thanatopsis_awry

Nanogen >>>>>>>>>>>> Toppik, imo.

Wow. How did I miss this gem...!?

Hey, 1.) Ya, I see absolutely no reason why the T-gel shampoo would do you any harm at 4 weeks postop. 2.) No, def not necessary, and it shouldn't make much of a difference on your hair, or grafts....though, some like using a volumizing shampoo/conditioner (e.g. Aveda, Toppek's) 3.) No, don't use a tanning bed post-op; you shouldn't be receiving much sun exposure for ~7+ months, so I would have to assume the rays of the tanning bed would follow as well. 4.) Not sure; maybe lightly work some sort of mouse/gel/etc through your hair an hour or so after. 5.) If you are using what they recommend, your headaches are probably completely irrelated. 6.) Ya, loss of feeling is normal and pretty temporary...I wouldn't fret at this time.

Sounds like you have it bad, no doubt; no one deserves to have their physical identity and image morph into a veritable deformity, especially at such a critical age and where this is such stigma. Are you on treatments -- propecia, rogaine foam 5%, nizoral 2% shampoo? Try concealers yet -- dermmatch/nanogen? Ever buzz your head? In any event, one good thing is that you have found this forum before rushing into an operation with someone anything less than stellar. Anyways, I too have been mistaken or figured to be 10+ years above my actual age, as well, while in my early twenties. And losses struck me at astoundingly inopportune time (not that there is every an "opportune" time). You aren't alone, and more importantly there are others who have been where you are and conquered! I would seriously look into the aforementioned. A combination of all those suggestions did not cure me, far from it; however, it helped me get through the days and make gradual improvements in my life while leading up to my HT.

Sounds good; and I'm sure even if you ended up w/ the 1500 estimate, it would do you a lot of good in that region. And being in capable hands can do wonders with regard to the entire recovery process, as well.

Hey, can't wait to see your updates. As for cameras, I'll put forth three, which I think are all great value for their respective financial class: http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/541161261.htm http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/541531299.htm http://www.wolfcamera.com/product/545445108.htm

It is surprising that you went to such an esteemed surgeon, yet are so unfamiliar with the process; this isn't a knock in any way, just pretty rare as far as I'm concerned, as level of "education" is usually correlated with the level of the clinic one goes to. So consider yourself lucky that you live down the street from H&W! You also draw the envy from HT-patients everywhere in keeping so many grafts that you already have made appreciable gains; the best has yet to come, however. Now share some post some pre-op/post-op pics and stop tantalizing us with talk of your hairdresser scoping out your increasingly hairy mop!!!

I myself haven't seen much repair work from either, though I am sure they are both very much capable, as they are excellent clinics. I would inquire to both and ask them to show you a sampling of repair work, and ask them their specific thoughts on your situation. In fact, I would do this with multiple Coalition clinics that you have an inkling towards, or that are close by to you. At the risk of sounding like a cheerleader, I've seen some very impressive repair work from Feller floating around the net, and I know he has taken on some very difficult cases. Take that for whatever it's worth. Shapiro, as well, I have seen and heard very good things regarding repair work. I am sure there are other excellent docs that are experienced in repair, but from my personal experiences in research, that is what I've gleaned. I honestly don't know who is the best, but you can't go wrong digging into various clinics that are 1st rate and seeing which ends up making the most sense to you!

I'm glad to hear that through the forum you are going to end up going with a 1st rate clinic. As for "will it be worth it?", that is an extremely important question, and understanding what your end result will look like, and where you will stand with regard to future procedures is crucial. Do you have any hairline shots? 1500 grafts can definitely do a lot of good to improve a hairline, especially if it is re-wiring the result of shoddy, unfocused work from the past. I would not expect a lot of density, however in knowing hands, 1500 can definitely be stategically used to make an appreciable impact. I'm guessing the 1500 would be focused strictly on the hairline and frontal 1/3rd? Also, is the 1500 the max that he would feel comfortable getting, given your complex situation regarding past, poor work?

I've never heard of him doing FUE; which isn't to say he doesn't. However, I would be extrordinarily cautious in *who* you procede to do an FUE procedure with, as it is a totally different animal than FUT, and there is a tremendous amount of hype and deceit concerning it, and there are very few doctors trained and experienced in performing it at a high level. What is your level of loss, and how many grafts are you looking at getting?

Congratulations; that is seriously great to hear, and I'm extremely happy for you. I can really imagine how amazing it must feel to discover "the cure" out of the blue, and have it be such a simple thing at that. To be honest, I sometimes do think about maybe having tried a bit harder to like and work towards the shaved head; without a doubt, I feel I've made the best decision in going the route of HT's, but I do sometimes wonder if there was something I could have done to get myself to accept buzzing my head. And as Bill mentioned, this is a great era to go that route if there ever was one. With young people, especially, I think advising them to buzz their head, get in reasonable shape, and be active may very well be the best route, to at least try out.

Yep, there are two docs in that region I would consider -- Vogel and Lindsey.....Vogel is in Baltimore, I beleive, and Lindsey is in Reston, VA. Lindsey has some recent work floating around the main forum pages, which you should look at, in addition to going in for consults with both docs.

It *is* the crack-cocaine of the sexual-performance drug industry. Could try a 1-2 punch of propecia EOD and Rise2, and it should be like you're 8 all over again. Also, even though the sides can be as bad, you could look ino giving "dutasteride" a shot; it is widely considered to be more potent than propecia, though it's current FDA approval of efficacy for that purpose has yet to be finalized. Many hairloss sufferers do take it, however, and I've seen quite a few people from H&W that have gone it. I've also seen one documented case where someone who was having bad sides on propecia switched to dut and they were golden.

"Should I not get a fitted hat and just get one of the traditional caps which are adjustable?" Exactly. The key is to make sure the hat is NOT snug at all; also, you may want to consider a bandana in liu of a hat.

Hey, your list looks good, though I would add: *disposable shirt *massage day before (there is a good, rather inexpensive, place across the street from one of the hotels which Feller recommends...I forget the name of the hotel, incidentaly) *loose-fitting hat Anyways, get a "pure" aloe vera product, as opposed to a product that just contains a bit of aloe; and witch hazel is def available in most US stores/pharmacies. Congrats on your decision!

I'd just like to know what candidates Armani & Co. *don't* perform FUE-megas on....or, what *revolutionary* tool he has created which has completely evaded the minds -- and ears -- of brilliant hair surgeons everywhere.....most of whom represent the antithesis of the "status quo".... And if the latter is true, I'd like to know why such a man and such an operation can't create a website that showcases the work that they do, and why they stumble ad nauseum in posting clear, grown out pictures.... Personally, I demand precise answers to the aformentioned before I risk my precious follicles, time, and money; ethics surrounding him densepacking kids is really the least of my concerns (whether that is sympotmatic is another issue....).

Well, I hope that shockloss and further losses don't strike you hard, of course. Have you and Meshkin discussed your loss -- where it looks like you will be headed, and a general time frame? Otherwise, if you've checked out his work, which I don't personally know -- beore/afters and intra-op, etc. --, and know what to expect, I just hope you've been on the foam for at least 6 months prior.

There are some decent non-tube-up-the-ass methods of (colon) cleansing; like Dewayne already mentioned, eating a lot of fiber or getting through a supplement is one really simple, and effetive, way.

Likewise -- I'm not getting directed to your blog via the links. It is good to see that things appear to be going so well, though; I remember when you first posted about your dilemma with NHI and the "pitting".

Admittedly, I don't know that much about True; though I did look into T&D, it was Dorin whom I was scheduled with. If I remember correctly, True has a thread or two floating around this site that is pretty recent and should be on a main page. Epstein I've seen quite a bit of work from on the forums, and his patient satisfaction looks to be high. Having been said, if I were you I would really place a premium on analyzing whatever prognosis they have given you; having done research, get a good idea for *what* kind of result it will be giving you. If it jives with you completely, and you have no major reservations, follow through. If it doesn't -- whether you think it is too few grafts, or too many grafts, or too boldly packed or too diffuse -- keep on truckin'.

From all I have seen and heard I think Dr. Lindsey is definitely deserving. Especially being rather new to the forums, and the format for what is considered an "ideal" showing (i.e. the pre/intra/post-op pics), he has impressed me for sure, and I suspect he will continue to improve by showing consistency. Also, I think his recommendation and exposure does a great service to the hairloss community who live in that area, as many of the most notable (notorious...) practices clearly do not practice ultra-refined tecniques.

Interested in a ballpark figure. I've wondered for a while how difficult (or easy) it is to get a patient to allow for the posting of their pics; especially the after shots. I know many docs do ~1 surgery a day, but I have no clue what % are able to be shared, and how easy it is for the clinic to get the proverbial pick of the litter, to post online.

Interested in a ballpark figure. I've wondered for a while how difficult (or easy) it is to get a patient to allow for the posting of their pics; especially the after shots. I know many docs do ~1 surgery a day, but I have no clue what % are able to be shared, and how easy it is for the clinic to get the proverbial pick of the litter, to post online.

Lol, touche...touche...

Good write up -- the diagram regarding Bisanga is especially interesting to see. It seems to me that a range of sizes to adapt to a given patients physiology is best; and perhaps .75mm is a "sweet spot" that often balances out the patients' need for superior levels of transection and scarring. It seems that Bart finds .7mm to be ideal. I can understand why doctors would put a complete moritorium on using >1mm, and also the motivation towards Bart saying "No need to EVER use an instrument larger than 0,8mm....0,7 gets the best out of 2 worlds : minimize tissue damage and still get all size grafts out intact." I'm not sure if I completely agree with the aforementioned, but I can't honestly say I have good reason to disagree with it either. Ultimately, what *actually* works best in practice on a given patient is what should be used; and it seems virtually all patients fall into a general range, and their best interests dictate a max (>1mm). I could be mistaken, but I recall Bart mentioning his clinic using ".6mm", which is the smallest instrumentation that I have know of. And the bottom line is that transparency w/ FUE is paramount; and it extends past before and afters, and includes candid disclosure of instrumentation used.