Janna

Dr. Shapiro has done many eyebrow work as well. Bill is correct about the upkeep of brow hairs after a transplant. Once you have the donor hairs, they can be transplanted anywhere. We've also done beards and moustaches. So, the answer to your question is a YES.

I just PM'd Grayfox his surgery data. Grayfox has total white hairs with great density. His type of hair and density made him ideal for using "cut to size" grafts as well as utilizing DFU's on him. The "cut to size" grafts can be any size grafts. In this instance, we "cut to size" the three and four hair grafts, it's much like the dfu's in principal - keep a 2 & 1 hairs together, or 2 & 2, or 3 & 1 as one uniform sized graft. This technique is used to minimze transection with the white follicles, and to stress density where it's needed instead of getting a larger graft count. We had half of the tech's cutting "cut to size" and the other half cutting the trimmed fu's as usual. Grayfox also got 100 dfu's with 6 hairs on the average, so he did get a good hair count. His hair count was around 5800 hairs. When you are on valium, you some times misunderstand some of the numbers being thrown around the surgery room. Grayfox should have an excellent outcome!

buddyebsen, I apologize for the typo, I meant to say they're harder to see rather than grow.

Pat, I just got done looking at your 8 month pics. If I recall correctly, and your 1 day post op pics confirms my recollection of the work done on you. We planted majority of the grafts in the central core and the sides of your hairline. I believe your first intention was to cover your crown with your last surgery, however, with more discussion with Dr. Shapiro, a decision was made to put most in the central core. Very little of your 1500 fu's were planted at the top 1/3 of your crown. You have very salt and pepper hair, which is evident by your one photo (8 months post op) you posted from the front. The white hairs are harder to see. Can you take more photos showing your front top area, much like your immediate post op pics? Everyone is correct as to the reasons why your growth may be a little behind the curve. You started surgery 11 years ago when surgery cases were smaller (we were doing the largest sessions back then), therefore you have had to have more procedures than if you started today. The multiple procedures increase the potential for slower growth. In addition, other factors may be at play. Because most of the graft are in the central core between hairs they are harder to grow. But the biggest reason why you don't see alot of growth in the crown is simply that there are not many fu's in that area as you stated in your one day report. I am glad to see you use this example as evidence that people like yourself who are destined to be type 5-6 may not have the ability to get full coverage in the crown despite great work. Below is a slide where your fu's were planted.

NN, Don't worry about the pain during staple removal process. You do have a good pain tolerance and you'll get through the removal of staples with no problem. It looks like you're healing well.

I'm sorry, it's up to stumper to decide if he wants his pictures posted. I'd be happy to provide them for him if he likes.

I have seen first hand Stumper's results by Dr. Beehner. To be honest, even though Stumper's results are not typical of Dr. Beehner's work, I was surprised to see such work from him. Sometimes it's hard to explain why a person gets the results they get. I know Dr. Beehner to be an upstanding doctor and person. No matter how many successess Dr. Beehner has with his patients it doesn't minimize Stumper's concerns. In the end, we all just want every person to get the very best results. I hope things work out for both Dr. Beehner and Stumper.

Pokerbrat, The contact solution is not quite the same as regular sodium chloride used by most clinics, however, it should be fine. I know before graftcyte spray, some of our past patients used contact solution because that was all that was available at their drug store. I believe using saline spray especially the first night is beneficial.

Jon, Many HT doctors do not like to work on such young patients, however, it may be a good idea to talk to several Ht doctors to get their opinions. It's always best to be seen in person rather than a phone consult or just getting opinions from people who can't see you for themselves. Make sure you research as much as possible and not rush into anything. Try not to listen to a doctor who may tell you what you want to hear but they're opinion differs greatly from the other doctors. Best of luck.

Hey Glock, You are looking great Mr. Handsome! Congrats on your weight loss too. You have a nice base established, whether you want more fill-in is more optional than mandatory. You won't need another mega session. Your should have plenty of donor supply to cover your needs. We're all happy for you.

You're just at the beginning stage of growth. You can expect growth for up to 12 to 13 months post op. Good luck to you.

I have to agree with NN. What's done is done and you'll have to see if your last session is enough. Can't you provide pictures without showing your face to show your progression?

From the little bit of info you give, my guess is you just have a high forehead. Do you have any photos? How old are you now?

NN, You've made it home safely, great. It was very good to meet you and work on you. You were an excellent patient (also one of the nicest guys around!). I hope you have the time to update your post op pictures soon. Your immediate post op pics look a little redder than what I'm used to seeing. I know you'll do a wonder job of documenting your progress. I'll be sure to follow along with your journey. Best of luck from all of us here at SMG!!!

Wylie, I need clarification - Did you talk to someone at Dr. Konior's or Dr. Ron Shapiro's office? Cuz we don't have a Tom working at our clinic and you should be able to see Dr. Shapiro sooner than 6 weeks. Sorry, I'm confused by your reply to Nervous Nelly two posts above.

This is a great topic and both sides have valid points. There's one thing I wanted to interject from the following quote from bezane: "So my point is not "it's all about money and they're all corrupt." I know they have a business and I know they have bills to pay and I for one never asked a surgeon for a discount. But the average doctor makes $75 on the initial prescription. It's huge when you tally it up". When our doctors write prescriptions, whether it's for Propecia, painkillers, or antibiotics, etc., they do not make any money from them. We do dispense Propecia Propaks (3 months supply) from our clinic; however, our profit is less than $10 per pack. We provide the propaks more as a convenience for the patients than as a money maker. When you weigh in time and man power to ship them out, it's pretty much a wash out. I personally don't like Merck (they overcharge) and would love to say Propecia is pure junk. But then I would be lying because I have seen great results from its use. It doesn't work on everyone, but when it does, it's been tremendous. Let's face reality, whether you're 22 or 42, who wants to take medications forever? I'm hopeful like Calvinmd. There's bound to be other treatments for hairloss sufferers in the not too distant future.

Pokerbrat, If you opt for the strip procedure, the surgery will probably last around 5-6 hours for the number of graft you mentioned. Starting on Finasteride as soon as possible is a great idea. I'd also like to suggest using the Foam Rogaine as well.

Being a women myself and understanding women have less options for treating hair loss than men, I feel your frustrations. Matt spoke to me about your situation. He did not mean for you to feel he was passing you off to others. We apologise. It is difficult to make assessments especially on women from pictures alone. Dr. Reed is a good friend of Dr. Shapiro's and we all trust their work and judgement. Matt wanted you to have a in person consultation to get a real assessment of your needs. And since you live near Dr. Reed, he felt confident you would get that. Dr. Limmer has given very sound advices. Please be dilligent about your research, no matter how hard it may be, to find the doctor you are comfortable with and they are in line with your goals. We have done many women with great results, so it's not like we stay away from women to treat only men. If there's anything I can do to help in your research, please do not hesitate to contact me. You can either pm or janna@shapiromedical.com Best of luck!

It is horrendous what has happen to this young man. I would like to support B-Spot's cause anyway I can. Unfortunately, Dr. Shapiro has been out of town for the last week and 1/2. We'll be sure to review the pictures and other available details to figure out how best we can help.

Best of luck to you! I'm sure you're in excellent hands. We'll look forward to following your HT#2 journey with you.

Thanks Balody for the hair breakdown. I'll check out your pics as soon as I get a chance.

I think I stated that it's not for everyone. I don't see the harm if the patients themselves are in agreement with their doctor on how they're going to best accommplish their goals. I've found that people's degree of pain threshold varies quite a bit, their tolerance to sit still in the chair varies just as much. For those patients with ADD or ADHD, it may be a good option for them. I also know you can't just put a number of hours to the number of grafts. There is an average number of hours you can determine by experience, however, circumstances arise, which can delay a procedure longer or shorter than expected. You won't know until the procedure is at hand. It doesn't matter how many trained tech's you have when you have a bleeder, or the patient doesn't take well to the medications he's given and has to get up every 10 minutes. By what you're saying, Bill, if 2000 grafts are going to take 8 hours one day and another 8 hours to do another 2000, then how long would a 5000+ graft case take in one day? Can you definitively say just 14 hours? I just don't think you can predetermine how long a procedure will take given many variables. Of course with experience techs get faster and faster, but really, where do you draw the line with these mega sessions? Do you cut it at 14 hours, or enduring 16 hours okay? Is that in the best interest of the patient? I think it's good to have different options for different people, that's all.

Yazza, Do you have any pictures posted of your current situation? If not, can you? Balody, Same question as above. Also, can you break down your graft count by 1's 2's, 3's and 4's. Thanks guys.

Hey Bill, You've gotten plently of kudos and well deserved support that you don't need me to chime in. However, I just had to let you know since you support so many (including little ole me)that you are coming along great. I do have to agree with others that your hairline looks like it needs softening up, but you have that covered. You know I think you're awesome. All the best to you, always.

Even though we have not tried the 2 day sessions at SMG, I think there's merit in the technique. It's not just a matter of having enough staff, though you do need plenty for mega sessions. Lets say you have 20 techs for cutting and planting. Tired staff is not your concern, but you can only have two - three planting grafts at one time. If the planting is harder than normal and the total surgery time takes 12-16 hours, the patient is having to sit still for all that time. Doing 15-2000 grafts takes 6-7 hours. Most patients are not so fatigued to come in the second day. There are some patients who know sitting still for over 12 hours is not an option. For those patients the 2 day session is just what they're looking for. Not to mention they like the fact that their doctor is so hands on. It's not for everyone. It's a good thing there's plenty of options out there for all.