Bushy

Oferim, welcome to the boards and congrats on your surgery. Dr. Shapiro's work is among the very best, and his hairlines are virtually undetectable. Hell, if not for him this whole darned website would probably not have existed. (Can you imagine if Pat didn't have the good fortune and common sense to seek out a doctor of his caliber? He might have ended up a mess with some butcher and would never have started this whole endeavor.) Can't wait to see your results!!!

Hairbank, all the crown work cases I've seen seem to have taken longer than the frontal cases. I believe Bobman's crown has been taking longer than his front, too. (Am I correct, Bob?) I'm expecting this round #2 for me to be a bit slower, too, since Dr. Hasson did a bunch of mid-scalp work for me.

Good luck to you, Mark! We will be watching and rooting.

Thanks so much, guys. In some ways this round has been more troubling because of the shock loss, but it's so comforting to see it come back. I can't wait for the real results.

 

Mr. Joe: Thanks! Indeed, even the lst few weeks alone have been huge.

 

Hairbank: Wow, you're looking great yourself, and you were only about 3 months before me! Can't wait to see your updated pics.

 

B Spot: I hope you prove correct!

 

JB: Thanks for your compliments. BTW, H&W don't require that you shave, but strongly recommend it. For a serious mega-session, I can't see why you wouldn't want to! Also, I, too, have a "normal look profession," and two weeks after surgery was successfully using Dermmatch/Toppik to camouflage the damage.

 

And, as far as laxity is concerned, you can do exercises to improve that . . .

I've updated my blog with month 1, 2 and 3 pics. I suffered a ton of shock loss, but seem to be recovering now in month 3. I can feel the fun beginning!

 

Here is a comparison pic for a quick view:

 

Looks great, Bill!

Originally posted by Pat - Publisher of this Community:

Hairbank,

 

You've done a great deal to help others on this forum. So I'm very pleased to see that you are getting excellent results.

 

As a suggestion, you might want to try using prothik or toppik to increase the look of fullness on top. This stuff can really double the appearance of fullness, especially while the hair is growing in.

 

I look forward to seeing what you look like when your second session is fully grown in.

 

Best wishes, Pat

 

Pat, I'm now just about 2 months after surgery. I use Dermmatch/Toppik, but am concerned about it stunting the growth. Dr. Hasson doesn't seem to believe that there will be any effect. Have you known of any posters that have claimed any of the black stuff has been detrimental during the early months?

Originally posted by Michaellovesnyc:

6 Month photos added top and front; I also dyed it ; I have lost 20 pounds also since I got the HT !

 

GORGEOUS

Originally posted by KEVIN1234:

Bushy,

 

Congrats, I looked at your pre and post OP pictures and it seems like Dr Hasson has done great job. I am very curious as to how your hair will look in few more weeks. Please keep us posted.

 

Anyway, right now I am also looking to get HT done and was wondering how much does H&W charges per FUs. Any pointers will be greatly appreciated

 

Thanks

Kevin

 

Hi, Kevin. Thanks for the compliments. I plan to post some more pictures in a week or so, after most or all of the new hairs have fallen out.

 

As for H&W FU prices, I suggest you give H&W a call and speak with Joe or Doug. They can discuss that subject more accurately than I.

 

Good luck with your research!

I finally got to complete my discussion with Dr. Hasson about this isuue. He was neutral in response to my suggestion of taking both Propecia nad Avodart for a while. He basically feels there's no harm in it, but that it's more or less repetitive. Emphatically, he insisted that if I were to choose this route I should, nonetheless, continue to take the daily Avodart along with Procecia, as opposed to alternating between the two. The Propecia, he reasoned, would basically mimic half of Avodart's work, so there was no scientific reason to believe it would yield any benefit.

 

I'm thinking of just sticking with Avodart and throwing in Prepecia or two every now and then. What do you think?

The pictures you see are just after surgery. I took a week off, staying home mostly and not going out without a hat. After having my staples removed on day 15, I went straight to my hair stylist. She tapered the sides down using a #4 on the sides, #3 and #2 toward the top. The overall look was acceptable, and I used some Dermmatch to help conceal the scar. Not a perfect fix, but ok for a day or so. I'm back under my hat now. Played tennis today! (Tomorrow was supposed to be my first day of allowable exercise per Dr. Hasson's post-op guidlines, but I cheated a bit.) Go figure, I hit the ball better than I had in months. Maybe the exrtra grafts helped balance things out.

 

Good luck with your growth!

Oops, I appear to have made a mistake. He got 6,700 in one session (I confused it with my 7,600 total). I guess it was a small session, after all.

Originally posted by steve21:

hi bushy, did you ask him how best to transition to avo? did you ask if you should take fin and avo while your body is getting use to avo? cheers and thanks

 

Steve, that's a great question. Funny you should ask it, because I intended to ask Dr. Hasson about it, but during our conversation there was an emergency and he had to leave abruptly (some patient wasn't feeling well). I will follow up with him later this week and post his reply. Cheers to you, too!

Originally posted by the B spot:

Bushy, I have been pondering this as well, and I am glad you voiced it--- given the size of your session, do you think it is better to leave the staples in for a few more days? I only had a 1.25 cm wide strip taken the first time, but on my next one, Dr. Shapiro and I have discussed 1.5 to 2 cm, so I thought a greater risk of stretching existed, so why not leave them in for a few days longer? The only problem with that is they seem to "take root" right at 10 days and can hurt like a @#!$$#. I am interested to know why you feel this way and perhaps the opinions of others as well. BTW, you have to to know that I have added you to my list of those I must envy for another year or so

 

BSpot, I do think it's safer to leave them in a few more days. Of course, I'm no doctor so for me it's mere conjecture or, at best, good logic. My thinking was largely base on my last HT: When I removed the staples on day 10, but I still felt a lot of tension in the back. My scalp was never particularly lax, and I can't imagine how leaving them in another 4 days wouldn't benefit me in giving the skin an opportunity to regain some more of its laxity. Which is why I was surprised when my plastic surgeon friend told me they routinely wait two weeks on head wounds. Dr Hasson completely agreed with the additional wait.

 

I understand (don't we all) the eagerness to remove these horrible beasts from the back of our head. It is a mild form of torture to live with them. Sleep works only with 2 Tylenol D's every night (I ran out of Ambien). But right now I have only one more night to go!!!! Tomorrow morning at 9 AM I'm scheduled to head out. Can't believe it! In the end, I think it will prove to have been well worth the wait.

 

Nor do I feel that after 10 days they "took root" or hurt any more than previously. Just the same old pain in the neck . . . or just above it.

 

And don't envy me -- envy the dude who just got from Dr. Hasson 7,600 in one session, almost the same total as I now have! In fact, you and I can go out, have a drink, and envy him together (more like sulk together)!

I updated my blog to include the new, HT #2 day 13 pics. All my scabs are now gone. Dr. Hasson agreed with my suggestion, and I'm leaving the staples in for two full weeks, out on day 15 (this Monday morning at 9 AM). My friend, a plastic surgeon, will be removing them for me. Incidentally, he told me that he routinely leaves head staples or sutures in for 2 weeks, whereas on other parts of the body they remove them after 7 or so days.

 

Originally posted by Robert_:

I believe that I have achieved some thickening in the crown due to using Avodart, but just how much I cannot say. I do believe that it did give me regrowth where Proscar did not.

 

I couldn't even begin to speculate how anyone else would fare on the medicine. GSK didn't give out enough information after they stopped trials to make a very educated speculation. Just read up on it as much as you can and make the best decision you can for yourself. If one does decide to start taking it I strongly suggest that they STICK WITH IT for AT LEAST 12 months diligently before making a decision on its efficacy. That's taking it EVERY DAY for 365 consecutive days. Not 3 months. Not 6 months. Not even 9 months. Every day. Too many guys freak out at 4 months saying "It's making my hair fall out!" where in fact, it's just rushing hairs destined for the telegen phase into that phase more quickly. Once they return, and with the addition of minoxidil (which keeps hair in the anagen phase longer) the user should see improvement. At least, this is what happened to me. Your mileage, most certainly, may vary.

 

-Robert

I got to speak with Dr. Hasson about it yesterday. He told me that he bases his confidence in Dutasteride/Avodart on their own patients: Of the approximately 100 patients they currently have on Avodart, there is one reported complaint, involving nipple tenderness. Growth seems to be solid across the board.

 

I know Dr. Hasson to be a straight-shooter, not a salesman. On several occasions he has voiced crisp criticism of his own work, including certain parts of my pre-op HT #2 hairline last week (which I believe I damaged by using a piece after HT #1). Therefore, when he makes a strong statement I trust him. I am now more hopeful and confident that Avodart will work.

Thanks for your reply, Robert. It's so unusual that some people, like you, swear by it and others report positively horrific experiences.

 

Regarding shedding, is this global? Specifically, if I experience shedding, will it include hairs from my first HT?

Originally posted by dhuge67:

Originally posted by Bushy:

Huge, it does look like stuff is beginning to happen, but it's still way too early to see any real results. I'd say by day 120 and forward you might begin to see some real action.

 

BTW, I, too, lost my hair at 20. Sucks big time, my friend. Glad you're taking care of yourself. Good luck!

Very cool to know. I'm looking forward to results now. On my countdown calendar on my computer, I had for some reason listed "Major Hair Growth" and it is still 103 days away from that marking. Hopefully it takes off soon!

 

I realize that every patient is different (chemistry/biology), and that every doc's results varies, but if you look at my blog, check out the progress in HT #1. The first signs of growth were evident at week 13. Then at week 15 and on they really started taking off. The first "full" look happened at around week 22. That's over 5 months. So I say be patient. Unfortunately, this is a tough part of the process . . . waiting.

That scar looks more than just good to me -- it looks unimaginably phenomenal! Who could have envisioned a strip scar with tons of hair growing right through it? That is the most impressive scar I've ever seen.

Huge, it does look like stuff is beginning to happen, but it's still way too early to see any real results. I'd say by day 120 and forward you might begin to see some real action.

 

BTW, I, too, lost my hair at 20. Sucks big time, my friend. Glad you're taking care of yourself. Good luck!

Dr. Hasson wanted my crown area (not covered in surgery) to become thicker. I'm eager to hear from anyone else who has switched what their experience has been.

After my recent surgery, Dr. Hasson had me switch from Propecia, which I've been taking successfully for the last 10 or 15 years, to Avodart. Have any of you made the change? If so, what difference did you experience?

After my recent surgery, Dr. Hasson had me switch from Propecia, which I've been taking successfully for the last 10 or 15 years, to Avodart. Have any of you made the change? If so, what difference did you experience?

Joe, the video (at least on my pc) was not the clearest in the world, though the scar is obviously miniscule. However, I was blown away by the tricho scar I saw at H&W on the day of my surgery. I mean I simply couldn't find it.

Originally posted by the B spot:

Bushy, I must congratulate you on being the bald artist formerly known as bushy!!!!!!!!! I am amazed at what you look like now, and I am excited about what you will look like in the future!!!!!!! I think you might be giving the wonderfully coifed Jotronics a run for his money soon!!!!!!! Amazing, and thank you for giving back to the community here. I hope you and others like you keep posting so we can prove that a difference does exist between the best and all the rest!!!!!!

Thanks, The B Spot. It's good to be back here. I used to post a great deal here, and am happy to see how wonderfully the industry has progressed since!

 

Do you have pics up? I'd love to see them. Dr. Shapiro is one of my favorites.