brianK

I've been taking MSM for about a year since my hair transplant. I haven't noticed any difference in growing hair or thickening my hair. I still take it because it helps grow my nails faster and makes them look more healthier and also helps my joints recover faster from intense workouts.

Anyone heard of Dr. Vories in South Carolina? I heard his commercial on the radio -- the very first commercial we've ever had in Myrtle Beach re: a hair transplant doctor in South Carolina. He claims to use a technique called the "Transfollic Technique." Anyone heard of this technique? His website (http://www.transfollictechnique.com) doesn't explain much, but it has me curious.

I've been on Rogaine once a day for the past year, and it's been working for me. I only apply it to my crown area because the rest of my scalp is too sensitive to handle it. I still use the "old" dropper to apply Rogaine; their new applicator and spray stinks. The big help was getting on Propecia; since I started on Propecia a little more than 4 months ago I've stopped shedding.

Brando, I stopped using Rogaine after 1 month as per Dr. Cooley, but also because the Rogaine irritated my scalp too much and it was hard for me to remove all of the residual to keep my grafts clean. Most of my transplanted hairs fell out between 5-6 weeks post op. At 9 weeks now I am seeing plenty of regrowth. Transplanted hairs that did not fall out have been growing.

I'd say I have more than half of my transplanted grafts left (who really knows, it looks that way, I could have less than what I imagine). Some of my grafts have been growing, and I am seeing new hair growth (nothing major) where some of my transplanted hairs had shed. I went through a big shed today, one of my biggest. It alarmed me. I picked off some of those annoying white, flakey bumps on my scalp and it definitely was pastey residual (dead skin and who knows what) clumping around my grafts which were probably wanting to fall out anyway. I've had no bleeding where my grafts have shed or I picked off (I read somewhere this is a good sign if there is no sign of bleeding). You bet, I have been getting tons of dandruff, even with using Nizoral 2%. I wonder if I've been cleaning my scalp as thoroughly as I should. Who knows. I'll add conditioner from now on. Anyway, as always, I appreciate your input and advice. Thank you...again.

I'm more than 6 weeks post-op from my 1600 FUs hair transplant. For the last two weeks I have been shedding some of my transplanted hair. Is it normal to see transplanted follicles fallout with what looks like a tiny piece of rice at the end of the follicle? Also some areas of my scalp feel bumpy and itchy where the transplanted hairs are. These raised bumps look like a combination of dead skin and Rogaine residual (it's white and flaky, like dandruff). I started rubbing, picking and gently scratching some of these bumpy areas and what looked like white, flaky dead skin and transplanted hairs fell out. Should I not be rubbing my scalp where the transplanted hairs are? Or does it not matter because the hairs are supposed to fall out anyway? I figure new hair growth is starting to grow from underneath these bumps on my scalp. I don't know, I'm confused. Anyone experience this? Brian

I'm more than 6 weeks post-op from my 1600 FUs hair transplant. For the last two weeks I have been shedding some of my transplanted hair. Is it normal to see transplanted follicles fallout with what looks like a tiny piece of rice at the end of the follicle? Also some areas of my scalp feel bumpy and itchy where the transplanted hairs are. These raised bumps look like a combination of dead skin and Rogaine residual (it's white and flaky, like dandruff). I started rubbing, picking and gently scratching some of these bumpy areas and what looked like white, flaky dead skin and transplanted hairs fell out. Should I not be rubbing my scalp where the transplanted hairs are? Or does it not matter because the hairs are supposed to fall out anyway? I figure new hair growth is starting to grow from underneath these bumps on my scalp. I don't know, I'm confused. Anyone experience this? Brian

The "foaming anti-itch solution" is called LUXIQ (betamethasone velerate) Foam 0.12%. You need a prescription for it.

I started using Rogaine three days after my HT surgery, as per my doctor's instructions.

Thanks guys for the info. I don't know what I would do without this forum and its users.

I used to listen to Spencer Kobren religiously when I lived in New Jersey a few years ago. I always found his advice very useful and unbiased. He and his book were the starting point for me to get on Propecia and Rogaine and evaluate my future options. His IAHRS website also was a starting point for me to research reputable doctors for my hair transplant. I now live down south and can't get his radio show. Is it broadcasted over the Internet somewhere? His website is becoming outdated. Some of the links don't work and he no longer archives his show. What's he up to these days anyway?

I picked this info. up at Dr. Foster's website. Is it true that eating too much meat can cause hair loss? I never heard of this before. Is this true, or is this Doc a quack? "The third cause of hair loss is exposure to too much testosterone as well as other male hormones. High levels of testosterone are usually associated with male pattern baldness and also with overly aggressive behavior. There are 2 main sources of testosterone: taking steroids (the kind bodybuilders take to gain muscle mass), and eating meat which is highly contaminated with hormone residues (all commercial meat). It only takes a minuscule trace of a hormone to have an action in the body; therefore, even residues left over from the hormones being fed to the animal are significant enough to cause a hormonal imbalance in the body. The remedy is to stop eating meat." (Source: Dr. Foster's website) Thanks, Brian

I picked this info. up at Dr. Foster's website. Is it true that eating too much meat can cause hair loss? I never heard of this before. Is this true, or is this Doc a quack? "The third cause of hair loss is exposure to too much testosterone as well as other male hormones. High levels of testosterone are usually associated with male pattern baldness and also with overly aggressive behavior. There are 2 main sources of testosterone: taking steroids (the kind bodybuilders take to gain muscle mass), and eating meat which is highly contaminated with hormone residues (all commercial meat). It only takes a minuscule trace of a hormone to have an action in the body; therefore, even residues left over from the hormones being fed to the animal are significant enough to cause a hormonal imbalance in the body. The remedy is to stop eating meat." (Source: Dr. Foster's website) Thanks, Brian

Dr. Cooley gave me dissolvable sutures, and yes, most of them dissolve in two weeks. I am almost 3 weeks post-op from my transplant, and I still have a few suture knots in my donor area. They usually fall out or I rub them out.

I found this on Dr. Weil's website, which I thought was interesting: "Whatever the cause of your hair loss, you may be able to prevent further loss and encourage re-growth by including omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. Try to eat salmon, sardines, herring or mackerel two or three times a week or sprinkle two tablespoons of freshly ground flax seeds per day on your cereal or salads. Buy whole flax seeds, keep them in the refrigerator, and grind enough for a week at a time in a coffee grinder or blender. In addition, supplement your diet with the essential omega-6 fatty acid called GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) in the form of black currant oil or evening primrose oil, available in capsules or soft gels at health food stores. Take 500 mg of either twice a day. Be patient with this one. You won't see results for six to eight weeks." Source: Andrew Weil, M.D. I already take two tablespoons of grounded Flax Seed that comes in a bag (you can buy at Walmart). What about this Omega-6 500 mg twice daily? Anybody on it? What other supplements do you recommend to maintain healthy hair? Brian

I found this on Dr. Weil's website, which I thought was interesting: "Whatever the cause of your hair loss, you may be able to prevent further loss and encourage re-growth by including omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. Try to eat salmon, sardines, herring or mackerel two or three times a week or sprinkle two tablespoons of freshly ground flax seeds per day on your cereal or salads. Buy whole flax seeds, keep them in the refrigerator, and grind enough for a week at a time in a coffee grinder or blender. In addition, supplement your diet with the essential omega-6 fatty acid called GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) in the form of black currant oil or evening primrose oil, available in capsules or soft gels at health food stores. Take 500 mg of either twice a day. Be patient with this one. You won't see results for six to eight weeks." Source: Andrew Weil, M.D. I already take two tablespoons of grounded Flax Seed that comes in a bag (you can buy at Walmart). What about this Omega-6 500 mg twice daily? Anybody on it? What other supplements do you recommend to maintain healthy hair? Brian

ReceedingInNC, Can you post pictures of your post-op? We have a few other active members on this forum who are thinking about using Dr. Cooley. Thanks for sharing your experience. Brian ----------------------------------- 1600 FUs with Dr. Cooley 06/11/04

I only wore a surgon's cap (with saran wrap covering my grafts) for only two nights because I worried about rolling over on my stomach and pressing my head into my pillow or accidently running my hand over my hair or itching at my scalp. Since the third night I have had no problem sleeping on my back and I remember not to roll onto my stomach and sleep with my face in my pillow. I do not wear a surgeon's cap now. I only wear a baseball cap when I go out during the day. Again, I place a sheet of saran wrap over my grafts then put on a loose-fitting baseball cap. Usually I have to trim some of the saran wrap in front so people don't notice it on my forehead and ask me questions. Also you need to spritz your head so the saran wrap clings to your existing hair and molds to your head. (Use that spray that Dr. Cooley gave you) It's advised that your scalp gets a lot of open air and is not enclosed in a baseball cap 24/7. Remember, no exercise and try not to be outside in this heat; you do not want to build up perspiration if you're wearing a hat. Even if you do sweat, the saran wrap will not stick to moisture and it will never pull on the grafts; in most cases the saran wrap slides right off. Another tip: when you start applying Rogaine to the grafts starting the third day, apply it very conservatively. You will not be able to shampoo your scalp, and the residual will build up on your scalp and it is very difficult (it's been impossible for me) to get it off with water alone. One last tip: sleeping on your back makes your head apply pressure to the sutured-up donor area, causing discomfort, even with a stack of pillows. What I do is I roll up a towel and place it underneath my neck for extra cushioning and elevation; it relieves some of the pressure from the back of the head and helps me sleep a lot better at night. Good luck...It's that time now that I have to jump away from my computer and look at myself in the mirror again. Brian

Socialdrinker, The results kind of make you excited, don't they? Seems like Dr. Cooley gave you an excellent hairline and he really packed the grafts in there. My experience was exactly the same as yours with Dr. Cooley and his staff. Very professional and very skilled. Don't let your new hair transplant give you a big ego like it has with me. I must look at myself in the mirror about a million times a day admiring my improved hairline and making sure I haven't accidentally dislodged any of the grafts. Now all we got to do is wait...wait...wait...wait.... Brian

I agree with the itching and the flaking. I cut back to using Rogaine on just my crown once daily. I apply it at night to my crown so it doesn't bug me as I get 7-8 hrs of sleep. I've been doing this for the last year and it seems to work good for me. I used to apply Rogaine twice daily to my temples for nearly two years, and it caused me to scratch my head more than a dog with fleas; finally one day I came to my senses and realized Rogaine is not going to grow hair on my bald temples. It was wishful thinking -- and a lot of praying -- that kept me doing it. Brian

7-Day Post Op. 1600 FUs w/ Dr. Cooley. Today I noticed I no longer feel a "tightness" around my head from the transplant. My head feels normal for the first time since the surgery. The discomfort in the donor area is going away, and the dissolvable sutures are disappearing. Looks like all of the redness on the scalp is nearly gone. I'm applying Rogaine twice daily to the grafts very conservatively so the residual doesn't build up on my scalp. I'm using the Rogaine (tear)dropper, not the sprayer. I also apply Rogaine to my crown area once daily before I go to bed, which I've been doing for two years now. I've been on Propecia for 9 weeks, and I continue to take 1 tablet of Propecia every other day (yes, every OTHER day), as per Dr. Cooley. I continue to spray my grafts and scalp about 2-3 times daily with clean tap water (with special healing medicine mixed in). Everything looks good and everything is going better than expected. Brian

That's good, because I don't think they make Halloween masks that fit my giant head. Brian

I used a mist sprayer too because I thought it would be more effective than the dropper. I wound up spraying too much on my grafts. The next day I had blotches of white crust encased on and around my grafts. Pouring water over my head won't remove it. I had my transplant done recently, and I can't use shampoo on my scalp yet. So I've been sticking to the dropper: I apply little drops conservatively among the grafts.

Actually, I got a hair cut a week prior to my hair transplant. My back is short (not buzzed), but it is naturally thick and layered, unlike the rest of my head. I tried taking photos of the donor area but I have too much hair surrounding the sutured-up area; even when I wet and lift my hair the scar barely comes up on my camera. Brian

I'll try to photo my donor scar. It's pretty hard to see because my hair is very thick in the back and it covers the scar very good. The width of the scar is also very narrow. When I lift my hair it is really hidden in there. The scar goes ear to ear (well, not all the way ear to ear, of course). The sutures are not noticeable. The one problem I am having is where the first suture starts (or maybe that's where it ends) on the left side of my head; it feels like a big suture knot there and it irritates me when I sleep on it. Other than that I feel no pain, only slight discomfort when I sleep on my back and the weight of my head applies pressure to the suture area. But I notice the discomfort has been decreasing very slowly over the last two days. I forget how the dissolvable sutures work. I know (obviously) they dissolve on their own after a few (???) weeks, and what's left are tiny suture knots that fall off or I can scrape off with my fingernails. I think they are already slowly dissolving because they feel different than they did in the beginning. Brian