kamin

Originally posted by Max Out:

 

The first was a 650 from the Boz, the 2nd was a 800 from another infamous Dr. on this site, DiStefano in Worcester, and now this is my 3rd.

 

 

I guess I'll ask this question because I know there must be someone out there (like me) that is just dying to know the answer!

Why such a small amount of grafts on each HT? I'm guessing that your hair loss wasn't bad originally. Is your native hair starting to fall out behind the HT's and you need to keep up with it? Just curious!

Originally posted by rottun:

 

Most doctors I have visited only write prescriptions for Propecia.

 

 

That's because some doctors won't give a prostate medication (Proscar) for a hair-loss problem even though both Proscar and Propecia contain the same active ingredient.

Another reason is that Proscar is normally covered by insurance whereas Propecia is sometimes not. Some doctors probably don't feel right about this and won't write the Proscar prescription.

How long it will take to grow 3 to 4 inches of hair after day of surgery! I m getting married in december {

/QUOTE]

 

Using the info in hairworthy's response, I would say about nine months to grow 3 inches after the surgery. Most of the transplanted hair usually falls out and stays dormant for about three months and then starts growing. At 1/2 inch of growth per month, it would take six months to grow three inches. Add the three months of dormancy and you get nine months.

One last question...On a second HT is it better to use the existing scar or create another?

 

When I went for my second HT, I asked the same question but I'll be darned if I can remember the pros/cons of each. Anyway, I decided to have them get the hair from a new donor area instead of going over the existing scar. That way must have had more pros!

Originally posted by rottun:

he would only give 1000 graphs in my hairline because the hair behind it could fallout overtime

 

The magic phrase here is "could fallout". How old are you? What's your current Norwood status? Are you currently experiencing rapid hair loss?

Like 'hairbank' mentioned in his post, get some more opinions.

That certainly is a large dose of finasteride! It's great to hear that you have experienced good results, but I am curious as to why you chose to take 2.5 mg daily instead of the recommended 1 mg daily. Did you start off at this amount or did you bump up to it?

 

-Robert

Robert,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to this post. I bumped up to this 2.5mg dose after reading that the main ingredient (finasteride) may not be spread out evenly within the Proscar pill, which is 5mg. This means that if you cut the pill in fours, you may not be getting at least a full 1mg of finasteride with every dose.

However, after reading your post about the half-life of finasteride and doing some research, I plan to cut the dose back to 1.25 mg per day (cut Proscar pill in four pieces). I'll then monitor the results.

Thanks for the info!

Bosley was quoted as saying that the suture area on a recent patient was left open till the end in case additional grafts needed to be extracted.

 

You've got to be sh*tting me????? That's insane.

First, they should have calculated how many possible grafts were needed to cover the area in question before any type of surgery was even considered.

Second, to do this, most doctors will know the density of the patient donor area in order to have a really good idea of how large a donor strip must be taken to get the required number of grafts.

Third, with each transplant I've had, the size of the donor strip allowed for a little tolerance on the plus side. If I remember correctly, my first transplant was for 1500 grafts and the donor strip yielded about 1590. The second transplant was for 1000 grafts and the donor strip yielded about 1075.

Sounds like this doctor was either, 1.)inexperienced at calculating the donor strip size, or 2.) so cheap he/she was scared that they might have to put in an extra graft or two!

In my opinion, MHR is the worst of all the big "McTransplant" franchises, and what is truly disturbing is that they seem to be expanding.

I agree that the MHR marketing techniques aren't very ethical, which blows it for some of the decent MHR doctors out there. I was lucky to get, what I feel, to be a decent MHR doctor (at least from what I'm seeing from the two HT's I've received from them).

It really annoys me that some marketing putz or a group of them (most likely with a full head's of hair) come up with these asinine advertising campaigns. It reminds me of these corporate executives that have no idea what goes on in the trenches but feel they can make decisions for the ones in the trenches.

he seems to have plenty of donor area to solve the problem. And funding his HT is probably not an issue

I could never understand why some of these rich movie people would let their hair fall out without doing something about it. They must be pretty comfortable with themselves. As for Travolta, he's loaded and has a hot wife. He probably couldn't care less if his hair falls out!

Some guys experience an initial few days or weeks' worth of side effects such as low libido, difficulty in maintaining an erection, etc. but many times the body adjusts and the side effects dissappear.

I've been on Proscar for about 15 months. I take half a tab every day (2.5 mg finasteride) and have been very happy with the results. The crown has definitely thickened.

However, it seemed that the side effects regarding low libido lasted for nearly a year. Things are better now. Maybe it has something to do with the larger dose of finasteride I'm taking (2.5 mg per day). I'm not sure.

Sounds normal from what you're saying. The transplanted hairs will normally fall out and you'll go into a resting stage. The living hair follicles are still underneath your skin. New hairs will start growing in about four months.

You sound like a teacher???? Was your HT done by Dr. Charles?

Not a teacher, although it was something I seriously thought about doing nearly 10 years ago. I was thinking of a career change at that time! I ended up staying in the Information Technology (IT) industry. I'm also a musician and had really long hair (past my chest) until I was about 35. I started receding at 30, so it started looking worse and worse. Now that I've got a strong hairline again, I'm actually thinking about growing it again before it turns gray! Mid-life crisis, I guess!

Both my HT's were done by MHR's Dr. Holt, who is in Detroit and Grand Rapids. MHR usually gets a bad rap on this forum, but I believe that he's one of the "good doctors" at MHR. So far, I'm very satisfied with the work that was done.

I have 12 days to heal after mt HT before I am in the "public eye" as I am a teacher. Is that cutting it too close, or should I wait for summer

Have you decided what you're going to do?

I had my second HT (1073 grafts) nine days ago and all the crusts are gone and the redness is nearly gone. My hair is long enough in front that it covers everything.

I think you could do it with 12 days of recovery since the number of grafts is small, providing your hair is long enough in front to cover it!

Even if it's not that long in front, after 12 days you'll probably only have some redness that can be covered up with make-up.

If you wait until summer, you'll probably want to kick yourself. If you do it now, you should have 50% of your growth by summer and 80% by the time you start the new school year next fall!

WOW! Can't wait to see the pictures!

Why are you delaying your initial HT?

Personally, I don't believe that a certain shampoo will work any better than another while using Proscar. I use the cheapest shampoo and conditioner I can get (Suave or VO5). I also use a cheap generic dandruff shampoo (with the exact same ingredients as Head & Shoulders) a couple of times per week. I've found that using a conditioner actually makes my hair seem fuller. I also use L'Oreal Studio Styling Gel for even more body. Just place a dab about the size of a dime in your hand, rub your hands together, and then run them through your hair.

The only time that I would suggest a certain shampoo or conditioner is after you get your HT. Then you should use a shampoo and conditioner containing copper peptide for at least two weeks to a month afterwards. This micronutrient has been proven to control the crusting and enhance the healing of the recipient and donor sites. I've used the GraftCyte brand for both of my HT's and have had very good results!

Just my opinion!

Originally posted by outhere:

I used to have sex on the mind for most of the day but have recently found myself a little uninterested.

Now maybe you can get some things done! :-)

I've been taking 1/2 tab of Proscar (for reasons I stated in another post) for 14 months. I did notice a decrease in my libido for what seemed like a little over a year. But lately, I've been horny as h*ll. I'm 44, so I'm not sure if the Proscar was totally to blame!

What exactly are you uncomfortable with regarding the cutting of the donor area? Pain? How it feels?

Before the procedure, your doctor will probably offer you a Valium or something to relax you. It's up to you whether or not you want to take it. Personally, I didn't take anything that would sedate me because I don't like the way it makes me feel. Once the procedure starts, all parts of your scalp that will be worked on will be numbed so you won't feel any pain. The only thing that was weird was when the donor strip was pulled off the back of my head. It kind of reminded me of the sound when pulling velcro apart!

You'll be fine!

Personally, I think it looks good for 2205 grafts covering that much area. Sometimes it's easy to think we're going to get an 'Elvis Presley' hairline after a HT, but there's no way that will ever happen! :-) It looks like you originally had quite a bit of hair loss before the HT. You'll definitely need another HT for more density, but for now, I'd say it's a good start!

I didn't know what this (GLH) was, so I did an Internet search on it. What I found wasn't too impressive. Here's what one website had to say about it:

"Ever seen GLH? It's been around for a few years, a truly frightening sign of the times. GLH is spray paint for balding heads. Nothing more. Somehow this is supposed to simulate hair follicles.

I saw a man who had used this product. How could I tell? Because even at a distance of eight feet, in low light, his bald head was clearly spray-painted black. Unevenly, I might add. The effect was that of a man who was the victim of a drunken fraternity prank.

The question to me is, what the hell does GLH really stand for? Surely it can't stand for Good Looking Hair, because it is anything but. Tamity and I were discussing this subject and concluded the following. Tell me what you think it stands for.

Gross-Looking Hair

Gorilla-Like Hair

Grungy, like hedgehogs

Glabrous Loathsome Hirsuteness

Gramineous-Looking Homonculous"

Originally posted by Its_Going_Fast:

 

It's been two weeks since my procedure and I've experienced quite a bit of shock-loss.... When I run my fingers through my hair, it feels like the grafts have begun growing? ... "ayurveda". Anyone know anything good about that? Supposedly it stops hair loss, etc.

 

 

The hair you lost from shock SHOULD grow back. I experienced this when I had my 1st procedure. Even though I knew it would probably happen, it still freaked me out wondering if it would grow back. It did!

The short hairs you feel when you run your hands through your hair are the grafts that were placed there by the doctor. Your grafts probably haven't started growing yet and most likely they'll fall out first, going into a dormant stage for a number of months. After about 3-6 months you should see the new hairs start to sprout.

I never heard of "ayurveda" until I just did a Google search on it. Save your money. The only products I know of that are approved to help slow down hair loss are Finasteride (Propecia or Proscar) and Minoxidil (Rogaine).

Yes, some before and after photos would help to see what's going on. Then, a more accurate evaluation can be done.

Just out of curiousity, what could cause a HT to fail? Some grafts placed too close together? Donor hair taken too far up on the head where MPB was going to occur anyway? What about permanant shock loss? Again, some pictures would help to see where you started and where you are today.

I hope it's only that you're a late bloomer.

Originally posted by thinkingaboutit:

Wait. It is too soon for you.

I think this is always a tough decision, especially at such a young age because you can't tell how much more hair you're going to lose. You may get a HT for the receding hairline, but then the hair behind it may fall out because it was genetically programmed to fall out and you're left with a clump of hair in the front and baldness behind it. Then you could be doing endless HT's trying to keep up.

You may need to look at family genetics to see what the pattern of baldness is, but even that could be dice roll.

I was 30 when my hair started to recede. Fortunately, it stopped soon afterwards. I waited until I was in my 40's before I took the plunge.

It's a tough decision at your age. Good luck. Hope everything works out for you!

:-)

I've just been cutting the 5mg Proscar in half and have been taking it for about 14 months (so far, good results).

They reason I only cut them in half is because I heard that the main ingredient (finasteride) may not be spread out evenly within the pill. This means that if you cut the pill in fours, you may not be getting at least a full 1mg of finasteride with every dose.

For example, if you have four pieces, they may be .75 mg, .75 mg, 1.75 mg, and 1.75 mg. I feel that by cutting the pill only in half, my chances are much better of getting at least 1 mg per dose. Any more than 1 mg per dose won't make any difference, but it's peace of mind.

Anyone hear anything like this or am I being paranoid? :-)

Mahair,

Sorry to hear your experience with your particular MHR doctor sucked (please notice that I said "your" doctor, not MHR in general). I have some questions, which aren't meant to be smart-a$$ed, though they may sound that way.

I guess I don't understand what you mean by my "expectations being ground level". I researched HT's before taking the plunge. I've got a great hairline now, which is what I expected, and I'll be willing to bet that most people would probably be happy with it. It looks great and I'm sure that it will look even better once I get this second procedure done. Maybe I'm a little greedy now since the first HT went so well!

Dr. Holt offered to do more than 1500 grafts. That was my decision. Call it inexperience on my part, maybe a little fear of the unknown, and a budget!

How the h*ll did you go from a Norwood 2.5 to a 5 after a HT? Have you posted photos anywhere? I would be interested to see what happened.

Also, I don't understand what you mean by "get some real results". I can't see how my results could be any better, at least not that I nor anyone else could actually notice. I need to get some before photos from Dr. Holt and take some current photos to post here.

As for MHR being a hair mill, one could also look at this as being a positive trait. I can tell you that the Detroit/Grand Rapids offices are usually booked solid most of the time (at least when I have made my appointments). This would mean that Dr. Holt is doing a lot of HT's and getting more experience.

Again, it sucks that your experience with MHR wasn't good. I hope you can somehow repair the damage. I guess I got lucky with a good doctor.

Actually, it was my decision to do 1500. I actually wasn't planning to do another one. However, the price was right and I made the decision to just do it to get a bit more density on top and fill in the corners some more.

I found that the hardest part about getting my first HT was making the commitment to do it. It's easy to say, "I'll think about it and get back to you". I did that a few times. I still remember that day when the consultant asked me to get back with him if I was interested and I just said "Let's schedule it right now. Let's just do it." I was actually scared of the decision I was making, but I'm very happy that I didn't waste any more time (I'm 44).

Now that I know what to expect, making the decision to do this next one was much easier!