thanatopsis_awry

And this to another one of those mega-session results to compare and showcase all that graft-splitting and poor growth....Oh, wait..... This guy went from being extremely bald to have an extremely natural, full head of hair, and in one pass; doesn't get any better. Look forward to seeing this in HD-video.

You need to assess the following through a lens of what the difference in scarring means to you, and how many grafts you want to extract. Strip is better for getting more grafts, FUE is better because if you don't deviate from FUE you will never have to contend with a strip-scar. FUE is also more expensive, but that should be a non-issue, or the last thing to consider. If you're cool with doing ~1500 grafts in your session, I would likely be inclined to go the route of FUE. Yield and such is still more of a question with FUE than strip, so it's especially imperative to only go to the absolute best, who will do you right in every sense of the word. If you have mild or moderate loss I think FUE is great. The main drawback *I* personally would find, would be if my present-day loss could be better tackled by strip and get me to where I want to be in much quicker time. If you can play a game of "catch up" and/or knock off some modest loss and see what happens going forward, I think FUE is ideal.

I believe a reasonable expectation would be 97-99%. 30% is, of course, horrendous, but it frequently happens at poor clinics.

Wanthairs can give official confirmation if he sees this thread, but he went to Hasson+Wong as a *repair* patient after having been to Epstein, who is no longer associated with this site. I believe Epstein's yield was estimated at a putrid 30% for Wanthairs, and the follow-up care, from what my eyes could see, was quite poor (read: arrogant). Your best bet is to consult with a variety of clinics.....look at their results; compare the quality, clarity, and transparency of their results; evaluate the graft recommendations you receive, and compare them doctor to doctor; etc. Selecting a few from the Coalition list of this site is a fine place to start, and Hasson+Wong should certainly be in the discussion.

That could certainly be said glasgow. Are you from the UK? If so, you should get in touch with Spex, and look into meeting up for an informal meet n' greet. Totally set aside from the doctor you choose, I'd recommend continuing your research into the HT process -- not just which doctor you will go to, but information into the recovery, pre-op protocol, what can be expected from your HT, what can be expected from a series of HTs, etc.

I'd be very interested in seeing a reply to TC's questions. I commiserate with Luca since it seems his surgery will end up being an imperfect one and with a noticeable gap; at the same time, Luca, I'd encourage you to work *with* BHR as much as possible, and set aside any animosities you have with them. I imagine they must feel put off, if not threatened, by this public campaign against them. Whether or not that is morally right/wrong is beside the point, as *your* best interest would be best served by working with them on a mutually-understanding level. Bill mentioned that it is basic protocol for clinics to ask a patient to wait till the 1year mark; BHR also seems to want to personally evaluate you in the flesh. Until these two aforesaid things takes place, what do you expect from them at this point, other than what they have publicly offered? You want the equivalent of a refund and a de facto admission of error -- this won't happen until they have properly seen you.

Yep, and to say nothing of the incredibly low-quality pictures that look like they were taken in a haunted house -- how about a little lighting to set the mood....

I agree with Bill that the method of injection can make a profound difference, so if you are particularly wary of "pain", to investigate what the clinic is using so as to gain awareness. I believe a vibrating tool used to administer the anesthetic is a popular method to curb pain. Ultimately, the injections are painful and annoying; my "tolerance" to them improved simply by thinking of how much *more* painful MPB can be, and that in the scope of the complex and momentous procedure we take part in, the 10seconds of pain is rather insignificant. Before you know it, it's over! Also, while not painful, the donor excision can be jarring to people -- so if it seems daunting bring an iPod.

I agree that the Farjos are the creme de la creme of the UK, and they should be the bedrock of your research in that country. Certain docs have certain philosophies, and will take a certain approach on a given patient that might contradict what another clinic would recommend. Richie's research led him to Dr. Feller. This might be the case for you, too, or it could be the opposite. Either way, it is in your best interest to consult with a variety of Coalition clinics, and give them serious consideration, Dr. Farjo included.

He looked good pre-op, but his hair looks flawless now. I'm with Bspot....it's a beautiful transformation to see, and yet it stings...it stings...

Ya, it's sickening *just* how many go through the procedure to not only end up *worse* off, but one in the same have their precious donor ravaged to hinder their ability to even correct the problem.

My 3rd girlfriend's invitro-born sister babysat for kids who went to the same school as the niece of an ex-H+W tech who blabbed about techs soaking the grafts in Holy Water to maximize yield and get a yearly bonus of an Arctic expedition. Surely, this is true. IMO, you can easily see so many H+W results because they (H+W) prioritize putting them out there for you (anyone) to see. Even if H+W did many more cases than any other clinic, and even if H+W inexplicably had many more patients come back for follow-ups....clinics have been performing hundreds of cases a year for many years, and most certainly *do* have the documentation at their disposal. How each clinic goes about dispersing their results is the distinction, and it varies from doc to doc. *e.g., i could list dozens of clinics on this site alone who I'd bet my bankroll could post a fresh case a day for months on end....they simply don't...why they don't while a select few do (and I would certainly include SMG as a clinic who takes an upper-tier approach in showing off their work) is another question.

That's a helluva lotta hairs, and this a helluva good result.

Looks fine to me. Only 6 months, and with that many grafts in play so much can happen. Hope to see this updated later on!

Those donors look remarkable; recently, Dr. Rose was talking about how perfect(ed) their strip scars (vis a vis ledge closure) are, and insinuated that they are equal to what FUE can offer. I followed up specifically asking if this comparison was being made, if it is true, and to see some examples that could be held against FUE scarring, but didn't get a response. A lot of what Cole says/does seems like bullshit to me, and it strikes me as slightly ironic that *he* would ever be looked to as a figurehead for good FUE scarring compared to other docs, but he can do some fine work, no doubt. I went into this in detail in a different thread, but given recent developments I'd strongly consider going the route of pure FUE (in retro, of course).

Very impressive! He's come an incredibly long way and with only 4k to boot.

I was going to say at least you're applying the nano to just your crown, but on 2nd thought I girls are most apt to stroke a man's vertex.... I used to be a nano fiend myself so I can relate, and I've had some embarrassing situations. I wrote/posted a story about one of them on here a while ago....was in my jiu-jitsu class.... Anyways, I honestly don't think nizoral will do much aside from maybe drying out your hair -- what happened to me. I'd recco using Toppek/Nanogen's shampoo/conditioner line. I would also really stick with the fin -- I've never heard of aches/pains from it, but I would do your best to stick with it for a year or so. I feel with your loss that fin could do wonders for you; hopefully enough to get you through most of school. You do have options if the shit really hits the fan in the next couple years and your hairline starts to go, so don't think you're doomed and in an inextricable quagmire throughout all of college.

I agree, I'd skip the GP. Also, FWIW, I'd say you'd want ~3k, but a doctor could likely make a much more informed decision on that. Don't know where you live, but do some consults (online or live, depending). Look into Shapiro/SMG, Rahal, Hasson+Wong, Feller on this forum -- they have high publicity and transparency so you'll have the goods to sift through....then get in touch and consult with a few. Take it from there.

Looks like it's prolly just MPB at its core...anyways, it looks like you caught it pretty early (obv still a total bitch for you). I would keep on the fin...for a good 12+ months....see how you respond, see how you progress....you could then start given serious consideration to doing some consults with some elite clinics, re: a HT. I wouldn't give it too much thought at this point, though. So ya, keep on the fin, keep up the the nano, and focus on whatever else you can improve your life and make dealing with MPB an easier ride.

Hey, I do agree w/ HairHope that 600-800 isn't a lot of grafts -- and unless you have truly minimal loss, this likely won't satisfy you. 600-800 *is* performed by FUE quite often, though, and quite well, when you're dealing with like temple refinement or gaps. The # of grafts is ultimately something you'd want to decide with your own research and the advice of a doctor. I want to say Shapiro has been doing FUE consistently for like ~6+ months...don't quote me on that, though....FUE is "new" to them, and they don't have many grown-out results ready to show, but all signs looks very positive and they should have the proof and pudding real soon. You can do consults in person or over the phone/internet. Get a bunch of good pics taken of your hair -- angles, styles, etc....you'll give these to them, along with your age, history of hairloss, and your goals. Likely, they'll get back to you with a battleplan and graft (and price quote). This is the meat of a consult. In addition to this, you should do your own research into the procedure and results/FUE from the clinics in question.

Haha, hey man, how's it going? Thought you had departed the online lairs of hair for good! Was getting nervous...

Well, he does look better....but *3* surgeries for *2600*...wow...that's like 800 graft sessions on a guy with extensive hairlosss. Why wasn't this done in 1?

Def glad you're satisfied, and you look you have a nice, full head of hair! Do you have any pre-ops, though? I ask because the earliest I see is a "2wk" post-op shot, and since you said you had such horrible shockloss it's tough to get a gauge on where you were at before the 2500 grafts. And then your 12wk/3month shot it looks like you have a ton more hair.

Work looks alright from what I can see. Just gotta hope for the best, see how it comes in. Who'd you go to?

What Bspot said....don't play a game of chance based upon "hope" here....research the hell out of the docs mentioned and clinics like SMG....then compare their approach, results, and transparency with whomever else....then make a call -- it's only that I could virtually guarantee you to end up choosing the SMG's of the world after that a lot of the time people will just bluntly and simply say Go Here, Don't Go Here.