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Arson, what was your prognosis for final Norwood pattern? Surprised to hear Cooley would do so little on someone so young, but perhaps he's more aggressive than has been reported previously. Your reasoning makes sense if you're destined for no further than a 3/3V (though that's difficult to determine until you're 25-30). Otherwise, I'd say it's very bad reasoning in general to suggest to somebody. Tell us what Cooley had to say about it, both in terms of his general approach and specifically in terms of shock loss.... If you have photos, it would help to see those, too, so we can see what you're talking about.

Cantona, I sympathize with where you're at and had the same concerns with image and nearly identical recession that I started noticing around 30 years old. That being said, the last couple of years (I'm now 34) were difficult for me in that I had to wait until I lost enough frontal hair to make getting a procedure viable. I doubt that anyone but me really noticed the loss since my hair is long and typically styled down and forward, but the gradual erosion was very slow and very irritating to me. I had 1150 grafts transplanted by strip procedure to the frontal hairline in May, and since I only had 5-10% of my native hair left in that region, my surgeon, Dr. True, felt confident that I would see a nice net benefit even if I lost those remaining hairs as a result of the procedure (if you haven't already, search this forum for "shock loss" to begin understanding the primary risk people with minimal hair loss face when considering a transplant). Who knows, I may have acted too quickly, but so far I've seen very minimal to imperceptible shock loss and won't know what the final result will be until next spring. Having looked at your latest picture, I'd say that you're about where I was 4 years ago. I'm just afraid that you have too much hair left in the front to warrant a transplant, and if your final balding pattern could be extensive, you don't want to bring the hairline down from its current position because you'll expend many valuable grafts that you might need later. If you're in the UK, I know that Dr. Feller has a former patient there who consults with prospective patients. He posts regularly to this forum and goes by the handle "spex". You should do a search for his posts and get in touch with him. Many guys from the UK seem to be coming to Feller in Long Island, New York, and the general consensus on this board is that you should stay away from surgeons in the UK and travel for your procedure if you choose to have one. I think "spex" and Dr. Feller can give you a better sense of long-range planning than you've received so far, and New York has several other excellent doctors--Bernstein, True (my surgeon), and Dorin (Dr. True's partner). If you can make it to New York, perhaps you can consult with all of them in person in a few days' time. If not, I'm sure you can do virtual consultations with each if you take good, clear pictures and explain your situation/concerns to them. If you're interested, I've also been documenting my case photographically and you can search my handle to find my pictures. Some of my commenters even thought I had too much hair to warrant a procedure. My immediately post-op pictures should give you a good sense of what the hairline's final contours will look like.

Losing 100-200 hairs a day is average, even for those not suffering from MPB. So what's the problem, really, and where do you want to have work done? It doesn't look like you need a transplant at all and NW2 is simply a mature hairline, not cause for hair restoration unless there's fraying at the frontal edge or temples, and little chance of further hair loss. You also need to get some sense of what your final balding pattern might be so that you can develop a long-term plan for restoration and use your limited donor supply to ensure the best coverage for a lifetime. I doubt any ethical doctor would touch you unless your photos are not revealing something we all need to see to give you better advice. As for DHI, I've never heard of them and they sound like a chain ("At our DHI clinics..."), so I'd stay away. I also wouldn't fall for a "written guarantee" gimmick; any ethical doctor will stand behind their work and replace grafts that might not grow at no additional charge to you. If you're interested in the Follicular Unit Extraction procedure as opposed to strip, I'd research Drs. Bernstein, Rassman, Feller. You also shouldn't be diagnosed by a consultant but should be meeting with the doctor himself who will perform the surgery. Stay on Propecia and minoxidil if they worked for you well in the past.

I meant in terms of his ability or willingness to dense pack above 25 FU/cm2 at a single pass. I think many posters on this forum are interested in surgeons who can provide denser results with fewer surgeries, hence the strong presence of Hasson/Wong patients here. I'm sure Bernstein's approach is well reasoned and articulated on his web site so check it out. Minimization of shock loss is undoubtedly a key factor. But if you have large bald areas that need transplanting, why wouldn't you go with someone who could offer you more coverage and more grafts in fewer procedures? If I needed a full head session, I don't think I'd go to Bernstein....

Detroit?! Ha.... Run, man, run.... at NW2 there's no reason to be thinking about transplants. Your hairline may just be reaching its final mature position. Get on Propecia and keep doing your research. Good luck!

Dude, stop posting this stupid spam shit here....

1) Cancel your appointment and ***DO NOT*** go to Bosley under any circumstances. Just do a search for "Bosley" on this site if you need any more persuading. Don't worry if you lose a deposit; you will regret going through with the transplant there for the rest of your life.... 2) You are probably too young to begin getting transplants. If you haven't been on Propecia for at least 6 months to stabilize your hair loss, getting a transplant at your age will probably leave you with even less hair than you have now. Do a search on this site under "shock loss." A lot of doctors wouldn't even touch you until you are at least 30. If you don't know what Propecia is, you shouldn't be having a transplant anywhere at this time. 3) Start doing your research on this site by reading as many threads as you can. Spend several months doing so. Yes, there are many better doctors on the east coast but the way you ask the question makes it obvious that you know next to nothing about this procedure and should not be going through with a transplant given your current state of knowledge. 4) Sorry if this all sounds a bit harsh, but I don't think anybody here wants you to make such a big mistake. Many guys reading your post will be shaking their heads and hope you don't go through with it. I hope they can offer you additional advice. 5) Repeat: DO NOT GO TO BOSLEY!

Ouch, not a nice comment above, but who's noticing with such a fantastic transplant result. You look great and thanks for all you've done to help others on this board. Definitely one of the top 5 results I've ever seen ....

While having a reputation for being straightforward, extremely ethical, and very reluctant to operate on younger men suffering from hair loss, I wouldn't say that Dr. Bernstein is known for his hairline work. Nor does he pack at densities greater than 25FU/cm2 on a single pass. His approach to hairlines looks more standardized than either Shapiro's or True's, and his suggested placements are probably too high for certain people's tastes. I think he's an older man's doctor and no longer considered to be on the vanguard, either technically or aesthetically ....

exactly. maybe the doctor even has a first name, too? he wouldn't be in maryland by any chance, now, would he?

This guy is ridiculous. Stop wasting everyone's time w/ this cloak-and-dagger B.S. ....

Ugh.

I think Just-a-guy misunderstand the "tramp stamp" reference, funny since he had just finished talking about tattoos and how some people regret getting them. Now anybody who disagrees with him must be a transplant doctor posing as a satisfied transplant recipient! Obviously this guy is incorrigible, immune to contrary evidence (anecdotal and photographic), and loves wallowing in his depression and bad decisions in full view of everyone else here. He's also a master of bad prose and hyperbole ("any doc that did that should be locked away in prison!") So can we please end this pointless thread if he's not here to rectify his situation and learn from the rest of us? I'm tired of reading the same repetitive entries and being told that I need a therapist b/c I was interested in hair transplants....

Find a doctor who will prescribe it for you; your physician is obviously ill-informed and Propecia is your best bet for maintaining what you already have. You need to get on it immediately and stay on it indefinitely. Have a consult w/ one of the doctors recommended on this site and any of them would be glad to prescribe it for you, I'm sure....

Bill, yes I had it on May 25, 2006. Everything went exceptionally well and I'm hoping the results turn out as beautifully. You can find my pictures if you search "Dr. True/1150 grafts" or just search my posts. I'm only about 2 months out; my hairloss wasn't as extensive as yours and I just had frontal hairline work done. I'm on Propecia for everything else....

Exactly, he meant 25K factoring in all procedures and all available donor grafts, not price per surgery....

Cool. Good luck. It's just that 21 is by most doctors' standards usually way too young. If your donor is great, that'll definitely be to your advantage. Keep us updated with pics on how the first one grows out--I'm not even 2 months postop so I completely sympathize with how hard it is to wait.

Do you think Feller might object to operating on you b/c of your age? Does anyone know if he routinely does patients this young (does spex know perhaps?)? I would assume he'd avoid the liability. What do you do if Feller or another great doc tells you to wait, that you're too young to keep doing these interventions on your scalp at this age?

He's like the anti-dhuge67 ....

Very very nice hairline work, Bill. I hope mine from Dr. True comes in this nicely. And again, good luck on Oct. 19 in Vancouver...!

Definitely a dramatic improvement at 6 months. Congratulations--it can only get better as you hit the 1-year mark....

Congrats Bill and thanks for documenting your progress w/ great photos thus far. I chose Dr. True for my first transplant several months ago; were you happy w/ your results from him, and just thought Hasson could finish you off that much better? I'd be interested to hear your input. Best of luck in October, and hope to see amazing photos of you in the Hasson and Wong gallery in the near future....

Not to alarm you, but I have to agree with the other posters--from the photos you attached, the work looks totally substandard. The graft placement along the hairline looks like a series of parallel lines, and the coverage on top is far too sparse. For someone as bald as you, Hasson and Wong is probably the way to go. You say your goals are modest, but it doesn't sound like you know what's possible. This site is a good place to start learning.... Good luck.