uncjim

Sammy,

Personally, I think what is important here is your depression. I would hate to see a young person like yourself rush into a hair transplant (at your age, I doubt that a responsible doctor would perform one on you) and expect that this could solve your problems and permanently lift your spirits. Maybe continuing on the Propecia and seeking out counseling concerning your depression may be a course to consider.

Jim

Rugby,

I also have open donor scaring. While this limited the available grafts, you are correct, there were many viable grafts between the "divots." GOOD LUCK and I'm following your progress.

Jim

Dr. Rose,

Thanks for your encouraging words. Your post referred to "a session of follicular unit grafts" concerning the growth period. Should I assume from your answer that the earlier techniques of plugs, micros/minis may have taken less time, or am I reading your statement a little too closely? Having been through it all, I'd like to know. Again, I appreciate it.

Jim

Toni,

That's a whole lot of scabs! I hope the healing is going well for you.

Jim

I second HarryLemon's sentiments. The waiting is indeed a bear and an underrated part of the process. I think though, it must be similar to giving birth. Once one has positive results, all the pain is forgotten!!

MK25,

It's my understanding that for most, the greatest significance in growth occurs between 4 and 6 months. So hopefully things will start progressing soon. MY BEST TO YOU.

TTACO (or anyone else),

Did you have scaring along the hairline with the old proceedure and if so, did you have FUs inserted there? I do have scaring and had FUs inserted below and in the scar tissue. Although I'm optomistic for my results (I had grafts put in my scalp reduction scar without a problem), I would like to hear others experiences. I'm 2 months post op now and do see a touch of growth in that area. This is my one concern. THANKS.

Jim

Eastcoast,

This refers to the number of recipient sights. Dr.Beehner recently discussed the use of double and triple FUs (more than one in a single sight) which may cloud the issue slightly.

Jim

Hairy,

The tightness in my donor area did go away, completely. It took about 10 days. As far as overall scalp elasticity, it is returning. I was advised by Dr.Wong to exercise my scalp, at around the 7 week mark, by simply pushing up and down above the donor area. At this point, during this process, I can see my forehead moving up and down. I doubt that the original elasticity will return, but it seems pretty close. I'm 2 months post op and the healing is proceeding nicely. There have been no problems. GOOD LUCK!

Jim

Arfy,

Being a fan of common courtesy, I consider "dumb" and "inane" an attack. The point is this, if Rugby is a poor candidate, a well respected and honest doctor, (they're out there) will inform him. I don't consider this my, or your,resonsibility. It has nothing to due with how well informed I am, of which you have no idea. Rugby would like a solution to his present situaton, My suggestion was pursuing a top HT doctor. Nothing more. At no time did I, or would I, suggest that anyone get a transplant as a panacea. Of course, I understand that there are limitations. Take care. I'm going back to the UCONN vs NC game!

Jim

Arfy,

Surprise, surprise...another attack. I'm not going to get into a long distance pissing contest via email here,as is your penchant. I consider it, at best, cowardly. I don't want my message to Rugby clouded though, so I am going to repeat it. If he gets the green light from a top doctor, he should go for it. This is about getting ones hair back. With today's technology, why not be happy? Sorry pal, hair transplants done by top doctors, can make people happy.

Jim

Rugby,

Of course, you should get the opinion from a top doctor as to the viability of a HT. If you get a green light, by all means, go for it. This idea of going completely bald these days really is garbage. In my opinion, it's a poor way of coping. Of course you want your hair back and the technology these days allows for it. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DECISION.

Jim

Skinny,

While opinions in this forum have value, this has got to be one that is answered satisfactorily by your doctor. GOOD LUCK!

Jim

Arfy is preceptive, as I do have tall sides. The dirty little secret here, is that this is because of my two scalp reductions. Yes, I know that this is a dirty word, but in my case, there was a benefit. Was the benefit worth the price in dollars? The answer to that is probably not. By the way, the scar that I carry from them is pencil thin, and has remained that way through the years. To be clear, I'm not advocating scalp reductions here, just relating my experience.

[This message was edited by uncjim on January 16, 2003 at 01:16 PM.]

Bob,

For your doctor to imply that you did something wrong is outrageous. You didn't. The scabs are just not ready to come off. I also had a few that took well beyond the normal week to 10 day period. Eventually, they came off with a little coaxing with Bactroban ointment. Also, if the bleeding was just spotty, in my opinion, you just disturbed the surface of the skin. This again, indicates that the scabs aren't ready to come off. If you had compromised the grafts, you certainly would have had more bleeding than just spotting. I recall Dr. Feller stating that once the healing process kicks in, the only way to remove grafts are with a knife. I think you're OK.

Jim

Dr.DiStefano is running an informercial in my area, which is New England. This is the first from the recommended list that I have seen. I'm not sure at what point I turned it on, but I actually ended up turning it off, which is a huge deal for me. How many times can you see the same guy driving in his convertable with the top down and the same musician lavishing praise on his experience. It's kind of funny, but after I turned off the T.V., I felt compelled to go out and buy an Ronco rotisserie.

Dr.DiStefano is running an informercial in my area, which is New England. This is the first from the recommended list that I have seen. I'm not sure at what point I turned it on, but I actually ended up turning it off, which is a huge deal for me. How many times can you see the same guy driving in his convertable with the top down and the same musician lavishing praise on his experience. It's kind of funny, but after I turned off the T.V., I felt compelled to go out and buy an Ronco rotisserie.

Mark,

I received the same instructions and followed them. The reason that the scabs flew off is because they were ready too. I'm just shy of 2 months also (6 more days) and things have pretty much stayed the same for the last couple of weeks, with very little growth so far, just a touch. This appears to be the norm. I find that looking at others pictures helpful in understanding the process and absorbing it on an emotional level.

Jim

Bverotti,

I love your site. Very nice. You look totally natural. Thanks for keeping us informed of your progress. It's valuable for us guys going through the process. As I progress, I'll follow along with you. I appreciate it.

Jim

I think the "New Look" is a work in progress and we'll see the finished product at a later date.

It's on your ABC affiliate at 10 PM eastern.

ABC 20/20 is doing an expose on Baldness Cures tomorrow night. It might be worth a viewing. It doesn't appear that it will involve transplants (I hope it does) but "Avacor" type remedies. Let's hope that the "wrongdoers" get nailed.

ABC 20/20 is doing an expose on Baldness Cures tomorrow night. It might be worth a viewing. It doesn't appear that it will involve transplants (I hope it does) but "Avacor" type remedies. Let's hope that the "wrongdoers" get nailed.

Jaws,

I'm glad that you liked my site. It was a labor of love. In answer to your question, yes, I would do it all over again. In spite of the fact that I had my transplants with outdated technology, I was able to mask the imperfections effectively because I have coarse and thick shafted hair. Honestly, I fooled the world. Nobody that I hadn't told knew that I had work done until I told them recently. So, for all those years, I wasn't bald. Of course, it would have been nice to have had FUs back in my day, but they are here now and that I am thankful for. My thoughts are, that if you don't want to be bald and you are a good candidate, go for it.

Jim

CONGRATULATIONS!

When was your surgery?

Will you be posting pictures?

Vocor1,

Amen my brother. The trials and tribulations of the first 4 months can be daunting. The loss of the "new soldiers" (perfect monicker), ingrown hairs, "will my hair ever grow?", "when will my hair grow?", "will the hairline look natural?", "did I do something to damage a graft?", etc. will find its way into all our thoughts. At this point, I believe it's a part of the process. Staying positive, at least intelectualy because we have knowledge on our side, is the perfect message.

Jim