arfy

Be careful, there are a lot of similarities between LASIK and HT... big franchises using outdated methods, salesmen on staff, undisclosed potential risks and complications etc. Just because you get LASIK surgery doesn't mean your eyesight will be perfect... you might still need glasses. Many patients complain about dry eyes after surgery. And if I recall correctly, I believe that LASIK can sometimes correct your farsightedness, while wreaking havoc on your nearsigtedness. These are just a couple of things I remember off the top of my head... One of the signs of a good candidate for LASIK surgery is "you are a risk-taker", another sign is that you don't rely on having good vision to earn a living. YIKES. There's a really good informative website about potential problems with LASIK at www.surgicaleyes.com Lots of good info there for people who have had problems with LASIK, people who are considering LASIK, etc (including forums). They are a support group and advocacy group for people who have been damaged by LASIK. LASIK is not that old, and yet this group has gotten the FTC to monitor the industry, and raised awareness about bad LASIK clinics in the media (see 'our accomplishments') I wish there was a similar group for people who have been damaged by hair transplants. HT is a MUCH older field and I read that over ONE MILLION guys underwent plug grafting. There is still a need for a "Surgical Eyes"-type group for HT patients. For example, every time a guy comes on the site looking for information on corrective HT surgery, he has to start over from scratch, learning about what his options are. Anyway, look around on that Surgical Eyes website, it is packed with information.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>It would not really make a difference if he did get a mature hairline implanted now instead of later. It would matter a lot, if a guy got a lower hairline placement at a younger age, because he still had more hair at the time of his surgery. Let me say it a different way... sometimes when young guys want a transplant, the "correct" placement of their HT hairline would be higher than what they currently have(!) Age is not the only factor, but it is a big big factor nontheless. I believe it was Dr. Jones who commented, that when very young guys get a transplant, his age factor raises the odds that he will be disappointed later. I'd bet this is common to all clinics. <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I'll offer this up ..FUE thins out the existing donor site..we all recognize that...Strip doesnt... Of course it does. There's no such thing as a "free lunch" in the donor area. When you close the gap, FU groupings in the donor area are not going to be spaced as close together. Granted this is a subtle effect, especially if the donor strip was small, but strip surgery is not a free lunch. A small point, but something that people need to realize. [This message was edited by arfy on February 28, 2004 at 03:03 PM.]

I recommend that you avoid Dr. Carlos Puig at MHR (Medical Hair Restoration) in Houston and Austin. Actually, you should avoid any of the big franchise clinics. They don't use the latest techniques, and they pass the high costs of advertising back onto you, the consumer. So your hair transplant at a big franchise is not going to be the best quality OR the cheapest.

It's likely that your numbers are part of your chart at the clinic. When they dissect your donor strip, they keep a running count as they separate the various grafts. the one-hair grafts go in one dish, the 2-hair grafts go in another dish, etc. These numbers get added up, and the tech tells your doc the totals, so he can create the right number of recipient sites. Of course this is how it happens at an all-FU clinic. At a hair mill, there's a chance that the opposite happens: the doctor tells the techs 'I want 500 single hair grafts, 1000 2-hair grafts, and 500 3-hair grafts'. In other words, the techs do not cut the grafts according to nature, but according to what the patient paid and what the doctor tells the techs to do. But I digress... It's likely that the graft tally is part of your records.

In my opinion, surgery should always be the last resort. If you can make do with what you've still got, I would just go with that.

It's not just one or two surgeons who can perform dense packing. Depending on the guy, dense packing may not be a good way to use grafts. Dense packing uses up a lot of grafts that may be better off being used elsewhere, or saved for later. Remember that there is a balance between density and coverage, most guys can't have lots of "both". Spend your donor hair wisely. As far as the second pass for added density, some doctors believe in doing "stand alone" procedures. That means if you should never get another transplant, your current HT will not look bizarre. You may be referring to doctors who want to cover a fairly large area in the first pass that can stand alone, rather than doing smaller areas of higher density (which may not be considered "stand alone" procedures). Second passes on a stand-alone procedure might just modify and add to the first stand alone pass, sometimes. It's just a matter of different approaches and opinions.

You should be able to put grafts in front of and around that scar. Please do some research and make sure you pick a "world class" doctor to this work. Only a handful of doctors do consistently excellent work, in my opinion. You want to use only Follicular Unit grafts, probably all single hair grafts. If your hairline is the only place you need work, you may want to look into FUE. Most hair transplants take a "donor strip" from the back of your head (which creates a scar in the back). The FUE technique moves solo grafts one by one, and does not require a donor strip. I would recommend that you investigate the use of FUE. If you do a search on FUE you can find a list (and more info) about FUE doctors. Or post your approximate location, just in case you are lucky enough to be close to one of these doctors, someone may give you a recommendation. If you are careful (smart) you should be able to cover that scar beautifully. But pick your doctor carefully.

Make sure you are not rushing into your HT removal, just like you should not rush into a HT. Don't jump from the frying pan into the fire.

Neck hair may not be permanent. It's not considered part of the pernmanent donor area. It's not where I would turn to for donor hair, unless I was desperate. BelgiumDude I provided a visual aid to show you the area that people call the temple points. The temples are a different area. Please, I spent hours on that pic, please don't tell me you didn't notice. No, that is not me in the pic. I wish I had a fraction of the hair that guy has.

Everyone wants you to have good results, including me. Especially me. I've had bad results from a doctor who now works for MHR, I know how bad it can suck if it doesn't turn out good. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Stick around and keep posting from time to time. There are occasionally hit-and-run posters from MHR who have made asses of themselves. Show up around the forums more than just this once, and you will find that folks will welcome you. There are some helpful people here. Stay calm and heal well.

Ah, it's the Minoxidil that makes the hair look different... "not shiny" like the before pics. Thanks for clearing that up. Congratulations to you and your wife on your new arrival. By the way, I'm sure you already know this, but don't let the baby handle your hair when there are meds in there.

Every once in a while I see blatant spam from someone claiming to be a patient from MHR. They always talk about how they "get lots of dates now" ever since they got their hair transplant at MHR. That must be in the MHR company handbook. But maybe Buttercup is legit and it's all a coincidence. I hope so. But a bunch of guys in the past turned out to be MHR ringers.

The first post is overly blunt but is on target in many many respects. Doctors who haven't built themselves a good reputation yet want to work at these big franchises, where there is a built-in clientele. It's hard for one guy to do the surgery, talk to prospective patients, run the office on a day to day level, AND worry about advertising the business. A big franchise takes some of the burden off, and supplies a steady stream of complete newbies who saw the TV commercial. These guys are like lambs to the slaughter. Whether the consultant can convert the sale is another issue. In return for reaping the rewards of the national advertising, the local franchisee kicks back a certain percentage to the main office. An established doctor might possibly make more as a solo operator, but hair mill work may be more dependable. A lot of the doctors are new and still need to pay off their med school. Other docs are burned out and just want to show up every day and coast along. Many of the doctors in this field just are not very talented, and sometimes not all that smart. They just want to do something to make money with their medical degree. Medical school was expensive and it was a lot of hard work.. they figure that now it's time to start getting PAID. Hair transplants are a good choice because it's a cash-only business, with no red tape from HMOs or insurance companies. Regarding the consultants... many will ask what your income is, and make medical recommendations based on the size of your wallet. An interesting experiment would be to go to a hair mill consultation, being a good candidate with marginal income. See how fast they hustle you out of the office, once they realize there isn't going to be a commission because you can't afford it... or will they try to sell you 50 grafts at a time? The comment about telling unsatisfied patients that they need more surgery is right on. That's the clinic's answer to every complaint... you just need additional surgery. [This message was edited by arfy on February 15, 2004 at 10:53 AM.]

Those "temple point" hairs are right out in the open. They have to be fine and soft as possible, otherwise it looks "off". I don't know if I would put body hair there. If I was going to use body hair, I would mix it in with regular hair in a place that wasn't right there up front, as a part of my face, the way temple points are. I would put body hair in the back, etc... Not in the hairline. The temple points are just as critical as the hairline. Don't use 2nd choice grafts there, unless it is absolutely necessary. What if body hair goes gray at a different time than your head hair? Then it wouldn't match. There are a lot of unknown variables with body hair. The temple points add a nice detail that gives extra realism. On the other hand, you can't afford to screw those up. Be careful. [This message was edited by arfy on February 15, 2004 at 10:25 AM.]

One thing that females like even less than a bald guy, is a guy who looks like he has a hair transplant. Choose your doctor carefully.

10 to 12 weeks dormant phase is typical, with some guys taking longer. After that, hair begins growing at it's typical rate, about a half-inch per month. Do yourself a favor and look into the importance of using microscopes, which I mentioned. I don't have any specific information about Dr. Reese, but Minigrafts are considered outdated. There are some scientific papers that explain why all-FU grafts are superior in the "hair Transplant Articles" section (back on the home page) or read this which is a condensed explanation: "Best_hair_transplant_procedure"

The grafts are below the surface, that is the part to be concerned about. If you have some crusting etc I don't think it is going to affect follicle growth. I would recommend that you follow your doctor's instructions to a 'T' but on the other hand, it doesn't sound like you are in trouble here... sounds normal.

VeryVain First goal for you should be to stop your hair loss from progressing. Are you using Propecia and Minoxidil? If you want a hair transplant to make a perfect hair line, you may be disappointed. Ever hear the phrase "You can't fool Mother Nature"? In general, guys should not get a hair transplant as a first response to hair loss, or for a trivial amount of hair loss. Only get a hair transplant if you already have significant hair loss. I'd be curious to see pics, if you want to post them. Be careful, there are only a handful of doctors doing consistently excellent work.

Getting a HT isn't like having your tonsils removed... there are a whole bunch of ways to do it, and only a handful of doctors do consistently excellent work. You will need to seek these excellent doctors out, or you risk getting a mediocre result. Philadelphia doesn't seem to be a hotbed of HT talent. Which 3 doctors did you see? Avoid Dr. McVaugh in Philadelphia, he is not good.

In my opinion Dr. Puig is one of the all-time worst doctors in the field. He helped invent the big franchise "hair mill" system where advertising is more important than results. Before Bosley started in 1974, there was Dr. Puig's Cleveland Hair Clinic in 1973. His franchise was the world's biggest hair mill for many years. Dr. Puig performs all kinds of radical and bizarre scalp lifts and flap procedures, and is proud of that. I've heard that Dr. Puig has improved a little, and "he's not as bad as he used to be." Does that sound like a recommendation to you? Dr. Puig has damaged many many guys, including me.

I'm not a "cosmetic surgery kind of guy". Even if I could start all over again with a top doctor, knowing what I know now, I probably wouldn't do it again.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I first visited Gene for a consultation in December, 2002. He was very professional and did not pressure me at all. Even Dr. Reese stopped in to take a look at my head. I'm not sure why you are surprised that a doctor would help do your medical examination? The doctor should have done the whole thing, in my opinion. Any clinic that does not use microscopes may be wasting some of your precious donor resorurces. When microscopes are used to dissect the donor strip, graft yield increases by a reported 20 to 30 percent. As a patient, this is something you will not see or know that it is happening. It is a "hidden" mistake that clinics make. The only way you will know this graft wastage happened, is later on down the road when a doctor tells you that your donor supply has been used up, but you still need more grafts. I recommend that you ask your clinic if they dissect your grafts with microscopes. If not, look for a clinic that does. My understanding is that none of the MHR branches use microscopes, even though their benefits are well-documented. You might post some pics if you feel like it. By the way, nobody criticizes MHR for kicks. We all wish that they were doing top-notch work, did not have questionable sales practices etc. I'm glad you had a good experience at MHR, nobody ever said it was impossible. I don't think Wade Boggs' transplant looks very good. Ive seen worse, but I've also seen better.

Do you have any concealer in your hair, in the after pics?

First, be sure that the Dr. Shapiro you are referring to is RON Shapiro. I hear there is a Lawrence Shapiro who is not so good. Dr. Leonard should have a record of how many grafts they did. It should be in your records. If they did not bother to keep track of how many grafts were done, that would be sloppy and a bad sign. You said 1300-1700 will be satisfactory. That is not a huge number of grafts, although it sounds like a lot it may not make a dent (depending on your amount of hair loss). It can take thousands and thousands of grafts to make an impact sometimes, depending on the patient. I am just wondering how you decided on that number? If a consultant said that, disregard their estimate... they usually underestimate (lowball) as a way to get your business. I dislike consultants and prefer not to talk to them, and talk directly to the doctor instead. To be fair, a few clinics that do good work have consultants (Dr. Shapiro does too). Your consultant should not book surgery, make a diagnosis, recommend a number of grafts, or anything else that is the domain of a trained physician... it is illegal for a consultant to play doctor. I haven't heard good things about Dr. Leonard in the past. If you say that your grafts look natural that is good. That should be your main concern. "Density" is secondary and most guys should expect only a light coverage when they are all done, not a big mop of hair. It will still look like you lost some hair, but kept some too. My recommendation is that you look at additional doctors, including doctors who are not in New England. If you want really specific advice (from me or anybody else) it helps to have a photo to refer to. You may want to send your photos around to doctors who do work that you admire, and get their advice. THAT'S how I would shop for a hair transplant, not by picking someone within driving distance. Choose someone who does consistently great work, even if they are located in Timbuktu. PS- Confirm that whatever clinic you pick uses microscopes only... no "loops".

Hi Jerry MHR is a big franchise. They are not known for using the most modern methods such as microscopic dissection or the "all-FU transplant" (see the section of the website "Best_hair_transplant_procedure" Ask Dr. Kurgis if he uses this exact method... I suspect the answer is no. Some of the MHR doctors could be called mediocre at best. Also, they spend millions on advertising, and those costs are passed on to you. So they are not the best transplants, and they are also not the cheapest either. Only a handful of doctors do consistently great hair transplants, in my opinion. I recommend that you seek these doctors out, and be willing to travel to see them, the same way you would travel for a great HEART transplant. The average hair transplant looks like an obvious transplant and is worthless, in my opinion. Do yourself a favor and get it right the first time, so that next year you aren't back here asking for advice on corrective surgery like a lot of the guys here (including me). Use the search button near the top of the page to search for "MHR" and you can read about them in detail.