heelz

It seems there is a general consensus that MSM speeds up hair growth. It also appears that the recommended dosage is 3,000mg per day. Is this still the recommended dosage? Also, if one's hair would normally grow on average about 1/2 inch per month, how fast does your hair grow while taking MSM? Any feedback from those taking MSM or studies that have measured speed of hair growth would be much appreciated.

Bash or Janna, do you have any updates?

Unfortunately, I feel obligated to post a response to what has happened over the last few days on this particular thread. Pricing is pricing. It is what it is. I've seen this said numerous times by different people. $10/graft seems to be on the higher end of FUE. I think it is a little ridiculous of Spex or anyone else to say that Dr. Feller gives free grafts and therefore that lowers his price per graft to somewhere in the range of $8-$10 per graft. From what I've seen, most of the respected docs on this forum give free grafts, so what, Dr. Feller still chooses to charge $10 per graft. Others have commented on Feller's practice being in close proximity to NYC. Once again, so what, Feller still has to keep his prices competitive with other top physicians in order to get business. It's not like the only airport or even international airport for that matter is in NYC. I think Dr. Feller offered a fine explanation for his pricing. It seems he performs the majority of the surgery, from extraction to placement. As a patient, you are paying for the physician instead of the tech. Seems pretty simple and logical to me. Feller's practice obviously has a demand for his services at this price or he would have to charge something different. Seems logical enough. Lastly, I want to thank everyone for hijacking this thread so that we can continue to bicker over pricing rather then getting honest answers to the questions that some of us have posed (please scroll up the page). It would really help if people would quit the constant barage of attacks on Dr. Feller's pricing and then those that quickly come to the defense and attack these posters. I think there has been a healthy debate on pricing (now it is just attacks). Healthy debate is fine as far as I'm concerned, but these threads consistently turn into personal attacks and sometimes irresponsible bans. Can we please move forward now?

Dr. Feller, I know this question was posed earlier, but I have yet to see a response. Assuming, you average 1000 graft per day via FUE, what limits a person from coming in on back-to-back days to receive 2,000 or 2,200 grafts? It seems that this varies from clinic to clinic and I was trying to understand your particular reasoning for only doing 1 day of FUE at a time. Also, what risk do you think other clinics are taking on by doing FUE surgeries over 2 or 3 day periods? It seems they stay in that graft scenario of 600-1000 graft per day, but are getting higher totals in back-to-back surgeries which is sometimes what a patient needs.

What is the general consensus on finasteride dosing? Speaking with Dr. Cooley, he recommended using Propecia on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to decrease overall cost and reduce possible side effects should you be prone to them. Speaking with SMG, they seemed to recommend using Propecia daily, but also admitted that Dr. Cooley was on the cutting edge of the pharmacology of finasteride and really knows his stuff when it comes to dosing finasteride. Obviously, you will not find a study done by Propecia, because they want to sell more drug, and if everyone started dosing 3 days/week vs. 7 days/week, then their sales and profits would decrease. Anybody else have any thoughts from their respective physicians or seen any literature to back up dosing Propecia 3 days/week. Also, I know a lot of people are going to suggest just breaking a generic Proscar 5mg tablet into fifths or fourths, but that is still not the answer I'm specifically looking for. Cost is not the only thing being considered here. I'm just wondering if there is any efficacy data to back up Dr. Cooley's dosing method in comparison to the manufacturer's recommended dosing method.

Who did you ever decide upon, Dr. Feller or Dr. Shapiro?

B Spot, check your PM Thanks.

Speaking to FUE yield. Has the yield improved recently? I know Dr. Feller had released a new tool somewhat recently. I'm sure it was studied prior to release. How do the results from the newest FUE technology compare to previous surgeries? Is there a good place to seek out before and after photos for FUE surgeries, as they are much less prevalent here and you have to click on many people's sites just to find a couple FUE surgeries with good pictures.

One last question Dr. Alexander, you also noted that I would likely require a 2nd procedure at some point due to my age. How long does the first surgery typically hold for before a second procedure is required? I know this is a somewhat difficult question to answer and is likely based on genetics. My maternal uncle is a Norwood 6 or 7. He is the only family member with really any noticeable baldness. Neither my Dad or my brother have any recession, nor does my uncle's son (age 36). I really do not have grandfather history to rely upon as both were deceased before I was born. Hope this helps.

I really appreciate everyone's comments, please keep them coming. I personally feel like you can never have to much information, especially when considering surgery. Dr. Alexander, you noted that you perform FUE in some patients, but also stated that you feel strip may be warranted in my case to protect future donor supply. First, what patients do you typically recommend FUE for, and secondly does FUE use more of your donor supply then a strip procedure? Once again, thanks for all the commentary. Hopefully being more informed will make the decision easier.

I am 26 years old and trying to determine which procedure would be best in my case. I have been told I would need approximately 1800 FU's (Norwood 3) and that I have higher then average density in the donor area, but more 1 and 2 unit grafts vs. 3 and 4 unit grafts. I also have thin, wavy hair. I have consulted with two different physicians and both had different plans. One recommended FUE, the other strip. I understand the basic differences (i.e. cost, harvest methods). My questionss are more specific and generally come from the 2 consultation I have had. 1) Does FUE generally have lower yield then strip method due to damage that occurs during folicle harvest? 2) Does FUE cause more damage to surrounding donor hair then strip, therefore lessening the potential of future transplants should one be needed? 3) How quickly does FUE heal compared to strip? 4) Is 1800 FU's too much for FUE (seems to be right at the cusp for 1 transplant procedure)? As you can tell, I somewhat lean to FUE procedure due to the fact of my age and I have always kept my hair fairly short. However, I would rather undergo one procedure vs. two procedures over a short amount of time to correct for hair loss. I also do not want to put the remainder of my donor hair at a significantly higher risk of damage, in case I may need it for a future procedure. Any helpful advice is much appreciated.