thanatopsis_awry

This site and its members invest an exceptional amount of time and money into cultivating, and henceforth maintaining, the resource and platform of information, accountability, and personal expression that is offered carte blanche to patients worldwide. To people much like yourself, ironically. Think for a moment, and consider the sheer amount of risk, and very real amount of money and time spent that simply goes into allowing the fundamental freedoms of speech that serve the patient and patient alone. These don't come cheap; and it's because they themselves aren't cheap. Aaron mentioned a great example, but it is far from an isolated incident. This is to say nothing of the laborious vetting process, and adherance to principle, that maintains the site's high integrity. Please consider the simple, but telling fact that this site/community turns down, expells, if not outright shuns a vast array of doctors and clinics...yes, the very same doctors who would otherwise love to pay those "shocking" fees. It would be a shocking revelation if a site as well-maintained, robust, and worthwhile as this didn't generate revenue.

MHR/MedicalHairRestoration is a "chain" clinic, which essentially means that they have extremely low accountability, and don't operate with the patient's best interest in mind. They are grossly inferior to the clinics of the Coalition in their consistency, accountability, tecniques, and methodology. MHR is comprised of lots of doctors, in a revolving door, so it is very difficult to know what you are getting yourself into beforehand. And, simply due to their standards, ethics, and how they run their business, there is a better chance than not that you'll be left dissapointed at best. Consult with them, and examine the results they show you as compares to Hasson&Wong in terms of clarity, transparency, and excellence; as well as the graft estimates and prognosis they each give you. I bet you'll notice a world of difference.

hey quantum, Your crown actually doesnt look too bad all things considered, but your vertex loss combined with the top is pretty extensive. Plus, you have definite loss in your frontal 1/3rd, though the front of your hairline itself looks pretty strong still. Assuming finances aren't a major deterrent, I would consider going in for a max-session, and squeeze out as many grafts as you safely can. 4k+ without question is what I'd shoot for, and if you managed to get more all the better. I would get on finasteride/propecia to try to maintain the boundaries in your crown and laterals, preventing further loss. As for cost...it depends on the clinic and how many grafts they reccomend for you, and then actually extract, but I would guess it'd be in the neighberhood of ~15k if you went for a mega-session.

bllorayne, that's a McTransplant clinic comprised of hacks. Having second thoughts about your HT with Hasson+Wong?

I too think that leveling with Dr. Cooley and seeing what he might have in mind makes sense, but Bill raises a very vital point, which is that at this age, getting a HT means being prepared not just for *this* one HT, but a tacit commitment to future ones, as well. This makes meds (especially finasteride) all the more vital, and getting on them, and seeing how you respond ASAP makes good sense. I mentioned this in your other thread, but looking for part-time employment doing administrative sales, or something to that extent, for a start-up company would be sound. Through Inc.com (or some google searches) you should be able to find listings of start-ups in your general area, with contact information.

IMHO, if you do get the HT...make sure it will take you to a place where you will be satified, and can actually move forward with the things you want. A HT is a risk, especially at a young age, and especially when the $ means a lot to you -- only go through with the HT if you are getting the right # of grafts, going to the right doctor, etc. Don't leverage yourself super hard only to invariably find yourself in a year in an equally rough spot. You're essentially looking to make 250/week. Making ~10/hour this should be emminently achievable. You basically just need to get a job. I would look into part time employment doing administrative sales for some sort of company. Check out start-ups -- probably your best for this type of work and finding someone who will employ you.

M8, I really do want the best for you, but we are going to have to strongly disagree that this isn't a textbook recipe for you to be left less than thrilled. And as I am sure the many thousands of dollars you are shelling out is important to you, I don't want you to be anything less than satisfied, and I would hate to see you end up extremely disatisfied. If you want to disregard the "ingredients" of this recipe that I outlined, it's obv your call...but cmon, bro, a day ago you were set on storming in to a HT w/ Dr. Pak for "1700 to 1800" grafts. Just do a couple more consults with world-class clinics, it is truly basic, basic protocol. What have you got to lose? See what they reccomend, and compare the results they show you that parallel your case with the ones that I hope Dr. Pak showed you. Do you honestly feel that you are informed about hair transplantation at this moment in time? To not be is OK, it's not like anyone boasts at a bar or dinner party about how expert they are at analyzing grafs, or that you even need some high level of understanding to know what a good or bad HT is. But seriously, m8, do some more research, and consult with at least a couple other top clinics. You are allowing way too much "hope" to play into your HT equation, and making crucial judgements based off this hope. Just remember how but a day or two ago you were blazing on in to Dr. Pak's for "1700 to 1800" grafts.

Yaaaa, I wouldn't waste energy "scheming" for some moneymaking venture. And "raising $" is basically out of the equation, unless you were to go through very generous family members and essentially take out a loan. I suppose if you have really good credit you could take out loans/credit with banks, potentially. But your #1 priority should likely be simply getting a job, and/or saving up the 3k. Also, if you do get a HT, make sure it's going to get you to where you want to be, and a place you'll be satified at.

Good stuff, Sting! Everything I know points to Bisanga being an absolute stud with FUE. Really look forward to your pics, and hope you won't let the grafts go to your head forget to update once you bloom.

Pics are taken, will post them tonight once Giant game is over! M&M, the generic Dirt, which is by FX I believe, I've always gotten at Walgreens, and some CVS stores carry it. The original Dirt, I get online -- through either Folica or Amazon. It's more expensive, but a little goes a *long* way, and it really is a superior product, IMHO. It might not "thicken" as much as generic Dirt, but no product just makes hair look so good and have such good feel to it. I think original Dirt would go PERFECT with your hair and style, M.

Pak, I would hold off on the HT. At least for now. You mention "praying to not be dissapointed", and that you are at least somewhat "neurotic and self-obsessed", and a "perfectionist". This is a recipe for disaster in general, and with your level of loss, and graft targets, I feel you are setting yourself up for something that you will deem a failure. The backdrop of this is that you have restrictive financial goals, and for whatever reason are limiting your geography. Aaron's advice about not diving in is really spot on. You are keen to "move in on the HT" now, and get it done, but this is really a decision that will have long-lasting effects. If you get the HT w/ Dr. Pak, all the better, but I would def encourage you to slow down a bit, delay the HT to re-assess, and do some basic protocol like getting a couple more consults in. EDIT -- Sparky can clarify, but I took it to mean your old hairline is achievable to restore through HTs, but not necessarily through but 1 HT, and not necessarily with only 2k grafts.

Bill, Dr. Tykocinski! Thank you for the clarification, I always get his name mixed up in my head until I see it written and it then makes perfect sense.

If you can't afford to get the right # of grafts, I'd strongly recco looking into one of the physicians reccomended by this site who charge *far* less, and could hook you up with an appropriate number of grafts for your goals. And likely cost you far less in the process. Dr. Path, in Thailand; Mohmand, in Pakistan; and Madhu, in India. Also, Dr. Kacinsci (spelling?), in Brazil.

Anyone here slick their hair back, or familiar with doing so? I kinda haphazardly found myself slicking my hair back tonight; in a mad rush, I ended up working product through unusually damp hair, and when working some product through, my hair naturally slicked right back, looked alright, and I just ran out. After 2nd look, I actually kinda like the look -- incredibly easy to style, bit different, and I think it could be a keeper. *However*, especially on close inspection and/or bright light, you can 100% see scalp. I'm conflicted because on the one hand seeing *any* scalp is typically anathema to me, and the huge red flag that my hair is looking off/bad. Is this somewhat more normal, or accepted, with slicked back hair? Sure guys with ferocious lion's manes probably have little to no scalp regardless; but is in the realm of common, non-raging-MPB, that one slicks back their hair and scalp is shown? I'll upload some pics later to show what precisely I'm working with.

If you use another ~2500 grafts (allocated to your mid-scalp), is your donor likely maxed out? Another question is would this simply be you being "stripped out"...? Could likely have another 1-2k in FUE available, without even having to resort to beard hair. I'm not sure I would really put a lot of stock into using beard hair, at least not in the sense that I would allow to effect my decision-making in any major way. Bspot could correct me, but I seem to remember him saying in chat once that he thought beard hair could be best used in the vertex for filler. Not knowing all these details on your situation it's tough to really say too much definitively, but one thing to consider is to strip yourself out, and then go to FUE, and in a "worst case", look to achive coverage vs. density in your crown and use nano on it, or simply have a thinnish crown. Have you responded well to proscar? If you have, that is pretty huge, and going to NW6 could very well be a very infinitessimal possiblity in and of itself. And I guess since you already aggressively hit your hairline, you're somewhat "committed" to simply maxing out your donor and allocating it as you best see fit as you progress.

I think your husband would certainly be well-served by looking into premier FUE physicians, as mentioned by Sparky. However, I also think serious consideration should be given to FUT. At this point, the absolute greatest priority for your husband going forward may very well be yield and maximizing his donor (overall, and also in targeting the optimal # of grafts in a given session), over the backdrop of consistency. For better or worse, FUT reigns king in these regards. Even amongst the best FUE practioners, issues of yield, session size, trauma, and overall donor extraction are major issues. IMO, Feller and Shapiro would be excellent people to do in-depth consultations with, as they perform both FUT and FUE, and will not hawk one over the other at your husband's expense. I would also certainly consult with Hasson&Wong.

You mentioned your last procedure did not go well -- was this simply an issue of yield? Was it with Dr. Feller? If so, I'm sure he would give you his best explanation and reccomendation for moving forward, and what you could/should expect from another procedure. Even if you got but 1500...if the bulk of it grew I imagine it would surely give you a nice cosmetic boost, and likely allow you to strategically style your hair to achieve a pretty full look. At your consult I would inquire into the issues surrounding grafting w/ pre-existing scarring, and what your specific case is like, re: scarring. There's a video floating around here of Dr. Wong discussing the issues when grafting into scarring that I'll post if I can find it -- it seemed really interesting and I'd like to view it myself in full.

Lights, Your problem is that your baldness is so minimal, with your age so young, over the backdrop of not being on propecia/fin, that it would be incredibly difficult (if not outright impossible) for a doctor to do a good job managing your donor, which basically means you are setting yourself up for what will be a non-optimal HT. It's really the combo of those 3 things, IMHO, that make a HT a risky, and likely -EV (expected value) play. I would 100% go on fin; it is a minority, albeit a vocal one, who experience sides. Many who experience sides experience them short-term in the beginning, as well, and they dissipate. As a NW2 @ 22 my advice would be to enjoy your life as much as possible, get on fin, see how you react to it, and in 6months do some consultations with some elite doctor and clinics (you could do your consults now, but I'm 99.9% sure you will be told to get on fin, and come back for a more serious re-assessment after you have tried it).

aza, No prob; but just to clarify, I'm not telling you *to* get a HT, not at all. Getting a HT should be a very gradual, deliberate process -- getting a series of initial consultations with elite doctors does not mean you will necessarily be undergoing a HT, let alone right away. But in my opinion, given what I know of your siutation, it is certainly adviseable to go through the consultations to arm yourself with more information, and get the feedback from some esteemed clinics.

All have documentation with the site due to their reccomendation status, and you can moreover search the result-forums for all of their posted work to date. If you are deciding amongst those three, you should consult with all three, and compare and contrast their prognoses for you, as well as examining clear, well-documented cases that they present to you which mimic your own. You can also post some photos of your hairloss to get general feedback from people as to how they might approach your situation. Regardless of what anyone tells you, re: who you should go to, you should do your consults, and approach them wisely, IMO, so you can best reach the most optimal decision.

I too would consult as soon as possible with a Coalition physician to assess your situation -- the graft itself, but also the grafting that you received as a whole. I'm also curious who did your work, and where you live? Might very well be a Coalition clinic nearby.

I'm extremely sorry to hear about your husband, his situation sounds like the thing that transplant nightmares are made of. I would privately go about looking into and messaging the various Armani patients who have posted their stories on here, as well as on blogs over the internet. I am sure many would be more than willing to talk with you personally. One thing to also keep in mind is that Armani not making good on their "touch up" could potentially be a good thing. You don't want to squander any more of your husband's all too precious donor -- I would only consult with, let alone allow your husband to be surgically touched, by a Coalition physician, IMHO. The muzzling, or legal document your husband signed to ensure his silence that you mention would not be something new, unfortunately; again, I would privately research and talk with other Armani victims, as well as an actual lawyer if you want to be aware of all your options and obligations to and regarding Armani. Best of luck moving forward. I can imagine how difficult this must be, but I would privately take the usual steps into assessing what your options truly are.

Propecia is far and away the best treatment out there, without a doubt, and when combined with HT's it is as close to a cure as we have. Stick with it. If you get sides and they do not go away, which they often will, you can elect to stop, but I would not look to replace it with another rogaine spinoff (i.e. a minoxidal produt). If propecia gives you legitimate sides, and they do not go away, you could also look to take propecia EveryOtherDay, which many do. If this still fails you in some way, you could consider Dutasteride, which is stronger than propecia, and generally carries worse side effects, but not for all, and some have reported having sides from propecia but not dutasteride, but this is a minority as far as can be seen.

Yes, you can. Whether you should is another question. But some do, they are just the minority. If you are going to define the "perfect result" as a 19yr old's head of hair....you aren't necessarily even talking about a perfect HT, though. Remember, at the end of the day you are moving hairs in the form of grafts. If density is your criteria for what is a "perfect HT", you just need to move enough hair to reach your desired density/cm. This is a basic function of your degree of balding with the number of grafts you *get*...does the "perfect HT" have to be 1 session? 2? etc. Just things to consider. Donor management is at once highly subjective, and complicated with regard to surgery itself, ramifications, and patient-goals.

Looking sharp as always, m8. Your scar really turned out beautifully, too -- couldn't even see a trace of it even when looking for it!