arfy

To elaborate on what Vocor said... A hair transplant is really just a specific type of skin grafting. It's moving bits of skin from the back to the front. The skin just happens to contain hair follicles. Hair transplant doctors started out by taking big pencil eraser-size pieces of scalp from the back, and moving them to the front, where there wasn't any hair. Then after about 30 years of crummy-looking results, some doctors with brains and integrity finally came along, and figured out that a hair transplant would look better by making the grafts smaller, and moving as little scalp tissue as possible (the Follicular Unit graft, trimmed under a microscope). These ethical doctors realized it was important to make the transplant look natural, and not just settle for having the hair grafts "survive". Up until then it was just big plugs and flaps, and Minigrafts (which are just smaller plugs, really.) So a graft is really a generic name for any little piece of tissue that gets moved from point A to point B. It could be any size and any quality, and be harvested in a number of different ways. As you may realize, though, it is the subtle things that make all the difference in the world, when it comes to hair transplants.

Give it at least a year, maybe more. In two years if you have "run out of progress" or if you had no results (but no side effects either) consider bumping yourself up to a half Proscar (2.5 mg Finasteride). Obviously you want to discuss this with your doctor first. There are some patients reporting that Finasteride can sometimes work better at a higher dosage. However, it is always a good idea to start at the minimum dosages. It's safer that way, and you leave yourself room to "grow". I think it's better to leave a few cards up your sleeve, as treating hair loss is a life-long effort at this point in time. In the meantime, give the 1 mg. time to work. You might want to take some good "before" photos you can compare every 6 months to. At some point you might consider adding Minoxidil, after some consideration. Good luck with that. Even if it just keeps your donor hair strong, it's worth it, in my opinion.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Is it just that it's such a new process that people want to wait and see? I think it is still a little "new" for the doctors besides Woods. This is not meant to discourage anyone from using those doctors. But in my opinion the North American FUE doctors are still in the preliminary stages. As always, one of your biggest concerns should be in minimizing the risks. By risks I mean risk of being dissatisfied. Unless you are really in desperate need of FUE immediately, I would let other patients report back with their results. I'm not only "saying" that, I'm also doing that (waiting) myself. And I can honestly say I DESPERATELY need help from FUE. The other issue is the potentially innappropriate use of transplants. Guys should still not use HT for little hairline touch-ups, in my opinion, no matter how the grafts are harvested. You should have a significant amount of baldness first, and you should opt for a mature recessed hairline when you get a HT, whether it is FUE or strip.

Personally, I would recommend against lowering a Norwood 2 hairline, pretty much at any age. -If you do lose more hair (at any age) you have a problem. -the ultra-low hairline is not necessarily age-appropriate. -For a Norwood 2, the surgery is not worth the expense, hassle and risk (see point 1). If I was Norwood 2 I would use Propecia and be happy. I would not get cosmetic surgery.

It means that a person with coarse hair will get much better coverage from their grafts than a person with fine hair.

Microprose You are correct in that the FUE procedure makes the "first big session" approach less important; certainly from a "donor conservation" standpoint it is not a factor, if you go for a non-strip approach. However, there is still the risk that you can place your permanent hairline too low (as a young "transplantee") and also that if you continue to lose hair, you will look odd with a strong and low hairline, and thinning hair behind that. FUE doesn't change that risk.<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I have yet to hear from a NW2 person who had a small touch-up FUE procedure performed complain on this website. There are no patients with enough growth let alone the years of post-transplant experience, unless they are patients of Dr. Woods. The risks I am talking about will not show up until years later, in some cases. Think of your transplant as a lifetime commitment. Even a crummy "dolls hair" transplant can look good for a couple of years. It's the long term perspective you need to remember. All I am saying is "be extremely careful". You really really don't want to make a mistake with a HT.

Yes, Dr. Woods does get discussed here from time to time. At one point there was quite a bit of discussion about Woods on this site. Things got heated and several of the people who were writing about Woods were banished. Pat (the fellow who runs this site) is admittedly not a fan of Dr. Woods. If you want to disuss Dr. Woods, have at it. In my opinion Woods is currently the most important doctor working in the field, probably, and there is probably not as much attention given to Woods in this forum as is warranted. Other people may feel differently.

Propecia can help maintain your hair and prevent it from falling out. Also, it can work anywhere on your scalp that there is miniaturization of follicles. It can even help prevent thinning in your donor area.

TexasNW2 Some of us are speaking from personal experience and years of research. If a guy wants to get a 500 graft session to touch up his hairline, that's his decision. But it is an inefficient way to use your limited donor hair. Using your limited donor hair wisely, is one of the keys to ending up happy, and not all screwed up. Also when a guy with a lot of hair left gets a hair transplant, he is at risk of shock fallout... the surgery can accelerate his hair loss. There is no guarantee that will happen, but no guarantee it will not happen either. Guys who use little sessions of transplants to touch up their hairlines are making a potentially huge mistake. The kind of mistake that can ruin your appearance. Guys should wait until they are at least a Norwood 3 and do a fairly large session of all FUs, if they are going to get a transplant.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Propecia and rogaine and these other darn potions won't do anything for me (i'm a NW 2). You tried Propecia and Minoxidil, and they didn't stop your hair loss from progressing? How long were you on Propecia? Just curious.

The active ingredient in the topical is Minoxidil. They add some herbs and other stuff you don't need, and jack the price sky-high. They have the nerve to advertise that it's "all natural" even though Minoxidil is what makes it work. Dr. Gordon, their spokesman, did time in the federal penitentiary for defrauding Medicare (or was it Medicaid?) He still owes the government a whole lot of money. There was a great "hidden camera" expose about Avacor on the news here, where the camera was chasing Dr. Gordon down the street. It was hilarious. Avacor has the nerve to claim 90% success rates when the success rate for Minoxidil is much lower. I've heard the Avacor "testing facility" doesn't even exist, supposedly. Propecia and Minoxidil are still the 2 medications that actually work. Save yourself some major cash and buy the generic Kirklad brand 5% Minoxidil from Costco. I've heard that Avacor sales are much higher than the sales for Propecia, which is sickening. It shows that slick marketing really does fool people.

It doesn't hurt to meet multiple doctors. I don't think it is always a good idea to go with the first doctor you meet right away. It helps to get a variety of opinions and decide who has the best long term plan for you. Who seems to have your best interests in mind? You might very well decide on Dr. Rose, but it's good to get a variety of input, in my opinion. I would suggest trying to meet some of these doctor's patients in-person. Try to find some previous patients who have similar patterns of hair loss as you do, similr hair charecteristics, etc. Then scrutinize them very closely.

Dr. McAndrews is describing a true FU transplant, where the donor strip is dissected under a stereomicroscope. (The average clinics do not use the microscope). This approach is what is also described here: http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/Best_hair_transplant_procedure/index.asp It seems like people are really getting the message: Microscopic dissection of FU grafts is the most natural looking, and the most efficient use of a person's limited donor supply. The new FUE procedures also use FU grafts exclusively, too. They are just harvested one by one, instead of removing a donor strip.

It depends on the doctor. Also, it appears that some doctors may be flexible with their prices, so ask each doc individually.

Did your clinic use microscopic dissection? Microscopes increase graft yields. Without microscopes, donor hair can be wasted. Also, experienced techs may do a better job of dissecting than inexperienced techs. Another factor is the length of your donor strip. Some guys get a donor strip that is 22 cm long (about 8.5 inches) so they will get a bigger yield. Who was your doctor? Only a handful of doctors are worth using, in my opinion.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>When I got there for my consultation, however, I learned that Dr. Riggs was no longer associated with this practice. That was my first red flag... no one mentioned this until I flew in for the procedure. Instead, the work would be performed by Dr. Michael Markou. I know nothing about this guy and he may well be a fine surgeon, but I want my work done by a world-class physician, not some guy trying to gain experience. You made a good decision, TeddW2ds. I'm sure it would have been a whole lot easier to just say "what the heck" and just went ahead with it. Smart move.<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I never even met with the doctor, only a consultant. This consultant, John Satino, was certainly a nice guy, very helpful and very informative, but I was leery about the fact that I didn't get to meet the doctor during my consultation. I called to cancel the procedure. I personally will never give any business to a doctor who uses a consultant, if I have to meet with the consultant instead of the doctor. Why in the world should I waste my time talking to a non-physician about my hair transplant needs? The consultant won't be there in the operating room during the surgery, to remind the doctor about everything that was discussed or agreed upon. I realize there are a couple of "recommended" doctors who use consultants in their office (Shapiro for example). I would never give my business to Dr. Shapiro if it was "required" that I have to talk to the doctor's salesman about my case, first. Either I can speak directly with the doctor who I am hiring, or forget it. If the doctor cannot make time to see me personally, I will use another doctor. I encourage other people to consider the same approach.

I would suggest taking some good photos of your hair. Then every 6 months take new photos under similar conditions and angles, and compare them. Otherwise, you are comparing your current status to a vague memory of your "before" status. I would also not pay much attention to the amount of hair in your shower drain. The hair goes through periodic cycles naturally, and you shouldn't use the shower drain to assess your results. The hat thing should be a non-factor. My 2 cents...

It can work on any area. The more recent the hair loss, the better. Some people say Propecia works "better" on the crown than the temples, but I wouldn't go so far as saying it "can't" work there. Look, if you are losing your hair you need to be on Propecia, unless you want to lose more hair. Keep your fingers crossed on regrowth, and use growth-inducing topicals like Minoxidil 5% on your temples. Please don't get a transplant if all you want to do is fill in your temples... transplants are really for guys with a large balding area, guys in an advanced stage of hair loss. If you are really Norwood 2, you are not bald enough for cosmetic surgery, in my opinion.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>what part of the head does propecia regrow hair? It can work anywhere on the head where you have miniaturization of follicles. It's not limited to any one area. It can even help protect your donor hair from thinning, if you are one of the guys who responds to it. You can find it online and some places do not require a prescription. I'm with 5Head though, it is nice to get it from a local source. Also, it could be a good idea to get it through your doctor. That way if you have any questions or complications, you already have someone to discuss it with.

like this (not actual size but close): proscar

I've never tried it personally, but I've heard it is scamtastic.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I'm just wondering if I were to take propecia and have my head shaved, Would that hinder the stabilization and regrowth of the drug. No problem. Think of Propecia as working at the "root level". The length of your hair should be irrelevant to how Propecia works.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Who is considered the best dr doing FUE work Dr. Woods is considered the best, even by the other doctors who do the FUE technique.

Dr. Unger is "old school" and has not kept up with the latest advances, in my opinion. He still advocates larger grafts behind the hairline (and not just a few largere grafts, I mean using larger grafts almost exclusively). Dr. Unger has spoken out against the all-FU transplant; Most of us think the all-FU approach is the most natural looking. Dr. Unger also criticizes megasessions. You can do much better than Unger, with a state of the art FU transplant. Best_Hair_Transplant_Procedure

Here are a couple of examples: http://www.hairlosshelp.com/hair_loss_treatments/hair_transplants/hair_transplant_repair_main.cfm