Gossamer

After 4 years of usage and recent realization of side effects, I also decided to reduce my dosage and have seen a noticeable, immediate improvement. However, is it safe for me to assume that going from 1.25mg to .83 mg daily will not reduce the effectiveness?

Sorry to hear that. Dr. Bernstein responded very quickly to all of my emails and phone calls (and there were numerous questions), both before and after each of my two procedures.

I am also at 31 days and wondering if it is alright to apply Rogaine foam to the recipient area. Front and back? Will it dry out the scalp too much? After laying off it a month, I almost wonder whether its worth it. How soon does one lose any retained hair after discontinuing use?

Leading up to and during my recent hair transplant, I do not know how many times I thought how nice it would be to work for or with someone who has had a hair transplant. It would have been easier to request the time off, less difficult to hide everything post-op, or less concern for assumptions/judgments that people might make if they became suspicious. In addition to having someone who you can simply be open and honest around, I am sure that many of you feel like your career progress has suffered or been put on hold while you have dealt with hair transplants or lacked confidence as various points in time. Is there a way to create a forum or jumpstart an initiative to allow those of us to suffer from hair loss to network and help one another with our career development? Much like alumni of various schools feel compelled to help one another because of a common experience, all of us who suffer from hair loss share a common bond that is deeply personal and we are sensitive to what others are experiencing. I have witnessed the tremendous collective outflow of knowledge and compassion from posters who genuinely want to see other people like them make informed decisions and feel better about themselves. I wonder if career development could be a logical extension. There are very intelligent and successful people on this website, but they may not have reached their highest potential because of hair loss. Perhaps this is one way that we can all create something positive from a negative experience.

Wow! I would like to cheat and remove the staples at 10, 17, and 24 days, but after reading this, I think I will just accept the doctor's orders and not complain.

What is the longest amount of time that you have heard anyone continuing to have some staples in post-op? I pose this question because I have a tight scalp (donor scar from ear to ear with 100 staples) and have been advised by my doctor to remove 1/2 at 10 days, 1/4 at 20 days, and 1/4 at 30 days. Will this be a record?

I was wondering if there are some statistics on how many hair transplants have been performed and/or are performed annually in the US and world. Not only would it be interesting to see, I think it could provide some comfort to know how many people have also struggled with hair loss, opted to go this route, and hopefully, are going undetected.

Is it common for the donor scar to feel more tender and slightly itchy at 8-9 days post-op? It also feels very tight and sore right above and behind my ears. Any thoughts? Definitely feel it more after laying down. Of course, removing 1/2 of the staples and resuming my normal shampoo tomorrow (Day 10) should help it feel better.

How long should one wait after a hair transplant before considering the following activities... -Walking? -Running - 3 miles? 10 miles? -Lifting weights - Machines? Free weights? -Abs - Leg raises? Crunches? Sit-ups? -Whitewater rafting? -Wall-climbing? My primary objective is to not stretch or harm the donor scar, but I would like to have a better idea as to when I can feel comfortable resuming activities without doing any damage. (FWIW, 1744 grafts from strip extending from above one ear to the other... tight scalp with 100 staples.) Thanks!

After my second procedure, I am now expecting to go from a NW6 to a NW3(vertex). Given my age and donor hair, I believe that I will feel more comfortable with a thin crown/bald spot than concerned that my scar will one day be visible.

How long should one wait after a hair transplant before considering the following activities... -Walking? -Running - 3 miles? 10 miles? -Lifting weights - Machines? Free weights? -Abs - Leg raises? Crunches? Sit-ups? -Whitewater rafting? -Wall-climbing? My primary objective is to not stretch or harm the donor scar, but I would like to have a better idea as to when I can feel comfortable resuming activities without doing any damage. (FWIW, 1744 grafts from strip extending from above one ear to the other... tight scalp with 100 staples.) Thanks!

How long should one wait after a hair transplant before considering the following activities... -Walking? -Running - 3 miles? 10 miles? -Lifting weights - Machines? Free weights? -Abs - Leg raises? Crunches? Sit-ups? -Whitewater rafting? -Wall-climbing? My primary objective is to not stretch or harm the donor scar, but I would like to have a better idea as to when I can feel comfortable resuming activities without doing any damage. (FWIW, 1744 grafts from strip extending from above one ear to the other... 100 staples.) Thanks!

Seriously? I wonder if you have you seen any of his results because they are far better than you are suggesting. I would be more concerned with a doctor offering a megasession to a young client with mild hair loss who could eventually be on their way to a NW or NW 7.

Dr. Bernstein provided me with a long list of things not to do or take prior to the surgery, but there was no mention of Rogaine. He is very thorough and meticulous, so I think he would have listed it if there was an issue, but I will call the office today just to make sure.

Light-medium? Fairly light-skinned, but not whiter than white.

What about me? I know this is not ideal, but it is probably not enough reason to reschedule, right?

Strip... I think the hair should be long enough in the back to cover the remaining staples. I'm just nervous what the skin texture/color is going to look like around the grafts and how noticeable the stubble will be. I do not recall how it appeared after my first procedure (4 years ago) because my hair was thicker and I combed it forward. It is now thinner and I part it/comb slightly backwards.

Starting to get nervous with the big day approaching... is there any place that I can view photos of several different people at Day 14-17? I'm looking at ~1500 grafts with Dr. Bernstein.

I have a procedure scheduled for this Friday and applied Rogaine Foam this evening... am I going to be okay?

Most of the photos show final results a year or two after a procedure, but are there any photos after more time has passed? I am really curious how natural the transplants look 10 to 20 years later, after transplanted and donor hair have thinned out more. I recognize that there will not be many representative photos on the longer end, since the current techniques were not widely used back then.

It has been awhile since I had my first procedure and I am having difficulty remembering how my scalp looked post-op. Considering my hair is very thin near the part and crown, is two weeks sufficient time to allow before returning to work? Would anyone notice redness or anything suspicious on Day 17 post-op? Thanks!

When the best doctors are discussed in this forum, there is usually some mention of Dr. Bernstein, but not nearly the number of comments or level of enthusiasm as some of the others. Is this simply because he is more cautious with donor hair thinning over time and conservative with the number of grafts recommended? I am very curious because the pictures on his website (and he has posted a lot of them) appear to be superior to most of the other doctors, especially when I view the number of grafts. He seems to do a lot more with less. I am inclined to have a second procedure with him, but want to go wherever I can get the best possible results... natural hair without a visible donor scar when I am 60. Is there something that I am missing? Has anyone had a negative experience with Dr. Bernstein? Thanks!

One final question... does anyone know if this can be used in conjunction with the Nioxin regimen? I really like the scalp treatment foam and how it makes my hair more manageable/appear thicker. Either way, if some of you have experienced some positive results, I think that I will have to give it a shot. Hopefully, it will not cause too much shedding, since I've gotten through that period and hair is beginning to grow again. Thanks for the help!

Thanks for the comments! Is it okay to apply the foam prior to drying the hair with a hair dryer?

Bill, thanks for the response! I generally do crunches and situps with my hands behind my head for form, without really tugging. Do you think that this would be harmful, considering its about 3 months since the surgery? My abs definitely need some work!