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What happens to a lot of posters?


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It seems like a lot of people drop off after a few months of recovery. Why is that? Do they leave because the results are not up to par and they feel dissapointed or because they are now happy and not hair crazed like the rest of us?

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  • Regular Member

It seems like a lot of people drop off after a few months of recovery. Why is that? Do they leave because the results are not up to par and they feel dissapointed or because they are now happy and not hair crazed like the rest of us?

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  • Senior Member

At the risk of starting another verbal war between Bill and Dr. Feller, I'll say because they are "cured" of baldness and no longer need the support / information, etc.

100? 'mini' grapfts by Latham's Hair Clinic - 1991 (Removed 50 plugs by Cooley 3/08.)

2750 FU 3/20/08 by Dr. Cooley

 

My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley

 

Current regimen:

1.66 mg Proscar M-W-F

Rogaine 5% Foam - every now and then

AndroGel - once daily

Lipitor - 5 mg every other day

Weightlifting - 2x per week

Jogging - 3x per week

 

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  • Senior Member

Unfortunately, I think for quite a few it is because they aren't fully satisfied w/ their results -- to a much lesser degree on this forum, but on a few other forums in particular it is no doubt because of dissatisfaction and a certain sense of shame in "copping" to making a poor decision.

 

Most, though, just move on. In my opinion, there is a certain degree of superficiality that pervades this online arena. You have, of course, the aesthetic conquest that we all seek to sate -- a rather superficial thing in and of itself. To go a step further, our conquest is something that truly effects *us* and only "us", and it effects us each in a unique way. Perhaps, because of the aforementioned, I find there to be a prevailing theme of wanting *to get* as opposed to wanting *to give*.

 

So, we (i.e. most) seek out to soak in as much information as possible to address our oft crippling ailment -- an ailment that really has a birth and life that hits us indvidually. What do we do one we make *the* decision that borders a cure? Move back into the realm of conventional reality, or stick around a stigmitized e-community where so many come to simply receive and take the time to actually give?

 

The choice for most is clear.

-----------

*A Follicles Dying Wish To Clinics*

1 top-down, 1 portrait, 1 side-shot, 1 hairline....4 photos. No flash.

Follicles have asked for centuries, in ten languages, as many times so as to confuse a mathematician.

Enough is enough! Give me documentation or give me death!

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  • Regular Member

Thanatopsis, great insight. I do have a ton of respect for those who do stay after their HT and support others, that is very benevolent, but your are right, that is not why most people are here, even myself at this point I admit a little shamefully. I am here because I am not sure if I just made the worse or best decision I could have with my only shot I will ever take at changing nature's path. I hope I am a kind enough person to stick around and help others, which brought to the question in the first place. Why do so many folks sign off after a few months on the blog's etc. I think if I had success I would want to inspire others with it. I tell everyone I know about propecia and what it has done for me to get back a lot of hair I lost. I guess I will know in the next 12 months first hand, just curious what others thought.

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  • Senior Member

The majority of guys that get warned not to go to certain clinics and argue with everyone are the ones that disappear months after their surgery.

Its hard to admit to a silly mistake with all the info available.

Those mill type clinics and hack doctors make excuses rather then stand behind their work.

Some come back and admit but most hide.

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  • Regular Member

I think its a variety of things. I just last week asked a man who was almost a year out, to go back on the forums and describe his experience. He found me through the forums when I just started using them and I know that he blogged a bit in the early recovery phase.

 

I also know that he is happy, as he emailed me and asked if I wanted to see him as he was surprised at the result in under a year(which will only get better over the next 4 months or so).

 

So when I asked him if he would go back on the sites he told me "maybe in a few years when and if I need some more work", but that now he doesn't feel like he has any reason to go on the sites. Says his free time is now occupied by all kinds of activities, like basketball, swimming and dating. I told him that while I might take some credit for him having more confidence and dating more, that the other activities weren't the result of his hair. He disagreed, saying that his increase in confidence is allowing him to pursue things he hadn't done in years. I told him THAT is exactly the Cinderella story I wanted him to share online...not just for my practice's benefit, but also for the benefit of some guys out there who are trying to decide if they want to move forward.

 

He said he appreciated the work, but had "moved on" from the hair forums.

 

That may or may not be representative of why folks quit the sites, but I would guess it is some factor for many folks.

 

I used to post on some guitar sites when I was getting back into guitar playing, to get tips etc. Then after a few months I found that it was more fun to play than post. Same deal with hair sites I imagine.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

William H. Lindsey, MD, FACS

McLean, VA

 

Dr. William Lindsey is a member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

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  • Senior Member

Well you just told his story for us so who needs him. icon_wink.gif

There are 3 types of people in this world . A person who gives, one that takes ,and one that does both.

The key words, "if I NEED" ,and "dont have time" shows me what type he is.

I can understand moving on because no one owes this forum anything ,but he could of at least did it for you .

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  • Senior Member

For me, once I'd reached about the 1.5 year mark after my first HT, I honestly didn't think that I had much to post, because there wasn't much progress to report! At some point I scaled back the posts, and just checked my email routinely for questions.

 

Benjamin

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I think everyone gave some excellent feedback. And though there is no one particular reason, I'd say the most common is that they've moved on with their life either having their questions answered, or restoring their hair. Some simply lose interest or become upset with some of the controversies/politics that occasionally surface.

 

This is one of the reasons why I greatly respect and appreciate the dedicated members of this forum community who share their acquired knowledge, advice, and encouragement to the fellow balding brothers and sisters.

 

For those of you who don't know my history, i too was like that. giving hair loss sufferers free advice became my hobby. I did this mostly because I was so thankful to Pat, this community, and my surgeons for restoring not only my hair, but self-confidence. I also enjoyed my virtual relationships with the multitude of great people who make up this community. It became in many ways, my virtual home icon_smile.gif.

 

Though helping hair loss sufferers find real solutions and surgeons who perform regular quality work is my career, I remember first and foremost that I am a patient and want only the best treatment for those suffering from hair loss.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

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  • Regular Member

Thanks to everyone who responded. It does makes a lot of sense. I do see people pop up here and again that have not been on for a while when a topic that relates to what they experienced is presented and some move on for various reasons as you all mention. It is a great forum either way and I personally would have been lost and guessing without it. Probably a NW5 by now too!

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It's kinda pathetic obsessing about hair, thats exactly why we get HT to begin with, so that we dont have to obsess. I fully admit that I come here out of boredom and morbid curiosity, to compare my results with others. When I provide advice I kid myself that its some altruism in helping others. I'm happy to lend my insight but Im really here because im bored and (somewhat) dissatisfied. If I really was over the moon I'd be preaching like an evangelist or gone from here. Once you spend the price of a new car on your head you usually feel like talking about it. OTH, HTs really do work and if you can plant enough grafts in a small enough area you may get the result youre looking for.

 

I'm still not out to 12 months from my first and I will need another procedure. In some ways it worked out well, but in other ways didnt meet my expectations. I expect the result to get better slightly in time, but really im still just planning and thinkig about where to put more grafts and which doctor I think would do the best job for #2.

 

I must add that some mornings, after carefully styling my hair, I think its a marvel that im not bald and that i look better. Also think that some women react better to me. All in all though, the problem has just changed. When before I had no hair, now I have really thin hair. Pick your poison.

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  • Regular Member

Speaking for myself, I visited this site much more frequently when I was researching HTs and asking questions. Now that I am 2-1/2 months post-op, I don't visit quite as often. I am in the "waiting" phase so there hasn't been much to report on my weblog (though I am over due for an update).

 

I plan to continue regular updates to my weblog up to about +1 year so everyone can see the progress. In that time, I'll still lurk on this forum and offer my experience when I can. But I must say that those that post here regularly and often deserve our thanks.

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These are all fairly valid points. I had my first transplant 14 years ago when I barely had a dial-up modem and getting online info about this sort of thing was hardly the norm.

 

I just put up a review about NHI and Dr. Pak here because after some searching I found there wasn't much info about him. Whether I'll stick around to post more and help out I don't know. HT is not exactly a hobby and that's usually where I spend most of my time when it comes to forums (like politics or my beloved Triumph motorcycle). That said, I'm still very glad places like this exist. If anything I can share some experiences with others who may or may not go through what I have gone through to restore my hairline.

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  • Senior Member

Oh boy, this thread hit home.

 

This website was INVALUABLE to me when I was looking to educate myself about hair tranplants. I spent hours and hours reading old posts, and posted many questions myself before making my decision pursue this course of action.

 

It's been about 21 months since I had my hair transplant and many months since I've posted on these forums. I do think about this forum from time to time and wonder how things are shaping up for all the folks who've posted here.

 

My reason for not posting as much anymore is mainly that I don't feel I have all that much to contribute. Many regulars here are much more knowedgable than I am.

 

Another reason is that my hair transplant is probably not all that spectacular in terms of dramatic before & after photo shots. It's much more of a subtle effect. I will also say that nearly 2 years after my surgery I am THRILLED with my own results.

 

I guess this thread serves in a small way to provide that little kick in the butt I apparently need to update my blog.

 

Regards to posters old and new.

_________________

2967 Total Grafts w/ Dr. Cooley on 1/3/07 [1st HT]

Hair Count = 5,427

My Hair Loss Weblog

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I have been coming here for 5 months and have gotten lots of great advice, even though I have stirred up some things. I am also a recovering alcoholic, and even though I haven't had a drink in almost 4 years, I still go to AA meetings. You stick with what works. Once my hair is where it will end up, I will still come here to help when I can and get advice.

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  • Senior Member

My personal drop off was due to me being ecstatic with my results and I just kind of "moved on" with my life. I was one of those guys that just completely stopped going online and started to go to parties and clubs again. It really stinks because many people always wonder how their HT turned out and sometimes we just never find out...

You only live once...

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I think this is really shaping up to be a great thread.

 

I really appreciate each members letting us in just a little bit at your reasons for being an active or inactive member.

 

Oddly enough, I can actually relate to almost all of these, including coming here when I was "bored" before I was the Associate Publisher.

 

It almost became like an addiction for awhile (not a bad one to have I guess as far as addictions go). When I was going through a hard time (not hair related), this forum was a place I came to interact with members not only about hair, but to have some fun. It helped take my mind off some of the loneliness I felt. We all look for something to help us feel better, and for me, this was it! And in the process, I could help others.

 

I know even in my 4 years as a member here, there were times when I disappeared for awhile and came back. These were typically in the latter parts of each hair transplant. I guess I felt I was getting on with my life, but something kept drawing me back. As I went through more hair transplants, I wanted more support from the community, but also wanted to share my acquired knowledge with others.

 

It's interesting though...for whatever reason you are here, you are here because it's well....interesting.

 

This place really is a virtual community with a number of interesting people and personalities, and well - it's fun to see those we bonded with restore their hair while at the same time, we seek to get some more hair for ourselves!

 

It's true that members come and go....many leave the forums after they are satisfied with their hair, but I have found that many make another appearance after sometime off just to check in. I guess that's the mark of a true hair geek luminary icon_smile.gif

 

All of you, no matter how long you stay (though we hope for a long time icon_smile.gif) play a big part into making this patient community thrive for the "next generation" if you will.

 

There will always be those suffering from hair loss that are desperately seeking to restore it, and your great insight and shared experiences will help educate the masses as they read through.

 

Your posts become a part of history, the present, and the future! Let's keep mingling education with some fun!

 

Thanks to all for your great contributions :-).

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

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Guest wanthairs

I got hooked on this site about two years ago just as a reader.

 

Hairloss has depressed the hell out of me for about 15 years and I had no idea that transplants were as good as they are today. It was comforting to find many other men who were going through the same thing. I had also went through a divorce and the hair thing just started to seriously bother me then because I was psycologically convinced noone would ever date me again while I was bald.....After the results of my first procedure started to show I started dating women and got hooked up to one and that took my time away from this site as I had to tend to her in the evenings. Now that I am gearing up for my second procedure I am back on this site every day reading and getting the "support group" feeling again.....

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Guest wanthairs

the funny thing is....is that after the first procedure I decided to shave down my head every other day, for the first 6 months, regardless of this great big scar showing and I had no problems hooking up with women. It seemed they liked the bald scarred look alot more than the wispy thinning haired look......Something to consider for some of us. I have to admit......If I knew how succesfull I would have been bald with a scar I think i would just have shaved my head and not be bothered with a transplant, but anyway......Im on the road now And Im not going back.....

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  • 1 month later...
  • Regular Member

I am one of the posters that doesn't post anymore but I do come visit once in a while. Dr. Brad Limmer in San Antonio did my 3000 grafs and he did an outstanding job. I plan on going back for 1500 more but will have to wait a little while, this stock market has hit me pretty hard and don't want to take anything out right now. The 1500 will go in my crown, my frontal looks great and is long enough to actually cover the back pretty good. To be fair, Dr. Brad did put in some grafs on the crown but I just want some more. I have actually been complimented on my frontal curls and asked what has happened, I just tell everyone I decided to let my hair grow out, always seems to work. John

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  • Senior Member

I certainly understand when posters move on after posting 1 year result, so that patients can assess the full results. Unfortunately many move on before that time.

 

For me, after getting so much help and info from this forum, i will definitely be here until my 1 year mark after HT, share my experience and help as much hair loss sufferers as i can. I think it is the least i can do.

********

I am not a doctor. The opinions and comments are of my own.

 

HT with Dr. Cooley on Nov 20, 2008

2097 grafts, 3957 hairs

Proscar, 1.25 mg daily, skip the 5th day, started Nov 2007

 

My Hair Loss Blog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Cooley

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Each member plays a vital role in the success of this community, whether or not they come for a time, or stay for awhile. Of course, there have been a number of devoted members like many of you over the years who have given their time freely and selflessly to help other fellow baldies icon_smile.gif.

 

My hope is that you will all stick around or at least come back and contribute your experiences and acquired expertise from time to time, since all of you, not just a few is what makes this community thrive!

 

Though it would be next to impossible to express my deepest gratitude, members who regularly participate in this community know that the greatest reward is being able to help others get their lives back.

 

May this life changing patient driven community continue to thrive and challenge hair transplant surgeons to deliver only the best results.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

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  • Senior Member

People invest so much money, time and hope that I could totally understand people moving on if they are disappointed with their results after 12 months. Now if I'm happy with my results at 12 months I will stay on the boards for sure. If I'm happy with my results I will be like a girl with a new boob job wanting to show off the improved me to anyone that will look. icon_smile.gif

4374 grafts-7/2/2008-Dr Rahal

485 singles

2336 doubles

1526 triples

16 quads

9809 total hairs

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