Pat - Community Publisher

Thanks for everyones support. Bill, I would have loved to meet you in person. But I ended up high tailing it up the New Jersey Turnpike from MD to NYC. Perhaps one of these days we'll have a hair geeks gathering in some sunny and warm place like Florida in the Winter. We can then all pick through each others hair like orangutans picking for bugs :-)

I appreciate everyone's input regarding the potential Coalition membership of the above mentioned leading physicians. At this time I would like to announce our first Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physician member in Europe - Dr. Jean DeVroye . He has worked hard over the past ten years to build a world class hair restoration clinic and his success in doing so was very evident during my recent visit. I expect he and his staff will provide excellent service and results to all find him on this community. The potential Coalition membership for Drs. Farjo and Dr. Feriduni are still pending.

On this trip I've really focused on visiting only the top flight clinics that I have not yet visited. I just finished posting the highlights from my visits to Dr. Vogel's office in Maryland and Dr. Feller's office in Great Neck, NY (right outside of NYC). To view them visit " Visits to Leading Hair Transplant Clinics ". I'll be heading North into Canada soon to visit top clinics in Quebec and Ontario. Upwards and Onwards, Pat

For Indai, Right now you have the hair that most of us could only dream of having. Priority #1 should be keeping it. The above publishers are right. You don't need a hair transplant. What you should do is get a prescription for finasteride and use Rogaine in your crown. Then stop worrying and get on with enjoying life. Best wishes, Pat

nocarrier, I have visited the Seattle/Washington area on three occasions over the years and I still haven't found a physician/clinic that meet the standards for recommendation for this community. If you want to stay in your area I strongly suggest you consider visiting either Drs. Hasson and Wong and or Dr. Steve Gabel in Portland, Orgeon. Best wishes, Pat

thanatopsis_awry, Sorry for the delay. I have had my hands full lately with visiting clinics in the North East of the US. I have just updated the status on the pending physician removals at the link Bill provided. Best wishes, Pat

Craven, Welcome to our community. You sure are off to a dramatic start :-) When I saw your post title and started reading your post I thought our community was going to have to talk you off the ledge. Let's all remember - it's only hair for God's sake. I believe anthropologists would explain that its real purpose was to provide our ancestors with insulation. It's nice to have but certainly its loss is not worth giving up the 99.999% of everything else we have. You will certainly be in great hands with Dr. Ron Shapiro. But do keep your expectations in check. Given your level of hair loss you will go from balding to a thinning look. Will this make life better - that will ultimately depend on you. Best wishes for getting out from under the hat. Pat

I had the pleasure of visiting Dr. Tykocinski and seeing him perform his ultra refined procedure, which was first rate. To view the photos and highlights, click here . Best wishes, Pat

Need hair, Welcome to our community. Belgium appears to be a real hot spot for top notch hair transplantation. I recently added the photo highlights from my visit to leading clinics in Belgium. While Dr. Bisanga has generated some good online buzz, take a good look at those who do outstanding work but aren't active online. Best wishes, pat

Bon Voyage on your journey in search of new look. Jennifer Martinick is the only physician in Australia who is recommended on the Hair Transplant Network ( see her profile ). She has gotten only good feedback over the years. I know she has moved toward doing ultra refined follicular unit grafting. But while she is recommended on the Network, she has not yet been formally approved for membership in Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. I recommend that you definitely consult with her as well as any one else you think may be top notch. Keep us all posted. Best wishes, Pat

My dad? No, that old man is me :-) The hair world has just turned me into an old man. Thanks for the suggestions.

"Trust but Verify" - Old Russian Proverb In addition to patient feedback and evaluating the techniques, photos and reputations of various clinics - I believe in visiting clinics to observe their actual surgeries and techniques as well as interviewing their staff to determine their level of experience. Since these clinic visits involve a great deal of travel, I decided to purchase a small motor home for making the "rounds" in North America. This motor home was nick named by member Pushing 40 "Hair Force One" (see below). I've begun making the rounds after returning from visiting clinics in Northern Europe and I'm now in Long Island, NY. I just visited Dr. Ivan Cohen's clinic in Fairfield, CT ( see highlights ) and I will be observing Dr. Alan Feller doing surgery early this coming week. To see highlights from some of my past clinic visits, Visits to Leading Hair Transplant Clinics I will be focusing on visiting clinics that I have not yet visited. Any suggestions for clinics in the North East will be appreciated. I will be visiting leading clinics in Ontario after finishing up in the North East. I will then be traveling through the Great Lakes region and out to the West Coast and South West. If you see me on a street near you do come up and knock on the window. It can be lonely on the road :-) Best wishes, Pat

"Trust but Verify" - Old Russian Proverb In addition to patient feedback and evaluating the techniques, photos and reputations of various clinics - I believe in visiting clinics to observe their actual surgeries and techniques as well as interviewing their staff to determine their level of experience. Since these clinic visits involve a great deal of travel, I decided to purchase a small motor home for making the "rounds" in North America. This motor home was nick named by member Pushing 40 "Hair Force One" (see below). I've begun making the rounds after returning from visiting clinics in Northern Europe and I'm now in Long Island, NY. I just visited Dr. Ivan Cohen's clinic in Fairfield, CT ( see highlights ) and I will be observing Dr. Alan Feller doing surgery early this coming week. To see highlights from some of my past clinic visits, Visits to Leading Hair Transplant Clinics I will be focusing on visiting clinics that I have not yet visited. Any suggestions for clinics in the North East will be appreciated. I will be visiting leading clinics in Ontario after finishing up in the North East. I will then be traveling through the Great Lakes region and out to the West Coast and South West. If you see me on a street near you do come up and knock on the window. It can be lonely on the road :-) Best wishes, Pat

A shaved recipient area is certainly easier for all hair transplant surgeons and staff no matter what their technique. But typically it is the clinics that are doing lateral slit incisions that require such shaving. Given the added risk of follicle transection associated with lateral slit grafting, better visualization of the existing hairs and their underlying follicles becomes more critical. Without understanding this issue patients will not really understand why surgeons who have adopted lateral slit incisions in recent years are more insistent upon patient's shaving their recipient areas. Personally, I believe surgeons creating sagital incisions can more or less provide patients with similar final outcomes regardless of whether the patient shaves or not. It may make the surgery a bit more challenging with the hair longer, but since the sagital incisions parallel the existing hairs surgeons using good optical magnification and care can create incisions in between and around these existing follicles without transecting them. In my opinion the most important development in hair transplant technique in recent years has been the evolution toward smaller incisions and grafts that are carefully angled/orientated - not lateral incisions rather than sagital incisions. Physicians and staff who are doing the hard work of ultra refined grafting can and some times do switch between sagital (parallel) and lateral (perpendicular) incisions based on the patients characteristics and the area being grafted. Perhaps in recipient areas that are totally bald lateral incisions are optimal, while in areas with existing hair that a patient does not want to shave sagital incisions should and could be used. Many leading surgeons are already doing this. Some are using tiny needles that really don't have a lateral or sagital plane at all. I hope this topic gives patients some insight into the differences between parallel and perpendicular graft incisions and their impact on the scalp.

This past May of 2007 I traveled to Europe to verify which hair restoration physicians and clinics are doing ultra refined hair transplantation on pare with the leading clinics in North America. I was very pleased to identify three such clinics, which in my opinion are doing truly world-class ultra refined follicular unit hair transplantation. Based on seeing their surgeries, patient results and patient feedback I think these three clinics should be given serious consideration by this community for membership in the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians . The physicians/clinics that I propose we grant membership in the Coalition to are - Dr. Jean DeVroye ??“ Brussels, Belgium Dr. Bijan Feriduni ??“ Hasselt, Belgium Drs. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo of the Farjo Medical Centre in Manchester, England I encourage the members of this community to read the below information about these physicians and follow the links to their posted photo albums, websites and other information. I encourage members to add their input and opinions by posting replies to this topic. Coalition Candidate Highlights: Dr. Jean DeVroye in Brussels, Belgium I have known Dr. DeVroye for several years. In fact we both attended our first hair conference in Paris ten years ago ??“ me as a show case patient of Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. DeVroye as physician who was aspiring to become a great hair transplant surgeon. Now after ten years of hard work and dedication; I believe that Dr. DeVroye has succeeded. He has really paid his dues over the years ??“ observing and working extensively with leading hair transplant surgeons in North America, attending international hair restoration meetings and more recently becoming an important contributor and teacher in his own right. Having seen him perform surgery and discussed the finer details of his surgery, I believe that Dr. DeVroye is both an artist and a skilled hair transplant surgeon. He strives for perfection and it shows in his staff, the procedure and in the final patient results. His procedure is one of the most minimally invasive, refined and clean procedures that I have every seen. His staff also seems to share his enthusiasm and commitment to excellence. They work together as a team harmoniously and their all microscopic graft cutting and placing are second to none in my opinion. I had the honor of watching three of Dr. DeVroye's ultra refined follicular unit procedures over three days and I was very impressed at all stages of the procedure. It simply doesn't get any better anywhere. Dr. DeVroye has been recommended on the Hair Transplant Network (see his profile/recommendation ) for the past few years. But after seeing the level of he and his staff's work I think he should be invited to join the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. Frankly, I think he has really earned a place amongst the best of the best. To view the highlights from my visit to his clinic, click here . Dr. DeVroye's website also provides a wealth of great information in multiple languages, including immediate post op photos and examples of his trichophytic closure. Dr. Bijan Ferduni in Hasselt, Belgium After having spent the last ten years searching for the very best hair transplant physicians, it's rare to discover an outstanding physician who is not on our community. When it happens it's as exciting as finding a giant gem after digging through rocks for days. That excitement is what I felt after watching Dr. Feriduni and his staff perform truly refined follicular unit grafting. Their attention to detail, donor closure, microscopic graft cutting and graft placing were all excellent. His trichophytic closure technique was one of the most refined that I've ever seen. Dr. Feriduni offers his patients both ultra refined follicular unit grafting and follicular unit extraction (FUE), with many of his FUE cases exceeding 1,000 grafts in one day and some reaching 3,000 grafts over two day sessions. His strip excision cases now on average exceed 2,500 follicular unit grafts. Dr. Feriduni provides free and very personable consultations in English, French, German and Flemmish. I look forward to making more information available about Dr. Feriduni and his outstanding clinic. To see highlights from my visit to Dr. Feriduni's clinic, during which I observed both an FUE surgery and a strip excision surgery, click here. Dr. Feriduni also sent me some of his impressive patient result photos for consideration by this community. These photos can be viewed by clicking here . You can also learn more about him, his techniques and patient results by visiting his clinic's website. Drs. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo of the Farjo Medical Centre in Manchester, England After watching Dr. Bessam Farjo and his wife Dr. Nilofer Farjo and their staff in action over two days and two impressive ultra refined surgeries during May of 2007, I was very pleased to see that they have successfully incorporated all of the most important recent advances in hair restoration into their clinic and procedure. All of their grafts are carefully trimmed under microscopes, with Dr. Nilofer Farjo closely supervising the medical technicians, while cutting and placing grafts herself. Nilofer is very hands on and does the critical slivering (sectioning of the donor strip into thin "slivers" that are then divided by the technicians into individual follicular unit grafts). She also does most of the primary training and supervising of the medical technicians using the video screen. Both Bessam and Nilofer also create all the carefully oriented and minimally invasive graft incisions using custom cut blades that are as small as 0.7mm. Their use of small incisions enables their patients to achieve greater density in a single session, while experiencing quicker healing. They take a team approach to the surgery with all hands on deck and working harmoniously together. Given the size and skill of the team the clinic can perform large sessions in excess of 3,000 grafts when appropriate for the patient. They typically limit themselves to one patient a day to achieve an optimal level of care. Their donor strip removal and trichophytic closure are also very state of the art with care taken to minimize any follicle transaction or scarring in the donor area. Drs. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo were involved in the early studies/evaluations of the trichophytic closure technique. To minimize any potential scarring/stretching in the donor area they prefer to remove long but narrow donor strips. I was particularly impressed by the collaboration of the husband and wife team of Dr. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo. For the patient of the day, it's like getting two very experienced hair transplant surgeons rather than one. There teaching credits at hair restoration meetings and workshop worldwide are very impressive as are their credentials. In short, in my opinion, the quality of care and service being provided by the Farjo clinic is on pare with leading clinics in North America. I think they have earned the right to take their place in the Coalition along with their North American colleagues. They have been recommended on the Hair Transplant Network for a number of years. To read their current recommendation/profiles click on their names. Dr. Bessam Farjo Dr. Nilofer Farjo To view highlights from my observation of two patients over two days, click here. I also had an opportunity to see some of their impressive patient results in person. To learn more about the Farjos, their techniques and patient results visit their . website

This past May of 2007 I traveled to Europe to verify which hair restoration physicians and clinics are doing ultra refined hair transplantation on pare with the leading clinics in North America. I was very pleased to identify three such clinics, which in my opinion are doing truly world-class ultra refined follicular unit hair transplantation. Based on seeing their surgeries, patient results and patient feedback I think these three clinics should be given serious consideration by this community for membership in the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians . The physicians/clinics that I propose we grant membership in the Coalition to are - Dr. Jean DeVroye ??“ Brussels, Belgium Dr. Bijan Feriduni ??“ Hasselt, Belgium Drs. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo of the Farjo Medical Centre in Manchester, England I encourage the members of this community to read the below information about these physicians and follow the links to their posted photo albums, websites and other information. I encourage members to add their input and opinions by posting replies to this topic. Coalition Candidate Highlights: Dr. Jean DeVroye in Brussels, Belgium I have known Dr. DeVroye for several years. In fact we both attended our first hair conference in Paris ten years ago ??“ me as a show case patient of Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. DeVroye as physician who was aspiring to become a great hair transplant surgeon. Now after ten years of hard work and dedication; I believe that Dr. DeVroye has succeeded. He has really paid his dues over the years ??“ observing and working extensively with leading hair transplant surgeons in North America, attending international hair restoration meetings and more recently becoming an important contributor and teacher in his own right. Having seen him perform surgery and discussed the finer details of his surgery, I believe that Dr. DeVroye is both an artist and a skilled hair transplant surgeon. He strives for perfection and it shows in his staff, the procedure and in the final patient results. His procedure is one of the most minimally invasive, refined and clean procedures that I have every seen. His staff also seems to share his enthusiasm and commitment to excellence. They work together as a team harmoniously and their all microscopic graft cutting and placing are second to none in my opinion. I had the honor of watching three of Dr. DeVroye's ultra refined follicular unit procedures over three days and I was very impressed at all stages of the procedure. It simply doesn't get any better anywhere. Dr. DeVroye has been recommended on the Hair Transplant Network (see his profile/recommendation ) for the past few years. But after seeing the level of he and his staff's work I think he should be invited to join the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. Frankly, I think he has really earned a place amongst the best of the best. To view the highlights from my visit to his clinic, click here . Dr. DeVroye's website also provides a wealth of great information in multiple languages, including immediate post op photos and examples of his trichophytic closure. Dr. Bijan Ferduni in Hasselt, Belgium After having spent the last ten years searching for the very best hair transplant physicians, it's rare to discover an outstanding physician who is not on our community. When it happens it's as exciting as finding a giant gem after digging through rocks for days. That excitement is what I felt after watching Dr. Feriduni and his staff perform truly refined follicular unit grafting. Their attention to detail, donor closure, microscopic graft cutting and graft placing were all excellent. His trichophytic closure technique was one of the most refined that I've ever seen. Dr. Feriduni offers his patients both ultra refined follicular unit grafting and follicular unit extraction (FUE), with many of his FUE cases exceeding 1,000 grafts in one day and some reaching 3,000 grafts over two day sessions. His strip excision cases now on average exceed 2,500 follicular unit grafts. Dr. Feriduni provides free and very personable consultations in English, French, German and Flemmish. I look forward to making more information available about Dr. Feriduni and his outstanding clinic. To see highlights from my visit to Dr. Feriduni's clinic, during which I observed both an FUE surgery and a strip excision surgery, click here. Dr. Feriduni also sent me some of his impressive patient result photos for consideration by this community. These photos can be viewed by clicking here . You can also learn more about him, his techniques and patient results by visiting his clinic's website. Drs. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo of the Farjo Medical Centre in Manchester, England After watching Dr. Bessam Farjo and his wife Dr. Nilofer Farjo and their staff in action over two days and two impressive ultra refined surgeries during May of 2007, I was very pleased to see that they have successfully incorporated all of the most important recent advances in hair restoration into their clinic and procedure. All of their grafts are carefully trimmed under microscopes, with Dr. Nilofer Farjo closely supervising the medical technicians, while cutting and placing grafts herself. Nilofer is very hands on and does the critical slivering (sectioning of the donor strip into thin "slivers" that are then divided by the technicians into individual follicular unit grafts). She also does most of the primary training and supervising of the medical technicians using the video screen. Both Bessam and Nilofer also create all the carefully oriented and minimally invasive graft incisions using custom cut blades that are as small as 0.7mm. Their use of small incisions enables their patients to achieve greater density in a single session, while experiencing quicker healing. They take a team approach to the surgery with all hands on deck and working harmoniously together. Given the size and skill of the team the clinic can perform large sessions in excess of 3,000 grafts when appropriate for the patient. They typically limit themselves to one patient a day to achieve an optimal level of care. Their donor strip removal and trichophytic closure are also very state of the art with care taken to minimize any follicle transaction or scarring in the donor area. Drs. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo were involved in the early studies/evaluations of the trichophytic closure technique. To minimize any potential scarring/stretching in the donor area they prefer to remove long but narrow donor strips. I was particularly impressed by the collaboration of the husband and wife team of Dr. Bessam and Nilofer Farjo. For the patient of the day, it's like getting two very experienced hair transplant surgeons rather than one. There teaching credits at hair restoration meetings and workshop worldwide are very impressive as are their credentials. In short, in my opinion, the quality of care and service being provided by the Farjo clinic is on pare with leading clinics in North America. I think they have earned the right to take their place in the Coalition along with their North American colleagues. They have been recommended on the Hair Transplant Network for a number of years. To read their current recommendation/profiles click on their names. Dr. Bessam Farjo Dr. Nilofer Farjo To view highlights from my observation of two patients over two days, click here. I also had an opportunity to see some of their impressive patient results in person. To learn more about the Farjos, their techniques and patient results visit their . website

Side by side comparisons between lateral and sagital incisions have been done in the past. The more recent high profile side by side comparison was performed by Dr. Wong (using laterals) and Dr. Ron Shapiro (using sagitals) at the ISHRS meeting in San Diego this past October. By now the differences, if any, should be apparent. One immediate and visible difference between Dr. Shapiro and Dr. Wong's techniques was the noticeable short-term ischemia that occurred on the side that Dr. Wong was operating on. During ischemia the skin turns a bit blue/purple color due to the disruption of the scalp's vascular caused by the incisions. Some physicians believe that the lateral incisions tend to sever and disrupt the blood vessels in the scalp more than sagital incisions, which tend to parralel the the blood vessels under the skin. This is another reason why some physicians prefer to make sagital incisions. The differences between sagital and lateral incisions should not be dismissed as inconsequential. B Spot you sometimes know just enough to be dangerous when you present your views as definitive and expert. Yes, the skill of the physicians is important. But subtle variations in technique can be significant. I will look into finding out when the photos from the Wong/Shapiro side by side comparison surgeries will be available.

Congratulations to Gorpy for his entry today into the "Follicular Salvation Club" with 1,001 helpful and some times funny posts on this forum. I believe that after five years there are only just over ten forum members that have accumulated enough "karma" to reach this height. With Gorpy's abundant reserves of Karma he should be entitled to a free ultra dense afro. But of course Karma doesn't always give us what we want but rather what we need. Onwards and Upwards, Pat

Gorpy, Congratulations on contributing over 1,000 useful posts over the past two plus years on this community. You've helped a great deal of people and now you are rightfully a "Follicular Salvation Club Member". Amen to more hair and patient education. Pat

Recently a forum member expressed his reluctance to shave the hair in his recipient area, which some leading clinics require (This topic is entitled " good surgeon recommendations "). This led to a discussion on the benefits of shaving the existing hair in the recipient area to better enable the surgeon to estimate the underlying direction and angle of the existing hair follicles. By being able to better estimate the angle of the existing follicles the surgeon should then be able to better avoid transecting (severing) these existing follicles. I can understand the reluctance of patients to shave their recipient areas, especially if they have significant amounts of hair in these areas. I too have not been willing to shave my head. In my opinion, an important factor in whether shaving the donor area is really necessary is whether the graft incisions are made laterally or sagitally. I started this topic to enable a new discussion focused on the relative pros and cons of sagital versus lateral incisions and how the orientation of the graft incisions can influence the need for the shaving of the existing hair in the recipient areas. One of the reasons why many physicians have been reluctant to orient all their incisions "laterally" (incisions perpendicular to existing hairs) and prefer to create incisions "Sagitally" (incisions parallel to existing hairs) is in order to minimize the transection of existing hair follicles in the recipient areas. To illustrate why, Dr. Ron Shapiro explained it to me by asking me to imagine a room full of people standing to represent hair follicles that are under the skin. Then imagine a giant blade cutting across this room full of people. More people would be severed by the blade if it enters the room in a perpendicular orientation along the plane of the ceiling (laterally) rather than if the blade comes down in a parallel orientation in plane with the walls (sagitally) and thus slips in between most of the standing people. I think the transection risks associated with the perpendicular orientation of the lateral slit incisions makes shaving to better visualize the hair direction more critical. While I advocate smaller and less invasive incisions (Ultra Refined Grafting) to increase densities and minimize transection and impact on the scalp's vascular, I do not believe that lateral slit incisions are necessarily superior to sagital incisions when all variables and outcomes are considered. Many physicians who perform ultra refined follicular unit grafting use both lateral and sagital incisions depending on the amount of existing hair in the patient's recipient area and the area where they are creating the incisions. This question of incision orientation (sagital or lateral) has been debated by leading physicians now for the past few years. Many physicians feel that they can control the angle, orientation and shingling effect of their incisions just as well with sagital incisions as lateral ones. I welcome everyones thoughts on this issue. Pat

Recently a forum member expressed his reluctance to shave the hair in his recipient area, which some leading clinics require (This topic is entitled " good surgeon recommendations "). This led to a discussion on the benefits of shaving the existing hair in the recipient area to better enable the surgeon to estimate the underlying direction and angle of the existing hair follicles. By being able to better estimate the angle of the existing follicles the surgeon should then be able to better avoid transecting (severing) these existing follicles. I can understand the reluctance of patients to shave their recipient areas, especially if they have significant amounts of hair in these areas. I too have not been willing to shave my head. In my opinion, an important factor in whether shaving the donor area is really necessary is whether the graft incisions are made laterally or sagitally. I started this topic to enable a new discussion focused on the relative pros and cons of sagital versus lateral incisions and how the orientation of the graft incisions can influence the need for the shaving of the existing hair in the recipient areas. One of the reasons why many physicians have been reluctant to orient all their incisions "laterally" (incisions perpendicular to existing hairs) and prefer to create incisions "Sagitally" (incisions parallel to existing hairs) is in order to minimize the transection of existing hair follicles in the recipient areas. To illustrate why, Dr. Ron Shapiro explained it to me by asking me to imagine a room full of people standing to represent hair follicles that are under the skin. Then imagine a giant blade cutting across this room full of people. More people would be severed by the blade if it enters the room in a perpendicular orientation along the plane of the ceiling (laterally) rather than if the blade comes down in a parallel orientation in plane with the walls (sagitally) and thus slips in between most of the standing people. I think the transection risks associated with the perpendicular orientation of the lateral slit incisions makes shaving to better visualize the hair direction more critical. While I advocate smaller and less invasive incisions (Ultra Refined Grafting) to increase densities and minimize transection and impact on the scalp's vascular, I do not believe that lateral slit incisions are necessarily superior to sagital incisions when all variables and outcomes are considered. Many physicians who perform ultra refined follicular unit grafting use both lateral and sagital incisions depending on the amount of existing hair in the patient's recipient area and the area where they are creating the incisions. This question of incision orientation (sagital or lateral) has been debated by leading physicians now for the past few years. Many physicians feel that they can control the angle, orientation and shingling effect of their incisions just as well with sagital incisions as lateral ones. I welcome everyones thoughts on this issue. Pat

Interesting discussion. I can understand the reluctance of patients to shave their recipient areas, especially if they have significant amounts of hair in these areas. I too have not been willing to shave my head. One of the reasons why many physicians have been reluctant to orient all their incisions "laterally" (incisions perpendicular to existing hairs) and prefer to create incisions"Sagitally" (incisions parallel to existing hairs) is in order to minimize the transection of existing hair follicles in the recipient areas. To illustrate why, Dr. Ron Shapiro explained it to me by asking me to imagine a room full of people standing to represent hair follicles that are under the skin. Then to imagine a giant blade cutting across this room full of people. More people would be severed by the blade if it enters the room in a perpendicular orientation along the plane of the ceiling (laterally) rather than if the blade comes down in a parallel orientation in plane with the walls (sagitally) and thus slips in between most of the standing people. I think the transection risks associated with the perpendicular orientation of the lateral slit incisions makes shaving to better visualize the hair direction more critical. While I advocate smaller and less invasive incisions (Ultra Refined Grafting) to increase densities and minimize transection and impact on the scalp's vascular, I do not believe that lateral slit incisions are necessarily superior to sagital incisions when all variables and outcomes are considered. Many physicians who perform ultra refined follicular unit grafting use both lateral and sagital incisions depending on the amount of existing hair in the patient's recipient area and the area where they are creating the incisions. This question of incision orientation (sagital or lateral) has been debated by leading physicians now for the past few years. Many physicians feel that they can control the angle, orientation and shingling effect of their incisions just as well with sagital incisions as lateral ones. Best wishes to all, Pat

Bleachchola12, Visit this page which details the difference between FUE and single strip excision surgery. All the best, Pat

Folica, Funny you should suggest this. A few years ago I actually did give an award called the "Platinum Keyboard" (a play on the "Platinum Follicle) to the most active physician on our forum who provided the most helpful input. At that time years ago Dr. Bill Parsley won the award. Unfortunately, he's not online these days. Pat

I have notified one of the Coalition members that his membership will be suspended by August 1st if he does not provide compelling patient photos demonstrating that he and his staff have the capability to successfully provide patients with 2,500 plus graft ultra refined sessions when appropriate. While I have visited this physicians clinic and seen him performing ultra refined follicular unit grafting and seen compelling examples of large sessions I believe he owes it to this community to show examples of this work on both his profile/recommendation page and in the patient photo gallery of the Hair Transplant Network and the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center. His current photos are very old and show only small session results from years past. I gave this physician three written notifications regarding this issue over the past three months. He has chosen not to make sharing such results a priority and therefore will now loose the bennefits of this community. I need the members of the Coalition and all recommended physicians to realize that I'm deadly serious about them needing to publicly demonstrate their results if they are going to retain their recommendations. I'm also going to suspend Dr. Katz's recommendation on the Hair Transplant Network August 1st if his staff continues to not respond to my requests for photos. I have also attempted to visit his clinic on two occasions now, including recently and he some how is never available. Frankly, given a lack of feedback from his patients and my not being able to visit his clinic and see his work I think it is appropriate to suspend his recommendation unless compelling photos, including immediate post ops, are presented within one week. No one is vested on this community - no matter what their "credentials". All physicians need to produce and show outstanding results if they want to continue to be recommended on this community. Note - The photos these physicians have failed to provide are for the Hair Transplant Network and not this forum. While I encourage physicians to share their patient results on the forum I will not remove them if they don't post. I'm open to any feedback regarding this issue. Pat