Greetings all.

[rekunta]

Hello to all,

 

I'm a 31 year old male who has slowly been losing my hair since I was 18. It has now gotten to the point where most of the top of my head is very visibly balding. I'm not completely all scalp (although my bangs are all gone), but as my father is I predict it's just a matter of time.

 

I'm looking for some answers. This being a very expensive, elaborate process with life-long results, I want to be iron clad positive that I make the right decisions. I've checked out Bosley and needless to say I was not impressed and honestly quite shocked and sickened from the various horror stories and pictures posted on other anti-Bosley sites. This has given me serious second thoughts about getting the procedure done at all, whereas before it was a sure thing, mostly just a matter of finances. In the end, I would rather remain bald than have to live with the consequences of making such terrible choices.

 

Here's a few questions I have:

 

-Obviously, I'm looking for the best clinics and surgeons available. I have found Dr. Alfonso Barrera's site, which has put me a bit more at ease after viewing before/after photos and procedure videos. He seems genuine, but I'm not taking anyone on their own word, and my choices will be based on general positive consensus. I'd like to know what my other alternatives are before committing myself to anything. I also live in Hawaii, so needless to say my options are very limited as there is only one clinic on O'ahu and I do not travel to the mainland very often.

 

-Cost. My budget is around the $21K range. I was told by Bosley that the surgery runs anywhere from $4-12K depending on the amount of work needed to be done, however now hearing about them and their practices that info I no longer find reliable. I actually expected it to be a bit more. What's a realistic estimation? I have no doubt the entire top of my scalp will be bald within a few years, so I'm assuming thousands of grafts will eventually be required. I've heard $3 a graft is around the norm. Including the cost of the procedure itself gives me a ball park guesstimate of around $10-20K. Is this accurate?

 

-Medical conditions. I have a tumor in my chest that I have to get chronic chemotherapy every few weeks throughout the rest of my life to control its growth. This being the case, I'm curious as to whether anyone else has had transplantation surgery who has been in similar circumstances, or if there's anyone who has been denied because of a medical condition? My particular meds do not make any of my hair fall out, though I'm still curious as to whether they'll have any effect. To my dismay, Dr. Barrera's site said the only prerequisite is a clean bill of health. This is my biggest concern.

 

All that said, it's a big relief to find this website and forums, I absolutely do not want to make any mistakes whatsoever if I'm going to go forward with this. Can anyone provide some links or info that will help address my concerns?

 

Anyhow, thanks for any help...it's good to be here.

[rekunta]

Hello to all,

 

I'm a 31 year old male who has slowly been losing my hair since I was 18. It has now gotten to the point where most of the top of my head is very visibly balding. I'm not completely all scalp (although my bangs are all gone), but as my father is I predict it's just a matter of time.

 

I'm looking for some answers. This being a very expensive, elaborate process with life-long results, I want to be iron clad positive that I make the right decisions. I've checked out Bosley and needless to say I was not impressed and honestly quite shocked and sickened from the various horror stories and pictures posted on other anti-Bosley sites. This has given me serious second thoughts about getting the procedure done at all, whereas before it was a sure thing, mostly just a matter of finances. In the end, I would rather remain bald than have to live with the consequences of making such terrible choices.

 

Here's a few questions I have:

 

-Obviously, I'm looking for the best clinics and surgeons available. I have found Dr. Alfonso Barrera's site, which has put me a bit more at ease after viewing before/after photos and procedure videos. He seems genuine, but I'm not taking anyone on their own word, and my choices will be based on general positive consensus. I'd like to know what my other alternatives are before committing myself to anything. I also live in Hawaii, so needless to say my options are very limited as there is only one clinic on O'ahu and I do not travel to the mainland very often.

 

-Cost. My budget is around the $21K range. I was told by Bosley that the surgery runs anywhere from $4-12K depending on the amount of work needed to be done, however now hearing about them and their practices that info I no longer find reliable. I actually expected it to be a bit more. What's a realistic estimation? I have no doubt the entire top of my scalp will be bald within a few years, so I'm assuming thousands of grafts will eventually be required. I've heard $3 a graft is around the norm. Including the cost of the procedure itself gives me a ball park guesstimate of around $10-20K. Is this accurate?

 

-Medical conditions. I have a tumor in my chest that I have to get chronic chemotherapy every few weeks throughout the rest of my life to control its growth. This being the case, I'm curious as to whether anyone else has had transplantation surgery who has been in similar circumstances, or if there's anyone who has been denied because of a medical condition? My particular meds do not make any of my hair fall out, though I'm still curious as to whether they'll have any effect. To my dismay, Dr. Barrera's site said the only prerequisite is a clean bill of health. This is my biggest concern.

 

All that said, it's a big relief to find this website and forums, I absolutely do not want to make any mistakes whatsoever if I'm going to go forward with this. Can anyone provide some links or info that will help address my concerns?

 

Anyhow, thanks for any help...it's good to be here.

[dakota3]

I've heard $3 a graft is around the norm

Between $4-5 is the norm.

[hopefull]

Hi and wellcome to the forums. I am so glad that you came here first and not to Bosley. Still though... Bosley has bad reoutation through the years but you could be somehow lucky and fall in the chair of a good doctor there. But you dont sound like the guy who likes to take chances...if you research enough the whole hair transplantation thing its all about taking chances. What all try to do here is to minimize the chances of a bad result by going to a doctor that takes care of you and does the right thing.

 

You have to know some basic things since you sound worried and uneducated on this whole thing .

 

A hair transplant outcome depends on two things the doctor and you.

 

the first part is about the doctor and how good is he, how involved is he in the process, how good is his tech team, and how he will decide to deal with your case.

 

the second part is you. Your hair charactersitics, your body and how it reacts to the procedure

 

But the most important part is how you control the future of your hairloss. And there is only one thing right now that can do that and thats propecia...Given your medical condition i have no clue if you should take propecia or not but even if you take it you have to know that there are hundernds of people in these forums that complain about some kind of sideeffect. So exhausting your body more in the condition you are in sounds like a bad idea.

 

 

You will see many nice pictures and many happy customers but you also need to see as many patients in person as you can because pictures can be misleading.

 

The basic problem with hair transplantation is the donor supply issue. Our donor doesnt have enough grafts to plant on the recipient in case we end up nw6 or nw7. There are some rare cases where people can have 7000-10000 grafts transplant but still most of us mortals cannot go to these numbers.

 

to summarize the more native hair you have the better and more natural your transplant will look.The better you respond to propecia the better your transplnt will hold through the years and you wont have to go under the chair ever so often.

 

Emergency exits in case things dont go as planned:If you go strip you wont be able to buzz them down and forget this whole thing.If you go FUE depending on how small the punch used you might be able to buzz them down and it wont be so noticable.

 

Downtimes: Healing can take a long time and your scalp might be red and then pink. I ve heard of people that their scalp was pinkish for as long as 6 months. The transplanted hair grow and mature for a long time after the transplant. a full result should be expected between 12-18 months. Your transplanted hair are in the beginning wiry and hard to style but through the years mature and become more manageable and look more natural...but that takes time.

 

Worst case scenarioAssuming your doctor did everything right)Propecia doesnt work or you have to stop it and you continue balding and you chase your hairloss with transplants and multiple procedures. If your genetics point to nw7(rare) you are screwed especially if you go with strip.

 

Strip vs FUE: Strip has better success rates and is preferred for people with large blading areas. It leaves a smiley scar though and is a more serious procedure than FUE. some people report scalp tension and lose of feeling in the donor area which takes time to heal. FUE might have lower yields but its a less invasive procedure in the right hands and you can buzz your hair short if something goes wrong without having a smiley scar on your back.

 

 

good luck you will hear many good advices here but dont think that we are your best bet. Unfortunately you have to do your own research and see things with your own eyes because we are people that you dont know and you cant be sure who is behind the computer and whats his agenda. I for one some say that i am anti transplant . I like to think that i dont like to take chances and i am cautious.

 

Stay around this place has many interesting characters and you will enjoy doing your research...but its not so easy as asking you have to stick around and watch the show.

 

Peace bro

[Dewayne]

First thing, I'd recommend you call Dr. Jerry Cooley at http://www.haircenter.com/. Not because he is or isn't your best option, but I believe he would be one of the best to call regarding your medical condition. Or Dr. Feller, as he is trained in medicine as well.

 

Although they do excellent transplants, I wouldn't care what a trained plastic surgeon says about my medical condition b/c it's probably been a while since he was in med. school.

 

The reason I mention Cooley is he still has a dermatology practice and he has an impressive medical education, and stuck me as a very well trained doctor.

 

For the transplant, I don't know the doctor you speak of, but if you've got $21k to spend I wouldn't be afraid to put $1k of that toward travel. Some of the best clinics offer travel discounts. Research Cooley, Feller, H&W, and some of the doctors who can do 3,500 + sessions. You should be able to get a session that size for under $15,000, plane tickets and all. Most of them include a hotel stay for two days as well.

[kaounis]

Check out Dr. Lindsey, I think he has worked on someone who had chemotherapy for somekind of facial tumor....Do a search...He also studied under Dr. Feller and has a cosmetic background. You could also check out Dr. Konior,. he is also an M.D. with credentials in face, neck and scalp surgery and trama reconstruction...Hope this helps...

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[rekunta]

Thank you all for you responses.

 

@ Hopefull,

 

I have tried Propecia. It had the very unfortunate side-effect of rendering me impotent, which suffice to say, my hair can go to hell in a hand basket instead any day of the week. I'm currently using 5% Rogaine foam after having gotten used to the cheap perfume smell and it seems to be slightly working. It's helping my hair fall out slower at least.

 

What's the best way to go about tracking down others who've had transplants? Talking to hairdressers? Going to hairclub for men meetings? I want to see both good and bad outcomes.

 

Healing is not too much of a concern for me as physical misery is something I've become accustomed to, so I imagine the procedure and recovery, while unpleasant, will be a walk in the park in comparison. The one thing that worries me is having a constant feeling of a tight scalp, which you say is a possible side-effect of the strip method, and considering my hair loss will eventually be extensive sounds like the best option for me.

 

I'm also concerned of developing a halo around the perimeter of the transplant site in time, which may then not be correctable due to lack of proper donor hairs. This makes me think it's better just to wait it out until my hair loss is complete and see what the doctor has to say. Are continual transplants an assured thing?

 

I know you can't know the specifics as everyone is different, but just thought I'd ask as you seem very knowledgable on the subject.

 

@ Dewayne,

 

I've heard from numerous places that paid airfare, hotel accommodations, and free grafts are simply dishonest incentives to get someone in the chair ASAP. Bosley offered me 50 free grafts (for a limited time of course) for having to travel such a long distance. Is this not always the case?

 

Thanks again to all, any and all advice is much appreciated.

[hopefull]

Originally posted by rekunta:

Thank you all for you responses.

 

@ Hopefull,

 

I have tried Propecia. It had the very unfortunate side-effect of rendering me impotent, which suffice to say, my hair can go to hell in a hand basket instead any day of the week. I'm currently using 5% Rogaine foam after having gotten used to the cheap perfume smell and it seems to be slightly working. It's helping my hair fall out slower at least.

 

What's the best way to go about tracking down others who've had transplants? Talking to hairdressers? Going to hairclub for men meetings? I want to see both good and bad outcomes.

 

Healing is not too much of a concern for me as physical misery is something I've become accustomed to, so I imagine the procedure and recovery, while unpleasant, will be a walk in the park in comparison. The one thing that worries me is having a constant feeling of a tight scalp, which you say is a possible side-effect of the strip method, and considering my hair loss will eventually be extensive sounds like the best option for me.

 

I'm also concerned of developing a halo around the perimeter of the transplant site in time, which may then not be correctable due to lack of proper donor hairs. This makes me think it's better just to wait it out until my hair loss is complete and see what the doctor has to say. Are continual transplants an assured thing?

 

I know you can't know the specifics as everyone is different, but just thought I'd ask as you seem very knowledgable on the subject.

 

@ Dewayne,

 

I've heard from numerous places that paid airfare, hotel accommodations, and free grafts are simply dishonest incentives to get someone in the chair ASAP. Bosley offered me 50 free grafts (for a limited time of course) for having to travel such a long distance. Is this not always the case?

 

Thanks again to all, any and all advice is much appreciated.

 

 

Hi again

 

the best way to meet people with transplants is to ask the doctor of your choise to meet actual patients. Which ones are available or even find some people through these forums that are willing to meet with you.

 

There might be showcases or consultants but they are mostly the best results by far not your average patient.

 

the fact that you have sideeffects with propecia is very unfortunate as i mentioned above. how is your genetics, bald people in your family older than you (dad, granddads etc) it can give you an indication of where you are heading to.

 

Some pictures where you could show us your current hair situation from many angles could help so that we can offer more opinions.

[rekunta]

Here are some pics. I apologize for the quality, I had my 10 year old niece do them.

 

Firstly, what my hair used to look like when I was 20:

[rekunta]

I don't know how to post multiple pics in same posts, sorry:

[rekunta]

My current hair loss:

[rekunta]

Crown:

[rekunta]

Profile:

[rekunta]

and finally:

[Dewayne]

I'm sure some, or even most, clinics use the 'free travel' card as a sales tactic, but I'm quite sure even Hasson and Wong offer travel discounts; as does Charles in Florida. So, I wouldn't worry that all do it. Those two are pretty great.

 

Cooley offers a two night stay in a hotel that's just apart of the whole transplant experience; and a flight to Charlotte is probably not all that expensive.

[rekunta]

Does anyone have any opinions about my current hairloss? What stage am I at, where does it look like I'm headed, and how many grafts do you think will intially be required?

[Dewayne]

Originally posted by rekunta:

Does anyone have any opinions about my current hairloss? What stage am I at, where does it look like I'm headed, and how many grafts do you think will intially be required?

 

I think, at worse, you might be heading for a Norwood 5. However, I think a 2000 graft session would get you a solid 10 years; and then you'll have another 4,000+ grafts in the vault in case you need them later. Here is the Norwood link. http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...rticle.asp?CopyID=91

[hopefull]

Originally posted by rekunta:

Does anyone have any opinions about my current hairloss? What stage am I at, where does it look like I'm headed, and how many grafts do you think will intially be required?

 

to me it looks you have extensive hairloss, the crown still holds though...the sides look like nw6.

 

 

Listen the fact that you have clear balding area and you are not a diffuse thinner means that you rely on the transplant only and not your native hair. transplants might look very nice in pictures but you have to go and see patients in person with hairloss like yours to determnine if you like what you see.

 

In certain lights and in some angles transplants look very thin and somehow unnatural in my opinion that is something you cannot see in pictures. for some people that is much better than being totally bald.If you are one of these people then go for it.

 

My personal opinion is that you need a lot of grafts to have a transplant that look descent more than 4000 grafts for sure and hoping that your crown will hold but without propecia thats difficult if you are destined to be nw6, if you want full density i think it will never happen buzz them down very short and live with it until something better comes along.

[Dewayne]

I looked at the pics again and relized my first post was inaccurate. I looked at the first two pictures, and not three and four.

 

I agree with hopefull that you'll need a mega session or a plan to get a couple large, 2500 sessions.

 

I don't agree with hopefull about the unnatural look of a transplant. Without my transplant, I'd be thinner than you and I don't think anyone can tell I've had a transplant. In fact, Saturday I went back home to a party with people I haven't seen in two, three and even 10 years. Several commented that I hadn't changed much, and one lady remarked how I'd kept my hair or wasn't bald.

 

It still pissed me off that someone actually would say, out of the blue, something about bald even though she meant it as a compliment.

[kaounis]

I know how you feel Dewayne...I hate people who mention anything about hair in general when I'm around...I feel it might be becuase of me....Anyways back to rekunta, I think you will need at least 4000-5000 grafts to acheive some real density...I think it would be better to do it in two surgeries...The first can add coverage and the second , strtigically placed, for density...The first will also help increas blood flow to the scalp, (because of the new follicles), thereby increasing the odds of a much better and perhaps larger second session... Reaserch...Reaserch...and then Reaserch some more...Good luck buddy...

 

 

Just a thought from the peanut gallery...

[Drew35]

Originally posted by rekunta:

 

-Medical conditions. I have a tumor in my chest that I have to get chronic chemotherapy every few weeks throughout the rest of my life to control its growth. This being the case, I'm curious as to whether anyone else has had transplantation surgery who has been in similar circumstances, or if there's anyone who has been denied because of a medical condition? My particular meds do not make any of my hair fall out, though I'm still curious as to whether they'll have any effect. To my dismay, Dr. Barrera's site said the only prerequisite is a clean bill of health. This is my biggest concern.

 

 

 

 

NOONE should have to endure chemotherapy for the rest of their lives!

 

This could seriously be attributing to your hair loss.

 

 

6 months ago the Vet told me my dog had tumors in her lungs and her leg.

She was given 3 months to live(6 months ago!).

 

Obviously she is still here and doing great!

 

She had a huge tumor on her leg that has completely disappeared! I am going to take her in and get an XRay of her lungs. The Vet had said she would be deteriorating and coughing and dead by now. She is fine.

 

I did some research and found alternative treatments that I have been using on her: Oleander and IP6.

 

 

Please read the below information. It might help you.

 

 

 

Oleander:

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1317770#i

 

 

IP6:

http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=910495#i1

 

 

 

Here's another great link on Oleander:

http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1173057#i

 

 

It would be great if these natural products helped shrink your tumor so you don't have to have chemotherapy anymore!

[rekunta]

Thanks Drew

 

I had a appointment with my Oncologist on Monday and asked him if my meds would affect any hair transplant procedure and he said no. Chemo that targets fast multiplying cells (to treat aggressive cancers) causes all hair to fall out as hair cells are fast growing. As my tumor is relatively slow growing, my meds target slow multiplying cells. I take pills to contol hormones that are thought to feed into the tumor's growth; I'm more curious about their effects on my hair than chemo.

 

That's great news about you dog, what type of cancer did (does) she have?

 

Thank you for the links, anything and everything helps.