thanatopsis_awry

Marvelous. Add it to the annals of otherworldly H&W transformations. Great to see this man sporting such a fresh style, too. Both HTs really blended seamlessly with one another into a final, absolutely sensational product. What's up with this taking *2* sessions, though??

Good thread, these questions are always interesting. If someone is 50 yrs old, and feels existentially ruined because he doesn't have a NW1 hairline, and feels it's a virtual "right" that he get his hair fully restored, is it shallow? I still don't think so in and of itself, but there is certainly a different dynamic in play than for a 20 yr NW5 who feels the dire need, compulsion, and deserving of restored hair. At the same time, "20 yr old NW5s" exist who simply move on from the issue with relative ease; does this make the other 20yr NW5 shallow, or have a degree of shallow that the former doesnt possess. Ultimately, I believe MPB is intimately connected to one's virility, masculinity, and thus the very existence of a modern man. From this, I don't believe any hairloss sufferer is "shallow" in and of itself for wanting their hair restored.

Dr. Simmons, that is a very confident, and perhaps outright brave, position to take. A question, if you get the moment: I get the sense that you do not believe the mysterious "lame-ass-physiology" truly exists; and that even if it did, which would be quite a big "if", it is certainly something that should be aggressively attempted to decipher and combat prior to surgical operation? I know of but one other clinic who has vocally taken this position, and essentially discarded the notion -- and subsequent exculpation's -- of a poor surgery being chalked up to a "patient's physiology". Again, with the status quo seemingly being an acceptance of "patient physiology", that really is a uniquely confident, and brave, position to hold firm to.

It really still depends on the surgeon, and there's a pretty huge difference between NW 3, 4, and 5, so that distinction is important, too. Also, depending on the person's age and general pattern a good physician like one from the Coalition may or may not be inclined to give a density that you're hinting at, so age would be another. The answer to your question is truly a unique one, and it's best approached on a very specific, case by case basis. Theoretically, HTs can certainly give 10s, though; howevever, in practicality, this is rarely achieved.

That's a very good question, D, and you would likely get different answers from different doctors. Most, but not all, believe that a patient's given physiology can invariably lead to poor yield, though what this actually means I'm honestly not sure, as I've never seen it illucidated. Hair transplantation is a very delicate and necessarily refined procedure. Aside from the doctor's skill and artistry in making the incisions (and donor extraction/closure in how many grafts you can even get), the technicians play a *huge* role in the survival of your very grafts, and how much hair actually grows. Grafts can be damaged in a lot of ways, and it isn't terribly difficult to damage them. One thing you might want to ask the clinics you are considering is their take on the role of technicians, and how their protocol operates. As well as what their take is on the "guaranteeing" of your grafts' growth. Frankly, it is not a very routine surgery and it is extremely easy to mess up. It's extremely troubling to me that your doctor gave you this impression.

Manko, without a doubt I essentially agree with your premise. And in the last major thread by a Feller FUE patient I vociferously defended the patient's justification and right to gladly pony up the $10/g. That said, it's not as if one *must* pay $10/g. For one, one doesn't *need* to have the supreme luxury of getting FUE to begin with! We are talking about an incredibly specialized subset of an already specialized and rare service. But even within this, $10/g for FUE represents but one viable option for someone to consider.

Prices have decreased, and deals are out there, it simply hasn't really hit the upper echelon of clinics, like Maxxy has detailed. There are enough bald people, and there always will be, that it would take an absolute decimation of the economy to truly impact top-tier HT practices, IMO. That said, $10/g is on the very high end of pricing, and isn't an absolute reflection of how much a HT must cost you. It might very well be location based, too. Dr's Feller, Bernstein, who I believe charge 10/g for FUE are located in or around NYC. Having just moved to NYC, I'd confidently say that there are very, VERY few true deals going around in that area, and that quality goods/services are in no way in desperate shape of finding customers. The economy is in poor shape -- comparitively speaking -- but go into most major cities and walk around and it'l be readily apparent that an abundance of wealth is still circulating. I would only say the economy is even "bad" because of the..."solutions"....being crammed down our throats. I do think HT costs will greatly go down, though, IMHO, in this decade, if things continue. Future bubbles similiar to the mortgage market loom (union pensions, e.g.), and if the government's -- "solutions" -- continue as such we might just be getting some Depression Specials in the near future.

Swagger, I do not deny that your HT did not give you good density, nor the HTs of *many* people. Truly, I do not. Moreover, in the very threads of the people whom you cited (TTP, Aaron, John, e.g.) I went out of my way to speak plainly in agreement with their issues, looking at their situations objectively; I even *outright* caution a couple *before* their operations, in their old pre-op threads. But I still stand by that HM is not a "dire need" for many. This means, of course, that the people in question must have the resource and will for *multiple* procedurs -- but is this not something that is discussed prior to their HTs, and something they are consented upon? You seem to greatly discount the fact that while MPB is indeed progressive, so is the ability for people to combat it with multiple HTs. NicNitro, Bobman, Bill, Jotronic, LondonLad, and countless others have done just that. I myself will be amongst this list as I too need a subsequent HT. I undestand that HM *is* a dire need for many. I don't deny this, nor do I look to undermine the marvelous benefit it would have for untold numbers of people. Including myself. A bad HT is about the worst thing that can happen to a man, particularly a young guy; and so I nonetheless understand where your vigilence is coming from, even though in and of itself I simply don't feel it's always accurate in light of the very real options a lot of guys have. Re: me. Honestly, I'v lost my midscalp since my HT, and it has wrecked havoc even on my hairline's perceived density. It's caused me a good deal of grief, and it's extremely annoying. But: Would I still go back and get a HT? Yes. I'm better off for it, despite the fact that I STILL battle MPB to this day...but the HT -- and the subsequent HTs I will get -- have let me battle MPB better than I could have without. To be frank, I wish I was as informed now as I was when I got my HT; and it is my express desire to have every guy who gets a HT be as informed as I would want myself to be. HM is the holy grain, there's no doubt about it. I simply feel for many the route of HTs as it stands can yield fully satisfactory results. I honestly believe myself to be in this category as I embark upon my 2nd HT, and I know it is true for many others.

I would agree with everyone else that this is basically a vagary in the process of innovation; the science is still (relatively) solid, and the prospects for $ are enormous. It will happen. Nonetheless, I still feel a fine-tuning BHT is the next "great" advance for us, which would effectively augment our donors in a way that touches upon the oasis that Swagger feels is necessary to get a good turnaround. Which I somewhat disagree with. HT's aren't a true cure, or a panacea, and as such it will be inherently flawed. But this does not negate the tremendous good that they can do, and that they do in fact do for countless people. It's just not true that HTs don't give adequate density, and that HM is some necessity for a HT to be a fitting solution. HM will give absolute density, and do it unequivocally for anyone with the resource and will, but there still exists a large segment of people for whom HM is *not* a necessity, or a dire need. The evidence is written on the (forum), and what not. The best thing about HM, IMO, is that we can abandon fin, which I'd love to get off of. Even then, for a majority of people fin not only responds as it should, but with zero perceived side effects.

Ya, TTP received a natural result, and an improvement, his expectations were simply not met in large part due to yield. I'm happy though that he is in a better place than he was pre-op, though, and is positioned well to get a top turn-around with one more procedure. John, sorry you still seem dissatisfied with your HT. Maybe do an update, new thread or your old one to see what's what and get a lot of objective feedback -- I'll help you out with pics again, if need be.

I've been pretty certain for a while that he had a HT prior to Entourage success. Can't believe TMZ let him off like that, either. In his older work, especially much older (when he was younger), he had a clearly recessed hairline that was becoming more of an "I" than even a "V". Ironically, his roles were usually for pretty unsavory characters, or where he played the fool. I'm not sure he even uses concealers, which makes his HT a pretty successful one. He likely isn't jumping through tons of hoops to mask his baldness, like many other celebs who then get "outed" for their HTs.

You mention the "bureaucracy" being the culprit for HM taking so long, which I would agree with, and think to be pretty true. Yet you anoint Obama the savior of HM/science, while he is an arch bishop of bureaucracy. I disagree with your extreme, black/white causality that Obama = HM, Conservative = baldness, and would perhaps argue that the precise opposite is the case. An environment most conducive, if not outright necessary, to create a scientific advance like HM, let alone get it green-lighted for public consumption before you're in a retirement home, will take a glaring absence of bureaucracy and government intrusion. Your optimism that The Anointed One will even make us NW1s is nice, however, and I hope I'm proven wrong. I do believe the science to be indeed solid for HM, and at this point it will simply take the courage -- and extraordinary money and financial flow -- of entrepreneurs and big business in tandem with the scientific community to be allowed to unleash their brilliance and fruits of their labor throughout the American way of life. And our balded heads. Also, Bush simply halted federal funding for *embryonic* research, which is a far cry from stem cell research and tissue cloning you said he put a halt to, particularly as it applies to HM.

TTP, Was thinking about you a few days ago -- glad to hear you've been out n' about living life. You really have shown a remarkable attitude throughout all of this, and regardless of how your hair ever may look, that will be the most important thing. I agree that it seems you've had a bit of thickening, and the most noticeable change has been an improvement in the overall look of the HT -- naturalness. I thought you looked best in the straight on shots, styled, though any sort of top-down view clearly showed the density issues. When you push your hair forward, and allow the native to blend and layer with the transplanted, it also looked pretty good from a density and coverage standpoint, especially from a top-down view. I would try to have the best of both worlds: When you styled your hairline up w/ the Samy and Dirt it really looked good, IMO, and showed a really nice cosmetic improvement. I'd try to keep that, but push the rest down and allow it to layer, like you did in the "non-styled" pics. You can still use the Samy throughout, followed by blowdrying, and it should help, just make sure to push the forward, like in the "non-styled" pics, utilizing the layering effect. Good call on convening with Dr. Alexander again to get his final assessment on your situation. It should be relatively easy to get a call on your yield, and use that as a springboard for moving on. Also, there is the issue your expectations perhaps not being entirely aligned with Dr. Alexander's recommendation; I've mentioned this in another post in your thread, and it could be worth bringing up. All that said, you have made an improvement, and like any good HT, you haven't been left in a compromised position, in worse shape. Your hairline in the shots when styled showed actually a pretty *big* improvement from where you were pre-op, IMO. If you go for a 2nd HT in the future I trust you'll get to where you want to be. Enjoy the new year, and your new hair -- it seems like as you continue to "master" the art of styling you'll reap even bigger cosmetic gains.

Hey man, A pre-op would indeed be cool to have, but I agree that you've made a great stride and you should for sure be satisfied of your decision to get the HT! Your next procedure should really augment what you already have; maybe bolster the hairline and taper the grafts going backwards? I've seen this done in 2-pass cases similar to yours and it's come out really nicely.

The key question, which seems to be unresolved, is whether the patient is on fin, and if so, for how long. If he isn't on it, yet is open to getting on it; or if he is on it, but it has been for too long, it would seem a bit unnecessary to me to graft into his crown. Either way, it doesn't seem to me to be aclear, let alone major, misstep. Grafts were going to go there anyways, given the patient's apparent wishes, and to do so now in a mild way that doesn't place an excessive burden on the patient isn't any more reckless than simply getting a HT to begin with, and the invariable risk(s) that come into play. Seems applicable to Aaron's SMG HT, I agree, too.

O man, m8....beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but in the eyes of many and most you really don't have a terrible head of hair; yes, you have MPB, but your hair *truly* isn't something you should feel terribly shamed about as I can glean from that pic. I really feel for you to be effected so as to turn down NYE plans on account of feeling so embarrassed by the state of your hair. Nonetheless, for a frontal restoration you could be a very good candidate for a great restoration. Consult with several Coalition docs -- live or online. Dr. Feller in person would be a great start. Just make sure you really have a good grasp for the result you will likely get with a given prognosis,and that you don't have expectations and desires that can't feasibly be met.

From what I have seen over time, Dr. Feinberg's sessions are ~1k. I believe his HTN profile mentions his philosophy and what he limits his sessions too. Certainly here, 800 FU's were averaged across 3 strip surgeries, which is pretty rare from what we typically see, and the mega-session approach embraced by the Coalition docs who frequently post. I've asked Dr. Feinberg questions in the past with no response, so I'm not sure if he comes back to these threads or not. But I'd be curious to know more about his transplantation philosophy, re: session sizing, and where his stands today.

This is clearly inferior work, and it could be the least "artistic" HT, with the most unnatural hairline that I've ever seen (outside of brutal plugs, etc.) but I was honestly expecting worse so I'm happy for this guy -- this one repair session should do a great job masking the old work, and give him a nice boost in density, too. Hope you and the patient can update; I'd be really interested to see just how much better he ends up. This has all the makings of a really remarkable repair and turn-around.

You should be giving yourself more than enough time, FC! With plenty of time to spare it should be a pretty relaxing trip all n' all. Just don't bring any explosive materials with you and airport security won't give too much of a hassle -- they actually might not give you too much of a hassle anyways.... Every Hasson patient I've spoken with has said the entire experience was 1st rate; yours won't be any different. Look forward to your pics!

Dr. Feller is the only esteemed clinic I know of who offers it as an actual treatment to fight MPB. Dr. Cooley, I believe, utilizes PRP, but from what I know it is part of his HT protocol, particularly in regard to "bathing" the grafts in it. I keep getting sidetracked, but I still intend on inquiring into PRP for myself, especially before I move in February. I'll of course report back with any and all of my findings.

Great to hear, Aaron, really. The cool thing is that these products are *not* concealers in any way; their formulation just happens to lend a very strong byproduct that merges maximizing style (irrespective of one having MPB), with fixing and strengthening the issues that many HT patients experience. HMO, ya, I've been really bad about taking and posting pics for a while. This coming week I'll try to remember to do a big update, complete with before/afters. It's something I'd like to do, as I feel the comparison will be quite profound. Just as a random note: often, a very effective way to use the products, especially a finisher like Dirt, is to work it through your hair *as if* you are going to slick everything back and keep it all slicked straight back, having emulsified it in your hands prior, then working it through your hair. After this, with your fingers/hands, reverse the process, going through the various motions to push the hair the other way in your desired direction for styling purposes, really tweaking things to your precise wants along the way. It can also be done where you just do a partial slick back process to your hairline and front, if that's your primary area of concern. As always, this should be done to dry hair, unless you are going for a very messy/tousled look. Also, be wary of salons aggressively wanting to give you a "razor cut", and even layering. This wrecks havoc on the precise facets of the illusion of density your doc worked so hard to create. I got talked into one earlier, and while it's extremely cool in and of itself, it's going to take all my wiles to make this style jive and be copacetic with the invariable issues related to a HT.

Mega, How old are you? As well, how "aggressive" would you say your MPB is? What kind of "pattern" have you been diagnosed with? The answers to these questions, along with being on meds (namely, Propecia) will have a hugely critical effect on what I surmise to be the most telling thing you've mentioned: Are you committed to going in for subsequent procedures. It doesn't sound like you are, or at least you haven't really accepted that this may very well be a distinct possibility. It's not bad to have doubts about the HT, in a sense -- but, IMHO, you really shouldn't have doubts about whether it is worth it, whether it is clearly a +EV ("expected value") decision going into it, or whether you "really" need it. You've mentioned your wife saying you are totally fine, your friends don't give you any grief one way or another or have much of an opinion, and you've mentioned yourself wondering if you really "need" it (i.e. will appreciate, will benefit in a massive way) from whatever improvement you may get, and if you are simply being "vain"; and you've mentioned being hesitant to the very idea of requiring subsequent procedures. You have time till your HT; I would mull over all these thoughts and questions and their implications, while continuing to research HTs.

Awesome work! For 6months it's spectacular, and the final product will be even more impressive. Strong, dense hairline but totally natural. I also agree that props are in order for you documentation, which remains 1st tier, and does justice to your 1st tier work. Look forward to the vid!

Henry, I'm very sorry to see that you may be experiencing early-stage MPB. You also could simply have been transitioning to a "mature hairline", which is separate from MPB. I'd see a dermatologist and look into getting checked out for MPB, and determining for sure if this is what is happening. Assuming it is, ask the dermatologist about finasteride (aka propecia). It's by far the most potent weapon that exists in treating MPB, aside from getting a HT/hair transplant. That said, in your situation, getting on fin/propecia at the earliest date that makes sense would be the single greatest factor in being able to receive a world-class, successful HT at a future date. Assuming it is MPB, look into propecia; as well, you can consider Rogaine foam 5% solution to go along with it. Re: rogaine, it's a commitment, so if you can't truly commit to using it daily in it's recco'd dosage, you will run a very high risk of sheds and losing whatever progress you achieved when you stop. I fall into this camp, btw, where I simply pop propecia once a day and stopped rogaine after a week or two of trying it. All this aside, enjoy the hair you currently have -- it looks really good. Things will likely progress, and new challenges will be presented, so now is the time to make yourself stronger than ever...mentally, physically, spiritually, etc.

I'm not sure if it's the exact patient the OP is referencing, but I do seem recall a fairly recent patient of Hasson&Wong who fits that bill and I recall marveling at the fact that he got ~1500 grafts gratis, courtesy of the clinic.