JohnH

"Time tested" probably wasn't a good choice of words in my earlier post. I'm not against FUE, I am even seriously considering it as I now have limited donor hair. Also, in the near future, FUE may become standard procedure as more doctors start to do it. I'm probably just jealous of the people who have had these fantastic megasessions with incredible results. Had I waited until now to have a procedure, I would go with a large session and would choose strip due to cost considerations.

NewYorkGirl, I found this very informative web site while trying to find info about a new book called "The Hair Restoration Revolution". The web site has several research papers regarding female hair loss. Click here to go the web site. They also list several doctors that are in the New York area. I hope this can help you.

DeadCactus, I'm sorry you never got a reply back to this post since you included a very interesting picture. I'm curious about how your shock loss went. Did it eventually stop? Have most of the hairs grown back along with the grafts?

I would go with a strip procedure. FUE is twice as expensive and is not time tested. In other words, who knows what FUE recipients will look like in their golden years when the hair around the ears starts to thin. Your situation sounds a lot like Bluesman's. He recently had hairline work - search and you will find pics. With your thick hair, one thin strip in the back will be totally unnoticeable. Just my opinion.

Shannon, I'm not a doctor but I thought that I would reply to your post to let you know that you are not the only one that this has happened to. 13 months ago, I had a follow-up procedure which was supposed to thicken up the front 1/3 of my head just behind the hairline. I have either gotten no results or less than 10% survival. I too would like to know what happened. My best guess is that the "technician" butchered the grafts when separating them. Here's the funny part. The clinic (MHR) told me at 5 month and 8 month check-ups that I just needed to wait for results to come in. Then at the 1 year check-up, the doctor said the grafts grew in but that I have continued to lose hair. At 6 months you should be getting some results. I hope that you get some results or at least find out what happened.

The literature that comes with Propecia now states that "some" users may experience swelling of the lips and other areas. It doesn't tell you what to do if you have this swelling. That's why I talked to my general practitioner about it. He said to avoid it because swelling of tissues could be dangerous.

BelgiumDude, I think that most ethical doctors are going to want you to wait until you are 25. Hang in there with propecia if you can.

I did a search for Dr. Keene and found her website which is a pretty good one. She has a page entitled Prices, which says grafts start at 5.00 and go to 3.60 depending on size of session. Click here to go to her website: Dr. Keene's website

I cut and pasted this from one of bverotti's posts. Here is a link to the website I am building on my experience with Dr. Jones in Oakville. He did 2100 FUE on me earlier this month. FUE meggasession I am still working on it so check back from time to time.

Badboy, I am in the same boat as you. I cannot take Propecia on a daily basis because after a couple of weeks or so I start getting itchy. The first time I tried it, after about a month, I got bumps all over especially around my lips - real attractive. When I quit taking it, it took about another month for the reactions to go away. You need to get it out of your system. I'm not a doctor so I can't tell you what to do. You certainly can talk to your dermatologist but I would also talk to your regular doctor.

I've been reading that flaxseed oil is good for hair growth. I'm going to start taking it daily. It's supposed to be good for a lot of other things such as lowering the risk of heart disease, lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. I found this at www.wholehealthmd.com - "The abundant omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed oil have been shown to contribute to healthy hair growth (in fact, low levels of these acids may cause dry and lackluster locks). Hair problems exacerbated by psoriasis or eczema of the scalp may respond to the skin-revitalizing and anti-inflammatory actions of flaxseed oil as well."

TS808, you are right about the lighting - it makes it very difficult to tell. It appears about the same - just more reflection of light in the pic on the right.

Baldboy, have you gotten new growth from your HTs? I was reading some of your earlier posts where you stated that you were disappointed. I have a similar situation as you. I have had a couple of MHR HTs. The second HT was pretty disappointing with very slow(if any) growth.

Purpella, I have a problem with your post. You state that Avodart has caused increased thickening of your hair. You have been on it for what, 2 weeks? I think you are seeing the very good results of Dr. Albert's work. From the pictures, it looks like your HT hair grew to a decent length before falling out like most transplanted hairs do. Your results are also from the other procedures and drugs that you have listed. I am happy for you that your hair now looks very good. I just don't think the results are from Avodart which I understand is a rather expensive drug. [This message was edited by JohnH on September 14, 2003 at 07:28 AM.]

I have not ordered anything from this Indian web site so I cannot attest to its legitimacy. But you might want to check it out. The URL is www.drugs-one.com. They have generic proscar for 49.66 for 60 pills. Finpecia is also very cheap. I was going to order from them but my doctor has advised me not to take finasteride since apparently I am allergic to it.

That explains why it looks so natural! Looking again at the pic I see some slight redness. I'm noticing that a lot of people either shave their head or get a buzz cut before the procedure. Is this something that the doctor requests or is it simply by choice? It does make for better pictures but doesn't it also make it obvious that HT work has been done?

I just had a physical and had a long chat with my doctor about propecia and proscar. Apparently, I am allergic to finasteride. I have tried using it twice now. The first time I got itchy whelps all over, especially around my lips - real nice. I just recently decided to try once more but have been getting itchy again - the whelps are on their way. My doc said to stop taking it. I'm just going to keep getting HT work until I have no more doner hair left. I've had 8 procedures to date but some of the first ones were only 50 grafts.

This isn't a very scientific answer to your question but this is something I have noticed. Every time I have decided to go on a health kick and lift weights I notice more hair loss. Every time I get serious about lifting, after about 2 weeks, I start seeing hairs everywhere. It has really stopped me from working out on a regular basis. I feel that I look better with a head of hair rather than semi-bald and ripped. So now I just lift occasionally.

It's really looking good! You've got to be happy with the results so far. At this point it looks very natural which is what we all want right? It looks like Dr. Jones does very good work.

I agree with Smoothy - keep them moist. I have a small spray bottle that I fill with salt water. I boil the water first in the microwave, then add salt (sea salt from the grocery store is better). Then you can spray your head all day long if need be. Be sure and wait until the water is no longer really hot (duh).

You're probably doing the right thing by putting medicine on them. I'm not that patient. I sterilize a pin and gently poke the bump. Then squeeze the you know what (pus) out of it. It is usually gone a day or two later.

Joe got his HT many years ago and has spoken publicly about it. He got the transplant when he was managing the Atlanta Braves so it was around the mid 1980's. Pluggy grafts were state of the art at that time. I should know. I had my first session with Dr. Chambers in 1983. Fortunately, the work was on my crown area and not the hair line. Within a couple of years the grafts became very noticeable as my hair continued to thin. I wonder if Joe is even aware of the advances in HT technology? He could definitely benefit from some FUE blending.

You were smart to schedule plenty of time off. Anyone who thinks they are going to be comfortable at work 3 days after a HT is really taking a chance. You really need around 7 days of just laying on the sofa with an icepack handy.

I'm thinking about trying propecia/proscar again. I tried it about 3 years ago but developed a rash so I stopped taking it. I've got a 1 month supply and if I don't have a reaction this time then I hope to continue with it. I checked out the Drugs-One website. I'm wondering if you ordered from them and did you get the product as promised? The company is in Bombay India. The price offered is by far the cheapest I've heard of - 60 tablets of 5mg generic Proscar. If split into 5 pieces, this would be a 10 month supply for $46.99. I'm surprised that more people aren't asking about this since it appears that there are a lot of propecia users on this board. So, Kourion or anyone else - has anyone recieved a shipment from Drugs-One.com? Are they legit?

Son of a Plug, The above pic of your HT is excellant. Any new pics so we can see your progress?