thanatopsis_awry

BHT should be an absolute "last resort". Unique dilemma being in the military, for sure; when I met with Dr. Feller recently and talked about BHT/FUE he mentioned having worked on two military guys fairly recently who couldn't get strip done while they were serving, and, instead, did some FUE w/ the intent of trying to finish off their baldness at a future date via strip. Your best bet, IMO, is to take some really clear pics and send them to a couple reputable clinics and let the docs give you a free analysis; explain to them your situation so they can take it into account. Feller and Ilter are the only FUE docs I would even consider, as they are the only docs who I have see show dedication and some transparency with. FUE is an extremely difficult procedure that has some glaring attributes over strip, which, unfortunately but predictably, many have seized upon and tried to capitalize on from a marketing standpoint.....and they don't have the goods to back up the talk.

Ya, exactly what I will eventually do, as well; and it is def possible to get a couple K extra FUEing yerself out!

I've seen some good work out of Cole. That said, I haven't seen nearly enough to combat the lack of transparency and degree of "controversy" associated w/ him that would make me feel anywhere near comfortable in going to him. Of course, some feel different; and I would hope that those that do have taken the time to survey enough information to come to their conclusion. Specifically, I've heard people complain about a lack of patient care; poor consistency relating to poor attention to patient; little transparency in what FUE tools he uses; excessive scarring due to said tools (e.g. 1+mm punches); and, to top it off, there are multiple people who'v been embroiled in serious disputes with him...both patients and employees alike. Run some Google searches and searches on various hairloss sites (here, hairlosshelp, et. al.)for more info. That said, I'll say again, I've seen some very good results from Cole, and it isn't a cut and dry issue of him being some atrocious HT surgeon w/ no skill and ability. Also, I haven't really researched him for many'a'month so, perhaps, things have changed for him. Also, I *love* FUE and am enamored by its potential -- and the nanosecond I think it is optimal for me, or anyone else, I would encourage it. My opinion of Cole and trust of him goes beyond whether he happens to be doing FUE or strip -- the one FUE-specific concern is his punch sizing, the rest is irregardless of FUE/strip.

Sweet pics! Your hairline already looks so much softer and more natural....and the best is yet to come!

Now would be a very appropriate time for the docs who *do* support LLLT to express their reasoning; I respect Bill's effort to play Devil's Advocate and create an arena that shows both sides, but the silence on the part of the people themselves hawking LLLT is rather deafening. LLLT and mondo-FUE are two most prevalent, prevailing farces; I sincerely hope that w/e docs *do* encourage the former, do it "pro bono". My mother spent $600 on a LLLT device for me out of desperate empathy and the encouragement of a HT clinic.... Money aside, it isn't right to muddy already murky waters for people battling through a difficult affliction.

I've considered this type of route, as well; utilize FUE to create the remnants of a specific hairline, buzzed down. It doesn't seem that unsound to me, especially if you are definitely not interested in attempting a more traditional route of stripping out, then FUE, perhaps, in an effort to combat your MPB s8 on. Doing a small session, perfectly suited for FUE, seems like a rather low-risk measure -- and if you've thought it out well w/ yourself and the doctor seems alright to me....just make sure you go to the right doc; FUE is a mine-field. *FUE is when the hairs/follicles/grafts get extracted in an individual manner, using something like a .75-1mm punch device; as opposed to strip, where the strip excision gets dissected under high-powered microscopes.

Ultimately, we "simply" want the best result -- whatever path it takes to reach that destination. Perhaps, in this specific sense, the end does justify the means. That said, it is common practice for techs to play most if not all of the grafts. This is an integral process, and a well-trained, refined, consistent *crew* of techs is essential. Above all else, your doctor will (in addition to devising your overall battleplan) create the incisions and direct the orientation of the grafts. Plus, he will handle your donor excision and closure. If Dr. Feller, or Hasson, or Alexander, felt that if they placed the grafts it would increase the quality of their results -- they would. Personally, the idea of a honed team of specialists doing the graft placement sits well with me; and the idea of the doctor supervising while handling the placement of grafts and designing how my hair will grow (in addition to the excision/closure) I have zero problem with. But, again, the end may very well justify the means.

He's advising you to get on fin and minox for only 6 months? Or, stay on for 6months min and evaluate? Many people use minox after their HT, w/ particular hope that it'l speed things up. Propecia, however, is the big dog on the block and really should be taken, ideally, to stabalize MPB as much as is possible.

FUE per graft ranges from 5-10+ that I know of. The key is to focus not so much on the price, but how qualified the doctor is/ Specifically, FUE's greatest problem is that incompetent doctors are performing it, leading to poor yield/growth. On a more general level, FUE's greatest problem is that it is very difficult if not impossible to avoid damaging follicles/grafts due to the forces that are inflicted upon them that are not present during strip. FUE is an extremely delicate and relatively new procedure -- it can have some lovely benefits like less visible scarring and a shorter recovery, but, in turn, these benefits have been taken advantage of by many and used to sucker people. The downsides of FUE, apart from the multitude of incompetent docs performing it, is that even in the best of hands the ability to procure a # of grafts comparable to strip, and have them grown, stands inferior.

Very sorry to hear; it seems like a rather complex situations w/o a lot of clear information to go on in terms of what is going on and what can be done. I would seek out as many opinions as I could from as many extremely intelligent, capable docs as I could. Hopefully, it is simply telo-efluvium.

Eye of the beholder -- I would say that a fully re-created hairline can look totally natural. The best way for you personally to decide is by looking at multiple pictues of re-created hairlines by the docs you are selecting; crystal-clear closeups, particularly, that mimic the type of work you'd be getting done.

Thx for sharin'. I echo what PGP has said -- I def bet a lot of guys will be interested in seeing your result. Here's to goin' through the ringer and coming out the other side w/ a suiting head of hair! With a lot of 2's and 3's to boot, 2k strategically placed, even over a balding pattern like yours can really do radical things for your appearance; even if radical density isn't actually transplanted.

I'm at 8months currently, and since I really started noticing growth (month 5) I def have hairs that look *unlike* my pure, native hair. This isn't to say it looks bad, or that I "had work done"; and I sincerely doubt anyone would even pick up on it (well, maybe a hair-geek ). That said, I really only notice this "kinky"-esque effect when my hair is totally dry, in the hours following a shower. With product in my hair (wax, gel, paste, etc.), or even upon waking after a night's sleep, it looks near-perfect. I should also note that I have very thick caliber hair that is a bit "wiry" and "wavy" to begin with; also, my primary expectation from here on out is the maturation you're thinking of, which I expect to evolve in the coming ~6months.

Unfortunately, quite a few things I'd like to do I never get around to, so don't praise me just yet! Then again, those "things" are usually important matters that pertain to my relationships and livlihood -- so, I'm sure I will in fact embark upon this e-balding quest!

I took Toco-8 for a while, though I can't say whether it helped or not; seems like a solid all-around supplement either way, and I actually may start up w/ it again.

M1, One way is to just include explanatory diologue along w/ pix posted, and when done through the weblogs or photo albums in the titles and description area. Sometimes, even when all of the traditional que's have been checked off, there exists room for a "disclaimer", that, ultimately, benefits patients as it displays greater transprency of information. i.e., in my top-down shots, even in clear pics in bright sunlight, it can look like I have near-perfect coverage/density; that said, it doesn't *always* look that way, even in "less harsh" conditions depending on how my hair is styled. Which reality is truth and which truth is reality of the result? When I get some free time I think I'm going to go about documenting my hair in various stages of being; not all of them will be obv "tampering", and this will closely mimic the various ways various clinics can and do go about posting pics, and how different a " before/after result" can be.

Anecdotally, the evidence is quite strong; at the same time, it could simply be that those of us who resemble gorillas w/o hair on the heads stand out more and garner more attention.

There absolutely should be disclaimers from both clinics *and* patients alike when using flash. Ideally, IMO, many photos should contain multiple "disclaimers"; that is to say, intentional or unintentional, Photo-X tilts (let's hope it just tilts) the result in a various direction. There can be many realities to a HT, as simple and blatent as wet hair vs. dry, short vs. long; too often, even from clinics themselves, our ability as patients to decipher the truth of a "result" is made increasingly difficult.

Very nice! The gravy of the follicular game of life is about to start gushing forth on your noggin'.

johnno, your cousin needs to be put in her place and gain a bit humanity in the process -- that's disgusting what she said to you. Now, if she also has an IQ of 160 and the tongue of a snake it might be wise to just leave her to her throne.....

Nice, very nice.....tuna steaks are hella good. Best all-around fish to grill as far as I'm concerned. You weigh 250, eh? Must have some pretty beefy lifts to boot. I have a grappling partner who is about 240-245; not super lean, but not fat at all and pretty jacked; former wrestler. With the gi or clothes I make him my rag doll but shirtless or with a rash-guard type shirt I have to be on my A-game or else it's a nightmare for me. Now if only he would get in a boxing ring w/ me, shirtless or otherwise....

Best wishes -- you really won't need luck, as you've chosen most wisely! Def keep us all posted as you move forward.

Kickass can be my co-star in "Follicular Death Wish: The Musical"!

Peter, the clinic would shave your recipient area (i.e. where the grafts go) -- Feller, H&W, and many others, feel quite strongly that shaving is essential for producing the best possible result the best % of time, particulary as session sizes become larger. Much of the time, the route to go is to subsequently give yourself a uniform buzzcut once the staples/sutures are removed, and utilize a concealer like nanogen or couvre to help mask the scar area, which will take some time to subside, but will coincide with your natural hair's growth. Also, I think I'd only go to Dr. Neil Sadick if I was imitating Charles Bronson, starring in a HTN-inspired rendition of: A Follicular Death Wish.

I strongly advise *not* going through w/ any sort of commitment to the procedure until *you* have been given more goods (i.e. information) with which to make the best decision possible. Part of this falls on the part of the doctor to produce for you (e.g. he shows you pics of the like I mentioned from his office collection, complete w/ accurate information about how many grafts, etc.); the other part is in your control, and that is "shopping around" . Off the top of my head: Feller, SMG, H&W are well versed in online consultations, and should have no problem hooking you up w/ the extremely accurate pictures you should get, and setting you up w/ people to see in the flesh if you so want. Even a broken clock is right 2x a day; and consistency is the unheralded king of the HT world (IMO). That said, make sure that whoever you go to has a transparent record of consistent results that work for you. It's pretty much impossible to get a sample size that mathematically gives you a near-"perfect" ability to gauge the % of liklihood of your result; but, you can certaintly put yourself in a position to receive among the best possible chance.