LaserCap

Transplanted hair typically takes 3-4 months to start growing. At first it is vellus-like and, with time, the shaft thickens. A matured result can take 12-18 months. Stop worrying. Consider, if you can not tell what's happening, neither will anyone else. When things really start going, people will start asking you if you've lost weight, etc. A gradual change is a good thing.

Agree with BeHappy with regards to pricing elsewhere. Doctors practicing abroad have to deal with the local economy and what the population can afford to pay. So perhaps not concentrating so much on the price is not a bad idea. Do please review plenty of photos, particularly those similar to your own case.

You can do PRP at any time. It is typically best to do it at the time of the procedure as it will help the transplanted hair to come in sooner. It can also help reverse miniaturization of the native hair. Get photos of results and ask to speak to some of the patients they've done in the past. This should give you a decent reference if their system works or not. Keep in mind, once you are on this band wagon, you need to continue doing them to keep the effect. Like all other modalities, you have to keep up with it otherwise it's a waste of time and money.

If the medication works, stay on it for as long as you want to keep your hair. The medication by the way, is intended for you to keep what you have. So, if you look the same a year from now, the meds did what they were intended to do. Take photos and put them away. Take another set every 6 months so you can keep track.

That will depend.... If you are 100 years old....put them wherever you wish. If you have a full set of hair and the only loss you have is in the crown.....Again why not. Mind you, how much loss are we talking about? Many factors go into this. First, age. Then, family history. What pattern are you thinning into. What are your goals. And then.... Education. How much donor do you have? I think it is important to realize no one has enough donor hair available to allow for a full set of hair, particularly when dealing with an advanced pattern. So, we typically want to put more value to areas of high impact. We also want to be pattern appropriate. A class 6 for example, will have a well receded forelock with a lot of loss in the crown. The front is what you see when looking in the mirror and it is also the area others see when you interact with them. So, in most cases, the idea is to start working the frontal area and blending grafts to the area behind it. If grafts allow, a doctor could go back as far as possible horizontally so as to minimize the size of the crown, but leaving the crown area alone until the patient is happy with the front and top. Medical therapy plays a vital role in all of this. Retention of the native hair does give patients lots of options...even the possibility of working the crown if the pattern is not expanding any farther.

Shampoos and vitamins do absolutely nothing to help with retention nor enhancement of the hair. Vitamins are meant to help the hair look as good as it can. Shampoo is only good to wash and keep clean. If they are asking for $150 for PRP, it is likely they don't know what they're doing. Ask them to show you photos of results. How often do they suggest you do the shots? Do they combine this with a matrix to help bind the PRP? $1400 for hair restoration? How many grafts?

All modalities only work if taken. If you can't or won't do them, why even consider transplants? With such advancements in the world, including the internet, why not order what you need from an outside source? Another Country, perhaps. The fact is, if you've lost, you'll continue losing. So you do a transplant and gain density, but then you lose....now you have to do more transplants just to replace what you lost. Eventually we run out of donor and now we're stuck and not able to do anymore. Get on something!

Where was the vellus hair, on the to, I presume? It was likely miniaturized hair about to dissipate and go away. The procedure may have prompted the departure. Transplanted hairs, (which is the grown stubble that came along with the graft), can sometimes remain and start growing from the start, or it can fall off along with the crusts when you start scrubbing at about 7 days post op. The new hair will start growing at about 3-4 months. The hair starts, vellus-like and, 9-12 months later the shaft will thicken up until you see the matured result, (12-18 months post procedure). Are you doing any type of medical therapy? Having lost the hair so recently, it is likely you may enhance some of it. Talk to the doctor about doing Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP.

Photos are not focused...Hard to tell...Hair a bit short and that's not helping either. Let your hair grow a week or two and post again. Have someone else take the photo. Take a photo of the back of your head as well. Are you doing any type of medical therapy? (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser). Do you want to cover your entire head? If you've already met with a doctor, what did they recommend? Family history of hair loss? How much money do you want to spend?

You have no idea. Some brilliant doctors with no common sense, others great bed side manners but could put grafts in a broomstick if they could. And everything in between. Had a patient once, lived secluded in the mountains. Came in with his bear coat, (he killed the animal), and had a dead raccoon hanging from it. Wild all right!

I don't think so. I think they got him off the street, did a month of training....and got going. And with the company realizing it or not...now they've put the consultant in a tough spot...."Oh, Mr patient, I am so glad to tell you that you will be the very first patient this doctor has ever worked with." And all future conversations - particularly about the work which is less than natural.

transplantedphil The other side of the coin....... You've hit on something......and it's a problem in the industry-particularly when starting out. All a doctor has to do is go to the local library, read up on the subject, and start doing transplants. Here you have several problems, (is the material outdated, is it correct? etc), and what follows is truly terrifying...... I saw this first hand. Doctor educated himself and started doing work. looked like rows. A year later, when the patient arrived for his post op, the doctor said, "hmmm, I could have done this, this and this to make it look better." The next patient came in and he applied what he learned. A year later that patient came in......It took 7 years for him to truly become a master at his craft. And, in the meantime, he had to deal with a number of patients that had less than natural work. It's always been my opinion a doctor should not be allowed to practice despite him reading a book on the subject. A fellowship should also be required. (The doctors in the industry should be more than happy to guide them in the right direction as everyone in the industry suffers when things go wrong). Now...some do's and don'ts of the patient: Read a transplant manual? Doubt is going to happen and should not be necessary. Educate yourself...Totally agree. Research the surgeon, review his work and photos. How many procedures does the clinic do per week? A doctor that does 1 or 2 per week is just not enough to get the experience needed. Schedule several consultations with different doctors and compare notes. Be aware of current techniques and don't settle on an outdated one. Don't stop medical therapy during the process.

The head is very vascular. It is constant. The reason why you want to keep the area clean is to avoid infections. If bacteria crawls into the recipient sites, you are just looking for trouble.

You start washing from day 1. Typically using the pour method. Pour shampoo into the area and just rinse off with a cup of water. Do not let the shower hair water hit your head. It is important to keep the area clean. You can gently massage the donor, sides and back. Do this for 6 days. On the 7th day you can start massaging the top of the head with the tips of your fingers. If you still have any crusting by the 9th day, get in the shower and let everything soak in warmer water and scrub away. If you live near the clinic, you can have them do the wash the first few days. The first three days are critical. Very hard to hurt anything after that. You did not wash your hair for 9 days? What clinic did you go to?

I barley turned 20yrs old last month and I’ve always had naturally fine straight hair but it’s not until the beginning of 2019 my hair started its course to shed a lot I thought cause it was due to the stress I was handling at the time by being a full time college student and a janitor working nightshifts everyday.. also key factor is that I’m really skinny like unhealthy skinny and I have a very bad diet basically to the point if I don’t change my weight I can progress into more serious health issues. So back to my hair..my dad has hair and it’s thin too I’d place him at Norwood 3 and he’s about 50yrs old my paternal grandpa has thin hair too but he keeps it short like a buzz cut so it looks fine just receding on the hair & temples. My maternal grandpa had so much hair he died of cancer couples years back with little to no hair loss at all. And I recently went to a dermatologist in August to identify my hair loss and he didn’t do any special examination or scalp biopsy he just told me to take off my hat(which i was wearing cause of being embarrassed) only words he said was it’s male pattern baldness and he prescribed me biotin supplements & minoxidil 5%. Another key factor is my hair care is so bad like i have a bad case of dandruff and oily/greasy scalp my hair gets so itchy if I don’t take a shower in 1-2 days so I don’t know if I should get a 2nd opinion on my hair but I can’t wait no longer!! my Hairline started to Finally show receding this month & now my temples are thinning im at like NORWOOD 1.5 i started wearing a hat all the time now I DONT KNOW if that’s making it worse either!!!! I want to treat this fast and possibly reverse & regain my hair if I can. Or atleast is prevent & stop the hair shedding now & make my current hair stronger and thicker!!! Please guys I need your opinions I’m too young to be experiencing this ... 😞 One step at a time. You seem to have medium course hair based on the photos...You do not have fine hair. Shedding is normal. Most believe 100 hairs a day is the norm. (The follicle gets tired of producing hair and it goes into a dormant period. The hair will eventually return. Stress is not the cause of the loss, but it can prompt the hair to go away sooner. Stop stressing. It is likely you can not do anything about the situation any way. If I've learned something so far is the fact that tomorrow always seems to be a better day and issues tend to resolve themselves without intervention. If you are eating the wrong things, start eating healthier. You have control over that. You have family history and you've shown the propensity to lose. You will continue losing hair unless you start doing something about it. Get on medical therapy. Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP are the modalities we typically discuss when dealing with this issue. The mechanism of action of each is totally different and are thus, synergistic. Biotin will not help you with retention nor enhancement of the native hair. It will help make the hair look as healthy as it can be. Take showers daily. Hygiene is important not only for you but for those all around you. Dandruff is typically caused by alcohol in the shampoo. This tends to dry up the scalp and create flakes. Change shampoos. Baby shampoo has not alcohol and should resolve the issue. Hats do not cause hair loss. Visit with a doctor and discuss medical therapy. Give it a year to see the full effect and make a decision of what to do next based on the outcome.

Solid class 5A with a lot of miniaturized hair. First thing that comes to mind is PRP along with the transplant. If done correctly, PRP can help bring in the results sooner and can also help reverse the miniaturization. Keep in mind, just like any other modality, you'll have to continue doing PRP treatments down the road. When? It depends on how the treatment is done. Some do a little frequently and others draw a lot more blood but do it in a longer time interval. Ask the clinic how the do it, what equipment they use, and if they use a binding matrix. Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP and the typicall modalities discussed when dealing with this debilitating condition. If you do not want to take Propecia, you do have an array of other choices. All of these work in different ways and are thus, synergistic when used simultaneously. Start Rogaine and add laser. It takes a full year to see the full effect of the meds. Take photos of every angle of your head. Get started with meds. 6-12 mo from now, take another set of photos. If you look the same or better, the meds did what they were supposed to do. Based on the results, you can then decide what to do surgical wise. And, at that point, please continue the use of whatever modalities you're doing.

It will depend on the size of the bottle. I would imagine is going to be over-sized. Just check in the bag and you should be fine. If you do decide to carry it on board, it's likely it will be taken away. (They'll likely let you bring it on board if you have a note from the doctor indicating this is medically necessary since you just had surgery).

Consult with your doctor. It would be prudent to start taking the medication ASAP. Suppose you are destined to lose all your hair in the next three months. All you are doing is prevention. The sooner the better. And stay on it. It does not do you any good to start and stop. Not only you'll waste the money spent, but will end up losing what you would have lost up to that point. This will not affect the transplant in any way. Typically you'll want to stop the minoxidil about 1 week prior to the procedure and resume 2 weeks post op.

Sensitivity? Really? There are parts of the body that are truly sensitive to touch. I believe the sensitivity you're referring to has to do with...don't touch it otherwise it'll fall. I don't think so. If hair does fall because of drying, combing, girlfriend playing with it, it's hair you would have shed at one time or another. Whatever you do to your hair what you're truly doing is prompting the shedding that would have happened anyway. (You will shed all the hair in your head at one time or another, randomly, throughout your life). There are two types of loss. The one you see and the one you don't. The one you see, shedding happens because the follicle gets tired of producing hair and it goes into a dormant phase. 3-4 month later, the hair returns. Hair loss, however, is loss you don't see. Have you ever wondered why some strands are thicker than others. Some become so fine they seem to grow no more. This is called miniaturization. Eventually the hair disappears. That's hair loss. So, whatever you are doing, pulling, combing, etc, has nothing to do with this process. To complicate matters, there are medical conditions out there that can also affect hair loss. If you have any of these, like a self immune system, and you do pull your hair out, there is the possibility it will not return. Likely, trichotellomenia, is yet another way in which you can really affect things. The follicle eventually realizes nothing can be done and will not produce any more hair.

$0.36 per graft? Where at you getting this done, at the flea market? Finasteride and Minoxidil not recommended? What do they do, breast implants? 1 PRP per quarter tells me they are doing very little per quarter, possibly a syringe's worth. Ask them what equipment they use, and about the binding matrix. Have them show you photos of results for each quarter. Doubtful you'll see any results. What would be the sense in starting meds if you're going to stop them?

Either they are under the belief it truly helps patients or they are doing it as a gimmick The only pill that has anything to do with hair retention is Propecia/Finasteride. Vitamins do have their place in this world. If you are short of something - why not. I guess having a full panel done would help to find out what you're lacking. I am under the belief most are useless in the healing/growth period. But that's my opinion. I am sure others will chime in.

I can understand and empathize. Talk to your doctor about it. Seems by your comment you experienced a benefit at the beginning? If so, it is not because you grew more hair. Nothing out there grows hair. The medication is intended to retain hair. That is, if you look the same a year later, the med did what it was supposed to do. When there is a visual change, it is because the hair enhanced. Let me explain.... There are two types of loss. The one you see....that's shedding. This is normal and it will happen randomly to every hair on your head. The follicle gets tired of producing hair and it takes a vacation. 3-4 months later, the hair returns. The hair you don't see...that's hair loss. Go under a bright light and look at your temporal areas. You'll notice the shaft of each strand. Some are thick and some are thinner. That thin hair will continue miniaturizing until eventually it disappears and withers away. That's hair loss. Sometimes the medication can help thicken up the miniaturized hair. Seems you did experience some of this. If so you are one of a small percentage of individuals that do get this positive effect. Please resume the use and stay on it. Rogaine will typically work best for about 7 years. It then loses a bit of the efficacy...but don't stop. Continue using. Talk to the doctor about adding laser and PRP.

Nice set of photos. You seem to be thinning into a 5 pattern. It is important to recognize the type of pattern as this will dictate all your options. 1st, medical therapy. You seem to have a lot of miniaturized hair. The medication is intended for you to keep the hair and to perhaps experience some enhancement. Hopefully this will help the crown not getting any larger. You were on Minoxidil but stopped. Why? It takes a full year to see what the medications will do. Get back on it. What happened with Propecia? Be specific Laser therapy and PRP are the other two modalities available to you. Talk to the doctor about them Transplant wise, do as many grafts as you can afford in the front and blend the grafts going back as far as the doctor can go horizontally - but leave the crown alone. Once happy with the density in the front and top, (and confirming the meds are working), you can theck tackle the back. From the photos you've posted your donor seems fine. And I don't see the typical curling of the hair when dealing with DUPA. Have the doctor confirm. Can't emphasize enough how important meds are for you. If you are not willing to do them I would think long and hard before getting involved with transplants. Keep in mind there is not enough hair in the donor area to allow for a full set of hair, particularly when dealing with an advanced pattern.

1. There has to be trust from the get-go. No way to verify other than to ask for copies of all the documents in your chart. If done properly, you'll find the names of all involved in your case, numbers of grafts, type of grafts, (2-3 hairs etc), and even where the placement was done. During the procedure it is common for a staff member to do the count while the doctor is making sites. The patient, by this time, is under local and will not remember this part of the procedure. 4. Most of the groups I know charge by the graft, except when dealing with eyebrows. Those are typically at a package price. The clinic can charge whatever they feel they're worth. If you're the owner of the clinic and have the best transplant doctor ever, would you charge $1 per graft. I doubt it. You have to figure into this, rent, electricity, equipment, staff, doctor's time....etc. And, if they are over priced, no one would visit. If they are not willing to work with you on the price, go elsewhere. There are plenty of competent doctors in the industry. Everyone with this debilitating condition should consider a medical regimen, before, during and after. The medications are intended to retain hair. So, you keep what you have, you do a procedure - the result will be more density. Not doing medication.....you do a transplant, you keep losing native hair, now you have do to more transplants just to replace what you lost and never increasing density. Eventually you'll run out of donor and now you're stuck. All modalities work in different ways and are thus, synergistic. To say that PRP is more than enough is coming from someone who does not truly understand the process.

1. By the late 90's most all barbaric techniques, for lack of a better description, (MPR, use of balloons, rotation flaps, etc) were pretty much gone with the exception of plugs which are still being practiced today. (In my view FUE is a glorified plug, if you think about it. Just a lot smaller and branded with a different name). But the one global idea which remains constant to this day is the belief grafts compete for blood supply and a separation in between grafts is needed for survival. So, during the initial consultation someone will mention multiple procedures. The second procedure can be done as early as 4 months after the 1st, but most prefer a full year. This is typically the case when doing as many grafts as you can per procedure. In some instances, often due to finances, the patient will move forward with lesser grafts. This just means he'll have to do more procedures down the road to achieve the desired density. Another explanation could be patient driven. If, during the consultation the patient tells the doctor he wants hair all over his head, the grafts will be placed diffusely throughout. The problem with this, particularly when the patient has a very advanced pattern, is the fact that people typically do not lose hair in this fashion. The patient ends up looking like he's sick. Lastly, the use of medical therapy. Native hair, by definition, helps density. But if the patient has lost, he will continue losing. Adding grafts will offset some of this but it's a losing battle. If the patient does medical therapy and keeps what he has, then the procedure will bump the density bar. 2. During the procedure you'll typically have the doctor and the clinical staff which includes a nurse. The Doctor is in charge of all that's surgical. Placing is normally done by the clinical staff. Everyone works under the umbrella of the doctor. He is the responsible party at the end of the day. (There are plenty of reported cases - staff doing sites, harvesting, etc). Unfortunately this is not regulated and thus will continue to happen. 3. PRP is fairly new to many doctors. Unfortunately most fail because they just don't know how to do it, what amount is needed, etc. When done properly, it can help bring results in sooner and it can help reverse miniaturization of the native hair. It is yet another modality against this debilitating condition. But, like the others, it has to be repeated at certain intervals to maintain the effect. (Hopefully one day all doctors will get together and share their trade secrets. In the end the patients will truly benefit from this particular modality). 4. What's expensive to you? Perhaps a better question...What do you want to pay? What do you think is reasonable for this service? $3 per graft? How about $1? At the end of the day it is always about results. Look at plenty of photos, particularly cases similar to your own, and then decide which you like better. 5. Testosterone is broken down and the result is DHT. This is what many believe to be the culprit. I've often heard DHT is only good in early years and at puberty. After that it becomes an issue. Most of us do have a donor area. This area is dominant and the hair is not susceptible to the effects of DHT. This is why it is the area all doctors use to harvest. If it's permanent in the donor, it will be permanent wherever it's placed. 6 Incorrect. Grafts will remain. It is the native hair that's dissipating and withering away. To the patient, however, it will seem like he's losing grafts. (Your question prompts me to believe there is lots of confusion out there. Mostly because patients interject and give their opinion. All anecdotal of course, but just adds to the confusion. "Dr X did my procedure and I lost all my grafts." And, in actuality, the patient had 600 grafts to the corners, did not do medical therapy, and ended up losing all the native hair. Do you think all his friends will go to the same doctor? (Can't believe everything you hear. Do some fact checking before making any decisions).