pushing 40

I hope you guys are right! Seriously though, that is my plan. The highest suggestion I got from other docs was 2400 grafts to fill in that frontal 1/3. After consulting with Hasson, his suggestion was 4000 right off the bat based on a couple of specific things I think: 1) my age being 40yrs old, my future baldness pattern is pretty much discernable by now. I may lose more hair, but not at the rate of a 25yr old diffuse thinner. 2) I started propecia only 1 yr ago next week, so all the hair I do have up top and in back is NOT there because of that drug; it is still there naturally and simply hasn't "departed" yet. 3) my donor area is fairly decent as in no thinning on the back and sides really and is pretty much average as far as I know. There are a couple of things working against me though I think: I do have fairly fine hair. Always have. I also have very straight hair. All in all, I'll just have to see how it turns out in a year. Only two weeks to go baby!!

Wow, I didn't even know there was a chat room!

Thanks HB! I will most likely take you guys up on that! I just got my "2 weeks away" e-mail from H&W. Yikes. I still almost can't believe it. At the moment, the thought of being in that chair for several hours is killing me. I have 2 herniated disks in my neck and 2 in my lower back and they are ALL giving me hella pain right now. The lower back has been 3 weeks straight now and that kind of pain for that long really starts to wear on you. It actually starts making you depressed to where you have to be mindful of NOT being a depressed grouchy bastard to everyone. It starts to make you feel old and worn out and I DO NOT want to feel like that.

Damn, you have to admit, that is pretty damn impressive work.

Awesome! Good luck and keep us posted!! I'll be there in 3 weeks!

Thanks HB! Trust me, you guys will probably get sick of me posting pics and asking questions after the txplant! I owe this forum a lot of thanks and I really plan on paying back some of the effort as much as I can once I am an "expeienced" txplant patient.

Hey guys, been away for a few days up in Cleveland. Thanks for all the positive inputs, I really appreciate it and I hope you are ALL right! I'm keeping fingers crossed. The wife said icksnay on dating the 20 yr olds; she says 30 is as young as I can go and since she just turned 30, that works out really well...(for my continued good health and breathing ability) Flc, I will most likely take you up on that offer here in the next couple of weeks. I really appreicate!

Get this: my 11yr old daughter changed the camera to B/W and I can't figure out how to go back to color!!! I hope the 4K grafts do me right. My middle area/widows peak is still way down where its always been so I'm hoping that won't be a problem. I am willing to give up a centimeter of forehead coverage to get the DENSITY I want but with my middle hairline going all the way down there, I'm not sure how that can work? Does that make sense? I want to wear it longer if possible; basically one length all the way around so all of my hair would be even with my chin from front to back. I will need density for that but I'm worried that widows peak might screw up that plan.

Hey Guys, sorry it took so long to update. Been a very busy year or so. I got on here the other day and saw a thread about "why people don't come back and update?" so it reminded me to get it done! I am at 18 months now and VERY happy with it. I added a few pics to the album. They are all wet hair pics because my battery died; I'll get dry hair ones soon.

Hi Ryan and welcome to the forums. Its always so nice to hear an almost "relief" in someone's "voice" when they find this site. It is a great place with some of the best men walking around these days. At 25 you may be in good shape if you have just temple recession versus the diffuse thinning type hairloss. My pattern at your age was as you spoke of: temple recession and a widows peak. Mine took over 15 years to thin out enough to be bothersome and my widows peak is right where it was when I was 18. Propecia is a good idea to at least stop or greatly slow further loss. It may not regrow that temple hair but who knows. You're young so it may make some of those frontal wispy hairs at the hairline thicken up a bit. Which will look better at least.

It is true that we make so much more out of our baldness than others do. I really only notice people's baldness if they seem uncomfortable with it: combovers, wearing a cap when a cap is obviously inappropriate for the clothes or environment. Or maybe if I'm just out bored somewhere and people watching. But still, other people's baldness seldom seems to detract from their appearance as far as I'm concerned. So why do I feel it REALLY detracts from my appearance? That's revealing something about the human character, I'm just not sure what......

The formation of scar tissue in skin cells goes on for months depending on the superficiality of the "wound". That and the peripheral nerves dealing with that biochemical process is what usually causes this type of itching for long periods. Some people even describe a sensation of tickling around healing and healed wounds for years. But itching in the same spot for years would really suck.

Sweet!!! Good luck! You're in great hands!

Funny! My date is 20 March.....my fingers trembled when I typed that...... I'm still very nervous about it but my mind is made up. After shaving my head this time, I realized my hair is much denser than I used to think it was. My wife was sitting there joking with me while I was buzzing it in the tub and said "damn your hair is thick back there." I looked and I think it is actually a little thicker than I thought. I was really thinking before "there is no way the doc will get 4000 graphs from me" but now I think maybe he can. I really don't have THAT much to cover if you've seen my pics. Density is my biggest desire for two reasons: my hair is VERY straight and I want to wear it longer all the way around. Jotronic helped me understand that as I had little grasp of it before his explanations. So, if I have to concede a centimeter back of forhead to get the density I want, so be it. I'm looking forward to really working that all out with the Doc.

Oh now you offer this up the day AFTER I shave my head to be able to do the exercises!!

Folica, I decided on Dr. Hasson. Money was not a considration; traveling via airplane was but I'll get thru that. What reason I decided on him? That would take months to explain or maybe seconds, I dunno. My wife was getting annoyed with my "slight obsession" also. It was about 2 yrs ago when I first commented on my hair. I think it was time to either sh!% or get off the pot so to speak. The last thing she said about it was "You've done your research and now you feel there IS a Dr. who can give you what you want; so now either do it or don't, but make up your mind". Then she closed the visor on her helmet and made me chase her for 20 miles (her CBR is a little faster than my Ninja). But again I say: take your time.

Ouch, a couple of months right at the start of riding season!!! That's gonna hurt! But I'll check like you said; better safe than sorry. Wife and I ride sport bikes with full face helmets. They are tight as you mentioned.

Filica, You are pretty much identical in thought and feeling to almost every single one of us. Probably each of us has asked ourselves the same questions, thought the same things, felt the same fears. Seriously. I have been here for 2 yrs and no transplant yet. I am scheduled for next month, but it has taken me 2 yrs to make up my mind. And is it completely without question made up? Hell no! There is still doubt and fear brother; they are just on the lighter side of the scale now from where they used to be. Take your time. Relax. Educate yourself. and did I mention take your time?

Well, its actually the "healing" process it affects, whether its a transplant or a cut on your leg. Smoking restricts blood flow period. It causes the veins and capillaries to constrict for long periods of time. That is why smokers heal more slowly than non-smokers; they do not have the same nourishing blood flow to the wound that it needs to heal itself. Can it actually affect the outcome in regards to graft survival, etc.? I don't know. I guess being healthy is actually just the slowest rate at which one can still die, right?

Got another question guys: how long before I can wear my motorcycle helmet after the HT? I know it depends on rate of personal healing in donor and recipient areas, but anyone have an idea on average? Also, because I often shave my head, I wear a skull cap quite a bit; the winter beanie kind but they're not as thick at all and not tight either. They are like the Under Armour type, just a lot less expensive. I wear it under my motorcycle helmet and also just wear it the way others wear a baseball cap. Would these be ok to wear instead of a baseball cap? Or maybe a week after transplant I could switch from baseball cap to these? I am on a one week spring break from school (yes I went back to grad school at 40yrs old ) and return the week after surgery. During that week off of surgery I only plan on wearing a hat if I step out of the house. After that, it will only be for a couple of hours per day to go to class. Sound safe?

Got another question guys: how long before I can wear my motorcycle helmet after the HT? I know it depends on rate of personal healing in donor and recipient areas, but anyone have an idea on average? Also, because I often shave my head, I wear a skull cap quite a bit; the winter beanie kind but they're not as thick at all and not tight either. They are like the Under Armour type, just a lot less expensive. I wear it under my motorcycle helmet and also just wear it the way others wear a baseball cap. Would these be ok to wear instead of a baseball cap? Or maybe a week after transplant I could switch from baseball cap to these? I am on a one week spring break from school (yes I went back to grad school at 40yrs old ) and return the week after surgery. During that week off of surgery I only plan on wearing a hat if I step out of the house. After that, it will only be for a couple of hours per day to go to class. Sound safe?

Ok, I had to buzz my hair down with a #1 guard to be able to do the scalp exercises. I just couldn't do them without my hans sliding around on my hair and/or pulling the crap out of it. I quit doing them a couple of weeks ago and started agian yesterday. So, how much benefit will it be since I go in to see Dr. Hasson on 20 March?

Ok, I had to buzz my hair down with a #1 guard to be able to do the scalp exercises. I just couldn't do them without my hans sliding around on my hair and/or pulling the crap out of it. I quit doing them a couple of weeks ago and started agian yesterday. So, how much benefit will it be since I go in to see Dr. Hasson on 20 March?

In total, it took me about 20 yrs to go from a normal 18 yr old hairline to a 4A; and I'm actually not completely 4A, still lots of hair in the middle front. That simply must be based on genetics I think. I saw a guy yesterday who was around 20 or 21. He had BAD diffuse thinning all over and an obvuiously balding circle in back. Count your blessings I guess.