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1. Saw Palmetto can have all the same side effects as Propecia. "Natural" does not mean a guarantee there will be no side effects. I have also heard of VERY few guys saying that Saw Palmetto did anything for their hair (and who knows if it actually did). 2. If you are going to use Saw Palmetto anyway, you want Saw Palmetto standardized extract, not just Saw Palmetto Berry or Berry Extract. The standardized extract is more potent.

Heh, you bumped my thread. I was trying to show that for the average "newbie" guy, trying to pick a good hair transplant doctor by using the same criteria you use to pick a 'regular' doctor just doesn't work!!! If you want your tonsils taken out, then you want a guy who's been taking out tonsils for a long time. You can ask your family doctor for a referral, and you will probably be in good hands. Those "common sense" requirements don't mean a thing, when you are looking for a hair transplant doctor!!! Some of the WORST hair transplant doctors have: - been doing hair transplants for a long long time - written their own book, or written lots of articles - belong to several impressive organizations, even holding "high office" - won "hair transplant awards of excellence" - appear on TV, newspapers or radio as official "experts" - etc NONE OF THESE MEAN A THING! In the "normal" medical world, credentials like that might be a sign of quality... not so, in the hair transplant field! It's like Bizarro World where the normal rules don't apply. Hey, I wonder where the Jebster is now? If I remember right, he was a big fan of the Minigraft (ugh).

I've had some body hair transplanted via FUE (a few doctors might remove a "body donor hair strip" do NOT do this). FUE removes each graft individually. It seems like it works however it is too soon to say how well. Basically it is a very new technology with only a couple of doctors who are able to do it. It's only good for repair cases where rthe patient has ZERO other options. In the future, once it is obvious how well it works and what the long-term implications are, then it may become mainstream. In the meantime, if you are not a repair patient I recommend you take a wait and see attitude. I've heard of a few non-repair guys who have gotten body hair transplanted recently, as a result of "hair greed". In my opinion these guys are gambling and gambling with hair transplants is not smart!!!

Hair Transplant issues for the younger patient Why you should avoid the standard Mini-Micro approach I'd like to see 'consumer advocate" type articles that try to instill realistic expectations. There are a lot of good research papers out there that relay this information (you have some good papers in the research library here). It would be good to have articles that summed them up and brought their findings together in one place, and explained it in language that everyone can understand. Some guys don't have the time to read all the research, or maybe they can't boil down the scientific conclusions into practical info they can use. For example there is a great paper by Bernstein and Rassman that mathematically explains why Minigrafts don't result in more density, just bigger spaces between grafts. Minigrafts do have a lot of density (within the actual graft itself) however this does not add up to density as far as your total coverage. They are also an inefficient way to use your donor hair, based on the fact that each graft excedes the "50%" visual guideline. However the paper that explains this is long and may be too deep for some readers to absorb.

My email address is in my profile, but I will email you now. There are 2 basic schools of thought: surround the bad grafts with good grafts to disguise them, or remove the bad grafts and divide them up and recycle them. (or a combination of those together, based on the area of the head). A lot of your strategy will be determined by how many bad grafts you have, where they are on your head, how much donor supply you have available, and how much (if any) natural hair you have left.

Are you in Japan? (or just curious). If you are in an area where there are no doctors listed, then you have to make some extra effort. I strongly recommend that guys do enough research that they actually "become their own expert". This way, you can know what to look for, what to watch out for, what are the "hard" questions to ask, and so on. There are hundreds of unknown doctors doing hair transplants, and the best way to avoid a problem is to do extensive research about state-of-the-art approaches. That way you can sift through the average doctors, and find the ones who excel. Education is the best way to protect yourself, and it raises your odds that you will be satisfied later. New guys are encouraged to spend the time reading up, and should dig deep.

Somehow "conservative" approach is looked down upon. As long as the doctor is doing the all-Follicular Unit transplant (Ultra Refined Follicular Units) then "conservative" means the doctor is trying to protect you from getting messed up. The last thing you want is an "aggressive" doctor who doesn't mind "pushing the envelope". Most of those docs are loose cannons and they put your appearance in jeopardy. Unfortunately, many guys don't realize that they made a mistake with their HT strategy until a few years down the line. The "aggressive" doctor has nothing to lose (in fact they usually make more money by going aggressive). The ill-informed patients tend to rally around them because these doctors appeal to their fantasy that a hair transplant "can do it all". It's the patient who gets burned, when things don't turn out exactly as hoped, with an "aggressive" approach. It sounds like you are on the right track and approaching this intelligently, by researching and also asking a lot of good questions (not just on the net but also during your consults).

Click on his user name to view his profile. Some guys list an email address when they register to post here.

Both Propecia and Minoxidil can halt your hair loss or slow it way down. If you stop using it, your hairloss will resume. Sometimes, it almost seems like the hair loss practically jumps to where it would have been before, as if you had never taken any Propecia or Minoxidil. The short answer is Yes, you do need to continue using any drug you take. If it's working, then why would you stop? Yes, it is a serious concern to get on any drug for long term use. However undergoing a hair transplant is even more serious than that.

Steve, I have had over a dozen repair surgeries and I can't honestly tell you that there is a clear-cut path to take. Even for the first time patient, everybody is different, and if you are a repair patient than it adds another level of complexity, because who knows what you are dealing with repair-wise. My list of "great" ones is very very short, it could be totally different than another guy's list. Just picking a great doctor does not mean it's all smooth sailing if you are needing corrective surgery. It is a hard path and success can be nebulous or elusive. Finally, I try to never tell anyone which doctor to pick, because I don't want to feel responsible if everything didn't go as well as we all hope. Hair transplants are imperfect and none of the doctors are perfect, and then there is the issue of lowered expectations in the case of repair. Ultimately it is your decision, hopefully you can get some information here as grist for the mill but at the end of the day you're the one who has to decide. I would just research the hell out of this, really really deeply.

Duly noted... one satisfied Sword customer. Seriously, this is the first time I've heard anyone say something good. Mostly I've heard he's like a smaller version of the big franchise hair mills. I would never say it's impossible to get a satisfying result at any clinic. Even the WORST clinic can do some okay or even good results. But would you choose a clinic if you knew that your odds were like 50-50?????? "I don't think so!"

Dr MacVaugh works for NuHart now, they are a hair mill in my opinion. That means they are big on advertising, and not so big on getting good results. I do know one guy who was involved in a class action lawsuit with NuHart, but there were so many guys splitting the money up that in the end it didn't turn out to be all that much of a refund. What does that tell you? I was just looking at the NuHart website, they are down to 4 or 5 U.S. clinics now and a couple overseas, which means they are dying, that's down from a dozen clinics a few years ago. They couldn't even cut it in the hair mill business, which is pretty dismal when you aim low and then can't even succeed at that. MacVaugh used to work for Cleveland Hair Clinic, one of the worst clinics of all time. They did terrible work and they also lied to patients. I know about that part first-hand, although MacVaugh wasn't my specific doctor I would recommend that you avoid any alumni from Cleveland Hair Clinic like the plague. I think they are crooks, your milage may vary.

You can try backing off to once a day, and you will still get "some" benefit. That may be less irritating. Some guys find the Propylene Glycol in most Minoxidil formulas to be irritating. You may want to look around for non-PG formulas (you would need to mail order that I believe). Minoxidil always irritates my scalp too, sooner or later.

Yes, the donor area can be susceptible to hair loss too. Most of the doctors claim that your donor area is permanent and will last a lifetime, however this is often not true. Look at the donor area on anyone over 40 or 50 years old and you will see many guys have thinned back there (if they had hair loss to begin with). It is definitely a concern if you have aggressive hair loss. I had aggressive hair loss and am essentially a Norwood 6 (with a tranplant). I take Finasteride to try to retain my donor area from miniaturizing any further. The donor scars are already see-through and I don't want it to get any worse. It's not that unusual for guys like me to take Finasteride in order to retain as much hair as possible. There is a HUGE difference between the Norwood levels, when it comes to grafting requirements and coverage. I am a 6 who is trying not to become a 7. I advise guys to think defensively and do what they can to keep as much "original" hair as possible. If you are a Norwood 3, try not to let yourself get to Norwood 4, and so on.

Rogaine is a brand name for Minoxidil, they are the same thing. Propecia and Minoxidil do need to be maintained, otherwise you keep losing hair. They are not a CURE for hair loss. Only a CURE would prevent hair loss in the future, even if you weren't taking it. Hair Transplants are also not a cure for hair loss. You will keep losing hair after your hair transplant (not the transplanted hair, I mean the other hair). Some guys are surprised to find that out, I don't know why. Not everybody wants to take the drugs, but if you have some hair left to save, then I think it is worth it. Propecia is the easiest and most effective (one pill a day). It blocks DHT from forming. Minoxidil is not as effective and not as easy, but it may be worthwhile, especially in combination with Propecia. Minoxidil is a growth stimulator. Minoxidil helps prevent hair miniaturization (which is what hair loss is... long term miniaturization). It's kind of a hassle to use topicals, in my opinion. You are supposed to use Minoxidil twice a day, but there are some guys who only use it once a day, too.

Great point. The patients of clinics who use outdated techniques will never have a clue that their clinic wasted their precious donor hair. Even the clinic might not know they wasted hair, for example, if the techs were not using microscopes. Some of your donor supply would wind up in the waste basket, and you couldn't possibly know the harmful consequences. Then a few years down the road, a doctor will tell you "Gee Bob, I'd love to be able to help you out with some more grafts in that thinning area, but you don't have any donor supply left".

If Minoxidil irritates your scalp then look for a brand without Propylene Glycol (you probably have to order this, most brands use PG. Some guys find PG to be very irritating. Nothing is as effective as Propecia, except maybe combining Propecia and Minoxidil. What these two drugs do best is help you keep the hair you still have. It's harder to regrow hair than it is to save the hair you still have. On the positive side you are still young and your hair loss is still recent. Maybe you will be an excellent responder. It may be worth trying Propecia for a year or two, then re-assess your situation. Also LOTS of musicians shave their heads nowadays, including LOTS of heavy metal guitar players. You always have that option too. Don't let hair loss interfere with your music or anything else you do in life.

Thin wispy hair doesn't cover as well as coarse wiry hair. As someone noted, it takes more grafts for the guy with the wispy hair, just to get the same amount of coverage as the guy with coarse hair. That can be a problem because hair transplants are a numbers game, where you usually start off with less donor supply than you'll end up needing. There are certain characteristics that a guy can have, that make him a better candidate for a hair transplant. <UL TYPE=SQUARE> <LI>Coarse hair (instead of thin, fine hair) <LI>wavy or curly hair (instead of straight hair)<LI>high donor density (lots of 2s, 3s and 4 hair units, instead of mostly 1s and 2s<LI>Hair color and skin color are similar<LI>You already halted your hair loss with medication<LI>you have frontal hair loss, instead of crown loss or all-over diffuse loss<LI>You can afford multiple surgeries<LI>You don't expect a transplant to take you back to Norwood One appearance (no hair loss)<LI>I'm sure I am forgetting more You can still get a transplant if you don't meet these criteria, but the more good charecteristics you have, the better potential you have for good results. I think it's important for guys to have a realistic idea of what their potential for good results will be. I bet a lot of guys would think twice, if they knew ahead of time that they will not get a WOW hair transplant result. If your hair is very fine and you already have serious hair loss then you will probably not get a wow result. That doesn't mean a hair transplant is forbidden... It depends on the guy. Would you be satisfied, and still be glad you did it, if the best you can hope for is a "good" result (not great or wow)? Not everybody is an ideal candidate, and they certainly can and do get hair transplants too. But it just helps to know what you're getting into. Think about it. By the way, if you still have a lot of hair left, the second doctor may have been concerned about shock loss. The surgery can sometimes accelerate the hair loss, of any "at risk" hairs you have. It's good to stablize your hair loss and stop it from progressing, before undergoing surgery. That might explain the second doc's recommendations. Some guys are so desperate about hair loss (or the clinic is so desperate to make a buck) that they will go ahead with a hair transplant even though to the "trained eye" they clearly won't get a good result. That's not a good situation. By the way, you never lose anything by putting off a hair transplant until later. If one doctor advises you to hold off and use Propecia, then you might give that a whirl and see where it leads you.

You're on preventative medicine already? Have you already stopped your hair loss from progressing, with Propecia? If not, you should probably get on it, like 2 years ago already. Some guys like Minoxidil too, I think you should only add it if necessary. Minoxidil's kind of a hassle and you have to be willing to do it pretty much indefinitely. So I don't always rush to suggest it, like I do with Propecia (some guys don't want to use Propecia, it's okay. No skin off my nose). Propecia is the easiest, and also the most effective treatment. Think about cutting your hair in the recipient area. If your surgeon asks you if it's okay, say yes. If you already know that he doesn't care one way or the other, hmmm. Bottom line, talk this part over with the doc. Some docs think that moving your long hair around during graft placement slows things down, but it also may put some unneeded stress on those hairs too. Ask about that one, if you don't already know how your clinic likes to do it. Those are two things that immediately spring to mind. I don't know if swelling is a factor (?) It may be, I don't know. Shock loss is kind of a wild card with a lot of unknowns. If you have already stopped your hair loss with Propecia or Avodart, then that is probably the #1 step you can take. Another thing that probably helps: don't smoke.

Fabe You can click on someone's user name, then look at their profile, find out when was the last time they posted etc ("view all recent posts" I think) You can also get some peoples' email addresses that way, if it's part of their profile. Usually if a guy hasn't posted in a couple of years, he isn't hanging around to answer questions. This thread is over 2 years old. If this guy is lucky, Propecia worked for him, he skipped the hair transplant, end of story.

Avoid Dr. Horace MacVaugh, in Philadelphia. This guy is a dinosaur who should have stopped doing hair transplants years ago. I don't know why some of the old timers don't just hang it up already.

3 months for the dormant phase is average, so that means some guys a little less time, some guys a little more time. Remember that your hair only grows about a half-inch per month, too. So it gets off to a slow start. This fellow should stay on Propecia and Minoxidil (just follow the directions). It doesn't help to stop and start on your treatments, just stick with it. Ideally, you have stablized your hair loss BEFORE any surgery, because otherwise after surgery you could be hit harder with shock loss. This fellow sounds like he is going through a shed. It could be shock loss, it could be a shed from Propecia, it could be that his hair loss is just going full speed ahead (it could be all 3 combined). If it's a shed from the meds, then ideally all that hair will come back strong. Quitting the meds now will probably just kill any hope of that happening. The best thing is to stick with the meds, take care of your grafted scalp, stay healthy (no smoking for example) and hopefully he will pull through. Oh yeah, you can get better results than Bosley if you shop around, too.

You're right, I don't think you can police techniques through legislation. The dinosaurs in the field will say that the results they already get are "good enough". What we can expect to be policed: Stop breaking the law (for example salesmen "playing doctor"). Stop lying to patients with false advertising ("the natural solution to hair loss"... "No one will ever know it's a hair transplant unless you tell them"). Stop misleading patients about the surgical aspects (It's like going to the dentist). All I want is for doctors to start telling the truth (the whole truth) to patients, and start acting like legitimate doctors and not like used car salesmen. Somehow, that is considered a fringe viewpoint. You would think that's what the doctors want, too, but it's not (with a few exceptions of course).

Don't pick based on convenience. You were already disappointed once. Spend a few weeks or a few months researching. Which doctors could legitmately be called the World's Best? Who has the best reputation for the work you need? Only a small number in any field can legitimately be called the best. There are not dozens of "best" hair transplant doctors, in my opinion, unless you use a loose definition of what the term Best means. Read up and think things over. Become your own expert. Who looks like the best to you? Pics are helpful, but only to a point. You have to see what the patient looked like before hand, too. Pics do not usually show all angles (respect the doctors who do). Some doctors have even put concealoers in patient's hair, to make the results look better. Some guys get good results from Propecia, adding to their hair transplant results. Don't base everything on pics. Patient feedback is helpful to a point. But some patients gush over a doctor before their results are grown in. Some patients have lower standards than you. Some patients may not even be patients at all (who knows). Don't base everything on patient feedback, either. The doctor's website may be helpful, to a point. You may get an idea of what the doctor's philosophy is. Does he concentrate mostly on sales, or mostly on patient education? But some docs do not put a lot of effort into their website, maybe they don't put a lot of stock in it, or haven't updated it for years. Don't base everything on the doctor's website... Really, there are a bunch of things to sift through. Outside advice only goes so far. I wish it was easy because there were lots of great doctors, which would make getting a great hair transplant easy. It's not like that, at all.

Call the state's attorney for whichever state you live in. They are supposed to protect consumers from being ripped off. Just google search the name of your state and the words states attorney and the website should come right up, with their contact info. Every once in a while, I hear people say that problems in the hair transplant business are a thing of the past. That is simply not true. Don't lay down and do nothing, complain loudly until you get your money back. Another option... many local news channels have consumer advocates ("Seven On Your Side" etc). Call your local media and see if they can help you.