Doctor in the New England Area - Best kept secret

dadeus · July 19, 2006

I want to share my experience with everyone, with what I would say is the most personable, caring and professional group of people that I dealt with during my attempt to take control of my hairloss.

Before I do that I want to give folks some background on my struggle with going bald.

I'm 47 years old and have always lived a very active life. I have jet black hair and it had been extremely full when I was young. I have two older brothers who are both completely bald. My hair loss was very gradual, happening slowly over the years. It was so gradual that most people that know me (and my brothers) thought I wouldn't suffer from the same fate, however, by the time I reached 46 years of age, my loss was "extremely noticeable". I developed what would best be called an "island", in the front section of my scalp. I ended up with patches of hair between a front hairline of less than a ?? of an inch and the rear section of my head. The back of my head was extremely thin as well, but not as noticeable as the front.

Over the years, maybe I became a bit more self conscience, but in conversation with others, I began to notice them staring at my head. One day at work, an acquaintance saw me from a distance (from behind) and said he recognized me by my male pattern baldness. Still, I thought I was okay. That is because my "pseudo", thin, front hair line gave me a false sense of security. You see, when I would get dressed for work each morning, I'd see the front of my hair and think things weren't that bad. That is until the day I went shopping and tried clothes on in one of those three way mirrors. I was horrified at how bad my thinning really looked. Eventually, I stopped wanting to let folks take my picture and resorted to wearing hats.

Now don't think I didn't try to do something about this. When I was around 30, I started using minoxidil 2%. As things got even worse, I switch to 5%. It may have slowed things down, but it didn't stop my hair loss. I began to research on the web to find a solution for this problem. I've worked with computers for years, so this was second nature for me. I found many different forums and began studying the different solutions, follicular transplants, hair pieces, natural remedies and more. I finally decided I was going to do something. My older brother had been using glued on hair that looked unbelievably natural. He always told me what a hassle it was and even though I work out 4 or 5 days a week, I decided I didn't care and was going to do it. I searched and searched the web and stumbled across a guy in my local area that was only about 20 minutes away. His name was Frank Coletta and amazingly enough, he agreed to meet me on a Sunday evening, right after the holidays, when every other business was closed.

We met in Franks office. I went into the encounter totally skeptical and waiting for this guy to try and take as much of my money as possible. I had done my home work looking on sites like this and others and had not found a single piece of information on Frank. This is what led to my complete skepticism.

I was a psychology major in college and even though I "jumped" into the computer industry, I've continued to hone my people skills through reading, meditation, etc. Within the first five minutes of talking with Frank, I realized I was dealing with someone who was totally the opposite of what I had expected. He talked about the different options, including doing what I wanted and an actual transplant. He was quite honest about the fact that I would look awesome with a hair piece and he showed me pictures of clients he had, that looked incredible. He told me that in the long run, this was actually the most expensive option and one he would be glad to do it if I chose to. We talked about transplants, my life style and my baldness pattern. Frank ask me to consider this option, as it would give me back my own hair with none of the hassles of a "piece" and it would fit in nicely with my active life style.

A friend of Frank's had come to visit for the holiday's was also there at the time. Frank had introduced him to me earlier. Frank asked me if I minded having his friend show me something about his hair. I said no problem and he called him into the room. He appeared to have a beautiful head of hair. His friend told me he had once been totally bald. He then showed me a close up view of his scalp. He explained that he had originally gone to a Canadian doctor to have his hair work done. He pointed to spots in his head where there was scarring and what looked liked plugs of hair. He then showed me the work Frank's team had done to repair the damage. It was like night and day. The re-work looked completely natural.

I have to say that regardless of Frank's role in helping me choose the best option, he is and was one of the most personable people I've ever met. If I had not met him through this encounter, I'd have loved to have him as a friend. He has a natural warmth that puts you at ease. I can't say enough, about how re-assuring this was when you're faced with taking action on your hair loss. Frank gave me no pressure and told me to give him a call back when I was ready to do something. When I left, I had a knew insight and yearning to know more about transplants.

Before going the transplant route and after doing more research, I decided I owed it to myself, to try the natural remedies I had seen of the web, for at least six months. I figured for six more months, I wouldn't have a lot to lose. So I researched and I tried, vinegar and cayene pepper, "super zix", beta sitosterol, Flax lignans, green tea with catechins, nixoral and even some type of mild acid applied to the scalp. None of it worked for me. In the mean time I also scoured the hair loss forums once again looking at all the Doctor's out there and other people's experience. I was ready to make an informed decision if the natural hair regrowth fell through......and it did fail. I decided I was going to do something and there would be no turning back.

3 Weeks ago I did it! I have no regrets. I got a limo ride to the airport and escort by Frank himself and what I can only describe as red carpet treatment. Now I'm patiently waiting for the results. If you want to know more about the best kept secret about a doctor and staff in the New England area, feel free to contact me.

dadeus · July 19, 2006