Bob C

GrayFox, It's nice to see a fellow Minnesotan on this site. We are lucky to have such a great clinic close to home. I don't remember whether you've posted before, but I'd love to hear some specifics on your transplant experience. How many grafts did you get? How old are you? Also, did you have any reservations on choosing Dr Paul Shapiro, being as he is fairly new at this?

Bill, You and I have both been around these forums long enough for me to know that your intentions were good. As for the original poster(Tom A), his statements may well have been innocent. But he doesn't have your track record. About the poster named DoctorJohn10011, I was serious - He MAY be someone wanting us to believe he is Dr Schiller.

I'm still not certain the poster DoctorJ100011 is, in fact, the Dr Schiller referred to Tom A's original post. I hope not. I hope he's not a real medical doctor at all. His foul language and overbearing approach are totally unprofessional and uncalled for- for ANY poster, doctor or otherwise! And his remarks indirectly reflect badly on Tom A and even on DR P. It seems that any professional would realize this, thus I suspect (and hope) that "DoctorJ100011" is nothing more than an Internet flamer.

10,407 grafts. How many hairs does that amount to?

RoboNick, Who was your doctor?

This doctor may have good intentions, and may even be a very competent surgeon. You may not be getting "scammed", but I'm sure you can do better. From the answers he gave you - some straightforward (although not the ones we ideally want to hear), others rather evasive, it seems to me that he may be inexperienced. Even if he has performed "hundreds of procedures". that isn't all that many. Others here have noted the small session size and lack of female patient photos. To me, this suggests that he simply hasn't been in the biz long enough to build up a portfolio, so to speak. That is probably why he offered a discount if he could use YOUR photos. This doctor may have great potential under a mentor's guidance. Or, he may already have the talent, only needing more experience. But that isn't your problem. Find someone with proof of a good track record.

Phil, I totally agree on all points. I did catch the "You're way balder than me" joke on "20 Good Years", or whatever it's called.

Here's another "celebrity hair transplant thread", if anyone cares. If you don't care, just skip this one. Boston Legal on ABC last night (Tues Oct 17). It was a repeat. The guy playing the police chief testifying in one of the courtroom scenes -- had what looked to me to be a very bad transplant. Maybe he just had bad hair. Maybe it wasn't fully grown in. There were no corn rows, or anything like that. It simply looked "unnatural." It looked like he was trying to hide something (like thin hair or a lousy hairline). I don't know the actor's name and I don't mean this post as a personal putdown. Mostly an observation, that perhaps the general public would not even make. There have been lots of posts about actors, etc who "must have had work done" because they look better now than they did a few films back. This is NOT one of those cases. Any comments?

Here's another "celebrity hair transplant thread", if anyone cares. If you don't care, just skip this one. Boston Legal on ABC last night (Tues Oct 17). It was a repeat. The guy playing the police chief testifying in one of the courtroom scenes -- had what looked to me to be a very bad transplant. Maybe he just had bad hair. Maybe it wasn't fully grown in. There were no corn rows, or anything like that. It simply looked "unnatural." It looked like he was trying to hide something (like thin hair or a lousy hairline). I don't know the actor's name and I don't mean this post as a personal putdown. Mostly an observation, that perhaps the general public would not even make. There have been lots of posts about actors, etc who "must have had work done" because they look better now than they did a few films back. This is NOT one of those cases. Any comments?

Wow, I didn't know Nuhart was still around. I remember years ago they had infomercials featuring Dan Haggerty (Grizzly Adams) as one of their patients. I say go ahead and have as many free consultations as you wish. Then compare your findings. Don't just get work done by Nuhart right off the bat.

Pat, I won't pretend to be more informed than you, or most veteran members of this board. However, I do have an NHI sales video from a few years back that has both Doctors Rose and Shapiro in it.

Pat, I think it is wonderful that you've been taking your research "on the road". I'm curious about Dr Rassman and NHI too. They were one of the first big names I was exposed to, and I'd like to know how they are keeping up with the times. As many of this forum's members are aware, Drs Bernstein, Rose and Shapiro (all recommended surgeons on this site) were employed by NHI at one time.

Could you refresh my memory? What was your "agressive plan of action"? Do you mean getting 1600+ grafts? Because that in itself, by today's standards isn't a meag-session, or anything? Did you go for a low hairline, or total coverage? I hope I'm not coming across as harsh. I'm a little too lazy to do a search, and am trying to remember the particulars of your surgery. Are you happy with the results so far?

I have to disagree. Camera angle, lighting, time of day, facial expression can all make a difference. Dave makes lots of hair plug and toupee jokes, especially about himself. But he's just calling himself a geek to get laughs. He has been wearing his hair shorter and shorter all the time (Boy, remember that mop he had back in the 80's?), but he has good hair days and bad hair days like everyone else.

Actually, no I haven't. I was just kind of wondering out loud whetherI'd missed any updates. Lots of members who've had a procedure post progress reports regulary. Sometimes they lay low while they wait for the hair to grow, but then they come back after 6 months or a year. I certainly could PM Bluesman, but I figure if he was around, he would probably post here.

About year ago, maybe longer, there was a guy on this site named Bluesman who had a transplant (basically a hairline lowered) with Dr Shapiro. I haven't heard from him in quite a while, and would like to know if he's around. Or does Pat or Dr Shapiro have any updates? I'm especially curious because Bluesman was close to my age, and had a similar degree and pattern of hairloss as I do. He said he was pleased with the results so far. He also said he was on propecia, and that he was considering another session. I know people move on, but if anyone runs into Bluesman, ask him to give us a shout or drop me a PM.

About year ago, maybe longer, there was a guy on this site named Bluesman who had a transplant (basically a hairline lowered) with Dr Shapiro. I haven't heard from him in quite a while, and would like to know if he's around. Or does Pat or Dr Shapiro have any updates? I'm especially curious because Bluesman was close to my age, and had a similar degree and pattern of hairloss as I do. He said he was pleased with the results so far. He also said he was on propecia, and that he was considering another session. I know people move on, but if anyone runs into Bluesman, ask him to give us a shout or drop me a PM.

mr. joe, Continue your course of action - Research, ask questions on this forum and go to as many consultations as you need to. Something that struck me in your post: Your family thinks it is a joke and your friends are uncomfortable talking about it. This is understandable. It is not happening to them. Or maybe they feel that you we're all victims of genetics, or that looks aren't important. But it is your hair, your money and your decision. Make an imformed decision and don't worry about what those around you think. When you get a great hair restoration, they will all be envious.

This is quite possibly true. And if so, doesn't that mean that anyone who has had a transplant will lose some of their transplanted hair as time goes by? In other words, the blanket statement that transplanted hair is permanent is not quite accurate.

I seem to remember reading of some women in sales claiming tax deductions for breast augmentation. It gave them the necessesary edge in the business. I'm sure strippers try for the write off too. I think the same has been argued for face lifts and hair transplants, especially by people in show biz. They claim they have to maintain a certain look to get work. I imagine the IRS says "Nice try ...", but if anyone knows otherwise, I'd like to hear about it.

The fairly recent front shots of you slicked back with mousse look very good. I mean, I think that is a flattering style. By the way, are you using any concealers in the crown area?

Gorpy is right. You're not going to fool the stylist. And you want to cut your hair - not the Toppik. If you develop an ongoing (business) relationmship with a barber or stylist, you'll likely want to tell him/her "I wear it this length, comb it this way, and add this product", etc. The stylist will probably apply the Toppik for you and offer more styling tips.

Let me see if I understand the chart: The straight line in the middle is the baseline hair count. This is how much hair the test subjects had at the begining off the study. At the end of five years, users of the placebo only had hair counts far below the base line. Users of propecia for five years had hair counts above, but rapidly approaching the baseline. Doesn't it stand to reason that they will continue in that downward direction? The chart seems to illustrate to me that it is likely propecia can buy us five years of freedom from hair loss, but not too much more. On a somewhat related topic, most people on this forum state that this drug can usually stabilize or delay hair loss, but that regrowth should be considered a fortunate bonus, if it happens. The way I read the chart, everyone in the test groups (except the all placebo patients) DID show actual hair gain. I'm certainly not a "propecia basher". I just want to know everything I can about it. Please correct me if I've misinterpreted the chart. Thanks, Bob

It's_Going_Fast, Did you say GLH is accelarating your hair loss? What lead you to this conclusion? There was a thread on these forums a while back, which brought up the question of whether some concealers block follicles. Although the jury is still out, it seems the general concensus is that they are safe if you use them according to the instructions, and wash your hair regularly. After all, can concealers do any more damage than hairspray or gel? What were the specifics of your experience?

Jacob, It looks great! I recognize your screen name, but haven't really followed your story. Was this your first transplant? Did you have any shock loss? Did your doctor outline a plan for future treatments? I'm asking all this because you got a significant improvement with only a medium sized session. It really turned your hair line around! But you will likely loose more hair in the forelock area, no? So, I'm just wondering if you and Dr Epstein discussed a plan for the future. Again, it looks great. And you're just about 6 months out, correct?