Tom R.

dmoor, I had reservations about accepting Paul to the coalition too quickly. In late October 2006 I had a procedure with Dr Paul and didn't like the way my case was handled. During my consult, I didn't feel Paul was convincing enough and I felt a little uncomfortable going into the procedure. What I mean by that is this. He answered most of my questions but I often felt I knew more about what should happen than he did. Anyway, I went in and had the procedure because I trust Matt Zupan and he assured me that Paul was just as good as Ron. I had confided in Matt, my concerns about Dr Paul prior to the surgery. In addition, I had a previous HT at SMG with Dr. Paul Rose and I truly believe Ron would not allow anything or any employee (including his own brother)to cause someone to question his reputation or that of his clinic. Post-operatively I was open to all of the known negatives such as pain, swelling and temporary hair loss from the transplanted area as well as the donor site. What I didn't expect was suffering two thumb pad sized areas of ischemia below my donor scar. Within a week of the surgery, while washing and viewing my donor area, I noticed these very bald patches of skin. I initially attributed this to the well discussed topic of shock loss. Little did I know. After several months I had no regrowth and contacted Matt at SMG. I arranged and post-op visit and returned to SMG at about 9 months post-op. I asked to meet with both doctors and Matt and they agreed. During the discussion and viewing of my donor area, Drs Paul and Ron said I suffered from ischemia (lack of blood supply). The cause-I was told the donor closure was very tight and Paul noted it in the file. The problem I have is two fold. If the doctor had taken the time to note this in my file, he should have informed me of this and any potential complications. In addition, I learned that doctor Paul DID NOT use my old scar but went below and created a new scar thus leaving me with two scars. Again, I was not informed of this. Despite all of this, I am returning to SMG in February to have a scar revision where the two scars will be combined, the bald skin will be removed and the grafts between the two scars will be placed along the hairline. I figure while they're slicing me up back there, I'll have them put a few grafts to good use. BTW, Ron Shapiro will be my surgeon for this procedure.

The graft should remain but what is pulled out would be the actual hair shaft with its attached root. The graft is the remaining tissue that contains the structure responsible for providing future hairs.

tam, Why would Bosley or other unhappy patients post bad pictures? Bosley certainly wouldn't want that kind of attention and most badly butchered patients find other doctors to do repair work or slip slowly out of contact. I'm sure if you do enough research you'll find exactly what you're searching for...bad pictures of unhappy patients with horrible results. It's too bad we don't have access to the files and pictures of those who have sued Bosley for butchering them. Now those would open your eyes.

Maddy, Do some more research while visiting this forum. Do a search on Bosley and you'll find a wealth of information available. While you're at it, search Haber too. I've not heard of him but that's not to say anything good or bad. In any case, I cannot stress enough the importance of doing more research. Most of us here will not steer you in any one direction but simply hope to open your eyes and mind to other possibilities when so much is on the line.

A couple of whole eggs will supply you with biotin too. Have a few eggs now and then and save your money.

4 months isn't enough time to see significant growth. Be patient and you'll see things steadily improve; especially in the next 3 months.

Not that I know of. That would require a vote by participating members of this forum. Each of us have our favorite(s). That being said, I'm not sure that most frequent posters would cae much anyway.

giants, I've used Propecia from January '99 until December '06. It indeed started to lose its' efficiency for over a year before I made the switch. I started out with .5 mg every other day for about 6 weeks and I've used .5mg every day now since February 1st. I'm just wondering if anyone has not had success with the switch. It doesn't seem chemically possible but the human body is a complex thing.

With having had success with Propecia for several years, one would assume that Avodart would provide similiar or added benefit to the patient. But is that always true? Could one actually have had success with Propecia and not experience success with Avodart? How could this be so?

With having had success with Propecia for several years, one would assume that Avodart would provide similiar or added benefit to the patient. But is that always true? Could one actually have had success with Propecia and not experience success with Avodart? How could this be so?

I think between 7 and 10 grand should be expected.

I've had three relatively small surgeries of 600, 2021 and 1850. Due in part to some ischemia at the donor site and hair greed, I'm going to have a 4th surgery of about 1000 grafts with Dr. Ron Shapiro in late October/early November. I've been doing scalp exercises as recommeded but I have a question I'm hoping those with some knowledge or experience can answer. Do scalp exercises provide only temporary laxity? I'm asking the question because should the scalp exercises permit temporary laxity, it would seem that given time, the scalp would normalize and cause even more tightness to the donor area. In turn, there would exist a greater potential for scar stretch and or more ischemia.

I've had three relatively small surgeries of 600, 2021 and 1850. Due in part to some ischemia at the donor site and hair greed, I'm going to have a 4th surgery of about 1000 grafts with Dr. Ron Shapiro in late October/early November. I've been doing scalp exercises as recommeded but I have a question I'm hoping those with some knowledge or experience can answer. Do scalp exercises provide only temporary laxity? I'm asking the question because should the scalp exercises permit temporary laxity, it would seem that given time, the scalp would normalize and cause even more tightness to the donor area. In turn, there would exist a greater potential for scar stretch and or more ischemia.

I believe Dr Craig Ziering was once affiliated with MHR. I don't know if he is working as an independent now and I cannot speak of his work.

I would simply add RELAX to the list. You doctor will provide you with post-op care instructions; follow them to the letter. Other issues may come up during different stages of your post-op recoevery but you can addrss those if and when they happen. Good luck with your surgery.

FL_BOY, All things being equal, given your age, I'd bet your issue has more to do with reading the Propecia literature describing the side effects than it does your equipment and that's what's weighing on your mind. Relax and get to know this girl a little more and your nerves will lessen. Less nervous energy will permit more blood flow to the area your concerned with.

bijous111, Has your son had an opportunity to view this site? I/We fully understand how hair loss affects the psyche of some more than others. However, there is also a group of men and women here that can support and assist him in dealing with this problem to some degree. The more your son continues to dwell on his trouble, the more he's apt to continue to spiral downward. I see that you are supporting him both psychologically and financially in dealing with this issue. But it's the men and women here that know all too well everything he's thinking. We've been through it. In your own subtle way, encourage hium to view the site and post as many questions as he likes. He will get the most honest and heart felt answers from experienced hair loss suffers just like him. It will, at least, help him realise he's not alone and it can provide him with a wealth of perspective. Good luck.

gazzasgoin2, I had my HT's done with the Shapiro Medical Group. They did require testing that included HIV and HEP. I was not interested in going to my GP either so I grabbed the yellow pages and found a lab near my home. The doc will provide you with the script for the pre-op testing and that's all the clinic/lab will need to make the draw. I used Quest Diagnostics. Find a lab near your home.

I don't think there is a difinitive answer anyone on this forum can give you about a shed you may or may not experience. You may shed but not enough to notice or you may shed a great deal. That differs from person to person but shedding is generally a good sign that the medicine is working. Should you shed, you may initially take a few steps back but ride out the wave. The shedding typically kicks out hairs that were leaving anyway and when they begin to return in about four months, they should come in thicker and stay in the growing phase for a longer period of time. Propecia is simply reversing the losing/miniturization phase of certain hairs and creating a growing phase.

hairdini, I wouldn't worry about the "look" of the grafts right now. First, those hairs are from your donor area and cut just above the root. For that reason alone, they will appear thicker than your native hair. Second, assuming your native hair is strong and not subject to continued thinning, when the grafts regrow, all things should blend nicely. Of course, the actual aesthetics are at the hands of your surgeon.

In all likelyhood it's simply nerves regenerating; absolutely nothing to worry about.

HB, I've been here all along. The system has a glitch. When I initially registered, NSB was the screen name I used. When I re-registered, forgetting my first name and password, I used my real name (Tom R.). However, each time I sign on with Tom R, the system reverts back to my initial screen name most of the time. If you search, you'll find recent posts under both names. I can't help that. Anyway...I don't recall where I got those numbers but I can say they were retrieved from another website and provided as detailed graphs. If you're really interested, I'll look into it for you and send the graphs your way.

HI John, Your post really doesn't make it clear that you are a sufferer of mpb. You state that you've noticed you're losing hair and it generally comes from one specific area. Are you losing hair that causes a noticiable or visual thinning of the scalp or are you basing your hair loss on counting hairs in the sink or shower? If in fact you've been dealing with this issue for about three years, you and your doctor should have a good idea if it's mbp or another dermatological issue. From your post, you say the hair in the area of concern has regrown at times. That is not generally a sign of mpb. I'd listen to your doc or locate a dermatologist if that's not the specialist who's currently treating your condition. Pics would help us give you our personal views but rely on a professional diagnosis. If indeed you are a mpb sufferer like most of us here, let me say you've come to the right place. Let us know how things turn out. We're intersted and always here to help. Good luck.

Hi Tam, I'm not completely sure about this but I believe Dr Charles worked at SMG. If the person in the photo had his work done by Dr. Charles while he was at SMG, I could see why the pic would show up on both sites. Someone will step forward and correct me if I'm wrong but it's always good to be skeptical while doing research like this. Did you question either SMG or CMG why the same photo appears in their respective websites?

kjp, I started taking Avodart December 12th and began with .5 mg every other day for about six weeks. I had previously used Avodart at .5mg/day but had a non-stop shed that continued to last for more than six months so I stopped. That was about two years ago and that's why I restarted it incrementally. I've been using .5mg/day for the last two weeks or so but the sides have been from the get-go. Prior to Avodart, I used Propecia since January of '99. I've considered that my testosterone may be lower than it was in '99 as I'm now 42. I'm just concerned that if I up my test, that my dht will also rise. I need some medical advice for that to be answered. My guess would be that the body naturally sends a certain level of dht to the scalp but I'm not sure if it's consant or fluctuates based on test levels. If Propecia worked for me when I was 34, my test levels were higher than at the age of 42, one would surmise that Propecia would be more effective with less test as time went by. I just don't have those answers but I'm currently looking for advice and cure the sides.