NervousNelly

Likely I am not explaining it right or properly. Maybe my mind is frazzled by the Alba photos.

Good to hear that all went so well. Love it--"Doc, I'd like you to meet my wife. She is a medical malpractise attorney." No wonder he paid extra special attention to details and answered all questions from you and your wife. Things will be great. Look forward to some photos.

NG2GB, NO. If they said they had 1/3 dense packed, likely that is the case. For example. Myself, I had approx. 2900 Fu in about 70 cm2, which will yield me a density of just over 40Fu/cm2. Ofcourse I had some previous work and native hair so if all goes according to plan my density will be quite a bit higher.

NG2GB, I am not 100 percent sure on this, but I believe that the crown is considered 1/2 but in some cases is slightly less. Frontal-1/4 Mid-1/4 Crown-1/2 See Attached: http://www.shapiromedical.com/smg/SMG_edu_pg_06.pdf Yes, it stands to reason that an individual with a smaller head can cover things better with the equal number of grafts as someone with a head like Kazoo. However, smaller head might also mean less donor availability.

Dhuge67, You look good brother so don't fret. With the muscles you got who's looking at your head? I really want to see you get some resolve with things. I know that Dr. Feller is great at what he does and is a super candidate, but I am a little concerned about the hairline. It is hard to tell from your photos but it appears that Dr. Pistone gave you a pretty low hairline. I rather doubt that Dr. Feller could conceal by putting grafts in front but likely at equal height or even densely packed behind is another technique as it limits the contrast of hairs in front. Also there is always the idea of removing and retransplanting but I know that this is costly and time consuming. Either way, there is hope for you. We all will be in your corner if you need support or have any question. Take care.

NW4, Good point. I think that quite often the patients age is a huge factor. Pushing being 40, didn't need to worry as much about the dense packing of his hairline. I am like you and have more of a preference for the perfect hairline and frontal 1/3 and am willing to sacrifice for thinner mid and crown. If planned and done appropriately it can be pulled off well.

Holy shit. You look like a Baldwin brother or one of the Sheen clan. It really is amazing the transformation that has taken place. I find it phenominal what a difference a couple of months can make. It only makes me want to speed up time to see what my results will look like at the 9 month mark.

Flyby, Heal well my friend. The costume will either get you tailed by the cops or people will toss money to you. Not the best photos but likely typical awesome stuff from Dr. Alexander.

With weighting--you had better choose and be comfortable with a certain hairstyle because your options will be definitely limited afterwards. Sometimes it is not just a matter of a crazy doc, but the best alternative for an individual with limited donor. I have seen some of the best surgeons be forced to choose this approach to optimize results for the patient.

Weighting--they stack a larger number of grafts in a certain region to help aid in more density/coverage. Ex. If someone parts their hair from left to right, they might put more grafts on the left side so that when he combs to the right, it allows for more coverage and a denser look. Layering/shingling- the grafts are placed in a specific manner so that when matured they fall in a way that provides an overlap and more coverage. These definitions ofcourse are off the top of my head and done quickly.

NG2GB, You are one sick bastard. That girl has had a few of those cakes. I live in Michigan. Likely can't make the get together unfortunately. Not sure if I will pursue the "ultimate HT dream" with another HT as it consumes you and at some point I would like to move on with life. Who knows.

NG2GB, Hey bud--you are nuts. Hairstyles do tend to be limited because we are not going to be able to have the density that is required to give us all the options. Moreover, Dr. Feller has commented on the layering effect. In many cases, to optimize the results of many HT's a person might need to have their hair a certain length and sometimes combed a certain way. Their are also times when a surgeon will do some "weighting" of the grafts so that he can optimize coverage. In these specific cases an individual might need to keep his hair with a certain style. Keep in mind that the examples that you have chosen are cases with huge amounts of grafts. Very few people will ever get that many FU do to limited donor, limited cash, no desire. I'm sure that if I were to get another HT, I would look like I had a full head of hair and then I would have several styling options. Will I do this? Maybe.

DJF, Glad to hear that things went so well for you. They truly are top notch at SMG and no doubt you will have great results in a matter of a few months. I look forward to seeing your post op photos and progression. Heal well and take care of yourself.

Steve, You and I had similar procedures. I had approx. 150 more grafts than you did and all of mine were in the frontal 1/3 also. Just like yourself, I had no swelling, no bleeding, and no pinkness after 4 days. I was able to even keep a good amount of grafts. It just reinforces that they do very refined, quality work at SMG. Glad to hear all is well. Take care,

Steve, Things look ultrarefined. Great stuff. This should give good coverage and decent density. The closure looks great. Just don't do anything stupid for a few months. The scar has been such a big concern of yours so don't do as I do, rather do as I say. LOL. Best of luck with everything and heal well. Congratulations.

morehair, I liked your diplomatic responses. Some guys do get into the mode of "raw raw my surgeon" and it is a little annoying at times. There are approx. 6-10 elite physicians in my opinion and all are very capable of awesome results. It comes down to with whom you are most comfortable with. I will only tell someone to not go to a particular physcian when I believe there is someone else that will do better work for them. In terms of the consult fee, it doesn't bother me much. At first I thought that it was a big deal but I am sure that they have many that are really not serious at all and waste their time. Hell I flew out of town for consultations and spent over $1000 on flights. As long as they answer your questions and do not rush you thru the process.

You'll be OK. No big deal. Just don't apply any more for a couple of days.

Steve, Didn't we tell you that you would be in good hands? Glad all went well for you. Prepare yourself for a couple of days of pain from the donor area as it sounds to me like you have a little lower pain tolerance than some. (Polite way of calling you a wimp --kidding ofcourse) Obviously we are all different but judging from the fact that you needed more and more injections would tell me that you feel more pain than most. Hopefully the pain pills will limit this somewhat. If not, well--it'll only be a couple of days. Sounds to me like things went well as Janna sent me a PM to fill me in on the fact that things were good. She certainly is very caring. Bummer about the camera. I've seen photos that Dr. Ron took. I hope you meant Matt? LOL. Get some sleep and take care of yourself. I'm glad for you. You will be fine. Just remember that in about 6 months you'll have a great start to more hair. This has been hard for you and you overcame a major obstacle in your life. Be proud of what you have accomplished. P.S.--It likely was 3000 but it was hard not to transect a few with all the shaking.

Balady, You will be golden shortly. Things look good and I am sure that you will be happy with the results. It will certainly be nice not to be the "bald guy" any more. Keep us posted on everything.

Hair2stay, Everyone can understand your frustration but you still have a good deal of time for things to grow and soften. It does sound like there is a miscommunication. If I am hearing Dr. Feller correctly, it sounds to me like he believes that this surgery will infact satisfy you and that is what he originally stated to you; however he is now saying that worst case scenario if you aren't happy he could do a dense packing of singles that would have to elimininate any chance of ever seeing old work. Hold out longer. I believe that you will be quite content with things. Best of luck.

There are some good points on this thread. I also agree with Bill that H&W have been supplying this forum with a lot of "wowfactor" HT's. We need to see more from Dr. Shapiro (I hope to be one) and other clinics.

I agree with all that Spoon had to point out but also agree that a good physician can point out a good donor immediately. Hell, an amateur like myself can see what is a good versus bad donor.

Likely by the time you see this thread you will have a few more hairs on the top of your head. Things will go very well for you Steve. You have done what you are suppose to, you spent several months researching and made a very educated decision. I have no doubt that you are going to be shocked at how it really is not all that big of a deal. Good luck to you and say hello to everyone for me.

Bill, I agree with most of the above comments. I personally believe that it is a great idea and has definitely been a success, but at times it is a little chaotic and if done weekly might start getting old. Some thoughts: -as Janna stated. Possibly keep things to one topic. -maybe just once per month -try to moderate so that one question per time -have Crouse be moderator You have done a great job with it so these are just some ideas to make it even better.

Yes. Shen Min--Vitalize. Go to shenmin.com. I have used this product and it is a great daily shampoo. NO, I don't use it because I believe that the Shen min will help grow hair, but it is a good product and reasonably priced.