agenteye

$8.00-$12.00 per graft??? Is that for FUE??? Holy heck that's expensive. I would definitely consider Thailand or India if the procedure there is that much.....being as you are so close in SE Asia.

Yeah....so I found the thread that I was speaking of up above. Please see post number 9 from Bill. Again, unless this has recently changed back, Dr. Rahal is indeed allowed to post on these forums again, and was reinstated as a participating Coalition Member. Hope this helps:

Coalition Membership/Participation allowed again for Ontario physicians!

As far as I am aware canuhairme, Dr. Rahal's Coalition membership had been reinstated as of May of this year. There was an odd law in Ontario, Canada (passed for a while) that said that Dr. Rahal (and other physicians in Ontario) couldn't participate in the forums himself, but as far as I know, this is no longer true. Maybe Bill or one of the other moderators will chime in and correct me if I'm wrong?! If I am missing something, I would certainly be happy to remove that part of my signature!

Best,

Mike

I have also heard the best doctors are Rahal and Canada and a New York one (can't think of the name.)

 

Overall I'm pretty lost as to what direction to take so I need the best advice possible. Thanks.

WakingUp-

You're probably talking about Dr. Alan Feller if you were referred to an outstanding NY surgeon. Dr. Rahal is amazing. I personally had my restoration done with him in November (you can see my recent 8 month-post op photo updates in the recent thread I posted). You would be in excellent hands with either of these physicians, but as others have stated here.....I would wait a bit longer just to make sure your hair loss has stabilized a bit more. If the big 3 are still working for you 12 months from now....then maybe you can look into having a procedure. If you are in a huge hurry......I would consult one of the physicians on your short-list and see what they recommend for you. I imagine starting off very conservative for someone your age would be a very wise move......which is something you don't have to worry about, because an excellent physician wouldn't allow you to do it any other way.

The fact that you have course hair should help the overall look when you do eventually get grafts transplanted, as that will aid density quite a bit.

Welcome to the forums. These forums are an excellent source of information and advice. Feel free to reach out to anyone here with questions along the way......as everyone here would be happy to lend a helping hand!

Best,

Mike

I have seen cases where the temporary SMP looks pretty good.....but personally, the permanent is not something I'd be ready for.....even if there are lasers to "remove" it. I think its an expensive option all around.....and personally don't think I could justify the cost and the maintenance to have it done. As far as my strip scar.....I'd rather pay for a couple hundred FUE grafts to have them fill in my scar than $500 or more dollars a year for SMP!

JC-

Congrats on your third transplant.

I would talk to your physician to see what his or her recommendation for using the laser is.....as each surgeon has different post-op care/instructions to follow. Some are more conservative than others when it comes to implementing things back into your 'normal routine', and when you're spending that kind of money.....I wouldn't chance it. I imagine once your grafts are secure (around 10 days), you could probably have the "helmet" on your head.....however, I would hate to steer you wrong if the follicles/grafts are still too sensitive to laser light. Maybe someone with more experience in this area will chime in.

Good Luck!

Is hypertension something that occurs naturally with you?? Are you on any hypertension medication for your condition? That's a huge bummer that the clinic turned you away AFTER you traveled there for your restoration! Sorry buddy! =( Where did you travel from? Any chance the clinic would discount the procedure for you if you came back to them.....after you get your hypertension under control! I would think it wouldn't hurt to ask.......

Best,

Mike

Yeah I watched those cases very closely, virology and bacteriology are my fields of study, those cases were very cool because we have known a small percentage of the population have a mutation in their cd4 cells that don't allow the HIV virus to enter their cells, but those cases were the first time anyone has been able to use that knowledge to treat a patient, very cool stuff!!

 

Yeah I doubt there would be much of a market for BMT to treat hairloss, I think I'd rather be bald

Yeah, but those patients also had a very rare form of leukemia, and the result was going to be fatal if they didn't do the BMT. Very smart though thinking to find a donor match of a donor who lacks the CCR5 receptor on the CD4 cell, and replenish the cancer patient's body with those cells to purge the HIV virus. Too bad it is too dangerous of a treatment to do that for all people afflicted with the damn virus!! Huge step forward none-the-less......and maybe, one day (dare to dream), they will be able to do stuff like that with other cells (get rid of the bald gene) for guys like us! :cool:

Excellent write-up and progress already. I can't wait to see your follow-up over the next year. Going to look awesome when it starts growing again! =) Congrats on your procedure and your huge transformation already!

Looks AMAZING!!

Thanks again everyone! The feedback and compliments are very much appreciated. I am very happy with the results so far, and can't wait to see what the next 3 months do!!

I really hope you keep updating your progress

I agree with Spanker 100% on this. I am really interested in seeing how this result from Dr. Sevim turns out!! The work looks very, very clean....and I think it looks like it will be an excellent transformation. Turkey is continually putting out some excellent results....so it should be exciting to see if this will be another one. Great start so far!! :cool:

chrisdav,

LOL I look so cheesy in that photo on the right side. I don't know if being being bald or looking like a complete goofball is worse?! I may wait til my 9 month photos....take a much nicer photo....and then splice the two together and update my avatar photo (like you did)!!! The quality of the photos of me are not very good (grainy looking) so maybe I can find better quality images for clarity anyway?! But I definitely think there's enough of a difference now to warrant a "before and after" comparison for easy reference to where I am today.....and from where I started! =)

Thanks for the feedback gentleman!

Mike

Jerzig- Thanks a ton buddy! So do you!!! Great result with your 2000 grafts!

Cheers!

Eman-

Thank you buddy! I was one of those guys who could have probably done okay with the shaved/buzzed look....but I'm such a happier fella with my hair back. It was devastating having power alleys and a missing crown in my mid-twenties. I think the hair suits me just a bit better! Thanks again!!

Man, the hair looks KILLER. Congrats! I am sure you are very happy. You can have a beard as a nurse, so that is good too.'

 

I have seen people ask you but I haven't noticed an answer. In what capacity do you represent Dr. Rahal?

Thanks so much Spanker! I am pretty darn happy so far!! I don't really know if I'll keep the itchy beard, but it's been fun at least so far!

And actually you're the first person to ask me about my representation of Dr. Rahal, as Dr. Rahal and his team just reached out to me a couple weeks ago, and I am new to the team. I'm strictly a forum advisor, and am here to answer questions for patients/prospective patients/anybody else who has questions about a hair restoration procedure in general. I am not here to push/peddle any products or agendas....I'm just the same guy as before, who happened to be asked if he could help lighten the clinic's workload by keeping a helpful presence in the forum.

The only phrase I can think of right now is "mind-blowing'. lol

 

Mike seriously though, what a transformation. Your hair is looking awesome man. Taco's comparison just sums it up. There has been a real noticeable thickening again just in the last month. If you're still considering another procedure I really don't know where the new hairs are gonna go. :confused:

Slickers. Thanks SO much buddy! You're always so awesome with the emails and encouragement and it means a ton!! LOL, there isn't A LOT of room for improvement, but I can get another couple thousand grafts in there. I want to add some density, tweak my temples just a tiny bit, finish up the crown, and address my midscalp. You can't really see it in my last photos cause my hair is so long and covers it....but my mid scalp is a bit thinner than I would like. I figure 2-3K more grafts total though, and I will hopefully never have to worry about hairloss again. I am certainly pleased with how far I have come so far. :cool:

Hahaha thanks Spex! Really appreciate that coming from you bud. You're a mentor for me for sure, so that means a lot! Cheers my friend!!

Cheers buddy! Thank you!

Thanks so much for the nice words buddy :-). Really appreciate it!

Oh, and thanks buddy!!!

Hahaha, I'd say MUCH better!!!

Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss and Transplant Photos

These were pre-op photos that I took (above)

These were pre-op photos that were taken at Dr. Rahal's before my procedure (below)

Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss and Transplant Photos

Thanks buddy. I had about 2900 grafts in the front and another 1800 in the crown. I am definitely going up all the time in my satisfaction, especially as things continue to thicken. Satisfaction is currently 8/10!!

Hahahaha, well.....truth be told, I'm starting to become attached to the facial hair. Although it's really long and unkempt right now.....when I trim it back neat and tidy...I love it!!! I'm getting hit on a lot more with the beard!! Go figure?!! Leave it to a beard to land me some dates. =) I can see why you kept it around........

Hi NoTakeBacks-

Thanks buddy......the beard was just a temporary science project to prove that I've grown a beard at least once in my life. I left my career of almost 8 years to start nursing school in September......so since I'm not working this Summer I thought I'd give it a go!! =)

I waited around 4 months to start working out fully.....mainly because I didn't want to stretch the scar at all, and Dr. Rahal recommended I wait as long as possible. I was definitely lifting right around 4 months. I imagine by "wary" you mean that you're concerned with going back too soon, and not that lifting is causing you any physical pain?

If you're just concerned with going back too soon strictly for the scar....I think you've certainly waited long enough. I was lifting and working out fully again by 4 months. However, if you're experiencing any pain from the exertion of working out....I would certainly contact your physician to discuss!

Hope that helps buddy! =)

Best,

Mike

That's a shame. I'm sticking to that blog as I have more control over when and what can be deleted and things. Ah well. If anyone wants to see it, PM me. If not, I won't keep updating it as I was mainly doing it to help others.

Throwaway-

You can (and should) create and keep a blog on here as David suggested, and just update both. The members of this forum are definitely pulling for you, and want to see your progress and updates. Your link wasn't removed to imply that you didn't have the community's best interest at heart or because you weren't helping people......this forum just has a strict guideline about linking externally to third party sites.

I have a blog on my hair restoration surgeon's website, but I also keep one here as well. I think you can reach a lot of people by being a contributing member on the Hair Restoration Network. You can help the members by allowing them to follow your results.....so it definitely doesn't hurt......and again, we'd love to track your progress along your journey.

At any rate, congratulations on your recent hair transplant, and welcome to the forums!! Looking forward to hearing updates from time to time from you, as Dr. Doganay produces some nice results!

Best,

Mike