hairthere

alexander is doing some of the most natural-looking hairlines around, IMO.

there is no point in asking this question or worrying about it now. just sit back, be patient, and enjoy the growth. after 12 months you can start to consider if another procedure is needed. good growing!

azza,

with the amount of loss you had and the amount of grafts you recieved i am guessing you will need another procedure to really thicken up. definitely sit tight and give it the full year, if not 18 months before making a decision. in the meantime, have you tried dermatch? i have been using it post-op and my trick is that i apply it straight out of the shower, that way it covers up all the exposed spots evenly. i can then style it a bit more. good luck.

I hate to break it to you, but families are suppossed to be supportive of each other. my entire family knows and they have really been there for me. i mean, these are the people who love you and you should be able to tell. also, if you have mpb, someones else in your family probably will suffer from it too. you can be in the unique position of helping a nephew or cousin or brother with all of your wonderful knowledge on the subject. and if they snicker? so what! once the ht is grown in i guarentee they'll be impressed. besides i'm sure if they just rib you a bit eventually they'll just forget about it.

You're not just talking about a physical change...an HT can change you emotionally, socially, etc. In my opinion it is well worth the money.

Death Grafts, coming to a theater near you! No worries man, those puppies are fully secure after 8 days.

pilo, it's not the number of transplants a doc does, but the number of consistently ultra-refined hts he does. the docs i mentioned fall into that category. there are docs that are good who will get very little "press" on these forums. however, the docs that do get talked about a lot in a positive light you can rest assured are turning out amazing hts on a daily basis. personally i'd rather go to someone who had a lot of praise on these boards and who showed hundreds of fantstic results here.

On the other side, my horrible doctor charged me more than feller did for far less grafts and subpar work, so sometimes cost really is irrelevant. my point, however, is that if you find a doc you love and he's a bit pricier than your 2nd choice, spend more.

pilo, if you're going to travel here for the best, these are considered some of the top docs in the HT industry here in the US, Canada, and the world:

Hasson and Wong, Rahal (Canada)

Feller, Shapiro, Alexander (USA)

i'm not sure why you insist on listening to your dermatoligist. has he/she ever had a transplant? i'm guessing not, but the guys on this board have plenty of experience, so listen up. choose wisely and best of luck!

gator, you are breaking two of the most important rules when considering an HT: you are letting cost and travel determine who/where you go.

if i were you i'd consult with some other docs like H&W, Feller, Shapiro, Rahal. Yes, you may have to travel, but most of these docs will pay part of the travel expense/lodging. regarding cost, just wait a bit longer for the HT and save some more. if you can save $8k surely you could save $10k.

imo, both of these docs have quoted you on the low side graft-wise. your area of thinning in the crown alone looks like it would require at least 2500-3k grafts. the crown, known as the "blackhole" can consume a lot of grafs.

do not rush into anything and do some more consults, online if need be. good luck.

post some pics....

NOTHING will effect those grafts after 8 days.

shaved mine at 9 days with a number 2 clipper.

pilo, here's a list of some of the top ht docs in the world:

Hasson and Wong (Canada)

Rahal (Canada)

Feller (New York)

Shapiro (Minnessota)

Alexander (Arizona)

There are other docs out there, but I think most people on this forum would agree you will get a fantastic HT from any one of these docs. They are the only docs I would consider going to. Best of luck....

dj, download a program called irfanview. it's free, then just resize your pics to 500 pixels or roughly half the size of your jpeg.

Never heard of a Shapiro in Canada. Yuo want the best in Canada go to Hasson and Wong. otherwise you're taking a very long expensive trip to gamble with your hair. Not a good idea. And being a dermatologist doesn't make anyone an expert on hair tranpsplant surgery.

growth is suppossed to start around 3-4 months. expect real cosmetic change by 6-8 months. thickening and softening of the hair will generally happen from 8-12 months. you can see continued improvment from 12 months on. In other words, give it a full year to see the end result.

jd, glad to see you chose one of the top ht docs in the world. congrats, you're in good hands.

You'll get great results with your hair type. make sure you have a solid gameplan for future loss/hts. your hair looks similar to rahal's posterboy, so i can understand why you'd consider him at the top of your list. i'd definitely consult feller too and keep alexander at the top.

who's your doc of choice?

With you rhair type and amount of loss 1400 grafts should be plenty. Remember you need to give your HT a full year at least to determine if it is a success.

scalpbloom,

is the conservative approach due to limited donor supply or limited funds? as you have recognized you not only need to reconstruct the hairline (which at 1800 grafts would be conservative)but fill in behind it. it looks like you'd need about 3k grafts to really accomplish that.

I've been scouring these forums in earnest over the past few weeks and cannot begin to convey how enriched I feel with the abundance of honesty and support from you wonderful folks.

 

So, as my appointment for my first HT is rapidly approaching (with a well regarded coalition surgeon), and I am feeling the onset of some natural anxieties, I've decided to take the plunge and post and see if anyone has any advice for me.

weeks is not a lot of research time when it comes to hts either. don't jump into anything...

I'm not sure 1800 grafts is going to do much for you. your nw pattern is clearly defined and pretty far advanced. if your few existing native hairs are lost to shockloss then they were likely destined to go soon anyway. if i were in your shoes and going for an ht i'd try and pull as many grafts as possible (4k+). the first docs i would consult would be h&W just because they seem to have a great track record for super high megasessions. that's not to say they can definitely get 4k grafts from you though. i'd also plan for 2 sessions concentrating on the front then the back in session 2. i just don't see the point in doing a half-assed ht with your level of balding....

i went with the other approach: i did roughly 2k in the front and 1200 in the crown. but i have a good amount of existing hair with thick caliber. i think your approach depends on your current loss situation, planning for the future, and hair quality... i will say though that the 2-tiered approach that Bill describes seems to be the more common plan...