New photos.

[CarlosM]

I have created this page today: http://home.attbi.com/~cmerighe/homepage/hair/012102/page.htm

[CarlosM]

I have created this page today: http://home.attbi.com/~cmerighe/homepage/hair/012102/page.htm

[Guest]

Dude,

You don't need a HT now.

Your hair looks good.

[Guest]

I agree with mona! You are 37 man, just be happy with what you've got. I actually like your hair. I think with a new hair style, you would have great hair.

[arfy]

Carlos, there's no doubt that thinning hair is a drag. We all know what that feels like. I understand how you are wanting to "fix" things. And you could surely find hair transplant doctors who are willing to work on you. But getting a transplant right now is like killing a fly with a hand grenade. It's too much.

 

I'm not saying "don't ever get a hair transplant." Maybe in a few years, if you keep thinning out, it may be a better choice. But right now, I wouldn't do it. There's rarely such a thing as "just getting a few grafts as a touch up." It's a committment to getting more grafts in the future, if there is any progression. I stand by my previous posts. Guys with lots of hair are at risk for telogen effluvium (shock fallout) when they get a transplant. It doesn't always happen, and when it does, it isn't always permanent, but it is a risk that you should factor in. Do some searches on those terms, and see what you think.

 

If I were you, I'd sit tight for now.

[Guest]

I'm probably going to get slated by the posts above but I was exactly at the same stage as Carlos with regard to hairloss. I will post the photos next week as I don't have current access. I had a transplant 2 weeks ago (stitches came out yesterday). I understand the posts above, but surely if Carlos wants to do something about his loss then he should. I did and i'm glad. I went to Shapiro and he is excellent. The scar is virtually undetectable. I only had 900 grafts. I maintained a natural recession appearance and would totally recommend Shapiro.

Not all transplants are bad. I would agree that about 5-10 years ago they were, but going to an excellent surgeon is the key to success.

 

Please reply.

[arfy]

Because I don't know what "slated" means. LOL

 

But we are all just expressing our opinions here. Everyone is free to agree with what they like, obviously. When people have a different point of view than I do, and can present a compelling argument, I am willing to learn. We all do what we want to with the information, regardless. The purpose of these forums is it is obviously the arena for differing points of view. I didn't have the benefit of other perspectives, when I "made my decision", and I definitely suffered for it.

 

Carlos posted his pics and asked for our opinions, which is what we're all giving. My opinion won't necessarily prevent Carlos from going ahead anyway, and possibly being very happy with his decision. If I had seen your pics and you'd asked for advice, I'd tell you the same things I'm telling him though.

 

In another post you inferred that you'd been getting criticised for your viewpoint, and your doing it in the above post here as well. I'll have to look at some previous threads, because I don't remember you taking flack right now. Your points in this last post are valid: Yes, not all hair transplants are bad, and picking a top surgeon is crucial. But another point not addressed by you, is that it is also important to actually be a good candidate, in the first place. One sign of a good candidate is having a well-defined pattern of loss, and someone who has halted their recession/thinning, who is not in a hairloss "freefall".

 

An important related point to this is that hair transplants are a lifetime endeavor. Your natural hair will change over the next 30 years, and so will your attitude towards your hair in general. But the grafts you have in your hairline will never change over time. This is a big issue that needs to be addressed by guys who are low on the Norwood scale, who just want a few grafts. I can address this "time" issue because I had my own work done years ago. I have a perspective on this issue which you don't have, James. (Believe me, I'm not bragging.) Even if my doctor had used good grafts, the issues I am pointing out would be the same. Guys who get their temples or hairlines filled in, without knowing the full extent and pattern of their hairloss, are taking a big risk. The risk being that they could be in big trouble if those grafts become exposed, due to future hairloss, without enough donor hair (or cash) to adequately cover a large area that wasn't planned with a "mature" hairline in mind. I don't think guys should take any risks with their appearance, or their "future appearance". The "correct" hairline is a mature hairline that will still look appropriate when you are 70.

 

Guys who "just get a few grafts", are fully committing themselves to further grafts in the future, if they should thin any further, which is typical for almost everyone. I'm talking about 5-10-15 years down the road. They are locked into it, whether they realize it or not. And they make this commitment without even knowing if they'll be happy with their initial grafts, in the first place.

 

The only way Carlos can have that "correct" hairline put in, at this point, is if he REPLACES his current hairline with grafts, as he currently has the "age appropriate hairline". Obviously, that wouldn't make any sense.

 

I try not to tell guys who are happy with their grafts that "they did it wrong". I wish all you guys luck, and if you guys are still happy about your decision years down the road, more power to you.

 

[This message was edited by arfy on January 22, 2002 at 12:32 PM.]

[CarlosM]

Thank you very much for the sincere replies. Argy's perspective regarding what might happen years down the road is interesting.

 

Arfy, do you think that the main risk is potentially running out of donor hair in the future? What a scary proposition.

 

For the sake of this discussion, let's consider the following:

 

A) I am almost 38, so I figure my hair will keep falling out at about the same rate that it has been falling out for the last 9 years.

 

B) I will continue to take Proscar. I hope it will slow down my hair loss. Maybe it will even keep my hair from falling out at all.

 

C) The first three pictures on http://home.attbi.com/~cmerighe/homepage/2002/011202/page.htm kind of show my father's hair. He is 60 years old. Do you guys think that he would have enough donor hair to repair his hair? Maybe the pictures are not very good to know for sure. If the answer is yes, then I think that I, given my own father's hair and my own current status after almost 10 years from the time my hair started vanishing, may be ok in the long run as far as having enough donor hair is concerned.

 

I realize that this is speculation. You would think that you could safely ask a HT doctor and get an honest answer. Am I wrong thinking that a lot of HT doctors will give you their answers mostly based on the status of their bank accounts? You know, maybe part of their answers are based on whether or not they would like to trade in their Mercedes for new ones. For instance, one HT doctor was basically bad-mouthing Propecia and Proscar to me several months ago. I didn't say anything, but I became somewhat suspicious that he would rather have his patients go back for more when all he did was bad-mouth Propecia. He only focused on the side potential side effects of Propecia. I felt that maybe he was trying to scar me. When I asked him what Propecia was, he didn't bother to mention that Propecia is the only FDA-approved drug proven to treat hair loss in men. A responsible doctor should base his comments on research and experience. Maybe he should have mentioned that 5 out of 6 men kept the hair they had during the clinical trials, and that 2 out of 3 men even grew back some hair. I accept the comments about the side effects, they are a reality for some men. Perhaps he should have told me that only 2% of the clinical-trial recipients suffered from any side effect.

 

Some people say that baldness is inherited from one's mother's side. That is not true as far as my family is concerned. My mother's father died with all his hair at the age of 80. Sure, his hair was totally gray, but at least he took all of it to his grave.

 

The alternative for me is to wait until I am old and my hair quits falling out. That could mean having a hair that I hate for years to come, but I will take no action while I feel undecided.

 

Thanks!

[JEBSTER]

Carlos you are a perfect canidate for a HT! Don't let anyone elses opinion cloud this one truism. In order to get the desired objective of concealment it is better to have a certain amount of hair for that purpose. I have spent $17,000 ON MY HEAD WITH THE LAST $5,500 SPENT YESTERDAY ON A 1500 FU HT MEGA SESSION WITH SUMMIT HAIR (JOE GRECO). THIS FINISHED MY DECADE LONG PROCESS TO NEVER BE BALD LIKE SOME OF THE GUyS WERE WAY BALD WHEN THE HAD THEIR PROCEDURES AND FRANKLY THEY WILL NEVER BE ENCOURAGING UNTIL YOU ARE AS BALD AS THEY WERE. BESIDE THE FACT THAT THE HONEST TRUTH IS A CANIDATE LIKE YOU OR ME FOR THAT MATTER, HAVE GREATER RESULTS BECAUSE WE STARTED BEFORE FULL FRONTAL AND VERTEX BALDING OCCURRED! PERIOD, END OF STATEMENT! I always grew my hair longer before I had a procedure to assist in that concealment factor. For ten long years it never was known to anyone whom I chose not to tell. So, in closing, "LETS' ROLL!! GO FOR IT AND BE PROUD IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT ONE DAY YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY YOU SIR ARE THE PERFECT CANIDATE FOR AN OUTSTANDING fu ht!!!Jebster.

[Dr. William Parsley]

Although I appreciate Jebster's comments, I would be very cautious. You appear to me to be right on the border of transplanting. I would not blame someone for encouraging you or discouraging you. Keep the following in mind- once you start, it is a lifelong committment. Are you unhappy with your hair as it stands or unhappy with what you think it will become? If you would be happy if the loss would just stop, then I would hold off. About 6 months ago I did a procedure on a fellow who 25 yrs ago had some punch grafts placed into an area of frontal recession. His hairloss virtually stopped and he wished he had not had the procedure -fortunately it was correctable. You mentioned that you don't like it as it is now - in that case, I would lean more for a transplant. The frontal "V" can easily be widened and should look very good. But then you are committed.

Your hair looks pretty good right now but it is obvious that you have had a moderate degree of recession. You are no doubt an excellent candidate for this procedure - if and when it is proper for you. Only you can answer that question. Just go into it with a good knowledge of the committment - and don't let anyone talk you into or out of anything. It is your decision and you need to be comfortable with it. No need for rushing.

Dr. Parsley

[CarlosM]

Thank you for your comments below.

I will take no action until I am totally ready, and that could take a few years of preparation. I do have a moderate degree of recession, and I don't like the way my hair looks at all.

 

First I want to see if Proscar will do its job and prevent further loss. If it does, I'll get a transplant when I am more confident.

 

Cost is an important issue to me when considering engaging into the life-long commitment of getting transplants to repair future hairloss. It's not like I can save $2K and go get a procedure done; otherwise, I would get more excited because I am not very afraid of running out of donor hair based on my family history and my own hairloss rate so far.

 

Based on my photos, how many grafts do you think I would need right now?

 

Thanks.

 

Carlos.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

to Carlos

 

Although I appreciate Jebster's comments, I would be very cautious. You appear to me to be right on the border of transplanting. I would not blame someone for encouraging you or discouraging you. Keep the following in mind- once you start, it is a lifelong committment. Are you unhappy with your hair as it stands or unhappy with what you think it will become? If you would be happy if the loss would just stop, then I would hold off. About 6 months ago I did a procedure on a fellow who 25 yrs ago had some punch grafts placed into an area of frontal recession. His hairloss virtually stopped and he wished he had not had the procedure -fortunately it was correctable. You mentioned that you don't like it as it is now - in that case, I would lean more for a transplant. The frontal "V" can easily be widened and should look very good. But then you are committed.

Your hair looks pretty good right now but it is obvious that you have had a moderate degree of recession. You are no doubt an excellent candidate for this procedure - if and when it is proper for you. Only you can answer that question. Just go into it with a good knowledge of the committment - and don't let anyone talk you into or out of anything. It is your decision and you need to be comfortable with it. No need for rushing.

[Dr. William Parsley]

I am sure that if you asked several transplanters you would get several different answers. Depending on where you put the hairline, I would guestimate that you would need 2 sessions - the first being 800-1000 grafts and the second at least 8 months later and probably a smaller number.

As an extra suggestion, I would add Rogaine extra-strength to your regimen. By itself, it is not too strong, but in combination with Propecia, it appears to me to be more effective. Plus, it is pretty inexpensive now.

[CarlosM]

Dr. Bill Parsley,

 

Thanks for the reply. Rogaine, if I am not mistaken, would not help me because it does not work for the temporal area.

 

I am taking Proscar.

 

Thanks!

 

Carlos.

[Dr. William Parsley]

Carlos,

When Rogaine was being tested, they picked the crown (vertex) as a uniform control area. When they went to the FDA, I understand that they were slightly surprised that the FDA told them they could only say it grew hair in the crown. Some complained that if they had done testing on the right side of the head that the FDA would tell them they could only claim growth on the right side. The truth is that it is capable of growing hair anywhere. In fact a problem that it is capable of increasing facial hair, particularly in women (reversable). I have seen pictures of hair regrowing quite nicely in the frontal scalp with Rogaine use.

My personal opinion, from experience and a lot of before and after photos, is that used alone it is a weak hair regrower in men. When combined with Propecia, I believe it is far more effective and have photos to back it up.

It is my unproven opinion that all these agents work better over the midscalp and crown because the hairloss starts later there. Areas of untreated hairloss become unsalvageable hairloss in a few years. As each hair miniaturizes there comes a point that it can't be saved. Hairloss on the frontal scalp usually begins before loss over the crown. There may be more to it than my explanation, but believe this point is valid.

Carlos - my main concern with the use of Propecia and Rogaine is for the top and crown areas. You need to try to preserve these areas and possibly regrow them to get the result you want - whether you ever do a transplant or not.

[Guest]

carlos, your hair is fine ,receded but can be

styled straight back ,caeser,to the side,you

have enough to do many styles.hit the gym more

and get a tan,you'll be fine.

[Guest brent]

Carlos, I was kinda in the same boat as you, with mild recession and being thirty years old. Every one who posts on this site has alot more experience than I do, but I will give you my opinion. Jebster is right. It all depends how much it means to you. Your hair looks fine, but if it dosn't look or feel fine to you, then get it done. The others are bang on when they say it is a life long committment, but so is staying healthy, keeping fit, watching your diet, or even keeping your teeth. Im sure if you get a great doctor who can plan out your future procedures and senerios, and you can accompany them financially, go for it! But it all depends on you. Keep researching the site for advice, and you will learn alot. Life is very short so why wait, and istead of your hair looking just fine, it would look great.

[Guest]

This is something that needs to be thought out thoroughly. A transplant is not open-heart surgery, but it will affect you for quite some time...if not your whole life.

 

It took me 10 years to finally decide. I consulted with dozens of doctors and decided I needed to travel out of state to have my work performed. This is despite the fact that I live in Southern California and my options were wide open.

 

Upon meeting a few patients who had traveled to the same HT Doc, I was convinced I had finally found the right person to perform my procedures. I met patients in person and talked to the surgeon several times and had a terrific feeling about him. All other patients concurred.

 

I personally feel that it takes time to find what you are looking for. I am so glad I was not monetarily fit to have this done 10 years back. I know for sure that I would have been butchered. Instead I now have a fairly thick head of hair and have developed some excellent relationships that will probably last forever.

 

To this day I am very happy. I will recommend this surgeon, but I will do so via personal email.

Take care!

[Guest]

Carlos..

I too am with Jebster and Brent.. Why wait if it bothers you now? Chances are, it won't get any better with time. Sure, you might halt it.. But from your comments listed under your pictures, you are not happy with your hair in the present. Go and do something. Just understand it is a committment. But just budget for it accordingly.