PCC

Hi NoBuzz, My history is as follows: Between 1983 and 1990 I had three proceedures with what I guess we would call the plug technique. This started at age 19 in response to MPB which began while I was in high school. These were with the same practitioner. I'm really not sure how many grafts were done each time but I doubt it would have been more than 100. While this definately gave me hair where otherwise there would have been none I was constantly aware of it and endured countless odd looks and comments/questions from others. In the early 90's I began seeking out correction/refinement. In '92 I had one proceedure consisting of placing very small "strip grafts" along the hairline in front of the earlier plugs. This was done by a different doctor and the grafts taken from the sides. They healed and grew in fine and accomplished the objective of the hairline being unbroken. The problem though was that the plugs were still very visible behind! In '95 I had my last proceedure with yet a third doctor involving masking the hairline/frontal zone with minis and micros. These came from the traditional donor area in back. The doctor initially wanted to remove, reduce, and redistribute some of the earlier plugs but then decided I didn't need it (?) This outcome of this proceedure helped somewhat although I still feel there is room for improvement. Like you, I have the old donor scarring from the unsutured removal methods. However,in '92 and '95 the donor sites were closed properly using sutures or staples. The back and sides still get fairly thick and bushy and are thinned out by the barber at least once a month. I too would like to get as much of this as possible cut out and the area closed with the newer closure techniques. Of course time took it's toll with progressive hairloss especially into the crown. Fortunately I don't have an isolated "island" or hair. I just started taking propecia for the first time this summer to hopefully prevent the lateral humps from racing downward. I too dread the thought of another proceedure even with a top doc but feel it is inevitable. I also empathize with you that at 42 I have no illusions of a "gorgeous head of hair". I have a wife who loves me regardless and am in a field where one is not expected to look pefect. I only want to look age appropriate and not to be self conscious about my appearance. Phil

NoBuzz, Please keep us updated on your progress. I will be following it closely. I have similiar issues and am also considering traveling to Dr. Vogel for refinement/correction of my earlier work. He has extensive expertise in this area. He and I had a very pleasant phone conversation this summer. Did you read his article which is accesible through the network? It covers all aspects of repairs including how to address the old donor scarring. Isn't Halford currently with MHR out of the NYC office? Phil

Marshall, As a fellow Floridian I am not aware of any HT doctors practicing in the Jacksonville area or elsewhere in the northern regions of the state. I believe that one of the chain/conglomerate providers has a "consult only" office there from which they funnel prospective clients to their surgical sites. However the sunshine state has several of the highly regarded independent practitioners in Tampa, Boca Raton, and Miami. They are all recommended and profiled on this network. Beyond them the closest in the South would be in Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. As we have repeated many times do not let geography be a determining factor in finding the best possible doctor to meet your needs. Phil

I've never considered whether Dave has had any work done. I have been aware that he has gotten very balding over recent years and has kept his hair shorter in response. This is ironic because during his glory days in the 80's (he was a mainstay among my college dormmates and me)his hair was so full and wavy/curly that he used to joke that it was a hairsystem! Jay on the other hand certainly doesn't have any hairloss issues! Phil

Hi Pat, Thanks for the account of the "5000 + " proceedure during your recent visit with Hasson and Wong. Once again this seems like an example of truly outstanding work. Although the gentleman is well advanced in his balding, he should expect a very satisfying outcome with such a large session. However my question relates to his previous "plugs" in his crown area from an earlier proceedure. Like many of us in this predicament they had become obtrusive with progressive hairloss. Dr. Hasson chose to camouflage them with FUs. Any reason why he didn't remove them, reduce them to smaller graphs, and then redistribute them? I know both approaches have their merits. Phil

I rented "Failure to Launch" this week. If Matthew has had proceedures, they must have been relatively small or he is in the very early stages of his hairloss. He has one gorgeous thick head of hair! This is evident even when wet (such as the scenes where he is swimming with the dolphins) and in extreme closeups like the one on one discussion with costar Terry Bradshaw. Phil

Whether we want to admit it or not, Just A Guy voices some legitimate concerns. I have considered all of these issues from time to time. Didn't a historical figure state something to the effect of "While I don't agree with what you say, I'll defend to the death your right to say it". Phil

Ah the famous "I'm just messing with you" explanation. I know this one all too well. I've had people announce my hairloss and/or transplants publicly (once by a coworker I have a very intense "Love-Hate" relationship with) and others who have questioned and commented to me about it privately. Either way it is inappropriate, uncomfortable, and not appreciated. You try your best to shrug it off but it's hard sometimes. For me it has definately been an example of "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Phil

Dr. Vogel is recommended on the Hair Tranplant network. He is especially highly regarded for correction/revision of previous proceedures. He has authored a comprehensive scientific article on this topic which may be accessed through his practices' website. Because of his expertise in this area I sent him an e-mail inquiry recently regarding my issues. I was very pleasantly surprised when he called me on my cell phone a few days later. I was quite impressed that he made the effort to do this (when I'm not even a patient yet) and he was very sincere and seemed genuinely interested. I'm considering traveling to Maryland to meet with him for an in person consult. Phil

I have endured countless snide comments/questions and funny looks about my hair over the years. It seems like more often than not the offender is someone with hair down into their eyebrows. Sadly there will always be those who feel compelled to put down others to compensate for their own insecurities. The one I got constantly in the beginning "Did you know you're going bald?". This was so ignorant that it was almost laughable. A couple times I sarcastically replied "Gee, no I didn't. I only spend so much time in the mirror every morning because I enjoy it. You saved my life. Don't know what I'd do without you"! Phil

Garageland, Your hair restoration experiences and your feelings about it closely parallel mine (check out my very first post entitled "Sharing my Story" for my history). I really enjoyed your sense of humor. Although it seems like both of us have been to hell and back, it's therapeutic to be able to laugh about it from time to time. What are your referring to by "A&E"? Taken in context I think it means a hospital emergency department but can't be sure. Is the terminology unique to the UK? I'm frankly surprised you were able to get such a high number of graphs from your recent procedure, given the previous work and the donor area depletion and scarring, etc. But I am happy for you and wish you the best possible outcome. You certainly were in good hands. I am hoping and praying for that for myself as well. Phil

Don't you just love that computer generated video of the hairs magically "flying" from the donor area to the hairline and frontal core and then just filling in everything perfectly! If only it worked that easily in real life! Phil

The ability of hair transplantation to provide a "full head of hair" is a subjective concept. Under the best circumstances they can create coverage so that one does not "look bald", especially through the front half of the scalp. However it is impossible to restore someone to a nonbalding state of volume and density simply because of the finite donor supply. Also please understand that the appearance of photos, even those provided by ethical and top notch practitioners, can be influenced by many factors. These include lighting, angles, and the use of concealers (toppik, dermatch, etc). For example someone that looks like they have that full head of hair in a face on shot may very well still have a bald crown and/or be thin on top. The value of photos should only be one determinant in evaluating the proceedure or doctor. Phil

I remember Boston's grounbreaking debut album back in the mid to late 70's, which was one of my first and I think I still have. In the picture of the group on the jacket, all the guys had the long hair, some with the mutton chop sideburns and fu-man-chu moustaches. One had a huge Afro. Whatever happened to those guys? They have to be well into their 50's now. Same for the members of Styx on "The Grand Illusion" album. I think Ted "Wild Man" Nugent still has the long hair today. One exception seems to be Phil Collins who has always been balding and likely even more so as he's gotten older. Although the appearances seem odd looking back on them now, the music still sounds great after almost 30 years. Phil

True, but many of the legendary rockers that my generation grew up with in the late 70's and 80's with the long, flowing, gorgeous hair (this was another reason it was so difficult to lose it as a young man during this period!)who are now well into middle age are balding and/or wearing their hair very short. Three that come to mind are Peter Frampton, David Lee Roth, and Micheal Bolton. They are almost unrecogizable from their heydays. Phil

A very thought provoking thread! As far as the presidents, in my lifetime Johnson and Ford were balding and interestingly both ascended to the office by default and served only the balance of one term. Regarding the perceptions of hairloss, for me I can't think of anything more devastating and self defeating to happen to a young man during the big hair and looks obsessed era of the 80's. It began while I was still in high school and really put a damper on what were otherwise some of the best years of my life. It is something I will always be bitter and angry about. Despite my efforts to address and overcome the problem, it remains very much a burden for me today. I am blessed to have a wife and family who loves me "for me" and thank God I no longer have to go through the dating game! Yet I fear it is holding me back professionally. Although I am in a field where one is not expected to look "perfect", I fear the appearance of my hair is costing me better opportunities and options. This is especially a concern as I am at the stage in life where I find myself competing against those 10 to 15 years younger. The old adages that "it's what inside that counts" and "what's in your head is more important than what's on it" are absolutely valid. Unfortunately the reality is that there are and always will be those whom if they don't like what the see on the outside they're not going to give what's inside a chance. Nowhere is this more true that the workforce and dating. Also there is a profound but simple truth to the old Fernando character on Saturday Night Live's catchprase about "being better to look good than to feel good". Certainly how we percieve ourselves physically impacts us emotionally and looking one's best can give a tremendous self esteem boost even when we are not feeling the greatest. With that said I will repeat that is it very inspiring and encouraging to see men of all ages secure enough to shave their heads. Although these guys probably were initially troubled by their balding, it is a breakthrough. I wish that approach had been accepted when I was younger. Phil

The name of the drug is "epinephrine" but otherwise Homer's description of the usages, indications, and physiological effects is entirely correct. Because of it's quality as a vasoconstrictor, it is possible that one might experience palpitations as a side effect. Lidocaine or it's derivitatives which is commonly utilized during the HT proceedure is also used as a cardiac drug to stablize irregular heart rhythyms. Phil

Isn't he the one who is a former pro football player? Phil

DannyG, While a hairsystem is not the same thing as a combover, I agree that Shatner's current one looks very good. It looks very appropriate for a man his age. I'm not sure he wore one during the "Star Trek" era and I was a young child then. But "T.J. Hooker" had a cult following among my friends and I at our college during the 80's (one reason being the presence of an early Heather Locklear!)Looking back I'm almost certain he wore one then and it was more feathered, puffy, and blow dried which of course was the style of the day. He always did some very physical things and I think a lot of his own stunts like fights so it must have been well secured. I've said here before that the actor Hector Elizondo of "Chicago Hope" and "Pretty Woman" wears hair systems in some of his roles that look very natural and age appropriate. Phil

Yeah, in contrast Nagin looks fantastic with his completely shaved head. I know Landrieu will always be a balding guy but it seems like something could be done today to make that look more natural. Phil

Yeah, I read today that he lost to the incumbent mayor Nagin, despite all the controversies post Katrina. Will he still retain his position as Lt. Governor? I understand the family is very prominent politically, kind of like "the Kennedys of Louisiana". I saw one of his addresses online and thought he was a pretty dynamic speaker. Phil

At least whoever did his work years ago gave him a hairline of a height/shape that looks age apppropriate for him today. This should make repairs and camoflaging easier. However it looks like he needs some reinforcement of the temple areas so the hair on top is not "marooned" from the sides. Phil

Donald seems to comb it from front to back rather than from the side over the top. On "The Apprentice" during the boardroom sessions when he is under a recessed light you can see where it is thin on top. Funny though during the outside scenes, especially when he is getting off his helicopter or plane, his hair hardly moves, even in a breeze. He must really have it plastered with hairspray. Phil

Poor guy! I had never heard of him before as he is not a household word outside of Louisiana. Some of his pictures campaigning are from a distance and in them he just looks balding. But his portrait photo as Lt. governor is unforgiving and makes it painfully apparent. Obviously he has attained great success both professionally and personally despite it. One would think though that with his kind of resources and being constantly in the public eye that he would get it corrected, especially with today's technology. Phil

Rod, I take it from your screen name that you are in FL. Care to tell us who did your proceedure? Phil