2985 grafts; Dr. Pawlinga; 27 y/o male

[Suzanne J]

This 27 y/o male presented to Dr. Pawlinga for a hair transplant in 2008 and had two procedures in all, receiving a total of 2985 grafts equal to 6940 hairs. These grafts were divided into 2513 FU grafts and 472 DFU grafts. The patient dropped by the other day to show the doctor his results, which he was very pleased with. He is considering one final session to make things even more dense.

 

Suzanne J.

Office Manager, Saratoga Hair Transplant Center

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

Not a bad result, but he seems like a lousy candidate, given his youth and extensive thinning throughout the NW5 zone.

 

What's going to happen if he's a NW6 in five years and can't shave it because he's got a scar across the back of his head?

Edited September 23, 2011 by Shadow of the EMpire State

[gottitgood4me]

Im not so sure if he was a lousy candidate. He was 27, had extensive thinning that would almost surely progress. In three years time we have a 30 year old guy that Im almost sure has a better self image of himself as a result of this. More hair when we are younger seems to be more important than when we are older. If he is single and dating, Im sure he has more confidence now than if he had done nothing. Now we can see the future of a 35-38 year old guy that seems, in these pictures, to have more than enough donor hair for more large procedures if he chooses. He was 27 and kept up on the inevitable. It does not look like he had a large graft count in a small front area, expecting much hairloss behind it. It looks like he had grafts placed all over the top. Perhaps Im wrong about the way the grafts were placed.

 

My bottom line.....A 27 year old was given much more self confidence by having more hair during his "younger years" AND he should be able to have several more procedures as the years go on if he chooses.

[hairthere]

He looks like a happy camper. Nice work!

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

Im not so sure if he was a lousy candidate. He was 27, had extensive thinning that would almost surely progress. In three years time we have a 30 year old guy that Im almost sure has a better self image of himself as a result of this.

 

Yeah, for now. HTs have made a lot of guys feel better in the near term. The problem comes after the reality of progressive loss sets in, and they're staring at Larry Fine in the mirror.

 

More hair when we are younger seems to be more important than when we are older.

I think this is naive. If you're sufficiently bothered by hair loss to have expensive and invasive cosmetic surgery--which is what HTs are--chances are that it's going to continue bothering you at 35 and 45 and 55. And so on. That kind of personality trait doesn't suddenly disappear. When I was 21, I figured I'd have a totally different outlook at 33. But now that I'm 33, I realize that I don't. Age changes the body, but the mind tends to remain the same.

 

Now we can see the future of a 35-38 year old guy that seems, in these pictures, to have more than enough donor hair for more large procedures if he chooses.

Predicting the future can be difficult, but I'd wager that this guy is going to be staring at nine miles of bad road come age 38. Edited September 24, 2011 by Shadow of the EMpire State

[DISpHAIR]

shadow,

 

I think you could have worded it better than "lousey canidate"...that seems a bit harsh...i think he looks much better now than he did. I have gained alot of prospective from memebers on here about addressing the current conditon and have really changed my opinion on this issue. There is no telling what treatments may be available in a few years so I dont believe there is anything wrong with taking a chance of future problems. Especially considering there will most definatley be a revolutionary way of addressing hairloss within the next 20 years when he will face these challenges you mention.

[gottitgood4me]

I agree with DISphair.

 

Shadow,

I think this is naive. If you're sufficiently bothered by hair loss to have expensive and invasive cosmetic surgery--which is what HTs are--chances are that it's going to continue bothering you at 35 and 45 and 55. And so on. That kind of personality trait doesn't suddenly disappear. When I was 21, I figured I'd have a totally different outlook at 33. But now that I'm 33, I realize that I don't. Age changes the body, but the mind tends to remain the same.

 

Are you suggesting that it is naive for a 28 year old to believe his hair is more important when he is out in the clubs, or bars, or hanging around with similar aged guys that probably have not experienced as much hair loss as he has, than when he is 45 or 55 and many other men in his peer group his age are experiencing hair loss? I would compare that to a 28 year old that has the facial features of a 55 year old and you say it is of no more importance to have the facial features of a 55 year old at 28 years than at 55 years old. Bottom line is hair is more important when we are younger because it helps us to physically fit in with our peers, has more of an impact on self confidence, when we are older, more men have "caught up" with our hair loss, more women expect it and accept it. I think a 55year old is much more willing to accept hair loss than a 28 year old.

 

Yes, it will likely bother him at 28, as it did, and he had work done, and it will bother him at 35, and he may have more work done, and at 55 it may bother him, and he may have work done, and with science it is very possible cloning will be a possibility.

 

Predicting the future can be difficult, but I'd wager that this guy is going to be staring at nine miles of bad road come age 38.

 

Yes, predicting the future is difficult, but I would wager that this guy is having a much happier life now and isn`t that what all these cancer survivors teach us........"Enjoy your life now, while you can" That is not to suggest that we should completely ignore the future, but should we let an unknown future prevent us from enjoying life now? I am relating this to my current decision to spend $9,000 on a second surgery. My reluctance is that this is my savings, but after reading what I have been preaching, I think Im going to do it and take that chance that I will be broke for a while and hope I did not need that money. Im 34, single, I hang out in the Hollywood clubs, and meet women, and try to enjoy life. I prefer the way I look with more hair, lots of people like my shaved head, but I want to feel good about longer hair...or maybe I shouldnt do it because of what it may look like when Im 55. Get real, I guess I should not have had all those great one night stands, and rode my motorcycle 155mph down the highway, or bought that Mustang, or whatever else I did that could have changed the unknown future for the worse.

 

I see we disagree on this and that is ok,

[mahhong]

I wouldn't say he was a lousy candidate at all. It's not like he's gone and blown 7000 grafts or something. He's had a relatively conservative number of grafts, probably has at least another 3-5000 left in the bank and his hair is much, much better now than it was a year ago.

 

He's almost definitely going to have more loss in the future, but then it sounds like he's almost definitely committed to more transplants. If he's on the meds he's probably stable too, at least throughout his 30s.

 

I don't think having an HT young is a bad idea, I just think you need to be aware you have to be conservative and assume you'll need a couple more HTs at least down the line, if you're going to maintain a decent amount of coverage and density. If this guy was 38 we'd be saying it was a solid result, but he could still go on to be an NW6 by the time he was 45 and he'd be in the same pickle anyway.

 

Having HTs young is only a problem if you think you're gonna look 16 again, or think you can have one procedure and be done with the problem. If this guy knew he'd very likely need more work sometime in the not too distant future and was comfortable with that then he's in a good position now.

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

shadow,

 

I think you could have worded it better than "lousey canidate"...that seems a bit harsh...i think he looks much better now than he did.

 

What's harsh about it? It's just plan old facts beyond the realm of his control. It's not his fault, but it is what it is. People who have this kind of aggressive loss at such a young age are usually not good HT candidates for a simple reason: the vast majority of procedures on advanced NW classes don't yield cosmetically acceptable results.

 

I have gained alot of prospective from memebers on here about addressing the current conditon and have really changed my opinion on this issue. There is no telling what treatments may be available in a few years so I dont believe there is anything wrong with taking a chance of future problems.

Well, every HT involves taking "some" risk. The goal is to choose an acceptable level of risk. This procedure involved enormous risk, and although you might be fine with it, it's important that prospective patients understand just how risky it is.

 

Especially considering there will most definatley be a revolutionary way of addressing hairloss within the next 20 years when he will face these challenges you mention.

You know, back in 1991, I'm sure all the baldies thought, "Man, 20 years from now, they'll have this damn thing figured out!" In fact, that's been the general refrain for about the past 60 years. And now, many hears later, and despite so many billions of dollars dedicated to the research, we still don't have a cure. We've cured polio and malaria and the plague, but we still haven't cured hair loss. And you know what? We're not all that close either. Edited September 26, 2011 by Shadow of the EMpire State

[aaron1234]

The guy has epic beard hairs in the pre-op pics. Maybe another donor resource in the future, perhaps? Good work.

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

Are you suggesting that it is naive for a 28 year old to believe his hair is more important when he is out in the clubs, or bars, or hanging around with similar aged guys that probably have not experienced as much hair loss as he has, than when he is 45 or 55 and many other men in his peer group his age are experiencing hair loss?

 

I'm not suggesting it. I'm coming right out and saying it. The kind of man who spends thousands of dollars to have his head cut open for the "possibility" of more hair is not the kind of man who will just "get over it" in the future. If he were that kind of man, he'd have shaved it all off and been done with it as so many other young guys have. But he didn't do that because he cared too much. It's naive to believe that he will feel different about things at 40 than he did at 27. The men on this forum are narcissists by definition. Their very presence here--let alone their willingness to undergo expensive, sometimes-painful cosmetic surgery--makes that plain. I am one of them, for sure, but I know who I am. I don't con myself. And I know that hair loss bothers me as much at 33 as it did at 23.

 

I would compare that to a 28 year old that has the facial features of a 55 year old and you say it is of no more importance to have the facial features of a 55 year old at 28 years than at 55 years old.

That's a poor analogy because it assumes that hair loss, like aging, is inevitable. There are plenty of men in their 50s with good hair.

 

Bottom line is hair is more important when we are younger because it helps us to physically fit in with our peers, has more of an impact on self confidence, when we are older, more men have "caught up" with our hair loss, more women expect it and accept it.

Show me a man who thinks that hair loss prevents him from getting women, and I'll show you a man who couldn't get any a$$ with George Clooney's hair. Either you can get girls or you can't. And it usually has absolutely nothing to do with how you look. There are good-looking guys who can't get laid and ugly guys who kill it. So the idea that you have to have hair when you're young so that you can get women is nutty. Ironically, the reason that so many men on this forum can't get laid is precisely the trait that brings them here in the first place: lack of self-confidence.

 

Yes, predicting the future is difficult, but I would wager that this guy is having a much happier life now and isn`t that what all these cancer survivors teach us........"Enjoy your life now, while you can" That is not to suggest that we should completely ignore the future, but should we let an unknown future prevent us from enjoying life now?

But his future is not entirely unknown. This guy is going to a NW6 within seven years, or I'll eat my hat. THAT is known within a fair degree of certainty. But the miracle cures to which you refer (cloning) are not. Edited September 26, 2011 by Shadow of the EMpire State

[Dr. Chris Pawlinga]

Dear Shadow,

 

I read your posts and appreciate your comments. Whenever I have a young patient come in for a consult, I go through a very exhaustive history of the patient's hair loss, including his family history, his understanding of hair loss, his understanding of hair transplantation procedures and his expectations. I always try to encourage conservative treatment first. If the patient wants a procedure and I feel he is a reasonable candidate, then I discuss the age issue and the fact that none of us have a "crystal ball" to predict the future. I always try to hold off as long as I can to let more time go by.

 

I had my first transplant around 28 yo so I understand how it felt when I was younger and the stress that hair loss caused me. For a young patient, I personally tell the patient that I will be as conservative as possible taking into account an uncertain future, yet try to help him now. l usually will do somewhere between 1,500 to 3000 grafts max on a patient this young; I always want to leave as much donor hair as possible for the future...he understood that hair loss is progressive and that he will most certainly need more work in the future...he is also now on Propecia.

 

When I saw him last week, he looked really good. His crown is doing good and his scar is barely visible. We are just going to let Propecia do its thing and I will see him in about another year just to take some pictures.

 

Shadow, based on his family history of hair loss ( hair loss basically from the front hairline to the vertex transition point without significant lateral or posterior drop) , his understanding of hair loss being progressive and his realistic expectations, I felt he was a very reasonable candidate for conservative transplantation now.

 

Just wanted to give you an understanding of my thought process with this patient. Again, thank you for your comments.

 

Dr. Pawlinga

[mahhong]

Yeah, for now. HTs have made a lot of guys feel better in the near term. The problem comes after the reality of progressive loss sets in, and they're staring at Larry Fine in the mirror.

 

I think this is naive. If you're sufficiently bothered by hair loss to have expensive and invasive cosmetic surgery--which is what HTs are--chances are that it's going to continue bothering you at 35 and 45 and 55. And so on. That kind of personality trait doesn't suddenly disappear. When I was 21, I figured I'd have a totally different outlook at 33. But now that I'm 33, I realize that I don't. Age changes the body, but the mind tends to remain the same.

 

Predicting the future can be difficult, but I'd wager that this guy is going to be staring at nine miles of bad road come age 38.

 

I see where you're coming from, but this is still a really generalised view of things.

 

Firstly, we don't know anything about him as a patient. We don't know if he's been tested for miniaturization in other areas of the head; if any sort of potential balding pattern has been ascertained. We don't know if or how long he has been on drugs. Yes, it's true to say severely balding men in their 20s don't make good candidates generally, but that's still a generalisation and with the improvements in the techniques of HT and the increasing donor yield, progressively more options are available.

 

In addition, we don't know much about his donor characteristics, save that he looks to have pretty good qualities. All this is vitally important in the long term.

 

I'm with you that this guy is probably heading to NW6, but that doesn't mean an HT was a bad idea. There are lots of NW6 patients who have successful results from (usually multiple) HTs. This guy might be no different. I reckon he would have at least another 4 or 5000 grafts left in him and the 3000 he's had already have made a significant impact on an already severely bald area.

 

Balding is balding - your genetic code is already ascertained. Yes, severe balding when young does suggest a high NW level, but that doesn't mean to say this guy is going to have massive lateral and posterial hairloss. Some guys are as bald at 30 as they are when they're 60 and, provided this guy doesn't have a sudden and massive continuance of hairloss from the back and sides of his head, and provided he's happy to undergo more HTs if and when they're needed, this looks like a success to me.

[DISpHAIR]

Shadow,

 

I understand your prospective but I think you are making some gigantic assumptions about this patient, none of which are substantiated.

 

I think the way hairloss is treated today is significantly better than than the way we treated hairloss 20 years ago. The techniques used today are much more sophisticated than the techniques of 20 years ago. So although there is no current cure, we have made significant advancments in treating hairloss. Regarding the future of hairloss, this is obviously debatable. My focus is on the fact that the way medicine in general is practiced is going through a revoutionary change. I know I have said it a bunch of times on here but stem cells are the future of medicine, and it is not unrealitic to think we are very close to treating all different kinds of diseases, including hairloss using this technology.

 

With regards to this specific patient you say:

"It's naive to believe that he will feel different about things at 40 than he did at 27. The men on this forum are narcissists by definition. Their very presence here--let alone their willingness to undergo expensive, sometimes-painful cosmetic surgery--makes that plain. I am one of them, for sure, but I know who I am. I don't con myself."

 

The first thing I would like to metion is that wanting a hair transplant in itself is no way way narrristic. This is a GIGANTIC assumption of other thoughts you believe patients may have. Also just because YOUR thoughts regarding vanity have remained constant over 13 yeras, in NO WAY makes this way of thinking the standard of human thought. What is "Naive" is to think everyones thought process is the same as yours has been. Also you make the assumption this patient got this surgery to get girls. You have absolutely no basis to make this comment, it is completely ignorant. Maybe what this particular patient seeks is acceptance from people in general and he is aware that young, bald men are genenerally not accepted, unfortunately. (this is of course just speculation on my behalf) Finally, your comments are FARRR more narresstic in nature then is the idea of hair trasplanatation. I say this because you are seperating yourself from everyone else in suggesting that you are aware of your behavior and the rest of us are not, thus rationallizing HTS in such a way that you only think about the surgery, but would never truly consider it as a treatment option.(you would never go as low as to actually get a transplant) This is narcessism in its purest form! I think your understanding of the word is flawed. Finally You say "I know who I am, I dont con myself". No one ever accused you of not knowing who you are...What motivated you to say this? I think the real answer is because you dont know who you are per se. And conning yourself is precisley what you are trying to do in regards of hairloss treatment!

Edited September 26, 2011 by DISpHAIR

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

Firstly, we don't know anything about him as a patient.

 

Well, we know that he was a diffuse NW5 at 27. That may not tell the whole story, admittedly, but it's a rather grim portent, wouldn't you say?

 

We don't know if he's been tested for miniaturization in other areas of the head; if any sort of potential balding pattern has been ascertained.

Tested for miniaturization on other areas of the head? How many other areas did he have left before surgery? When you're a diffuse NW5, most of your hair is already gone. But if you're talking about the NW6-7 zones, it's well to remember that many guys don't even show thinning at 27. So a miniaturization test may not be especially reliable at 27.

 

We don't know if or how long he has been on drugs. Yes, it's true to say severely balding men in their 20s don't make good candidates generally, but that's still a generalisation and with the improvements in the techniques of HT and the increasing donor yield, progressively more options are available.

Well, not to delve into semantics, but we can't really increase donor yield. We can increase transplant yield, yes, but the procedure will always be limited by total donor availability. Sure, you can increase the transplant "yield" from 85 percent to 95 percent, but you can't create more harvestable grafts in the donor area---not yet, anyway. And as long as we have that limitation, even 100-percent yield will not be sufficient to produce cosmetically acceptable results in many men with advanced Norwood classes. In the end, it's too few grafts for too much real estate.

 

In addition, we don't know much about his donor characteristics, save that he looks to have pretty good qualities. All this is vitally important in the long term.

They're important, yes. But my point is that once you get into the advanced Norwood classes, you're playing a numbers game. And at a certain point, most guys are going to lose that game. A few stars like futzyhead and bobman will overcome the odds, but most won't. My point is that it's a big risk---a risk that some men may be willing to take, but a big risk just the same.

 

I'm with you that this guy is probably heading to NW6, but that doesn't mean an HT was a bad idea. There are lots of NW6 patients who have successful results from (usually multiple) HTs.

I think this is where our most fundamental disagreement lies. In my opinion, the number of NW6 patients with cosmetically acceptable results is miniscule. That the number may seem greater is largely the product of well-funded self-promotion by top-notch clinics that have managed to pull it off in select cases. But remember: those cases appear on the front page of the web site for a reason: because they're all-star results.

 

Balding is balding - your genetic code is already ascertained. Yes, severe balding when young does suggest a high NW level, but that doesn't mean to say this guy is going to have massive lateral and posterial hairloss. Some guys are as bald at 30 as they are when they're 60 and, provided this guy doesn't have a sudden and massive continuance of hairloss from the back and sides of his head . . .this looks like a success to me.

I don't understand your provisos, seeing as how you already stated your belief that he's likely going to NW6. If you think he's going to NW 6, then you believe that he will, in fact, have lateral and posterior loss into the NW6 range.

 

In sum, the pics look pretty good. And yeah, he looks better. A lot better, for the moment. And if that's making him feel good, that's great. We should all get to feel a little better about our hair. But he did undertake a very significant risk, and I don't think we should minimize that. There are many younger guys on this forum, and they need to understand the limitations of this procedure---especially with respect to advanced Norwood classes.

Edited September 26, 2011 by Shadow of the EMpire State

[gottitgood4me]

No more comments for me, we will have to agree to disagree on some points.

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

Shadow,

 

I understand your prospective but I think you are making some gigantic assumptions about this patient, none of which are substantiated.

 

OK, let's see.

 

 

I think the way hairloss is treated today is significantly better than than the way we treated hairloss 20 years ago. The techniques used today are much more sophisticated than the techniques of 20 years ago. So although there is no current cure, we have made significant advancments in treating hairloss.

I admit all of that; there is no question that techniques have improved. But until we find a way to increase the number of available grafts in the safe zone, the efficacy of hair transplants will remain limited. In that respect, there's actually fairly little room left for improvement under the current scientific parameters. We can improve donor extraction with FUE and reduce transection rates to increase yield, but what we really need is more donor hair. Now if cloning becomes a reality, then the procedure can take a quantum leap forward. But until that happens, we'll be pretty much stuck where we are.

 

Regarding the future of hairloss, this is obviously debatable. My focus is on the fact that the way medicine in general is practiced is going through a revoutionary change. I know I have said it a bunch of times on here but stem cells are the future of medicine, and it is not unrealitic to think we are very close to treating all different kinds of diseases, including hairloss using this technology.

Stem cells may well be the future, but in contrast to you, I think it "is" unrealistic to think that "we are very close" to solving hair loss with stem-cell treatments. I'm no researcher, but the consensus among educated people is that it's not going to happen soon. You have to understand that the wheels of medical science grind very slowly.

 

The first thing I would like to metion is that wanting a hair transplant in itself is no way way narrristic.

Of course it's narcissistic. It's the very definition of narcissism.

 

This is a GIGANTIC assumption of other thoughts you believe patients may have. Also just because YOUR thoughts regarding vanity have remained constant over 13 yeras, in NO WAY makes this way of thinking the standard of human thought. What is "Naive" is to think everyones thought process is the same as yours has been.

Ye doth protest too much, methinks.

 

Also you make the assumption this patient got this surgery to get girls. You have absolutely no basis to make this comment, it is completely ignorant.

I never said that. When I commented about girls, I was referring to gotitgood4me's unrelated comment about some people's justification for getting hair transplants. I was not suggesting that it was this patient's motivation.

 

You might want to brush up on the old reading comprehension.

 

 

Maybe what this particular patient seeks is acceptance from people in general and he is aware that young, bald men are genenerally not accepted, unfortunately. (this is of course just speculation on my behalf) Finally, your comments are FARRR more narresstic in nature then is the idea of hair trasplanatation. I say this because you are seperating yourself from everyone else in suggesting that you are aware of your behavior and the rest of us are not, thus rationallizing HTS in such a way that you only think about the surgery, but would never truly consider it as a treatment option.(you would never go as low as to actually get a transplant) This is narcessism in its purest form!

Perhaps you might consider learning how to spell "narcissism" before giving a wrongheaded dissertation on its meaning. Just a suggestion. Feel free to disregard.

 

I think your understanding of the word is flawed.

You can't even spell the word (or very many others), but you're worried that my understanding may be flawed. OK. Fair enough.

 

Finally You say "I know who I am, I dont con myself". No one ever accused you of not knowing who you are...What motivated you to say this? I think the real answer is because you dont know who you are per se. And conning yourself is precisley what you are trying to do in regards of hairloss treatment!

Boy, this is some trenchant psychoanalysis. I'll have to place a call over to Columbia and ask them whether they have a staff opening for a semi-literate clinician with no credentials. Edited September 27, 2011 by Shadow of the EMpire State

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

No more comments for me, we will have to agree to disagree on some points.

 

Fair enough, buddy. Good luck with your next round.

[hairthere]

Disphair, While stem cell "research" does look promising, you cannot have a HT based on the hope that non-existent technology will provide unlimited donor supply. The best you can do is consult with the top HT docs, plan very wisely on how to distribute your finite donor hair, and, have realistic expectations.

[galtsglutch]

This is a good thread that raises a lot of important issues. The strange thing is that I find myself agreeing with both sides of the argument...

 

On the one hand, Shadow makes a good point about the importance of foresight and strategy for younger patients. This patient clearly does not have luck on his side and the chances of him having a long-term successful result are significantly lower than many, if not most.

 

I also think Shadow has very high standards, as he should, and that a lot of NW6/7s or diffuse thinners would be very happy with what he or I would consider a subpar result or unacceptable coverage. It's kind of like a morbidly obese man going from 450lbs, to 350lbs. It's a big difference to him, but not so much to the rest of us.

 

 

Other posters make a really strong argument for the importance of "now" in a young man's life. I too agree that although this patient is likely to still care about his hair and appearance in his later years, it will be much more socially acceptable and he will not stick out so much then. Because that is what a lot of this is about, sticking out, being the odd guy out, the one who looks different in an unflattering and potentially demeaning manner.

 

At the end of the day, it's almost a gamble either way. At the very least, this patient was being proactive. He wasn't happy with his current situation, so he did something about it. He currently enjoys a better appearance as the result of it. Hopefully it will last him well into his 40s. But if I understand correctly, he still has more donor left so his case is not hopeless by any means.

[mahhong]

I do take your points Shadow, and understand that to be conservative is nearly always the best thing. But I think what 3000 grafts has done for this man is proof in itself that the surgery was justified. He probably has at least another 3000 grafts and Dr. Pawlinga has already commented on this patient's family history. Does all this add up to a guarantee of long term success? No, but I also think that over the course of his lifetime this patient will still be glad he went down the HT route.

 

Also, when I say increase donor yield, I mean increasing the ability to extract usable donor hair. I understand you can't literally increase the amount of donor hair, but you can and do find doctors who are more successful at getting as much of it as possible.

 

I wouldn't necessarily say the number of NW6 patients with successful transplants is miniscule. I don't, of course, have any real access to the data, but nothing leads me to believe there are vast numbers of NW6 patients who have had HTs and came out with a bad result. Granted, the higher the NW number the less likely your results are ever going to be anything less than decent, but this is based on individual opinions on what's acceptable or not.

 

The bottom line is that the patient and the doctor, based on far more information than us, took the decision to go with a pretty conservative procedure that came out with some pretty solid results. Will these results be sustainable in the long term? Nobody, of course, truly knows, but I see no reason why not.

 

On a final note, one thing I definitely do disagree with is that hair restoration is about narcissism. Losing your hair is, for many men, not like getting middle aged spread or crows feet or jowls. It's a deeply affecting issue on their confidence and self-image that goes far beyond wanting to "improve" yourself. Narcissism is a sort of arrogant belief in your own looks and a deep desire to remain "top of the pile" - for a lot of men an HT is just about feeling somewhat whole again. Granted many men don't become so attached to their hair that it has this affect, but most who seek out an HT will not just want to look a bit better, but change fundamentally how they feel about themselves.

 

Ultimately I think this patient did the right thing for himself and the results have justified that. Yes, he took a risk. All HTs are a risk. But for 3000 grafts he has quite literally gone from bald to not bald, with quite a bit left in the donor tank if he needs or wants it (which, we all agree, he most certainly will need). It's true that a HT in your 20s can be a mistake, but I think the problems lie more in the expectations of the patients at that age than with the results themselves. This man has made a little go a long way and I hope it continues for him.

[DISpHAIR]

Shadow,

 

Reread what you wrote me in your last post. Everything you said was prsonal attacks on me. Nothing you said or ever say has any substance or value to it. You ridicule my abilty to spell, as you have no ability to apply any logic or rational thought to a debate. You make another personal attack stating something along the lines of me being a semi- literate whatever. I imagine these comments solifty who you are as a person. A person with limited ability that has formed narresstic tendencencis as a way of dealing with your shortcoming both physically and mentally. I may be unable to spell naccessicim ? but at least I know what the word actualy means. Actually, I would say people who seek hair restortarion are not only NOT narcessisits, most are the complete opposite. Most peoples motivation for hair transplant is to fit in and just look normal, not to stick out of the crowd but to blend in. Narccessits belittle people and put themselves on a pedastol over people, as a way of dealing with deep rooted insecurities. You should be very familiar with this kind of behavior as is indicative in your comments. So in end yes I am a poor speller i will concede that to you, and I can live with that....good luck living with what appears to be a life time of misery

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

Shadow,

 

Reread what you wrote me in your last post. Everything you said was prsonal attacks on me.

 

You started with the personal attacks. Don't start calling someone "ignorant" and then cry when you get your head handed to you. Did I attack mahhong? Of course not. Why? Because he raised a principled argument, not a slew of ad hominem nonsense.

 

I imagine these comments solifty who you are as a person. A person with limited ability that has formed narresstic tendencencis as a way of dealing with your shortcoming both physically and mentally. I may be unable to spell naccessicim ? but at least I know what the word actualy means.

Forget spelling "narcissism." After reading the above, I'm not entirely satisfied that you can spell your own name.

 

Bottom line: don't call people "ignorant" or attempt to psychoanalyze them and then claim that you were attacked.

Edited September 28, 2011 by Shadow of the EMpire State