TheHairLossCure

From my own observations, Propecia (or a Propecia/Minoxidil combination) typically delivers the best results in terms of maintaining and, in some cases, re-growing hair. That said, it sounds like you are having side effects that may warrant discontinuing the drug. Certainly, you should consult with your physician. I would also recommend doing some research on Minoxidil and ketoconazole.

Hair transplants get better all the time and it never seizes to amaze me. Nobody can promise that a given doctor/surgery will greatly improve in the next 1-3 years, but the field is always evolving. The best clinics are the ones that either a) develop ground-breaking ideas/techniques/technologies or b) quickly recognize the merit in the forward thinking of other clinics/doctors/researchers. I agree with thanatopsis_awry regarding FUE. After many years of over-hype, I think FUE is coming into its own and will continue to improve.

I imagine that most patients fly out a day or 2 later. Follow-up is done via phone, email, and photo unless you wish to fly back. You do not need to travel to pull sutures or staples as this can be done with a local physician. There are horror stories about flying after the HT but, then again, there are plenty of horror stories about flying in general. Just make sure you give yourself time and get to the airport early. My best advice to you would be to find your doctor first and then worry about travel. Don't do it the other way around.

Can you clarify what patches are? Do you mean irregular divots in your hairline or temple recessions? It sounds like you have minimal hair loss (which is still no fun, I know). You'll find that a stand-alone surgery is hard to achieve when you are filling in gaps from progressive loss. So I think "tight" will be a temporary thing once it is achieved. The above does not answer your question, but is something to consider.

Good catch! ...one almost fell through the cracks there. You are quite right. Thanks.

You would need to be an excellent healer in order to buzz your hair down after ht surgery. At the same time, most of the patients you see on this site are quite to able keep a short haircut after doing a surgery (how short varies). These folks generally make good choices in terms of their doctor though. You will need to realistic about scarring but not unnecessarily worried.

Shock loss is not going to be an issue in terms of your previously transplanted hair. A second pass can realistically make a big impact with regard to adding density.

In general, it's hard to say if a HT is really going to elevate a person's life. Honestly, I think each patient needs to come to their own understanding about what having more hair really means to them. Repair is an exception though. Fixing older work is important and it is almost always a quality-of-life issue. I would encourage you to look into repair work. HT surgery is a "buyer-beware" situation, as you know, but there are some good repair options available today too. There is reason to be optimistic so definitely check out your online resources and do multiple physician consults.

Those estimates seem reasonable to me. The only thing I would add is that you seem to have high hair/skin contrast and straight hair. Neither of these factors help in terms of hair coverage. I would not be surprised if some docs recommend graft counts toward the higher end of the range. Still, your age and moderate level of hair loss are working in your favor so you should be able to get a fine result.

My feeling is that you can certainly go to local doctor, but you should NOT go to him simply because he is local. Use the resources at your disposal ??“ this site being a biggie ??“ and get lots of opinions from the network docs. If you need to travel for the work, do it. That is, IF the right doc for you is not in your back yard. Travel is not that expensive and it is very important that you "get it right the first time."

I think 7,000 - 10,000 total (pure follicular unit) grafts is optimistic is terms of what is *average.* I think 6,000 - 8,000 is the reality for the average patient. FUE adds some more grafts but don't expect to "strip out" and then pull thousands of additional grafts with FUE.

Funny you mention waiting till month 18 for the 2nd surgery as I was just having a conversation about this today. It is usually just fine to get your 2nd round less than a year after the first, but it's true that hts can take up to 18 months to fully mature. In fact, in subtle ways, I think most HTs take about 18 months to mature. (yes the "wow" part of the transformation is between months 3 and 12...but subtle changes happen after the 1 year mark.)

Be cautiously optimistic about FUE-to-scar. I've seen it work well, although I suspect the grow rate is not as high as we see in virgin scalp. Regardless, many patient get top results so it is worth consideration.

Brad Wolf is another very good doc to look at if you are staying in Ohio. Good luck with your research.

Seven, Are you looking for more grafts to create better coverage or to further conceal of the old work? If the latter is true, perhaps you can look a removing some of the more troublesome/prominent old grafts, breaking them up under the scopes, and replanting them as smaller units. That may be an option and, if so, it will not require traditional donor harvesting. Just a though.

Very soft and natural. You must be pleased

What sort of risk are you talking about? To my knowledge there is no data to suggest that a 2,000 graft session grows/survives better than a 4,000 graft session. As far as the scar, yes, removing twice the amount of tissue might increase the risk of a wider donor scar. There are way to limit this risk though. There can be solid arguments for either plan really. The real question is, how many grafts do you need given your donor hair quality and your specific expectations. You are probably not going to get the answer from a graft calculator (though it can be a good conceptual tool). Have you asked the two clinics about the rationales for their respective recommendations?

Christian Bisanga worked with Dr. Rose several years ago assisting with surgery. Dr. Rose was complimentary about his skills and, from what I've seen and heard, Chris has a nice little practice going now.

One thing to be cautious about is a clinic low-balling graft requirements. Don't get me wrong, there are cases where patient need only 1,000-1,200 grafts, or whatever. On the other hand there are guys that need more ??“ a lot more ??“ and are told a lesser numbers so that "the price is right." This is tricky tactic as the doc can pull more grafts and tack on additional fees after the fact. That can leave a bad taste in your mouth! Make sure your doc gives an honest opinion of what he thinks you need...not just the estimate that gets you in the chair. When you get multiple recommendations from different clinics you will begin to see what to watch for. Second and third opinions are often important!

Meds often deliver better results for guys in the early stages of thinning. You have lots of hair so if you can improve the hair diameter, even a little, it will really help. HT is a risk at this point so let's hope for a homerun with the meds (although maintainence is good too).

Looks like a solid result and a nice transformation...good stuff

Hi HeHateMe. Dr. Rose removes all the donor tissue, via strip or FIT/FUE. He also creates all the incisions for the recipient area to control the angle and direction of the grafts. Laura and the techs do most of the graft placement and Dr. Rose oversees the work. Dr. Rose is not necessarily in the OR for the entire surgery, but he is never absent for very long either. I think it is pretty standard for top clinics. As Fal states, surgeons and techs work together and both perform different but harmonious tasks. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Good post Dr. Feller. But you never answered the question - Feller, Cole, Rose? (just kidding )

B-spot, I doubt the photo you posted is a 1mm punch. If it is, the donor area is very unusual. I suspect that a 1.1mm or greater was used. Very gruesome.

Congrats for talking the HT plunge! Hope the donor is feeling a bit better. Glad you had a good first experience...