thanatopsis_awry

Cool, it's going to look great! I'm doin' good; seem to be healing really well, and just can't wait for my babies to start sprouting! We are in the same boat!

LOL! 7k session?! On my soon to be hairy noggin!? Let us hope not.

Congrats! Was this your first HT? Also, do you have any immed post-op pics? (not a big deal, obv, I just never get tired looking at them lol...)

Ty for the post, Jotronic, appreciated -- and gl w/ a speedy recovery from the cold!

If the contrast in skin color is really bugging you I would look into getting a light tan all over, even if you have to use a machine. Like Bill mentioned, I'd combine propecia w/ rogaine foam 5% which gives you the best shot of frontal regrowth. I don't think your hat-wearing has caused your hairloss; I would see a dermatologist or a hair restoration specialist and get checked for "minaturization", just to see what's what. Then look into the aforementioned treatments. Losing your hair is brutal; but don't let it consume you. It is likely your hairloss isn't "that" terrible, either, as many young guys overreact initially to their loss. Nonetheless, take peace in mind that you are combating it as well as you can, and a future HT, to say nothing of a new breakthrough, may very well be in your young future. GL.

True. And just to be clear, I'm in no way implying that they are doing anything even remotely "unethical", or inappropriate, as I'm sure they are a class organization through and through; just genuinely curious.

More and more I'm seeing patients (from H&W) getting sessions north of 7k (someone also just got ~8500) -- and certaintly an even larger # of 5k+ cases from both Hasson and Wong in but a single go around. I can't help but be intrigued by this, as I just don't see such mammoth sessions coming from anywhere else, and total graft count is so clutch; indeed, that is the essential thing which every future breakthrough surrounds be it HM or a drug. What is the possible reason(s) for this, are there known reasons? Does Hasson do the excising of the donor differently than every other elite doc? Do his techs use special instrumentation or tecnique to get such high graft totals that often far exceed expectations? Are H&W going through a phase were they are "simply" getting patients with inherently superior elasticity? Incredibly curious.

Th 1week pics look quite "strange" to me; but, like others have said, your immediate post-ops looked fine, and you went to a great clinic, and you haven't had any recipient bleeding.....so, I can't imagine your results won't be A-OK. Everyone heals differently; will be curious to hear Dr. Nakatsui's opinion when you see him.

I hate being envious; but I am happy for you, nonetheless.....

Honestly, I think you've found and have been given a good deal of good information -- the chips have been laid out onto the table, so to speak. Go with whom you feel you can get the perfect synthesis of: reliability (i.e. consistency) and results (i.e. quality). Also, I think Armani's website is definitely overhyped and Feller's (and I could name a plethora of other quality clinics, too) is definitely underhyped. Hype isn't even the best word, I don't think -- just an accurate reflection of a clinic's quality and consistency. FWIW, when I had my consult w/ Dr. Feller I was shown a huge database of results, none of which I saw on his actual website. 2, 3, 4, 1, in that order, imo.

I can't think of a situation where a 500 graft strip procedure would make sense for a patient w/ any appreciable degree of hairloss, which isn't to say I'm not amenable to changing my mind; the combination, however, of such incredibly subtle (minimal) results, the "risks" that Chucky mentions above, and simply going through the op and walking the road of its lengthy recovery doesn't seem like it would ever be in a patient's best interest. I have zero vested interest in proving or disproving Farjo or whomever, and while I don't know much about them, I would have to think that Farjo's admittance in the Coalition wasn't just random, so I think they should be given a certain respect and benefit of the doubt; which isn't tp say they shouldn't be questioned, or even intensely questioned, but I don't beleive they should be treated as if they were guilty before giving ample time and room to respond; which, it seems they are now getting.

Pics?

Ordered a batch.

Not much to add, but great post! I will say that my road to a HT had 2 junctures where I thought, rather impatiently (and lazily, to be frank): "OK, this is it, I am ready to go, I think this will happen, I think I'tl be good, this clinic sounds great, let's get me in the chair". BOTH times, I can now say in hindsight, that I would have been dissapointed with my results in Case A (not due to a lack in quality, but quanitity), and in Case B may very well have been both dissapointed and outraged. I dug a little deeper, and forced myself to explore what would really be happening to me and what I could realistically expect my end results to be. In each case, I discovered that it really wasn't the best thing for me -- it would not have been worth it, for differing reasons in both cases. However, in due time, after forcing myself to learn more where I didn't really know, and exploring options, I found the situation that truly made great sense for me. Hair loss is a tricky beast, and it can lead us in making rash, uneducated decisions that we wouldn't normally make -- thankfully, however, we really do have total control over that.

Hmmm. It kinda sucks to have tantalizing, but unrealistic, stuff like this dangled in our faces like a t-bone steak to a dog. But, it does sound interesting in theory, so perhaps something will come of it and we can all get Elvis hair!

Hmmm, this is what I think was most important for me, and even contains some words that I *wish* I had listened to! In the weeks leading up to your HT, I would recommend tieing up any loose ends floating around in your life; fixing something that may be bugging you; if you have a good routine, stick with it and don't fall prey to worry/anxiety putting you in a funk. You have chosen well, however even going to the best doesn't make one immune to the procedure's negatives. To varying degrees, usually rather moderate, people are in pain in the days immediately post-op, and you will also look funny....either by swelling, recipient redness, having had hair shaved. So, be prepared for this -- have "excuses" ready for people if you are going to be taking some time to yourself, or wearing a baseball cap all the time. As well, plan on -- if you haven't already -- taking time off from work (2 weeks is a reasonable period of time that get's stated...it can be less, it can be more...much of this depends on how you heal and feel and how you are willing to accept looking and being in public). I would recommend taking a look at people's immediate post-op pics, their 2 week post-op pics -- this can give you an idea of how you might look. FWIW, in my gallery in the surgical photo section has recent 2 week post-op pics. Ahh, and if you feel up to it, get a massage the day before -- the hardest part for me was keeping my body positioned and so still for so long, and I am VERY happy I did this the day before.

"the technique he was performing was basically micro/mini grafting" -- that about sums it up. Not up to par w/ what else is out there would be an understatement. It could have changed in the past three months, but obv it prolly' didn't. Only one way to find out for sure, though!

Honestly, and I have not heard a single person say otherwise, the removal of the strip is a cakewalk. Personally, I didn't even know it had happened; I only realized it must have been done already when I heard the sound of the staples being used to close it up! I myself didn't even hear it going on, though if you want another precaution, play some music w/ headphones in the beginning of the procedure -- you won't feel, nor hear.

I really have no knowledege of what may have caused Cotterill to be recommended and then revoked; just that, if it did happen, it would most definitely be based off of poor performance and results, possibly ethics which almost always ties into the other stuff. At the end of the day, that is all this site is about, and is all any of us should really care about -- results, and who can deliver the best and be the most consistent. Q #2 I have read up on before, and seen disclosed; I honestly don't really recall the specifics so I won't even take a guess, but whatever I did read didn't alarm me at all othewise I'd either not be here or would have at least remembered! haha As I hinted in my first post, and reiterated above, I would be primely concerned with who is going to deliver you the best HT -- whether they were president of X, or graduated summa cum from Harvard, really should be of a little importance, insofar as it relates to their results and skill/artistry. Keep researching, by all means, but I would focus on results and how that relates to your prospects -- if at the end of the day you feel more confident in Cotterill's than Rahal's go to the former.

Brian, not saying this as an insult, but you are coming across as a fearmonger and are making outlandish statements. Clearly you had a bad experience (probably a while ago and/or with a disreputable doc), and for that I am sure everyone is sorry; however, you are damning an entire industry where, in the present, sites like this in conjunction with doctors recommended, create consistent experences and produce dramatic results that change people's lives for the better. Also: many times the estimated cost isn't significantly lower, prices per graft aren't cloaked in secrecy, expectations being met is totall subjective but MANY NW5+ are EXTREMELY happy with their results, I can't prove a negative but most anecdotal evidence disagrees with your sunlight assertion, tell the myriad of people who got saved from going to a butcher that this sight is "just" a glorified advertisement, sometimes you do require more HTs and sometimes you don't but the doctors recommended are up front about this, many people have stated they would pay *more* for their results if they had to and either way they clearly don't find the price "outrageous" and even if they did they would simply choose or not choose to go through with it. I do agree that hats probably should still be kept, as a ballgame just isn't the same without one. The bottom line, however, is that you are taking an incredibly subjective stance (understandably so) on *all* things related to HT, and are making sweeping assertions that contadict people's actual experiences.

Would be hard pressed, imo, to find someone to advise you to zero in on anyone other than Rahal from that list. His work is phenominal, and w/ HTs the truth really is in the pudding. Don't know much about the others, though if Simmon's was "recommended", but now is not, that would concern me; which isn't to say I would rule him out, or that he doesn't do good work, but it would certaintly raise a question of concern. Either way, Rahal by all accounts is exceptional, and at the end of the day you want to go to the guy who you *know* is going to deliver you a superior HT w/ as good a chance of success as is possible.

Would take me north of a decade to build, no doubt.

http://www.hairsimulation.com/index.html Seems that some people (women?) use it for actual bald spots, but quite a few of the testimonials and before/afters are by HT guys, who have used it to "repair" their donor scar. Anyone heard good or bad about this, as it relates to masking HT scars?

When I first started catching wind of this superior HT fellow named Shapiro, and ran a google on him, I was directed to this donkey's site. I agree w/ NN that someone has probably unwittingly walked into this guy's cesspool of an operation under false pretenses...and, given how hard this guy's operation apparently sells, it wouldn't surprise me if someone got suckered in to an actual surgery. One of the more unseemingly HT clinics I've come across, for sure.

Dr. Nusbaum recently posted some pictures in the "patient gallery", which may be of interest to you -- all females. Personally, I would not even go to a meeting w/ a doctor unless I trusted him enough to actually operate on me (and like NN referenced, a Bosley or HairC would not be on that list); most often, those that aren't ethical and skilled in their surgical acuity aren't the best people to even get general counsel from, and their advice must be taken with the greatest of assaults. Regardless of what HairC says to you, I would get multiple opinions with at least one of them coming from the mouth of someone with undoubtably great expertise. Take that for whatever it's worth. Where do you live? I am sure a member could hook you up with an objective list of doctors in closest proximity that you couldn't go wrong with. Hairloss is brutal, and being a young female is exceptionally brutal, no doubt; nonetheless, you are on the right track and are putting yourself in the best possible position for success.