FacelessMan

Actually, I'm intrigued by the possibilities of cell phone radiation. "Can you hair me now??"

repo-man, With my own HT (the first one) I did notice a significant change between the 8-month mark, and even the one-year mark. From what I could tell, the difference was primarily in thickining, based of course on my highly scientific practice of feeling the top of my head for pricky new growth My blog photos may show this difference, as well, although I stopped taking the "left side/top/right side" progress shots at around the 8-month mark; those after that point are mostly casual shots. Some things to consider...having fine-textured hair myself, I've noticed that it looks far thicker combed and parted as I generally have it than it does disheveled, especially when even slightly damp; you may find this as well. Looking at your before and after "top" shots, with all your hair combed forward in the same manner, I see a distinct difference. Additionally, there may be other factors at play -- the continued loss of your non-transplanted hair since your surgery, perhaps, or shedding related to Rogaine or Propecia if you're using either of them. Of course, Dr. Feller is far better able to evaluate the latter. Good luck! Benjamin

Springsteenfan, Congratulations; you are in excellent hands. Dr. Feller has performed two procedures for me; I'm as pleased with the results as I was with his, and his staff's, care and professionalism. At the risk of repeating others' advice, some random advice... * CLOTHES -- On the day of the procedure, wear a t-shirt that you don't care about; it will be cut off once you're done. And definitely bring a button-down shirt to wear home afterwards; since you're going to be in NYC in the winter, you will want a warm one. * PROTECT YOUR DOME -- Depending on where you're having the work done (crown, temples, top, some combination of those), bring a hat (baseball cap style) that is large enough to be loose on your head, and that you can wear such that it won't remotely touch the grafts. Since you're staying at a hotel that is close to the office, you're best off skipping the hat at first. * SLEEP -- The first night (and actually, the first few nights), you must sleep propped up; aside from protecting the grafts, you will also feel some discomfort in the donor area. Since you're staying at a hotel, you might ask them for extra pillows ahead of time. I'd also suggest getting one of those neck pillows that are sold for airplane travel; they are good for supporting your head without putting pressure on the donor area, and you will be glad to have it on the international flight anyway! * DRUGS -- Vicodin is your friend Dr. Feller and his team will give you specific instructions, but you will definitely want to take it BEFORE you start feeling any pain, the night of the procedure; it takes a little time to get working. * NYC -- You're in one of the best cities in the world, at least in my opinion, to see things! Let me know if you'd like suggestions on things to see, the subway, et cetera... Benjamin

MUGS...interesting. I'd certainly be curious to see current Unger patient photos; what enticed me into his office in 2005 was his reputation, and having authored papers on the topic in question. And having an excuse to take a trip to New York

I had a consultation with Dr. Unger in NYC in 2005, when I was first embarking on my research. My doctor had recommended him; at the time I hadn't found this site, and had no idea whom to ask for a referral. He charged $250 for the consultation (at his office in NYC), which took roughly an hour. He was pleasant and open to questions, but I had reservations... 1) His photo album, which was of recent patients, had several in-progress shots that showed old-school plugs. As he explained it, it made sense to combine plugs with smaller units. 2) When I asked him about the cost, he mentioned that his daughter (Robin Unger) was starting out in the field, and therefore charged less. He suggested using him for the hairline, and her for the top (presumably to keep her work less visible...?). All told...with all due respect to him, I kept looking. Benjamin

Dr. Feller, Thanks for asking...rolling along well! New pics are on the blog, as will be the three-month ones, pretty soon! Benjamin

Dr. Cooley's patient photos are evidence that convict him of some serious talent. You are in good and skilled hands! Good luck... Benjamin

Interesting thoughts shared here. For me, I would say, no, my procedures haven't in themselves changed my life; I'm glad that I've done them and think that the first one vastly improved my appearance (as will the second, as it grows), but that's about it. Largely because around the same time I started the "hair transplant journey," I was in the middle of some other, higher impact life changes -- a great relationship with the woman who's now my wife, and some renewed family connections that have been fantastic in every way. Not to mention job changes, and, very recently, a move overseas It sounds slightly corny, but what I've enjoyed about seeing my hair restored is that I see it as a superficial reflection of a more personal healing, and of making things right in my life. That, and it's a small reminder that some things, we can get back, even partially. Benjamin

It's intriguing to see how my own feelings on the subject have "evolved" since my first HT. Being self-conscious anyway, after procedure #1, I was a little nervous about wearing the hat, fielding questions, looking odd, but what I found was that everyone who learned about it (not exactly top secret) was either curious, supportive, or both. By the second procedure, I didn't bother with the hat...in part because I had enough original hair left unshaved to cover a bit, in larger part because I basically didn't care! If anything, I'm glad if people know, if only to help dispel assumptions about "plugs." The irony of skillfully executed modern hair transplants is that, unless you see someone in the early growth stages and know what to look for, or specifically ask, the transplant is pretty much invisible! Benjamin

Hello All, Two-month updates are now on my blog: http://theaffairofthehair.blogspot.com/ Benjamin

Fantastic!

I used Nioxin for several months prior to looking into my first HT procedure (June 2006). Given that I was almost counting each and every hair at that time, I cannot say that I saw any visible difference in the thickness or quality of my hair while I was using it, so, given its cost, I stopped. The mint smell was refreshing, but that's about it. My favorite shampoo is Infusium; my hair generally feels softer and fuller when I use it. It's a little more expensive than, say, Fructis or Herbal Essence or one of those brands, but seems worth it. Benjamin

Dr. Lindsey, Good analogies...you illustrate the point well! Benjamin

Speaking (well, typing) as a layperson with no personal experience with a "LaserComb" or its equivalent, what stands out to me amidst the thousands of lines of text on the topic, on this forum, is the absence of what I think it's safe to say, in the early 21st century, pretty simple technology -- photos. Dr. Feller and others have asked the question, but it bears asking again: where are the progress and before and after photos? On this site I can find massive numbers of day-of, one-month, six-month, two-year progress photos, some by physicians, others by patients, documenting the progress (or, in some regrettable instances, the lack thereof) of their or their patients' hair transplant procedures. Where are the analogous photos from laser-light therapy patients? Or HairComb users? It seems odd read posts with hundreds of lines of scientific jargon, explaining in detail why the poster believes that LLT works, and yet absent from all this sophistication is something so simple that, with minimal photographic skill and zero training, I can create it by myself, in my bathroom, holding my mid-range digital camera above my head... I can understand the appeal of what the LaserComb, and similar technology, promise. Hair transplants, are, after all, surgery. They involve at least some degree of pain, and to some extent, inconvenience. And with that, they demand patience. I can attest from personal experience that what Spex, and Jotronic, and Bill, and many others have asserted is true...it takes up to a year to see the fullest effect. That said, it can be a fun year, in a sense, seeing at least one part of the body appear to reverse in age...but it's still a year. And in the face of that, and the procedure itself, with injections, and incisions, and hours in a chair, and staples, I can certainly see how the concept of hair restoration via a painless and simple handheld device, or machine you can sit in, would be appealing...but that doesn't make it reliable, scientific, or proven. And at the risk of cynicism, I think that it's safe to say that appeals to insecurity and the inherent desire to avoid pain have been the basis of baldness "curing" scams for thousands of years. So with that, I personally look at the laser light treatment idea with a considerable degree of skepticism. All that said, if it WERE proven that, say, the LaserComb could regrow or stop the loss of hair as well as or better than, say, Propecia or Rogaine, I'd still opt for the transplant, for the simple reason that I don't want my hair to be something I need another drug, or tool, or daily routine to keep...I would rather deal with the procedure and several months of a weird haircut, knowing that once I'm past that, it's done. But that is a personal preference. I'd urge anyone considering laser therapy, in whatever form, to simply apply the same scrutiny that this site enables us to apply to transplants...look for photos that are consistent, clear, that show actual progress. Meet patients. And consider, again, that doctors speaking out against laser therapy have no incentive to do so; could they, as has been suggested here many times, not add money to their practice by selling treatments or reselling devices? Benjamin

Eman, Actually, I am now in Spain, where I just joined my wife on her current Foreign Service assignment. Good question about the hairstyle...after my first procedure, the entire top was shaved and there wasn't a lot of original hair to begin with, so I pretty much went with a cap until roughly the 3-month point. This time around, there's just enough to do a sort-of combover thing, so to the casual observer, or even in photos, unless one can see the short hairs growing in (from my first HT), I just look balding. Ironically, the way I look now is not too far from how I would likely have looked in another 7 years, had I not had any work done at all... I've pretty much skipped the hat for that reason, except for sun protection, and aside from family, who know about the HT, nobody has asked, if they've noticed. It's sort of a social experiment...I'm wondering who will feel comfortable enough to ask "So...what's with the hair?" Regarding wearing a hat, in my case, when I had the first HT, I was working in a semi-casual office (software programmer) where no one cared, and where people were actually curious and complimentary about the transplant ("hey, good for you" kind of thing). Benjamin

Hello All, I've updated my blog with my one-month progress photos, albeit slightly late (the one-month mark was 9/25). The photos themselves were taken on 9/25. Good growing to everyone, Benjamin

From the perspective of a person who, at the start of his hair transplant research, nearly made at least one regrettable decision on the basis of a lack of knowledge, fueled by the kind of insecurity that, at the risk of being presumptuous, hair loss can induce -- I'm thankful to Dr. Feller and to other doctors who are willing to take the time to take an informed and knowledgeable stand. I don't have firsthand knowledge of the LaserComb or any analagous device, but having had two transplants already, and seen the patience that they require, I'm as skeptical of a device that is purported to regrow hair simply with a regimen of daily combing as I am of the well-known TV commercials that show animated hair instantly and painlessly "floating" toward a bald area of scalp. That said...again, simply as a layperson, I can look through a large number of photos from doctors and patients on this site, and see results. I have seen no comparable results from laser treatments, and I have read compelling arguments and statements from physicians who could easily profit from selling laser therapy if they so chose. That speaks volumes.

Looking good! 5 months is still quite early, so you have much to look forward to... The advice I got regarding a second HT was to wait at least a year, in large part because it takes at least that long for the first procedure to really come into its own. That said, Dr. Feller can give you a far more accurate answer... Benjamin

Caesar08, Three months is still transplant infancy...take a look at my 3-month photos, and compare them to even the 5 or 6-month ones. You have a lot of good growth ahead! Benjamin

I'm neither a financial person nor an attorney, but I'd direct one's attention to the "3. PAYMENT" section of this page on Dr. Cole's website: http://www.forhair.com/Financial_Information_form.htm Requiring the entire cost of the procedure 21 days in advance? Is this common? Is it even legal, for that matter? I have never heard of a doctor being paid in full, up front. For that matter, the guy who remodeled my family room didn't get paid until the job was done. And more pertinent -- when Dr. Feller performed each of my procedures, he didn't accept payment until I was leaving the office after they were complete, for the fairly simple reason that only then did he know exactly how many grafts the procedure entailed. Dr. Cole's skill as a surgeon aside, this looks suspect. Benjamin

Peter, I suspect that you've addressed this question by now, but in response to an earlier post about Dr. Feller and shaving...it's not the entire head, just a narrow strip around the donor area (which I assume would have to be standard surgical practice, regardless of doctor) and as much of the recipient area as the job requires. If you look at his photos, some patients only have the temple areas shaved; others, the front 1/3rd, others, like me, who had an two extensive procedures, the entire top (procedure #1) or most of it (procedure #2). Good luck to you in your search! Benjamin

<spider>, Dr. Lindsey is in Tyson's Corner, Virginia, which is about 30 minutes from downtown DC. He has posted some excellent results on this site. There are also excellent surgeons in NYC, which is an affordable bus trip away. I went up there myself when I had my first HT. Benjamin

Hello, I had asked Dr. Feller the same question, after my first HT. He said that he has never heard of this being a problem with any of his patients, because in a sense, the subconscious takes care of this for us -- basically, we're so aware that we do NOT want to mess with the recipient area that we keep this level of awareness while asleep. It's the same process that creates dreams, more or less. He will likely explain it better, but it sounds plausible... With that, what worked for me was also sleeping propped up on several pillows. I had no problems with either rolling over, or with recipient area issues. Benjamin

Enough pain meds and you'll be flying before the wheels leave the ground...

I'd emphatically agree that distance is not a good criterion for a surgeon. That said, NY has several talented doctors, and I can personally vouch for Dr. Feller, who has done two procedures for me. In fact, many of Dr. Feller's patients have flown from the UK to see him!