public hospitals, and free GP visits. This is courtesy of the fact we have one of the highest tax rates in the world up to 50c in a dollar. However, Medicare also subsidise "cosmetic" procedures done in our outside Australia at the rate of 20% of total cost over an initial AU$1500. This includes breast implants, laser hair removal, face lifts etc. This means I'd be reimbursed about US$2000 on a US$12,000 procedure - not bad. I was thinking given that some HT doctors package flights and accommodation, you could realistically get a bigger discount by going to a doctor that has an all inclusive fee including all flights, accommodation, etc because this would also be subsidised to 20%. If the doctor was willing to package the airfaire (or if he even billed you the extra and bought your ticket for you) you could get a 20% discount on your holiday through medicare. I'm not sure if others have a similair system in other counteries, or have similair experiences. Its just a thought.

Modern medicine can freeze embryos. Modern medicine can freeze sperm. Why can't we freeze hair? Why isn't it possible for a HT doctor to do a megasession harvest off every young person undergoing their first procedure and store the "leftovers" for later? This would be very useful to a young person such as I who currently only needs about 1000FU but realistically expects to need more down the track. I could top up every few years with another 500 without undergoing the inconvenince and scaring of further strip surgeries. Dare I say it would save so much time, you could almost get it done in your lunch break. Are any of the HT researchers working on such a procedure? Surely if hair multiplication technology is around the corner, hair storage should be yesterday's news. I know i'm being simplistic but i'd like to know why it isn't offered/possible.

Modern medicine can freeze embryos. Modern medicine can freeze sperm. Why can't we freeze hair? Why isn't it possible for a HT doctor to do a megasession harvest off every young person undergoing their first procedure and store the "leftovers" for later? This would be very useful to a young person such as I who currently only needs about 1000FU but realistically expects to need more down the track. I could top up every few years with another 500 without undergoing the inconvenince and scaring of further strip surgeries. Dare I say it would save so much time, you could almost get it done in your lunch break. Are any of the HT researchers working on such a procedure? Surely if hair multiplication technology is around the corner, hair storage should be yesterday's news. I know i'm being simplistic but i'd like to know why it isn't offered/possible.

This is my first time posting here. I'm a 25yo NW3A medical (non-hair) practitioner considering a HT in the coming years. One question I haven't seen discussed regarding donor scaring is can you have multiple strip procedures using the same scar? Logically, if you were to have a small strip session on a virgin scalp (say 1500 FU) and later down the track wanted another session (say another 2000 FU) the doctor could excise donor from around the exising scar and close. That way, you would still only have one donor scar, albeit it may be lengthened. Is this what is usually done? Or do people who have three strip procedures end up with 3 sepearate scars? I imagine scalp laxity has some part to play in this. Would you have to return to your original HT doctor to use your "old" scare? This would make a differnce to someone like myself who currently would only need a small number of grafts (say 1000 or 1500 max). If i was to have to have seperate scars for each procedure I would probably wait until i'm a NW4 or 5 and go for a megasession. What experience do people have with this?

This is my first time posting here. I'm a 25yo NW3A medical (non-hair) practitioner considering a HT in the coming years. One question I haven't seen discussed regarding donor scaring is can you have multiple strip procedures using the same scar? Logically, if you were to have a small strip session on a virgin scalp (say 1500 FU) and later down the track wanted another session (say another 2000 FU) the doctor could excise donor from around the exising scar and close. That way, you would still only have one donor scar, albeit it may be lengthened. Is this what is usually done? Or do people who have three strip procedures end up with 3 sepearate scars? I imagine scalp laxity has some part to play in this. Would you have to return to your original HT doctor to use your "old" scare? This would make a differnce to someone like myself who currently would only need a small number of grafts (say 1000 or 1500 max). If i was to have to have seperate scars for each procedure I would probably wait until i'm a NW4 or 5 and go for a megasession. What experience do people have with this?