Teddw2ds

I finally was able to upload another third photo that really shows the detail well. Sorry for the large size, but I wanted to get a close zoom. This was also taken 10/26/03, and I've marked the area (in front of the red line) where there previously was no hair. The only exception is where my hair is brushed over to the side on the left. Oddly, the hair on that side is growing back in faster than on the right. also, much of what you see here is from those hairs that never did fall out after the HT, but you can also see some smaller, shorter ones that are really startin to come in now. Tedd

I finally was able to upload another third photo that really shows the detail well. Sorry for the large size, but I wanted to get a close zoom. This was also taken 10/26/03, and I've marked the area (in front of the red line) where there previously was no hair. The only exception is where my hair is brushed over to the side on the left. Oddly, the hair on that side is growing back in faster than on the right. also, much of what you see here is from those hairs that never did fall out after the HT, but you can also see some smaller, shorter ones that are really startin to come in now. Tedd

I decided early on that I would be completely open about it with my friends, who I see all the time. It has been a very good decision. They have been very curious and extremely supportive. I'm glad I chose to be open about it because they have been so helpful, from driving me to and from the doctor's office, to helping me remove the stiches to taking periodic photos. I guess I could have found ways around all that without telling anyone, but I figured it's too much bother anyway. I tend to be very open and honest with people anyway. With my family, who I have not seen since it's been done, I doubt I can get away with not telling them, since I have an identical twin. When you have a side by side comparison standing right next to you, it's kind of hard to deny something drastic has been done. But I won't see them until Christmas, so I have time to work on my explanation. Tedd

Here at long last is the photographic demonstration of nearly 3 months post-op (11/06/03 will be the 3 month mark). It's still not a great shot, but I think you can see the beginnings of improvement. I will try to update this at least monthly from here on out, now that there is actually some growth taking place. Everything you see just to the sides of the middle peninsula is all brand new growth. Those areas were previously shiny bald. I would say probably 10% of my grafts are growing at a mature phase, while a whole lot more are just now breaking the surface. I see probably 3 - to - 1 the number of hairs that are 2mm long to those that are fully growing, so I think the next month or two will be really exciting. Tedd [This message was edited by Teddw2ds on October 27, 2003 at 08:53 PM.]

Billorbob At this point, it's not a matter of parting with the cash, but rather a matter of choosing the right camera. My God, I had no idea how many options there are out there. It's truly overwhelming. I have lots of research to do before settling on a particular camera. But, with no further delay, here at last is the photographic demonstration of nearly 3 months post-op (11/06/03 will be the 3 month mark). It's still not a great shot, but I think you can see the beginnings of improvement. I will try to update this at least monthly from here on out, now that there is actually some growth taking place. Tedd

In reading the press release in the attached link, I was initially put off by what sounded more like marketing hype than scientific detail, but as I read further, I was quite pleasantly surprised to find the level of explanation that I would expect from a new "scientific discovery." I was impressed with the research and the medical and scientific explanation of how the product works. Perhaps there may be something to it after all. Let's hope! Tedd

I know... I've been bad about that. I planned on getting a digital camera, but I didn't think I'd need one so soon. I thought I wouldn't see any regrowth until the third month, so I was holding off, especially given my employment situation. Now that that's resolved, I'll spend a little bit of that severance check and get a digital camera this week and get some updates on here. That'll give me an excuse to figure out the camera, too! Tedd

Thanks, solid and PD. I really feel very lucky. PD, if you're unhappy where you are, I would say start looking. Hell, I had been with my previous company for 9 years and had just settled into a routine. Had it not been for my involuntary departure, I probably would still be there, when such a great opportunity was there for the taking. Don't miss yours! I have no plans in the near future for another HT, but I don't really think I'll need it for a while, if ever. Propecia has virtually halted my hair loss, and I am staying on it. If I do go for another HT at some point, I will very likely go with Dr. Rose again. I think he's done a fantastic job and I have an established relationship with an expert surgeon. I see no reason to switch. By the way, I have been so focused on watching the new hairs sprout in the front that I haven't really been paying much attention to what's been going on with my donor scar. But here's a testament to the great job Dr. Rose did. This weekend, I was showing my boyfriend my newly sprouting hairs when he asked to see my scar, which he also hadn't looked at in some time. He was brushing back the hair in my donor area, and he said he COULDN'T FIND THE SCAR!! And he knew exactly where to look. I had to find it myself and then show him before he could spot it. That's just amazing to me!

Regrowth at less than 7 weeks is possible... I started seeing regrowth at just 5 weeks! I was stunned. I am now at about 2.5 months, and my regrowth is just now getting beyond just a few hairs here and there. It's actually starting to take shape and have some cosmetic value. I can't wait to seeing what the next few months will bring.

I would guess either FUE, or an even simpler possibility... makeup! Given the low resolution of most televisions (HDTV being the exception), simple topical makeup would be sufficient to cover any donor scar. Perhaps he does it himself or the makeup artists who work on him know it and just don't talk. There is a code of silence in Hollywood regarding cosmetic surgery. Just because the scar doesn't show doesn't mean it's not there. But looking at his before and after photos, it's clear that he certainly has more hair than he did at one time, and it had to have gotten there somehow. I'm not buyin the Regenix line.

Your doctor may not know they are the same active ingredient. Once you point this out, there should be no problem in prescribing Proscar instead. It was a non-issue for my doctor.

I had a HT with Dr. Rose on 8/6/03 and I couldn't recommend him any more highly. Very professional and very skilled. Do a search on his name and you will find others' testimony, in addition to mine. You can follow my journey HERE and also HERE - With photos Tedd

Well, even in Hape's demonstration, it's hard to really get a good understanding of how that will look on a person's head, because the image is not to scale. It is enlarged. The marked area should be reduced so that it is truly one square centimeter, and then you would be able to get a more accurate depiction of a 49 g/cm^2 transplant. Tedd

I lightly towel dried my hair, and then just let it air dry from there. No blow dryer for at least 5 days.

Hey Belgiumdude I can only talk about my own experience, and in that, Dr. Rose did examine my donor area density to come up with the 82/ cm^2 figure, but I am not sure if that number would be consistent throughout the donor area. He only looked in the area where he would be taking hair from. As for the dense packing question, I have always wondered about the logic of this. Since it only takes about 40 grafts per cm^2 to give the appearance of coverage, why would you want to go much higher than this? It would seem anything higher would only be wasting donor hair, not to mention that it simply does not look natural if you continue to lose hair in other areas. In the method that Dr. Rose used for my transplant, even if I continue to lose hair, it will simply appear diffusely thinning, not patchy, so by doing a lower density, he planned for potential future loss much better than those who dense pack the frontal area. But by going with less density, my hair will look good whether I keep what I've got or if I continue to thin. And at age 32, I just don't know what the future holds.

Hey guys Completely off-topic, but going back a little bit to a previous tangent in this thread. Just wanted to let you know that as of Oct. 20th, I am once again joining the ranks of the employed!! YEAH! Layoffs are inherently nerve-racking, but especially for a true-blue Taurus like me, who cherishes stability and predictability. However, I don't think I could have asked for a better chain of events in my layoff situation. First, I have so thoroughly enjoyed my 7 week sabbatical. It's going to be really hard getting back into the grind. But I am also so thankful that I managed to find a better position with another company in such a short time. I know that is not common and I just happened to get very lucky. And now, not only am I sitting the an almost completely untouched severance check, but I am starting my new job at a 23% increase in salary! I am actually glad now that I got laid off. It was scary at the time, but for anyone else who may be in a similar situation, hang in there. It's not always a bad thing. I landed in a much better spot. Now, as for my HT progress, which I haven't updated in a while... I REALLY need to get my hands on a digital camera and take some progress shots. It's amazing how quickly and fully my new hair is sprouting out. And I am only at 9 weeks post-op. I can't believe it! I am so excited to see what another few months will bring. Tedd

Hey Justin It sounds like you have very similar circumstances as both Vocor and I. We have shared our experiences previously, and we both had basically the same pattern, same history with Propecia and same doctor, Paul Rose with SMG, so I thought I would weigh in. I couldn't agree more with Vocor that any doc in the SMG will take great care to plan for any potential future loss, and give you a hairline that will stand the test of time. In my case, Dr. Rose interspersed transplanted hairs throughout the frontal area, even where I still had strong, thick hair, just in case I do ever continue to lose (although like you and Vocor, the Propecia pretty much brought my loss to a grinding halt). That way, I would not have unnatural looking patches of hair where balding men normally don't have it. It might be thin throughout, but it wouldn't look freakish. I have a thread running with photos of my recent procedure here. Good luck! Tedd

Hey bub The printed material that comes with Rogaine will tell you it only works in the crown area, but this has not been my experience. I definitely saw some regrowth in the frontal area. In fact, that's the only place I used it. I don't want to get your hopes too high, though. It's not like I went from Telly Sevales to Jon Bon Jovi overnight or anything. It was minimal regrowth for sure, but it was something, and I considered it enough to stay on it. If you're not using Finasteride (Propecia / Proscar), I would recommend getting on it as soon as you can. That is what saved my hair far more than Rogaine, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a HT. I have been using Rogaine for about 6 years and Finasteride for about 4, and it has pretty much stabilized my hair loss. I just recently had a HT, but that was only to go back and fill in what I had lost prior to starting Propecia. Since then, my loss has almost ceased. Tedd

While I did take my medications religiously, and applied ice three to four times a day without fail, I was hardly laid up in bed, and I don't think that is necessary. I went to Miami and had a great time. I went out to eat, to the ocean every day and even ventured out to the clubs one night. You just have to be extra cautious with some activities, but the days following your HT don't have to be spent in solitary confinement. I figured if I'm burning up all my vacation time (I took two weeks off out of three weeks total vacation time), I might as well enjoy myself, and I did so with absolutely no swelling and only one lost graft. Maybe I just got lucky, but that's my experience anyway. Tedd

It all depends on your particular insurance company, but some are willing to cover it since it's supposedly used to treat BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or enlarging of the prostate). I would venture a guess that more men will use it for hair loss than for prostate problems, and eventually the insurance companies will get wise to this. That's what happened with Proscar, or at least as far as Aetna is concerned. They convered it for a while, but then dropped it from their formulary.

Thanks for the input! I've already had my procedure done with Dr. Rose in Tampa, but I would be very interested in tracking your progress with Dr. Lehr. Tedd

Yeah, no one was more shocked than I was. From everything I read on here, I didn't expect to see diddly squat for at least another month, but I started seeing the first sign of growth breaking through the surface at just five weeks! Now, I'm at 2 months and I'm seeing sprouts breaking through everywhere. They are mostly the single-hair grafts, but also the 2s and 3s that didn't initially fall out (about 10% I would estimate) are now clearly growing strong and thick. It's really amazing. This is my first HT, so I've never witnessed this before, but I just love looking into the mirror each morning and seeing more and more hair. All the time, I am finding new ones starting to pop through and they are now too numerous to count. It's awesome!

I thought one pic did look a little artificial (probably the one you pointed out... I wasn't counting), but all the rest looked fine.

Hey fatphilly You will not be disappointed. I am at the two month point right now, and I am starting to see some real regrowth, and I can't wait to see what the next few months hold for me. Yes, I had my work done in Tampa, and Dr. Rose did probably 25 - 30% of the placement himself, mostly along the hairline area. For the area further back, one other doctor (don't remember his name now... a Hispanic guy) and a female technician placed the grafts. Dr. Rose did all the incisions, though. You will be amazed at the results. I cannot tell on my own head which hairs are native and which are transplanted, and there's absolutely no variation in skin tone or smoothness from the grafts. You'll be very happy. Tedd

Mahair Please fill us in on the details of what is causing your despair. Is it that the translplant looks bad, or that you feel duped because you said you didn't even really need a transplant, or the financial strain? I would love to be able to give you specific advice, but I can't tell enough about your situation from what you've written here. Thanks, Tedd