Pat - Community Publisher

Thanks for very good answers to a very good question. Given that you are 25, I agree with Arfy that your first priority should be to halt or at least slow your hair loss, whether or not you do hair transplants. The medical options Arfy specified are probally your best bet at this time. I certainly wish they had been available when I was going bald at age 25. They will also strengthen your thinning hair so that if you do surgery it will lessen any potential "shock fallout". However, as effective as these drugs can be, especially in those just beginning to thin, they typically do not regrow hair in the hairline. So unless your hairline is clearly gone you may want to wait and see what the drugs will do for you. If you find that in time your hairline is receded beyond what you can live with then a hair transplant by a surgeon of the caliber of Dr. McClellan would be a good, if not you only realistic option, for re-establishing a natural hairline. Pat - Publisher Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Timetested, The short answer is yes I saw the artifical hair fiber hair transplants and I was not at all impressed. In my opinion the results did not look natural. In addition, these artifical fiber transplants have a notorious history of serious infection, scarring and pain. Of course, those advocating for it are claiming that their process and fibers are now improved. But fundmentally they seem to be the same concept - anchoring (like hooks) artificial fibers in the scalp tissue. Many hair transplant surgeons, especially those from Italy, were not happy to see it given any serious consideration at the meeting. But in the interest of open discussion and free speech they allowed it on the agenda for discussion. My sense is that most hair transplant surgeons were very unimpressed and would not go near it. I suggest you do the same. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Eugene, Since the surgeons I recommend are generally doing the same procedure at the same level of experience, it is like comparing excellent to excellent. It is hard to differentiate between them. I do still believe that Dr. Shapiro is unsurpassed both in technique and artistry. But many of the patients I have seen from the other surgeons I recommend do rival his work. I would contact those that appeal to you and call them. Then go with the clinic that feels right for you. Of course, look at other clinics that are not recommended by me if you feel their work is on pare with those I recommend. I am very selective and conservative in who I recommend. And I will only recommend those I feel confident do great work. Obviously my recommended doctors are not a definitive list of ALL the best. Best of luck to you in getting the results you want. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Yes, if only having more donor hair was as easy as growing a long mullet. Sorry Skullet Man but you will not be invited to give any lectures on this break through. But lets all thank Skullet-Man for helping those of us who are follicularly challenged feel better about not having hair after seeing the mullets at mullets galore. We all need to have little hair humor now and again. Coming next week! - Watch for illustrated article on "How to do the ultimate comb over" by Spagetti Hair Man Pat - Publisher

Arfy, I?‚??ve been waiting for photos from the ISHRS photographer to add to my coverage. But if I don?‚??t get them soon I?‚??ll go without them. As posted earlier their was not any ground breaking events or presentations that I saw. If a person was a first time visitor they would find the meetings interesting. But for those that have attended many of them their was not a lot of new information. More to follow. Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Sebastian, I certainly can relate to your wanting to fight the good fight to stop your hair loss. But I think the first and least expensive step is to hold the battle line so to speak and keep the hair you have. At your age and given that your thinning is relatively recent, I recommend that you see a doctor and consider getting a prescription for Propecia (or the cheaper alternative - Proscar, which you then need to cut each pill into 1/4 doses for daily use). This drug, especially in those in the early stages of hair loss, can often stop or even regrow hair. Although it is often not effective at regrowing hair in the frontal hairline area. I would try Propecia/proscar for at least a year before considering hair transplants. This will also help strengthen and stabalize your hair in case you do have a hair transplant. Good luck in getting your hair back. You have much better options at age 25 then I did and this will only improve. Take care - Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

I agree with Jeff and Gary (Congratulations Jeff on getting your work done by one of the best). With all follicular unit work the results of the first procedure, whether it be the first and only or the first of several, will stand on its own. There is no need for a second or third procedure to make the first procedure look natural. It may look thin, but it will look natural. Subsequent procedures are all about adding more coverage and density. Non of us will look like Elvis. But almost any bald person with satisfactory donor can make an improvement in his look no matter what his hair characteristics. He or she just needs to be realistic about what they can achieve. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Ratan, Welcome to the forum. And thanks for the good question. I think 3 to 5 days is unusually fast healing. Although with all micro follicular unit work the healing time has improved as the incisions are tiny with less trauma to the scalp. Keeping the area hydrated with saline solution or procyte may also speed healing and keep scabbing to a minimum. I generally tell people that if they are transplanted in a bald area they need close to a week before the surgery is not a visible issue. After a week the scabs have generally cleared away and the redness has diminished. Often you will still have some residual pinkness on the scalp that can last for a few weeks. This pinkness can be subtle, like a light sun burn. Some times a person will also experience some swelling in the forehead area, especially if their hair transplants were extensive and in the front. I had swelling after my first surgery because I did not apply ice or cold packs to my forehead after surgery. I thought no swelling so no need for ice, right? Wrong! Play it safe and apply cold packs Before you get any swelling. Normally surgeons will also prescribe a drug to help control any potential swelling as well. Even after the first week a patient will still generally have small 1/4 hairs on the scalp from the transplanted follicles. However, once the scalp has healed these hairs don?‚??t really seem all that visible. Most if not all these hairs will shed within two to five weeks. At this point (if your surgeon did good work) your scalp should look just like it did before surgery, with no pitting, cobble stoning etc. At this point, if you are like most of us, you begin to wonder what you just paid all this money for. Now comes the hard part - waiting, waiting, and waiting. Your patience and faith will be tested. Best to forget and be pleasantly surprised in 3 to 4 months as the new hairs slowly grow in. At first they will come out thin (just like they went away) and by 6 months virtually all your transplanted hairs will be growing. Now you are no longer a thinning balding man but a thickening man. If you liked playing with Chia Pets as a child you will love this time in your life. It is pay back for all those years you suffered watching yourself go bald year after year. From 6 to 12 months these hairs will get continually thicker in diameter as they grow out. So from 6 to 12 months your hair will appear to get fuller and thicker. At 12 months the hair will be fully mature and what you see is what you?‚??ve got. Congratulations! I hope this helps - Pat - Publisher Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

jhamil, Congradulation on your surgeries. And thanks for sharing your images. As you requested I uploaded your images. I will also post your images to the "post your own photos" forum as well. Best wishes for excellent growth. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

No. By my logic your conclusion does not follow. Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Yes, I had three sessions of almost 1500 grafts each session. I never had my donor hair density actually measured (by say a denseometer tool). I was basically a "good candidate". I had a clear bald pattern, medium to above average donor density, with fairly thick coarse wavy hair. The more wave and thickness your your actual hair has, generally the less hair you need to transplant to achieve the appearance of fullness. As for actual centimeters of coverage I really don?‚??t know. But my first two sessions concentrated on the front half of my scalp, while the third one gave me light coverage in the crown area. I hope this helps. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Eric, posting as emantogo, asked me to post his photos so that he can get constructive feedback from posters and surgeons. Others are welcome to do like wise (see my instructions for posting your photos on this forum). As you can see Eric has a dense line of plugs in the front hairline and has had a scalp reduction with visible scaring. He currently wears a hair piece to cover this disappointing work. He would like to restore a natural hairline and cover or remove the visible plugs he received. Please feel free to reply below and offer any constructive advice you feel can help Eric. [This message was edited by Pat - editor and "Recovered Bald Guy" on November 08, 2001 at 11:50 AM.] [This message was edited by Pat - editor and "Recovered Bald Guy" on November 08, 2001 at 09:14 PM.]

Eric, posting as emantogo, asked me to post his photos so that he can get constructive feedback from posters and surgeons. Others are welcome to do like wise (see my instructions for posting your photos on this forum). As you can see Eric has a dense line of plugs in the front hairline and has had a scalp reduction with visible scaring. He currently wears a hair piece to cover this disappointing work. He would like to restore a natural hairline and cover or remove the visible plugs he received. Please feel free to reply below and offer any constructive advice you feel can help Eric. [This message was edited by Pat - editor and "Recovered Bald Guy" on November 08, 2001 at 11:50 AM.] [This message was edited by Pat - editor and "Recovered Bald Guy" on November 08, 2001 at 09:14 PM.]

Arfy, I would agree that end results are vastly more important than credentials (degrees, memberships, awards) of any kind - credible or not. But if you ever attended the intensive 5 day annual conference that the ISHRS sponors you?‚??d realize they are anything but a "straw" organization. These events are impressive in both in scale and depth of information. Personaly, I give the surgeons that spend long hours teaching and learning from each other at these events a lot of credit. They are there to learn, not to pat each other on the back. And would having no organizations, training, workshops, or certifications be better? I think not. Yes, people can join organizations and not actively participate. But they are only cheating themselves and their patients. The vast majority of those surgeons I recommend are actively involved in teaching and learning with the ISHRS and other reputable groups. Yes, one large chain has created an anual workshop that it repurposes agressively in its marketing. But that does not mean all workshops and conferences are invalid. Far from it. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Johnny, I was not recommending Dr. Kabaker for hair transplants, only that he be considered if the man above is looking for corrective scalp surgery/scar revision. And with any and all recommendations or suggestions, a person still needs to do their own due diligence, always. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Just to clarify. About 800 physicians are members of the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS). The ISHRS does not certify its membership. Membership is open to all who want to learn and contribute. The American Board of Hair Restoration, however, does certify physicians for the specialty of hair transplant surgery after an intensive written and oral test. Physicians must also demonstrate that they have performed a fairly large number of successful surgeries. I think this relatively new process of certification is generally a positive development. But once again as pointed out above, it does not guarantee results. Do your own due diligence, always. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Tina, Thanks for sharing your surgical experience. Please come back and update us all on your progress when you can. Good luck and congratulations - Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Welcome to the group. I?‚??m glad it has been helpful (and perhaps hopeful) for you. You may want to visit Dr. Kabaker in Oakland. He is well respected and has a great deal of experience with scalp surgery. Best wishes - keep us posted - Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Welcome to the discussion group. I?‚??m sorry you had a previous disappointing surgical experience. You sound like you have some real first hand experiences to contribute. I look forward to your future posts. I hope you end up getting the results you want. To compile a list of all the surgeons doing mediocre hair transplant work or worse on the side would be a huge task. And it would leave less time for finding and researching those doing great work. This discussion group is not censored. And I welcome fair and detailed posts about both the good and the bad on this site. People written about are always welcome to post replies in order to set the record straight. But there is always a danger with anonymous posts that some one may write negative comments about others and not divulge their hidden agenda or identity (ie they are a competitor, the personally dislike a surgeon . . . etc.) But such "ringers" normally give themselves away because they often don?‚??t ring true. The beauty of the Internet is that we don?‚??t have to be just consumers of carefully crafted messages like on TV, the newspapers, etc. Everyones feet, including me and all surgeons, can be held to the fire and made accountable for their ACTUAL actions. It is not always a pleasant process. But neither is democracy. The discussion group, in my opinion is probably the best feature of this site. I would like to see more DETAILED posts about surgical experiences, the good and the bad. And naming names is fine by me. Thanks for your post. Pat - Publisher Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

EJR, Sun exposure and its effects on graft growth is an excellent question. I know it is a concern before and after surgery - especially a sun burn. I will transfer your post to ask a doctor topic so that we can all get an informed medical opinion. Thanks for the post. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Yankee, Welcome to the group. And thanks for your post. I?‚??m swamped with work on the site right now and emails. But I will try to put together more info on the conference. In short it was not particularly eventful, especially when you have been to a few. Change is incremental and since the introduction of all microscopic follicular unit work their really has not been any dramatic new developments. Mostly just continued refinements and more surgeons doing better work. Dr. Woods was discussed briefly. I will be emailing a couple of respected Australian surgeons who know a good deal about Dr. Woods and his procedure to share their insights here. All for now - Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Jaydob, I don?‚??t know of a surgeon in Montreal I would recommend at this point. I?‚??ve been looking really closely at the surgeons in the Toronto area and Dr. Seager deserves serious consideration. I saw two of his patients at last years annual ISHRS and the results were excellent - undetectable on close examination by naked eye. I have been concerned however that most of the incisions and placing are done by techs, so he is not as hands on as many of the surgeons I recommend. But properly trained techs under the supervision of an excellent surgeon can produce great results. In fact, I think many tech are better at placing grafts than the surgeons. With large 2000 plus graft cases the FU procedure almost has to be a team colaboration any more. Last week Dr. Seager won the Golden Follicle award for his contributions to follicular unit (FU) hair transplantation. I suggest people consider him. His web site (see above post) also has a wealth of technical info on FU transplantation. Dr. Paul Cotteril is also worth looking at. He was orginaly trained by Dr. Unger but now is dedicated to doing FU work nearly full time. The Dr. Unger (Walter and Martin) brothers are big names going way back. But their continued advocacy of using large round grafts is not at all convincing to me. I don?‚??t know much about Dr. Jones at this point. I hope this helps. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Arfy, Yes I did attend the conference in Puerto Vallarta. And I will be writing a full report for the readers of this site soon. But as a sneak preview - the big new is that Dr. Bernstein of NYC won the Platinum Follicle Award and Dr. Seager of Toronto won the Golden Follicle Award. So a BIG congradulations to both of them! In many ways they and all the others who championed follicular unit hair transplantation - had already won by making this excellent procedure the "Gold Standard" for hair transplantation. I think the award recognize this. Dr. Seager will also soon be joining this Network and adding excellent examples of his work to the photo galleries. Unfortunately, there were a fair amount of cancelations and many presentations were not made, including Dr. Cooleys on future hair loss treatments, and Dr. Rassmans on Follicular Unit Extraction FUE. I had been anticpating these talks as well. Dr. Woods, although invited to attend over the past two years, once again did not attend and share his research. A few of the well know Australian doctors shared their first hand experience with Dr. Woods and his patients and I have encouraged them to post their insights on this forum. I hope to provide more details soon. Hasta Luego - Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

Gerald, There is a good string of posts on this site addressing the issue you are concerned about at the Forum "Post Your Own Topics Here". The Topic is called "Waiting Time". Keep the faith and enjoy the new hair when it comes. Pat Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.

EJR, I've heard it said that hair is like money - you can't have enough. Who can argue with that? They also say that people do not perceive a cosmetically significant amount of hair loss until they have lost about 50% of their original hair. In other words, most of us really do not need to restore our hair to 100% of its original thickness to achieve a full look. When restoring hair, once the patient reaches this 50% threshold, going beyond it achieves minimal cosmetic value. For me as a type 5a, with thick course hair, it took me 3 sessions of about 1500 grafts each to reach this threshold of having a full look. I have thinned since then in the crown despite taking Proscar and would not turn away new hair in the crown area. My donor area, to my pleasant surprise, is still thick and plenty elastic and I can certainly do another surgery in the future if I feel compelled. But I find minor thinning in just the crown area to be of only modest to minor concern for now. So when I do want to enhance the apperance of thickness in the crown I do some times use a volumizing spray like Prothik. This stuff seems to double the appearence of fullness for any given volume of hair (see mine and others posts under Forum - Shampoos and concealers . . . ) I hope this is illuminating Pat - editor Thanks for reading this post. But it's your posts that make this discussion group real and vital. Please jump into the discussion. Just pick a topic and click the reply button.