Gorpy

Troy, the density issue can be very tricky. I've heard of some doctors trying to set records by packing 100+ grafts per/cm2. While that is probably possible, it doesn't say anything about how many of those will grow. Here's a link that Dr. Limmer published. It might be a little out of date, but still could be helpful. Transplant Densities

Vikas, You need to get another Doctor. The one you are seeing is very ignorant.

I'm doing well thanks. I'm in the waiting stage. Nothing much is happening right now.

I think that website is probably outdated. I'm sure Shapiro can go denser than that. There are many factors to look at when considering density. Much depends on your donar hair, area you need to cover, future donar needs, how it fits in with your existing hair, etc. If possible, you should at least go with 30/cm2 to get a minimal illusion of density. There are many subtle factors to density. The frontal forelock should be densely packed to give a better overall appearance of density. It can depend on your age also. A 50 year old with a dense wall of hair for the hairline won't look very natural in most cases. A more feathered look will look better. Plus you'll need a lot of hair behind a dense wall to make it look even. You're talkin about using tremendous amounts of limited donar hair when you go with extreme density.

Good luck in your transplant PB. I'll be looking forward to hearing about it.

Looking very good Robert. I don't think it's the resolution of your camera that is the problem. I think it is that it is slightly out of focus. I take my pictures with a 2meg camera and they are very clear. I think just getting someone else to take the pictures with the same camera could help. That way the person can make sure the camera is "focusing" on your head and not some background object. Remember, digital cameras take a moment to focus and adjust to the object in front of them. You can also try pressing the shutter button half way down for a few seconds to let it adjust to you head and then all the way to take the picture.

My wife has mentioned that a few times, saying I'm going to leave her after my hair grows out. I just laugh. She's expecting much better results than I am.

Is it possible that transplanted hair can actually start growing at just 6 weeks? I know that sounds rediculous, but for a guy like me that really studies his hair (and I mean REALLY, like under magnification), I'm seeing something here. Probably 95% of the placed grafts have shed. I know what the remaining grafts look like. They are short, thick and dark like my original hair. They are very visible and easily distinguishable from everything else. Now I'm seeing some short, yet very thin hair popping up in various places. It's only visible under very close observation, but it's definitely hair, not just peach fuzz.

I'm only 5 weeks post op and I'm starting to feel the same way. This waiting sucks!. Especially when there is absolutely nothing going on up there. I'm trying to focus on next years summer vacation. I should have hair by then, shouldn't I?

A hair transplant is only "permanent" in the sense that the transplanted hair does not fall out because it is not susceptible to male pattern baldness. That's the whole point. However, there are many things about hair maintenance that need to be considered. Your existing hair (the hair that was not transplanted) IS susceptible to MPB and it will fall out eventually. That is why you need to get on Propecia to stop it or slow it down dramatically. There is not enough hair in the donar area to give you a full head of hair on top. So you MUST maintain some of your existing hair. People do NOT get HT's every month. You need to spend time reading this board to learn about hair transplants. You have much to learn my friend. People get multiple hair transplants (usually a year or more apart) for the following reasons: 1) To add density to a previous transplant. 2) To cover an area not covered in the previous transplant. 3) To repair a previous bad transplant. 4) To add hair as your native hair continues to recede. Look at some of the web sites of the doctors recommended on this site. They explain in detail the issues surrounding transplants.

This is actually quite difficult. I made one mistake of not parting my hair correctly when I took my before Propecia pictures. If you look at photographic evidence provided by Merck, they show the hair parted straight down the middle for one look. The other pictures are of the crown. I would try to mimic their pictures. The problem for us amatures is getting similar lighting and angles for all of the pictures. Make sure you hair is washed the same, etc.

Ha Ha, good idea to keep land in sight. But even motoring, you better learn right of way rules. And some docking practice would also help. Getting a captain to take it up for you is a great idea. You could learn alot that way.

I didn't experience any shedding on propecia. As far as the boat goes, congratulations. I took a basic sailing course a couple of years ago at my local community college. Sailing is pretty simple once you learn the basics. But don't try and take it out before you know them. Good luck and contrats on you retirement. BTW - what branch of the military were you? I was Air Force, 77-81.

Hey Pushing 40. It's going well. I'm in that painful waiting stage right now, where most of the grafts have shed. So I'm in that doubtful stage asking myself, "are these things going to grow?" Well, I hope so. I've got a few more months before I find out.

No, propecia is all there is. You can always try it. There is only a 2% risk of side effects. If you do experience them, you simply stop taking it. The side effects would then go away. Even with a Hair Transplant you would still need to be on Propecia to prevent further loss of you existing hair.

Funny, your hair looks alot like a guy on Dr. Keene's web site.

It is not a secret that coalition members pay dues to support this site. However, not all physicians recommended on this site are members and from my understanding, many that apply are rejected. This fact greatly adds to the credibility of this site. From the coalition web page: "Only those experienced hair restoration physicians who meet these criteria are invited to join our Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. All members contribute dues to support our joint educational resources and services."

I see what you mean Sac. I don't mean to be negative at all. From my understanding (and I could be wrong), getting the whole 2500 or so in one session would be better than two smaller sessions. I only say that because you would be placing the grafts the second time in the same area, which means a greater chance of follicle transection in the recipient area, i.e. shock loss (maybe permanent). Others have said the the first HT tends to be the "best". But when you're hungry, half an enchilada can certainly partially satisfy that craving Ideally Sac, you would be better off with more time to study it and consult with multiple doctors.

Sac, I just looked at your pics posted on the other site. They show your hair loss much clearer. I'm not sure what happend with the pics you posted here. Based on those pics, I take back what I said. You appear to have a fairly large area to cover. Almost as much as mine. I'm not sure 12 to 15 hundred is going to get you what you want. You'd be better off waiting till you can afford the whole enchilada.

Based on what I can tell from the photos, it looks like you don't have much area to cover. So I think you would achieve your goals describe above. You would roughly be getting half the grafts that I got, but only covering half as much area or less. See my pics here gorpy's pics. I definitely will see a cosmetic effect on my hair. Keep in mind that the entire first cm of my hairline is all transplanted hair.

Blade sizes vary based on graft size. The smallest I've heard of are .5mm. These ultra small blades are used for the very fine single hair grafts. Larger 3 and 4 hair grafts would require a slightly larger blade. Maybe 1mm. An insertion site too small can cause graft compression which is not good either, so sometimes a larger blade is necessary. I don't know if any of the top doctors use 1.5 mm blades now. That would be a good question for some of the top doctors.

Yes, some redness is still there. It is noticably fading so I expect it to go away at some point. If it were not fading, I would be worried.

Bo, the fact that the hospital is private is not an indication that they would do a good hair transplant. Every hair transplant surgeon in the U.S. is private, yet many do very bad transplants. Be very careful and take the time to do some in depth research. Find out about what is an "ultra refined follicular unit" transplant. Very few doctors are actually able to perform it.

Thanks Bill. You're probably right. That's just part of the shedding process.

Hmmm... I know I look at my hair way to much. Call me crazy but I even have a magnifying glass by the mirror. Today I noticed some very little stubbs of hair in my hairline where it had shed about a week ago. I didn't see them before and now they are very obvious. Could it be that there is growth starting this early at 24 days? The only other thing I can think of is that they just kind of broke off at the base from washing or something.