Gorpy

You should not have to visit your doctor every time you need a refill. When I run out, I just call my doc and let her know. She calls in a refill. Doctors will typically want to see you every 6 months or so, but not every month.

PB, your situation is similar to mine. I have a little more hair loss, but all in the front like you. I'm getting 2700 Sept. 28th with Dr. Keene. Although I have options of working from home and/or wearing a hat, it will be interesting to see how long the HT is "noticable".

There is some truth to the splitting of Proscar comment. What you DON'T want to do is split all of them when you get them. If they sit for a long period, it is possible for them to lose their efficiency. Only split the one pill that you are immediately going to use and you'll be fine.

Originally posted by Bonzo:

baldcasanova, Actually the frontal and side hair is considerably less dense then the picture would indicate. At 7 months I'll try to take one that shows the new front and sides in a better light-Bonzo

Lookin good Bonzo! It's an amazing transformation. But, yes your pictures suck :-). Give us some quality pics, please.

2700 grafts. The front half of my scalp is very thin, but the back half is still ok,so they are all going into the front half. Whatever norwood that is. I've been on finasteride so hopefully that halted or slowed future loss.

Ha, that's funny. I'm definitely looking forward to my new "hair style". Just to have hair in my hairline to comb would be nice.

I'll keep everyone up to date with my progress. My surgery is scheduled for Sept. 28. You can see my pre-op photos in Patient Photos section.

Thanks for the replies. I'm actually very confident that Dr. Keene will do an excellent job. It's more a nervous anticipation. I'm also nervous about what people will think of me having the procedure etc. I don't think I'll be able to completely conceal that I had something done. Especially since my hairline will be moved down.

Less than 3 weeks and counting. Now I'm really getting nervous.

Let's cool down guys. Arfy has a good point. Some doctors do rely more on staff than others. That does not necessarily mean that their work is inferior. I along with Arfy would prefer that the surgeon is more "hands on". That is one reason I picked the surgeon I did. Placing of the grafts and making the insisions has its subtle nuances that the surgeon should be involved in. Let's face it, Doctors are doctors for a reason. They went to many years of medical school and had years of training. Both making insisions and placing the grafts is a surgical procedure. I'm sure some staff members are highly trained and skilled and have gained the confidence of the surgeon, but they should never be unsupervised.

Thanks for bringing that point up Arfy. I personally want to know that information when choosing a physician.

Robert, your point was that Arfy maybe didn't have first hand knowledge of that about Dr. Limmer. That's also a good point. Let's know the facts before we speak. With your access to Doctors, how about adding this information to some of your surgeon reviews.

Dr. Alexander makes the incisions but does not actually place the grafts. Is that correct?

You know I was thinking the same thing about the presidents. Look at all of them from recent times where appearance plays a big part because of TV exposure.

Also, keep in mind that Gerald Ford was not elected. He took over after Nixon resigned. Same with LBJ.

I think both docs are very good. But I think Dr. Keene holds the advantage in hairline work. That's why I chose Dr. Keene. I'm getting mostly hairline work done. There are subtle difference like that among the top docs.

Dr. Bernstein appears to be on of the docs that does great hairlines. I really like his work.

I see what you mean Krome. It can be difficult to sort through the maze. I have not had a transplant, but am scheduled for late Sept. Personally, after doing research for a while, I believe that a great transplant is possible. That's why I chose one of the top docs. Who knows? There's a small chance I could be wrong. But I've decided to take that chance.

Yes, this is exactly why I think I have made the right decision to go with Dr. Keeene. :-).

Krome, the opinions you see around the internet might be subjective, but they are REAL opinions by REAL people. They are not from some high priced marketing campaign. So take each in the light it is presented.

To answer your question, yes, any doctor can prescribe any medication. That doesn't mean they will do it, but you can always ask.

Harve, what areas would you be transplanting this time? Just some thickening, adding to crown, etc?

Today's best transplants don't use mini-grafts, only follicular units. So that is not a problem, even in sunlight. The only thing that could possibly exposed under sunlight is the lack of density. More light can make more scalp visible. Other than a lack of density, i.e. you are not going to get your original density back, there should be no detectable indication of a transplant, even in sunlight.

Thanks Sorleyboy. I'm getting more and more excited as the day approaches.

BTW - I'm 49 so I know where you're coming from.

Thanks for the info Sorleyboy. I will be having a procedure done by Dr. Keene in late September. What was the distribution of your 2500 grafts, front, crown?

Yes, unfortunately image is important. In my case, it's not so much about confidence. At 49, I can deal with hair lose much easier that if I were 29. However, I am a strong male, who enjoys keeping in good shape. My current hair loss makes me look MUCH older. I don't like that. I like to look as young and healthy as I feel.

The only reason you would stay much after the surgery is for the suture removal a week to 10 days later. Otherwise you could fly back as soon as you feel like it. Even the next day. I have heard of situations where an agreement was made where you could get a local doc to remove the sutures. That way you don't have to stick around.

You are doing the right thing by getting second opinions. Here's an example of something that happened to me recently. This is not hair related, but is an example of why second opinions and specialists are so important. I was feeling some knee pain for a few months and it wasn't going away. I went to see my family doctor who I've been seeing for years. I think he's a great doctor. It's just that I found out, he doesn't know everything. He looked at my knee, check the range of motion, twisted and poked. Then he said, "It's just tendonitis. Give it some rest and you'll be fine". Well, after a couple more weeks, I felt there was something more serious wrong. I decided to find the best local orthopedic specialist on knees in my city. The difference was amazing. He immediately grabbed and twisted my knee such a way that allowed him to feel a certain "click". Which was a tell tail sign of a torn tendon.

Sorry to be long winded. Moral of the story. Doctors don't know everything about every field. See a specialist.

BTW - I got my prescription for Proscar from the Dr. I consulted with.

Dr. Keene does not require you to cut your hair. In fact, she does not want you to cut it. She uses the existing hair a guide graft placement and angulation. She simply moves it out of the way.