GratefulHead

Hi Goldeneye, I've had two transplants with Dr. True and am very pleased with his work. I agree 100% with Mrjb and echo his comments. Best wishes with whatever you decide. GratefulHead

Hi Johnno, Two other things not mentioned above that Dr. True recommends include soaking your head in a warm bath for 15 - 20 minutes from day 8 post-op forward and then gently massaging/washing the scabs with Head & Shoulders for Fine/Oily Hair. Obviously a long soak will REALLY soften up scabs and dandruff shampoo helps reduce itching. I followed these recommendations after my three hair transplants and they worked well for me. Peace. GratefulHead

Hi Jay, I agree you are smart to plan for the long term by taking a slow and conservative approach now. It is good good advice everyone is giving you. I will never forget this one guy from a Dr. True Open House that stopped taking Finesteride and was very disappointed by how much he thinned out as a result. He got back on it, but a lot of damage was already done and he was very sorry. You, me, and everyone would do well to learn from his pain. Since our minds are so complicated, don't necessarily buy in to the fact that you are definitely having Finesteride side effects. Don't underestimate the power of what you believe! Try to think about what else might be affecting your sexual health. Getting back to your overall thinning, since you do have some thin coverage you may want to try camoflauge to help hold you over a few years or so until it is a more practical time to get a transplant. I would recommend trying Toppik in combination with either DermMatch or ProThik if you haven't already. In addition, search those product names on these forums and Google for more info as needed. Hang in there and keep up that level-headedness so you don't trade-off your best future appearance for short-term gratification. Merry Christmas! GratefulHead

Cousin_It, Thanks for sharing your scar experience. I hope 2 months out from HT #3 I will be as fortunate. Everyone is different and at different mile markers on their hair improvement journey. I'm cautiously optimistic, but I certainly don't want to count my chickens before they're hatched! I agree will Bill that we shouldn't go too far down a rabbit trail on Mil's thread. Let's move any further discussion to the one I started for my HT #3 w/ Dr. Feller. Best regards. GratefulHead

Hurricom, Jotronic & Cousin_It give you good advice. When I used Rogaine in the mid to late 90's, it did make my scalp red and itchy -- and greasy for sure. I also can't say I ever noticed any real regrowth (you may want to take before/after pictures under the same light conditions to compare because it is hard to be objective over many months otherwise). Finally, Rogaine was too thin a liquid and would tend to drip down the sides of my head. I completely stopped using it around the time I started on Finesteride because it didn't seem to work for me, made my head red and itchy which in turn made it more red/irritated when I scratched it, was a pain in the butt to apply twice a day, and wasn't exactly cheap. Today, the foam might help with a couple of these issues -- not sure since I never tried it. But the point is if you don't continue Rogaine for life, any money you spent on it will basically go down the drain when any hair it "may" have helped regrow/maintain falls out within a few months of stopping use. Finesteride, on the other hand, really helped regrow hair in my mid-scalp/crown/vertex areas and maintain my existing hair. It's also a lot less of a pain to use over a long period of time. Just some thoughts to consider. Be well. GratefulHead

Hi Jessie, The front hair-line being thin or receded (for whatever reason) is tough to remedy short of a hair transplant. Another option to combing foward and making some bangs might be a side-part on the thicker side to cover the thinner side with some hair. The comb straight-back doo is definitely the toughest to pull-off. Finesteride (as mentioned above) might help thicken up some hairs that have miniturized due to male pattern baldness or even regrow some hair, but it tends to be least effective in the front and most effective in the crown/vertex area. Camoflauge cover-ups are also the toughest to make look good/natural in the hairline. But possibly with another hair style they may help a little. Toppik is small fibers that can really make thinning hair behind the hairline look thick and natural (when correctly color matched and there is some existing hair), but is not going to be of much help in the front-most hairline. I use Toppik and like it a lot. DermMatch is a paint-on type of cosmetic that takes some time and practice to apply skillfully, but it works well for some people -- although again it isn't recomendeded for the very-front hairline. Maybe with an alternative hair style one of these cosmetics would help some. Finally, if at some point you do want to do a free consult with a Hair Transplant Surgeon, I would recommend Dr. True right in mid-town Manhatten. I've had two transplants with him and was quite pleased both times. He also used to have DermMatch samples, although that was a few years ago and I don't know if he still does. It is never a bad idea to try to use whatever non-evasive methods that work to mask your thinning to delay/avoid surgery. Surgery is expensive, seriously impacts your lifestyle while recovering, and is more-or-less irreversable. In addition, the longer you wait to have surgery, the closer your hair loss pattern will be to it's final stable state. In turn, this helps the hair loss doctor to be able to deliver treatment that will require minimum revision to maintain an acceptable look. I hope the above helps... GratefulHead

Mil, You are most welcome I don't have any personal experience with Dr. Epstein so I can not comment. Cousin_It, I wanted increased density for my second surgery. I asked Dr. True for 2000 FU grafts. Due to slightly below average scalp laxity and expected future hair loss progression, he told me he thought 2000 was on the very high-end of what he would be able to get... so the target was defined as 1500-2000. For ethical reasons, he also limits the scar length to roughly ear-to-ear. When trying to maximize a session, a doctor doesn't really know exactly how much donor he will be able to yield until he goes in there. During my second procedure, Dr. True was only able to safely take 1309 FU grafts based on his highly qualified and very seasoned experience. He was more conservative and did what he thought was best for me ethically despite the fact I asked for more and he could have made more money if he pushed the limits. He actually gave me a partial refund because I had paid for 1500! Fast forward to my third procedure, the conservative thing to do would have been to go back to Dr. True. I knew from previous conversations to expect maybe 1100-1200 grafts this time around. I was willing to take some risk and go for a larger session from a more aggressive surgeon to acheive more density. One of the ways Dr. Feller acheived an 1899 yield was by taking a longer strip which extends further and higher in front of the ears. How this all works out time will tell. Best regards. GratefulHead

Hi Mil, I've had two HTs by Dr. True and one just a week ago by Dr. Feller. I can say that I was very pleased overall with the transplants by Dr. True. He is a bit more conservative in his approach, but it isn't because he is not fully capable of being much more aggressive. He is more conservative because he has the patient's long-term best interests at heart. As with anything in life, HTs involve trade-offs and risks. If you go too aggressive for a given patient's scalp laxitity, you risk a wider/longer scar. Furthermore, it is a mathematical fact that no one has enough donor hair on the back/sides of their head to provide full density to a completely bald scalp (NW6/7). But if an aggressive doctor takes a large percentage of one's donor hair to achieve full density to say a receding hair line in the earlier stages of life-long progressive hair loss, that person may be ecstatic for a few years -- but 5, 10, 15, 20, or more years down the road that patient may be very sorry and wish they had done things differently. They may even be angry at their doctor for being so aggressive early on. They may not be able to afford to keep paying substantial sums of money to keep up with their progressive thinning to maintain a natural even look. You have to realize that many doctors who are capable of very large mega-sessions have a bias toward performing as large a session as possible because they make more money now. That is fine if that is what the patient wants also, but often times a patient relies on the doctor's recommendation. Dr. True is the epitomy of an ethical doctor, a man of integrity, and a true gentlemen (as his name implies ) He will not perform too large of a session if he feels the patient would be put at risk in terms of scar streching or expected long-term progressive hair loss. Even after two mega-sessions with him, my donor scar was very thin (around 1 mm) and very unnoticable. It is too early to say how my longer scar with Dr. Feller will be after a more agressive HT. All I can say is I recommend Dr. True highly from personal experience and you do well going and consulting with him. Best wishes for an amazing transformation whatever you decide! GratefulHead

Bill, You know I'm only kidding about the pics on your harddrive, right? It looks like Dr. Feller got the last laugh and posted my most recent pics. Peace. GratefulHead

Hi Shorty B, You are certainly welcome regarding my HT #3 update. Man, you have been through A LOT of surgeries! It is unfortunate you were thinning pretty bad before HT technology really came of age by today's standards, but thankfully for us all it has been possible to obtain very good/excellent results in the hands of the right surgeon for some years. Better late than never Shorty B! As far as shaving goes, I asked Dr. Feller if I could have my existing hairs left as long as possible because I was going back to work in 11 days and Christmas was in 2 weeks. He said during my consult that it might be a deal-breaker for me but he needed to make me into a skin-head!! (well, those weren't his exact words ). I said "fine" because there is no way I was going to live with regrets if my density didn't come out close to the way I wanted (my main goal) AND I didn't do everything possible on my part to facilitate that outcome. I would just be buzzed and figure out how to deal with it. So I think the general rule is you need to be buzzed if you have existing hair in the target recipient area -- although you need to talk to Dr. Feller on whether or not he can make an exception on a case-by-case basis. I wasn't going to get into it in this thread, but since you asked, here are some of the advantages of buzzing... 1.) First a buzz to maybe 1/4" allows the doctor to make recipient sites at the same angle as existing hair without the potential error introduced by the added length/weight of long hair. 2.) It makes it easier to avoid transecting the follicles of existing hair because the overhead view is unobstructed and the true hair angle helps best locate existing FUs under the skin. For the same reasons, it faciliates filling in uniform high recipient density. Finally, it helps the doc to better take into consideration existing miniturized hairs while mapping out the final density. 3.) Next, after all the recipient sites are made, a second very short afternoon-shadow type length super-buzz is performed. Again, not having full-length hair faciliates technician FU placement by better seeing the incision angle while inserting the grafts and generally not missing individual recipient sites -- especially during a once-over unfilled recipient final check. 4.) As the transplant progresses, the scalp undergoes increasing degrees of trama. If the adjacent existing hair is buzzed out of the way the underskin FUs in already tramatized scalp are not further stressed by continual moving around of the existing hair to allow for overhead visibility. This may result in less shock-loss given transplanted density and everything else being equal. 5.) Furthermore, getting the existing hair out of the way should decrease the total surgery time -- which in turn means grafts are outside of your head for less time. The end result may be better growth yield and possibly more transplanted hairs not intially shedding (although this is probably negligable). The higher the desired density and the larger the session, the more important each of the above factors becomes. A lower-density all-over coverage type of transplant can and is commonly successfully performed without shaving. I know because I had that done twice with good results. (Dr. Feller, Please feel free to set me straight or add to any of the above as I am utterly unqualified in the medical arena. I'm just trying to scrape together some info from what you told me and from other posters on this forum to help Shorty B.) I hope this helps with your decision making process and I wish you the best outcome no matter what you decide. I certainly would be happy to take a look at some of your pics and give a non-pro opinion if you want to post them. As far as me doing the same... yeah, yeah, I know... EVERYONE WANTS PICS!! What if I am just a mysterious type of guy??? What if I'm just stealthy like that??? I'll consult my people and get back to you.......... GratefulHead P.S. - Bill, you did promise to keep those pics confidential, right?? What are they still doing on your harddrive anyway??!

Hairbank & BadhairUK, Thanks and no worries... I'm considering away (posting pics that is)... Nikkop23, I'm glad my above appends answered your question on "why the doc switch". To further elaborate, I was looking to be more aggressive in terms of density. There are other threads on here discussing the technical advantages of combining a two-stage buzz/shave-down with small custom blades, so I won't bore everyone with details. Furthermore, I'm all about variety and non-excessive risk in general. Don't get me wrong -- I have zero regrets about my first HT with Dr. True. I was VERY self-conscious about my thinning in public, especially at the vertex/crown. So employing a relatively lower density all-over transplant to reinforce my hairline, provide coverage in the crown/vertex, and fill-in my thin front/mid-scalp without shave-down was ideal for me!!! With or without Toppik I had a remarkable transformation in my opinion -- just awesome with Toppik!! I went from lots of unsolicited comments about my hairloss to very nice compliments. Having a full-head improvement all at once without shave-down was the perfect solution for me since my MPB self-consciousness at the time made it extremely important that no one knew I had a HT. And no one did -- except one friend who I voluntarily told. I went with Dr. True again for my second HT (where I was just looking to add density) because of my good first HT experience and I liked him. While I attained some added density with #2, my untransplanted hair MPB natural attrition slowly marched forward (see Finesteride comments above) and my greed for density just wasn't satisfied. Hence, enter Dr. Feller based on lot's of contributors to these and other forums... Sup Bill?! I remember YOU!! I'm glad to see you are doing so well folicularly and otherwise! You have come a long way since we last talked and are looking good! I think you have made some really good decisions and have become quite an advocate presence on this forum... well done! But yes, I did send you HT pics a while back. You are not mistaken... spot on -- although density is in the eye of the beholder. < Nice!!! ProThik just arrived at my door from Folica... THAT WAS FAST! I digress... sorry > I'm really happy you are satisfied with Dr. True and so far with Dr. Hasson!! You have every reason to be confident you will achieve as lush a density as possible! 3701 grafts after 3849 previously is simply amazing!! You are very blessed with donor riches Even more, good deal with your most recent minimal swelling, scab time, redness, and shockloss! I can only hope and pray to be similarly fortunate. Thank you on your offer to doctor up my photos and general well wishes... I will get back to you on the pics. May you continue to heal and grow far beyond your wildest expectations... GratefulHead

Yo NoBuzz, Thank you for the good wishes. I've stayed incognito as far as pics go on this board up until this point. If someone wanted to see my pics to help them make a decision, I e-mailed them directly and requested keeping them private. I will reconsider posting pics publicly -- but no promises. Yeah, I was stoked the swelling was minimal! I had pretty much elephant-man swelling the first time around... probably due to the multiple numbings for a nearly 9 hour surgery and more importantly the fact I slipped down and slept flat the first night. My second surgery had very little swelling similar to this time... probably due to much less liquid injection after I mentioned swelling as a concern to Dr. True and better elevation. I hear ya about the buzz look. That was an important factor in my decision, but having gone to Dr. True twice I had to try another top surgeon for variety if nothing else. The goal this time around was to add substantial density to my already good coverage. The previous two surgeries served me very well, but to facilitate above-average densities a buzz-cut becomes imperative in conjunction with 0.9mm (or so) blades. As a means to accomplish this end, I was quite willing to buzz and risk people inquiring if I had a HT. Lastly, yes I do have donor left to accomodate any future need for hair greed. In my non-professional but semi-experienced opinion, I think I could pull off 900 - 1200 grafts down the road given I perform scalp exercises. My scalp laxity isn't THAT bad. Then, of course, there is always FUE. At this point, I believe I will have more than adequate density once I grow in and I plan to save any remaining grafts to fill in potential future lowering of my side margins or other thinning. I've been on Finesteride since December 2001 and it has helped tremendously in stabilizing my hair loss, but the studies do show a slow long-term (multi-year) decline in effectiveness. At 5 years out, I've noticed this in personal experience -- but I also know it would be DRASTICALLY worse if I stopped taking it all together. I want to be prudent and have a solid "non-freak-boy" plan for the long-term, but still achieve density in the near term on top of my already adequate coverage. Generally speaking, I have a fairly high tolerance for risk and given my particular hair situation hopefully I can meet these often times impossible dual-goals of density now without poor consequences much later. Time will tell... Good deal you are back in for #3 soon like I just was. Who are you having do the work? May you have good success and keep up on those scalp exercises!! Caio for now... GratefulHead

I've been gone for quite some time, but I'm back! I'm chillin' 3-days post-op strip HT #3 with Dr. Feller and doing A-OK. I had 1899 FU grafts dense packed into my front-right, mid-scalp, and crown/vertex to hopefully satisfy my hair density greed I originally was a thinning Norwood 5A with 20-40% of my original hair at age 33 and had 4711 FU grafts total since then (1503 in June 2003 plus 1309 in Nov 2004 both by Dr. True -- see corresponding stories on this board if interested -- besides the most recent 1899 by Dr. Feller). As for this time around, my swelling is gone on Day 3 and I have no discoloration around my face! That is excellent! The reduced swelling probably resulted from only getting shot up with novicane twice in the donor scar and once in the recipent area during a relatively short less than 6 hour surgery time (I waited till afterwards to even eat lunch by my own preference). Also, sleeping in a recliner at a 45 degree angle as they emphasized really helped fluid drain away from my face. I didn't have a recliner available to sleep in after my first two surgeries. I was very impressed by Dr. Feller and his technicians. I can relate to him also because he has various engineering interests as do I by profession. He has a bit more agressive approach than I was accustomed to, but that is pretty much what I was looking for at age 37 and what is most probably my last large strip (I have average to slightly below-average scalp laxity). The donor pain is by and large gone now (definitely consumed more Vicodin than previous times). This was the first time I had to get shaved down and will try to sport the 2-week buzz-look at Christmas. I go back to work Christmas week on day 11 and hope to get away with a hat because most everyone is on vacation. That way I hope to squeeze out 3 weeks before being nudie-headed at work. I got some ideas from others on here to try to pull this off without going "full disclosure" and have ordered ProThik (for scar camo), bought pure Aloe Vera (help with redness), and Mederma (minimize scar). I've used DermMatch to cover previous HT surgeries as well as Toppik (which I use as low-density camo all the time and love it) and will try whatever camo combo works. I've never had to deal with a buzz-cut and this presents new challenges, but hopefully I can pull it off. Hey, I got away with the first two HTs without a soul suspecting and have to at least try again -- but I really don't care much if I have to tell people either. In conclusion, if anyone out there has other fast-recovery tips or any questions for me, please append away. Peace all. GratefulHead

I've been gone for quite some time, but I'm back! I'm chillin' 3-days post-op strip HT #3 with Dr. Feller and doing A-OK. I had 1899 FU grafts dense packed into my front-right, mid-scalp, and crown/vertex to hopefully satisfy my hair density greed I originally was a thinning Norwood 5A with 20-40% of my original hair at age 33 and had 4711 FU grafts total since then (1503 in June 2003 plus 1309 in Nov 2004 both by Dr. True -- see corresponding stories on this board if interested -- besides the most recent 1899 by Dr. Feller). As for this time around, my swelling is gone on Day 3 and I have no discoloration around my face! That is excellent! The reduced swelling probably resulted from only getting shot up with novicane twice in the donor scar and once in the recipent area during a relatively short less than 6 hour surgery time (I waited till afterwards to even eat lunch by my own preference). Also, sleeping in a recliner at a 45 degree angle as they emphasized really helped fluid drain away from my face. I didn't have a recliner available to sleep in after my first two surgeries. I was very impressed by Dr. Feller and his technicians. I can relate to him also because he has various engineering interests as do I by profession. He has a bit more agressive approach than I was accustomed to, but that is pretty much what I was looking for at age 37 and what is most probably my last large strip (I have average to slightly below-average scalp laxity). The donor pain is by and large gone now (definitely consumed more Vicodin than previous times). This was the first time I had to get shaved down and will try to sport the 2-week buzz-look at Christmas. I go back to work Christmas week on day 11 and hope to get away with a hat because most everyone is on vacation. That way I hope to squeeze out 3 weeks before being nudie-headed at work. I got some ideas from others on here to try to pull this off without going "full disclosure" and have ordered ProThik (for scar camo), bought pure Aloe Vera (help with redness), and Mederma (minimize scar). I've used DermMatch to cover previous HT surgeries as well as Toppik (which I use as low-density camo all the time and love it) and will try whatever camo combo works. I've never had to deal with a buzz-cut and this presents new challenges, but hopefully I can pull it off. Hey, I got away with the first two HTs without a soul suspecting and have to at least try again -- but I really don't care much if I have to tell people either. In conclusion, if anyone out there has other fast-recovery tips or any questions for me, please append away. Peace all. GratefulHead

Forest179, I am 3.5 months post-op from my second hair transplant with Dr. True in Manhatten. In May 2003 I was progressing toward a Norwood 5A with thin coverage over the whole top of my head (non-uniform 20%-40% my teenage mid-scalp/crown/vertex density) and the right-side of my front hair line was super-thin. Since I have dark brown hair and a somewhat fair complexion, I had A LOT OF SEE-THRU under good lighting. My donor density was below average, but I have the positive qualities of pretty coarse and wavy hair. I had 1503 FU grafts transplanted in June 2003 for coverage and 1309 more 3.5 months ago to add density. I am very pleased overall so far! I'm starting to see my second transplant really begin to grow in and I certainly have enough hair from the first transplant alone to look TOTALLY fine at this point regardless. I can't tell you how sweet it is not to be self-conscious of a bald crown/vertex when sitting down out in public any more! My life has been enhanced considerably! I attended a dinner party with several friends on day 4 post-op HT #2 with only Toppik to hide the scabs (left baseball cap home) and no one noticed a thing! Trust me -- my one friend definitely would have said something if he noticed!!! Instead, he complimented me on my appearance! I know it had a lot to do with my hair because it was the main thing that was different. It made me laugh on the inside I was forced to go Ceasar-style (kind of like Rusty in Ocean's 11 -- although I'm hardly any Brad Pitt) to cover the hair-line scabs and it resurrected a look I only wear occasionally. I did not think it was possible to be so presentable on Day 4 post-op with all those scabs!! I've had a very good experience with Dr. True and do recommend him. I'm so looking forward to the next several months of growth!! It is not an understatement to say Dr. True (and Finesteride) have significantly elevated my quality of life by reversing my hair loss and pretty much eliminating that area of self-consciousness. I hope this helps. GratefulHead