Time to do something

It will probably be 12 months before I have to procedure done. I did ask about the ink fading. I can't remember the exact answer they gave but I do remember it was adequate enough not to be a concern for me. I think they said they use a type of ink that doesn't fade and that if sunscreen and a hat is used when out in the sun for extended periods of time fading should not be an issue under normal conditions. What I saw first hand looked good but I didn't like the fact they were trying to sell the procedure before all of my concerns were addressed. That was concerning. I think the process is evolving and it may be perfected more within a year. One thing I would not do is a severe straight hairline. That looks fake. I'd want a hairline that gradually faded out. Anyone out there who has had this done or researched the process please chime in. Thanks

Thanks for your replies! Aaron1234-I need research how long I’d need to wait between the inking and FUE. That would be ideal if Dr. Shapiro went with me to monitor the job. Sorry I missed you at Dr. Shapiro’s office! Future_HT_Doc-Thanks for the great link! I asked Good Look Ink several questions and they were able to satisfactorily answer all but one. I think I may have found a weak link to their process and they can’t answer the question. I admit I’ve seen their product first hand and it does look good but I want to cover all of my bases before making a life changing decision like this especially after the unfortunate experience I had with my first two hair transplants in Miami. It is probably a non issue but I asked them if for some unforeseen reason I need to have the tattooing removed can it be done. They said it could with a laser. Since lasers are used in hair removal I asked if it was a laser that wouldn’t kill the hair follicle. They could not answer that. They said that their process has been successfully removed from a small area on someone’s head. Since I’d been waiting for two months for them to answer this question I asked them if they would simply provide me with the name of the person or company that removed the tattooing so I could ask them if the laser they used was safe for hair follicles and what the price would be to remove it. They never provided me with that information. I can only guess they are avoiding answering my question at this point. My question may have been answered by Dr. Cam Simmons here on the forum. He says “Usually, micropigmentation is tattooing and should be thought of as permanent. Laser tattoo removal isn’t perfect”. I have found four companies online that provide this service. They are in Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, and California. The one in California is very appealing because it is done by a doctor, Dr. Rassman. I think I’d feel more comfortable in the environment of a medical facility with this procedure. It would probably be ok at a facility like Good Look Ink if Dr. Shapiro was there overseeing it.

I went for my fourth procedure with Dr. Ron Shapiro on July 1st to correct the first two procedures I had with another doctor that provided poor results. I had a total of 1191 grafts which consisted of 447 one hair, 580 two hair, 150 three hair and 14 four hair giving a total hair count of 2113. Once again, Dr. Shapiro and everyone in his office went so far above and beyond the call of duty to pay such amazing detail to the task at hand but at the same time made me feel comfortable and welcome. It was almost like a spa experience! I have achieved good results from Dr. Shapiro’s last procedure and this last one was to thicken it up a bit for more density. He believes I have about 1000 grafts left through an FUE procedure. While in Minneapolis I met with Carter at “Good Look Ink”, a company that offers cosmetic transdermal hair replication (CTHR). I mistakenly called it tattooing which I was corrected on, it bears vast differences from tattooing although to the layman that is what it appears to be. I had a lot of questions and most were answered satisfactorily and one they are going to research and get back with me on. I saw photographs of clients some who had hair transplants to thicken the appearance of density and some didn’t. Carter had the procedure done so I was able to view his results first hand and I must say I was impressed. This may be the magic bullet for guys who have had a transplant but need just a bit more density but may have exhausted their graft supply. The goal is to return to Minneapolis in one year and have the procedure done with Good Look Ink and then go to Dr. Shapiro for one final pass along the hairline to strengthen it. The only area through this entire ordeal I’ve not addressed is my crown. I have a bald spot about the size of a baseball. Up until now my plan was to wear a crown hair piece however, Carter at Good Look Ink suggested I have the CTHR done on the crown as well and have Dr. Shapiro place some grafts there for the look and feel of real hair combined with the CTHR. This would allow me to not have to go the crown hair piece route which sounds very appealing if it will indeed work. I would really like to hear other’s opinion or comments on this or anyone who has had the CTHR process. If you contact Dr. Shapiro or Carter at Good Look Ink please let them know that Larry in Orlando made you aware of them. Thanks guys.

I am considering cosmetic transdermal hair replication (tattooing) to increase the appearance of density after my first two hair transplants yielded very poor results. Has anyone had this procedure who can comment on it? I’d be curious if the procedure can be reversed successfully without damaging the hair follicles and what happens as hair goes gray. Obviously if the procedure provides one color you will have that color for the rest of your life which would look ridiculous on an older guy. How does it blend with existing hair? The only photos I’ve seen are of guys who have totally shaved their head and have the tattooed stubble look. Thanks!

There is one on your list who is NOT any longer a coalition doctor that I would NOT recommend. Go with Shapiro.

http://www.renewman.com/Baldness-and-Nitric-Oxide/tabid/2226/Default.aspx

Check out my previous posts on this. Propecia suppresses DHT. DHT is what gives us male characteristics including muscle mass. There is plenty of information about this on the internet.

Here is a link: Marc Jacobs Gets Hair Transplant, Says He Isn't Married

I just read in Details magazine that Marc Jacobs had a hair transplant. His hair looks amazing. He couldn't have been too bald. Does anyone know who his doctor was?

Maybe we should get Dr. Rose to comment on it. In the letter it indicates that it is a state of the art minimally invasive method of hair transplantation. It is run by PhD's and MD's according to the literature. If you go to www.tampadermatology.com and search under the Hair Loss Services tab that is supposed to be where the information is. I'm glad I'm not the only one confused. I didn't think a coalition doctor would associate himself with any quackery which is why I want to find out more about it.

They have several websites: www.haarklinikken.com www.haarklinikken.de/en/home.html www.thehairlosscure.com www.tampadermatology.com

I received something in the mail today that looks interesting but I have no idea what it is or if it is legitimate. A coalition doctor (Paul Rose) is involved with it. Apparently it is a process called LHFUE (Long Hair Follicular Unit Extraction) where individual long hair follicles are extracted and placed as short hairs between existing hairs in the natural direction of growth. This just sounds to me like a regular hair transplant. Is there a difference I'm missing and what are the reviews on this procedure?

Go back and look at my original post.

My procedure was done by Epstein in Miami.

LOL Got ya! I just wanted to make sure you weren't aware of some new information I wasn't.

NO! As stated in my post this issue occurred with my first one or two procedures NOT with my third. I had already observed the pitting and cobble stoning with the first procedure. I agree that Dr. Shapiro is one of the finest doctors in the country for hair transplants if not the world. Can you share with us why you are calling Dr. Epstein one of the best hair transplant doctors in the country? I have not scalp conditions. As I said in a previous post, I was examined by several top dermatologist and they all said I had a perfectly normal healthy scalp and there should be no reason I would have any complications from a hair transplant performed correctly. But who knows, maybe I have a thick head.

I'm not 100% sure which is why I posted this but in my case I see some areas which appear to be raised slightly and other areas that are indented, sort of like what someone looks like who has acne scars.

Danielkiwi, I think most people understand that a hair transplant is not a one time procedure and that is it. You could get a couple of transplants and plan for the worst case scenario that you will become a full blown NW7 which is unlikely. In the event that happens you would still have a light density of hair. In my opinion not every guy can pull the totally bald look off and studies have shown that bald men are looked upon negatively compared to their hirsute counterparts. That is unfair but true. I believe even if you lose more hair you could achieve at least a light density of covering on your head which may be better than a total bald head. What I am doing is concentrating my grafts in the front 2/3 of my scalp and not addressing the crown. This will allow me to increase the density in the crucial area. I plan to wear a lace hairpiece between the size of a silver dollar and baseball on my crown. My stylist has several guys who have done this with amazing results. I’ve even talked with people on here doing the same thing with great results. Being that I’ve worn a regular hairpiece for years a crown piece should be a piece of cake. These are just some things for you to think about. Hair from the safe zone should be safe from DHT so Propecia shouldn’t be needed for that but only to save hair you already have on top of your hair that you want to keep. Even if all of that falls out, with the transplanted hair safe from the effects of DHT you should have enough to give a light covering vs. being totally bald. I am at the seven month point so I’m in the frustrating limbo stage. I have hair where I didn’t before so that is good. I also think I’m a slow grower so it may take a bit longer for me. I’ve also seen many times on here and other places that the biggest change/improvement comes between months eight and ten. I have also been keeping the hair buzzed down short so it is hard to tell. However, this month I am no longer going to buzz it and start letting it grow for the planned unveiling in November. Remember one day cloning will be reality as well but this could provide some results until then.

Be VERY careful of Propecia. It did not agree with me and once you study the mechanism of how it works it makes sense that it can have very negative effects on some. Aging isn’t fun. Most men will lose at least some of their hair as they age. If you don't get a transplant you've got the option of a hair piece. They can look natural but high maintenance and always wondering if it looks ok. I will say my donor scar seems to be ok by both doctors. I don't have an issue there. As far as the pitting at the recipient area is concerned, I believe that even with a dusting of hair covering the affected area it would hide the pits. I'm guessing one wouldn't notice it in everyday encounters. When I was considering my third procedure I had it narrowed down to Shapiro, Hasson & Wong, and Rahal. I had several people look at the examples of their work on their websites and they all picked Shapiro. They said the other two also had very impressive results but Shapiro just went over the top a little more. I believe any of the ones on your list would do a great job.

Danielkiwi, The issue I’m addressing appeared before my third procedure. I did a massive amount of research and at the time the doctor I selected appeared to have among the best qualifications and recommendations. However, that all abruptly changed shortly after I had my first procedure. I did not go into this blindly with no research. I asked many questions well before I had the procedure on this forum and with the doctor as well. This a forum for people to express their experiences. I still see people on this forum considering work by this doctor and I think they should be aware of my experience. I feel like I paid a huge amount of money not only to obtain cosmetically unacceptable results but be scared as well. You seem to have done extensive research. Which doctors are you considering and why?

I have noticed something for a while but never said anything because either I thought it was my imagination or it was something that was already there before my procedure or would eventually go away if it were a product of the procedure. I have what appears to be pits all over the recipient site. This was a result of my first two procedures. When I look at my crown which is slick bald and never been touched it is completely smooth. When I part my hair on the sides and look there the scalp is completely smooth there. However, the recipient site looks pitted. I have only let a couple of people see my real hair under the hair piece. One person I have allowed to see it for monitoring purposes said the recipient area was pitted so that confirmed my fears. So it appears on top of extremely poor growth from my first two procedures I am now scared for life. I was going to post a photo but for some reason as clear as it is in person it doesn’t photograph. That may just be my lack of photography skills. I’m no expert but I knew something was not right. I went to another coalition doctor after my first procedure and he said he saw evidence of cobble stoning. Is cobble stoning and pitting the same thing? This just goes from bad to worse and all of this from a highly rated doctor by this site. I know of others complaining of the same issue with this doctor.

Thanks for your thoughts. As far as the hair piece is concerned, no it is not a negative issue. It is a lace piece which is very breathable and I only wear it Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm at work. Dr. Bernstein in New York also said the hair piece would have no negative influence on my results.

You can find my complete story if you look at my past posts on here. I went to a highly rated coalition physician that was recommended by this site. After my experience and that of several others around the same time he was no longer recommended by this site. Unfortunately I feel like a guinea pig. I don’t know how someone could have been so highly recommended then kicked off. My first two procedures were not a success and I was refused a refund. One would think if the results promised weren’t delivered your money would be refunded. I know in my job if I don’t deliver what I promise I must make good on it. He did give me a second procedure free of charge but what was that worth since it produced very poor results as well? There is an outside chance I am one of those rare “X” factor patients who transplants don’t work for but I was examined by several top dermatologist before I had the second procedure to see if I had any condition preventing a transplant from being a success and I was given a clean bill of health. Dr. Shapiro felt bad for the mess I was left in and did my third procedure free. I am seven months into it so it is too early to judge. He also has asked me to keep it buzzed short under my hair piece. Next month I am going to start letting it grow out so by Thanksgiving it (when I plan to ditch the piece) it will be long enough for the unveiling. I do have hair where I did not before...that much I know. However I also know at this point the density is still not cosmetically acceptable and does not match the sides and back. I know I won't have hair like I did in my 20's nor do I want that but I do want the top to match the sides and back. I won't have an idea of the success or failure until November which makes one year.

Not everyone can pull the shaved head look off. Some people look like a giant thumb or a cancer patient. Furthermore studies have shown people who have hair have a more positive perception than bald men. It is a sad and unfair truth but it is what it is. People will tell you they have no problem with a bald guy but surveys say otherwise. I hope my procedure is a success. If not I’ll be wearing a lace hairpiece for the rest of my life. I don’t think I’m one who could pull the bald look off. Here in Florida we have a bald guy running for Governor and experts say he has little chance of being elected because he is bald. When interviewing for a job if everything is equal in the candidates the one with hair will generally get the job. Check it out! Bald men thought of as less successful, says NY Post article - That's Fit Wiley InterScience :: Session Cookies