flyby

Hi TR Like others have said, from looking at your pictures you look to be a great canditate for an HT and I think you'd end up with an excellent result. Haven't really seen alot from any great Dr's in N. CA. Definitely don't choose your Dr based on location. I'm in S. CA and I went to Dr. Alexander in Phoenix (twice :-) and his work is incredible. I like the fact that he doesn't require shaving down the recipient area. This was a requirement for me do to work requirements. I'm 40 and also had thinning native hair such as yourself and I was back to work after 6 days and no one even knew. I've seen some nice work from Dr. Gabel in Oregon as well. As far as concealers go I think you DEFINITELY should give Toppik a try. I've used it and it's not messy or noticible at all. Sweating isn't a problem either. Just make sure you don't go overboard and put too much on. As for the donor area, it will definitely feel tight for about the first month and sore for about the first 2 weeks. Nothing major though. Your scalp will also feel numb but this has gone away after 3 months in both cases for me. I've never heard of anyone having their face or smile affected and it didn't have any affect on me. Tightness of the scalp will vary based on each individuals physiology characteristics and the amount of grafts you go for. Some have looser scalps than others. Spend some time doing your research and find a couple Dr's who's work you really love. Then rather than travelling all over for consultations you can do an online consultation with them. The best Dr's can discuss a pretty good game plan with you based on pictures or video. Best of luck to you!

Hi Ricardo, Without seeing any pictures it's hard to give too much advise on your specific case but if you need 2500 grafts I definitely think you should consider going with strip FUT as opposed to FUE. And especially with your budget. I've had 2 procedures with Dr. Alexander in Phoenix and his work is exceptional. Definitely worth speaking to. His pricing is right on with what you're looking for as well. Good luck

Hi Marie, I had my first HT with Dr. Alexander in 12/07. The results from the first came in excellent and I went back for a second in 11/08. On the second I did experience some shock loss at the ends of the donor closure. It's been just a little over 3 months and I'm happy to say that the hairs in that area are all growing back. My existing hair covered it so it wasn't something very noticible to anybody but me. I don't think that everybody has the same experience with shockloss but I think you'll start seeing any hairs lost from this start to come back at about the 3 month period. Different people have different pain tolerance levels but I'm pretty sure that no one enjoys the first couple weeks of the donor area :-). I do think the sutures that Dr. A uses are more comfortable than staples. You'll also have some numbness which is of concern to some but in both cases for me the numbness was pretty much all gone after 3 months. Best of luck to you and hope you're as happy with you're results as I was after a year.

Good luck with your search Deppmode. Since you're going for 3000 plus and don't have a problem shaving down the donor area and are coming from Ireland, I'd say Dr. Feller and Dr. Rahal would be 2 excellent Dr's to consult with. Dazed - Shaving was definitely not an option for me either. There are some great doctors out there that don't require this if the number of grafts you need is less than 3000. I chose to have my HT with Dr. Alexander base primarily on his work I'd seen. The other aspects of my decision were based on his not requiring shaving and location. I'm definitely happy with my decision. The other Dr's I've seen who do some nice work without requiring shaving the recipient are Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Konior and Dr. Cooley. Haven't seen as much of Dr. Brandon Ross's work but looks like he did a clean job with chargedup. Good luck with your search and I'm sure after looking at many examples of work you'll be able to narrow your search down.

Hi Keg, Dr. Alexanders rates are pretty much the same as all the other top docs. If Dr. Garbutt's rates are that much less I'd put money on it that he's a hack. Choose wisely and don't go looking for extreme bargains because an HT is something you definitely want to avoid getting a poor job and having to repair later. Good luck

Yeah I definitely had thought about this the first time I traveled with Toppik. Like Latin said it does look like Gunpowder and I doubt it's something that these security check people probably see often. Fortunately though I've never had an issue and I've traveled with it many times as carry on and checked in with my luggage. I definitely worried more about carry on. I take the medium size bottle and just included it with all the other bath stuff. I'd love to hear someones story if they did get pulled aside for it though. Having to tell/show them it helps hide my bald spot might be kind of embarassing :-)

Hi mprecio, I don't recall seeing alot of results posted here by Dr. Garbutt. Keg, Definitely don't be afraid to travel. Compare the results of the top doctors before making a decision based on location. I flew from S. Cal to Arizona and had my HT done by Dr. Alexander and was super happy and decided to go back a year later for a second. Check out his results posted over the past year. I think you'll find he's one of the best. Good luck in your search!

Hi Dazed, Definitely don't be afraid to travel to get the best results. A 2 hour flight is actually easier than a 471 mile drive and most Dr's will pay for your hotel and possibly some of the travel. I traveled to Arizona and had my HT done by Dr. Alexander (check out his work here). I actually liked the fact that I was out of town for a couple days and I stayed at the Ritz for free (ok maybe not free since I was paying for an HT). I wore a hat on my return trip home and it was a piece of cake. Good luck and choose wisely. I think Maxxy may setting distance records :-)

Hi Eman, Dayummm dude! At 5 months your results are coming in awesome. Very cool to see that it looks so good and very natural with such a short cut and the donor scar is pretty much non existent at that short length. Look forward to seeing it grown out as well. You definitely deserve it. From reading your posts over past months I'd have to say you seem to be a very cool guy as well. I do have to say that I love the little white blocks you put over your face . It does hide the face but I think if I was an aquaintance or friend i'd definitely be able to tell it was you. Nice work!

Hi Justin, Glad to hear things went well with Dr. Alexander and staff. Not sure what the severity of you hair loss is but I'm sure you're going to be VERY pleased once the results come in. I had my first HT of 2700 with Dr. A on 12/07 and the results were excellent. Unfortunately I'm more along the lines of a NW5 where the hair on top is still there but a little diffuse thinning. Loved what he did with the frontal 1/3 so much I decided to go back to him 11 months later for another session of 2500 to finish off the top. I'm 3 months out now and I can feel the new hairs starting to pop. Should be awesome in another 3 at which time I'll post some pics. I did have a little shockloss at the ends of the donor closures this time but I'm happy to say that it was just temporary and it's just about all grown back in. Oh yeah, even after the second HT my donor scar is looking really great. Hopefully knowing other Dr. A patients here who have already experienced Dr. A's results first hand will ease any of the doldrums you'll experience during the first few months. His work looks great in real life just as it did with the many pictures I saw before taking the plunge. The waiting period sucks so be patient. Well it didn't really suck for the first one but it sure as hell seemed like the longest 4-5 months of my life . The waiting period for the second has seemed to fly by since I'm rollin with a pretty good melon of pelotas now Take care!

From first hand experience you definitely won't have any problem with Toppik glowing under UV lights.

Nice work Wolfman! I think the shaved look works great for you and you've obviously found a way to move past being self concious about it. Did you get approval from your wife to post her pic on an HT forum There are so many different variable that come into place for people looking for a solution that is right for them when it comes to hairloss. Here's a list of some of the things I see as some of the variables and these are just my opinions. With regards to NW scales below I usually see these as what you are most likely to become rather than what you are today 1. IMO bald is always better than a hair system based on what I've seen and the insecurities that I would have wearing one. 2. Shave/Buzz - Try it you might like it! I think it's always best to atleast try the buzzed/shaved down look on yourself atleast once and give it a little time to see if you like it or grow to like. Also, get honest feedback from people you trust. Once you go with an strip HT the shaved buzzed look doesn't really become a good option uless you don't mind the ugly ass scar (regardless of how good it is). 3. If the buzzed/shave look makes you look like 8===D head and you just can't learn to live with it, obsess over it and can't move on then maybe it's time to look at an HT as an option. When you do start looking make sure to take your time and only go with Dr's you know are at the top of the HT field. Lots of reasons some people don't look good buzzed shaved. Some people just have bad shaped melons, bad skin, bad propotion to body ratio etc. etc. 4. If you're destined to be a NW7 then I think you're better off learning to like/live with the buzzed look because going through 7000+ grafts to achieve a comb over looks wouldn't suit me 5. If you're NW6 then this really depends on the donor characteristics of the patient. If you have really bad characteristics (low density, tight scalp etc.) then again I'd prefer not to go through all the time/money to achieve a poor comb over look. On the other hand someone like Nic Nitro had great characteristics and was willing to go through the process and appears to have achieved an incredible result. 6. NW4 and 5 again depends on patient characteristics but there's definitely a good chance of achieving an amazing result. Just make sure you do your homework and don't go looking to have a hairline of an 18 year old. 7. NW3's in my opinion don't look bad at all. This is also subjective and relative to the persons age. But what the hell! If you're not going to be losing much more hair and go with a great Dr. then go for it if you choose. Still don't think going with an 18 yr old hairline is smart though. 8. NW2 - Get over it. That's not hairloss that's just a mature hairline and you're probably the only one in the world who dwells on it. But if you're a perfectionist and must have a perfect hairline just make sure you get the best work possible becuase there's nothing worse then making a great situation worse. 9. Before any of the above try the propecia and minoxodil. The majority of us don't have any side affects at all! If you do, propecia is out of your system in 2 weeks and any side affects you actually had (or in some cases thought you had) will be gone. 10. Oh! One more thing. If you're a complete mess in numerous other apects of your life besides the hair loss it might be smart to work on some of those things first. The great thing about making things better with apects such as fitness, lifestyle, job etc is that in many cases a little hard work and self discipline can make great improvements. Too bad hairloss doesn't work the same . So bottom line is your decision was definitely right for you and is a valid opinion that others should see and think about and should be a welcome post on this forum. But for others this just might not work for them. L8

I'm definitely doubting Celebs ht stars as far as Matt Damon, George Clooney and Johnny Depp are concerned. I'd say 99.7238472839% chance that MD and GC have not had one and 89.38392839% for JD. Damn, you even got people on these celeb threads saying Tom Cruise had one as well. And Letterman. Come on now! There are many many people that don't experience hair loss. I'm just about 40 and I'd estimate about 80% of my friends have had minimal or no hair loss.

Looks like great clean work Petchski! Not surpising for Dr. Feller though :-). It looks like Dr. Feller avoided implanting any hairs within the existing frontal forelock strip area which wasn't shaved. I am curious as to Dr. Fellers approach on this since it seems that the existing hair there will eventually go bye bye. Perhaps Spex could provide some info on this. Did Dr. Feller stay away from that are to avoid shockloss and if/when it goes the patient would come back to get it filled in?

I think alot of people here would love to have what you started with before your ht . The work looks great and you should have an amazing result in about 6-8 months from now These next few months are going to seem to take forever. Happy waiting!

I like your thinking on this topic HTHELP. I totally agree that having a buzz is much better than some comb over look. So basically if your hairloss progressed beyond your donor supply you'de like the option to just buzz it. I think there are just too many variables associated with this to get a really good answer. 1. Doc must do a great job with the closure. 2. Patient must have good scarring characteristics. A. Patient is carefull during first 5-6 months as to not strech scar. B. Patient skin scars well (color, stretching etc.) C. Hair characteristics. Color, thickness, density etc. So bottom line is that some will have better ability to cut their hair shorter than others without noticing the scar. Take a look at Eman's 4 month photos. He's only 4 months and has a pretty damn short cut and from the pictures his donor scar really isn't too noticable and it's only going to get better. You probably won't have to much luck with people posting pics for this thread but if you just look through many of the ht results photos you'll see alot of different examples.

Coming in very nicely Eman. Your on your way to a killer mop. Always nice to not be a late grower since the first 4 months alone seem like forever and having to go 6 before seeing some nice growth would be that much harder. Your donor scar is looking awesome as well for only 4 months. 4 months is when mine really started to POP and at 6 months things were really thickining up. You plan on growing it out some at about 6 or 7 months?

Don't know your age and as you said the pics aren't the clearest, but from what I can tell you DEFINITELY have nothing to worry about at this point! If you're hairline has changed some it could just be maturing. Most people are way more critical of themselves and if you are actually having some thinning you'll definitly know before most others will. That area on top where you can see the scalp is just a part . Go get some ladies with that mop and try not to worry about it until you can really tell yourself. Have Fun!

Hi Cos, Thank's for sharing your blog. At 8 months you may see some additional growth and thickening and I'm always and advocate of waiting a full 12 mo before making final judgement, BUT based on the pictures it really looks like this will be another case of a low yield Armani FUE. IMO the reasons are twofold. 1. High volume Armani fue with too many transected hair follicles results in a lower yield ratio. 2. Too much dense packing into a small area which hurts the blood supply to the newly implanted grafts. The amount of swelling you had after your procedure seems to be WAY more than what I've seen or experienced from doctors who are a little more conservative on the # of grafts per cm put into such a small area. The GOOD NEWS IS that your previous existing hairline was excellent. I'm not sure what age you are but from the picture you looked to be a solid NW3 without any diffuse thinning and may never experience additional loss. If that's the case and this HT doesn't turn out like you hoped for then you're still in an excellent posistion to have another with a great doc who can get you to where you want with no problem. Many here would die to have had your original hairline . You were definitely an excellent candidate for an HT though. Best wishes!

Hi BB, Good advise given here by others. At 19 I definitely think that you're better off waiting before considering and HT. Being only 19 you have time on your side of seeing what future advancements in hair restoration hold. I DEFINITELY agree with the others that you should try shaving down your melon to a 1 or 2 guard. Who know, it may look great on you and you might grow to like it. I wish I could go back in time and have tried the buzzed down look but once you have a donor scar it's not much of an option in my opinion.

Seems as if Dr. Keene is the only one doing 2 day mega sessions. The first I had ever heard of this was just a couple days ago upon viewing a thread with SirFiveHead who had something like 3600 over 2 days. Apparently Dr. Keene does all the graft placement herself as well. I personally think that some well trained techs placing the grafts is probably more effective since I would think one person placing 3600 grafts would tend to lose concentration with such a tedious process. For those who think the Dr. should perform every part of the procedure then you should be calling Dr. Keene. Dr. Keene does seem to produce top notch consistent results so if that is what works for her then I would say her results speak for themselves.

Hi Sir, I think that in cases where someone was just about completely bald in a certain area or all over it would be noticible if a year later you show up with a bunch of hair in that formerly bald area. Whether or not someone says something I'm sure there would be people thinking about it. In my case it was more of a diffuse thinning where I filled in the frontal 1/3 without really changing the hairline either. I was also pretty good with Toppik. So over the past year as the new hair has grown in, my hairline hasn't been changed and the hair that was already there appears thicker and fuller and it was a gradual process. I have some pretty hard core ball busters amongs friends and family who wouldn't hesitate to bust my balls about the HT if they had any incling at all and that's never happened so I'm VERY very confident no one has a clue. I think in the end even if there are people that notice you had a hair transplant because they new you as formerly bald then as long as you're happy with your results and people that didn't know you as formerly bald have no idea you had a transplant because it looks so natural then you're in great shape. From the work I've seen from Dr. Keene you should end up with a great result. Take a look at Gorpi and his transition and I think his transition has been very gradual and natural looking. Best of luck to you. I just noticed that you had 3600 done over 2 days. I've never heard of this with strip surgery before. Did they take half the donar from one side the first day and suture it up then take the other half from the other side the next day? Would be intersted to hear from others that had it done this way.

LookingFor, Halo mate! This is just a guess and I haven't done a search, but the 2 Aussie doctors probably aren't reccomended here because they either haven't made the effort or taken the time to post consistent before/after photos on this site. If they have posted alot of detailed before/after photos then you should be able to compare their results to other to assist in your decision. There's no harm in visiting either of these doctors but since you're not getting large quanitities of patient feedback on them such as you would here with a coalition doctor just make sure you so some extra homework with them. Ask to see many many detailed before after results. Ask for some patients that you could speak with to see the results first hand and make sure you do some searches to see how much positive feedback you can find versus negative. If you can't find any feedback then that's somewhat of a red flag as well. Regarding your options of FUE vs Strip. I think most will agree that the notion of not having a scar is nice, BUT I think most will also agree that FUE is best for folks with not so much hair loss (NW 3 or so). If you're NW 4+ and need alot of grafts it seems that the consistency of great results is less for FUE cases than strip. Hopefully that will change as FUE extraction methods become more advanced. Some claim of great advancements in FUE but until we see doctors demonstate consistent/quality resutls of large # of graft FUE cases and show numerous before/after photos of the results then I think it will be second to strip for large graft #'s. Take your time in making a decision and make sure you talk to some coalition Dr's and compare their result to the Aussie Dr's. This is decision you'll be living with for a lifetime so it needs to be made with alot of thought and research put into it. If you're a great candidate and you get a top notch job done by a great/ethical Dr. you'll be very happy and ahead of the game. If you make a rush judgement and get a not so good result you'll then be behind the 8 ball and have to then get a great Dr. to get you to a great result. Best of luck to you down under!

I'm in the same boat as Mr. Jobi. Not one single person knows except doc and staff know about mine and I'm more comfortable keeping it that way. Just had my second HT with Dr. Alexander on 11/19 to complete the top (crown is still strong). The front 1/3 was done a year ago and if the top comes in as nicely as the front 1/3 did (I'm confident it will) then I'm going to be a SUPER HAPPY man in about 4-5 more months. Both the frontal 1/3 and top had a fair amount of native hair and Toppik really helped with illusion of more hair. The process has been nice and gradual and I've had people say "you're looking good" but there's not a process of going from no hair to hair so I think that's made it an easier process to conceal. Also chose not shaving down which is obviously another important factor in no one knowing. Another MAJOR factor is that I've been single for the past 1 1/2 years. I don't think it would have all that easy to keep it a secret had I still been with my girlfriend . I do comend those that have chosen to be open about their process. I think those that are completely open about it are probably a little more extrovert in thier personalities. Best whished to you Canadian on you upcoming future of a nice mop.

What a bunch of disgusting shit heads. I tried sending them an email but it looks like they're already feeling the heat since the email appears to have been shut down. I'll be sure to prank call the bastards a number of times. I think we should all set up appointmentw for consults and procedures. This way they won't know who's real and who's not so be really screwed up. This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification. Delivery to the following recipients failed. capriclinic@gmail.com