Teddw2ds

How's this for irony, PD? I only got a chance to make one payment on my HT when I got laid off, just last week. 1 of 150 let go (during this round). My office is relocating jobs to Los Angeles, and I knew it was only a matter of time, but didn't know for sure when. Fortnately, with 9 years there, I got a great severance, so hopefully if I land another gig soon enough and don't have to live off that money, my old employer will have basically paid for my HT. I'll use my severance to pay off the HT loan, and still have enough left over for that European vacation. Gee, I hope the new employer doesn't want me to start right away!!

Guapo Any skilled surgeon will take potential future loss into consideration when designing your HT. In my case, this meant Dr. Rose not only transplanted to the area where I was receeding, but he also interspersed hair just behind the hairline and within the frontal tuft. If my hair recedes further, I will not have thick patches in one area and completely bald spots in unnatural looking patterns. It will be thin, but even, all throughout the frontal area, which isn't what I hope for, but at least it would have a natural appearance. Plus, I could always go back for another HT to thicken this area if that happens.

Not necessarily. I took two weeks off, but that's because I can't wear a hat where I work. But I was far from laid up in bed. I went to Miami and had a great time. I went to the beach, restaurants, clubs and shopping. I just had to wear a hat all the time. If you can do this at work, 3 days should be fine. If you can't wear a hat, I would definitely recommend the full 2 weeks.

I think that is the ultimate personal decision. I know there are some guys who are not bothered at all by their hair loss (believe it or not!). Those are probably not the guys who are lurking on this board, though. For me, my hair loss was terribly frustrating and depressing. I reached a point where I knew that I just had to do this, without question. Now that I have actually done it, I feel even more strongly that it was worth it. Sure, I could have bought a new car instead, or taken that dream vacation to Europe that I've wanted to take for years. But at the same time, I could have afforded those things if I had made other smaller decisions on a weekly or monthly basis. I don't have to eat out as often, and I could borrow books from the library rather than buying as many as I do. What I'm getting at is that we each make choices about what's important to us, and we will put our money towards those things that we value the most. There are lots of things that I could spend my money on, but my hair was something that bothered me tremendously, so that was a priority for me. I have not regretted my decision one bit. Quite the contrary - as I said earlier, moreso even than I was before the surgery, I am even more resolved now to the fact that I made the right decision.

Hey, solid Sorry, I just was reading back through here and realized that I didn't address your questions. I really don't know anything at all about Drs. Charles or Steinbeck, but if they are from the Shapiro group, I would have no concerns at all about using them. From what I have read, every doc in this group is top notch. Tedd

Bluesman I know exactly what you mean. Up until the time I sat down in the chair, I was questioning whether or not I was making a mistake. After going through it, and having virtually no negative side effects, and seeing all those beautiful little hair stubbles where I had none before, I thought to myself "How could I have ever considered NOT doing this?" My stubbles have fallen out for the most part, as they usually do, and I am only one month post-op at this point, so I haven't seen any regrowth yet, but I am so looking forward to that day, and there's no doubt I made the right choice. Sure, it's natural to be nervous, but you're making the right choice and you'll be glad you did. I went to Dr. Paul Rose, who is a member of the Shapiro group. There's hardly a group of more skilled and qualified surgeons anywhere. You made a good choice, and you'll be thrilled with the results. If you'd like to read my long chronicle of events post-op, I've updated it pretty regularly, so others may know what to expect. You can read it here: http://www.hair-restoration-info.com/groupee/forums?q=Y&a=tpc&s=5696015661&f=7466060861&m=5396046193&p=1 Tedd [This message was edited by Teddw2ds on September 08, 2003 at 08:54 AM.]

I don't know about any of the doctors recommended here, but I know there must be some doctors that do. My cousin went to a doctor in Columbus, OH for a consultation, and that doctor used image manipulation to show him what his hair would supposedly look like. I guess the doctor needs to hire someone more adept at using such software, though, because my cousin said the result looked silly and cartoonish. Not a great sales tool if you can't make it look appealing!

Well, I just got back from my 2nd post-op haircut, and I have exciting news! I told my stylist at first just to go with a #4 blade, so he did. After doing that, he said I could easily go with a #3 without anything to worry about, and so I did. It looks amazing. There is no sign of a scar anywhere, and my hair is once again all even in length in the back, just as I like it. I am so thrilled. This is only at one month post-op. Next time, I imagine I could even go with a #2 blade.

I just got back from having my 2nd post-op haircut, and I am just so thrilled, I am giggling. I told my stylist to just use a #4, because I didn't want to take a chance of the scar showing. He used a #4, but then said "You could go to a #3 without anything to worry about." So I did, and even down to a #3, one month post-op, the scar is nowhere to be found! How cool is that. I am now completely back to my old haircut, and it feels great. Now, it's just a matter of waiting for the new guys to start sprouting again. I have a few that I think are in for the long haul, because they have started really growing in the last week or so, after just being sort of dormant for a while.

Nothing much new to tell... I am just in that long, long waiting period. I am about 1 month post-op at this point, so I still have some stubbles, but no regrowth yet. I imagine by the end of the year, I'll have some stories to tell. I am going for my second post-op haircut tomorrow, and I am excited about that. With my first one, I couldn't really cut it the way I normally do, because of how short the hair was trimmed around the donor area. That has grown out now, so it will blend in naturally and I can have the same haircut I usually wear, which is short. The scar line is amazing. I looked at it the other day after not examining it for a while, and it is nearly indetectable.

I'm holding you to that, solid. I'll be back in Florida soon enough.

I definitely plan to Ironman. I am getting a haircut tomorrow, so we'll see how that looks. I think you're doing the smart thing for your situation. Since you're only 23, you want to wait at least a few years to see how much more hair you lose. I am 32, but since I have been on Propecia and Rogaine, my loss has all but ceased, so I felt secure in proceding with the HT.

Yeah, I would say probably a 3. I estimated myself as a NW 2 until I had a consult, and realized my estimate was an OVER-estimate. I was a NW 3 before my transplant. Well, I still am, as I am only 4 weeks post-op, and my results are not showing just yet.

Not using miscroscopic dissection creates two problems. For one, you run the risk of inadvertantly transecting, and therefore killing, otherwise viable FUs. Secondly, excess tissue is retained around the follicle, which creates crowding in the transplant area. This can degrade the natural appearance of the transplant. Less tissue, while still maintaining enough for the follicle to survive, assures the best possible look. This is hard to acheive without microscopes.

I agree with T. You probably just happen to by in the midst of a normal shedding cycle... nothing to worry about. Stay the course. Proprcia does indeed work. I have been on it for almost 4 years, and I can absolutely testify to its effectiveness, even long term. I have an identical twin brother who is not on it, and the difference is amazing!

Thanks Solid! I would definitely recommend Dr. Rose highly. I don't know if it's purely a factor of his skill or if I just happened to get lucky, but I have had almost no negative side effects. I have had only the slightest trace of shock loss, and just a bit of numbness, but other than that, I have had no swelling, no redness, very little pain. Plus, I was just looking at my scar line yesterday after not looking at it for several days, and I was amazed. At just under 4 weeks, the scar line is already hard to find! I am planning on getting my 2nd post-op haircut in a few days (1st was 10 days out) and I plan to cut it down to a #3 blade, which is almost as short as I kept it before the procedure. I don't think it would be noticeable even at a #2, but I don't want to chance it just yet. You'll definitely get a great result with Dr. Rose.

great article, Arfy. Thanks!

Hairseeker is correct... you just have to be very careful about disturbing the grafts. I did not wear a hat the first day, but I had to the second day, since I was travelling. I had no option to stay indoors. I just wore my hat very loosely and low on my forehead so that it wasn't really touching the grafts.

If you follow the post-op procedures strictly, your chances of minimal or even no swelling are very good. In my experience, I had no swelling whatsoever. What will certainly affect your appearance is the scabbing, which for me lasted about 10 days. That's when I got my first post-op haircut and then I felt completely comfortable going out in public without a cap.

I don't personally know anything about him. Perhaps others who have experience with Dr. Beehner may pick up on the thread and give you their input. Or, you could look through the results of a search by his name: http://www.hair-restoration-info.com/groupee/forums?q=Y&a=srch&s=5696015661&findw=beehner

There is a whole list of recommended doctors on the Hair Transplant Network site. That is at http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/hair_transplant_surgeons/World.asp I would suggest looking through those. They may cost a little bit more (although not much) and you may have to travel to get a great doctor, but it is all worth it. When you're changing something as critical as your appearance, you want to do it right. If people are complaining about MHR, there's a reason. Personally, I travelled halfway across the country to go to one of the top surgeons. I am from Tulsa, OK and I had mine done in Tampa, FL. It was worth the extra money and hassle. Tedd

Solid Florida certainly has no shortage of outstanding HT doctors, and I would recommend researching several if you decide to go for another procedure. Here is a list of those recommended on this site: http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/hair_transplant_clinic/search_results.asp?StateABR=FL You didn't say exactly were in Florida you are, but I know there are great doctors in both Tampa and Miami. I went to Dr. Paul Rose in Tampa, and I think he did an outstanding job. I am just now about three weeks out, so it's too early to see the final results, but I was very happy with my experience during the operation, and now that I have healed, I can see that I will have an almost undetectable scar line, and it is completely impossible to tell which hairs are native and which are transplanted... and I study my own head more than anyone! As for working out, I run and lift regularly. I waited a full two weeks after my HT. Dr. Rose's post-op instructions say to wait at least 10 days before resuming any strenuous exercise. Tedd

As of that photo, I would estimate that maybe only about 10% of the transplanted hair had fallen out. It looked really weird, with so much stubble in the midst of the rest of my hair, which was much longer than I normally keep it. It is now day 20, though, and I would say I've lost about 75 - 80% of the transplanted hairs. I enjoyed them while they lasted. Now I just have a few months to wait until they make their comeback. I was hoping they would stick around for the long haul, but I knew that wasn't very realistic. Oh, well... I can be patient.

I managed to clean up another one of my day 7 photos... this one taken with a flash. It's still blurry, but the lighting is better. You can see that by this point, almost all my scabs were gone, and by the following day, you could hardly find a scab anywhere.

PD I certainly don't like to take any more medications than I have to. I'm the type that will suffer through a headache until I just can't bear it anymore, rather than take a Tylenol. That's just how I am. But with finasteride, the results are so clearly positive, and it is easy to take (just one pill a day), relatively inexpensive (if you use the Proscar alternative), and I have had zero side effects. For me, that made it a no brainer. If I wasn't convinced enough already, though, seeing the difference between my own hair loss and that of my brother was certainly enough proof for me of the BIG difference finasteride makes. As you may have read from my previous posts, I have an identical twin brother, which makes for a great comparison study. He's not taking anything for his hair loss, and he is quite noticeably more advanced in his loss than I am. My loss virtually came to a halt when I started taking finasteride 3.5 years ago. Since then, my brother has gone on to lose almost all the hair in front, where I still had that small peninsula of hair, and now he is really thinning on top, whereas my hair has always been very thick on top. I am a true believer.