gap

I had two sessions done with Dr Alvi (before he changed his name to Armani). I would have to say I was pretty pleased with the results. It looks pretty natural as far as I have been told by those who know I had it done. I don't broadcast it to anyone either, basically only my immediate family knows. Now, ten years later I am experiencing some major overall thinning where its getting to the point of where I was before the HT. At age 55 now it doesn't bother me that much since so many guys my age have thinning or next to no hair. I also used to dye my hair since I went grey in my 30's and I used to get a lot of comments from people regarding that and to just let it go natural which I did starting at age 50. Being thin and grey makes you look older no doubt, but at some point in time you just say fuck it, whatever. PS. I just recently found out that Alvi/Armani was disciplined by the College of Surgeons who basically stripped him of his licence to practice in Canada. I know this was based on a complaint from a patient who was not happy with his HT and had asked for a refund. But there had to have been numerous complaint in order for him to lose his license? At the time I went to him he was being touted as one of the best around but I guess at some point he just got too greedy. He did seem to be an odd fellow as I recall.

If you are in Canada, it is a tax deductable medical expense. I had my two surgeries 11 months apart and was able to claim them both for the same year which gives you the most bang for the buck.

When I had my HT the techie darkened the hairs with a black marker after she trimmed the hairs in the donor area due to my hair being very light gray. The reason being the gray hairs are harder to see when they are cutting them up into FU's as you were saying.

It's great if you can pull it off but I really don't see how you can hide it from your wife and it doesn't say much for the relationship between you and your wife if you can't discuss such things with her. My wife was not in favour of my HT. She wanted me to know that she loved me, hair or no hair, but she did support me fully when she reaalized that I wasn't doing it for her but doing it for myself. What about your barber/hairstylist? It will be pretty hard to keep them from noticing unless you plan on growing your hair for the next nine months.

Kkat.... You can get hold of me here: gap1927@hotmail.com

My kids were pretty freaked and my 10 year old daughter begged me not to go back for another bcause she didn't want to see me in pain. Even though I told her it was fine and didn't hurt a bit but when they see the bruising and scabs they think that you are in major pain. Now when they look at old pics and say that I look so much younger now.....that definitely makes it all worthwhile.

Check out Tom Arnold on The Best Damn Sports Show. He is wearing his hair spiked up now and it looks pretty good. I don't think anyone could tell he had work done. He is very open about having it done and talked about it on the Bill Maher show so if you wanted to find out who did his work he might tell. How about Nick Cage?

You're hairline looks a lot like mine before my first HT. Here are my before pics and about 7 months after getting 1100 fu's. I recently went back for 2000 more to increase the density overall. my pic

If you are getting most of the grafts placed in the frontal area you will have more swelling around the eyes. If you are getting the top and crown done the swelling will be more concentrated on the sides of your face, the sideburn and jaw area. Days 3, 4, and five for the most part in my case.

Just wondering how others have dealt with this problem? I find that my donor scars (5 weeks post op) are very itchy and although I know better than to scratch on the area I do find my self rubbing lightly which does give some relief. I'm wondering if my shampoo might be causing the itch I'm using Johnson's Baby shampoo right now. Should I try an anti-dandruff shampoo?

Just wondering how others have dealt with this problem? I find that my donor scars (5 weeks post op) are very itchy and although I know better than to scratch on the area I do find my self rubbing lightly which does give some relief. I'm wondering if my shampoo might be causing the itch I'm using Johnson's Baby shampoo right now. Should I try an anti-dandruff shampoo?

Trendsetter.... Speaking from experience, the pain is inconsequential compared to the enjoyment you will receive from your newly re-distributed follicles. Six months from now you will be a very happy camper! Good Luck!

Hockey players can be a vain bunch. Bobby Hull was one of the first I know to go for a HT. Back in the era of large punch grafts.

This is copied from Dr. Greco's website. It was accompanied by a pic: This is an example of a sutured donor site immediately after closure. The sutures are dissolvable and are under the surface of the skin. They do not require removal. Dissolving stitches are very prone to infection. I had dissolving stitches used on my first HT and got a nasty infection and a wide scar. I think that staples are the way to go and a lot of the Doc's are using them. Staples are a lot more expensive than the thread so that may be why some of the more profit driven clinics don't use them.

In response to Homer, I would guess that a lot of celebrities that have lost thier hair have enough self-confidence that it doesn't bother them. John Malkovich and Jack Nicholson come to mind. They don't really give a rat's ass what other people think of them. Tom Arnold admitted on the Dennis Miller show that he had an HT and I thought it looked very good. That was one reason I got to thinking of it in the first place for myself. Notice that he didn't lower his hairline too much either, just filled in on the top. If he hadn't of mentioned it, I don't think anyone would have known that he had it done even. Make-up artists can do wonders with a hairpiece too. Look at Billy Bob in Monsters Ball, it looked pretty realistic. Ted Danson wore a hairpiece when he was on cheers and it didn't look obvious at all. But then I think he was just covering up a large bald spot in the crown area.