Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 24, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 24, 2006 Hello, my name is Chris and I am a 20 year old college student at a large University in Pennsylvania. I've had a consultation with Dr. Pistone's cosmetic guy and from there, I made the decision to schedule a session with Dr. Pistone. My hair loss is along the frontal hairline and is slightly thin in the front middle. I'll be traveling to Marlton, NJ in about a week for the operation and I'm pretty excited to be taking this step towards a "nice" head of hair. For me, I'm mostly concerned about the recovery time, as I am extremely into weight lifting and working out. I hope that I'll be able to get back into my routine after about 10 days off at the most. What are your thoughts, experiences, and opinions on this? Thank you for any responses! Hair loss has been notoriously early in my family, as my older brother Patrick (24) is extremely thin throughout the top front area. I'm trying to get a jump on the baldness, catch it before it gets really advanced and stay on top of it...so to speak. http://homepage.mac.com/chrisd7/PhotoAlbum35.html Password is: Pistone 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kg007 Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Chris - First of all, what made you choose Dr. Pistone over all the other great doctors recommended on this website? I mean nothing against Dr. Pistone, but I have heard nothing about this guy!! I would be cautious going to a surgeon who's name is not out there.. have you met any of his patients or even anybody from this forum who had procedure done with this doc? I wouldn't even think about lifting weights for atleast a month after the procedure if I were you. You can do light running after 2 weeks or so, but don't lift weights for atleast month or you might end up with wider scar. Just my opinion from the experience. KG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 His credentials made me decide to go with him. Dr. Pistone attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was presented with the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Award. His Medical training was completed at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA. During his time there he performed research in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery involving the skin's sensory receptors as well as studies on ways to improve the survival of skin grafts and flaps. His findings were published in the prestigious journal - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. After completing an Internship at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, he completed his Dermatologic training at the Temple University Health Sciences Center. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kg007 Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 If I was the patient, that's not enough for me. I would want to see hundreds of actual patient pictures. I would want to hear as many good/bad stories about the surgeon. This is a great forum to interact with the actual patients from differnt surgeons. I say do you research before making this big decision. Also, I see that you like to shave your head. After you get HT, you will not be able to shave your head because your scar will be cristal clear if you get below #3 cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Originally posted by kg007: First of all, what made you choose Dr. Pistone over all the other great doctors recommended on this website? I mean nothing against Dr. Pistone, but I have heard nothing about this guy!! I would be cautious going to a surgeon who's name is not out there.. According to his website, he has performed over 6,000 FUE procedures and I looked through photo after photo of before and afters. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 I already made the decision because I have put down half ($3250) of the total amount ($6500) towards the operation. I'm confident in Dr. Pistone due to his credentials and the fact that my father knows people at the Hershey Medical Center, who all gave Dr. Pistone a thumbs up. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member kg007 Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Good luck with your procedure. How many number grafts are you getting? Keep us posted with your progress. KG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 I'll be getting 1,900 follicular units. I will be sure to keep you all posted... Thanks for the replies. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member pushing 40 Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 How do you know he likes to shave his head?? How do I navigate this site?? I see people say all the time "from your pics I see", but I don't see any damn pics..am I missing something here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Originally posted by pushing 40:How do you know he likes to shave his head?? How do I navigate this site?? I see people say all the time "from your pics I see", but I don't see any damn pics..am I missing something here? You can access my pictures by clicking the link I posted on the bottom of the first post in this thread. The password then, for the site is: Pistone 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HairHope Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Not to be negative, however, unless your hairloss is stabilized, it is likely a very poor decision on his behalf to operate on a 20 year old. I suggest you read this board for a while because there is much wisdom on this issue. Dec. 2004 - 1938 Grafts via Strip Feb. 2009 - 1002 Grafts via FUE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairbank Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Hi Chris, You've made the decision to get the HT so good luck to you. It sounds like in you're case your grafts will be harvested by FUE (Follicular Unit Extraction), not the more popular "strip" method right? You probably know this from your research, but this will make all the difference if you want to shave your head or clip it extremely close so there is no evident scarring. kg007 is correct....if you get the HT using the strip method, you no longer can shave the head without seeing a scar. Us older guys don't seem to mind but it seems the younger generation likes the shaved head look.........doesn't make sense to me since I'm having the HT to cover the noggin and get rid of the baldness but, to each his own. I, like you, am an avid weightlifter so I had some of the same concerns you do. With my first HT (I had the "strip" method) increasing pressure from donor strip area during the healing process was a concern. I was advised to lay off the weights for 4-6 weeks. I do not know about what effect weightlifting would have on the actual grafts, not just the scar..........but I'm sure you would want to wait a few weeks at the least to make sure they're "seated" and done healing. Definitely check with your surgeon on this. For what it's worth, don't be anal about laying off the weights............I was 38 when I had my HT, laid off for 6 weeks and barely dropped any weight from my routine, or muscle mass, when returning. Actually, I think the layoff will do your muscle some good every so often! At 20 years old, your muscle atrophy won't be near like mine was so I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. You'll gain back what you lose, if anything, in no time. With the money you're investing, take every precaution to help it turn out the way you want. One other thing............you're very young to be doing this. Have you talked with the surgeon about potential shock-loss to your existing hair? If he's going to be putting the new hairs in and around existing hairs that will eventually be falling out due to male pattern baldness you may lose those hairs, permanently! I don't want to scare you, but it's definitely something that happens. My HT was 1200 FUT's filled in and around the front and top............I did experience shock-loss and don't believe all the little guys returned! Do yourself a big favor and ask this question of the Doc. He sounds reputable and should be able to give you some sound advice, though, it never, ever hurts to get a second opinion. I just don't want you to end up chasing a runaway train, if you know what I mean. Also, another thought, ask your surgeon what he sees your hair loss doing over the next 10 years and what will be the plan? From your pics I can see what I believe will be your eventual "total" hairloss pattern, but the surgeon is the expert and should be able to guide you here. I'm not trying to discourage you from getting the HT, just want you consider the facts and your alternatives before going forward. Losing the hair sucks, as most anyone on this site will tell you. I hope this helps. Let me know how things end up for you. Hairbank Hairbank 1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's 2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong 3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day My Hair Loss Weblog Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Originally posted by HairHope:Not to be negative, however, unless your hairloss is stabilized, it is likely a very poor decision on his behalf to operate on a 20 year old. I suggest you read this board for a while because there is much wisdom on this issue. I would think that someone with his medical credentials would know such things. First of all, from being at this board and reading through a bunch of topics, one thing is clear; you guys place a lot of stock in the words of a few medically untrained patients. I'm going forward with this procedure because my hair loss, while potentially not stabalized, is in a definite pattern and (based on my brother who has had the same pattern) if anything, it is predictable. And lastly, seeing as how nobody here really has had experience with Pistone, it would seem unfair to prejudge him. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Thank you, Hairbank, for the kind comments. According to Pistone, his procedures are all able to "stand on their own" which I think means that even if I were to bald at a quick pace, the hair he is transplanting will cover enough area that it won't look strange. I'm going into this knowing that I'll probably need a second procedure within the next 2-3 years. BTW, I there's a guy on this board who's now 28 years old that had transplants. His hair loss was about like mine is and his results are fantastic. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Pat - Community Publisher Posted January 25, 2006 Administrators Share Posted January 25, 2006 dhuge67, If I had only one word of advice for you it would be "Propecia", especially given your age and early thinning. Have you discussed getting a prescription for Propecia with Dr. Pistone? When I was visiting hair restoration clinics on the east coast I did try to visit Dr. Pistone. Unfortunately, he was moving his clinic and had no surgeries in process when I was in his area. However, after speaking with him for well over an hour my impression is that he does solid follicular unit grafting. However, I don't recall if he is doing dense packing "one pass" densities. Given that you will have new hair transplanted into your existing hair, shock fallout is a consideration. I suggest you enter "shock" into the Find feature of this forum to read about this issue. I know it's tough to deal with hair loss, especially at such a young age. The impulse to immediately reverse any and all hair loss is strong. But you need to think in terms of a long term plan to combat your hair loss. I suggest giving Propecia a try first for a good year and see what it does for you. This will also stabalize your hair loss so that if you choose to do surgery down the road any shock fallout you may experience will be minimized. For those who do go with a hair transplant, I suggest erroring on the safe side and laying off the stenous weights for a few weeks. Please keep us all posted and best wishes. Pat Never Forget - It's what radiates from within, not from your skin, that really matters! My Hair Loss Blog Sharing is what keeps this community vital. Please join in. To learn how I restored my hair and started this community, click here. Follow our Community on Twitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 I am currently using Procerin, I have used Rogaine and Thymuskin in the past but with little to no results. Shock loss is something I'm aware of, but according to what I've read it is a temporary loss of hair, unless the hair that falls out WAS going to fall out anyway. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member HairHope Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 It is strictly MY opinion as to a HT on a 20 year old not being a wise decision. Do as you wish, however, I strongly recommend delaying at least 2-3 years after propecia use. I am NOT saying don't have it with this Doctor or any other, only that it is way too early if you haven't previously been on medical therapy for hairloss (it may actually come back w/o a HT). Best of luck either way HH Dec. 2004 - 1938 Grafts via Strip Feb. 2009 - 1002 Grafts via FUE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member the B spot Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 dhuge67--- First off, I would like to say that I am sorry you are losing hair so young. I lost my hair early as well, and it is not fun spending your 20's bald. Second, although you exhibit thinning and regression, you are not exceptionally bald at this point in your life. I share the opinion of the other members of this site, which is you are taking an incorrect approach to hairloss, specifically yours. Have you asked yourself what you are prepared to do if the surgery accelerates your loss of native hair? 1900 grafts are not going to cover that much should that happen. I assume that you are closing your temples to a degree and restoring most of your original hairline, in an attempt to "stay on top of it." What you are ASSUMING is that your supply will meet your demand, which is a complete mistake. You already informed us that your brother is thin, so it is safe to assume that you possess the potential to join him in your mid 20's. Given this information, you are NOT a candidate for a hairtransplant at this time. You need to start Propecia, and give it a year or two to stabilize your hairloss, and strengthen your existing hair. Only after this, should you pursue a HT. My advice to you is look at all the members of your family and assume that the person who exhibits the greatest pattern of baldness could be you. Assume that you will require three or four surgeries, (that you have NO guarantee that can be performed), and really search yourself to see if you can financially and mentally support your decision. Hair Transplants are not the first option, but rather a last option, reserved for people able to make informed, mature decisions. In addition, please do not be so quick to dispell the advice and experience of those who belong to this forum. At 20, you have seen very little of the world to make such a bold statement. The comments given here are intended to help protect and inform you, so any derogatory rebuttal on your part is crass, and proves that you are not ready to take this step. Please note, my assessment of your situation is not based on your age completely. I personally feel that circumstance dictates action, not set in stone axioms. If you were a NW 5 or 6 at this age, then a plan of attack could be formed. Since you are not a 5 or 6, and barely a 1-1 1/2, you should postpone your surgery and educate yourself. Your ETHICAL surgeon should be willing to give you back your deposit, without any problem whatsoever. Should you chose to go through with your surgery, I wish you all of the best, and I look forward to you sharing your progress and results. Feel free to PM me if you need to. Go Cubs! 6721 transplanted grafts 13,906 hairs Performed by Dr. Ron Shapiro Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Paul Shapiro are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Jotronic Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 dh67, Some of the posters may put a lot of stock into what "medically untrained patients" have to say but you are the one that was asking for "thoughts, experiences, and opinions". Remember that you should too because a lot of the guys have been through this, for better or for worse, while you have not. Having said that it appears that your request for input is not really sincere as you have just stated that you not only made the decision to move forward you already gave your 50% deposit. Well, here's my input so take it for what it's worth, (two failed HT's, three great subsequent successes, 8000 grafts total, personally inspected several hundred scalps). Two things medically proven to stop hair loss or regrow hair. Propecia and Rogaine. Put the Procerin back in the cabinet and leave it there. The website for procerin states that some uses see improvement in two weeks(?????). If it worked that good, or even at all, you'd hear about it on the news, just like when Rogaine and Propecia came out. Fact is, DHT inhibition does not happen over night and it takes much longer than two weeks to see new hair sprouting from any DHT inhibitor. "I would think that someone with his medical credentials would know such things." I can point you in the direction of dozens of docs in this industry that have great "credentials" but have not the apptitude for consistently great hair restoration. Now, this is not to say that you will not be happy. I'm simply pointing out the holes in your trust of credentials and marketing hype. The ONLY thing that you should trust is seeing more than one patient in person and look for as many photos that are NOT on his site as possible. If you must look at photos make sure there are no tricks used, such as flash photography, to make the hairlines look thicker. It's and oldy but a goody in the industry. Btw, who administers the exam to become "board certified" in hair restoration? I'll let you do some research into that if you have the time. The answer will certainly surprise you. Anyway, good luck with your procedure and report back on your experience if you can and of course your final results would be great to see in eight to ten months. The Truth is in The Results Dr. Victor Hasson and Dr. Jerry Wong are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 If things worsen, I'll shave my head and live with that look (as I was doing), and it will be money down the drain. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Jotronic Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 d, If things worsen and you shave your head you'll have a scar to contend with so this option is out. I forgot to mention that nowhere on the doc's site does he even mention FUE (that I could see). The site plainly states "Dr. Pistone has performed over 6,000 procedures." The Truth is in The Results Dr. Victor Hasson and Dr. Jerry Wong are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 "??I used to be on Rogaine, not only did it fail to work, it irritated my scalp horribly. I used it for over a year. "??I have used Thymuskin in the past, for 7-8 months and I didn't seem to lose any hair during that time. "??I'm currently taking Procerin and I can tell you that I have not lost a significant amount of hair since using it during the 4 months that I have been on it. "??I've tried Nioxin, hair thickeners, etc... At this point, my hair loss has stabilized and I think a transplant in the frontal area and above the sideburns, with some all over coverage for thickness would be fine. As I have said before, if I continue to thin and things get worse, I would assume that that would happen over the course of the next 2 years. If that were to happen, I would schedule another transplant session. My donor hair is probably about as perfect as anyone's could be. I think being young is an ADVANTAGE more than anything, I just got hit with balding at the worst time... Just because I'm young, doesn't mean a surgery can't be successful... Are you all trying to tell me otherwise? 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 Originally posted by Jotronic:d, If things worsen and you shave your head you'll have a scar to contend with so this option is out. I forgot to mention that nowhere on the doc's site does he even mention FUE (that I could see). The site plainly states "Dr. Pistone has performed over 6,000 procedures." How is that option out? The scar on the back of my head would not be a big deal to me. I'd just look like a boxer or something, with the way my physique is. This is the kind of result I'm looking for. 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Jotronic Posted January 25, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 d, You'll look like a boxer? Uh, as many times as I've been in the ring I've never seen this. Have you met any patients of his in person? I mean, he has a clinic in your city, right? You MUST do this before your procedure. Period. The Truth is in The Results Dr. Victor Hasson and Dr. Jerry Wong are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dhuge67 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Senior Member Share Posted January 25, 2006 I have talked to one on the phone, but not in person. Do you have any information about Dr. Pistone that is bad? 1,614 with Dr. Pistone on 2/3/06 in Marlton, NJ. As long as the moon shall rise As long as the rivers flow As long as the sun shall shine And the grass will grow Let me listen, I will learn to speak The old language Yes, I yearn to bathe in blue skies And fall apart from the world of machines Regain my feet and my pounding heart My Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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