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suprarob

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Posts posted by suprarob

  1. Just to add a word of caution...one of the things that the large chains are known for is to play musical chairs on the day of surgery.

     

    You think that you are getting Dr. John Doe but on the day of surgery, someone totally different is assigned to do your procedure and oftentimes, it's someone new to the field and inexperienced...:rolleyes:

    Thanks. I turned down the contract and ready to move forward. I have a question. Why do you have "supporting Dr's in your signature"?

  2. 4 hours should not be your deciding factor mate. You should be picking the best surgeon for you. If you are leaning towards him based on geographical location, and have not yet consulted with the top guys, then I am afraid you are still not ready. Each surgeon will offer up different plans, different estimated number of grafts, and differing opinions on your lifetime donor supply. You need to know how many grafts you need, and what the placement plan is, i.e. are you going for dense packing in a small area, coverage over a wider area, hairline work, crown work? Also, can the procedure be performed in a single session or multiple smaller sessions over a few years? Are you getting strip or FUE? Bottom line, are you picking Cooley because you liked his long-term plan for you the best? Just an example, Hasson & Wong prefer to perform much larger surgeries in one pass for in excess of 4,000 grafts so you don't have to return for a 2nd procedure until the future, whilst other surgeons like Dorin and Wesley may prefer to offer a smaller procedure for 2,000 odd grafts with the plan that you return for a 2nd procedure in a year to add density. Pros and cons to both, but have you thought that through?

    Is that all you got mate?

  3. Ha! I've thought many times how convenient a Like button would be to just acknowledge some of the extremely helpful responses on this forum.

     

    So glad you found this site. I use a couple other forums as well and this is by far the best, in my opinion. Solid group of users always willing to help out and keep people from making mistakes (like choosing Bosley... ;) ) You're on the right track, and you've greatly increased your odds of getting solid results just by taking a step back, weighing your options, and doing more research before you make a final decision.

     

    As for the finasteride, you just have to weigh the risks for yourself and see if it's something you're willing to try. Personally, I believe the reports of negative side effects are quite inflated, and the risk of side effects was so low that for me it was worth a shot. I've been taking it for a year and a half now and have no issues. At the end of the day, you have to decide for yourself which reports you want to give more credence to and what you are personally comfortable with.

     

    Ultimately, both choosing a surgeon and making a decision on Finasteride really come down to trusting your gut. Do research, ask questions, learn as much as you can, and then make the decision that feels best for you. There is no "one size fits all" solution.

     

    Welcome aboard. :)

    I will have to research the Fin again. I di forget to mention I started HRT with 100mg's testosterone week about 2 years ago. I noticed my hair loss accelerate a bit. Thats not a high dose but high enough. So I just hate to keep adding any other drugs if I can avoid or don't need it.

  4. Hi Rob,

     

    I don't post very often, but when I saw your thread, I wanted to jump in and reaffirm a lot of what you've been told already. I don't want to see anyone make the mistake that I or some others on this forum have made by being uninformed and going to a hack surgeon.

     

    Whatever you do, don't rush this process, there's no need to.

     

    A few bits of advice, if I may:

     

    1) Stay away from Bosley, as has been said already.

     

    2) Research heavily, learn everything you can and get multiple consultations from top docs on this site, some in person if possible.

     

    3) If you don't already know, familiarize yourself with the difference between strip & fue.

     

    Everyone has their favorites, this is a quick list of docs that produce consistent results and you would be in great hands with any of them.

     

    Dr. Cooley - Charlotte, NC

     

    Dr. Ron Shapiro - Minnesota

     

    Dr's Hasson & Wong - Canada

     

    Dr. Konior - Chicago

     

    Dr. Gabel - Portland, I believe

     

    Dr. Alexander - Arizona

     

    This is by no means a conclusive list, these are just some of my favorites and there are a lot of outstanding doctors on this site that I didn't mention. Use the search feature and go crazy.

     

    Good luck and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. There a lot of awesome guys on this site that will help steer you in the right direction.

    I appreciate you weighing in. All the info is spot on with this forum. Very impressed.

  5. You will not get a consensus, simply because everyone is different, both in their response to meds, and their position on finasteride. Some will not touch it, others wont get a procedure without it.

     

    *Are you ok taking meds forever?

    *Are you prepared to stop meds if your hair responds but you suffer from sides?

    *Would you prefer to get multiple procedures over the long haul simply to bypass the risk?

    *OR reduce the total # of procedures and potentially save $ and your actual hair?

     

    To me, a 5% risk of ED is like a 75% risk of a heart attack lol. Other guys on here take it, have a great response, and never look back. See where I'm going?

     

    Yes. And I wish this forum had a "Like" button. I would have liked about 20 replies already.

  6. I agree you should start finasteride as soon as possible. It appears you have a lot of thinning hair in the back and will improve it dramatically. Maybe not to the point where you don't need a transplant but maybe to the point where you only need work done on the hairline. I think you should be on finasteride 6-12 months before having a transplant.

    has anyone researched the side effects of that stuff? Many who use edit and gave it reviews said it did great for the hair but had serious other side effects. Whats the consensus here?

  7. I certainly hope it wasn't the dr himself. If it was it would have been better if he just offered some testimonials. I asked them for a testimonial and they had some guy call me from a unknown number because they said people want their privacy. I understand but still felt odd.

  8. If you're gonna shave down you might want to try Scalp Micropigmentation like the kind my clinic offers :) ... you look like a great candidate for it.

     

    If you go the HT route you definitely averted a potential HT rookie mistake by forgoing the surgery with Bosley. Tough to tell from the pictures but it appears you have good donor. A qualified HT surgeon will confirm if you have a consultation. I saw the names Cooley and Lindsey brought up and they are both excellent surgeons. Keep in mind with your level of loss (about a diffuse NW5) you're likely going to need more than 1 surgery to achieve front to crown coverage.

    Do you have some sample pics? Interesting.

  9. You're doing excellent.

     

    With Bosley you are playing Russian roulette. You might get a decent result but you most likely wont be shouting off the rooftops how happy you are with your HT by this time next year.

     

    Go to reputable doctor and the likelihood of getting a really good HT is well over 80% I'd say. Perhaps even higher with the top docs.

     

     

    EDIT: a result similar to this is what I envision you will get at Bosley. This poor guy got 6,000 hairs and it looks like total crap

     

     

     

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    Watched the video. That was 6000? Seems like with that many he would have had a better look. Seems like he had more donor hair on sides to offer. Should I post a pic of my head and track my progress? I don't see why some want to be so private. Its not like boob implants. Do people really care if a man gets hair moved from spot to another?

  10. I am not going to suggest one way or the other but you should definitely research this a lot before signing the dotted line. I first went to Bosley, and it seemed pretty tempting but then stumbled on this forum, read through the reviews and visited Dr. Cooley.

     

    I had my procedure last July and am really happy with the result. To me, the following factors were important in choosing Dr. Cooley over Bosley:

    1. Bosley is well known because of their marketing. Dr. Cooley is well known because of his work.

    2. Bosley gets business through marketing but you don't hear much about their docs or who was in the room doing the actual grafts. In contrast, Dr. Cooley gets all his business through word of mouth, and has more weight on his shoulders. He does most of the grafts himself, and has some technicians who help, but he's always there. To this end, one bad result is more detrimental for Dr. Cooley than for Bosley - so more on the line for him. Also, his technicians performed the HT on him so you know they're good if he trusts them.

    3. My comfort level with Dr. Cooley's office was far more than Bosley. It seemed like Bosley was more interested in me having the transplant, than in me making an informed decision.

    4. Bosley had dates available within a few days while Dr. Cooley was booked for a couple months out. FWIW, you can use this as a signal for quality, or perhaps this could be pent up demand, though I doubt.

     

    Going into it, I didn't know what the outcome would be like, but I was certain I will get more attention, and a better doctor with Dr. Cooley. I wouldn't ever know what Bosley would be like, but am really happy with the outcome with Dr. Cooley and would do the same if I was to get a second HT.

    Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

  11. Yes it is a mistake, Bosley is a joke. Stop right where you are and do a lot more research. Luckily you found the right forum. You need to start researching who the top HT surgeons are, and do online or in person consultations with all of them. My favourite so are: Dr Ron Shapiro, Dr Victor Hasson, Dr Rahal, Dr Konior, Dr Wong, and Dr Feriduni.

    I respect your view. As a newbie could you provide a little more direct help? Maybe a Dr in Va or eastern Va? Thank you.

  12. Tomorrow I have an appt to sign the agreement and make a deposit. However I got to thinking last night maybe I should look online for reviews and maybe alternatives. The total is 14k, and while i can afford it, I want to make sure the quality is worth the price. After searching around I found this site.

     

    The reviews and sometime horror stories have me a bit concerned to say the least. However I know how forums and groups work. A lot times they have vested interests in advertisers and therefore biased reviews for the ones the support are given while the competition is maligned. Not saying thats the case here just I just have to sleep with one eye open if you catch my drift.

     

    I am in Va Beach and the Dr is Sr Epstein and I did not see him on the sign up registry of this site. Is this an anti-Bosley forum or an unbiased informational site that can help me with my concerns. I have a receding hairline, I am 55 yrs and decided to fix it. Does anyone know about the Dr, his skill level and or a better Dr in the Hampton Roads Va area?

     

     

    Thanks, Suprarob

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