Dr. Pistone session for February (PICS JUST ADDED)

[Gorpy]

I understand he might be considered reputable. I don't mean to sound harsh. BUT, it is advisable to consult with more than one surgeon. MOST would not give you a transplant. There is a reason why.

[dhuge67]

Originally posted by Gorpy:

I understand he might be considered reputable. I don't mean to sound harsh. BUT, it is advisable to consult with more than one surgeon. MOST would not give you a transplant. There is a reason why.

You keep saying this, but I am a NW-3v...

[kg007]

No disrespect to you Chris, but you know nothing about hair transplant. You should do research for atleast another year before even thinking about hair transplant. You're setting yourself up for life long misery. You can't learn about these things by asking all these questions to all these educated folks here in 2 days. You must read read read read read this website for next 6 months to learn about HT and it's pros and cons. You're norwood 3 at 20 and most likely you'll be norwood 4 by 23, and norwood 5 by 30 considering that you have not even tried propecia. Even propecia doesn't work completely to stop the hair loss, it only slows it down buying you some more time. Do yourself a favor, cancel the surgery and get on propecia ASAP and give it a try for atleast a year before even thinking about HT.

[dhuge67]

Originally posted by kg007:

No disrespect to you Chris, but you know nothing about hair transplant. You should do research for atleast another year before even thinking about hair transplant. You're setting yourself up for life long misery. You can't learn about these things by asking all these questions to all these educated folks here in 2 days. You must read read read read read this website for next 6 months to learn about HT and it's pros and cons. You're norwood 3 at 20 and most likely you'll be norwood 4 by 23, and norwood 5 by 30 considering that you have not even tried propecia. Even propecia doesn't work completely to stop the hair loss, it only slows it down buying you some more time. Do yourself a favor, cancel the surgery and get on propecia ASAP and give it a try for atleast a year before even thinking about HT.

 

So why not a transplant now, again at 23, then again at 30?

[dhuge67]

What do you all have to say about this fellow?

 

http://www.inperth.com.au/users/damo/hairloss.htm

[kg007]

Sure you can, but you have only limited donor supply of hair in your donor area. Average male has about 6000 grafts of donor hair. Can you imagine you being norwood 5? 6000 grafts will never be enough to cover your entire top. You're using 1900 grafts just to recreate your hair line. That will leave you with 4000 additional grafts for future. with 1900 grafts, you are covering less than 50 cm2 area of your head. Norwood 5 male has roughly about 200-225 cm2 of bald head. additional 4000 grafts will be never be enough. Giving propecia will help you slow down your hair loss, and then maybe you can invest about 1500 grafts in your hairline.

[HairHope]

I know well of him, he is 40% older than you, and still on the young side, also likely has a better long term prognosis in terms of hair loss based on both your pics. You never answered if you saw the doc and just not his cosmetic consultant?

 

Originally posted by dhuge67:

What do you all have to say about this fellow?

 

http://www.inperth.com.au/users/damo/hairloss.htm

[kg007]

Hell... I can't even believe Dr. Pistone is willing to work on this guy who's so young and haven't even given a try to Propecia.

 

I was turned down by BOSLEY, which is considered the worst hair transplant clinic, 4 years ago just because I was only 21 and had never tried propecia.

 

Anyway Chris, good luck with whatever you decide.

 

KG

[dhuge67]

Well, here are more pics...let me know if they change your opinion.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/chrisd7/PhotoAlbum35.html

 

Password: Pistone

[dhuge67]

Propecia didn't work for my brother, why would it work for me?

[HairHope]

Listen bro,

 

None of us know your doctor good or bad, this about your life, not his.

 

You have all the info you need at this point, we all wish you well. If you are looking for someone to come here and bless your decision, you may find a few, however I would ask them about how much they really know about HT.

 

Some of the best in the world have spoken here (you just don't know it), you are luckier than many many many that have not been as smart as you to make a post.

 

In my opinion, I would delay it after a 2-3 year period of propecia.

 

Originally posted by dhuge67:

Well, here are more pics...let me know if they change your opinion.

 

http://homepage.mac.com/chrisd7/PhotoAlbum35.html

 

Password: Pistone

[kg007]

Saw your pictures. My opinion is same as before.. Going for HT at such a young age without being on propecia = heading for disaster. Call following doctors and set a phone consultation and take their opinion. In my opinion these are the top 4 Hair Transplant surgeons, and I am sure most people will agree with me on that:

 

Dr. Jeri Wong (Hasson and Wong)

Dr. Hasson (Hasson and Wong)

Dr. Ron Shapiro

Dr. Jeffrey Epstein (Miami)

[dhuge67]

I am going forward with the procedure...I want my damn hair-line back.

[troy]

dhuge67, I dont think anyone is against you moving forward, just suggesting you do all your research to protect yourself. If you have made up your mind and this is your choice please keep us posted on how everything turns out.

[dhuge67]

Originally posted by troy:

dhuge67, I dont think anyone is against you moving forward, just suggesting you do all your research to protect yourself. If you have made up your mind and this is your choice please keep us posted on how everything turns out.

I will indeed keep you all posted.

 

I think hair can be transplanted and still leave my other hair intact and growing as usual. I don't think my pattern/family history would suggest otherwise.

[Beefy]

D , If you are going to get the HT done at least start taking the propecia. But please do this go to at least 3 other Dr's and get their opinions dont do what I did for my first procedure and go to the first doc you see , take your time and shop around, go to one of the Dr 's recommended on this board just for a second or third opinion it can't hurt only helps. The bottom line is dont short change yourself Pistone will always be there if you decide to use him but get other opinions. When you buy a car do you buy from the first dealership? No you shop around and get other prices and opinions? Dont you think you should try other doc's instead of going with the first one you went too.

[dhuge67]

Originally posted by Beefy:

D , If you are going to get the HT done at least start taking the propecia. But please do this go to at least 3 other Dr's and get their opinions dont do what I did for my first procedure and go to the first doc you see , take your time and shop around, go to one of the Dr 's recommended on this board just for a second or third opinion it can't hurt only helps. The bottom line is dont short change yourself Pistone will always be there if you decide to use him but get other opinions. When you buy a car do you buy from the first dealership? No you shop around and get other prices and opinions? Dont you think you should try other doc's instead of going with the first one you went too.

 

I agree that this would normally be the case but..and I have not yet stated this...my mother had breast cancer and during that time my father got to know the Chief of Surgery at the Hershey Medical Center very well. Since I decided to get the HT, my dad contacted this man and asked about Dr. Pistone. Everything checked out and he is considered top notch by the Hershey people. This gave my dad enough confidence to allow me to move forward.

[the B spot]

D -- Perhaps you should have your father read over our response to your query since you have based your HT doc. on his opinion? Since you are well connected in the medical field, it is doubtful that Dr. Pistone would keep your deposit... I think many here have presented enough solid advice to at least force you to postpone your session for a little while. Take some time and send your pictures into the 3 clinics and get an opinion. Again, bring your father into the loop and let him read this thread, just to see what his response is. Anyway, I think we have given you the BEST, unbaised view of your situation and given you the tools to make an informed, mature decision. It is after all your life. Should you proceed with your HT and have any negative experiences, we will be here to support and help you as well. Good luck either way you go, buddy!!!!

[Beefy]

I agree that this would normally be the case but..and I have not yet stated this...my mother had breast cancer and during that time my father got to know the Chief of Surgery at the Hershey Medical Center very well. Since I decided to get the HT, my dad contacted this man and asked about Dr. Pistone. Everything checked out and he is considered top notch by the Hershey people. This gave my dad enough confidence to allow me to move forward.

 

Well it seems to me you made up your mind , what I would do now is start taking the propecia it will help get your dht levels down b4 surgery.

[Jotronic]

d,

 

Sorry I've been out of the thread. Gotta sleep, gotta work

 

Ok, I'm going to take a moment to break this down for you. Once I'm done, if you have more questions you should call me at my office.

 

Now, being 20 for a hair transplant is not necessarily THE biggest factor in why a doc should turn you down. IF any work done is conservative then it can sometimes be ok. What I mean by conservative is by taking the younger patient and working on him as if he's a NW6. High, mature hairline without 5000 grafts being thrown into the hairline for density. The future is what must always be considered and if it is done with this in mind then the patient should be *safe* from any future embarassment save for some more thinning.

 

Hairline design:

 

Hairline design must be custom for each patient (duh). Facial structure is the big one to consider in this as well as native donor density and a few others. Age however is not a big factor because the patient will ever continue to grow older. This is why a young, immature hairline is a bad idea. Low hairlines and filled temples are found , for the most part, on juvenile men, females in general, and primates. You are relatively young now and in between the transition from juvenile to adult male. Filled temples are what distinguishes female hairlines from males. You don't look like a woman to me and you certainly don't look like a primate (unlike some guys here, KIDDING).

 

As men make the transition from juvenile to adult, the temples recede to somewhat of a right angle relative to the hairline. Even men with no hairloss have this happen to them. It is normal. It is the very rare individual that has their juvenile hairline throughout life (Ronald Reagan) and even more rare that one thins elsewhere on the crown or vertex while maintaining their orignial hairline. It just doesn't look *right*.

 

Propecia vs. Procerin:

 

You said that you've been on Procerin for four months. That is not enough time to see much hair fall out even if you were taking nothing at all. You can't say that your hairloss has stabilized because not enough time has passed to see anything significant. Like I said, put it in the cabinet and get on Propecia. Actually, you want Proscar (orginal version). It is 5mg compared to Propecia 1mg. You simply buy a 5.00 pill cutter and divide into quarters then take only one piece. They cost the same for 30 tablets so this will reduce your cost by 75%. This is THE standard and is so for a reason. It works.

 

Shockloss:

 

Shockloss can occur for a few reasons. Gorpy did a good job on telling you this but I'll add my version. Yes, if you have miniturized hairs then they can be shocked out permanently from the procedure. These are hairs that would have fallen out anyway in six months anyway and their cosmetic significance is usually low. There is permanent shock though to healthy hairs as well but that is from transection. Transection occurs when the instrument used for making the incisions (usually a needle) crosses into the path of a native hair thereby killing it. The ONLY way to avoid this on a large scale is to shave the area that grafts will be placed. When the hair is shaved the true angle and direction of hair growth is evident. This allows the doctor to more precisely match up the angle and direction of the incision with that of the neighboring native hair. NO doctor can dispute this with any sort of logic and I'll be happy to debate it here with them. I have more than enough photos and big words in my arsenal. Once the new hair starts to grow it matches the original native hair save for *maybe* being a bit larger in diameter.

 

Oh, almost forgot. The "Hershey" people know two things about hair transplantation. "Jack" and "squat". I can name more docs than I care to count that have great credentials and are recommended by great institutions but they perform subpar work. It may be good enough to not be as obvious as a bird's nest on your head but it simply is not very good. The people that make these recommendations do not know good hair transplant work. Their recommendations are about as valid as a dentist recommending a heart surgeon.

 

What you need to use to consider a surgeon is your eye. Learn what makes a HT GREAT, not good. Learn about how hair grows, angles, directions, hair shaft diameter, etc.

 

If you want to still get a HT then good luck to you. Again, I am not saying anything negative about Dr. Pistone because I have never seen nor heard of his work. I am however saying that if he is the one for you then he will still be around in six months or a year if you decide to hold off and do some research. He looks to have a thriving practice (two offices) so he's not going anywhere.

[dhuge67]

It's hard to take you seriously when you say that the people at the Hershey Medical Center don't know anything...

http://webapp.hmc.psu.edu/physdir/provider.cfm?id=jmill...n=phys&method=select

[Beefy]

How many transplants has this dr pistone done? are there b4 and after pics of his work? I just think you cant jump into things like this even if you and your father has his confidence I would still shop around with your dad to get other opinions.

[dhuge67]

Originally posted by Beefy:

How many transplants has this dr pistone done? are there b4 and after pics of his work? I just think you cant jump into things like this even if you and your father has his confidence I would still shop around with your dad to get other opinions.

He has done over 6,000 procedures.

[Jotronic]

d,

 

The problem here is that you think anyone with "MD" after their name, has a few papers published, and can pick up a scalpel can do a quality hair transplant. Considering what time and effort goes into getting a paper published how many procedures do you think he may have fit in "on the side".

 

Truth is, the world's leading dermatologist regarding hair disorders also performs hair restoration not too far from us. We routinely correct his work in our clinic and he's gotten to the point where he just refers patients to us instead.

 

I'll pose a question to you and leave this alone. Would you rather deal with someone that writes and researches about art and maybe dabbles in it from time to time or would you rather deal with Picaso or Van Gogh?

 

D, I and others have given you sound advice. It is up to you to decide whether it is prudent to heed this advice and at least wait to learn more. I can't for the life of me figure out why one wouldn't want to take more time to make sure they're making a good decision, especially when this is a permanent procedure and cannot be reversed unless they are impatient to regain something that maybe hair cannot give.

 

Remember, I'm not telling you to not get a procedure. I'm telling you to learn all you can about this (considering how you didn't even know about the scar)so that there are no surprises, either now or in one year when it's finished growing in. I'm not trying to sell you on something and this is not a simple opinion. I have 8000 grafts. I've been through five big procedures and I've seen and spoken to hundreds of patients and keep up with and witness in person all the latest techniques and procedures. The others here that have chimed in have also done their fair share of research and have been through their own experiences. Forums like this allow us to share our knowledge and experience so that newer guys like you don't make the same mistakes that some of us did.

 

I've done all I can for you. It's up to you now to try and figure it out.

[Hoping]

This is a great message board but I do have one concern that few here seem to concern themselves with. Reading this thread and others, posters are recommending that a young man in his early twenties go on Propecia. And yet absolutely nobody knows what the long term effects of Propecia are going to be, especially somebody taking it for twenty, thirty or more years. I'm 51 and just started taking it after my recent transplant, but I'm concerned even at my age. Also, there is medical evidence that those stricken with Prostate Cancer after being on Propecia (at a higher dose to treat prostate enlargement) have a higher rate of more aggressive prostate cancer, when stricken, than those never on Propecia. The point is this, we know that some of what we thought were safe drugs, like celebrex can kill us. We know that Propecia effects the hormones in the body. Nobody knows long term what the possible effects of Propecia might be. Just my two cents.