Truth Seeker

[Truth Seeker]

These are the results of three transplants from three different surgeons, totalling appx. 2500 micros and minis. The photos are as of March 5, 2007

 

 

 

[Bill - Seemiller]

Hey Truth Seeker,

 

Thanks for sharing your photos with us. Your pictures remind me of JoTronic's hair the way it looked before he went to see Dr. Wong. Now admittedly, you have more hair than he did after he reeived his mini/micro grafts, but the good news is, not all hope is lost. Looking at him now, 7000 grafts later, his hair looks phenominal. Now of course, it's not fair necessarily to compare one HT to the next...nor do we know that you have 7000 grafts left, but, I believe with the right surgeon, you can defintely achieve a vast improvement, especially if you focus on the frontal 3rd to half of your scalp. Depending on how many grafts you have left in you, you may have to forget about the crown.

 

I am trying to remember...are you on finasteride? So as to further prevent loss, you may want to consider getting on it. sorry if you covered this before...hard to keep track .

 

Bill

[nobuzz4me]

TS,

 

I am sorry things have not worked out better for you. Do you suspect that of the 2500 minis, many did not survive, transected?? Are/were you on finasteride? Just curious, who were your Doctors?

[HK500]

Welcome TS,

Sorry about your unproductive previous HT's. Your hairloss needs to be stabilized with Finasteride first, maybe you are already taking it, then there are many options depending on your donor supply. Even with a supply of only 3000 FU's you'll get a result that will be a HUGE improvement compared to your curent situation. Many options are available to you, don't rush, the more you know, the best choices you'll make. Some members spend months sometimes more than one year researching before reaching their best educated decision.

[Truth Seeker]

Yes, I am on Propecia, 1/4 tablet per day, prescribed by Dr. Bernstein. Dr. Rahal recently looked at my photos and recommends 2500 FUs, but won't know until he sees me in person. That seems to be where everyone is in their recommendations except for Dr. Bernstein, who maintains 600 FUs is all he can get out of the donor area. He says to wait 1 year to see what Propecia does before we move on. IMO, 600 isn't worth it.

 

I also believe that many of the micros and minis did not survive the transplants. Within two months post-op with Dr. Loria, I had a bout of Hepatitis-A. I believe that killed many of the grafts, as my body was busy fighting a nasty infection like that. Loria stated back then that Hep-A would not interfere with my recovery and growth. But, as I said, none of the surgeries showed results in the manner that I am seeing in most of the before/after photos I am seeing here.

 

I'm willing to wait a year, as per Dr. Bernstein. That'll certainly give me more time to save up to get the procedure done.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Truth Seeker,

 

I remember now...yes, sorry for the blackout there .

 

I agree...I don't think 600 is worth it. I'd say 2500 would be worth it, however, I'd consult with a few more liberal doctors to see what they think too. Dr. Hasson is famous for numbers (not to mention his incredible work), so I'd check him out and consult with him too. I know it may be a bit of a travel, but travel time is worth it when you consider the investment.

 

That of course is not to knock Dr. Rahal or Bernstein. Both do terrific work, however, I know Bernstein is on the conservative side. I believe Rahal is more on the liberal side.

 

Bill

[hairbank]

T.S.-

 

Thanks for posting the pics, buddy. I have to agree with you, 600 grafts wouldn't really be worth it in my opinion either. Glad to hear you are on Fin, maybe it will at the least help you maintain.

 

If I were in your shoes I'd try to do some in-person consults if possible to get a better idea of how many donor grafts you have remaining. 600-2500 is a huge gap. I guess with prior HT's it may be harder to tell.

 

Waiting won't gain you any more donor hair. You may want to at least get further consults for comparison. If you were able to get the 2500, I think you could have "decent" coverage for frontal 1/3 and midscalp. At the least what you have now is permanent and will be nice to help give the appearance of density with other hair blended in.

 

Keep us posted....

[the B spot]

I think 2500 is pretty conservative, IMO.

 

I would target your frontal core and midscalp with 2000+ grafts.

 

I would target the crown with 1000 grafts.

 

All in the same session.

 

Laxity permitting, of course.

 

I think the difference would be dramatic and in the hands of the right Doc, you will realize what you set out to do 3 sessions ago.

 

I think you will have some left over even after 3000 grafts, if only via FUE.

 

Take Care,

J

[Truth Seeker]

Thanks guys. Waiting a year won't give me any more donor hair. Waiting a year is the idea of Dr. Bernstein, to see how I do on Propecia. In addition, it helps me put some cash away for the surgeries. I have the money now, for the most part, but I'd like to have more $$$ in case I can do more!

 

3,000 grafts would be awesome, but the general concessions have been 2500. Like Bill said, I may have to give up the crown, but a little Prothik back there is better than a lot of Prothik all over! At 42, things like that still matter. When I'm 50-60 years old, I don't think it'll matter much. By that time, if I'm gray, the thinness may not be so noticeable. By that time, other procedures may be readily available.

 

I joked with Shapiro and Bernstein about FUEs coming from my legs...being a bodybuilder, I'd be more than happy to give up the hair on my legs for more hair on my head. I know that stuff is still in the experimental stage, but in the right hands, I'd be willing to be a guinea pig, and I think a lot of people here would, too.

[nobuzz4me]

TS,

 

I would not wait for the next procedure, life is short and you will need another year to grow in and wait for the results which puts you back two years total.

 

Also, I would not expect a lot of regrowth with Fin. Hopefully it will keep what you have. Dr. Bernstiens's advice is good to give to a 21 year old but at your age?? I have to say with all due respect forget Dr. Bernstien's advice and get with someone who sees a brighter outlook for you.

[Truth Seeker]

Hi NoBuzz4me,

 

I wanted to get another surgery 2 years ago, but money is usually the issue ! I'm not quite there yet, and am still waiting on replies from a couple of other surgeons. As you understand, with three transplants behind me, and fewer donor hairs left, I have to be really diligent in who I choose to do this last one (or two) surgeries.

 

I don't use credit cards (the one that I DO have has a limit of $1,000, and that's deliberate on my part), so it comes out of my savings and pay in one shot.

[nobuzz4me]

I am with you man on those credit cards. My Dad taught me to pay cash or go without, I hated it at the time but in the long run it is best.

 

I guess you could go in for a "home improvement" loan and tell the bank officer you are putting a new roof(hair) on the house(head). Would that be legit??

 

Good luck with your search and hope your finances allow your procedure soon, This crap is expensive!!

[Truth Seeker]

A home improvement loan would be nice, but I'm a renter. I have a $5k personal line of credit with my credit union, and have used that in the past, but the interest rate is a bit high, and it takes forever to pay it back.

 

I know that if I wait until a year from now, I won't see results until the end of 2008/early 2009. But if I can squeeze another $2-3K into my savings, then I might be able to get a procedure done with a reputable surgeon with an excellent track record.

 

As someone who has yet to see ANY positive results from three previous transplants, the wait may be worth it. Of course, whether I have the cash or not is not the issue. It's the remaining donor hair and laxity that really matters.