MarkV

I thought he did name the product. Otherwise, how would 40Something have known what the alledged product was? With respect to J25's conclusion that he couldn't have had a HT because he appeared in a movie with a shaved head, don't you think the makeup artists could cosmetically hide a scar? By the way J25, why the hostility? Ya know, they have medication nowadays for that sort of problem.

Rico -- You are not naive because of your AGE. You're naive because you haven't READ through this site yet. I'm 46 years old and I was as naive as you 4 months ago when I stumbled onto this site. Your statement that "Propecia is the best way for me to go," leads me to believe that you still don't get it. My point is that you don't know enough right now to make an informed determination as to the best way to go. I'm not discouraging you from getting a HT, nor am I encouraging you to do so. I'm simply advising you to spend a lot of time educating yourself so that you are aware of all the options available to you and have a feel for the risks and rewards associated with each of your options. Only then can you make an intelligent decision. There are many, many, many subtle issues that come into play in deciding what approach to take. BTW, many posters see your age and will automatically conclude that you are too young and should not get a HT at this time. I can think of circumstances, however, where IMO getting a HT at your age might be supportable or even advisable.

If a doc said "there is a 30% transection rate with FUE," he means that 30% of the FU's harvested in this manner would be damaged (or destroyed). There is a lot of debate as to which method (strip vs. FUE) will produce a better (lower) transection rate. I think Woods and/or his proponents claim that "in his hands" the FUE transection rate is negligible. The strip guys also claim that the transection rate is negligible in the course of disecting(?) the strip. The FUE guys, however, claim that transection occurs in the process of cutting out the strip. Hope this helps. [This message was edited by MarkV on February 05, 2003 at 07:19 PM.] [This message was edited by MarkV on February 05, 2003 at 07:20 PM.]

I can be a really abrasive guy, but I have done a pretty good job of refraining myself on public forums such as this one, until now -- Don't be a DUMB ASS! Don't ask for doctor recommendations. Don't go see doctors for consultations. Sit your ass down in front of your computer FOR AT LEAST 20 HOURS and READ, READ, READ, and READ the posts made to this site. Then take about 5 more hours and read the "Research Library" area that can be accessed from the home page of this site. THEN, if you still believe you are a candidate for an HT, and you still want some input about which doctors you should consult, THEN post an inquiry. Until you have spent the time R E A D I N G, you wont even know what questions you should be asking a doctor. You are VERY FORTUNATE that you found this site. Now, take advantage of it! See ya in about a week.

Hey Franklin -- Congratulations on taking the FUE plunge and best of luck on your recovery and results. Its good to finally hear from a real live Woods patient and it will be great to see the results in pics. Thanks in advance for posting them...I hope their great. In fact, I hope that their so good that they force those of us intending to get stripped to reconsider and, perhaps, convert to FUE-ism.

Danger, we are not getting much feedback from the docs these days. Too bad. Check out the post and pics of Kar in the photo section of this forum. Apparently his wearing a HP did not prevent the dramatic results he achieved with propecia. However, I believe his results are very rare -- lucky him. I also vaguely recall reading posts a couple months ago from docs who took the position that a HP will not adversely affect hair retention except for the traction in the areas where the HP is attached. (BTW -- I'm not sure I agree with this). However, your issue relates to hair regrowth induced by drugs, not hair retention. How old are you? You sound like you are in the situation I was in 9 years ago, when I started wearing a HP on my crown. I also had a pretty strong hairline and mid-scalp; just a very balding crown. Now, 9 years later, my hairline is barely a rumor and I am a 6. I think you're smart getting on the meds and trying to keep what you have and even restoring what you have lost. I went on minoxidyl(?) in the 80's, when it was brand new for a period of time (6 mos.), with no result. This experience instilled a belief that all these hair drugs were BS money making scams. I didn't know that propecia was for real until finding this site about 3 months ago. I started with proscar about 2 months ago. Good luck!

I acknowledge the risk that the restored temple area could become isolated (i.e., become an "island") if further hair loss were to occur. However, since the area potentially at issue is so relatively small, I suspect that even in this worse case scenario there would almost always be enough donor hair to resolve the problem, even if one had to resort to FUE. If, indeed, the placement of graphs in the temple areas will have a significant and positive affect on a person's HT results, the investment of FUs in this area may be an excellent utilization of one's limited supply of FUs. Arfy, you assume that my characterization of NHI's approach as "conservative" was meant as a criticism. This is not necessarily so. Their approach in avoiding the placement of graphs in the temple areas may be correct or may be bad and/or outdated (given the state of the art existing today). As a lay person, I don't know which is true. That is why I ended my prior post by asking the docs to comment on the issue. BTW, what happened to Dr. Feller?

bverotti -- Thanks for the pics. You look great. Keep up the good work! I also love your site. Who was the doc? He did a great job on your hairline...very natural. Happy New Year.

Hey Mehani: Glad to hear of your great results! Would you do us (and Dr Rose) a favor? PLEASE post some pics. I don't think I've seen any pics of Rose's work. I'm also a 6 and would love to see what kind of density I should expect after 1 session. Thanks.

I agree with Microprose. Your family history is an important factor to be considered. If you are likely to become a 6, I agree with Arfy. If, however, your father, brothers, maternal grandfather and uncles, etc. have only receded at the temples, you may conclude that it is more likely than not that your hair loss will not become severe and that you will have enough donor hair to address the likely future loss. This latter course involves risk. No one can tell for sure what your loss pattern will be. Personally, after reading the horror stories of those who are caught with insufficient donor supply, I would need a really stellar family history before taking this risk. Good luck.

I would suggest you post this question in the "Questions for Surgeons" section. Hope you find out the cause and can stop and restore the loss. Good luck.

Uncjim -- With all due respect to you and my fellow posters, I wouldn't rule out the hallucination angle. Can you describe for us your college experiences. Seriously though, what's the deal with ingrown hairs. Is this a common occurence and, if so, how bad is it and how is it best dealt with?

Great post. Thanks for all the info. Kinda funny/strange about the hat. I bet the security guys were sorry they asked. I'd love to see before & after pics 10 - 12 months from now. Here's hoping they're incredibly good. Heal well; grow well and happy New Year!

Paul -- Great post. I believe you nailed the point that needed to be made. You reported that your experience with Keene was great; but that you reserve making any final judgements or recommendations until your results become known. Best of luck on getting great results.

I don't know the specific no. of donor FUs. I have never had an HT. I am pretty thick in back. My "stylist" at the hair clinic has expressed surprise a couple times at how fast it grows and how thick it is. An MHR consultant checked the "excellent" box as to my donor density, for whatever that is worth. Bernstein concluded that I have 2.1 FUs per sq. mm. I think I read where 2.3 is average. Thanks for your suggestions relating to attaching the piece. However, I don't want to fuss with taking it on and off every day. I go to the clinic every 3 weeks for a haircut and a switch of pieces. The thing is glued on so tight that I couldn't take it off even if I wanted to. The clinic pours some type of solvant to loosen the glue so that it can be removed. Therefore, I can bathe, swim and get caught in a hurricane without any worry of it coming off. It does loosen a bit after about 2 weeks so that I can slip my fingertips under the edges of the piece and sometimes it might shift a bit toward the back (e.g., 1/4 inch) which requires me to slowly and firmly ease it forward a bit so that it abutts the hair I have in front. As it loosens, the cosmetic effect worsens. When it is first put on, it is as tight as a drum and is virtually undetectable (I think). I can't imagine that this could be achieved with snaps, tape or any other method. I believe the looser the fit, the more detectable my deception becomes. I don't understand your comment about the glue being messy. The stylist just applies it with a paintbrush to both my scalp and the piece. She attaches the front and then pulls it taught toward the back and lays it down. I wonder whether you would have been less adverse about wearing yours if you had attached it with the same stuff and the same manner. Sounds like its a moot point now. Don't get me wrong, I would love to rid myself of it. But it would take at least 2 procedures and very possibly more. Thus, the final result would be 3 or 4 years away. Furthermore, without wearing a piece, I would be left with a bald or balding crown, which is where I was when I first got the piece 8 years ago. Thanks and best regards. [This message was edited by MarkV on December 14, 2002 at 11:21 AM.]