arfy

I think he wants you to buy Gary Null books and vitamins. If his approach works, then there must be a whole bunch of Gary Null fans out there who have duplicated his success... where are they? I happen to be a big fan of vitamins and supplements (the basics... Vit. C, B complex etc). I also know that the supplement industry is notoriously chock full of fraud, scams, bogus claims etc.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>I feel that my opinion of Dr. Katz will be more accurate and forthcoming when I am at about 6 months and I'm really noticing the thickness of the growth etc. Like I said, I am enjoying seeing my new hair come in, but it's not fully grown in or thick yet, so I can't determine whether or not I am fully satisfield. Good answer. I think it is responsible of you NOT to recommend Dr. Katz except based on issues besides results (like you did). A lot of people think it can take a year (or more sometimes) for a transplant to mature, so be patient. Dr. Katz' dislike of "megasessions" is old school and possibly out of date, but on the positive side if he thinks he gets better results with limited sessions then he is to be commended for working 'within his strengths'. However 1600 grafts is a small or medium-small session by the standards of today's few top doctors. It may be more efficient to do larger sessions as there is some loss (waste) of donor hair whenever removing the donor strip. Obviously you can't have an unlimited-size session but it is fair to say that many doctors are going well above 2000 grafts with ease. On the other hand, your satisfaction with the size of your donor scar "might" be based in part on your doctor keeping a limit on graft numbers. I don't mean this as a knock against Dr. Katz, so I hope it doesn't come off that way especially if his motivation is to protect his patients. The bottom line is that you are satisfied, that would make me happy too. I just wanted to point out that 1600 is considered a "low ceiling" by some, and that the theory that going higher is dangerous or counterproductive should not hold true, with an experienced doctor. However consistency counts for a lot (!!!) and maybe Dr. Katz feels he is playing it safe and protecting as many patients as possible this way. That's a "good thing" as Martha Stewart would say. To the original question... It's not surprising that you were impressed with your visits to Bosley, MHR and NuHart, because these big franchises specialize in salesmanship (and less so in impressive results). You can do much better, just realize that it is hard for a rookie to figure out which clinics are good and which clinics are not so good. Stick around, start reading the rest of the website, ask questions, etc. Hair transplants aren't like getting your tonsils removed, where there's basically one way to do it and only one final result. You would be wise to look for a doctor who could be called the best in his field and travel to see him, not unlike you might travel to get the best HEART transplant. It's unlikely that a world class HEART transplant can be found at the local mini-mall (althouigh some guys are lucky to live close to a great doc). Since your hair is the first thing people notice about you, and since you will live with your hair transplant results for the rest of your life (for better or worse), I recommend you take your hair transplant as seriously as a heart transplant. I recommend that you find out about the "all-FU" transplant (read the article "Best Procedure" ) which is the most natural looking approach. The clinics you mentioned do not use the best procedure, at least they didn't in the past... maybe that has changed. If so they are new to that technique. Ask any doctor if they do an "all-FU" procedure, and if they use stereomicroscopes to dissect the donor strip (not magnifiers, I mean real binocular microscopes as pictured in the link I gave you). Ask any clinic to show you the microscopes (in action, if possible) and if they don't use them or don't generally believe in the all-FU approach, look elesewhere. What you don't want is a "mixed graft" approach (called Vari-grafting at Bosley) where large numbers of Minigrafts are used behind the hairline. Even though Minigrafts are not as natural looking as an "all-FU" transplant, these franchise clinics rationalize that "only the front hairline needs to look completely natural". (In my opinion, the WHOLE HEAD needs to look natural!) But Minigrafts are faster for the big clinics than the "all-FU" approach, so they make more money by choosing the faster less-natural-looking approach. i would read up before making any further appointments, so that you can ask good questions during your visits, and make informed decisions.

This is the first time I've heard of a doctor wanting to be paid in cash before surgery. Ever hear of something called "Check Guard"? Stores can use it to confirm that a personal check is good... that is, if they are worried about that type of thing.

I'm not a doctor but since nobody has replied, I will offer a reply. I would suggest that you continue what you're doing and see if you can halt the progression with your current approach. You started back on Propecia in October, you need to give it ample time to show it's effects... it is not instant gratification. Good luck.

Guys can lose hair in the donor area as they get older. Look at any senior citizen (male) they often have thin donor areas. So the hair in the donor area is NOT necessarily permanent. This may be another reason that guys should consider Avodart or Propecia (which supposedly work all over your head, not just in certain zones). Another thing: Most of the transplants being done just 5 years ago were not good (in my opinion) with very few "all FU" transplants and very few clinics using microscopes to dissect the donor strips. Many of the doctors doing FU transplants today (and they still aren't the majority yet) were NOT doing FU transplants just 5 years ago. As a result, as the patients of these doctors continue to lose hair (remember that hair loss is progressive) these patients will tend to look worse over time, than a guy who had the "gold standard" all-FU procedure. Unfortunately most of the doctors in the field still don't use microscopes and still don't use an all-FU procedure. Bottom line, get an all-FU transplant because that will tend to look better than other procedures (Minigrafts, mixed grafts, "Varigrafting") even if you continue to lose hair. And stopping (or drastically slowing) the progression of hair loss is crucial, whether you get a transplant or not.

Hi Bonzo I also had bad results with Dr. Puig when he was working in the Chicago area (he works for MHR in Houston now). My results were incredibly bad. Did you meet Dick Malmin (Puig's salesman)? That guy is a creep and in my opinion they should both be in jail right now. Can you email me at hairtransplantdisaster@hotmail.com? I want to ask you something specific about your experiences, if possible in private. You can find out more about my experiences by searching on "puig' as subject and "arfy" as author. (the Search function here is valuable, guys!) Puig messed me up pretty bad, and I am still trying to get back to a normal appearance. Thanks Bonzo.

I think this bears pointing out: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>The breakthrough came in 1952, when Norman Orentreich, a dermatologist at New York University, transplanted circular plugs of hair-bearing skin from the back of the scalp to the front. The result wasn't pretty, but it was a start. Through the years, surgeons transplanted smaller and smaller plugs in more natural, scattershot patterns -- until 1988, when Dr. Bobby Limmer , a dermatologist in San Antonio, Texas, showed that individual follicles could be transplanted and grow hairs. Got that? It took 36 YEARS before the doctors on the field figured out BASIC PHYSIOLOGY of the hair and scalp. Kudos to Dr. Limmer but it also speaks volumes about the lack of ethics and talent in most of the other doctors working in the field, up until he came along. Sorry if this is ranting, but 36 years to make that kind of basic progress is absolutely disgraceful.

I forgot to mention that Dr. Gho is not the first doctor to try getting a "2 for 1" by splitting the hair follicle... NuHart used to advertise that they did a similar process (not via FUE, but splitting a follicle after removing a donor strip) and I believe that one of the MHR doctors did some research into splitting follicles, with mixed success. (Avoid any clinic that has "mixed success"). I don't know if MHR ever offered it on a widespread basis, I doubt it. None of these clinics mentioned are recommended, in my opinion...

No. Hair loss is genetic. A guy who is lucky enough to not have the Male Pattern Baldness genes can use all the hairspray or mousse in the world and he still won't lose any hair. If you have the genetics for hair loss, the amount of hair spray you use is not going to make a difference.

Nobody is doing real hair multiplication at this point. What Dr. Gho does sometimes is to purposely split the donor hair when he removes it (Gho uses FUE, and harvest each graft individually). Some of the follicle is left behind, where Dr. Gho believes it sometimes regenerates a new follicle. Read that again (!) Gho BELIEVES that SOMETIMES a follicle is regenerated, at the spot where a follicle was removed in the donor area. He doesn't know for sure how often this happens, it is all extremely vague and I am not convinced that this actually works very often (if ever). Also, when you split the follicle, it's typical that the resulting graft grows in wispy and thin (if it grows in at all). It's very possible that instead of getting "2 hairs from one" you wind up with a grafted hair that has NO GROWTH. Ever hear the term "transection"? What Gho does is transect the follicle in the root area on purpose. In my opinion transection (splitting a follicle) is a bad thing and should be avoided. I haven't seen any (!) impressive photo results from Dr. Gho and I think it is risky (and foolish, possibly) technique to be splitting hairs in this way, without solid proof that the split graft will actually grow. Guys, anybody can MOVE hair grafts from the back to the front, but unless those grafts yield GROWTH then you have wasted money and precious donor hair. My advice is to let Dr. Gho practice his theory on other guys, and go with the doctors with proven results instead.

I saw a new infomercial for MHR on TV the other night. They said a hair transplant could restore a full head of hair. This is physically impossible, as a transplant just moves hair from the back to the front. Once you start losing hair because of male pattern baldness, you will never have the same amount of hair again (a "full head") unless you are one of the lucky guys who actually regrows their lost hair with Propecia and Minoxidil (NOT as a result of a transplant). A hair transplant does NOT restore a full head of hair! Why are doctors at MHR spreading this misinformation? Also, the commercial said a hair transplant was "the natural solution" for hair loss. There is NOTHING "natural" about a hair transplant. A hair transplant is as "natural" as a face lift is. Is a face lift "the natural solution" for wrinkles? Somebody should sue those creeps for false advertising. I suppose that I would maybe care less about this if I thought MHR were getting really great results, and were treating their patients ethically and responsibly. Good results speak for themselves, and the doctors who get good results don't need to rely on exagerations and false claims, in order to drum up business.

I saw a new infomercial for MHR on TV the other night. They said a hair transplant could restore a full head of hair. This is physically impossible, as a transplant just moves hair from the back to the front. Once you start losing hair because of male pattern baldness, you will never have the same amount of hair again (a "full head") unless you are one of the lucky guys who actually regrows their lost hair with Propecia and Minoxidil (NOT as a result of a transplant). A hair transplant does NOT restore a full head of hair! Why are doctors at MHR spreading this misinformation? Also, the commercial said a hair transplant was "the natural solution" for hair loss. There is NOTHING "natural" about a hair transplant. A hair transplant is as "natural" as a face lift is. Is a face lift "the natural solution" for wrinkles? Somebody should sue those creeps for false advertising. I suppose that I would maybe care less about this if I thought MHR were getting really great results, and were treating their patients ethically and responsibly. Good results speak for themselves, and the doctors who get good results don't need to rely on exagerations and false claims, in order to drum up business.

Vineet After the grafts are transplanted, the hairs typically go into a dormant phase that lasts about 12 weeks (as Smoothy said). You should have known that and expected that to happen, but obviously didn't. Somebody is not doing a good job of explaining the process BEFORE the surgery, and that's not good...!!!

James Your plan doesn't make any sense (letting all your hair fall out, so you can get a transplant). You are better off trying to KEEP the hair you still have, by using medications like Propecia or Avodart (in my opinion). There is not enough donor hair to just replace everything with transplants. Even if there was, that would cost you a fortune. Also, a transplant won't look as natural or as good as your original hair... your original hair pretty much always looks best. Instead of just letting your hair loss continue to advance in a "free fall" try to put a stop to it, or slow it w-a-a-y down with medications. Look at it this way, you can get dentures and tooth implants. Should you just let your teeth rot on purpose, so you can replace them with tooth implants? Wouldn't it be better to prevent tooth loss, by taking care of your teeth? I suggest you try to prevent further hair loss, and hopefully avoid ever needing a hair transplant. And anyway, even if you decide to get a hair transplant, the more original hair you can keep, the better your transplant will look.

Good luck Steve! Heal quickly.

If you are still a Norwood 2, I would try to stop the progression (and maybe even grow a little bit back) with medications like Propecia or Avodart. I would not get surgery at that level of hair loss. As far as your younger brother, he's part of your gene pool, isn't he? Won't he have the same issues to contend with eventually?

Big improvement from where you started. It's no longer shocking, as someone else said you look like a guy with hair loss (not like a guy with a bad HT). Repair cases can be multi-stage processes, you seem to be off to a good start by eradicating the transplant look. Grafts that are placed in scarred areas can emerge slower than they would for a first time patient. Also, recycled grafts can take longer to emerge. You have both scarred recipient, and recycled grafts. I would wait until you are at least one year out (or even up to 2 years) before you decide certain grafts did not grow. If you still have some donor hair available, you should be able to make additional improvements. Congratlations on your current upgrade though.

Hey Steve My comment was supposed to be a joke... since Pat runs a hair transplant website... where did he hear about Dr. Rose... Admittedly it was not very funny, and I guess it was not even apparent to others as a joke. Next time I will leave the comedy to the professionals. I do notice that Dr. Rose gets consistently good feedback. Good luck Pat.

Damo I saw your pics briefly, they seem good. I am sorry if I was overly harsh there.

I've heard good things about the scalp exercises in the donor area, in order to loosen the scalp pre-surgery. No, you don't have to do it post surgery. After surgery, you want to avoid putting any tension on the donor area, for several weeks. Tension can lead to forming a larger donor scar. The reason to do the exercises is to develop laxity (looseness) in the donor area, which can help avoid a problem with the donor scar. I would definitely do the exercises.

LT Since you mentioned "another" hair transplant I assume you already had some work done. I haven't had a strip, I had the big punches done, and FUE too. FUE procedures are much easier to heal and recover from than other procedures (including strip, from my readings). I recommend that you meet with Dr. Feller if you are interested in his services, and get specific advice in person. If you want FUE then you should get FUE. (Many guys want the least invasive techniques). 500 grafts is not enough for a big visual impact. It could certainly help but it will be a subtle change at best. Dr. Feller used to post here, maybe he will answer.

Olsjar Don't get a transplant until the time you actually need one. If your purpose is to conceal all evidence of hair loss, then you probably have an unrealistic expectation about what your results can be. Some guys do get these kinds of impressive results, but they are not considered average. If you are still in the earlier stages of hairloss (Norwood 2 or 3) then you are probably jumping the gun. Make sure you are a good candidate. You can still get a transplant if you are not an ideal candidate, but your results will probably not be as satisfying as if you were an ideal candidate. What makes someone a good candidate: <UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Mature emotionally <LI>Not getting a transplant out of desperation <LI>Coarse hair covers better than wispy fine hair <LI>Curly hair covers better than light hair <LI>Hair that matches your skin tone is better than high contrast between skin and hair color. <LI>You can afford multiple surgeries, can take time off, etc, over a period of years. <LI>You don't expect to restore your hair to pre-hairloss appearance <LI>You know what the best procedures are and who is doing the best, most consistent work <LI>Probably in your 30s, or 40s. Probably not in your early 20s <LI>Wouldn't die of embarassment if someone found out. <LI>I'm sure I am forgetting something. If you do decide to get a transplant, have modest expectations. Don't expect a lot of hair. Expect several surgeries over your lifetime, probably 3 at least, or (easily) more depending on what approach you take. It will not look as good as your original hair, but if you pick a top doctor it will be close enough. Become your own expert on hair transplants. Read everything you can, every article, every website, but keep a sense of skepticism. At some point you will start forming your own 'expert' opinions. See patients in person. Meet patients in your area and study them closely (hopefully guys with similar hair and similar hair loss as you). Eventually, meet some of the better doctors, strictly for informational purposes. At this point you have already started to make a short list of the doctors you're interested in. If you decide to get siurgery, pick the doctor who you can honestly say that you think is the best in the world at hair transplants. Don't pick someone who's just okay. Maintain as much remaining hair as you can, with medications like Propecia or Avodart. Transplants do not prevent future hair loss. You'll have the best overall appearance by maintaining as much original hair as possible, in addition to whatever transplants you get. Finally, think twice about going the surgical route. A hair transplant doesn't automatically give you confidence, or get you dates, or make you stop worrying about your hair. Sometimes a hair transplant can actually add to your hair worries, especially if you didn't choose a good doctor or had unrealistic expectations, or wasn't really a good candidate. If you are obsessed with your appearance because of hair loss, there is a good chance you will then become obsessed with your hair transplant. Do not obsess about hair loss. Many guys, if they had the chance to do it over, would NOT get a hair transplant again, even with todays improved procedures. I've seen guys write that their transplant was a success, and yet they would not go through the time, trouble and expenses of a hair transplant again. The truth is that there is nothing wrong with hair loss, it is perfectly natural and it is a trait like having freckles or being short. Is it better to have hair? Sure. But not everyone thinks it is worth resorting to surgery to try to correct, especially when the results are often limited. Self-acceptance is a good way to go, for those who can go that route. Hair loss really bugged me as a young guy, but now that I'm older I see it really doesn't make a difference for a lot of guys. Women care less after you get into your 30s, and even less after that. If you can keep your hair using Propecia or Avodart, that is better than surgery. In my case, I am not a "cosmetic surgery kind of guy". It doesn't suit me to worry about how my hair looks. But since hair transplants are permanent, that will be a life-long preoccupation for me now. (Many guys reading this will reject my 'think twice' advice. Please don't dismiss everything I said, just because you disagree with me about hair loss not being the end of the world. I won't mind if nobody wants to discuss 'not doing it' and instead wants to talk about how to get good results. I know that's what this website is for. However choosing to "do nothing" or not do anything surgical is a valid option and a good choice for many guys. Not everybody with hair loss should get a hair transplant!)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Giving you less grafts, and twice the price for those extracted already. How would it be twice the price, to pay for a strip after doing FUE? Lets say you depleted your donor area via FUE harvesting, it is unlikely but possible certainly. Then you decide you want more hair from a strip. How would that cost more? You pay per graft via strip, so why would you be paying extra for grafts that were already moved? The answer here is there's no reason at all why a guy can't get multiple FUE procedures, and then change his strategy later and get a strip. That seems like a perfectly reasonable approach, and not all that different then doing it the other way around (strip first and then FUE later). Maybe I'm overlooking something though?

If you had any remaining (non-transplanted) hair, you could be seeing the ongoing fallout of those hairs. A hair transplant doesn't stop the balding process (of nontransplanted hair). Or, as others mentioned, it could be a delayed loss of the transplanted hair as the grafts go dormant. 10-20 hairs in the sink is considered normal, even in guys without male pattern baldness. If I recall correctly, a guy with a full head of hair and zero male pattern baldness will ordinarily lose 100-200 hairs per day. (I think I have this right). Since you are post-op though, you should get some follow-up with your doctor if possible.

Good luck Pat. Say, where did you hear about Dr. Rose? I hope everything works out for you.