ArochaAngel4247

Hi SF, I believe surgeons who chronically get great results, don't want to work for the minimum wage in the hair transplant world. Would you? Here is another factor you may not be considering. HT's today are often getting higher graft counts than they where years ago. So in that regard they are getting more expensive- but patient satisfaction is higher too. ArochaAngel4247

Hey Damon, Your hair looks good but you noted in your post some points which are common with male pattern loss. The whorl you see at the back of the head is normal, but when your hair begins to change it will become increasingly noticeable. You look like a healthy guy. Are you taking any medication(s)? Do you have any health issues? BTW, good work in the gym. ArochaAngel4247

Howdy Anddag2, Yes sir I'm in Texas. Hair loss just sucks, doesn't it? We understand your pain and I am glad you have found this forum. All of us think Hair loss sucks too. Think about this, in the thinning areas you have lost a lot of hair, but what you still have is worth tens of thousands of dollars in hair restoration. BTW, they look really natural too. ;-) Your donor area has a finite number of follicles. It can be depleted or worse cause thinning in an area that isn't normally thin if over harvested. I feel you understood these points, but if it has not crystallized for you yet, then hopefully it will now. Who are the happiest and most satisfied patients? I feel it is those who research, who find the limitations of every option. Those who understand it is not necessarily more money = more satisfaction. (although I could always use more money) Therefore, you must have a strong defense (prevention) to go with your offense (buying grafts). Your defense so far has been Rogaine. It worked for me for a while then even though I was doing it BID (twice a day in layman) I started to loose hair again. Life is not fair! So, what will you do if you continue to loose more hair? 2,000 grafts will probably not be fully satisfying for most young men. With the loss you have you will probably desire 6,000+ grafts- especially if you continue to loose more hair. So, what is the best stand alone therapy to slow/stop and hopefully reverse hair loss? I hope you get real facts. I do not work for Merck, nor am I a shareholder. However, I have been fighting hair loss since 1997 and began to work for hair restoration physicians since 1999. Why are you so afraid of changing your mind? Taking finasteride increases T (testosterone) since it is inhibiting DHT conversion. I have seen guys in our practice who are more frisky. They are just as uncommon as those who have the negative side effects all men are concerned with. Who posts about side effects? Not the frisky ones. Not the guys who take it without seeing any problems who are in the vast majority. Your last post said to not change your mind but to try to help instead. I AM TRYING TO HELP. Although you may not be open to my message. ArochaAngel4247

I second those questions. ArochaAngel4247

Thank you for the kind words JeanLDD. Dr. Arocha uses a .7mm punch and has been able to even harvest 5 hair follicular units with it. I think if any of us had a repetitive task, we would do what is comfortable and gets the job done efficiently. ArochaAngel4247

This is so sweet, Thank you for your kind words. Please let us know if we can do anything for you, and don't forget your follow up visits. Dr. Arocha loves to watch his work grow and grow! Best Regards, ArochaAngel4247

Thank you David! I appreciate your comments and opinions. ArochaAngel4247

Hey Hairthere, Thank you for the compliment. Your work is mighty impressive too! ArochaAngel4247

Thank you forgotpassword, I appreciate your comments and questions anytime! Dr. Arocha told her she would not be a good candidate for HT due to her diffuse thinning. She is thrilled with her progress, and feels it is continuing to get better. We're rooting for her to be a candidate for surgery, and it looks like she is on her way. ArochaAngel4247

Patient Details: This woman came to us with severe thinning. Dr. Arocha recommended a treatment regimen that consisted of our PRP procedure, along with the LaserCap Pro. She also uses Rogaine. After just five months, the patient has shown significant regrowth and will continue on the same course of treatment. We look forward to updating her results along the way.

The estrogen comment was kind of "off the cuff." I recalled soy or soy isoflavinoids being mentioned back on page one of the topic. I was thinking of that topic might be better in the physical fitness issues forum where diet and nutrition are often discussed. Many protein bars and powders derive protein from a soy base. If you are trying to build up fitness, muscle etc. One might not want a protein to that also enhances estrogen. . Less testosterone means less DHT. Less DHT would likely slow MP hair loss. More estrogen does not necessarily mean less DHT. (This could light up those in academia on differences in vivo /in vitro) When your T levels dropped that could be a factor or it could be coincidence. I think it could be the latter. Your hair loss probably started years ago. Humans visual acuity isn't so great after all. It takes approximately a loss of 50% of your hair to notice it is just beginning to thin. Therefore, you would have to have a dramatic amount of loss in a very short period of time. Acute Telogen effluvium. This is usually different from MP loss, where the loss can appear to be global. The weakest follicles/hair would likely be the first to go- like those in a withering male pattern. To Low T: Lowering T lowers DHT. This happens naturally as men age. So, HL can slow down. Where it gets confusing is T will GROW MORE HAIR.. on your body. Higher T means more DHT production. IF you have the genetics for MP hair loss, then the rate of loss could increase and the caliber of your hair would decrease. Saw Palmetto is commonly called a "DHT blocker". In European studies it has been shown it can do this. Many physicians familiar with the parameters of studies will tell you those findings are suspect. So believe it if you want. In my opinion, it may have DHT blocking properties BUT not enough to have an effect on male pattern loss. Perhaps if it is not so effective therapeutically, it may not be so effective at causing sexual dysfunction issues. ArochaAngel4247

Here is what I would do... Go see the doctor, or hopefully doctors you might consider locally. Have them draw it for you. Then have him/her take photos with your own cell phone for your private use. You would probably learn what is right and what isn't. You may also form an opinion about the artistry that goes into temple restoration. Best to you, ArochaAngel4247

Then there is dutasteride... O.K. I wont go off-label here. Here is something to contemplate. Men find supplementing testosterone can boost sex drive and performance. So, you don't hear guys worried about "impotence, ejaculation problems, decreased amounts of semen, decrease in testicle size;" Those are actual side effects of testosterone. Look it up! Every medication can have risk, but most men who use Propecia find the benefits outweigh the risks. (I do not work for Merck) If the long term users are seeing sexual health issues, can it truly be isolated that that is the only causative factor? I think most men 50+ would say they are different from when they where 20 or even 30. Could there be other factors? Taking anti-depressants, too much alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, heart health issues? All of these can be causative factors in of themselves,. Therefore it is not so easy to say it isn't me- it's the Propecia! Says the manly man. Don't get me wrong, there are guys that do have performance issues, it is just hard to prove with so many variables. The "hard" pun was not intended- at first. OK, that might have been a bit much. Natural DHT blockers exist but I have not seen anything to make me feel that they will be very beneficial at slowing hair loss. I say if you feel it helps, take it. However, if it begins to fail you- seek expert advice. Oh and SOY!?!? Soy can increase estrogen. That is for another forum. ArochaAngel4247

If a company had a "cure" they would be making crazy money selling it. If I had it- I would love to sell it. Sounds greedy, but who would not want to be rich? I've been hoping since 1999, seen many highly marketed products come and go. I suspect we will see more products come along with a "scientific breakthrough." I don't subscribe to conspiracy theory, too much greed would not allow it to stand. ArochaAngel4247

Yo Bro! There is nothing wrong with having high standards. I would go back and let them know you have some concerns. Any legitimate business wants happy customers. They should at the very least, make an attempt to bring the work already done- come up to your standards. ArochaAngel4247

Another tip, don't try any new products. Don't try any new methods either. If you have a reaction, you may have to delay your procedure. ArochaAngel4247

I remember being swayed by a guarantee. It just seemed to promote a since of confidence by the doctor. Having many friends and family who are lawyers, they reviewed the guarantee and ALL of them found loopholes. I already had my procedure anyway. I just could not wait any longer. In the end I was pleased, but if I had to have the guarantee honored- I don't think I would get very far. There is more than one way to interpret your question. Is it all the grafts grew? Is it patient satisfaction? Is it a 100,000 mile or even a lifetime that the grafts remain or a lifetime of patient satisfaction? I think the first one stated is what you are looking for. How would you determine if even 1 graft did not grow? I suppose that would take a tattoo to mark and number every recipient site. Now to get even more down and dirty. What if an implanted follicular unit had three hairs and only 2 grew? The graft was successful. Or was it? In the end, the chorus of voices with years of experience are saying: Do your research! In the end, you will have to hire someone you trust. My $.02 is look for someone passionate about being a true patient advocate, someone who demands only the best results. ArochaAngel4247

Dr. Lindsey, I believe the third procedure he completed with you made him impervious to aircraft crashes. Now there is another reason for hair restoration! LOL! Seriously though, he is incredibly lucky to survive. Maybe he has an angel looking out for him? ArochaAngel4247

Fitmodel007, Thanks so much for your kind words. It is Dr. Arocha's great pleasure to take care of patients like you! Come back and see us soon - at least for some Chinese food! ~ArochaAngel

Patient Details: Dr. Arocha and his team performed a 3000 FUT procedure on this gentleman. *He had severe thinning in the frontal third and desired more coverage. The after images were taken 15 months after his procedure. Before: After: Before: After: Thanks for checking out the pics. Please post any questions or comments. ArochaAngel4247

This patient came to Dr. Arocha with thinning throughout. He desired to enhance his hairline, as well as add additional density throughout the top of his head. Dr. Arocha and his team performed his leading-edge follicular unit extraction (FUE) procedure on this patient. The procedure was 2503 grafts. The after images were taken 22 months after his initial procedure. We love his new look. Before: After: Before: After:

Thank you so much for thinking of us. We got just a tiny bit of water damage in a stairwell. Dr. Arocha is still going full speed ahead!