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ArochaHair

Elite Coalition Physician
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Everything posted by ArochaHair

  1. There are three interpretations for the "thick hair" reference. Either A: You have large diameter hair shafts, as HLS2015 assumes, or B: you have high density or 😄 both. I agree with Gillenator in that your loss appears to be isolated to the frontal region which indicates a male pattern of hair loss, which does occur in women from time to time, so this means that you could potentially have a strong donor supply. You would ultimately be better off with strip in the long run as some have said but be sure you isolate (if possible) the cause of your loss before you proceed. Also looking into PRP and ACell treatments to help augment any surgical procedures you may undergo.
  2. Propecia EOD or 1/4 of Proscar EOD is fine either way. It makes little difference because what matters more is consistency. The medication itself has a short half-life but once you reach a point of relative saturation then maintaining is important. Some patients even take it twice a week, on a very strict schedule, with benefits but there is evidence to suggest that the efficacy is related to the dosage so if you are experiencing maintenance of your hair or you even had an improvement for your hair, don't experiment too much with a much lower intake frequency.
  3. This patient came to see Dr. Arocha when he was 26 years old to find out what his options were for addressing his hair loss problems. His NW4A loss was very depressing and he wished to have a natural, adult placement that would restore a semblance of youthfulness while laying a strong foundation for the future. Dr. Arocha and the team at Arocha Hair Restoration performed one FUT procedure for 1910 grafts. The placement maintained a mature design which allowed the patient to have stronger coverage over the entire area of loss. His thick caliber hair also aided in coverage despite the relatively small number of grafts used. The result shown is two and a half years later.
  4. As a female, and with the diffused loss shown in your photo, you have a fairly strong chance of also having diffused loss in the traditional donor zone so this area has to be carefully examined as well. With cases like yours, and assuming diffused donor loss, there is usually a small area at the back of your donor that has the strongest density so this is where a strip would be taken from, should that be the procedure indicated after an examination by a qualified hair restoration physician. There is also the issue of identifying the cause of your loss so it would be a good idea to consider having a small battery of tests to check for low iron levels, thyroid imbalance and general hormonal well being. Seeing that you are in Texas, Dr. Arocha in Houston would be happy to set up a consultation. He also has a consultation office in Dallas and Austin with Skype options available as well.
  5. Always contact your clinic after your procedure to follow their specific instructions. Now that you've gone through with your actions you probably didn't cause any real harm if you didn't see any bleeding but from now on you should follow your doctor's advice instead of spending so much time trying to find the answers online. It is in your best interest to do so. Good luck with your final result!
  6. 5 hair grafts make up a very small percentage of the naturally occurring bundles found in a typical scalp. You'll find more grafts with 2 to 4 hairs each and it is the bigger grafts that are better for the crown but it also depends on how much work is needed. If you have a small area to fill then leaving the grafts as they are will give you a great result and you don't have to make more incisions to place the sub-divided grafts, not to mention you won't be paying more for more grafts while getting the same amount of hairs.
  7. Coalition member Dr. Arocha is experienced with facial hair transplant procedures and is located in Houston. He also has a consultation office in Dallas and Austin that he frequently travels to every month. You should contact the clinic to arrange for a consultation where Dr. Arocha will give you your options for achieving your goals.
  8. I don't believe you've messed anything up. If you are referring to TB-500, the injectable peptide used in muscle building circles, you should be fine and the needle injections themselves would cause no damage. You should however speak with your doctor to keep him informed of your activities.
  9. 1. Will the donor area be noticeable thinner than it is now? I think I only need 2,000 grafts This is a very real issue that is becoming more and more common. Your donor will be noticeably thinner if the doctor does not take the grafts from too tight of an area in the donor zone. To reduce the visible impact from FUE extraction the pattern of extractions must be over a large area. 2. As I keep balding, how will it look? Will the transplanted hairs ever fall out again? Transplanted hairs are taken from the recognized "safe zone" of the scalp where DHT is supposedly not impacting the hairs. This is not 100% true of all donor hair for all patients as some people do have DHT sensitive hairs in the donor zone but it is generally considered that transplanted hairs will grow for your lifetime. The hairs that you have now on top of your scalp however may continue to be affected by DHT if you are not taking DHT inhibitors such as Propecia so you will need to expect needing more surgery in the future as your native hair loss progresses. 3. Will I have any scarring? Yes, all skin forms scars when it is cut, but how visible these scars are depends on the size punch used in the donor zone and the size of the tool used to make the incisions in your scalp. When performed correctly, FUE scars are not visible unless the hair is shaved to the skin. 4. Will it be obvious that I had the procedure? Your doctor will most likely want to shave the donor zone of your scalp so that the robot can visualize each graft properly. The recipient area might be shaved as well for the placement but some doctors like Dr. Arocha do not require recipient shaving ever.
  10. There are a few things in the video that struck me as being not entirely accurate in today's world. All quotes are paraphrased- 1. It was said in the video that "after two weeks the issue of shaving is no longer a problem" but this is suggesting that shaved hair grows back in two weeks. Not true and in fact it is quite the opposite depending on the length of the surrounding native hair. By two weeks, some of of the grafts are already starting to shed and this continues for up to five weeks so the remaining native hair looks thinner than before the procedure because it is still very short and the new hairs placed are now temporarily gone. There are many cases online where patients that have shaven their scalps for surgery continue to look much thinner, or even bald, two and three months after their procedures due to shock loss. 2. "Longer hair is easier to transect than shaven hair." This depends a lot on the tools used for recipient site creation. For instance, it is generally accepted in the industry that when using needles that transection of native hair, not to mention the supporting vasculature, is lower than when using flat blades. It makes sense based on the physical shape of each tool as the entire edge of the blade is a very sharp cutting surface but a needle has a single point that penetrates the scalp and the rest of the needle doesn't cut. 3. "No one knows what a hair transplant looks like while it is healing." This used to be 100% true but what we're seeing in our office during consultations is that more and more people are at least slightly aware of what a hair transplant looks like during the recovery phase. We think this has to do with the increased social awareness that has come from more celebrity photos being shared that show some stage of the recovery process (Rooney), not to mention the increased awareness from marketing and even articles that have to do with hair transplant tourism and general interest in FUE overall. 4. "I don't regret having my head shaved." Many of our patients that had surgeries in the past somewhere else where the head was shaved said they chose Dr. Arocha for their second procedure because he not only gets great results but he simply does not believe in the need to shave. I'm sure that many patients do look back and agree that shaving wasn't a problem but there are many that do not wish to go through that portion of the procedure again and are relieved to discover that it is not necessary with every clinic. Shaving is a very doctor specific issue. There are clinics that get great results with shaving and clinics that get great results without shaving. That is a fact so to argue that one way or the other is hands-down better is only stacking the cards. As Baldingbogger said, if a patient does choose a clinic that insists on shaving having the rest of the hair cut short before the procedure is the best way to reduce any visual clues.
  11. It may not actually mean fewer grafts because if your tuft is of a hair or even native original density then more grafts are necessary to blend in. If this isn't done then the contrast in density will make the result on either side of the tuft seem thinner. In general it is just a matter of planting around the tuft, and slightly into it for blending. If there is any loss in the tuft itself then obviously some grafts will need to be placed inside, too, depending on the circumstances.
  12. You've gotten some good advice and I think your approach is sound, in that you realize you can't just have one surgery and be finished. Anyone that tells you otherwise either doesn't know any better themselves or are trying to lure you into a procedure. In fact, the only guarantee that should ever be given is that the doctor and his team will do the best job they can. Anything beyond that is in God's hands alone. Mountinvan made an interesting point about doctors and marketing (videos). Dr. Arocha is one of the doctors I feel has both sides aligned. He's very good at what he does and his videos show the quality of his work quite clearly. Recently we've embarked on a path to do more than just show before/after results with our video but we are trying to show a more comprehensive picture (pun not intended) of how the patient has been affected by the result and what Dr. Arocha's philosophy is for his work. This is one example of this direction we're trying to take.
  13. Dr. Arocha and his patient Preston sit down for a side by side discussion to talk about Dr. Arocha's approach to hair restoration and how it has affected Preston both personally and professionally. We feel honored that Preston sat down with Dr. Arocha to share his personal story and to do so in such a unique format. We're looking for new and innovative ways to bring you more detail about Dr. Arocha and his many excellent results. We also hope to explore more into his approach to follicular unit strip surgery and follicular unit extraction using both manual motorized tools and the ARTAS hair transplant robot by Restoration Robotics. If there is anything else you'd like to see specifically don't hesitate to inquire below.
  14. I highly doubt anyone around you would suspect you have a hair loss problem. Personally, if your loss stabilizes where it is, avoid surgery altogether. You have a hairline now that most are trying to attain through surgical means.
  15. "Super Doc"? We like the sound of that. Look for a "TM" coming soon:)
  16. GM Carlitos, Would recommend that you research well. This is largely an artistic endeavor. Here are some info on Dr Arocha's work: Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients - Search Results For additional information, please visit our web site:Hair Loss Houston Dallas Austin TX Arocha Hair Restoration All the best, The Arocha Team
  17. This 50 year old patient came to see Dr. Arocha to learn about the available options to deal with his receding hairline and general frontal thinning. Dr. Arocha discussed the options and shared the pros and cons of each. Ultimately, the patient decided on the FUT option of which 3000 grafts were harvested in one procedure. Dr. Arocha addressed the frontal hairline, the temples, and filled in behind and into the frontal forelock. Dr. Arocha also thickened and reinforced the patient's temple points. The results shared are 8 months after his procedure.
  18. Bill-Managing Publisher, Thanks Bill, for your kind words, and support. Indeed the patient is thrilled with his results. We are very happy also. This is what it is all about! Happy weekend! Arocha Team
  19. David - Moderator: Thank you David, I really appreciate your kind words, and support. Yes, we too love his great result, but also his palpable enthusiasm and happiness!
  20. You misunderstood. I didn't say he would get native density. I said he had a chance of seeing new sprouts. Big difference.
  21. It looks like you have a dense donor region so I don't think donor supply is an issue. This means you have a lot of donor hair to address your loss. Surgical hair restoration can be a wonderful procedure but you should look into preventive measures before you decide to have surgery. Consider minoxidil and finasteride to halt your loss or else your loss will continue. It may seem like it has stabilized but it has not, especially with you being only 38 years old. Consider the two types of procedures that are available, strip and FUE, and decide which is best for you. The only things to consider are: 1. Cost. FUE is generally more expensive than strip (FUT) but it also depends on where you go. 2. Your preferred hair style. If you prefer a shorter cut, #3 guard or shorter, FUE may be better because you can get away with shorter hairstyles and not have to worry about the linear scar from strip. If you don't care to have your hair so short then strip may be the better choice. Don't rush into a surgical decision. Take your time and learn what you can about the pros and cons of options that are presented to you. Visit as many doctors as you can for one on one consultations and ask to meet former patients so you can judge for yourself what results look like from each clinic.
  22. At seven months you still have a chance of seeing new sprouts but with each passing month the chances diminish. It is fair to give the result a full twelve months to improve with new hairs but beyond that, it is unlikely that new hairs will present themselves and you will only have texture changes and improvements to expect. This can go on as long as 18 months after your procedure.
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