lost my precious

[kokonut]

first of all, let me say thank to all the members, staff, admin, etc who are contributing to this community. I've been a reader of this forum for a while and it has helped me a lot in my research on my hair loss.

 

I've started loosing hairs when I was 17. I was so depressed that I couldn't concentrate on anything. anyway, like any other new victim to hair loss, i started searching for treatments and this was in yr 2003. withouth any research i dialed a number which i found in yellow pages and made an appointment with a clinic in Montreal (I wont' name the clinic but pm me if you'd like to know more). they said they can help me restore my hairs with their treatment which consisted of cleaning the hair follicles using their special shampoo, synergen, and some other stuff which i've forgotten the name to>>

Anyway, I paid a 100$ for couple of treatments which according to them were not enough...they said i need full treatment of about 6months....and for that i have to pay 2000$.

at that point, i was ready to do whatever i can to get that treatment. Since i was young and didn't have a credit, i had to borrow from my parents...anyway i wont go in more details>

the bottom line is it didn't work and i discontinued going to them to get their treatments....instead i lost more hairs.

 

At that point i started searching on the net and found rogaine, in 2004 i started using rogaine and used for a year, which i beleive had worked for my back and not the top of the scalp...anyway in 2005 i stopped using it cuz i had to go to a trip for 2 months. When i got back after two months i had lost a lot of hairs and i went into depression.

the only option i had was to shave my head which worked for me for a while but than in 2007 i started doing more research and ended up getting a prescription for propecia. After 6 months of usage i didnt' see any results but i did see the side effects. I was having erectile dysfuntion...i got scared and stopped the treatment immediately....and now since than i've been searching and researching on different options on what to do. I live in Montreal and there are no good ht doctors in my region. I'm very depressed because I'm only 24 and I've a massive hairloss....

According to my reserach HT is the only option I've left and the two doctors that i've found that might be a good choice for me are : Dr. Rahal and H&W. Rahal could be a good choice cuz Ottawa is about 2 hours drive from Montreal.

 

I'm also considering starting Rogaine again to keep the hairs in the back that I've left.

The reason for this long story is to say that be aware of all the phony treatments and do the research before you make a final decision and also to get a feedback from you guys.

 

I'll shortly upload some pictures and post the links. your feedback will be much appreciated.

 

Thanks a lot

 

[

[kokonut]

first of all, let me say thank to all the members, staff, admin, etc who are contributing to this community. I've been a reader of this forum for a while and it has helped me a lot in my research on my hair loss.

 

I've started loosing hairs when I was 17. I was so depressed that I couldn't concentrate on anything. anyway, like any other new victim to hair loss, i started searching for treatments and this was in yr 2003. withouth any research i dialed a number which i found in yellow pages and made an appointment with a clinic in Montreal (I wont' name the clinic but pm me if you'd like to know more). they said they can help me restore my hairs with their treatment which consisted of cleaning the hair follicles using their special shampoo, synergen, and some other stuff which i've forgotten the name to>>

Anyway, I paid a 100$ for couple of treatments which according to them were not enough...they said i need full treatment of about 6months....and for that i have to pay 2000$.

at that point, i was ready to do whatever i can to get that treatment. Since i was young and didn't have a credit, i had to borrow from my parents...anyway i wont go in more details>

the bottom line is it didn't work and i discontinued going to them to get their treatments....instead i lost more hairs.

 

At that point i started searching on the net and found rogaine, in 2004 i started using rogaine and used for a year, which i beleive had worked for my back and not the top of the scalp...anyway in 2005 i stopped using it cuz i had to go to a trip for 2 months. When i got back after two months i had lost a lot of hairs and i went into depression.

the only option i had was to shave my head which worked for me for a while but than in 2007 i started doing more research and ended up getting a prescription for propecia. After 6 months of usage i didnt' see any results but i did see the side effects. I was having erectile dysfuntion...i got scared and stopped the treatment immediately....and now since than i've been searching and researching on different options on what to do. I live in Montreal and there are no good ht doctors in my region. I'm very depressed because I'm only 24 and I've a massive hairloss....

According to my reserach HT is the only option I've left and the two doctors that i've found that might be a good choice for me are : Dr. Rahal and H&W. Rahal could be a good choice cuz Ottawa is about 2 hours drive from Montreal.

 

I'm also considering starting Rogaine again to keep the hairs in the back that I've left.

The reason for this long story is to say that be aware of all the phony treatments and do the research before you make a final decision and also to get a feedback from you guys.

 

I'll shortly upload some pictures and post the links. your feedback will be much appreciated.

 

Thanks a lot

 

[

[PLEASE GROW PLEASE]

Dr Rahal does fantastic work but with your extensive baldness I would not make my choice without consulting with H&W

[Bill - Seemiller]

kokonut,

 

By your post, I was expecting a long story about how you found a mysterious looking ring that eventually abandoned you to find it's way back into the hands of a dark and evil knight trying desperately hard to come back to life! But I agree that hair follicles are even more precious :-).

 

It's hard to tell by the pictures just how much hair you've lost, but it appears that you are a level 6 on the norwood scale. If you have the donor density, laxity, and have realistic expectations, you may be a good candidate for a hair transplant.

 

Coalition members Dr. Rahal, Dr. Hasson, and Dr. Wong are excellent considerations. I highly recommend looking through their patient results and consutling with each of them to get a better feel for what can be accomplished and help you narrow down your selection to one doctor.

 

If there is anything else we can help you with, let us know.

 

Best wishes in retrieving your Precious :-)

 

Bill

[lorenzo]

I feel for you but looking at your photos (that is all I can base it on) I feel that a surgery with a proper surgeon will make a difference in not only your appearance and confidence. Having said that I am not sure if they would even do surgery on a 24 years old unless they are sure that you will not be progressing to a NW7. Although it may not be a good example take a look at london_lad, when he posted his pictures for the first time many posters told him in was not a canditate for surgery. Anyway good luck on your decision.

[kokonut]

thank you for your prompt responses

 

Bill,

 

my follicles are really very precious and about the title....I wanted to put a catchy one to get everyone's attention and get as much feedback as possible which will help me make the right decision...I don't want to end up looking like "Smeagol" from LOTR...lol

 

btw, your story is a great inspiration for me and that's why I want to do something before it is too late....I also wanted to ask if a virtual consultation is good enough since I'm in Montreal, and Vancouver is far...I know that traveling shouldn't be a concern when you want to get the best for you, but do I must really visit personally to get a better consultation or a virtual one is good enough?

 

going to Ottawa to see Dr. Rahal is not a problem since it is only 2hrs away...which I'll be doing after the holidays...

 

sorry to ask this again but I've posted this in q&a forum that which is better rogaine foam or spray and where can i get rogaine foam in canada?

 

thank you once again for the help.

[kokonut]

Originally posted by lorenzo:

I feel for you but looking at your photos (that is all I can base it on) I feel that a surgery with a proper surgeon will make a difference in not only your appearance and confidence. Having said that I am not sure if they would even do surgery on a 24 years old unless they are sure that you will not be progressing to a NW7. Although it may not be a good example take a look at london_lad, when he posted his pictures for the first time many posters told him in was not a canditate for surgery. Anyway good luck on your decision.

 

I checked london_lad's profile and oh my what a transformation, I'm really impressed with H&w work...I will take better pictures and get a virtual consultation with them asap...

thanks for your help

[lorenzo]

I know that traveling shouldn't be a concern when you want to get the best for you, but do I must really visit personally to get a better consultation or a virtual one is good enough?

 

Kokonut in my opinion it is always better to visit but having said that I am sure 95% of all surgeries are done following a virtual consultation. Since I assist Italians I have only seen one Italian that came in first for a visit then came back for surgery. His brother worked for the airlines and came to Vancouver first to visit the doctors then to have a nice 2 week holiday. The doctor is usually right on with a virtual as long as the pictures provided are clear and accurate. In my experience in some cases the patients are pleasantly surprised because there situation is much better in person than in photos.

Once again good luck!!

[Bill - Seemiller]

kokonut,

 

As much as Smeagol is a somewhat lovable character (before the ring gets the best of him), I certainly wouldn't want to look like him either .

 

Virtual consultations are never as good as consulting with a doctor in person. However, as long as the pictures are accurate and taken in high resolution, it will give the doctor a good idea of the kind of work you need done. Scalp laxity can't really be determined by a photo - though if you send a video doing scalp exercises, this may be helpful.

 

All that said, nothing beats an in-person consult if you can do it.

 

Rogaine liquid and foam both contain the same active ingredient minoxidil. In my opinion, the foam is a superior product since it's easier to apply without it running down your head, face, etc. Some argue that the propylene glycol found in the liquid helps aid absorption into the scalp. However, foam is supposed to be a superior absorption agent in itself. Propylene glycol in the liquid can also irritate the scalp.

 

Though I don't use Rogaine, if I was giong to, I'd pick the foam over the liquid personally.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Mr. GQ]

Though I don't use Rogaine, if I was giong to, I'd pick the foam over the liquid personally.

 

interesting,

my research led me to believe that the liquid minox is much better and much more effective than the foam.

 

kokonut,

LMS will kill you for naming the thread like this

[kokonut]

Bill... thanks for your help, I beleive that I've finally come to the right place to get the help and guidance I needed. This is a great community.

 

mr. GQ...what/who is LMS?

[Bill - Seemiller]

kokonut,

 

I think you'll find that we have a large number of very helpful and educated members that desire helping people here. I'm glad you found us and we're glad to have you here :-).

 

LMS = Lost My Swagger. He's a relatively new member here, but not new to the forums in general.

 

Mr. GQ - is LMS a LOTR fan?

 

I have all 3 extended versions of the movies. Probably one of my favorite movie series!

 

Bill

[Mr. GQ]

Mr. GQ - is LMS a LOTR fan?

 

lol funny that you asked that

 

donno Bill when you get a chance you should ask him or post a new separate thread but under what category hmmmm

 

i too have all 3 movies as they are awesome.