EmuSteve

I'm trying to make a list of things to buy Pre-HT. Any suggestions you vets could make would be helpful. So far, this is what I've got: 1.) Travel pillow 2.) 6 or 7 fluffy pillows (so I cal sleep sitting up) 3.) Mederma 4.) 2 loose, new hats 5.) Aloe Vera Gel 6.) Emu Oil 7.) Witch Hazel 8.) MSM 9.) Vit E oil Can anyone else think of anything else to add to the list? Thanks =)

Hmm. Say you can wear a hat to work. How soon would you be able to go back?

I was watching TV the other day... they had some guy on. I think he was a general or something. But he was also a doctor. What did they call him... Oh yeah, the Surgeon General. And HE said smoking causes lung cancer, so glad I could share that with you before something bad happens. =) Good luck!

Do the staples you have after surgery set off the metal detector? lol. Sorry... its strange the things that start to pop into your head and worry you as your surgery date gets closer. =)

Do the staples you have after surgery set off the metal detector? lol. Sorry... its strange the things that start to pop into your head and worry you as your surgery date gets closer. =)

Philip, It was great meeting you too man. =) We were probably staying in the same hotel on the same night actually. Should have thought to ask, maybe we could have met in the lobby and talked a little more. Ha ha. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement. It was great to meet you. I'll be looking forward to seeing your pictures in the weeks to come. Are you planning on going back to Dr. Shapiro to get the staples removed? I am seriously considering flying out of Tampa again to visit Doc Shapiro after the surgery for staple removal. Call me nuts, but I'd really like to have the same doc doing everything from start to finish. Anyway, thanks again. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Simple answer: No, its not a wise plan of action. Detailed answer: There are two products that are FDA approved for hair loss, and neither of them are Procerin or Nioxin. If you are seriously interested in preventing further hair loss, spend your money on stuff that works rather than snake oil, no matter how pretty its packaged. Go get a prescription for propecia, and but some rogaine foam. Use them together. If you need a shampoo, check out Nizoral. If you need more convincing, stick around. I'm sure other forum members will chime in.

A fellow Photoshop guy! =) See, THIS is the reason I wanted to meet patients in person. lol Nice touch up work.

Wow. lol Chris, protein is found in more than just shakes... chicken, steak, etc. A shake is just a supplement, and won't interact with propecia or minox in any way. You're fine taking both.

lol NGTGB. You crack me up. =) Dude, to tell the truth, even after all the research and questions and reading and looking and meeting, I still don't feel prepared. But I guess that if I don't at this point, I never will. Its time to just go take the plunge. =) Arrie, thanks again for the offer. I do have one questions for you... is there anything you wish you had known before you went in for your procedure with Shapiro? And this is a bit of a silly question... I guess I just assumed... but Dr. Shapiro now does Trico closures on all of his patients, correct?

Awesome. I think I understand better. And PGP, I'll def give it a shot. Can't hurt, right? Thanks for the history lesson Joe. I thought MSM was something totally different. Learn something new every day!

MSM. Sorry, forgot that last M. =)

Hmm. Thanks, I learned something new. =) Another question... what exactly is MS and how does it help healing? I've seen a few references to it but never really understood. Does anyone have any post-op routines or products that they tried that worked well? Also, if I do scalp exercises regularly, will that increase the chance that I can walk away from this with a very small/almost invisible donor scar? From what I understand, More Laxity = less tension on the wound = smaller scar, especially for trico closures.

EmuSteve's Newbie Guide It took me a LOOONGGG time to learn enough stuff to the point that I was comfortable moving forward with setting an appointment date with a surgeon, and part of that was because it just takes so much effort to wade through all the info related to Hair Transplantation. Even now, I am not sure I know everything thats out there, but I do remember what it was like to be a newbie with nothing to go on but a late night Bosley commercial and the hope that one day I wouldn't look balding anymore. So with that in mind, and after seeing guides for everything under the sun BUT newbies, I thought I'd put together a post that points people brand new to the idea of hair transplantation in the direction they need to go. By "direction they need to go", I mean the direction to get the most relevant information to their situation that will allow them to make an educated decision as to whether hair transplantation is an option. Good places to Start The Forums A great place to start is where you already are... the forums. I've had the opportunity to meet people who have had a HT preformed in person, as well as talk to people from all over the world who have traveled this road before me. Being able to talk with patients is invaluable. Be aware, there ARE posters out there with motives that are less than noble, so use discernment. However, I think there are a lot of people who genuinely want to help and share what they've learned, and it would be foolish not to take advantage of this. Live Chat At the time of this writing, this is more of a recent phenomenon, but well worth your time because occasionally, some of the top doctors in the nation show up in the live chat room and are available to answer your questions. What an opportunity! In addition, real time chat with people who have had the procedure done before you can answer a lot of your questions. Books Some books have been published that I found really helpful. Spencer Kobren, a self proclaimed consumer advocate (although as Joetronic wisely says, don't rely on anyone else to be a consumer advocate for you), wrote a book called "The Bald Truth" that is a great starting point for educating yourself about all the different types of solutions out there. James Harris, MD, and Emanuel Marritt, MD, also wrote a book called "The Hair Replacement Revolution" that is very educational. In both of these books, there are a lot of nuggets to glean. A lot of it will also be more of a recap for more experienced HT researchers and vets. Radio Sunday nights, Spencer Kobren does a radio show called "The Bald Truth" (just like his book), that talks about hair loss. Recently, its become more of a "lets talk about the emotional effects of hair loss and how we live our lives in spite of it" type show, so don't count on it being a treasure trove of information. It is, however, pretty therapeutic to hear people talking openly about something that is a huge source of insecurity for most of us. For you fellow tech nerds, you can also download the podcast by searching for "The Bald Truth" in iTunes. YouTube I found a lot of stuff on YouTube (although be warned, once you see a video of a donor strip extraction, you can never go back). Dateline NBC did a report where they tested several hair replacement treatments, including hair transplants, that I thought was pretty cool. You can view it in five parts here: Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: You can also find awesome resources on preparing for your procedure. Joetronic posted instructions for scalp exercises here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOQX_WyLosA Final Thoughts There is no better resource than a face-to-face meeting with a previous patient of the doc you are considering. If a clinic won't set you up to meet one, or if you are promised that they will and then neglect to get back to you, be very wary. A face to face meeting with a previous patient is something you can't fake, and there really is no substitute. I work in graphics design and work with Photoshop all day long. I could create before and after photos of MYSELF with a great hairline. That's not to say that photos from the top docs recommended here are created to deceive you. In fact, most are really good representations of their work. However, if given the choice between trusting and seeing for myself, especially when it comes to how I am going to look for the rest of my life... I'd choose seeing for myself. One last thing that worries newbies (or at least worried me), is exactly how the financing works. Most doc's do offer financing through companies like Capital One Healthcare (http://www.capitalonehealthcarefinance.com/), Travelers Medical Finance (http://www.travelersfinancial.com/medical/), Patient Link (http://www.patientlinkfinance.com/), or Unicorn Financial (http://www.unicornfinancial.com/). You can learn a lot about terms and conditions just by browsing a few of those sites. I am personally scheduled for a procedure with Dr. Ron Shapiro on Nov 30th, 2007, so if anyone has any questions about that, I'll be happy to answer them. =) Hope this guide is helpful to those of you just starting out. Feel free to PM me with questions (or many others on this board). Good luck!

EmuSteve's Newbie Guide It took me a LOOONGGG time to learn enough stuff to the point that I was comfortable moving forward with setting an appointment date with a surgeon, and part of that was because it just takes so much effort to wade through all the info related to Hair Transplantation. Even now, I am not sure I know everything thats out there, but I do remember what it was like to be a newbie with nothing to go on but a late night Bosley commercial and the hope that one day I wouldn't look balding anymore. So with that in mind, and after seeing guides for everything under the sun BUT newbies, I thought I'd put together a post that points people brand new to the idea of hair transplantation in the direction they need to go. By "direction they need to go", I mean the direction to get the most relevant information to their situation that will allow them to make an educated decision as to whether hair transplantation is an option. Good places to Start The Forums A great place to start is where you already are... the forums. I've had the opportunity to meet people who have had a HT preformed in person, as well as talk to people from all over the world who have traveled this road before me. Being able to talk with patients is invaluable. Be aware, there ARE posters out there with motives that are less than noble, so use discernment. However, I think there are a lot of people who genuinely want to help and share what they've learned, and it would be foolish not to take advantage of this. Live Chat At the time of this writing, this is more of a recent phenomenon, but well worth your time because occasionally, some of the top doctors in the nation show up in the live chat room and are available to answer your questions. What an opportunity! In addition, real time chat with people who have had the procedure done before you can answer a lot of your questions. Books Some books have been published that I found really helpful. Spencer Kobren, a self proclaimed consumer advocate (although as Joetronic wisely says, don't rely on anyone else to be a consumer advocate for you), wrote a book called "The Bald Truth" that is a great starting point for educating yourself about all the different types of solutions out there. James Harris, MD, and Emanuel Marritt, MD, also wrote a book called "The Hair Replacement Revolution" that is very educational. In both of these books, there are a lot of nuggets to glean. A lot of it will also be more of a recap for more experienced HT researchers and vets. Radio Sunday nights, Spencer Kobren does a radio show called "The Bald Truth" (just like his book), that talks about hair loss. Recently, its become more of a "lets talk about the emotional effects of hair loss and how we live our lives in spite of it" type show, so don't count on it being a treasure trove of information. It is, however, pretty therapeutic to hear people talking openly about something that is a huge source of insecurity for most of us. For you fellow tech nerds, you can also download the podcast by searching for "The Bald Truth" in iTunes. YouTube I found a lot of stuff on YouTube (although be warned, once you see a video of a donor strip extraction, you can never go back). Dateline NBC did a report where they tested several hair replacement treatments, including hair transplants, that I thought was pretty cool. You can view it in five parts here: Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: You can also find awesome resources on preparing for your procedure. Joetronic posted instructions for scalp exercises here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOQX_WyLosA Final Thoughts There is no better resource than a face-to-face meeting with a previous patient of the doc you are considering. If a clinic won't set you up to meet one, or if you are promised that they will and then neglect to get back to you, be very wary. A face to face meeting with a previous patient is something you can't fake, and there really is no substitute. I work in graphics design and work with Photoshop all day long. I could create before and after photos of MYSELF with a great hairline. That's not to say that photos from the top docs recommended here are created to deceive you. In fact, most are really good representations of their work. However, if given the choice between trusting and seeing for myself, especially when it comes to how I am going to look for the rest of my life... I'd choose seeing for myself. One last thing that worries newbies (or at least worried me), is exactly how the financing works. Most doc's do offer financing through companies like Capital One Healthcare (http://www.capitalonehealthcarefinance.com/), Travelers Medical Finance (http://www.travelersfinancial.com/medical/), Patient Link (http://www.patientlinkfinance.com/), or Unicorn Financial (http://www.unicornfinancial.com/). You can learn a lot about terms and conditions just by browsing a few of those sites. I am personally scheduled for a procedure with Dr. Ron Shapiro on Nov 30th, 2007, so if anyone has any questions about that, I'll be happy to answer them. =) Hope this guide is helpful to those of you just starting out. Feel free to PM me with questions (or many others on this board). Good luck!

So I am looking through the list of rules I have to follow pre and post op, and I was wondering if I could get the opinion of a few of the experienced people... Its says in the post op instructions that for the first 4 days after surgery, I should be using graftcyte every half hour. That's going to be hard if I fly back the day after (geez, I can see myself in the airplane laboratory) . Would it be smart to stay a few days and just relax in the hotel room? And if thats the case, how likely is it that I will have swelling if I ice my head every day and take the Prednisone? I read elsewhere that its smart to come back the day after because otherwise you will be traveling and your head will look like a balloon. What do you guys think? Stay a few days, or fly out the day after?

So I am looking through the list of rules I have to follow pre and post op, and I was wondering if I could get the opinion of a few of the experienced people... Its says in the post op instructions that for the first 4 days after surgery, I should be using graftcyte every half hour. That's going to be hard if I fly back the day after (geez, I can see myself in the airplane laboratory) . Would it be smart to stay a few days and just relax in the hotel room? And if thats the case, how likely is it that I will have swelling if I ice my head every day and take the Prednisone? I read elsewhere that its smart to come back the day after because otherwise you will be traveling and your head will look like a balloon. What do you guys think? Stay a few days, or fly out the day after?

I believe the correct term is "nerd" Bill.

I noticed that too. It doesn't take a massive amount of space to store everyones posts... I am wondering if there is an area in the UI for the forum on the backend that will let you set a "no time limit" on post expirations.

Boo on time limits. I actually remember searching for your first post Joe. =)

We have come a LOOOOONNNGGG way Bill. =) Unlike you though, I had a Bill to give me advice!

Yeah, officially set at date for Nov 30th. Plopped down my deposit and everything. =) Dr Shapiro and Matt both mentioned that shaving the recipient area would be a good idea. The previous patient that I met said that his recipient area was also shaved. Thanks to everyone for the words of encouragement. I really appreciate it. After so long trolling the boards, its hard to believe that I am actually moving forward. =) And thank you to everyone who offered to share their experience with me or talk with me. I promise I'll "pay it forward" when it comes time for me to document everything. =) Thanks also to Joetronic... I appreciate you taking the time to answer all my questions a while ago, and H&W are definitely still on the table as I'm sure I'll need more than 1 procedure. H&W and Dr. Shapiro were my two main choices. In fact, little nostalgia: http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/346...831028682#5831028682 Anyway, thanks all for the encouragement. And I'd love to hear NN's story, did he post a link anywhere?

Hey man, thanks. =) And you can bet I am going to be the most diligent documenter ever. lol. Pay it forward right? =)

So, for those of you who don't know me, Ive been posting on the boards for about a year now. I've researched and researched, and after several virtual and live consults, I've finally set a date (Nov 30th) with Dr. Shapiro here in Minneapolis. To say I'm nervous is an understatement, but I flew in yesterday morning and had a 4 hour long meeting with Matt Zupan, Dr. Shapiro, and Janna. Matt introduced me to a former patient who was just under a year post op, and his results looked great. His scar was about 1 - 2mm, which I was hoping would be a little smaller. That said, that was the only negative I could see about this guy. His hair looked amazing. I asked him if he was happy, and he said without a doubt "yes". Matt then introduced me to one of their patients that was 1 day post op. His procedure looked very clean, and we got to chat a little. He also said he was happy so far, and thought things had gone great. Then I got to go see a patient that was actually having surgery that day. He said he had had 2 procedures from Bosley, and that he was much happier with Dr. Shapiro. Dr. Shapiro took me over and showed me some grafts (1's, 2's, 3's, and 4's), and I got to talk to the patient (who says he posts on here sometimes, so I asked him to PM me and keep me updated on his progress. Hopefully he will. =) ). He said he was very happy with his choice to do with Dr. Shapiro. Janna is just as sweet in person. On the boards I imagined her as one of those people who just radiates niceness, and that was definitely her to a tee. =) Dr. Shapiro and I got to talk for a bit, and we discussed a plan for about 3000 grafts... 2500 in the front 1/3rd, and the rest venturing back into the crown. I am most likely going to have to shave the recipient site, which I'm not thrilled about, but it'll be worth it when I'm done if I can get the results I am hoping for. I am planning on doing scalp exercises regularly to increase laxity till the 20th, even though Matt said he didn't think it would be necessary. Anyway, kinda surreal to have finally made a choice and put down a deposit after thinking about it so long. SO nervous, especially about the scar. Hope I am making the right choice!

So, for those of you who don't know me, Ive been posting on the boards for about a year now. I've researched and researched, and after several virtual and live consults, I've finally set a date (Nov 30th) with Dr. Shapiro here in Minneapolis. To say I'm nervous is an understatement, but I flew in yesterday morning and had a 4 hour long meeting with Matt Zupan, Dr. Shapiro, and Janna. Matt introduced me to a former patient who was just under a year post op, and his results looked great. His scar was about 1 - 2mm, which I was hoping would be a little smaller. That said, that was the only negative I could see about this guy. His hair looked amazing. I asked him if he was happy, and he said without a doubt "yes". Matt then introduced me to one of their patients that was 1 day post op. His procedure looked very clean, and we got to chat a little. He also said he was happy so far, and thought things had gone great. Then I got to go see a patient that was actually having surgery that day. He said he had had 2 procedures from Bosley, and that he was much happier with Dr. Shapiro. Dr. Shapiro took me over and showed me some grafts (1's, 2's, 3's, and 4's), and I got to talk to the patient (who says he posts on here sometimes, so I asked him to PM me and keep me updated on his progress. Hopefully he will. =) ). He said he was very happy with his choice to do with Dr. Shapiro. Janna is just as sweet in person. On the boards I imagined her as one of those people who just radiates niceness, and that was definitely her to a tee. =) Dr. Shapiro and I got to talk for a bit, and we discussed a plan for about 3000 grafts... 2500 in the front 1/3rd, and the rest venturing back into the crown. I am most likely going to have to shave the recipient site, which I'm not thrilled about, but it'll be worth it when I'm done if I can get the results I am hoping for. I am planning on doing scalp exercises regularly to increase laxity till the 20th, even though Matt said he didn't think it would be necessary. Anyway, kinda surreal to have finally made a choice and put down a deposit after thinking about it so long. SO nervous, especially about the scar. Hope I am making the right choice!