Rhodeman

Badger, Try the Blackwell synergy website. Here's 1 link........ http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.160...%28hair+growth%29%29

HLBD, The Blackwell Synergy website has various articles relating to this that I'll have to look at, but at first quick glance at one of those articles, it would appear that this agonist is gene/protein related. It seems that Curis also noted that this agonist is found in the scalp, hence my question as to whether Curis is "simulating" a protein that is naturally found in one's head. Guess I'll have to do some more reading when I get a moment. Thanks for your answers.

HLBD, Interesting stuff. So I guess I'm a bit curious as to what makes this gnat antagonist work. If our genes instruct our cells to make specific proteins which determine our characteristics [i.e. Norwood grouping], it would seem to make sense that being able to identify a "common" protein [or lack thereof] in the affected areas of hair loss vs areas where the hair was not loss would yield the answer to why the hair is lost. I guess how "individual" this protein is person to person would present some of the problem with applying this to more than the particular test subject. So I guess my question is whether or not this antagonist is a specific protein that mimics the area of hair growth [i.e. in lieu of the gene signaling the cell to make this protein in the hair loss areas, the protein is provided using this gnat antagonist]. If this is the case, it would make sense that you'd have to be careful to limit the boundaries of where this was applied. Especially since "all" cells in theory would have the genetic coding to grow hair depending on the direction it was provided by the DNA. Another question. If the term antagonist means "blocking" & not "stimulating", what exactly is being blocked? Regarding the "deadness" [is that really a word?] of the hair follicle, are you stating that this follicle basically lies dormant waiting for a reactivation signal or protein in the areas of hair loss, in lieu of a "new" follicle being created? Is that why a transplanted follicle will continually regenerate itself, because the follicle never truly "dies"? Sorry for all of the questions, I'm just trying to understand the "pathway" & how it works, but this seems to have a nebulous definition.

I used the pads, shampoo, & spray after my first HT, but didn't use it after my 2nd HT. I really can't say that I noticed any difference, except that my new grafts were moist from the constant spraying. The instructions for use was as follows: Use 1 disposable pad pack for 1 hour immediately after surgery on grafted area. On the same surgery day, use 1 pad pack on grafted area for 30-60 min before bed. Use the Iamin gel on sutured area that night. For days 2 & 3, use pad pack on grafted area in morning & before bed. Use spray [10 squirts] to grafted area every 2 hours. Use gel to sutured area on day 2 only. For days 4 & 5, use spray [10 squirts] to grafted area every 4 hours. Use 1 pad pack on grafts on morning of day 4 only. Days after......use spray 2 times per day until bottle is empty. Continue to use shampoo & conditioner until empty.

Bill, It would seem that's there more to it than isolating a gene or DHT levels. For example, why the various Norwood groupings? Why do I have hair in the middle of the top of my head that is fine, while the surrounding hairs on top did not hold up? Why is it that the "horizontal" or "near" horizontal hair is usually the hair that seems to be the hair that is lost? Let me know if you find the answer so I can buy some stock in your company.

Just for kicks, I went to Advanced Hair Studio's website. What they claim........"Advanced Laser Therapy is the powerful combination of three programs: the latest laser beam technology, an FDA-approved regrowth pharmaceutical*, and a proven scalp and follicle treatment program. Visible benefits can occur very quickly - often in as little as three months. And the results are exceptional: university trials# show Advanced Laser Therapy regrew hair in 72% of cases, with a 100% satisfaction in hair growth*." What the # and * reference when you click on them....... ".... * Self evaluation based on double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel designed trial. # Results achived from Minoxidil. Requires continuous use. Please note that the ASA wishes Advanced Hair Studio to make it clear to prospective clients that in their opinion the only proven element of the Advanced Laser Therapy?® program is Minoxidil. Although Advanced Hair Studio does not agree with this adjudication it is happy to comply. " So basically, what this says to me, is that Advanced Hair Studio is making the claim of 100% satisfaction in hair growth based upon "self-evaluation" [sort of like admiring yourself in a mirror], & they note that the Advanced laser THERAPY regrew hair in 72% of cases based upon the use of Minoxidil [not the Laser]. They also state that the ONLY proven element of the THERAPY program is the Minoxidil. MD1, if your Laser actually provides regrowth or some OTHER benefit to hair, perhaps you can inform us as to why your company has the disclaimer. I'm guessing that the "University trials" that are referenced are the ones performed for the Minoxidil by it's manufacturer.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems that MD1 is posting an email reply regarding a Hair Club "system" and not even addressing the "magic" laser. I'm not shocked that MD1 is not responding to Dr. Feller. MD1, please enlighten us with some facts as to how your laser actually works. Feel free to use technical terms, & I'm sure we'd all be interested in seeing documented proof/pictures.

I recently had my staples pulled on day 9, & my doc stated that a lot of folks actually have the staples pulled sooner [7 days]. He also noted that the staples typically give you better & more uniform tension than sutures, & from what I remember, non-dissolving sutures are typically pulled after 7 days as well. 9 days of waiting for them to be removed were more than enough!

Noglare, Congrats on your HT. You'll have to share some pics when you get a chance. Dr. Wong & the techs that work with him certainly do a good job. I was lucky & didn't seem to bleed too much. The staples coming out was a relief for me. I haven't really started noticeable shedding, but I anticipate that it's coming soon, since it's been just over 2 weeks for me. I'm just getting ready to head back to the gym this weekend, since a couple of weeks of not working out seems like a lifetime. Good luck with yours, & I hope you get the result you were looking for. My weblog

Thanks. I'll wait a bit before I use the Nizoral.

I used the search feature to try to find an answer as to when 1% Nizoral could be used after a HT. I used this prior to my HT, and would like to use this again. Any comments?

I used the search feature to try to find an answer as to when 1% Nizoral could be used after a HT. I used this prior to my HT, and would like to use this again. Any comments?

Bill, Do you find it easier to remove this when your head is wet or dry?

Thanks Bill, I guess the waiting now begins. Hairlosscure, Regarding my first HT with the RI doc, I thought the spacing was a bit extended as well. I also thought the grafts were not well distributed. For instance, from what I could see after the fact, there didn't seem to be many singles in the hairline area. Another thing that struck me as odd was that the transplanted hairs were not "cut" down enough [i.e. they were left longer]. While I guess this shouldn't matter too much as long as the implant is done correctly, it would seem to me to make the process more difficult. Is there any reason why they would leave the hairs longer? Regarding my recent procedure, it has been 10 days now & I am just getting some dead skin wrapped around the shaft of the new transplanted hairs. I am always concerned about damaging the transplant while trying to get this off the hair [i.e. the hair comes out]. What's the easiest way to remove this?

I got my pics from H&W uploaded & got FU breakdown, but still need to get hair count. FU distribution was 1600 at crown, 380 at right temple area, 220 at left temple area, & 2138 at front & sides at the top. Weblog & pics

Spex, Thanks. Your work looks great.

I've added some pics I took on my weblog. Take a look and let me know what you think. Notice that Dr. Wong left my top intact. He basically did the front, crown, temple points, & sides of the top. I will post the distribution when I get the info.Weblog & pics

TMAN, I had my RI HT with Dr. Robert Leonard. The results just weren't as good as I had hoped they would be for density or for the hairline.

Bill, One of the reasons I chose H&W was due to all of the positive responses I read about them in this forum, including your analysis of why you chose them. Your decision on how to distribute the FU's also helped me decide on how to get the most out of mine. I also enjoyed the info & pics on Jotronic's site, who I met when I was there. He's a friendly guy, & I can only hope my HT ends up looking somewhat close to as good as his looked.

Glock, Thanks. Looked like you're just getting into your growth cycle right about now, & I wish you the best of luck. Luckily you found this site prior to your scheduled HT, and it sounds like you were very happy with Dr. True. He was one of the docs I considered before making my final choice. I only wish I had found this site before having my first HT done in RI. JOBI, thanks. I hope to have similar results to the pics I've seen in this site. Hopefully it will be a nice X-mas present. Youngsuccess, since I previously had a HT procedure, I noticed that this time around I was a lot more focused on what I wanted to achieve & the overall placement locations, and less concerned about the actual cutting, post-op, etc. I used the occasional bathroom break to look at the progress in case there was something I wanted to address. I also was more cognizant of the incisions being made & the implantation process, especially at the hairline area. I will post some pics after the disk with pics arrives in the next few days.

Well, I'm back from getting 4300 grafts from Dr. Jerry Wong a couple of days ago. I've got to say, I am extremely satisfied with the results. My day started at 6:15 in the morning when I was greeted by Dr. Wong at the H&W office. After thinking all night about what I was expecting from this procedure, I discussed this with Dr. Wong in the morning[this was slightly different from what I had discussed with him the day before], and he had no problem adjusting to my new request. I was promptly prepared for my procedure after the "before" pics were taken, and was immediately placed in the room where the procedure would take place. The room has a wall of windows with a fantastic view of the city & the surrounding water, with the mountains in the background. Very impressive. One of the first things that you notice right away is how friendly the entire staff is, and that they are constantly making sure that you're comfortable. The other thing that you notice right away is that Dr. Wong treats you like a good friend, and makes you relaxed. After having a transplant previously in Rhode Island, it was interesting to compare the two procedures. It was apparent that Dr. Wong is a perfectionist when it comes to the creation of the hairline. He was constantly "tweaking" it & adjusting it to get it just right. This is the opposite of what I remember from my previous procedure. You got the feeling that Dr. Wong treated your final appearance like it was his own. Another thing that impressed me was when Dr. Wong was told that a "consultation" patient was there to see him. He basically made them wait until he was done with the particular item he was working on at that time, and didn't rush through it. He also seemed to be constantly overseeing the implantation process, offering comments and making any necessary adjustments. The gals that worked on me [Paula, Vanessa, Winnie, & Leena] were super nice, funny, & kept the mood light. They were constantly working, & seemed to go out of their way to make sure I did not want for anything. You could tell that they had been learning from Dr. Wong by their attention to details. An example was Leena wanting to make sure she got the crown implants just right. It's always the small touches that you seem to remember, like Dr. Wong making a point to take a second to stop & see you when you're getting your post-op hair wash the next day, even though you know he's got his hands full with other things, & offering to provide to you a copy of the pics that were taken. Or maybe it's the call from Doug noting that the disk with the pictures was in the mail, & that he would get the breakdown on the hair numbers, & provide details on the FU distribution. I would highly recommend anybody wanting a HT to visit with Dr. Wong & his staff before going anywhere else. I'm glad this forum provided the support and information that led me to go there. I'll follow up with some pics in the next few days.

Well, I'm back from getting 4300 grafts from Dr. Jerry Wong a couple of days ago. I've got to say, I am extremely satisfied with the results. My day started at 6:15 in the morning when I was greeted by Dr. Wong at the H&W office. After thinking all night about what I was expecting from this procedure, I discussed this with Dr. Wong in the morning[this was slightly different from what I had discussed with him the day before], and he had no problem adjusting to my new request. I was promptly prepared for my procedure after the "before" pics were taken, and was immediately placed in the room where the procedure would take place. The room has a wall of windows with a fantastic view of the city & the surrounding water, with the mountains in the background. Very impressive. One of the first things that you notice right away is how friendly the entire staff is, and that they are constantly making sure that you're comfortable. The other thing that you notice right away is that Dr. Wong treats you like a good friend, and makes you relaxed. After having a transplant previously in Rhode Island, it was interesting to compare the two procedures. It was apparent that Dr. Wong is a perfectionist when it comes to the creation of the hairline. He was constantly "tweaking" it & adjusting it to get it just right. This is the opposite of what I remember from my previous procedure. You got the feeling that Dr. Wong treated your final appearance like it was his own. Another thing that impressed me was when Dr. Wong was told that a "consultation" patient was there to see him. He basically made them wait until he was done with the particular item he was working on at that time, and didn't rush through it. He also seemed to be constantly overseeing the implantation process, offering comments and making any necessary adjustments. The gals that worked on me [Paula, Vanessa, Winnie, & Leena] were super nice, funny, & kept the mood light. They were constantly working, & seemed to go out of their way to make sure I did not want for anything. You could tell that they had been learning from Dr. Wong by their attention to details. An example was Leena wanting to make sure she got the crown implants just right. It's always the small touches that you seem to remember, like Dr. Wong making a point to take a second to stop & see you when you're getting your post-op hair wash the next day, even though you know he's got his hands full with other things, & offering to provide to you a copy of the pics that were taken. Or maybe it's the call from Doug noting that the disk with the pictures was in the mail, & that he would get the breakdown on the hair numbers, & provide details on the FU distribution. I would highly recommend anybody wanting a HT to visit with Dr. Wong & his staff before going anywhere else. I'm glad this forum provided the support and information that led me to go there. I'll follow up with some pics in the next few days.

Thanks hairbank, appreciate the insight. You read about the procedures in the forum, but I hadn't seen much about the post-op travel, especially a long plane ride. I went in for pre-op consultation today & took a walk around the Granville Island area. They've got a lot of great little shops around here, and the atmosphere is very relaxing. The folks at H&W were as pleasant as I expected based upon everything I've read in this forum, & Dr Wong was super & very informative. I'm looking forward to tomorrow! Kumar,Dr Wong of Hasson & Wong is performing my HT, & I'll certainly let you know how things go. I flew all the way from New England to have Hasson & Wong perform my work after researching this site for a bit & seeing the results they've achieved. Since my donor supply is finite, I felt it important to select a quality doctor, and I happened to be impressed by the work they've done. Let's hope I soon have first hand knowledge!

Just curious if anybody took a long flight the day after surgery. I'm having 4000 [hopefully more] done tomorrow at H&W, and have a flight thru Chicago back to the East coast on the following day. Has anybody done this and had any problems?

Just curious if anybody took a long flight the day after surgery. I'm having 4000 [hopefully more] done tomorrow at H&W, and have a flight thru Chicago back to the East coast on the following day. Has anybody done this and had any problems?