TakingThePlunge

Slaps, I understand your reluctance to post photos. As you said, "been there, done that." However, if you really want your presence here to have an impact, I'd urge you to post pics or, even better, create a blog and add to the collective knowledge of the group. Transplants are a bit of a wildcard. We hedge our bets by doing our research, sharing experiences and choosing our doctors wisely but still there are no guarantees. It's no secret that I've been less than satisfied with the density of my first HT but, fortunately for me, my results look completely natural. In fact, my family is constantly amazed that I'm not satisfied right now but they don't really know the full potential of a good HT and what my goals are. I have the exact opposite problem as you. My hair looks much better in person than it does in photos. Just last night I was out with a couple of friends that I've rarely seen over the past ten years. During much of that time I had been buzzing my hair down pretty tight. Now that it is grown out, they had no idea that anything had changed. In other words, they didn't really perceive any great improvement in the way they remembered me looking ten years ago but nothing seemed amiss or strange to them either. Halfway through the evening I decided to tell them about my procedure and they were surprised and very interested in the details but never gave me any indication that they thought it was weird. Getting the first HT was a difficult decision because I knew there was no going back. Shaving my head in the future would be off the table and I'd be putting it on a credit card and paying it off for a long time to come but I was miserable and really hated buzzing my hair and wearing hats so I found my doc and forged ahead with it and, even though it didn't provide the results I wanted and I'm now planning number two, I'm convinced it was the right decision. Slaps, you got a raw deal and no one's going to be able to restore your head to its former condition or reimburse you for the astronomical cost involved but you still have options. You have every right to be suspicious of the industry now but there are doctors here that can help you. All is not lost. If you have not done so, please line up some consultations and at least find out what your options are. Keep us informed. We are here to support you. Best of luck, TTP

Hey aaron, We're shooting for 1500. I do plan to buzz beforehand but not sure how short at this point. I figure I'll ask Dr. A his preference when the time comes. I don't mind doing that because I work from home and rarely have to see my coworkers. Hopefully there won't be too much shock loss and my hair will grow in to mask the redness a bit. Not looking forward to going under the knife again so soon and, financially speaking, I practically have to consult an accountant before buying a hamburger these days but I know I need to get it behind me and I think this one will do the trick. Thanks for the support!

Here's the latest, fellas: I saw Dr. Alexander yesterday for my one year follow-up. Going into it I wasn't really sure what to expect or even what I wanted to do. Over the past year the members of this forum have provided me with a wealth of advice, varying and sometimes wildly conflicting perspectives and, most of all, support. I've listened carefully and taken all of it into consideration. I'm someone who appreciates hearing everyone's views because I feel that, often, the answer lies in a synthesis of these thoughts. That being said, Dr. Alexander has offered to take care of me and I'm happy with the terms so I've decided to proceed with HT #2 in April. We are waiting three months in order to give the remaining, fine, light hairs an opportunity to mature. In the past two months I have seen a noticeable improvement in hair quality and some improvement in density so hopefully we'll get a little more in that time. While the focus of our meeting was assessing yield in the transplanted area, I had to bring up another, unrelated aspect of my HT that has been bothering me. While the hairline design is 100% natural in appearance, it has always been too conservative for me. I know this is a hotly debated topic but, in truth, I had always wanted it to be a bit lower. At my fist consultation, Dr. Alexander was very firm on its placement and I was a little apprehensive but he assured me I would be pleased with it so I opted to go with his instincts but it's been nagging at me ever since. I feel like my hairline crosses the line between mature and receding and only needs to be lowered a bit. To make a long story short, Dr. Alexander drew a new, lower (but still in the realm of mature) hairline on me and I could have cried. It was exactly what I've been envisioning and he said that it's doable so I'm very excited at this point. He will be reinforcing the density in the transplanted area and lowering my hairline in number 2. I know that everyone is going to be curious about the specifics regarding the terms of my second HT but I'd prefer not to discuss that. I'm very happy with his offer and excited about moving forward and I know that some members will have very strong opinions about it and I don't want to start second-guessing myself. Of course, I will be documenting my progress again every step of the way. Here we go again??¦

Well, I'm a little late to the party here but I just wanted to thank "the B spot" for listing me among some other great prospects for this wonderful opportunity. I'm truly honored. It looks like most of this transpired during my two-month hiatus from the boards. I know that, at this point, there are many more qualified members on this board than I but, as someone who enjoys the written word, has a keen eye for editorial work, a desire to help other hair loss sufferers AND has been actively seeking gainful, part-time employment, I hope to be a contender when the next opportunity presents itself. Best of luck to all those in the running!

Yes, I've maintained all along that my results are look perfectly natural. Because of that and and the undesirable density, not one my my long time friends has even registered a change in me. I figure I got back what I had about 8 to 10 years ago. About 4 or 5 years ago I began buzzing my hair down to between a 0 and 3 so I think people just think that I've grown it back out now. I've also told my dermatologist and a handful of hairstylists in the past few months and they all seem very surprised and say they would never have known. Of course, there's a positive and a negative side to this. After a hair transplant I think we'd all like people to recognize that there's been a positive change in your appearance but maybe not be able to put their finger on it.

Already looking good and still lots of time to mature. Congrats!

Emperor, It seems like you and I have similar density issues. Lots of people will point out that you look better now than you did before. Sure you do but that is of little importance if you are not happy. There seems to be a few people out there that long to have just a little extra fuzz on their heads and deem that to be a vast improvement and I think that's great for them if it makes them happy. Some of us desire a little more. I think most of us have reasonable expectations. We don't expect the hairline of a Bill Clinton but maybe Desi Arnaz is reasonable. I don't know. My point is that I believe most of us are willing to compromise and find a happy medium. A balance between coverage and density that offers an aesthetically pleasing result. I think I read all of your remarks on your blog and I didn't see you placing blame on Dr. Wong. Just speculating (as I have) as to why you may have had such a poor result and isn't that exactly what these blogs are for? We are very lucky to be in the Internet age and to have valuable communities such as ours to communicate with each other. I can remember back in the early 90's going to LA for a consultation with Bosley. At that time all we had to go by were their infomercials. There was no way to assess a doctor, share results with other patients or compare fees and I would venture to guess that many doctors (even the best ones) are not happy about the fact that we do that today. It saddles them with a degree of accountability that they've never had to deal with before. I believe in hair transplantation. I believe that I can achieve a desirable result that I will be happy with eventually (given enough $$) but I also believe that both of us could have had and probably should have had better density the first time around than what we ended up with. Why didn't we? Of course no one can answer that question. That's the risk we take. Do I look better now than I did before? Do you? I guess but, since we're still not pleased with how we look does it matter? I would like to try calculating my percentage of growth if I can find someone to help with the pics. I haven't told too many people about my HT. Sorry to see that your results did not meet your expectations. I feel your paim!

Anouar: I hear ya. You are not the first to express that opinion and, to be honest, I really don't know anymore what a reasonable expectation is for the number of grafts I got vs. the area covered. What I can say is that my expectations came directly from Dr. Alexander and at my 10 month follow-up, he himself stated that the area was transplanted at a greater density than what had grown. I know he was expecting more and therefore, I was expecting more. I know I'm repeating myself and I apologize but I was told that I should expect an excellent result by the 7th month based on the great quality of my hair and scalp. One of the examples that he showed me from his work was that of osidekid. Here is the link to his blog. http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...e-page.asp?WebID=737. Yes, he had more in the frontal third to start with and Dr. Alexander pointed that out but I was told that I could expect a similar result and I really think that was a reasonable expectation. Another example of Dr. Alexander's work that I really liked and specifically asked him about was this one. http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...ID=583&PatientID=685. I liked the way it was styled and asked if I could expect something similar and he said I could. Funny now that I look at it I realize how much more hair he had being only a class 2 and it seems absurd even considering I got about 700 more grafts than he did. So, finally, let me repeat one more thing that I've said many times. I did not arrive at the 2500 graft solution. Nor did I ask Dr. Alexander how many I could get for a given price. I asked him how many he felt I needed in order to get a desirable result and he said 2500. At the time, had he said 3500 or even 4000, I most likely would have gone ahead with it so I don't see how he would have benefitted from suggesting a number of grafts that he believed would not yield an acceptable result and risk having an unsatisfied patient. He's been at this a long time and has a great rep and I believe without a doubt that he felt that 2500 was sufficient and I would be happy with it. Clearly, something went wrong and many of my grafts did not grow and that's been my focus. Dr. Alexander says I have about 5000 grafts left in reserve and good laxity so I know I can dedicate a few more to building up the frontal third. It's just a question of $$ at this point.

Lots of good input here... Thana - I know exactly what you mean about the best of both worlds. I have styled my hair successfully in the way that you described and it doesn't look bad that way. Some days it seems to fall just so and others I can't do a thing with it. Raphael - thank you for the positive words. All along I've tried to present an honest and straightforward account of my experience with the sole intention of giving back to this community and not placing blame. Abedogg - Thanks! You're right, it's not ideal but I am better off than I was last year. Of course, there is a huge difference between and improvement and a cosmetically acceptable result but I'm doing the best I can with it for now. hdude46 - When I'm wronged I feel that I'm very good at standing up for what I deserve but, in this case, I don't think a refund would be appropriate only because we are all told before the scalpel touches our heads that there are a million variables and results can't be guaranteed. In my case the only issue is the yield. In every other aspect it was a success. While I've gone out of my way to not lay blame, I am just as open to the possibility that something went wrong in Dr. Alexander's office that day as I am willing to believe that it is simply a result of my physiology. From what little Dr. Alexander has said on the subject, I think that he has already determined that this is a result of my physiology and not any other variable that he or his staff was in control of. Of course he feels that way, he has had many successful results posted here and he is one of the top in his field but the truth is that there is no way to ever know what went wrong. In the end, the doctor can always cite the mysterious X factor. Phil - Thank you. I appreciate your candor and I agree completely. I can't say I'm satisfied with the result. I was expecting more and if I could afford it, I'd already be planning number 2. I hope to have a better idea about my next move after speaking to Dr. Alexander.

Hey guys, I'm back! I just wanted to let everyone know that I've started a new thread and updated my blog. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Happy New Year guys! I know that there are lots of people here who have been waiting for an update on my progress and I want to take this opportunity to thank you all once again for all the support and advice. In some ways, this year has flown by but the past two months have seemed the longest. I'm glad that I took the time to step away from the forum and from my hair and concentrate on other things. It has definitely provided me with some perspective. Today is the one year anniversary of my procedure. All the pics that I posted today were taken today. The first set was taken immediately after towel-drying and combing forward. The second and third sets were taken with a little thickening cream applied and then messing it up a bit. I believe there has been some improvement in density over the past two months but not too much. It does seem like my hair has tamed down quite a bit. It is not as wiry or, as I like to say, 'bird nesty' as it used to be. The right side is still significantly thinner than the left. Whatever the cause for my less than ideal results, I know that I'll need another procedure before being satisfied. I hope to be able to afford that within the next two years. I'll be calling Dr. Alexander's office on Monday to schedule another follow up and will let everyone know what happens from here on out. Hope you all had a great holiday season!

Hello to all, I've been purposely avoiding the forums while waiting patiently for the one year mark on Jan 2nd. I just wanted to respond to Bill's questions. I have not taken any new pics of my hair and I have not been in contact with Dr. Alexander. During my last follow-up he suggested I wait for the one year mark and see him again. I plan to post new pics at that time and I'm sure he'll take some too. Again, I don't want to comment on my thoughts at this time. I'm hoping that I'll be pleasantly surprised when I compare my 12 month pics to my 10 month pics. Thanks for the concern everyone! Happy Holidays!

Hey guys, As always, thanks for the concern and input. My only regret is that I've caused such controversy. As you all know, that was the furthest thing from my intention. There have been lots of great points made here and also a few questions directed at me but, as I said in an earlier post, I'm going to refrain from commenting on my hair again publicly until the one year mark. In fact, rather than counting the weeks, I'm going to wait until January 2nd, the anniversary of my HT. Until that time, I'm not going to update my blog or post about my hair. I needed to step away from all this and just let it ride. Maybe by then there will be a significant difference, who knows? NW4, it's as if you were reading my mind! I've been thinking about taking some video of my hair and putting it up on YouTube in order to give a better impression of how it looks but, again, I think I'll wait it out. Also wanted to say thanks to thanatopsis for his post on styling products. I've tried the thickening cream and the styling dirt and it's made a noticeable difference. Have yet to buy shampoo. Back in a couple of months. Happy Holidays!

This is going to be the last post I make regarding my hair for at least the next two months. I appreciate Dr. Alexander commenting here and, for the last time, I want to make clear that I have never, in any post I've made, declared that this result is his fault or the fault of anyone in his clinic. Earlier in this thread I said, "I have also said many, many times in other posts that I do not fault Dr. Alexander. How can I when it is made clear to anyone who reads the hundreds and hundreds of posts that I've read over the years that there are many variables to consider and results can vary? I have never suggested to anyone that they not go to Dr. A nor would I. All I can say is that I was given every reason to believe that my particular hair, scalp, etc. would yield very nice results by as early as 6 months. I do not yet have very nice results and I no longer believe that any future changes will be significant enough to make a difference." Dr. Alexander, I hope that when you said, "It's also unfortunate for doctors in the cosmetic field, that some patients don't like to admit if they are one of those with poor physiology", you were not speaking specifically about me because I've never argued against that possibility. I'm only here to post my results and my feelings regarding the outcome of my procedure in order to add to the collective knowledge of this site and give back to a forum that helped me arrive at the decision to have a HT and also to select you as my doctor. Let's not forget also that it is equally unfortunate that there is no real way to tell if the failure of a HT to fully grow is a consequence of a patient's physiology or the result of an error at a clinic. Being that I have not seen or heard of another patient of yours posting a result like mine, I'm perfectly willing to accept that the results may be due to my physiology. Of course, that doesn't lessen the sting of an unacceptable result and does not change anything I've posted regarding my results. So, let me put this in writing: I do not hold you accountable for my results. Again, the hairs that have grown look perfectly natural and I've been told my scar looks fantastic. I've always praised you for that. I have not been butchered. I do not have to go out wearing a hat for fear of ridicule. Regardless of the reason for my result, I am simply not happy with it to date and that's all I've ever said here. This forum can be a double-edged sword. It can provide a lot of positive press for doctors. I may not have known about Dr. A in the first place were it not for the positive feedback on this forum. However, when things don't go well, lots of people hear about it and I'm sure that can be frustrating and annoying to doctors who then feel accountable to laypeople. That is why I have always chosen my words carefully. I feel like I'm being redundant here so I'm going to stop now. Thanks again to all who have commented and shown your support.

Hi guys. I don't have time at the moment to address all the questions and points raised in the last few posts. I just wanted to pop in and say that I'm getting a little concerned that some of the points I've made are being overlooked. Bill, I know you are busy and probably don't have time to read all the details in every post but I wanted to emphasize that I did say, "He feels that there is a lot of fine, light hairs that may or may not become more robust." I have also mentioned that my hair looks a little better in person than the photos demonstrate. I have not tried to suggest that Dr. Alexander has purposely misled me and if that has come across, I want to clear that up. Prior to my procedure, I told Dr. A that I would be starting a blog and chronicling my progress and I've tried to do that as honestly and clearly as possible. Unfortunately, the results, thus far, have been less than stellar and that is reflected in my photos and my commentary. I am not placing blame. I understand now and understood before, the risks involved. I would say that the only areas where I deviate from Dr. Alexander's opinion is that I don't think my results are average to slightly below and I believe I had less than 80% growth. I am not writing these posts and maintaining my blog to criticize, or otherwise diminish Dr. Alexander's work. Although my density is low, the hair that has grown looks completely natural and my scar is great and that is a testament to his skill. I also want to repeat that all my photos except for the pre HT ones were taken with no flash. Dr. Alexander took photos last week also. Maybe he will post those for comparison. Thank you everyone for your interest and concern. I appreciate all the input and discussion. Two more months to go and then I'll start figuring out where to go from here.

I saw Dr. Alexander today. Obviously, he said that we need to wait two more months before making a judgement call and deciding where to go from here. Most of what he said is what I expected. Everyone is different. Results are not guaranteed. He feels that there is a lot of fine, light hairs that may or may not become more robust. He also feels thaat there has been some improvement over the past two months. It's very hard for me to tell. It is longer and I think that makes it harder to compare. Tomorrow I plan to get a hair cut and I'll take another set of pics. It's just too thin to look good at this length in my opinion. I agree with him that it looks a little better in person than it seems to look in photos but I was a little surprised when he classified it as an average to slightly below average result. He feels that 80% of my grafts have grown. He did say that the corners and the center need to be beefed up a bit and that the good news is I've got enough donor hair and a loose enough scalp to probably support two more sessions over the long run. That's about it. I've tried to convey what I got out of the meeting as succinctly as possible.

Again, I can't thank the members of this forum enough for all your continuing support. I hope that my experience adds to the collective knowledge of this site and helps others make educated decisions about their own hair loss. I've wondered a lot about what effect, if any, taking Proscar has had on my hair during these past 10 months. I've also been using Rogaine Foam twice daily and I've been taking Biotin for about six months. I think the fact that my hair is longer now than it's been in years makes it difficult to tell in photos. I don't believe I've grown any new hair in the crown but I do think that it has slowed the loss.

Thanks for all the valuable commentary guys! I understand that whether or not a result is deemed to be successful is very subjective. I would like to say, for the record, that I believe my expectations were very realistic. I had done my research and viewed many results right here on this forum over the years. That said, I was also shown examples by Dr. A of his own patients who were very similar to myself and when I saw results I liked I specifically asked if I could expect the same. Therefore, if my expectations were truly inflated, it was not due to any illusions of my own. I'm not going to go through the photos on Dr. A's website and link to the ones I was shown but they are there for anyone to see. I have also said many, many times in other posts that I do not fault Dr. Alexander. How can I when it is made clear to anyone who reads the hundreds and hundreds of posts that I've read over the years that there a many variables to consider and results can vary? I have never suggested to anyone that they not go to Dr. A nor would I. All I can say is that I was given every reason to believe that my particular hair, scalp, etc. would yield very nice results by as early as 6 months. I do not yet have very nice results and I no longer believe that any future changes will be significant enough to make a difference. What do I believe? 1. I believe that somewhere around half of my grafts grew. 2. I believe that I should have greater density because, at this point, there is not even an "illusion of density" particularly when viewed from the sides. 3. I believe that, if 2500 grafts were not suitable, then I would have been told I needed 3500 or whatever and, since Dr. Alexander recommended 2500 and was convinced that I would have an acceptable result, then I stand in agreement with him. The issue really isn't how much did I have to spend. The point is that I asked how much I needed and if the true answer was not within my means then the choice should have been mine to say "no thanks." 4. I believe that there are some guys who would be happy with a little extra fuzz covering their melon and deem that to be a vast improvement but I was clear that I was looking for a hairstyle again and what I have now is akin to paying someone for a ride and then getting dropped off halfway to your destination. It could be argued that you're better off than you were before but... I'm 41 years old but I'm a young 41. I spent my youth bleaching, dyeing, spiking and ratting my hair and the only thing that really ages me now is my hair. I spent the past several years buzzing it because it was my only option. My goal here was to achieve a hairdo, even with a conservative hairline, that I could style a little. I was told that would happen with the 2500 I got. That didn't happen. That's the long and the short of it. My only reason for posting these results in transparency. I'm not bitter just a little bummed. I didn't set out to be the poster boy for what can go wrong with a HT. I really thought I was going to have great results. What I really don't deserve is any suggestion that I was naive or ignorant or foolish in my expectations. I did the research, I chose a quality doc and I asked him all the right questions. Then I listened to what he had to say and I put myself in his hands and trusted him because that's all you can do.

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am seeing Dr. A for a follow-up next Friday. He had asked me last time to come in again around this time. I'll be sure to update my post with any relevant information.

hdude46 - Thanks. I'm not sure what the future holds. Of course, I will speak to Dr. A when the time comes to get his assessment and se what he feels is a reasonable solution. Going to another clinic at this point is probalby not within reach financially. thanatopsis_awry - I understand what you're saying and you're not the first to suggest that, given my degree of balding, 2500 grafts is not tremendous. However, you have to understand, and I've said this before, I did not request 2500 grafts nor did I ask Dr. A how many grafts I could get for $10,000. At my consultation, I asked him how many grafts he recoommended, based on my degree of balding, so that I would achieve an acceptable and aesthetically pleasing result. Dr. Alexander said 2500 and also showed me results of patients with similar degrees of loss and similar numbers of grafts that looked great. He also told me that my hair and scalp quality were so good that I would have great results by six months. I did read your post on hair products and I thought is was great! I should have commented on that. I have bookmarked it and plan to try all the products you mentioned. I normally do style my hair and put some different products in it. I choose not to do that for my monthly pics because I think it should be displayed in its natural state for consistency.

Today I hit the 40 wk mark. At this point, I've given up hope that this procedure will produce an acceptable result. You win some and you lose some and I lost this one, gentlemen. Just to recap, I saw Dr. Alexander at the 6 month and 8 month marks and he urged me to let my hair grow out in order to take advantage of the layering effect. I have not cut the top in over a month. My worst HT fear has now come true. I have a bird nest on my head! Exactly what I'd hoped to avoid. As always, my photos were taken with no flash and trying to find the best ambient light. There are no products in my hair other than Rogaine Foam. It was washed, towel dried and combed. There was no attempt at styling. This is the way I've taken all my pics for the sake of consistency. I know, I've still got two more months...

Hey guys, Yes, I am taking 1/4 Proscar daily Rogaine 2x daily Biotin 5000mcg daily I'm debating whether or not to keep posting pics monthly or just wait for the one year mark. Thanks to all!

As always, I appreciate everyone's comments. Bill, it does seem to look better side by side but it's important to note two things changed here. I do try to find good lighting in my place and never use a flash but a couple of things are different. One, I've been letting my hair grow longer on Dr. A's suggestion and, two, this time around, I combed my hair forward and flattened it out while it was wet and then let it dry that way. I find that this reduces the "bird nest" look that it is prone to. I never use a thickening shampoo or any products in my hair on picture days. I had 2516 grafts. a few people have mentioned in the past that this is not a high number and I shouldn't expect too much or should be happy with what I got but I want to point out that I didn't come up with 2500 or ask, "how many can I get for this much money?" At my consultation, I asked Dr. Alexander how many grafts he felt I needed to achieve an acceptable result and he said 2500. We looked at examples of others he had done in that range with similar loss to mine and he was confident that I could achieve similar results. If he had said 3000 or 3500 or 4000 I would have done that. I don't feel it's been a complete failure. I think I went from very unacceptable to almost acceptable. I'd like to hit acceptable or approach desirable. Time will tell guys. I'll post again in four weeks!

Well, here I am again. Just posted my 36 week results to my blog. My feelings are pretty well documented on this board so I'm not going to add any more commentary at this point. I'm not fishing for a pat on the back or pep talk. Just trying to remain consistent througout the remainder of this HT's maturation.

Future_HT_Doc - Thanks! Yep, I'm approaching the 9 month mark. More updates to come! Coligion: Dr. Alexander did say that we would discuss a resolution to the problem if the yield was low but we needed to wait for 12 months. I'm not sure at this point what that would be. While I'm not happy with the density at all so far, I also think that my complaint and, therefore any resolution to it, would differ from someone who was disfigured or ended up looking worse than before the HT. I feel like I went into to this with realistic and reasonable expectations and I just want to get the best result for my money. hair_care: I should update my blog to reflect this but I have been taking Biotin for about five months now. I take 5000mcg per day along with a multivitamin. I'm not sure if I've seen any improvement but I plan on taking it for one year before deciding. Thanks for the suggestion! phxind: Thank you! I've viewed your blog several times myself. Just took another look. It seems like you're getting nice, even growth. Best of luck to you!