Surgery scheduled and question about taking photos

November 27, 2002

I've told my story several times. For those interested in all the details, run a search of my posts.

Question: Some of you have gotten great close-up photos that really accurately conveyed the condition of your hair before and after. Dr. Feller's pictures are absolutely amazing! When I started on this odyssesy with Lewinberg's formula in 1997, I took a few photos using a polaroid, just because he requested photos to measure progress. I was quite in front and getting nearly as thin and wispy top and crown. The best photos I was able to get (with wet hair as he requested) show clear evidence of the flash bulb and somewhat make the baldness even worse than it is, although it was pretty bad. I could not cover the crown and top even with dry hair grown full length. In any event, were I too use those photos, some might assume I am scamming, if I follow with better quality photos.

Last year, I had 900 grafts in the front 1/3 of my scalp with Dr. Pomerantz in Chicago. It was an barely adequate job technically, not enough grafts and the hairline was more like a straight line of hairs that were spaced about 1/2 centimeter apart and texture of the individual hairs was to course and thick to look like a natural hairline (what was he thinking?). After one year I was not thrilled, but overall things were better.

Three months ago, after trying virtually everything on the market since 1997, I added Spirocreme as a once a day topical for the front 1/2 of my scalp (it's spiranalactone and zinc oxide in a liposome base) and I added Lipoxidil (minoxidil in a liposome base) on top and crown (where there had been absolutely no transplants).

I continued proscar 2.5mg which I've been on for about three years with some decent success - it resulted in some top and crown regrowth and a little, little bit of hair toward the front. (I tried 5mg. for a while and it made no difference in my opinion. But 2.5mg. seemed to work better than 1.25 mg).

I made a reference in a previous post to something I was trying out, but wanted to wait for good results, break even or failure. The results have been better than anything I've tried and I have had some success to some extent with many other products in the past. So, these new products I'm using are being compared to results that almost everything else on the market did or didn't do for me. Spirocreme was the first product that ever grew hair in the front of my scalp to the degree that it made a dramatic cosmetic difference. Somewhere between 1000 - 2000 (impossible to count) new hairs that are still of a thinner diameter (but brown like the rest of my hair) than the transplanted hairs. They are easily distinguishible from the transplants because they are between 1/4 inch and 1 inch long now and still growing. My transplanted hair is cut at about 2 1/2 inch length. The new hairs are not that vellous (sp?) fuzz crap. Top and crown have also gotten much thicker. I can't see if actual new hairs are growing on top and crown (you know - mirrors, bending in weird positions, eyeglasses and no current girlfriend to check - lots of problems).

But, the top and crown are visibly much more dense, feel much, much thicker, the scalp covers with no messing with it, and the existing hair hase returned to my age 20's wavey, thicker diameter type hair, rather than the wispier non-wavy stuff that was there. So, that change alone makes much better coverage for the top and scalp.

I've tried to take photos - used a 35 mm and a polaroid - and not getting the shots that will clearly demonstrate the changes.

I particularly wanted front hairline shots now, because the one's I've taken look better in these less than high definition photos than the Pomaerantz hairline looks in real life. I can now easily see how some docs could put photos in books that look like real great hairlines, but they are actually not as good as they look live. Mine are like that.

I'm going for 800 more grafts in my hairline Dec 19 with Dr. Keene to get a more natural complete look. Everything behind the hairline has been improving so well, that I don't want to risk transection of new hairs and the way things are going, I think the products I'm using will leave me very happy. Even the hairline looks better since using these products, because the spirocreme added just enough hairs way down in front to create a little softer and more random look than what Dr. Pomerantz gave me.

Photo suggestions anyone? I'd be glad to post the old polaroids (for Lewenberg)and a couple of regular prints from the mid-nineties to give some sense of what I started with. I'd like good before & after and post surgery progress photos to post.

Some of the Dr.s and some of the veterans have clearly gotten good, realistic photos.

What have you used to get those photos that really show individual hairs in close-up especially at the hairline?

As far as the spirocreme and lipoxidil - I might just be one of a few lucky guys - but there is 0% possibility that these products - especially the spirocreme, did not account for a dramatic increase in number of hairs, increase shaft diameter of existing hairs and dramatically improved cosmetic appearance of scalp overall. If anyone else has tried these products, I'd love to hear your reports.

I'm not pitching these products, the price might give you a heart attack. If you use both, it could be as much as 100 month. Add cost of proscar (another 10 for me) and that's a hefty price tag.

If others can report, it would help before anyone blows money just because one person on the board got great results with these products.

Sorry for the long post - I always do this. And to think, in person people say I'm to quiet.

November 27, 2002