Bill - Seemiller

worried and kg007....I know there are several docs that DO discount the grafts after a certain amount....I know Hasson and Wong charge $4.50 per graft for the first 2000 and then $2.50 per graft for any graft after that. Dr. True also does this and I think the majority of doctors do it. $4.50, however, is pretty much the standard accross the industry. That being said...I do agree that it would be NICE for it to be cheaper...but after doing research, at least I know that docs that charge $4.50 are charging the standard...I've seen other docs raise their prices and charge even more which I think is astronimical especially since docs deemed as top docs are still charging $4.50. Anyway...there's my 2 cents. Bill

I think so of what you see John might be partly the lighting AND the fact that I have been bike riding that day and my head might have been a little pink from some sun...however...no doubt that there could be a slight bit of pinkness from the surgery. I've heard from some people that the pinkness from their surgery never fully went away...it was just covered with more hair so not so noticable...but that being said...no...that doesn't happen to everyone...and if I'm correct....it shouldn't. Bill

Joe...awesome video and awesome results. I look forward to meeting with you in person on October 19th and probably 20th when I come back for my post op cleanup. Hopefully I'll be able to say I had close to 8000 grafts by the time I'm finished too. And I had to laugh out loud at the double top take of your head....that was great! Again man...phenomenal results...I hope I come out with my hair looking that good when I'm finished! Bill

$4.50 per graft up to the first 2000 grafts and $2.50 per graft every graft after 2000. 1 month and you haven't heard anything? Doesn't sound right. I know they are busy...but I didn't have to wait nearly that long. Private message Jotronic...he'll hook you up. I have a surgery with Dr. Hasson on Oct 19th. Bill

Kg007...yeah, it looks thinner than I want it too...but my hair is only 1/2 to 3/4 inch long too...so that has something to do with it...and yes, there was heavy lighting in the room I took the pics...but either way...I'm sure Dr. Hasson will thicken it up for me. I have been doing scalp exercises evey day now for almost a month. I will be pressing forward with that for sure. Bill

1 year pics added. This will probably be my last picture update for this round since I have my 3rd HT in October of this year. Hopefully another 3-4K will do me just right. Feel free to post...thanks. Bill

don't you love those kinds of compliments? I've had a couple people tell me that I look different, but couldn't point their finger on what. Feel free to send me some pics if you like. You can send them to Bill@yahoo.com. Bill

Bobman....you are one of the ones I've been following that has encouraged me to get my final HT done with Dr. Hasson. My appt is Oct 19th for 3K-4K grafts, OR as many as possible. You look incredible man. Excellent! Bill

P.S. Perhaps submit photos to us to review also...perhaps you are over-reacting about how bad things look. I know that I'm my own worst critic. Everyone is hard on themselves. But we have to realize that most people don't see what we see....where we see a flaw, those who love us see something charming and unique about us. Bill

arneycl, I would suggest a couple things. The first I'll put under the category of practical...not that it may be practical financially, but practical in the sense of something you can consider doing if/when you have the money. The second I'll call psychological simply because I'm giving you advice outside of the world of hair: practical: Consider repair work, send photos of the top of your head and the sides and back of your head to some of the top docs listed on this forum. See what they advise and see what they can do for you....WHEN you have the money. You can start saving now even if you don't have the money right now...there is always the possibility of 3 years from now or even longer. psychological: I suspect I understand what you are going through, not because I can relate personally to having a bad HT, but every single human being is worried about how they look....that's why we go and have HTs in the first place. Then, we get hit really hard IF, like being in your shoes, that our HT made us look worse than we did if we gracefully went bald. I want to encourage you on this front my friend....there is much more to being a man than hair....I don't say this at all to mock, because like you, I've had an HT, actually 2 because of wanting to be youthful and attractive. That being said....I'm sure your wife is frustrated much more because you are not being the confident man that she married rather than the fact that you aren't satisfied with the way you look. Inevitably, we all age, and we never will look like we did in high school or college again....it is inevitable that we will all be old wrinkly people one day...so there has GOT to be hope in much more than our appearance. So I encourage you....be yourself, have a life, don't let you worrying about your appearance change who you are. My advice in this area would be to see a counselor perhaps, work on these issues, seek marriage counseling if necessary...THAT my friend is how you will get your life back. Getting your life back has much more to do with who you are then what you look like. All HT repair work can do is provide you with a "look". Who you are is so much deeper than this...and it will take more than an HT to provide you with that. I'm sure your wife loves you for who you are much more than what you look like. Again...if we married strictly on looks, everyone would end up divorced by the time age, gravity, and everything else sets in. I don't intend by this post to "fix" your problem....only try to encourage you and show you that the reason why your life has changed has nothing to do with the way you look...it has to do with how you feel about yourself and the interpretation (cognitive) of how you think people view you. See a counselor...talk to your wife about how you feel....work through any marital issues with a counselor if necessary. And slowly save the money to get the necessary repair work done by a top doc (even if you have to go out of the state). I hope this helps even a little. Bill

I'll take a look at your pictures L'Anonyme. Good thing to be on Propecia....it definately has halted my hairloss, however, I don't think I have a whole lot of native hair left anyway....but I want to hold onto what I have Bill

Bayscholar....I'll be looking forward to seeing and charting your progress. I will be seeing Dr. Hasson in October. I'm coming from PA so it's a bit further. Bill

Bosley = Trouble. I don't know this from personal experience...but take a look on these forms for awhile...do NOT jump into anything. I think I'd say about 98% of the posts I've read about Bosley have been extremely negative. I agree with my collegues above...do NOT let price sway you....the best advice I can give is.... Take a look around the forums here for awhile, do research on some of the top docs in the industry...check out patient photos, meet patients in person if you can...talk to real people that have had transplants, not just the showcases...and then make an educated decision on who to go to. This clinic may be great....but it's a risk if you can't find anyone who's heard of it or ever got work done there. My advice, since you are coming from Bosley with a bad experience....get it done right this time....go somewhere based on your knowledge of previous excellent work they have done. Bill

I agree with the "interesting" nature of the site. It seems to me, however, that they are the exceptions....the rare ones...or people who have gotten surgeries a long time ago when technology was not so great. I just find it interesting because the majority of the people on this board and other boards have raved about their docs....me, personally already having 2 HTs am happy so far with the results. But I also know that some have legitimate claims and reason to be unhappy. Maybe it's all a matter of finding the right doc? Indeed I agree with the site administrators post here that HTs should NEVER be advertised the way they are....they are so misleading and sales pitchy and don't go over the hard facts. These boards are a blessing to those people who do real research before they jump into anything...but what about those impulsive buyers that go right from their emotions? I agree it should be illegal some of the claims some docs and sale people make. Just watch a Bosley or MHR ad and you'll know what I mean...that is, IF you are educated enough to know the difference. Calling HT natural is absolutely ridiculous. Surely the goal is to look natural....but there is nothing natural about ripping the back of your head open. The word "natural" is so abused anyway now adays...oddly enough, I believe that came from Snapple. I don't remember hearing how "natural" anything was until Snapple...how they use all natural ingredients. Now, everything is natural. Let me tell you something....if God didn't create it that way, it sure ain't natural! But I'm an advocate of the HT, but people should be informed of all the risks before they jump into it. Bill

Hi Mark, I just thought I'd add my two cents. I'll address a few things here by number: 1. Propecia: It doesn't hurt to try it out...read the facts on Propecia's website...sexual side effects are not very common but they can happen. Additionally, if you start having sexual side effects you can simply stop the medicine and you will regain your sexual drive. I must add, however, that I don't know how many studies were performed on men over 40...I thought most of the studies of effectiveness were done on men under 40 or maybe 45. 2. Consultations: Get a few consultations from a few different docs. I myself have an HT planned with Dr. Hasson for 3K-4K grafts on October 19th. This will be my third (and hopefully last surgery). My first two surgeries were with two different docs. You probably wouldn't need to visit the office for in person consultations unless you want to. I did my consultation with Hasson and Wong online by sending them digital photos of all angles. 3. Docs: Dr. Cooley and Dr. Hasson (the two you mentioned) are both very high and reputable docs who have performed excellent surgeries. 4. Advice: Do a search on this form for patients who have had surgeries done by the docs you are considering....especially look for those who had similar hairloss patterns. 5. Shockloss: Shockloss is always a concern when transplanting new hairs into areas with existing "native" hair. "Native" hair is any hair that is not transplanted. Since you've never had an HT, all your hair is native. The way I look at shockloss...there are two different types: temporary and permanent. Temporary shockloss is common because of trauma to the scalp...but all that hair will grow back between 4 months-12 months along with the transplanted hair. Permanent shockloss occurs one of two ways: 1. Hair is transected during the surgery (however, going to a highly reputable doc, you shouldn't have that problem...this would mean the doc really messed up and is using old technology) and 2. Native hair that was going to fall out anyway may not grow back. This is why it's good to be on Propecia for awhile first so that it will strengthen the existing weakening hair. I hope this helps. Bill

I just noticed there were a few new posts on this...so I thought I'd reply. Thanks L'Anonyme....I was impressed with Dr. Trues work. Have you gotten your HT yet? If so, how far along are you? I am excited (yet a little anxious as normal...though I'm not a veteran at this point) about meeting Dr. Hasson and getting a third surgery done. I'm actually more anxious about flights than I am about the surgery . Either way...I know Dr. Hasson's work has been astounding, so I feel comfortable in that. Busy, Thanks for the encouragement. Bill

Personally minox 5% didn't do anything for me but make my scalp itch and make it greasy. Application is annoying and doesn't feel good. But it does work for some people. It's all a matter of what works. Though I do know that when you first start applying minox, it's possible to experience some shedding initially until the medicine starts to work. It's a risk either way...but it may just be normal shedding. But once you use minox...anything you regain will be lost if you stop using it. Bill

Thanks JB. I've gotten 3849 grafts to date...and if I can get at least 3000, that will be a total of 6849 grafts. I'm hoping that Dr. Hasson can take 4000+ but we'll see. Gotta work that donor area. I understand...not everyone is in the same position. Do you have pictures posted? I'll have to check out the photo site and check them out if you did. I'd like to see what your work looks like so far. Bill

yes, i could provide a link, but I believe external link posting is still disallowed? Just do a look on google for "Genetic Grafting", you don't find much...but I've seen it advertised. It is "non-surgical" it says...which I don't get. It sounds like a scam but I'd like some real info on it. Bill

Hey JB, Thanks for telling me your situation. yes, shaving your head (sides and back) shows a bit of a scar...but I already shave my head down to a one/two clip which shows some scar...but it's not super noticable, most likely because my hair is lighter anyway. I understand what you mean about not wanting to shave the recipient area...but in my situation, I had so much shockloss in the front from especially the second surgery (all grew back) that my hair looked terrible anyway...so shaving it would look better in my case. That being said...I don't really mind sporting a shaved head for a little while, especially since I know a nice head of hair will be coming shortly after Bill

Oh and yes...Dr. Hasson does shave the recipient area. I am accustomed to wearing a hat anyway...and for the first 10 days, I won't be going to work or seeing anyone other than my wife anyway....so I'll let my head breathe without a hat for that time, and then go to work wearing a hat until any redness goes away, and then just sport the shaved head look for awhile while it all grows in. Bill

Genetic Grafting: Ok...can someone tell me what this is? It has SCAM written all over it because of the lack of credentials etc, but I can't find any adequate information for or against it.

Thanks for the replies. My scalp was a little tight with Dr. Katz and Dr. True, but nothing significant. I believe (though maybe I'm wrong) I have excellent elasticity even before starting the scalp exercises...but I'm doing the exercises religiously anyway even though I have 3 months + until my surgery. I am not concerned about scalp tightness in my case...however, if your scalp remains tight, that will definiately affect the number of grafts that can be taken the next time. Mrjb...are you looking to get another HT? Eman...thanks for the compliments man. I'm pretty happy so far, though I'm envious of those with more density...I can't wait until 6 months after my surgery with Dr. Hasson. Bill

I'm under the belief that more is better, so I agree with everyone here about 3500+, however, you do want to plan for the future. It is possible, that if you lose more hair in the back area, you will need to get more surgeries. So it's important to plan ahead...it all depends on what your goals are.

Thanks Mike...I appreciate the encouragement. So it is officially booked....the surgery is October 19th. Plane has been booked and paid for, so we're all set!