Yogi's Dad

Mr. Kneed- I had pinkness for a solid month, tapering back to normal around 6-8 weeks. My shock loss seemed to have maxed out around two months and then native hair regrowth started to return. Cheers!

I like Dwayne's/ Dr. Cooley's odds assessment. I just hope I'm not the 25% who has seen 75% More importantly, I think 3v_2008 is making solid progress.

IMHO, your improvement is significant and impressive!

Dewayne- You must really be pleased. I've seen some of your prior posts before (at 5 and/or 6 mo. post-op?). At 7 months there is a HUGE difference. The 'do looks very natural and is really thickening up well. Enjoy!

For me, it holds up fairly well on my diffuse, thinning crown and mid-scalp. A little perspiration or hat wear does not seem to adversely affect its camouflaging properties. As far as my really bald areas (high temples), I do not have the same luck using Toppix with what little native combover hair that I have left. The binding properties are short-lived. In general (for me), Toppix is more resilient to hat & heat when used to hit the scalp directly, thus reducing the contrast between hair & scalp.

My guess is that Dr. Bernstein will find a way to capture his interview and link it to his website for all to see. In fact, I'll email him and ask him to do so. He currently has a link to his Today Show appearance some time ago. On the Oprah segment, I felt that he did not get sufficient airtime (at least for us interested parties). The theme of that Oprah segment was gender differences. Dr. B got a few minutes. He talked exactly as if he were talking to you in private. He is brutally honest. You can access all of Oprah's shows, but Dr. B's material is not included in a replay format (as far as I can tell). A synopsis of what he said and the patient picture he used can be viewed at: http://www.oprah.com/dated/oprahshow/oprahshow_20080918_gender Oh, and I do not watch Oprah (not that there is anything wrong with that)

This is an extraordinary result. Congrats!

Feller is a very popular surgeon on this forum. His works seems top-notch. My pick was Dr. Bernstein; check out his website. His credentials and facility are very impressive. True & Dorin are also close by and have a great track record. I suggest that you give them all a look and make an informed decision. Good luck!

This is a really thick look for such a short hair style. A testament to some top quality work. Bill must be ecstatic.

I'm really impressed. This is the kind of transformation I suspect clinics would want to post on their web sites. Bravo!

On the right? Interesting.. The EXACT thing is happening to me and I am at 3.5m post HT. I wonder why that is? Cheers.

Remarkable! Congrats!

All of the respondents to this post are dead-on accurate. The major discomfort is the anesthesia. I liken it to getting those numbing shots at the dentist's office. You wince, and away you go. Post-op pain for me was no biggie. I used pain pills only at night for the first two nights - just to get me comfy so I could get a good night's sleep. Good luck with your big day!

Custard- It's funny you mention this because when I used to notice the "eye drifters", they were all suffering hair loss themselves. As I'd noted above, it seems odd to me that I noticed more eye drifters 20 years ago as a NW3. As a NW4a, I've not noticed this as much.

I have pale (er, peach fuzz) hairs just beginning to grow in my heretofore bald areas, but I'm 3 months post-HT. I'm told this is just the beginning and the hairs will eventually thicken and take on my natural color. I assume from your post that you are using meds to contol your hairloss and have not had a HT. I'm plesantly surprised that you are seeing re-growth on your hairline. Typically Propecia & Rogaine are more effective on the crown. The propecia should, at a minimum, slow the crown loss. Or you could see some re-growth. If you have been on this combination of meds since January, it seems reasonable to start seeing a halting of hair loss or some re-growth. Re-growth does start as "pale". I'd give it a year to fully asses the effectiveness of your Rx cocktail. And if those pale hairs at the old hairline continue to mature, you are blessed! Good luck!

I really noticed this phenomenon when I was in my mid to late twenties (a NW3 back then). Indeed, it used to bug me a bit. It is very distracting when you are trying to hold eye contact with someone who's gaze in transfixed on your hairline. Fast forward 20 years and I've been a NW4 for quite a while. I don't notice it as much anymore. I'm not sure why. It could be that I'm not as sensitive to "hair scrutinization" as I used to be. I dunno. Like you nm76, I'm not a starer at balding spots either. And, I surely do not make hair loss jokes at somone else's expense. Hairloss has given me empathy for similar others in matters such as these. Cheers!

Remarkable 1 year result. Congrats!

My neighborhood pharmacy splits mine for me, and the splits are near perfect. You might ask your pharmacy if they would do the same for you.

I think Proscar & Propecia are name brands for Finasteride. So they all are Finasteride and that is what you are looking for. Therefore, you should see no difference. I didn't when I switched 6 months ago. Am I wrong, anyone? Finasteride is cheaper, but is supplied in 5mg tabs. So you have to break the pills into the doseage recommended by your doc.

It was the epinephrine (adrenaline) they gave you when they injected the numbing shots. The "epi" is necessary because it slows the bleeding. The adrenaline rush can cause exactly what you describe and it is very uncomfortable. The 'epi' can also bring on a panic attack. In any event it is usually short lived. I've had a few myself, but in different medical procedures using this medicine. The bad feelings came right through the Valium, but surely would have been worse without it. As noted in the posts above, I thnk Valium is a better choice than Xanax. It is scary, but benign.

What great feeback here... Dr. Beehner's list is comprehensive. I experienced a bit of a,b,d, & e. They were minor short-term nusances at worst. Peaceful Lion's and Clive's comments about expectations are equally as important. As others noted here, stick with a coalition doctor and you will be in great hands. Good luck.

I agree that it would be nice to see a blog (or pics) of vtec's before and after pictures. Promotion without validation can be hard to swallow for informed consumers. I'm a recent patient of Dr. Bernstein's and have also had a few conversations with him beyond that involving my HT. I echo the sentiments of vtec's in that Dr. Bernstein is top notch and a man of integrity. I used due diligence and ended up in his chair. His per graft price is around $6, which seems to be at the higher end of the pricing spectrum. If I did not believe that he was the right surgeon for me, I never would have come to his practice and paid his price. I'm kind of blown away by the post here that notes "but so conservative that a good number of patients under 50 or nw4 or lower will be left unfulfilled" What scientific or anecdotal study is this based on? This is a very intelligent community and I think that all coalition Docs are first class. Documenting one's sucess with the appropriate media (e.g. pix) is surely a good idea too, especially when giving a rave review to a particular practice.

I have a Ph.D. in Marketing (which means very little here, except that I get my summers off ) If I were a paid consultant for this practice, I would simply suggest to market the services at $4 per graft. Keeping it simple for the potential customer seems to be a good mantra. If necessary, the practice could articulate to a potential client that there is a discount for longer donor hair - during the in-office consult. The chart is a great breakdown, but I'd internalize it to the practice. If Dr. Cayman & Dr. Reed want to implement my ideas, then they can donate 1/60th (it took me a minute and two gulps of Java) of my hourly fee to their favorite charity Obviously they know their business and do great work. Best to all!

Hang in there, thin. I'm at week 9 myself. My native hair shock loss hit a few weeks ago but seems to have stabilized. I was a bit anxious around week 7 when I got my first "real" haircut this year. I could really see the shock loss-thinning. I've perused quite a few blogs since May. It seems like many folks post that in their third post-HT month, "things are back to where I started". I hope you find the same to be true!

Marko- Regardless of whether your Proscar Rx goes through insurance or private pay, BPH should not go on your record. Bill is right about insurance coverage for hairloss use - it won't (or shouldn't) be covered. I simply presented my Rx 6 months ago to my pharmacy and my insurance covered it. Maybe they did not question its use because I'm well into my 40's. If they ever ask, of course I'll tell them what I'm using it for and the days of $5 Proscar will be over. BPH should only go on your record if it is diagnosed and documented. I also do not think BPH is one of those "red flags" that insurance companies look at when considering an increase in your rates. Although I could be wrong...