NervousNelly

You will be fine to take the protein supplements. Also, working out is not going to increase your hairloss unless your buddy accidently injects you with steroids as part of your exercise routine. NN

Perfect! The Grand Wizard. All of us are like Orks, living out the rule of our ultimate hairmaster. NN

I believe the best are Dr. Rahal-Ottawa, Dr. Hasson and Wong-Vancouver, and Dr. Nakatsui- Edmonton(I think--possibly Winnepeg). Any of these surgeons and you will be gold. Dr. Armani is also very talented but too expensive and sometimes his ethics are questioned. NN

Nick, To get things back on track in regards to your original question, the choices that you mentioned are good one. I personally have liked the work of Dr. Feller, Dr. Epstein and Dr. True. I haven' t really seen a lot of work displayed by Dr. Dorin or Dr. Bernstein. If you are willing to travel, you could do no wrong with Dr. Rahal in Ottawa Canada or H&W in Vancouver. Hope this helps. NN

Dr. Epstein, I fully agree with you on the topic of being overly aggressive with the promoting of one doctor. The problem I see however is how one might define promotion or marketing? By you being on this site posting with a direct link to your website might also be construed as advertising or self-promotion and some might look at it as aggressive given that some docs don't post. I by no means am trying to be a smartass by my comments or show any disrespect, but you would have to understand my contention. Typically Spex has been more unbiased in his posts and has been one of the best at educating and informing potential HT clients. I believe that it is going to be very challenging for Pat or Bill to totally limit any promotion of offices but agree with you that it should be kept in check. NN

Bushwhack, That is why I have been promoting that it is up to many of us that are getting refined work done to display it. Ofcourse that doesn't mean walking around with a H&W hat or Shapiro t-shirt but I believe that we shouldn't all hide in silence either. The more people that understand what can now be accomplished the sooner it will be respected and possibly one day it will be no bigger deal than whitening teeth. Breast implants were once seen as something that only strippers got done where as now it is more widely accepted. People still call getting a HT --getting plugs. Little do they know. We only live once and I believe that if people are unhappy with something they should make a change. I had a friend that had such horrible teeth it totally depressed him. My wife talked me into helping him out financially because he was unable to afford to do something about it. What a drastic improvement. He looks 10 times better and is always happy. Complete turnaround. I will be telling more people once my results are more finalized. So far only my wife and her mother know. Even though I still have a long way to go, they are very impressed. Bushwhack3--all you have to do is lay low for about 3 weeks and then things won't be detectable. Ofcourse this depends on your situation with native hair, but I was back in the public eye 10 days post op. NN

Things are coming along very nicely. There is one hell of a difference so far and things will only get better. NN

Great to hear that things went well. In a matter of a few months you will start to see some pretty dramatic changes given the refined work that Dr. Reed is known for. Keep us posted on things and if you can post pics that would be cool. NN

Hk500 Good to have you back my friend. I guess I have to be honest and say that it is challenging to see the difference between pre and post results. Sometimes pics don't give the true idea of things especially someone that has a lot of native hair. I can comment on the naturalness of the hairline and how clean it is but it is very challenging to see a cosmetic difference in the density of things with the photos provided. We would need several photos in the same position and lighting as the pre photos. Sorry bud but I couldnt bs just because I think you are a good guy. In this case I would just have to go with what you tell us and trust your judgement. Possibly you could demonstrate some other photos and we can go from there. The temple refinement and the scar though are definitely super. He did a great job and I'm sure that they are up to the standards you expected. NN

Dibbs on Harry Connick Jr. NN

I was going to save this for another thread but the topic is relevant so... I had a certain regimine after my HT to attempt to keep the grafts and not shed. I was taking Vit. A, Vit. E, MSM, Rogaine foam (1*day), Laser therapy, inversion table(after 2 weeks), Propecia every 3 days. I am currently at 9 weeks and I definitely retained over 20% of my grafts--hard to know so I guessed low to be conservative. Probably more like 30-35%. Do I have photos for proof? I guess I could add some, but I don't believe that they will or could possibly be detailed enough to show adequate proof because I have native hair. Therefor there is no point if the pics are not going to validate my statement. I guess you can choose to believe or not and if interested you can PM me for more info. We'll leave it at that. NN P.S. I had e-mailed Nobuzz and Behappy with my regimine when I started to attempt to make it somewhat of a valid study.

Oh Boy. Possibly someone or some people do get results. Maybe it is the slightest of percentage of users getting some results from lasers, massage, standing on head or snake oils but what the hell. Only 1 in 250 million or so wins the Powerball lotto but I still buy a ticket. Okay--due to the fact that there is no scietific proof of efficacy of many of the alternatives we should probably never endorse to other members. I'll agree with that statement, but I don't understand why some continue to take such a hard stance with statement like "I tried it and it did nothing, that shit don't work". What is the harm in someone trying something that won't harm them or costs very little? Maybe they will win the lottery. Jackpot-more hair. What the hell. NN

Pushing, That's my goal--I want to have my hair like I did in the 80's. My wifes response "Oh brother". I loved the 80's and am constantly listening to The Police, old U2, The Cult, The Cure, etc. If I can get the same style as Sting used to have back then I'm golden. Things are looking great for you. Things have come along nicely and quite quick as well. Do you have a goal or type of hairstyle that you are shooting for? Did your hairstylist make any comment about the texture of the hair?? NN

Gentleman/Ladies, I wanted to start this thread from a topic that got started under member Furless' post of his recent HT with Dr. Keene. There are bound to be disagreements and biases that we all have. Most of us are going to be heavily skewed towards the philosophy and technique of the physician that we have chosen for our own personal work.(Does michaellovesNYC know that there are other HT docs?) This is natural. I had my recent HT with Dr. Ron Shapiro. Obviously I went there because I felt that his style and approach was going to be well suited for my needs. Getting a HT is a very serious surgery and now I have a certain sense of loyalty towards all the people at Shapiro because of the great treatment and hopefully soon to be great results. No doubt I am going to favour their clinic and approach because I had such a great experience. That is to be expected. I personally believe however, that as somewhat of a veteren poster and a more educated individual(with HT's) than many of the members, that it is my responsibility to remain somewhat unbiased. Yes I believe Dr. Ron Shapiro to be one of the most skilled on the planet or I wouldn't have gone there, but there are other clinics performing very refined work and quite possibly are better suited for needs of others. Hard to say. It is fortunate that there are now a good handful of clinics performing awesome results. We all know that Gorpy is one of Dr. Keenes biggest chearleaders, but I don't think that I blame him. Look at his results. Argueably the best on this site. He now has a certain sense of loyalty and love of her and her staff and is quick to send people in her direction or support her if there are comments that need to be addressed. She does not have an online support staff that is regular on the forums so there is no real harm in Gorpy stepping up to the plate. I believe that Jotronic and Gorpy do actually have a great deal of respect for each other as they both know each other is knowledgeable on the topics of HT's. There relationship is somewhat like that of Mrjb and myself in regards to pharmaceuticals vs. natural products. We clearly disagree on most of the topics but I respect him for his opinion and believe that he appreciates my thought out responses. There is no way in hell that we are all going to agree on everything and some of us have stronger personalities than others. No harm. Since being on this site I have seen at least 2 great members leave over stupid disagreements. Lets do our best to not have such things happen in the future. NN

Gentleman/Ladies, I wanted to start this thread from a topic that got started under member Furless' post of his recent HT with Dr. Keene. There are bound to be disagreements and biases that we all have. Most of us are going to be heavily skewed towards the philosophy and technique of the physician that we have chosen for our own personal work.(Does michaellovesNYC know that there are other HT docs?) This is natural. I had my recent HT with Dr. Ron Shapiro. Obviously I went there because I felt that his style and approach was going to be well suited for my needs. Getting a HT is a very serious surgery and now I have a certain sense of loyalty towards all the people at Shapiro because of the great treatment and hopefully soon to be great results. No doubt I am going to favour their clinic and approach because I had such a great experience. That is to be expected. I personally believe however, that as somewhat of a veteren poster and a more educated individual(with HT's) than many of the members, that it is my responsibility to remain somewhat unbiased. Yes I believe Dr. Ron Shapiro to be one of the most skilled on the planet or I wouldn't have gone there, but there are other clinics performing very refined work and quite possibly are better suited for needs of others. Hard to say. It is fortunate that there are now a good handful of clinics performing awesome results. We all know that Gorpy is one of Dr. Keenes biggest chearleaders, but I don't think that I blame him. Look at his results. Argueably the best on this site. He now has a certain sense of loyalty and love of her and her staff and is quick to send people in her direction or support her if there are comments that need to be addressed. She does not have an online support staff that is regular on the forums so there is no real harm in Gorpy stepping up to the plate. I believe that Jotronic and Gorpy do actually have a great deal of respect for each other as they both know each other is knowledgeable on the topics of HT's. There relationship is somewhat like that of Mrjb and myself in regards to pharmaceuticals vs. natural products. We clearly disagree on most of the topics but I respect him for his opinion and believe that he appreciates my thought out responses. There is no way in hell that we are all going to agree on everything and some of us have stronger personalities than others. No harm. Since being on this site I have seen at least 2 great members leave over stupid disagreements. Lets do our best to not have such things happen in the future. NN

Very well stated Furless--you are a wise person. Best of luck with your recovery. Things are going to be awesome. I can't wait to see the development of another Dr. Keene creation. NN

NG2GB, I was curious why it appeared like it was considered a negative that I was told what they believed my native hair density was--I asked them--they told me. If they were unable or didn't choose to give me a reasonable estimate I would have questioned that. I wanted to know because it gave me a realistic expectation of what I might look like with the new grafts should I retain my native hair or if it would leave me. I personally disagree with Joe and believe that it is an essential component of the planning process. I am only at 9 weeks so very little transplanted hair as of yet, but I did retain some. I would have to say that I DID NOT experience any permanent shock loss. We chose to shave part of the recipient area where most grafts would be placed and my hair quality was the weakest. Joe is right that Shapiro seems to be leaning more towards shaving recipient area as well so likely he has seen the benefits. NN

NG2GB, Check out my photos http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=147730 It was estimated that I had 20-30 FU/cm2 of native hair in the frontal area and ofcourse I was concerned about permanent shockloss but at the same time I sought out a skilled physician and took appropriate steps to minimize risk. I also wanted to keep some of the native hair so that I could go back to work in 10 days. It is about finding balance and trying to find out what works for you. In my particular case I elected to shave a portion of the native hair that would have the most grafts and also where some of the native hair was most fragile. Yes, you are correct that in many cases it is more challenging for those of us with some existing thin hair. It is like an artist. They likely prefer a blank canvas to one that is already showing some work. I personally believe that the native hair should never be ignored and attempts to keep should be made, but educated options explored. Good luck. NN

Really looks great for 2100 grafts. You definitely look great and will continue to look a little better as things get more dense. I believe that you are only 1200-1500 grafts away from a Gorpy. NN

TTDS, I personally think that you have to concentrate on the density of the frontal area first and foremost. Especially in your particular case because you are very concerned about having a thin look and want to attempt to match the density as best as possible to the sides. As it does not seem to bother you to have to consider a system for the crown and in your case will be very small I would have to think that this will be your best approach. NN

Gorpy, LOL. Did you quite your day job? Damn all you guys keep getting jobs and my only offer from Grace was quickly eliminated. I'm starting to get a little jealous. I wonder if Bill was serious? We all know that you are a huge advocate of Dr. Keene but I personally believe that you are Dr. Keene. I think that the Gorpy character is just some bum off the street that she found soiling himself in Tequila and decided to use for forum advertising. One day he'll sober up and find himself with a better head of hair and possibly shy one kidney. NN

Most of you guys know my stance on this topic so no point in going into detail again. I agree with Bills statement that many of the natural remedies might work but there is no scientific backing to substantiate claims. Either way, might work for some and not others. I personally see no harm in trying as they are typically inexpensive. My point about vanity clouding our judgement also holds true with steroids. Millions take steroids knowing full well what is likely to happen. I hear people say that the way they cycle them limits there sides or that they never have any sides and several other excuses. They might truly not see any negative effects but very likely are experiencing and I think that most of us here have now seen the evidence to back up the hype. I personally believe that many of us will take the meds and convince ourselves that they are safe. For many they would continue to take them despite having bad effects. Vanity outweighs many other concerns unfortunately. I hope that none of my buds on this site ever have to regret their decision. NN

Bill, I think that any time you need a day off, you should have Crouse be the moderator. Does he ever post at all on the forum or is he just a lurker for chatnight? NN

Matt, I appreciate your commitment to educating individuals about the side effects of the pharmaceuticals. I for one am in agreement with you that they POTENTIALLY may be harmful and are DEFINITELY more likely to cause side effects over the herbs and natural products. I personally believe that yes, they too might have sides, but to argue that there may be greater risks with natural vs. synthetic is ludicrous. That arguement would proove fruitless. What I have learned is that vanity is huge. Many of us are going to try just about anything to regain our hair inorder to retain our confidence and self esteem. Some of us allowed docs to punch large clumps of hair in a straight pattern across our hairline like "Barbie". I commend you for your efforts, but many are going to justify using finesteride because it may grow hair and are willing to gamble with the sides. People are not going to stop taking it out of fear. I'm sure that you understand that. It's unfortunate but thats the way it is. Finesteride is the perfect marketing drug. A person MUST keep using. Wow--would I love to have own that product. You can keep up your stance as you may feel it is your duty, but unfortunately many will not bother to listen even with the most damning of proof. NN

Tam, Most people that have had bad results really don't want to post their photos so that they can hear many of us reiterate what they already know about the shitty looking HT. "Yah, you look bad. Yah, you have a head like a doll. Keep the hat on if I were you." Would you want to post your photo and have all of us critique the poor results if that is the case? We are already critical enough on the refined HT's. NN P.S. Ofcourse most of us are sensitive to peoples emotions however at the same time we can't lie and pretend the results are good either.