bestinthebusiness

Sorry, haven't checked the forums for a few days. You all make valid points. I will talk to T&D about getting my photos and then start taking photos on a regular basis. Maybe I will just crop everything out below the eyebrow @ B Spot...I hope I don't have to subpoena my hair! But if it comes down to that, I might have to do what it takes lol. @ nobuzz4me, I did 675 grafts on Sept. 1, 2006. I would say I'm a norwood 3 to 4 (a little loss in the crown area and isolation in the forelock area) Please check out my previous thread to read about my experience and understand my reasons for going with such a low graft count: http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/346...711029362#9711029362

First of all, let me thank you all for your responses and positive words of encouragement. I will stick it out and be patient (something that is hard for me to do). Unfortunately, I do not have any before and after photos (other than the ones taken by True & Dorin which are in their possession). I am trying to keep this whole thing relatively low profile, so I haven't been taking many photos or jumping at opportunities to publicize my HT, so forgive me if I don't have any evidence to backup my complaints. I'm a lawyer at a prominent firm in NYC and I'd rather not have anyone know about my HT. That being said, there are many virtues to sharing your information with others and I really do appreciate all the positive feedback and support of this board. As far as True & Dorin goes, I felt very comfortable with them. I did my research and went in for a few consultations before I actually went forward with my procedure. I think you can search my previous posts to see the steps I took before I got to my ultimate HT decision. Overall I think they did a wonderful job...relatively little pain during the procedure, always kept me informed and have been there to answer any questions I have in a most candid fashion. Until I see my personal results I cannot say for sure that the procedure was a success for me. If what you all say is true, I expect to see some great results soon (I hope!). I will keep you all posted. Thanks again!

Is it normal to still feel some itching in the donor area, even 6 months post HT? There is one spot in particular where I feel itchy the most and that is at the end of the strip.

I had an HT with True and Dorin last September. Everything went smoothly, but I am uncomfortable about my post HT progress and I would like to know from others if my progression is normal compared to what you have experienced. March 1 will be my 6th month post HT. I am noticing some hairs coming out, but not as much as I expected at this point. I can probably count on two hands the number of long wispy hairs I can see growing out of my transplanted area. Most of my transplanted area is located around my temples, although some work was done closer to the middle where I was starting to develop and isolated forelock, so it is possible I can't see some of the new hairs with all of my existing hairs in the way. Also, if I look closely in the mirror, I can see very tiny follicles in the transplanted area, no more than 1 or 2 mm long. There are a lot of these, but they are very hard to see. But, like I said, as far as my temples go, I am only seeing minimal long hair growth. Is this normal? Can I expect those little follicles to start sprouting up in the next few months? When I went back for my 3 month checkup, the doctor said I was progressing normally and that I should start really seeing progress in the Spring. Now, three months later (although not quite into the Spring season) I don't have much more development, so I am starting to get worried. Any advice or discussion would be appreciated.

I had an HT with True and Dorin last September. Everything went smoothly, but I am uncomfortable about my post HT progress and I would like to know from others if my progression is normal compared to what you have experienced. March 1 will be my 6th month post HT. I am noticing some hairs coming out, but not as much as I expected at this point. I can probably count on two hands the number of long wispy hairs I can see growing out of my transplanted area. Most of my transplanted area is located around my temples, although some work was done closer to the middle where I was starting to develop and isolated forelock, so it is possible I can't see some of the new hairs with all of my existing hairs in the way. Also, if I look closely in the mirror, I can see very tiny follicles in the transplanted area, no more than 1 or 2 mm long. There are a lot of these, but they are very hard to see. But, like I said, as far as my temples go, I am only seeing minimal long hair growth. Is this normal? Can I expect those little follicles to start sprouting up in the next few months? When I went back for my 3 month checkup, the doctor said I was progressing normally and that I should start really seeing progress in the Spring. Now, three months later (although not quite into the Spring season) I don't have much more development, so I am starting to get worried. Any advice or discussion would be appreciated.

This was a very comforting post. I'm at the 4 1/2 month stage and I don't see much going on at all. There are a few wispy hairs which seem to have sprouted, but still not the results I expected. I guess keeping your mind off of it is the best thing to do.

Does anyone have problems with the donor and recipient areas being itchy? If so, is it a problem to scratch there? I am a little over 1 month post op, and I doubt it's a problem, I'm just nervous about it. It's not like I'm vigorously scratching my head, but lately I've been noticing my tendency to scratch around those areas. Maybe I always did it and now that I have had a HT I just notice it more.

Does anyone have problems with the donor and recipient areas being itchy? If so, is it a problem to scratch there? I am a little over 1 month post op, and I doubt it's a problem, I'm just nervous about it. It's not like I'm vigorously scratching my head, but lately I've been noticing my tendency to scratch around those areas. Maybe I always did it and now that I have had a HT I just notice it more.

And here is another article, which discusses the technique briefly along with other types of reconstructive surgery that is popular amongst men these days: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/new...6452&in_page_id=1770

Has anyone heard more information on this new hair restoration technology? Here is an article...this looks VERY interesting: http://www.hairsite2.com/library/article254.htm

I can definitely relate to this post. Actually, it's the main reason why I decided to do my procedure in a two-phase process, but I don't have a shaved head and my existing hair covers the first procedure I had done. In your case, I don't think there's any way to conceal the surgery. I agree with JohnH, you should schedule your HT just prior to a vacation. This will give the recipient area time to heal and hopefully most of the redness will dissapate by the time you return to work. People will notice, but in less than a year you will start growing new hair. After that, no one will remember...and if they do, they will be amazed at the new head of hair you have. 1 year is a very short span of time in the greater scheme of things. We often let our work environments control and influence many aspects of our lives, but sometimes you have to remember what is important to you, not your corporate environment. So take the plunge, deal with the initial comments and stares and look forward to making yourself happier in the long run.

Dr. True's response and weblog was most helpful. But again, all of this was explained to me by him at the time of my consultation. I believe I clarified in my previous thread that this was MY preferred choice of treatment based on MY specific situation. Whether it works for every individual is something to be decided on a case by case basis. Based on my personal decision to bifurcate the HT into two smaller procedures I am able to walk into meetings with clients, the court room and my law firm with my initial HT virtually undetectable. Someone would have to get up fairly close to my head to see the grafts. There is absolutely no redness in the recipient area and the donor scar and stiching is covered up by my existing hair. I was fortunate to have my procedure done on the Friday before labor day, so I had the long weekend to recover and came back to work on Tuesday, day 4 post-op. By that time I felt much better and the pain had subsided enough that I could concentrate on work. Again, if my situation were different I might choose a larger HT and knock it all out in one shot, but given my circumstances, I'm happy with the method I chose. I also did extensive research on FUE vs. strip and decided that for this procedure strip was my preferred method. This board is a great support center and information bank for answering questions and revealing the mysteries or myths of transplants, but always remember when doing your research, you have to take into account what is best for YOU.

I share the same experience. I found Dr. True to be very upfront and his entire staff was helpful and pleasant. I had a HT of 675 grafts and experienced no swelling (I iced my forehead every hour for 10 minutes for the first couple of days) and minimal pain (although I did take a painkiller every 4-6 hours for the first three days).

Cost was not the issue. The concern was being able to return to work after the long weekend and have the procedure be virtually unnoticeable, which thankfully I can say is the case with my HT. I am not sure why the strip method was the preferred method for my HT, but when I go for my second HT one year from now I will consider FUE as an option. As of now, I am four days post-op, I have little pain and no complaints. Looking forward to seeing the results grow in.

I have been washing every morning since the day after my procedure. I take a plastic lemonade pitcher with me in the shower, fill it with water and mix in some Neutrogena T-Gel Shampoo and pour it over my head. Dr. True gave me a surgical sponge which I use to gently dab clean my grafts. I also take some of the shampoo/water mixture and massage it into my donor scar to keep the sutures clean and prevent blood from clumping up. Finally twice a day, morning and evening, I lightly apply an anti-bacterial ointment to my sutures. Just went in for my post-op checkup (four days later) and Doc says everything looks great.

Well, I had my HT yesterday. Started at about 9am and I was finished at 4pm. The final graft count was 675, which I am very happy with. For more information on my reasons for going with such a low count, see my previous thread at: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=143518 Now, on to the procedure: I would have to say Dr. True and Dorin were amazing. The level of comfort they provided me was great...both of them worked on me: Dr. Dorin administered the anesthesia and removed the donor area while Dr. True did the incisions. Finally, one of their assistants, Alex, put in the grafts. Everyone was absolutely fantastic. Their service is top notch. I watched MTV and ESPN during the procedure, which was a great distraction. Overall very little discomfort during the operation. Only a little pinching feeling when the anethesia was administered. The actual graft incisions felt weird, but my scalp was numb so there was no pain involved. Today I woke up feeling pretty good, but the back of my head is pretty sore at the donor area. I'm taking my pain killers every 4-6 hours as needed and using ice packs once an hour for ten minutes. As far as how everything looks...you can barely tell I had the procedure, because my existing hair covers up most of it. I will shower this afternoon and clean the sutures regularly so the scar heals well. I feel very positive about the fact that I can walk into work on Tuesday and the procedure will be virtually unnoticeable. I will continue to update this thread. I'm so happy I went through with this. To me, the worst part is over and I think I was super nervous for no reason. I would recommend Drs. True and Dorin to anyone. I'm looking forward to seeing the results!! Thanks to everyone on this forum. Although you may not have directly responded to my questions, the threads on here have been very useful and I don't think I would have been as informed and comfortable with the whole process were it not for the wealth of information you all have provided on here. Here's to getting our hair back!

Thank you all for your responses. After much deliberation I have my first HT scheduled for tomorrow. I have decided to stick with the two part procedure because my hair line is not that bad, and I am extremely self-conscious about the procedure being visible to my co-workers and friends. That said, I am scheduled for 500-600 grafts tomorrow and the remaining, if and when I choose to do it, next year. Dr. True has reassured me that this is the best method for my situation. I am pretty nervous about tomorrow, but he said since it's a fairly minor transplant, things would be relatively quick and painless. Fortunately I have the long weekend to recover, but have to be back at work on Tuesday for a 9am conference call with one of my partners, so I'm nervous that he will notice. After the conference call I will return to True & Dorin to have my grafts/stitches cleaned and then go back to work. It is possible that after the 600 grafts I may be content with my hair line, but only time will tell. I know many of you have advised to knock it all out in one shot, but I personally just can't take the risk that people will notice. I can't wear a hat to work and I want the procedure and transition to be smooth and unnoticeable. This forum has been extremely helpful in allaying my fears and answering my questions. Fortunately with you guys and a very supportive wife, I should get through this thing fairly well.

Thank you all for this thread. It has been very helpful to me in my decision to pursue a HT.

So I took everyone's advice and went for a consultation today with Drs. True and Dorin in NYC. Dr. True was the one who actually saw me. He said my current spot on the Norwood is a 3-V. Because of my profession (I'm an attorney) he recommended a two phase surgery where I would go for 700 grafts and then six to twelve months later, an additional 600 grafts for a total of 1300 grafts. With the two phase process the transition would be seamless and less noticeable, especially because in the first phase he would take care of most of the high frontal hair (including the thinning near my isolating forelock) and the sutures would be covered by my original/existing hair. The second procedure, theoretically would take care of bringing the peaks down further on the right and left sides, and those, also theoretically, would be hidden by the last procedure's hair, so less noticeable. Next, Dr. True showed me photos of some of his patients, and also took photos of my scalp. The whole consultation was very thorough, in my opinion, but then again it was my first one. I have an appointment with Dr. Epstein in May, but he charges $175 for the consult, which of course gets applied to your procedure. Not sure if I want to do that. Anyway, Dr. True recommended I start taking propecia. He of course explained the side-effects and risks. Here is my problem...my wife and I are planning on having kids sometime this year. I know the risks of women who are trying to have kids or are pregnant and their handling of propecia. I also understand that some (let's say paranoid) people go the extra step and refrain from taking propecia while trying to conceive or during pregnancy because they are concerned the propecia will travel through bodily fluids and may cause problems that way. My wife is one of those paranoid people, and frankly if she is concerned about harm to my future child, then so am I. I'd like to know what everyone's thoughts are on a few things: 1. What do you think about my procedure and the two phase idea? 2. What do you think about our concerns about propecia and the fact that we are trying to have kids? 3. Any other comments or questions based on my scenario/situation would be greatly appreciated. B Spot and Hairbank's quick and informative responses prompted me to get my consult and I'm glad I did. I appreciate everyone's support. Kenneth

Just to update my previous post...I'm between a II and III on the Norwood scale.

I have been losing my hair for approximately 5-6 years now, and am now at the point where, like many other posters, I am changing my hairstyle to cover the fact of my hairline. I have moved to a shorter hair style and my haircutter leaves the front a little long, so I can brush it over to the side, thus concealing my baldness. I will post pics eventually, but I am at work now and wanted to get this discussion going. I am interested in HT, but after reading some of the warning signs from other gentlemen on the site I am concerned. My hair is still quite full in the top and back, but I am starting to see signs of an isolated forelock (I saw that term used in an earlier post). I don't want that look at all and I will do whatever I can to restore my hairline. I live in New York City, and I'm sure being in a metropolitan area, I have access to some great surgeons. Price is not a problem. 1. Can anyone recommend a top-notch surgeon for a consultation in Manhattan? 2. Is propecia a viable solution, or should I just suck it up and pay for the HT? I have heard wonderful things about HT's from my hairstylist, especially about one of his clients who was extremely bald and now has a full head of hair. 3. Can you direct me to any posts or resources about scalp treatment and other products that will help keep my existing hair healthy and full? Thank you for your assistance. Kenneth