thanatopsis_awry

Your loss sounds very minimal; and that, plus your age, it is difficult to say what the future (immediate or longterm) holds for you. Your best bet, as far as I'm concerned, is maintenance -- and hopefully you can get on till' a new advent comes about in the hair restoration field. To be honest, minox 5% and propecia/fin/proscar are your best bets -- together there is strong anecdotal evidence to think they have a "synergistic" effect. Also, while their efficacy is first and foremost designated as the vertex and crown, this does not exclude them from helping other areas....such as the hairline. I would strongly suggest using the minox 5% and keep on the fin -- even if you "don't notice anything"....that is a good, if not excellent sign! Finally, there is a lot of talk about the half-life of fin....4 years....5 years...8 years.....I would stick w/ it for a good 4 years, re-evaluating then and along the way. If you are no longer maintaining you can look into switching to dut/avodart, which, while most likely more potent than fin is at the same time less proven. That said, it is a good weapon to have in your overall arsenal that you should have at your disposal in the -- currently -- lifelong battle w/ MPB.

I'm having an unexpected (aggravating) problem w/ the people who I have been getting routine, 3month supply of fin from....I haven't taken a propecia pill in like 8 days now - it may be a couple more before I get my hands on it. How worried should I be? I'm starting to get paranoid and couldn't find a conclusive answer in any search.

I'm having an unexpected (aggravating) problem w/ the people who I have been getting routine, 3month supply of fin from....I haven't taken a propecia pill in like 8 days now - it may be a couple more before I get my hands on it. How worried should I be? I'm starting to get paranoid and couldn't find a conclusive answer in any search.

Dr. Cooley drives a white lambo, no? jkjkjk Glad your consult went so well; was their prognosis similiar to the other place you visited?

Here is to another successful follicular journey! Keep us posted, as I am sure you will!

Interesting, I'll have to scope him out...been a while since I listened/read anything by him.

Jotronic, I didn't mean to imply that the said questions have been danced around -- for real. Sorry if it came across that way, and on second glance I can see how you inferred that. I basically meant that there has been a degree of ambiguity for me, and I am sure others, in part because of the "naysayers" and people who decry your clinic for things like egregious splitting. Plus, you are a busy dude and I never actually spoke with you directly (I don't recall); hence, I wasn't being coy when I said I looked forward to you answering here as I would take notice. "Safe Donor Zone" -- quite a few people must be misinformed about this. Again, not being coy, truly, but in my discussions w/ various people it has been postulated that *with* patient consent and on select people Dr's Hasson&Wong will venture outside the "traditional safe zone". Anyways, your answers were excellent as always and always appreciated; and I apologize again if my initial query made it seem like I was taking a swipe at you or H&W.

The Jotronics, Spexs, et. al. have good eyes for this type of thing.

Tough to really say but looks like it is starting to fill in; but not much can be expected for most at month 5 month anyway. Get a cheap digital camera or use yer phone if it has capability -- extremely easy to use...snap, 1-wire connect, couple clicks of the mouse, presto.

Tubs: bingo! I think you just reached upon the pinnacle of signature-alliteration for the name Jonathan. I will most definitely be swiping your verbal artistry and using this at some point -- hopefully in the near future.

Sounds like a scalp reduction. Either way, I would be extremely cautious w/ this cat -- I wouldn't trust my web developer's head w/ it.

Well said! I also *love* the alliteration at the end....I'm not sure I have as many luxurious options as you, and I don't believe I can ever rival "Bluntly, Benjamin"...."Jovially, Jonathan"...."Jestfully, Jon...."....Jubialently,....".....just not the same.

I second the growing it out a bit longer; when my hair gets even "a bit" too short I lose some of the ability to create a layering effect, and from a top-down angle it doesn't look nearly as dense. Also, I can't recommend enough Garnier Fructos' Surf Hair combined w/ some sort of wax/paste -- I almost feel bad using it. Totally s8 up hair styling product(s), but works REALLY well in making each of your hairs look their best and giving them a certain....radiance....lol....I also think it adds a slight "wave" to your hair, which, of course, is a general, perceived-density booster.

Dakota, I invested a decent chunk of time inquiring into just that question, talked it over w/ various people, and I'm curious to see a Jotronic response....my answer (while I don't find it to be absolute in that I don't think I ever got a "yes"/"no" answer from Jotronic or a H&W rep) is that the consistently high graft #s (re: 5k+) come from the *size* of the strips and *where* the strips are taken from. So, basically, a combination of H&W having the will and apparent ability to take such aforementioned strips and close em' up well -- w/ patient consent when going outside the "traditional safezone". I'm a gambler by nature, so I'm always keen to incorporate randomness into the equation: the epic-sized sessions (7k....8k) are a result of the aforementioned and rare -- glorious -- donors. My subsequent question, which may or may not carry weight depending on if the above is true, is why other clinics haven't ventured into such session sizes; the most immediate reason would be that, assuming they are ethical, many/most don't because they don't have enough staff to soundly handle such titanic loads. This, and/or H&W's dexterity in doing the closures is a tecnique that for w/e reason they do not know, or they are not willing to venture into trying.

Don't do the exercises right after your op; in fact, and you should 2x check this, you should wait a minimum of 6months for the scalp to "re-acclimate" before even considering, and I'm pretty certain I've seen reputable people state that they waited 9+ months.

If the pictures are clear, showing various positions of the donor region a keen (trained) eye can give pretty good estimations of yer donor. Not just doctors can do this.

Yes, take your time -- and it is *very* good that you are willing to travel and not let location determine your decision. Do some searches on the doctors/clinics you are considering. Personally, from my extensive research, Giannotto is a butcher and Bosley/HairClub are hairmills that have almost no consistency, reliability, or class....they also charge *more* than most of the elite, independant docs....

You will have been doing the exercises w/ enough duration/frequency to get an improvement; of course, the longer the better. Though, this is only up to a point -- I believe Spex has said that the scalp can become *too* elastic, though I imagine this is rare. Court appearance -- there is an excellent chance you will be totally squared away. Shockloss can always rear its ugly head, though. Are your grafts going to be planted in an area w/ native hair?

Such a sweet result/turn-around.....can't wait to see the update w/ the mohawk shots -- I think that could be your "moneystyle"!

Damn, wanthairs, tell me about it.....the pay can just be so so sweet, though, we best keep up our posting in search of that elusive Epstein/Feller Medical check. And ya, the pics posted are a total farce, but the inverse mohawk is a funny farce so at least you made some people chuckle...?

I'd recommend a wax, creme, or paste...over a gel.

Sipping a cup'of'Joe, the glorious rays of the sun beating down upon my perpetually pale skin, I did the usual deeds of my Tuesday morning regiment, my paws riddled with sand: oggle hair-porn. And so it goes.... FS, your hairline is a real beaut; it looks to have been strategically conservative in placement, but matured it fits you like a glove and seems robust. My favorite hairlines are like that -- maximizes the worth of each graft, which has a variety of benefits! Anyways, I imagine you have plenty of donor left and when you sort out the other areas your transformation will be epic; just make sure you negotiate hard when Farjo wants you to be the posterboy on their website!

Real good stuff, man... as others have said, you won't be The Baldie in pictures anymore!! Enjoy your locks; they will only continue to improve and mature in the coming months.

Fender, We look to have had extremely similiar HTs and extremely similiar situations!!! The number of grafts also seems extremely appropriate and "about right"; this should give you good density and match nicely w/ your native hair and set a good hairline. As for updates.....you are doing great so far; I think after the staples come out would be a good time for another; then maybe at 3 months to gauge recovery; then 5 months; 6 months...etc etc.

The work looks good, indeed! Thx for keeping us posted, and please keep it up -- it's def appreciated...even by those who don't post!