FoxLox

Curious George- I think the answer depends on you. How old are you? How much hair does it look like you are going to loose? Are you on medications? Would you be happy with the amount of hair you have right now? Will you be happy if your hairloss gets worse? So far I'm very happy about having a transplant. I also use DermMatch. For me, I love being able to use less and less DermMatch. I use to use a hair system and was sooooo happy to get rid of that. Then (after the procedure and once I had enough hair grow in to get by) I started using Dermatch all over the top of my head. It would make me happier every time I got to use less and less DermMatch. I'm now to the point where I only have to use it in the crown, since I didn't have any work done there. For now, I'm happy that concealors exist and will continue to use them, but eventually I will have some more work done so I won't have to. For me, less maintenance and a better look is the better way to go. Foxlox

Well, at least you would know a good place to send him for some repair work. Foxlox

Tedd- Nice results! Congrats! Man, your head is looking good, but your heart is looking black - your poor brother (J/K). But seriously, you should be kind and give your brother some help and advice on his hair. Maybe Dr. Rose can make up a twin special or something like that. Once again, congrats on the great results. Foxlox

cjking- Judging by the amount of baldness you are describing, I would say that they should have given you more grafts. With your hair loss and age, a doctor doesn't need to be that conservative and 1200 grafts really isn't going to do much. Sometimes doctors don't have the resources in their facility to handle megasessions, but a good, honest doctor should be forthright about that and recommend another doctor who does as another alternative. Some doctors just want your business. With your age and hairloss, I'd agree with you and say get as much done as you can in one setting. There is no need to cut the back of your head open more times just for the kicks of it. For your next session, I'd recommend going to a doctor that has the resources to do megasessions. Foxlox

Look out ladies, here comes Dai! Looking good my friend. Nice work Dr. Feller. You've got a happy patient indeed. Foxlox

Rugger- Good post. Thanks. I am currently buying my generic proscar from www.generics-online-pharmacy.com . This article makes me reconsider that decision. I would be interested in buing some pills online and having our own lab work done. I imagine that we could find enough willing participants here to make the cost quite low for everyone interested. Any takers? Does anyone know a good lab were we could have it done at? Just curious. Foxlox

Even better than using a donor's hair is the idea of cloning hair. Then you wouldn't have to worry too much about rejection, drugs, etc. Technology can be a marvelous thing. I can't wait to see all of the advances in the future. Foxlox

Helpwithhair- Judging by my experience with it, and other's comments, I'd say DermMatch. But honestly, I haven't tried any other concealers, so I can't judge between them. Sorry. Foxlox

To answer your questions: 1. I usually take a shower and wash my hair at night so it doesn't come off on my pillow cloth. But on those days that I don't, it does come off on my pillow cloth. I recommend having a pillow cloth similar in color to the DermMatch. Eith way, it does wash out pretty easily. 2 & 3. The only thing that I have ever had DermMatch come off on or temporarily stain has been my pillow cloth. You can touch my head all you want (not that you would want to) and it won't come off. It has never stained my shower or anything else. 4. As with any concealer, you do have to have at least SOME hair for it to work. The more you have, the better the results. It won't work on a completely bald area. Foxlox

I have been using DermMatch and it works quite well and looks good too. It seems to also work well when I'm active. I haven't tried any of the others so I can't tell you which one is the best - sorry. Foxlox

...or perhaps he was just a bit tipsy at the time he posted the response. Let the guy live a little. Foxlox

With Dr. Lehr I paid a $500 deposit, and then the rest on the day of the procedure. Foxlox

I third the DermMatch. You can even put it on and then jump in the shower really quickly to wash off the excess. That should stop any sweat problems Foxlox

Notsure- I just responded to another one of your posts recommending propecia as well. As far as the transplant goes, I couldn't agree more with Arfy. Arfy- You're the man. Foxlox

Notsure- If I were in your shoes I would start taking propecia immediately. Everybody is different, but it seems that alot of people who have transplants at 20 years old are sorry that they did it later. Either way, propecia is probably something you'll want to look into, because in most cases it will help stop the hair loss. Foxlox

Tom129- It depends on what you mean by shave your head. Are we talking about shaving it with a 1/2 inch or 1/4 inch guard, or are we talking about shaving it slick down to the skin. I've had my scar area buzzed with a 1/2 guard since a little after the procedure, and DermMatch has done a good job. I don't think that DermMatch would work to well using a 1/4 inch guard, but I've never tried it. If you're talking about a shave down to the scalp (bicked), good luck, I'm not sure what you could use. Some types of make-up might help, but I still think that the scar would be visible. I considered bicking my head after the procedure, but decided against it. One of the options that I was thinking of doing was using glasses/sunglasses and those stupid little cloth things that hook to the back of the glasses, going around the back of one's head, so that the glasses don't fall off. I was thinking about finding one of those, or making one, that was wide enough and just the right size to cover the scar. I figured that I would have looked stupid wearing it, but at least it would have covered the scar. Anyways, it's just a thought. Take it for what it's worth. Foxlox

Otto- Sounds like we're in about the same boat when it comes to time. I had a procedure done at the end of September. Suprisingly, I had a number of transplanted hairs that didn't fall out. I didn't count them or anything, but I'd guess that about 20 percent stayed in. Some of the hairs looked like they were going to stay in, but after a few weeks they had this fall over look to them and they eventually fell out. A lot of the hairs that did that seemed to come back out again pretty quickly. I'm happy about it. Foxlox

Jozef- I agree with uncjim, the follicular units should be counted. Dr. Lehr gave me the tally during the procedure as well. I see no reason why a good and honest doctor wouldn't provide the patient with this information.

Pastor- I agree with the previous posters, if you were charged per hair, I would definitely not return to that doctor. On the same note (if you are ever wanting another procedure done), I'd stay away from doctors that charge per "graft" and stick with a doctor that charges per "follicular unit". That way you know that you are getting a natural follicular unit that will produce better results, and not a dissected one. Some may mix and match these terms, but either way, if you make sure that you are getting follicular units, it'll look better. If you have any questions about this, just read through the website, Pat explains it well. Foxlox

Pastor- If it was done years ago, you might have gotten an alright deal. If it's been done recently, (sorry to say this) you've been taken for a ride. If you look at the doctors on this website, they are some of the best in the world and they typically charge between $3-5 per follicular unit. If it has already been done, there is no reason to dwell on it, just know for the next time (if needs be) to find a better and more economical doctor. Best of luck. Foxlox

Well, I know Dr. Garbutt's brother (who seems like a pretty nice and honest guy), but that is about all I know about him. Sorry I couldn't help more. Foxlox

I recently had a procedure done with Dr. Lehr (on 9/25/03), 2300 follicular units. There are a number of mentors who recommend him on this site. With everything that I have read about him and now, after having him be my doctor, I have been very impressed. Dr. Lehr's staff is great, he's up-front about everything, and very knowledgeable. Plus he'll beat anyone else's price. Of course, I'll have to wait to see the full results before saying much more (I'll keep you posted), but so far I'd recommend him.