I'm New Here (NW6) - So Here We Go!

[JPGR5]

Well Hi Everybody!

 

I'm new to the site here so any advice you have would be great for me in my research and decision making!

 

This is the year to find some permanent hair instead of wearing my hair system. Don't get me wrong, the hair system is very good and a lot of people comment on my hair looking great, but I need something more permanent and natural. I think the front of my system doesn't look as great as it could and nothing will look more natural than having real hair growing at least on the 1/3 front of my head!

 

So here we go -

 

So far I have been to see Dr. True in NYC - who said they could do something for the front of my head. I would still have to wear something for the back (I'm a NW6 - possibly can go back to a NW5A if I start taking medication).

 

Saw Dr. Bernstein in NYC - who told me within 5 minutes that I am NOT a good candidate for a hair transplant. Just doing the front of my head to get my hairline back is a waste of time and there will be more maintenance trying to keep a hair system behind it. Him being bald himself, he told me to just shave my hair really short and get a tan - so I can look like him and not let my hair loss bother me anymore. In 5 minutes he made $185 dollars off of me for the consultation just to show me the door. True & Dorin told me they could help me, but didn't charge me their standard $80 consultation fee.

 

So I'm confused. One doctor told me he can help me - another blew me off.

 

I am waiting for my next service appointment where I get my hair system re-bonded to my head every month. They are going to help me with taking pictures of my head for on-line consultations for Dr. Rahal in Canada.

 

I also have an appointment with Dr. Feller in NY for another consultation.

 

I have seen other NW6 on the forums here with what I consider amazing results. I know a hair transplant done correctly won't look the same as my hair system as far as density and fullness, but I'm going for more of a natural look.

 

Any advice you all have for me regarding doctor's to see - if just taking care of my front and hairline is worth the money - if I don't get the fullness I want, what concealers work best, etc.

 

My hair loss started when I was 15-16 years old. I forgot what it is like to have a hairline!

 

Please help! Once I make a decision, I will start posting my progress online.

 

Thanks!

 

JPGR5

[RCWest]

Can you post a pic? That would help a lot. And I agree, that usually there is hope for a decent result for NW6 stage. Are you on meds?

[JPGR5]

I'm getting my hair system serviced in a couple of weeks. When it's off the girl who cuts/services my hair will take pictures for me and I'll post them here. I have to send copies to Dr. Rahal for my online consultation (I'm in the NYC area - he's in Canada).

 

I asked the sales consultant at True & Dorin to send me the pics they took of me, but I doubt they will send them to me.

 

On a side-note, the place where I get my hair serviced is very good when it comes to me finding other alternatives in getting my hair back. They have clients who had hair transplants for just the front of their heads and they wear a system for the back - and they said it looks great.

 

I'm not on any meds. Dr. True's office sent me a medical/prescription form so I could get on Propecia, but I don't know if that means they'll only sign off on it IF I decide to go to them for the surgery. I'm still shopping around for surgeons.

[Levrais]

Hi JPGR5'

I would imagine that T&D will send you the prescription when you send the waiver form back. I had a very good consult with Dr. True and he was in my top 3 for ht docs. I have read that they are on the conservative side which in most cases is a good thing. In your case you may also want to consult with some docs who are known for taking the riskier cases just for comparison. Like you said, there have been some impressive results on the forums for nw6 cases and even some 7s.

 

When you post your pics I'm sure you will get more specific advise. In my case I had 2 docs tell me I was not a good candidate for ht but those were online consults. In person you can get a better assessment. What can be done will ultimately depend on your donor supply.

[JPGR5]

Dr True told me he could probably get 6000 graphs from my donor area. But he would only concentrate on the front - saying my crown was 'untreatable'.

 

I've been looking at other NW6s and 7s on here. One surgeon used nape hairs (which I have a FORREST of! It's rigorous trying to keep that area shaved down!) along with body hair from chest, beard, back, arms, legs. I don't know what he benefits/problems are of using BH, but I saw NW6s and 7s post surgery pictures and their whole head was covered with graphs. It's making me wonder. So we'll see what Dr. Feller says next (in person consult) for my third opinion. Dr. Rahal is my only online consultation right now.

[Levrais]

It sounds like you have a good donor supply. I know of at least one nw6 who has unusually dense donor hair and was able to get around 8,000 fue grafts including some beard and body hair. He has more or less a full restoration. Anyway, it will be exciting to see what you come up with.

[hairthere]

Wow, when I consulted with Dr.Bernstein 5 years ago it was free. Now he's charging $185 for 5 minutes of his time? You should have started with Dr.Feller....

[JPGR5]

Actually, it was $175. You'd figure he would let the consultation fee slide since he barely spent 5 minutes with me, but no.

[JPGR5]

Per Dr. True's printed out assessment of my situation...

 

- NW6 (he wrote 6+ and I don't know what that means!)

 

- Checked off "Your donor area is limited to the size of the balding area

(I knew that since I was told the same thing 10 years ago at Bosley)

 

- Fringe shaved and thinned due to bonded hairpiece.

 

- Estimated lifetime donor supply - 6000

(I asked him if he REALLY could get 6000 graphs from my donor supply and he said "I think so, yes".)

 

Color of hair - dark brown

 

Texture of hair - Medium

 

Best option - 2000 - 2200 graphs to the frontal area (crown cannot be treated).

 

After one year - 1500-1700 graphs to add density.

 

Um...2200+1700=3900 and he wrote down I have a lifetime donor supply of 6000 graphs, so I don't understand that one.

 

Special Recommendations - consider use of Propeica, minimum use of hairpiece post transplants.

 

That's my story so far. I'm still curious about using my nape hair and BH to see what more can be done if any.

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

Saw Dr. Bernstein in NYC - who told me within 5 minutes that I am NOT a good candidate for a hair transplant. Just doing the front of my head to get my hairline back is a waste of time and there will be more maintenance trying to keep a hair system behind it. Him being bald himself, he told me to just shave my hair really short and get a tan - so I can look like him and not let my hair loss bother me anymore. In 5 minutes he made $185 dollars off of me for the consultation just to show me the door.

 

God, that's really sleazy.

[TakingThePlunge]

JPGR5,

 

It sounds as if you are very realistic in your expectations and you are making all the right moves in terms of research and consultations.

 

You may want to check out our gallery of NW 6 results here for comparison.

 

Best of luck!

[JPGR5]

Thanks, David. It looks like there are some good results with some of the NW6 patients.

 

I still find it strange that Dr. Bernstein denied me so quickly. A lot of these NW6's on the site look either the same or have less hair than I do. He's even worked on a couple of them! Do some doctor's not want to bother with some patients because it would be too much work?

 

And if what Dr. True told me was true - that I have 6000 graphs in my donor area - then I should be able to get some good coverage - or at least have a surgeon take care of the front of my head to give me density and match the thickness - then I'll cover the back with a hair system until hair cloning becomes a reality.

 

I saw a great NW6 result on Dr. Feller's website. I meet with him in a couple of weeks for a consultation. I also heard about Dr Rahal's great results - along with him making the donor scar practically undetectable.

 

I need more info and have questions for the other doctor's regarding using nape hair and body hair. I got plenty of nape and chest hair. Hell, I can almost come a part in my arm hair!

[JPGR5]

I had a very good consult with Dr. True and he was in my top 3 for ht docs.

 

Which doctor did you decide to go with?

[corvettester]

Per Dr. True's printed out assessment of my situation...

 

- NW6 (he wrote 6+ and I don't know what that means!)

 

- Estimated lifetime donor supply - 6000

(I asked him if he REALLY could get 6000 graphs from my donor supply and he said "I think so, yes".)

 

Best option - 2000 - 2200 graphs to the frontal area (crown cannot be treated).

 

After one year - 1500-1700 graphs to add density.

 

Um...2200+1700=3900 and he wrote down I have a lifetime donor supply of 6000 graphs, so I don't understand that one.

 

JPGR5,

 

True and Dorin will definitely give you copies of the photos they take of you—just ask!

 

They upload them to a CD and give it to me in person at each of my check ups. It’s probably pretty difficult for them to email the photos though because they use a proper high-definition camera, and each photo is about 5MBs in size! However, if you ask, I bet they'll go out of their way to get them to you. The patient advisors, Peter and Eyal, are great guys.

 

As per your consultation, “NW6+” probably means either that he believes that you will lose more in the future or that you may actually be a NW7. The Norwood scale is not precise, it’s only a rough guide.

 

As to why Dr. True wants to use 3,900 grafts out of a possible 6,000, I would surmise that he thinks that that is all you will need in your frontal third. The remaining 2,000 or so grafts probably wouldn't be enough to do anything worthwhile in your midsection, especially since you're going to use a hairpiece. So why bother?

 

I consulted with both Dr. True and Dr. Dorin. I found both of them to be very impressive. I ended up choosing Dr. Dorin simply because he had an earlier availability. Once I made the decision to get my HT, I was keen on getting it done as soon as possible.

 

I'm coming up on 8 months post-op now. Feel free to check my profile and hair loss website. If you have any questions, I’d be glad to help.

 

Lastly, I think it's a great idea that you're doing several in person consultations. I did five separate consultations with various doctors before I chose True & Dorin. I would also suggest consulting with Dr. Carols Wesley. He's located in the UES: 69th & Park Ave.

 

Corvettester

Edited June 5, 2011 by corvettester

[Levrais]

Which doctor did you decide to go with?

 

Dr Bisanga

[multiplier]

Can anyone clarify what an "untreatable" crown is? If someone has 6000 grafts available, it seems like the front and mid could be shored up pretty well with 4000, and the other 2000 could be spread lightly around the crown, no? Sure you wouldn't look like Tom Cruise, but you would have enough hair to style. Again, pictures would help.

[JPGR5]

Well, some good news is that what they told me at Bosley over 10 years ago regarding my hair loss is pretty much the same as what Dr. True told me last week (NW6) so I'm hoping my hair loss has stopped. And hoping some will come back after I stop bonding my hair system on my head. Also, I really don't want to take Propecia. I heard about the side-effects (including making your manhood shrink) and I don't want to risk that. That's the one thing the ladies love about me!!! :-p!

 

If I only need 3,900 grafts to restore my frontal third - with a decent amount of density, I am going to ask Dr. Dorin if they would consider maybe trying to close my crown with the remaining grafts - maybe try and make it smaller - or if it is enough to give me some coverage - maybe I can use a concealer to fill in the blanks (so to speak).

 

But like I said, I really want the frontal third of my head taken care of - including an amazing looking front hairline! The back of my hair with a hair system on looks fine. It will do until something can be done for my crown.

 

Oh, I'm talking to Dr Dorin now because he called me to answer some of my questions/concerns and we've been playing a little phone tag. I'm hoping he and I can talk this week.

 

I'm talking with Dr. Rahal's office as well. I heard he makes AMAZING front hairlines and donor scars that are practically invisible.

 

Thanks for the info, Corvettester. I will also call Dr. Wesley this week and maybe I can see him on the same day I'm planning to see Dr. Feller. That same afternoon, I am getting my hair replacement serviced - so it will be a big hair day for me!

 

(Oh, and I'm still pissed at Dr. Bernstein for telling me he wouldn't do anything for me!)

 

So my surgeon list so far is...

 

True & Dorin

Dr. Feller (consultation in one week)

Dr. Rahal (online consultation when I get the photos I need taken and I can email them to him)

[JPGR5]

Can anyone clarify what an "untreatable" crown is? If someone has 6000 grafts available, it seems like the front and mid could be shored up pretty well with 4000, and the other 2000 could be spread lightly around the crown, no? Sure you wouldn't look like Tom Cruise, but you would have enough hair to style. Again, pictures would help.

 

I hope you're right, Multiplier.

 

That's why I want to see a few other surgeons to see if they can do anything with my crown, too. I agree that 6000 grafts I should have great coverage in the front, so why not see what you can do with the back.

 

Also, I have a forrest of nape hair. I'm going to ask about using those hairs as well.

 

I'll post photos as soon as I get them. Maybe I'll ask for the photos on a disc and just pick them up from T&D's office when I'm in the city this week.

[corvettester]

Can anyone clarify what an "untreatable" crown is? If someone has 6000 grafts available, it seems like the front and mid could be shored up pretty well with 4000, and the other 2000 could be spread lightly around the crown, no? Sure you wouldn't look like Tom Cruise, but you would have enough hair to style. Again, pictures would help.

 

Multiplier,

 

To give you a little perspective, I had 1,700 grafts in my hairline and temples. I'll be getting at least another 1,700 to give me the density that I want. That will be a grand total of 3,400 for only my hairline and temples. Hairline and temples are not the only area of the frontal third.

 

The frontal third encompasses the hairline, the temples and the forelock or area behind the immediate hairline that goes until the end of the temples. Thus, I would say that the average person would need about 4,500 grafts to give good coverage to the frontal third. However, that same person would probably only need about 3,000 grafts for the hairline and temples.

 

Then you have to take into consideration the midsection, which would probably need around 3,000 grafts. The crown alone would probably need at least 3,000 grafts too. I imagine that to completely cover a NW6+ patient with good density, you would need a total of around 10,000 grafts. You could probably do it with less though you'd have to sacrifice density the further back you go on the scalp... but would it look good?:confused:

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

Corvettester

Edited June 6, 2011 by corvettester
Changed 4,000 to 4,500 for frontal third.

[hairthere]

Having an abundance of 2-3 hair grafts also helps tremendously with the amount of coverage/density you can achieve in a session, so I think it could be premature to say anything is untreatable. With my last surgery Dr. Feller ended up taking a smaller strip than he originally thought because they extracted so many 3 hair grafts. Just be open with whoever your doc is and let him know the crown bothers you.

[Michael5577]

I'm a NW6 and Dr. Rahal did a fantastic job with around 5200 grafts. I would need 2000 grafts to completely cover the crown. But believe me, the crown doesn't really impact your look. Even now, my front and mid section are covered and that has completely killed the bold appearance. I don't understand Dr. Bernstein's comments; it would be nice to see your photos.

Edited June 6, 2011 by Michael5577

[corvettester]

I'm a NW6 and Dr. Rahal did a fantastic job with around 5200 grafts. I would need 2000 grafts to completely cover the crown. But believe me, the crown doesn't really impact your look. Even now, my front and mid section are covered and that has comely killed the bold appearance. I don't understand Dr. Bernstein's comments; it would be nice to see your photos.

 

Michael,

 

I'd be really interested to see your results too. Do you have them posted anywhere?

 

 

Corvettester

[JPGR5]

I would be interested in seeing your photos/results, too. I would help me figure out some things. Right now, I'm leaning towards Dr. Rahal. I'm not saying negative about the doctors I've seen so far (except for the one who blew me off!), I'm just liking what I'm hearing about him with my research. I hear great things about Dr. Feller, too.

 

I wonder if doctor's get so busy, that when they see a NW6 they think "I don't have time to work on that" and that's why I was told by that one doctor that he wouldn't give me a hair transplant.

[corvettester]

I wonder if doctor's get so busy, that when they see a NW6 they think "I don't have time to work on that" and that's why I was told by that one doctor that he wouldn't give me a hair transplant.

 

JPGR5,

 

I seriously doubt that. A NW6 is big money.

 

 

Corvettester

[JPGR5]

I seriously doubt that. A NW6 is big money.

 

I thought the same thing. And the more I think about it, the more pissed off I get that Dr. Bernstein practically showed me the door as soon as I got to his office. A very quick check on my head and then telling me 'no' - and to just wait until hair cloning becomes a reality - or telling me keep wearing my hair system and shave my head when I get older and get a tan and look like him. Then charging me $175 for 5 minutes. I really feel like filing some kind of complaint.

 

Dr. True quoted me a reasonable price. I'm going to ask their sales consultant who took my information at my office visit (Peter) for the photos of my head. If I have to, I can drop by their offices and pick them up in person. Then I'll post them and get a couple of online consultations.

Edited June 6, 2011 by JPGR5