kman

You should get as many grafts as you can but never more than you need. Rahah is a top notch surgeon and he'll advise you best on this based on hairloss, donor availability, hair characteristics, etc. From your pics tho, I would say 4000 seems higher than you would need. Talk to Rahal when you see him and let him know your goals and he'll give you an honest assessment. Good idea to keep doing those scalp exercises, just in case. All the best.

Anything over 1 year would be an unusual case. I would say it's not unusual for numbness to last around 6 months, maybe longer. In my own case, numbness lasted around 8-9 months on my previous HT...hard to say exactly when...I just remember one day not feeling the numbness anymore.

Yeah, whatever. Unfortunately I'm married and been with the same woman for over 25 years so I wouldn't know about any of that. I MEAN FORTUNATELY!!! Jeez woman, I wish you would stop looking over my shoulder when i'm on here! Now, where was I? Oh yeah, never mind...

I had my HT with Rahal in March 2008 (2590 grafts). I experienced some shockloss and you can view my blog to see how it grew back over the months. In Canada you need a prescription for minoxidil(Rogaine) that my GP doc filled for me. In the US you might be able to get Rogaine over the counter. If you decide to get on Rogaine you will have to stop approx 2 weeks prior to your HT with Rahal and then resume again approx 2 weeks after surgery. Yeah, I noticed that your scar was a bit low and going that low can increse the likelihood of scar stretching, although Rahal's trychophytic closure of the wound would help conceal any scar. The other option might be to take the donor strip a little higher on the head and use some of your grafts to "fill in" the old scar. He's a world class physician and whatever he decides will be in your best interests.

I was in a similar situation back in March. I had previous work from another doc in the hairline and later had further recession along the temples and overall thinning. I still had a fair bit of native hair in the front third of my scalp and wondered same as you about planting grafts amongst native hair. With an excellent doc like Rahal I would not be worried about transection of existing follicles. You may experience some temporary shockloss of native hair in the first month or so but that usually grows back after a few more months. If you aren't already on minox and finisteride you should look at going on these meds asap as they help strengthen your existing hair and improve the likelihood of any shockloss being just temporary. If Dr Rahal can take your donor strip from the same area as your existing scar you should see that old scar disappear as your new scar will be barely noticeable once healed He uses a trychophytic closure method which allows the hairs to grow out of your scar, thus helping to camoflage it. One last thing, you should look at doing some scalp exercises if your scalp is tight as this will allow for a greater yield and less tension on the new scar thus keeping it as thin as possible. Check out my blog for an idea about planting around native hair. All the best! Kman

Hey ALDO, With the amount of grafts you had placed and your existing native hair you should have a fantastic result. I wouldn't worry about shockloss too much as Dr Rahal is great at planting amongst native hair. Like yourself, I was a diffuse thinner with a fair bit of native hair and I did have some temporary shockloss but it came back in a few months. Until then I just kept my hair buzzed so that any shockloss wasn't very noticeable. I think our hair loss situation is quite similar and I am thrilled with things to date. Hang in there and you'll see an amazing transformation begin in just several months. All the best! Kman

I suppose it's like any service you buy, be it legal advice, your car insurance or the person who renovates your home. You definately don't want to do it based on price alone. Rather, you want to feel comfortable with the person and that they understand your concerns and goals. You may like their work or had a recommendation. It's all very subjective in my opinion, but price should be at the bottom half of your list. I don't recommend nor like overpaying, but I always feel that you get what you pay for. I, for one, would be concerned that I was offered a good deal on an upcoming heart bypass operation lol.

ah, Montreal in the summer....nothing quite like it, especially "people"(women) watching from a sidewalk patio while having a cold one. One of my favorite passtimes. I am actually going to be in Montreal on that date, but I'm there partying with a group of friends and my absence that evening would be hard to explain...particulary since none of them know about my HT! oh well. Have a blast guys. Maybe I'll spot you at one of Montreals nite spots...you know the kind I mean.

wishicouldgoback, how did i just read your opinion if the mods delete opinions they don't like?? Bill, and some of the others have been very sympathetic to your situation so, no need for sarcasm, innuendos and exaggerations. Another question might be how were you able to get a HT at such a young age...you are still a teenager, correct?? Just kidding. It's just that this discussion seems to be degenerating into something I expect from forums populated with teenagers. I'm just trying to make a point with humor so I hope you can take it. If not, fire away...I can. I am sorry you had a bad experience and I'm not diminishing it when I say I am happy with my experience and expect to be down the road as well. Your experience will not cause others to turn away from viable options to evercome hairloss, or any other cosmetic procedure to improve thier appearance, for that matter. It may be vain, but that's up to each individual to work out for themselves. Besides, we're all a little vain in one way or another. I hope you find some peace with your situation. I for one am curious about what happened in your case and think it might be of value to you and this community to share what happened, hopefully with pics. I think you would get support and possibly some options, if you were interested. No offense intended and i wish you all the best.

Thanks, Bill. Having been on here for awhile you would think I would know better not to judge things too soon. When it comes to my own situation somehow i'm less objective. I'm looking forward to the next several months. Thanks again.

Hi. Sorry to hear about your hairloss. It's not as common as hairloss with men but it does happen to lots of women and there is help out there. With young men a hairtransplant is discouraged until they are in their mid 20's and preferably later so that the future extent of his hairloss can be better determined and the proper approach taken. It wouldn't be wise to use up most of his available hair from his donar site to build a nice low hairline and his hair continues to recede behind the newly planted grafts. I'm not sure if the same concern exists for woman as most women only experience thinning on top and recession around the temples...not the completely bald pate some men end up with. Dr. Raymond Konior is in your area and you should check out his website as there are many before/after pics of women he has done hairtransplants on and they are great transformations.It wouldn't hurt to get a consultation and he can answer more of your questions in greater detail and determine if you would be a good candidate at 19 yrs of age. You should also look outside your local area to get additional opinions but the important thing is to go to a skilled physician, preferably one who is recommended on this site as they have been vetted already. This is if you decide to go the hair transplant route. You may want to ask your own doctor or a dermatologist as they may offer other alternatives. Try not to stress about it, do your research and i'm sure you will make the right choices for yourself. Good luck with it and take care.

Hi. I'm now 4 and a half months post HT and curious about transplanted hair growth. Generally speaking, when can someone expect all the transplanted hairs to have made an appearance on your scalp and any further improvement is strictly thickening of the hair shaft? Do you still get hairs poking through for the first time after 6 months...8 months? I'm concerned about some thin areas on my scalp(in the recipient area) where I'm not sure hair shaft thickening alone will be enough to cover this up. Too early to worry, I know, but I still am curious about the above. Thanks for the advice.

Hi. I'm now 4 and a half months post HT and curious about transplanted hair growth. Generally speaking, when can someone expect all the transplanted hairs to have made an appearance on your scalp and any further improvement is strictly thickening of the hair shaft? Do you still get hairs poking through for the first time after 6 months...8 months? I'm concerned about some thin areas on my scalp(in the recipient area) where I'm not sure hair shaft thickening alone will be enough to cover this up. Too early to worry, I know, but I still am curious about the above. Thanks for the advice.

I hear people recommend that young men(late teens/early 20's) are not good candidates for a hair transplant as their pattern of future loss is not yet evident. I agree with this approach but what about an older person(say 40) who is now experiencing hair loss and wants a HT. Is it any different for that person since it could be argued that his future hairloss pattern is not yet evident either? I'm curious because I notice 2 of my brothers are experiencing somewhat rapid, significant diffuse thinning just now in their late 40's and who knows where it could end up...NW5...NW6? Also, I had a HT in my 40's and am wondering the same thing...where will I end up. I suspected I would not be too bald down the road as my father still has most of his hair and we have similar hair characteristics. Btw, another brother lost most of his hair in his early 20's and that's why I figured in my 40's that I would not see significant further hairloss. Now I'm not so sure. So, how is someone in their 40's now experiencing hairloss any different than someone in their 20' going through the same thing? Both have finite donar supply so is it still ok for the guy in his 40's? Will the 40 yr old never see the same amount of hairloss as the younger person might?

Not trying to discount your concerns. It's a nerve-wracking time leading up to a decision on who you let loose on your head. FYI, I had my hometown doc (not Rahal) place grafts in my first HT and I was happier with the result from Rahal's clinic with his highly trained techs planting the grafts on my latest HT. I think the skill of the physician comes into play with the strip harvesting and the making of the recipient sites so they mimic your existing hair angle, etc. Also, if you are doing a larger session you want those grafts in your head as quickly as possible (IMO)to improve the graft survival rate odds. Sometimes that necessitates several people at once working on your head planting grafts. I'm not suggesting Rahal isn't monitoring the planting closely and if I recall accurately(i was drugged up) i remember him planting some grafts near the end. If you're not having a mega session and you go to an elite physician, it's not a bad thing having the doc place the grafts...but it's not necessary for an outstanding result. This is all subjective but I wish you all the best, whoever you choose.

I too was initially worried about how an online consultation worked and how accurate they could be. My previous small HT was in my hometown and the doc just looked at my head and said yeah, you would be a good candidate, but nothing was said about the # of grafts needed, etc. That was back when I was less informed. For my next(and hopefully final) HT I looked outside my area and found Dr. Rahal. His online consult form asked more questions about my hairloss condition than my hometown doctor. I also sent several photo's and spoke with Adrian at the clinic. Dr. Rahal would have talked to me directly but I was comfortable emailing Adrian with any subsequent questions I thought of. I would not be at all concerned about using online consultations. More important is going to an elite physician, even if that means travelling outside your local area. The top doctors have been doing this for a while and can tell a lot from the pics and online consultaion form. In my case Dr. Rahal recommended 2000-2500 grafts based on my pics and when I arrived at the clinic I was told I would require closer to 2500, but I was already budgeting for the top end of 2500. Afterwards I was told i had 2590 grafts but I was only charged for 2500. In my case I was happy to have that many grafts placed as I wanted good coverage, so overall, from online consult through to present, I have had no surprises and am very happy with the experience. Hope you find this reassuring.

Hey vincehair, I had my procedure in March with Dr. Rahal and I believe I was his only patient that day. He did have 2 patients scheduled for the following day but still had time to see me for a post op checkup before flying. After consultationj with the Doctor he gave me the meds and needles and harvested the donor strip and made all the recipient sites. I then had 3 great techs plant the grafts(and several more harvest the strip), but the doctor came in throughout the day to monitor my progress and report on how the graft harvesting was going. Dr. Rahal is definately "hands on" and would be an excellent choice. I am 4 months now and it looks like this will be it for me but if I had to get another HT there's no question I would go back to Rahal.

Thanks. I guess I have no more excuses, huh? JK. I've been doing a pretty heavy cross training routine since 1 month out to keep me sane and in shape for my return but I have been avoiding bjj based on recs I've read on here about contact typr sports. Bottom line...I plan on starting back next week. Thanks again for the advice. BTW, did you see Rickson Gracie in the latest Hulk flic? I still think he could compete in the UFC but more likely i'm just projecting my own fantasy of a another late 40's bjj'r.

Healthy body = healthy mind. I suffered from anxiety since i was young so i have always been a big proponent of exercise to reduce stress(cuased by worries, work, or MPB). Nothing takes your mind off a problem than hard exercise, but exercise can also help you put a worry in perspective...at least that's how it worked for me. Quite often i would discover a solution to a problem while I was working out and not being so focused on the problem. Plus, it's hard to worry when you're sweating! ta, I read somewhere on here that you do bjj and i was curious when you started training after a HT. I do the same sport and am 4 months post ht and am anxious to get back but worried about getting put in a headlock by some newbie and stretching my scar. Am i safe to restart training?

PGP, I might have watched one or two episodes, but that's it, I swear! Dewayne, I think it might already be a freebie since they have limited means, plus alot of suppliers offer their goods and services free in return for the publicity on the show, which is quite popular...or so I've been told. I wouldn't know since I rarely watch.

Thanks, Bill. Good to know.

My wife watches this reality show about a couple who had twins and then had sextuplets. If anything could make your hair fall out it would be having 8 children all under 5, which brings me to my comment. My wife said on last nights episode the husband went to a transplant doctor to get a consult and have the HT. I'm hoping he goes to a coalition doc since if he gets butchered it might scare off some people considering it, that is if any men watch that show . On the flip side, if it looks great in a year it may help people to go for it. Has a lot of potential, one way or the other.

Any idea when it would be safe to use grecian formula or "just for men" products on transplanted hair. I'm almost 3 months out from my HT(2500 grafts) and would like to get rid of the grey hairs. I've used it in the past with no adverse reactions but I'm wondering if this would still be too harsh of a treatment on the transplanted grafts(or scalp) at 3 months. Thanks for your help.

I heard that the icidence of diminished libido is less than 5% but if you're in that 5% it doesn't matter how low the risk is. I am on propecia too and even before going on that drug I was having some libido problems. Needless to say I was freaked about the effect propecia would have and might even have compounded the problem with worrying. The good news was viagra definately cured any perceived problems. Talk to your doc, but from what i understand, there are a lot of guys in there 20's getting an extra "boost" from viagra. All the best with the girls and just remember..."who's the man"..."you da man".

One more thing...call her! If she's worth getting to know, she won't be troubled by what happened.