M&M - Post Op with Dr. Shapiro - 11.5 Month Update

[hairycaray]

Very satisfactory results for a top doc. I wouldnt be happy either.Hows the scar? Havent been impressed by Dr shapiros lately.Thats too bad because I live in Illinois and was considering him.

[hairycaray]

un,subpar,disappointing

[the B spot]

Very satisfactory results for a top doc. I wouldnt be happy either.Hows the scar? Havent been impressed by Dr shapiros lately.Thats too bad because I live in Illinois and was considering him.

 

 

While I disagree with your statement and I am unsure as to how you are arriving at your opinion, the fact is it's YOUR opinion and you are entitled to it.

 

The great part about this site is there are many great Docs to choose from. Not every Doc is a perfect fit for a patient, for one reason or another, or vice-versa.

 

Hopefully, you can find a Dr that is satisfactory and share your criteria for choosing them and document your journey to more hair!

 

Take care

J

[tkerr22]

M & M,

 

Personally I think it looks quite good. But like others have said maybe the pictures don't do it justice. We are all incredibly hard on ourselves, I know for a fact one day I will be like "my hair looks great!" and then the next day I can't figure out why I said that the day before because I start focusing so much on it and literally get inches away from the mirror with overhead lights exposing any flaws. Granted I have learned to not do this so much, but I think we all get obsessed with our hair and get way too critical on ourselves.

 

I think we also need to realize that even the best HT's aren't going to mimick what we had naturally, we can come close but in reality we cannot have the same density we had before we lost hair.

 

Give it the year and then see where you are, and if still not happy and the doc can help take it from there! Good luck man!

[hairycaray]

Bspot. I hate having to say that since I had cut my list down from Wolf ,Konior,and Feller ,and Alexander to only Shapiro or H&W. I was CONVINCED Dr shapiro was the one due to his so-called hairline "magic" ,but searching alot of his results I believe he has been passed up,by the outstanding hairline dense packing of Armani,Rahal,hell even Alexander lately.You asked why did I arrive to that opinion. Its because that M&M had 1600 put into his hairline ,and at 9 months its very thin.Yes,it looks natural,but very see through .I was rooting for him for quite awhile ,since we are in the same boat ,and his pics were disappointing. Btw Im sure if Jim Hendry doesnt sign Carlos youll be upset also GO SOX!!!!,and also you brought to my attention Dr Alexander,and thats who Im replacing Dr Shapiro with.

[nobuzz4me]

Originally posted by hairycaray:

 

Its because that M&M had 1600 put into his hairline ,and at 9 months its very thin.Yes,it looks natural,but very see through.

 

 

 

Hairycaray,

 

Lets remember that at 9 months, while many are seeing subtantial results, others may be slow bloomers. It may take up to 12 - 18 months to see the final result. I am not saying it is the case here, its just that we do not know, it is possible though. Your opinions are welcome here my friend and it does look like you are doing your research. We would like for you to share with us your situation with the forum, we are all in this together.

[M&M]

Well, it's been a busy week, but a good week. I called up SMG and spoke to Matt (at home, no less) and Dr. Shapiro (also at home!).

 

First, here are the details of my HT:

 

1662 FUs 3119 hairs total

 

1s-554 554 hairs

2s-792 1584 hairs

3s-283 849 hairs

4s-33 132 hairs

 

I attached three photos taken the day of my surgery back in May 2006, and then tried my best to replicate the angle and lighting as best I could this afternoon. The improvement is certainly noticeable.

 

Both Dr. Shapiro and Matt believe that my HT hair should thicken up over the next few months. In fact, Dr. Shapiro brought up a good point in that with people who have had multiple prior surgeries (4 w/ Bosley), the recipient area vascular supply could have been compromised, delaying results by 1-2 months.

 

In other words, instead of having to wait another 2.5 months, I may need to wait another 1-2 months beyond that to see my true '12-month' status.

 

Both were very reassuring, but at the same time fully heard my side: very pleased with naturalness, still some concern on thickness at this stage.

 

Gorpy also brought up a good point, which is that my hairline may appear a bit 'thin' as my native hair behind it is hanging in there quite nicely. (Thank you Rogaine & Propecia and a healthy diet...)

 

Who knows - I may be a 'late bloomer'... so I will hang in there and continue to document my process.

[nobuzz4me]

Sounds reassuring MM, Relax and let the good times grow!!!

[Bill - Seemiller]

M&M,

 

There is a definite improvement from pre to post Shapiro indeed. Still some thickening to come rest assured.

 

Bill

[NervousNelly]

Thanks for posting the other photos. There is a drastic difference to the before and after. Dr. Ron has done an excellent job of restoring and correcting your hairline. I personally believe that it might appear a little thin but with time it will be perfect. Isn't it comforting to get the support you did from Matt and doc?

 

 

4 surgeries prior with Bosley??? Doh!

[M&M]

NN - yes, sadly, four indeed. Now, all were quite small procedures.

 

As written in my blog:

 

It was about 12 years ago when I had my first hair transplant at Bosley Medical in Seattle - 50 grafts placed behind my existing hairline. The goal was to 'stay ahead of my hair loss' (as they marketed in their brochures) with small procedures spaced out over time. After four of these small sessions (100, 300, 400) and the thinning of my own hair, all that was left was the Bosley Mini & Micro Grafts. Well, as you can see, the result left me styling my hair in a manner that would cover the thin and unnatural hairline.

 

(back from the blog quoting...)

 

I fell for the line, but I'm thankful that I didn't have any additional work done. When I think of how good my hair was when I first went to them and they *still* performed a transplant on me, it makes me realize just how they take advantage of people's insecurity.

 

Now the truly sad part? I finally got sick and tired of my hairline that I was contemplating another HT about one year ago. And who I was thinking of going to? Well, Bosley, of course, knowing no better. Then I did a search for 'hair transplants' on google and stumbled across this site (as the first listing!), and I've been thankful ever since!

[NervousNelly]

Well thank God you found this site and now have had things rectified. You really do need to understand that you look great and your new hairline will only look that much better with time.

[HK500]

M&M,

I looked at your album and hair log in detail and I am finding some resemblance to my case. First I'll say that you are coming along nicely, I also heard that after several HT's your capillaries may get a bit taxed and take longer. I really think you will continue to see thickening beyond the 12 months mark. Dr. Shapiro is a star and this is a guarantee against any setback. I got about 1300 FU in my hairline and temples to achieve better density as well and I realize that density will come after coverage, from my readings and seeing members pictures, the reality/illusion of coverage is easier to achieve, true density comes in after maturation of growth in most cases. I am 3 weeks post HT now and unless I get lucky, I think I'll have to be patient beyond 12 months to observe the results I was shooting for. No one likes to wait so I remind myself that every month will bring it's bounty of slight improvements and I stay on the forum for support.

[Zup]

Hello,

My name is Matt Zupan and I represent the Shapiro Medical Group as Patient Coordinator/Educator.

While I occasionally spend time reading the forum and following the progress of our patients, I often do not get the chance to respond to various threads.

We have posted a few examples of some hairlines we have done. We have hundreds more. As you know we don't really try and push ourselves on the internet as our work and patients usually speak for themselves. But some of the comments on this thread made me want to explain our approach and give a few examples.

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=144985

[Bill - Seemiller]

Educator,

 

Welcome to the forums and thank you for posting on behalf of SMG group.

 

Bill

 

P.S. Pictures look great!

[nobuzz4me]

Matt,

Thank you or your contribution to the forum. When SMG talks - We listen!

[MrJobi]

Hi

 

I wrote a long post on another thread regarding this .. First of all judging a HT at a point less than 1 year is foolish.. I just hit 1 year on my second and it looks, and feels 100% different than even 7 months. It's fuller, smoother, and more natural.. Everyone on here is told this by there doctor. I certainly relaize it is quite difficult to wait but it's not fair to the doctor or your psyche..

 

As far as judging your hairline against Armani's, this is not apples to apples.. Different circumstances ( i.e. hair type, skin, and degree of norwood, and the sugeons philosophy). It's a benchmark but that's all.

 

Lastly, are the expectations realistic? We would all like a Dense hairline but most procedures require a second or thrid to fill in.. I've had 3000 Ht's and 2 procedures and my hairline is not FULL yet either.. This is why I am going for #3 .. Look at most of the people on here with a total restoration.. Most with the exception of a veiw lucky people have had about 2-3 procedures..

 

By no means does this mean you might not be just in your feelings but, consider these factors and timeline before passing judgement.

Lastly, a camera picks up every little detail especially close up as you pictured.. I think it looks natural..

[M&M]

Originally posted by Mrjb:

Hi

 

I wrote a long post on another thread regarding this .. First of all judging a HT at a point less than 1 year is foolish.. I just hit 1 year on my second and it looks, and feels 100% different than even 7 months. It's fuller, smoother, and more natural.. Everyone on here is told this by there doctor. I certainly relaize it is quite difficult to wait but it's not fair to the doctor or your psyche..

 

As far as judging your hairline against Armani's, this is not apples to apples.. Different circumstances ( i.e. hair type, skin, and degree of norwood, and the sugeons philosophy). It's a benchmark but that's all.

 

Lastly, are the expectations realistic? We would all like a Dense hairline but most procedures require a second or thrid to fill in.. I've had 3000 Ht's and 2 procedures and my hairline is not FULL yet either.. This is why I am going for #3 .. Look at most of the people on here with a total restoration.. Most with the exception of a veiw lucky people have had about 2-3 procedures..

 

By no means does this mean you might not be just in your feelings but, consider these factors and timeline before passing judgement.

Lastly, a camera picks up every little detail especially close up as you pictured.. I think it looks natural..

 

Hi JOBI,

 

Good post. Let me do my best to respond to your questions / comments.

 

I didn't mean to express judgement on my final results, but rather my 9-month results vs. the expectations I had and the results I've seen from others. As even Dr. Shapiro states, I'm likely a late bloomer based on where I am today. I think that alone helps me to better appreciate my status thus far and provides me optimism for further growth going forward.

 

I also didn't mean to imply that Armani is the optimal doctor for hairline work. He does do great hairline work, yes, but at a cost. Many have commented that there seems to be little regard for future hair loss. This wouldn't be a risk I'd be willing to take, which I admitted to.

 

I think my expectations were quite realistic, as this is what I discussed with Dr. Shapiro at the time of my surgery. As I've mentioned, he (and his whole staff) are very honest people and I feel confident that they would have advised me if my expectations were out of line. Please know - in case you missed my posts on this - that I'm very pleased with the naturalness of the HT work done by Dr. Shapiro. There is no comparison to what it was like prior!

 

Jobi, I think I mentioned earlier that upon speaking with Dr. Shapiro directly, I am much more reassured as I know that - as a late bloomer - I have 5+ months of growth and perhaps am only at 65-70% of my final result. So, I will simply document my process and see where I am at 14-months. At that time I will know where I stand, which as Janna said on another post, I'll hopefully look back and 'wonder why I was concerned in the first place'.

 

So here's to happy growth!

[Bill - Seemiller]

M&M,

 

Hang in there my friend...as you know and have been told, there is more to come. I look forward to seeing your "final" result in 6-8 months . In the meantime...keep us posted with your progress and pictures.

 

Bill

[M&M]

I am now at Month 10 and I think the front continues to improve. I think I will definitely fall into the 'late bloomer' category!

 

I'm noticing that I'm styling my hair ever so slightly differently by feeling more comfortable exposing my hairline to the world - which is a huge vote of confidence for a guy who has hidden the obvious mini/micro Bosley plugs for the past 5+ years. I'm still not quite comfortable with my temples and recession there, but perhaps that is only because I've 'hidden' this recession for so many years that to expose it now might 'alarm' people.

 

Anyway, I will be taking some photos of my hairline in the next couple of hours but in the meantime, I decided to post some photos of my donor scar.

 

The photo of my right side scar (photo 23) is a little alarming after seeing some of the results from others and their tricho closure. Now - this side of my head was experiencing some issues after surgery. It got infected and required me to be on antibiotics, and it was numb a fair bit longer than any other part of the donor area, but all is fine now - no soreness or anything. Photo 24 is of my left side - better, but still visible.

 

It's just that I was so excited about (1) getting rid of my old Bosley pluggy hairline, (2) thickening up the front hairline and (3) getting rid of the horrible Bosley donor scar with the new Tricho closure.

 

So I must ask: Are tricho closures similar to hair transplants in that I shouldn't judge the final result until after 12-months? Am I a 'late bloomer' in this category also?

[M&M]

Just a quick post as I have updated the photo gallery with some 10-month hairline photos.

[MrJobi]

I think its looks really good.. Really good!

[NervousNelly]

I would have to think that again you have to be patient and give it some time with the donor area. I would not fully evaluate until at the 15 month mark or so.

 

 

What you have to remember is that you have had several prior surgeries so once again as it is a factor in the recipient area it is also a factor in the donor area. It is possible that what you see is what you get because of the prior surgeries. It still is very minimal and difficult to see. Give it a little time, but because of prior work, that might be the best that Dr. Shapiro could do.

[Bushy]

M&M, I think the work looks very nice, and will get even nicer over the next 6 months. Congrats!

[Bill - Seemiller]

M&M,

 

Looking good bro - it's obviously still improving. How are you feeling about your results at this point?

 

Bill