Jotronic update, 2.5 years post #3

[Jotronic]

Long time since I've done this but I've received a few more requests lately for outdoor sunshine pics so here ya go. I've got a bit O' gel in my hair in these shots so keep that in mind. I also found an old photo of my scalp before # 1 with Dr. Wong way back in March of 2002. The pitting and graft direction brings back some harsh memories. It's hard to believe I started this almost 4.5 years ago. I'll be having a major update to my site in a few weeks so there will be a more comprehensive update when that happens.

 

In case you forgot or never knew to begin with:

 

First photo is showing 300 mini grafts after I progressed to a NW6. Rest of the photos show 7917 grafts over three big sessions and a few guinea pig sessions (FUE/BHT)

 

 

 

[FacelessMan]

Pretty damn amazing...as natural as natural gets. You must be really pleased!

 

Thanks again, too, for sharing with so many of us here.

 

Benjamin

[johnnie69]

jotronic....congrats....great result..

 

you had a bht? how did that go?

 

and from the pics, its looks like you never had any hairloss...is that an illusion or is it really the case? do u use toppik or dermatch or anything?

 

again, congrats on great results..

[troy]

Hey joe awesome pics, Im glad you have had such terrific results, I have appreciated your input on this forum, thanks

[JakeVig]

Looking good - though the pictures are a little small to get a good idea on how things are. Is there any chance you can upload larger sizes of the same pictures?

[Jotronic]

Guys,

 

Thanks for the comments.

 

Johnnie69,

 

The BHT was a small test a long time ago. 40% yield and 87 dots on my chest.

 

Jake,

 

Click on the link to enlarge the photos. It's in the bottom left corner of the album page.

[johnnie69]

Originally posted by johnnie69:

..and from the pics, its looks like you never had any hairloss...is that an illusion or is it really the case? do u use toppik or dermatch or anything?

 

QUOTE]

[Jotronic]

Sorry, missed that part.

 

I have never once used Dermatch or Toppik or Courvre or anything else since I have had my procedures with Dr. Wong. In the mid nineties I tried something called ALH or something like that. Basically it was hair in a spray can. As horrible as it was I became addicted to using it and I swore I'd never do that to myself again.

 

It certainly does not look like I've ever had a problem with hairloss, just recession and a bit of thinning here and there, mostly in the crown. Some may think it's thinner and some may think it's thicker but I am not bald

[johnnie69]

are you done now jotronic (with HT's)? and what do you do to maintain?

 

pics look great, im happy for ya....the plug days had to be hell....congrats man.

[hairbank]

Joe-

 

Your results have been, and continue to be, an inspiration to many. Thanks for posting the update and taking the time to share your story over the years. It was an encouragement to me as I looked toward my second Ht and possibly one of the reasons I decided to move forward. As is said "a picture is worth a thousand words". Looking forward to taking a look at your site when it gets overhauled.

[Jotronic]

Johhnie69,

 

I like the saying "Never say never". This applies because while nothing is planned I do have more left should we decide to really tackle the crown more. Yes, those days were Hell but I wouldn't change a thing. Had I not dealt with them then I would not have the perspective that I have now.

 

Hairbank,

 

I'm glad I may have had any role in your decision making. You're turning out to have quite the mane so congrats to you, sir.

[johnnie69]

whats your maintenance program Jotronic?

[M&M]

Originally posted by Jotronic:

In the mid nineties I tried something called ALH or something like that. Basically it was hair in a spray can. As horrible as it was I became addicted to using it and I swore I'd never do that to myself again.

 

Was that 'GLH' - Great Looking Hair - from Ron Popeil (Infomercial)? You've come a long, long way from that!! Well done! And I agree with Hairbank, you've inspired many!

[Jotronic]

Johnnie69,

 

Just Avodart daily. Nothing else. I switched about five months ago after three years of Proscar. While I think I'm seeing some gains in my crown above and beyond what little I gained from Proscar it is still early.

 

M&M,

 

YES!!! That was it. I'd love to have some of that just to keep around as a souvenir. Got any?

[PB]

I'm jealous! Did you have mega amounts of donor hair or are Drs H & W able to extract more than other docs are able to? I've had 2700 and have been told that I have 2000 left but I need a lot more

[JakeVig]

Jotronic can you give us some more details about your donor hair. I've read that you could have used over 8000+ grafts already and now you are saying that you could have even more to spare?

 

What is your donor density and how long are the strips that H&W have been taking out?

 

how much do you think you have left to spare?

 

Im just a little stunned as I was told that I would probably only have 6000 grafts in total and that my donor density is normal. Having read your website you say that:

 

"2.) My donor hair is not the best. According to Mike, on a scale of 1 to 10, my donor hair is about a 3."

 

Can you let us all know about stats and your donor area? and how H&W is able to harvest so many grafts? are they able to do something different than other doctors?

[johnnie69]

joe, when you reference 7900+ graph count, how many hairs is that?

[Jotronic]

PB,

 

Yes, we can and do on a daily basis. Our average size session is about 4000 grafts per patient.

 

Jake,

 

Yeah, that is what Mike told me in 2002. I had not been on Proscar or anything else at the time. My donor laxity was/is off the charts compared to the average patient but my donor was average. My donor hair quality though was not so good. Since Proscar it improved. It is noticeable all over my scalp and I see this commonly on other patients. My density did not change though. It all comes down to the laxity for me.

 

We tend to take longer strips but we also make sure we waste as close to zero grafts as possible. Having large numbers of techs helps too because you need a lot of techs to be able to cut the number of grafts we get. I don't remember my strip length off the top of my head. I think it was in the range of 27 to 30 cm long. I posted it somewhere quite a while ago and I don't have my chart near me. We find that the average patient has 6500 to 8500 grafts in total. My situation places me in the mutant category according to Dr. Wong.

 

Johnnie69,

 

Being a pasty white boy my average is 2.3 hairs per graft so that makes for about 18,200 hairs not including the 300 mini grafts I have too.

[PB]

Originally posted by Jotronic:

PB,

 

Yes, we can and do on a daily basis. Our average size session is about 4000 grafts per patient.

 

 

But if other doctors estimate that I only have 2000 donor grafts left, is it likely that H&W would be able to get more than this? I know that you can easily do 4000+ but I'm talking about remaining donor availability (my donor was average but after the 2700 strip, the density is now below average).

 

If Proscar improved the quality of your donor hair, does this mean that you would lose transplanted hair if you stop finasteride or if it stops working for you at some point?

[Jotronic]

PB,

 

Are you saying that after one strip of 2700 grafts you have "noticeably" thinner hair in the donor region or are you saying it is thinner simply because it has been stretched out a bit? Just trying to understand what you are saying. If you think it's because your donor area has stretched then, technically, you are correct but the degree of difference is so miniscule that you'd be hard pressed to see the difference under magnification much less in every day life.

 

For you to have only 4700 grafts available overall means that you must be a very marginal (at best) candidate the likes of which I have rarely seen. We feel from our experience that the average patient has about 6500 to 8500 grafts available in total.

 

Is it likely we can get more than 2000? I only say yes because I routinely hear from patients what other docs have estimated and we always get more. I do not say yes with regards to your case because I know nothing about your history.

 

With regards to my donor hair and Proscar, please do not misunderstand. My donor hair, while not great, was not in danger of falling out. When I say the quality of my hair improved I do not mean the density. I mean the aesthetic quality of it. It looks healthier. My transplanted hair is very safe from future loss should I ever discontinue my routine of maintenance.

[PB]

Thanks for the reply Jotronic. I think my hair is slightly thinner because of how my scalp has slightly stretched to compensate for the missing strip - not because of shock loss or anything like that. It looks OK to me though and I can't tell the difference in the density looking at it now and how I remember it before the HT. I don't have mounds of loose scalp at the back but it doesn't feel tight either; it also feels as it did befor the HT.

[Jotronic]

PB,

 

If it makes you feel any better I am willing to bet that it is indeed NOT thinner and more in your mind than in reality. When guys go through this they tend to see things that others don't even if others are asked to examine them. This can happen for several months but in the end you may find your donor is just the same as it always was.

 

Consider this. You had 2700. When we pull off these mega super sessions of 5000 plus you'd expect to see or hear about huge differences in donor density by the patient. It's a non-issue for our big sessions so you should be in fine shape.