thanatopsis_awry

Congrats! It looks as if you had the grafts spread across your mid-frontal-hairline area of your scalp (?). What was your NW level pre-HT? Also, how is your crown? No loss....never that bad...stabalized via meds....

My question, which I think a definitive answer should exist for, is if the Nitros of the world could have gotten appox the same # of grafts from another elite doctor -- be it Shapiro, Epstein, Feller, et. al.....or, is H&W simply a stand-alone best in cases where you can/want to go ~5k+ a procedure.

Surely you must be more than "just friends".... Ship the proof or else you are just one of many continueing a campaign to deceive prospective patients w/o their best interest in mind.

Look into coolpiece and toplace online; if you go to a local "salon" type of place make sure you don't sign any long-term deals due to being pressured by salesmen. Toplace has a very good forum, which you should check out; from those in the know, toplace and coolpiece are both considered elite -- however, coolpiece supposedly has a "bit" better quality control. When you go to a "salon", be it HCM or AHS it isn't that you CAN'T get a quality piece and a quality instalation -- however, quality really varies place to place and many places are filled with salesmen and incompetents who just want your money and don't want you informed. If you go the route of coolpiece or toplace buy MichiganBaldies vid...you can check out clips of it on youtube fwiw.

That is one fine looking piece of cake.

Informative thread; much thx to Jotronic for answering so many questions with just detail! Your hair rocks, btw, vvvvn collection of photos. Maybe some clinics think it to be sorta "gimmicky", but I still think that if more clinics showcased more pictures of "styled" hair (as well as "regular" hair) on their websites that it would really stand out. As far as I know Armani is the only guy to really do this; which, imo, is a shame because he is actually THE LAST person younger guys should be going to....

Dr. True is rather conservative; so, for him to give the green light on an HT for you says something. Age is an *incredibly* over-looked factor, imo. You've been on treatments, are responding well, and, from how it sounds, have a clear picture of where your hairloss is headed -- an incredibly important thing. You will be getting a conservative transplant; impossible to say w/o pictures, but most likely it will not revolutionize the state of your hair. The biggest Q you should ask yourself, imo, is: do I want to go through with this first of several surgery (investigate what the surgery actually entails, recovery, etc.), spend the $, and get a result that while being a cosmetic improvement, will not be some mega-session that will give you full restoration/density. If you can wait, I am sure in a few years time a doctor would be more willing to give you a robust session in but 1 session. I would post some pictures; as well, do you know how many grafts Dr. True recommended appox.? EDIT -- I am 22 and scheduled for an HT early-early 08'....it's not a simple decision, but, armed with the right information, the right potential doctor, and a particular perspective I think getting an HT at a young age CAN be ok.

I completely agree with you; but a modest application of some styling wax or cream would add a whole other dimension of perceived density. I also agree with you that showing various hairstyles regardless(particularly for young guys) would be welcomed and boost business. Personally, I would love to see what these HT results would look like relative to how I will be styling my hair. EDIT -- Armani is a smart marketer and how he styles people's hair is a key component, imo. Even though I think his purported FUE results are bogus, there is still a reason SOOOOOOOOO many 20-30 year olds go to him.

Congrats on choosing so wisely. Grow well, and may the next 6 months go by quickly. Speaking of, I do wonder if I could freeze myself up in the mountains for about 6 months after my HT, a la Cartman/SouthPark/NintendoWii, to accelerate my perceived rate of time....hmmm....

Yes, you have hope -- but, you need to focus yourself on what will actually give you a fighting chance instead of squandering precious time and follicles. You have, more likely than not, Male Pattern Baldness....don't worry about how much you are exercising, see a dermatologist ASAP, start research and inquire about the **proven** treatments to combat the dreaded beast. That is: The Big Three (Rogaine Foam 5%, Propecia, Nizoral). Also, your "doctor", btw, sounds completely full of shit if he really said "whey protein is very bad for hair loss". I would be extremely cautious when dealing with him w/ regard to your hair situation.

The first example is the most intriguing, for as you said, he is young.....examining the pic though, I gotta say, I'd be shocked if he couldn't "stylishly" push his hair forward and put in some hair creme or wax and texturize it up....and it would look quite dense and natural. My guess is that when clinics take pics they want them with zero product being applied to hair (which elimates most dashing styles right there).

Completely agree w/ above post. Also, many of the people who start flipping shit about their hairloss and look to a "system" as some sort of salvation generally, imo, would be VERY VERY VERY well served by acquainting themselves with Mr. Dermmatch and Mrs. Toppik.

Honestly, your apprehensions seem pretty justified and logical; the linchpin being that you just recently have begun researching the dude who is going to be performing life-altering surgery on you....and, on top of that, initial "reviews" of him have been less then stellar. IMO, research the shit out of HT's for the coming days, especially regarding quality and individual doctors....maybe you will feel comfortable and feel fine going through with what you have planned; but, a very viable chance exists that you will think "sweet jesus, thank god I didn't just rush through with my first planned surgery". The biggest recommendation aside from that is to get a consultation w/ a "coalition surgeon", be it online or live. You will get brutally honest, credible advice and opinions on your situation!

Very nice m8; I have a similar pattern of hairloss at a similarly young age, as well. Can't wait to see your results at month #12!

The elite, progressive docs would have to prefer a patient to be as informed as possible; whereas inferior clinics are scared and threatened -- rightfully so -- of losing business or being exposed for producing subpar results.

As well, my initial reaction was that the grafts look huge; hopefully, though, all of the intended grafts pull through and the thinning slows down or ceases. Either way, wish you the best -- and, if the results don't fully satisfy you, you can go into HT#2 armed to the teeth with information!

The potential is there for the scar to widen, the longer you wait this chance goes down exponentially during exercise. Btw, I'd def recommend posting any pics you have in the Q&A forum along w/ details of your HT!

Ahhh, located in Abu Dhabi -- I'm an avid follower/participant of brazilian jiu-jitsu...always wished I could go to actual Abu Dhabi Championships! A keen, knowing eye can actually spot the craftsmanship of an HT based off of post-op photos...if you have any pre-op/post-op photos of your procedure I would highly recommend you post them in one of the forums here, as I am sure you would get some very informative feedback from members.

Can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. Funny, but sad, how such retrograde (barbaric) procedures get hawked as elite and classy.

btw, where did you go for your HT? # of grafts?

I've heard various things from various doctors about when you can return to "exercise"; the largest unknown factor in the equation being what type of exercise, and specifically how intense, how much strain on your HT-sites. Also, from what I've read, once the sutures are removed and the grafts have become firmly entrenched, the primary (potential) dilemma surrounds making your scar worse. Based off of what doctors have told me, it could be 1 month it could be 6 months. Tennis seems like a relatively "good" activity to be engaged in regarding how soon you can return. It all comes down to risk tolerance in the end. There is a very large thread all about this very topic which you prolly' want to check out. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=135824

Welcome, hopefully something you learn here can be put to good use and betray your e-handle!

One word: "epic"

Pretty sure it has halted loss in my crown and the areas directly below the crown, though I really have only experienced very minor hair loss in that region to begin with. I still don't fully get why propecia (and rogaine) do jack for the frontal 1/3rd...so lame.

I take partial responsibility for your case of the strip-shakes. Butttt, not full -- re: the warning.... In all seriousness, congrats on completing the most vital step in your hair-restoration journey; working with an elite surgeon should know doubt make you giddy for the soon to be results!