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TakingThePlunge

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Everything posted by TakingThePlunge

  1. TakingThePlunge
    pianoman, Congratulations on your wonderful experience. I wish you all the best! I would like to address one comment though. There are many fine doctors in the coalition (including my own) that do not require patients to shave their heads. I'm sure each doctor has his or her own reasons for why they do things but I assure you that quality results can be had in either case. I look forward to following your progress! TTP
  2. TakingThePlunge
    Yeah, I'm really glad that Dr. A. removes sutures at 7 days. I don't thinkg I could take too much more than that! Ah, the waiting...what fun! Pink head, sore donor area. Pimples and shock loss to look forward to. You married guys are lucky. I've got to be off the dating circuit for weeks again.
  3. TakingThePlunge
    I already told Bill to keep his hands off of LindaBaby and that goes for the rest of you! I already sent money to get her out of a Nigerian prison and we're planning a June wedding. Of course you're all invited.
  4. TakingThePlunge
    What a great result! The patient must be thrilled!
  5. TakingThePlunge
    I won't discourage you from seeing your GP but the truth is that he or she may not be as familiar with hair loss causes and treatments as a dermatologist. As for treatments, Empty Area mentioned the "big three." These are finasteride (Propecia/Proscar), minoxidil (Rogaine) and Nizoral (medicated shampoo). Finasteride and minoxidil are the only two hair loss treatments that are FDA approved. These treatments are generally used in combination in order to provide the best possible results. Personally I have not used Nizoral but I do take finasteride and use minoxidil daily. These meds work differently for each person. They may do nothing for you. They may prevent further hair loss or, in some cases, they may help regrow some hair. It is generally agreed that the younger you start, the better the results you can expect. When I was your age these treatments didn't exist and when they first became available around 10 years ago they were too expensive for me to afford. The bummer is that these treatments are only proven effective in the crown or top of the head and very rarely regrow any hair in the hair line. If you ever stop using them, any benefits you received will be lost and may not return by restarting the treatment. There are also side effects to consider. The good news is that they are available in generic form at very reasonable prices. I pay an average total of $8 per month for both my finasteride and my minoxidil. I recommend taking some time to research each of these options and ask your doctor about them. There are no stupid questions! We're here to help. I hope you will continue to follow up and let us know what your doctor says. All the best,
  6. TakingThePlunge
    I know how frustrating it can be to begin to lose your hair at such a young age. I began to see hair loss around 19. I'm 41 now and I can still remember how bummed and self-conscious I was about it. You've taken a huge step by reaching out to this community and you can take heart in knowing that, as others have already mentioned, there are steps you can take to slow the progress of your hair loss if, in fact, you are experiencing male pattern baldness. I don't want to fill you with false hope but your youth is also a huge benefit because it is reasonable to assume that new and revolutionary treatments will be available for you while you are still young enough to care about it. Now for the bad news. I know you hate your hairline but you've got to come to terms with the fact that you will probably never have the youthful hairline you once did. At best you can hope to hang on to what you have now and grow into the mature hairline. At some point you will probably become a candidate for a transplant but hair transplants very rarely restore a juvenile hairline. I know that's not what you want to hear but, for most of us, hair loss is progressive and I don't want to you waste time (and potentially money) chasing false hopes. You've already received the best possible advice. See a doctor about starting medication and stay involved with this forum for information and support. All the best, TTP
  7. TakingThePlunge
    My scalp was about as loose as a shar pei so I haven't had to worry about that but lots of guys have had success increasing their yield with scalp stretching exercises. Here's a http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOQX_WyLosA to a video by Jotronic at Hasson & Wong demonstrating how they are performed.
  8. TakingThePlunge
    Tsakalos, As someone who had less than stellar results on his first HT by a top doc, I hardly consider myself naive. However, I would agree that perhaps my statement was a bit vague. No doctor can guarantee 100% satisfaction but I would choose someone from the coalition with documented, positive results and pages of patient feedback at my fingertips long before I would choose someone randomly out of the yellow pages. All the doctors here have had to prove that they are using the latest techniques and deliver consistent, successful results. Thank you for encouraging me to clarify my original statement! TTP
  9. TakingThePlunge
    zach, I'm not an expert of FUE but, as I understand it, the strip method offers the opportunity to harvest more grafts in one session and higher graft survival rate. It is also much more affordable than FUE. The scars resulting from FUE are very tiny dots that are practically invisible and it is, therefore, very popular with guys who want to wear their hair tightly buzzed. However, under the right conditions, even a linear scar can be practically invisible when buzzed down to 1/4". You're likely to get a lot of differing views on who's the best doctor. The bottom line is that you can't go wrong with any of the coalition docs. Best of luck, TTP
  10. TakingThePlunge
    Thanks Atomic! I saw Dr. A. today to have my stitches out. He said it all looks to be healing nicely so far. Now for thw waiting...
  11. TakingThePlunge

    So nice to have those stitches out! Doc says it's looking good so far. Thanks for asking!

  12. TakingThePlunge
    arrazem, Welcome! You've come to the right place. Count yourself very lucky for finding this forum before making an irreversible mistake. I wish I could provide better solutions but Empty Area and PanamaJimmy have already put it in a nutshell. Don't put yourself in the hands of a bargain HT doc. There simply is no such thing. It will end up costing in ways you don't want to imagine. I know it's not what you want to hear but get on Propecia. Even better, get on generic Proscar and quarter the pill. It's a fraction of the cost. Give it a year to see what develops. If you have a good result you may find that you will need fewer grafts. If cash is the only way to go, save until you can afford one of the quality docs on this site. Keep us informed of your decisions and progress. We're here to help! TTP
  13. TakingThePlunge

    Congrats! That's a nice hairline Dr. Hasson gave you. I look forward to following your progress over the next several months.

  14. TakingThePlunge
    Captain, All I can do is emphasize what others have already advised. Don't worry. You are only at the beginning of the growth phase and yes, the hairs all begin to grow at different times. You will see things slowly begin to fill in over time. If you are like me, you won't begin to see real results until the 8th month but it may happen sooner for you. I couldn't say what the dark spots are but it could be hairs below the skin. TTP
  15. TakingThePlunge
    Spex, I always appreciate your input and I've gotten a lot of great information from reading your posts but when you say, "...it doesn't matter how many times we say this people will always remain skeptical and feel their own HT is not successful in the early stages..." I have to point out that it greatly depends on who the "we" is. The more research one does on any forum results in a single constant: no two people seem to agree on anything from how to close the donor area to aftercare to growth expectations. In fact, when a contributor (Dr. or layperson) is pressed to explain why their advice conflicts with another's then the ultimate reply is, "trust your doctor and follow his instructions." I feel that is important to note that many of us don't invent our expectations; we develop them from what we read and what we are told. In my case, my doctor told me to expect great results by the 6th month. When I didn't get them I became worried. When I didn't get them at 8 months I began to give up hope. At that time I had people telling me to forget it, it was over, others telling me it wouldn't be over till 12 months and still others telling me not to panic until 14 months. It's hard to buy into the idea that things are going to improve so late in the game when doctors routinely post fantastic results after 7 or 8 months. Fortunately it turned out to be true for me I think it would be a huge benefit to patients if the doctors in the coalition would confer and try to come to consensus regarding the advice that they give their patients. When you've got some doctors telling you to remove scabs at 5 days, others telling you 10 days and still others telling you to let them fall off naturally, how can you trust that anything you are told is correct? TTP
  16. TakingThePlunge
    Sunnycoastman, It never surprises me how insensitive some people can be. I suppose hair loss is a laughing matter to those who are not experiencing it. I told this story in another post but a few years ago my cousin, whom I had not seen in about 10 years came to town with his wife and two daughters I'd never met. I was really excited to see him. The first thing he says to me (with a big grin on his face) when I walk in is a remark about how thin my hair was! I was totally deflated, embarrassed and pissed off! :mad: Completely ruined the moment. It's not about impressing anyone. It's about the inner you matching the outer you. I totally understand. mav, Thanks for the positive vibes! I hope you're right! Bill, Thanks for the tip.!
  17. TakingThePlunge
    My experience was similar to badger's. At six months I looked awful. I was a little better at 8 but it didn't become acceptable until after 10 months and I continued to see improvements up to 14 months. Some guys look great a six months. There's no predicting it. Don't give up hope. You may be a slow grower. It happens. TTP
  18. TakingThePlunge
    notsosure, I'd like to chime in also as one who has been taking finasteride for the past 14 months. I consider the side effects that I've experienced to be minor. While I've seen a decline in what I like to call "unsolicited" erections, I've got no loss of sexual desire and everything works just like it should, when it should. The only other noticeable side effect that I've experienced is watery semen. I don't know if it's affected my sperm count but, since I don't plan to have kids, I'm not really worried about that. I consider this collateral damage and I plan to keep taking the drug since I believe it has helped. Like you, I was concerned about the possible side effects of the drug before having my first HT. Afterward, I decided that the investment was too great not to take advantage of every weapon in the arsenal. Like Tsakalos said, whether or not you will need it depends on many factors but, for most of us, hair loss will progress. If the pill works for you and slows your hair loss, stopping the medication ofter a period of time will most likely result in the loss of any hairs retained by the drug during that time. Like Bill, I also do not want to find out by experience. You've really got nothing to lose by trying it. I've read many of the same horror stories you have but most people seem to agree that very few patients will experience any negative side effects and stopping the medication will reverse them. I'm not a doctor. This is just my experience so take it for what it's worth. Hope it helps. TTP
  19. TakingThePlunge
    Right on Zeek! It sounds like you got the red carpet treatment. At eight months you can look forward to even more growth over the next few months. Like Pat said, we thrive on photos. Please share some with us. All the best, TTP
  20. TakingThePlunge
    I'd be interested to hear more about this spray as well. I saw it recently at a tattoo convention and spoke to the rep about it. At the time I wasn't even thinking that it could be used for HTs. It is certainly much cheaper than Graftcyte!
  21. TakingThePlunge
    Sunny, I feel your pain! Take comfort in knowing that it took a looooong time for my hair to look good. I continued to see growth well past the 12 month mark. I wish you luck. Please keep me informed of your progress. Future_HT_Doc, Your support is much appreciated! I plan to chronicle all my ups and downs again but I'm hoping for more ups and less drama this time around. Bill, Thanks for posting the link to my new photo album. I went ahead and updated my old blog also. Are we keeping those? I'm still learning about all the features of our new social network so not sure where to put things at the moment. As always, thanks for your support!
  22. TakingThePlunge

    TakingThePlunge posted a gallery image in Member Albums

    From the album: HT #2 with Dr. Alexander

  23. TakingThePlunge

    HT #2 with Dr. Alexander

    Images added to a gallery album owned by TakingThePlunge in Member Albums

    Before and after.
  24. TakingThePlunge

    TakingThePlunge posted a gallery image in Member Albums

    From the album: HT #2 with Dr. Alexander

  25. TakingThePlunge

    TakingThePlunge posted a gallery image in Member Albums

    From the album: HT #2 with Dr. Alexander

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