Going to GLI in a few days!

[TrOpiC00]

hey guys it's been a while since i've been on here but i think that could be viewed as a good thing! nevertheless i have found my way back and hope to share my upcoming journey with everyone on the site.

 

just to recap i have had two transplant procedures done with Shapiro medical about 7-8 years ago and the transplanted hair is still growing strong! unfortunately there is recession behind the transplanted area as well as some thinning on top.

 

my goal is to achieve a more fuller look with this procedure, while still keeping in mind that i plan on getting another HT in the future to maintain texture all around.

 

looking forward to posting some before/after pics and sharing my experience post-procedure soon!

 

i welcome your comments and hope everyone is doing well!

-tropic00

Edited February 14, 2013 by TrOpiC00

[Davis91]

Why in the world would you get permanent ink when you are just now receding back? You should get temporary ink (which Shapiro offers) as a bridging method. You almost sound like a walking advertizement for GLI.

[TrOpiC00]

hey Davis and thanks for the reply. i am looking for a permanent solution. realistically i will never be able to achieve the density i want with a HT. so combined with HT i believe this is the best route for me.

 

i've spent the last year shaving my head with clippers (no guard) and applying caboki daily. it takes me an hour to apply and to be honest it is driving me crazy. i'm late everywhere i go and i have become less active. just want my life back tbh! on a positive note everyone seems to love the shaved head look and my fiancee is very happy i shave it now. the see through effect with the longer hair was kind of embarrassing for both of us i think.

Edited February 14, 2013 by TrOpiC00
additional info

[scar5]

Gee TropO,

 

I wish success and await your comments. I just wonder about how you think you will approach this.

 

One good thing about GLI is that a small number of staff (presumably) rotate, reducing the odds you'll get an amateur, so I expect your instructions or wishes won't be ignored...

....except the SMP industry is already making itself notorious for such false confidence. So watch out big time! Anyway, you are going to grow out your hair, but still I would do everything in my power to make sure they don't spray paint you like SMP clinics generally do - even after assuring them.

 

I would be asking, demanding that they soften, graduate, indent, break up, whatever you can do to dilute the 'line'. And then I would be hoping, because some of my efforts in this department repeatedly have failed. And I have felt duly patronized in the process of 'begging' them not to do x or y. That is my experience with SMP and transplants throughout my long but low-flying career.

 

GLI go deeper, you are aware of that aren't you? It has implications for -if the advice I just got from HIS's escar is to be believed - blueishness as well as laser removal. I don't know about their take on color but would be interested to find out. Janna says permanent SMP is black so I am making the assumption that she is basing this on her proximity to GLI and then comparing that to Shapiro's recent Milena venture.

 

But a q-switch laser can do well with black ink if things go bad.

 

Well, good luck.

[james84]

Tropic00,

 

You have had 2 procedures yet you now shave your head?

 

I have seen your results and they look fantastic, so why not get another procedure?

 

looking at your results i didnt think the hair was see through? you still glad you had 2 procedures?

 

Regards

[TrOpiC00]

Gee TropO,

I wish success and await your comments. I just wonder about how you think you will approach this.

 

hey Scar and thank you for the well wishes and your comments. the evenness is probably my biggest concern with this procedure. i hope to discuss this further with the technician prior to the procedure as well but i do have some faith in their ability to create a natural looking result from the pictures i have seen and through talking with the consultant there.

 

i am aware they go deeper with the ink though but i didn't really give the ink itself much thought as i assume they are using the best ink for this type of procedure. i did read on another forum though that they made a refinement to their ink in december to address the blueing effect (not with respect to sunlight), and my consultant did confirm this.

 

nevertheless, im hoping for the best and just hope my faith has not been misplaced! i do wish that more who have had the procedure done would post some pictures!

[TrOpiC00]

Tropic00,

 

You have had 2 procedures yet you now shave your head?

 

I have seen your results and they look fantastic, so why not get another procedure?

 

looking at your results i didnt think the hair was see through? you still glad you had 2 procedures?

 

Regards

 

hi james and thanks for your reply. i am very happy with my transplant results, and i honestly would not have it any other way! but these pictures are 7-8 years old sadly. as time has gone by there has been some hairloss behind the transplanted hair and hairloss scattered on top.

 

i like the shaved head look though, my fiancee seems happy with the switch too. but overall i would like to cover up some white space and get my scar camolfaged as well. smp seemed like a kill two birds with one stone approach. but there are still some other long-term things i'd like to discuss.

off to work for the moment though.

 

happy valentine's day everyone.

[aaron1234]

Why not consult with SMG about their own use of SMP? You trust them, right?

[TrOpiC00]

Why not consult with SMG about their own use of SMP? You trust them, right?

 

tbh didn't know they were starting to implement smp; didn't see any info of it on their site. good to know though!

[aaron1234]

I would look into Milena's (from Bella Medical in Italy) technique first. It lasts a couple years before you'd need to get a touch up - and based on what we are told her ink never turns blue. SMG (along with H&W, Feller, Lindsey) was impressed by her work enough to train under her. Look at the SMP forum at hair loss experiences (another hair forum). She has been posting a lot of her work there. GLI has a reputation of not being completely transparent or patient-friendly, even with Dr. Shapiro.

 

One other quick question: Were you (or are you) on finasteride since you got your transplants back in the day? If so, did you ever stop? Just curious based on your progressive hair loss after the transplants.

[Shampoo]

as time has gone by there has been some hairloss behind the transplanted hair and hairloss scattered on top

 

have you taken meds like propecia & minoxidil on a non-stop regular basis post-op?

[TrOpiC00]

hey guys yes i do take meds on a regular basis. i used to use a great product called Xandrox that pretty much stopped my hair loss completely (topical finasteride/15% minoxidil/azleic acid solution) but the FDA shut them down sadly and that was the end of that. thanks U.S. govt.; im still very bitter about that but we wont go there... i went at least 6-12 months trying diff products until i finally found some good products again. now i use a product called Lipogaine (minoxidil/azleic acid combo) along with Spiro S5 cream and nizoral shampoo. i do not and will never use pill form finasteride again. it killed my drive.

i thank you for your concerns friends!

[Shampoo]

i do not and will never use pill form finasteride again. it killed my drive.

 

so basically the answer to my propecia question is "no".

 

you have not taken propecia/finasteride on a regular basis since your two hair transplants....

 

and now you are having more problems losing native hair.

[TrOpiC00]

so basically the answer to my propecia question is "no".

 

you have not taken propecia/finasteride on a regular basis since your two hair transplants....

 

and now you are having more problems losing native hair.

 

yes that is true friend. i had some time where i was not able to take anything due to the govt shutdown. but you should know that topical spiro accomplishes the same effect as propecia except spiro's effect when applied topically to the scalp is localized only. it is a great alternative to propecia for those who have the sides from propecia lilke myself.

[Shampoo]

yes that is true friend. but you should know that topical spiro accomplishes the same effect as propecia except spiro's effect when applied topically to the scalp is localized only.

 

Tr...I was not aware of that.

 

Where and/or how can a US Citizen get the topical version of propecia?

[TrOpiC00]

Tr...I was not aware of that.

 

Where and/or how can a US Citizen get the topical version of propecia?

 

sadly i no longer have access to topical propecia/finasteride, as Dr. Lee was the only reputable source that had this product before the FDA shutdown. but if you meant topical spiro cream, im currently using S5 cream. a google search for "topical spironolactone 5% cream" will direct you if you are interested.

[fixstrip]

Hey everybody im new here after viewing off and on for a couple years. I also have been thinking about going to GLI to camoflauge my strip scar. I already had an FUE procedure of 550 grafts into it so that should help some. I wasnt aware that Shapiro did SMP also. I just dont know what to do. I dont really trust any of these outfits. I want to but like most of us I found out how shady this industry is AFTER my initial bout under the knife. By the way I shave my head with a 0 or 1 guard on the clippers.

[scar5]

Hey Troppo,

 

Just wondering, but any news?

[TrOpiC00]

hey guys, just an update. i didnt end up going through with the procedure. i scratched my head on underside of a desk the night before making the afflicted area not able to be operated on. i blame the hotel for not having the router plugged in. however, i did still go in person to see the result on my consultant Alex, from GLI. i will say he is a stand-up guy and it looked good on him. GLI was nice enough to give me a full refund on my deposit which was really nice even though they didn't have to.

 

i think everything happens for a reason though. i am still a bit uneasy on the deeper injection method to make the procedure a one-pass operation by GLI and it scares me a bit for matching purposes and possible removal difficulties if things go wrong down the road.

 

in the meantime i've decided to check out HIS hair as well. they seem like they have been around the longest and they have told me that they guarantee no blueing and removal would be easier as the pigments would not be as deep. i really like how they have a forum and users posting their photos and experiences there as well.

 

hope all is well with everyone. depending on where i go i may start a new thread in the future.