Hi I'm 26 and ready with the transplant

[guy]

It's been about 5 years since my hair... sigh. I'm quite sure it was caused by stress from college. In the past 2-3 years, every stroke of my hair with my hands quite a few (5-8) hair fall out. Now the frequency and the amount are much less (2-3). When I come across a mirror the first thing I look is my hair. Okay enough whining, now I have a few questions toward Doctors or experienced members of this forum.

I look like Norwood 3

1. My professional career will start in around September or October. Is it a sufficient time frame to look for a doctor and perform hair transplant from now until September? Or will it be noticeable of a hair transplant performed by September?

2. Neograft caught my attention was shown on Extratv. I know about the FUE and FUT. How many types of procedure are there?

3. For now, FUE looks appealing to me. I called a local office and was told about $7-8 per graft. Without sacrificing quality, what is the average price?

4. Why IAHRS doctors are recommended over other certification?

Thanks

[Winston]

Stress from college wasn’t what caused you to start losing your hair, it’s genetics. Someone in your family passed on the gene for hair loss, plain and simple.
It’s going to take several months to familiarize yourself with what you need to know before you have surgery. You need to know a lot. You should not jump the gun out of desperation and even if you had surgery next month you’ll just be at the point of seeing some decent growth at the 5 or 6 month point.

The Neograft is just a machine that extracts FUE grafts more rapidly. I personally think that it’s been overhyped and I would not pursue any method of hair transplantation based on seeing is on EXTRA. I also wouldn't’ trust someone using a drill like machine to extract my precious hair follicles.

The IAHRS was started by Spencer Kobren, who’s a consumer advocate and a legend in the hair loss world. He wrote a popular book that exposed the hair loss industry called The Bald Truth, so if a doctor gets into the IAHRS it means he’s one the very best.

Have you used Propecia or Rogaine?

[blowmeup]

I’m not sure about the NeoGraft, it sounds very commercial and not something I would do. Kobren is definitely a legend, I only wish I found him earlier. I wasn’t that great looking when I had all of my hair, but losing some of it has made me appreciate what I had before. I like to listen to Kobren’s show every week because it makes me feel like I have a little more control over my situation and my life if that makes sense.
Guy you should post some pictures so you can get some accurate advise about what you can do.

[mattj]

If you had your transplant tomorrow, then you would have most likely gotten past the worst post-transplant period by the time you start your new job, and it could be looking pretty darn good by then. That's not certain though, and it is unlikely you will find a slot with a highly regarded surgeon without waiting a number of months.

This is not something you want to rush into. Don't chose a surgeon based on proximity to you. Find out first whether they consistently produce a high quality of work. Most of the best doctors will have reputations online and part of the process that you must undergo is to dig around and see who can produce the sort of results you want to carry around on your head for all to see for the rest of your life.

[guy]

I went to search for the products that I used previously and I found shampoo, conditioner, and medication from www.Revivogen.com. When I looked at the box today I found that it is not FDA approved. I have also tried some herbal medication as well as sea salt to rub on my head to simulate blood flow prescribed by Dr. Mom. I tried all the above attempts to restore my hair but I saw no dramatic result so I stopped using any products. I have never used Propecia or Rogaine. Honestly I did not have the ability to afford that kind of lifestyle indefinitely so I thought to let it fall out and proceed with a hair transplant later on in life.

I am skeptical to commercials and advertisement on tv as well. Neograft I saw on Extra was not a commercial but rather it was a segment within Extra that I do not believe it was paid by Neograft (http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2010/0...r.php#comments). It was afterward I began googling for related information and thought now would be the best time to perform the transplant. I found several websites including this forum and Greg Benson's youtube video.

I had no intention to perform the procedure at my local office because I did not see his IAHRS credentials. I was purely researching for the price.

My rational that I know for a fact is once start my job I will not have any time for at least the next two years. In addition, if I decide to do the transplant later, the result of before and after would be a more significant difference compare to now.

I know I am impulsive at times, that is why I am consulting with you guys first. This is going to be permanent for the rest of my life and I do not want any regret after.

I would like to read more opinions and I will attach some pictures on my next reply.

Thanks

[hindsight2020]

I had my first HT at 24, continued balding, and now am envious of people who look naturally bald.

I am at a crossroads where I need to pay more money for additional transplants or start scar removal for I can trim my hair down and possibly shave my head like so many naturally balding people do. Either way, I made a quick decision upon graduating college (like you worried about my career, women, ect.) Now that my peers have caught up to the balding process with me, I wish I could go back and just be comfortable with being the first to start balding.

Once you get a HT, especially at a young age, you have to continue to get them as more and more of your natural hair falls out. If not, you will always have scars that show. Make sure you are WELL AWARE of those facts.

[CIT_Girl]

There are two main transplant methods are FUE and FUT. Different doctors have their own variations within these techniques (for example, Dr. Cole’s proprietary technique and instrumentation- CIT) but transplants generally fall into one of two broad types. There are advantages and disadvantages to either method but our clinic advocates FUE/CIT as the superior procedure, particularly for someone under 30 who may want to wear their hair very short without exposing a strip scar or hair growth distortion.

There is definitely a lot of hype surround the Neograft machine but, as other posters have warned, you should probably be cautious. Dr. Cole has seen the Omnigraft (the Asian-version of the machine) in action and witnessed a very slow extraction speed- just slightly over 200 grafts per hour- and a transection rate well over 12%. The 12% figure just corresponds to the actual transection rate; there were additional grafts transected during the extraction process that were then discarded. A live surgery demonstration with the Neograft recently occurred in Orlando. Although Dr. Cole was not present during the demonstration, a number of other physicians were, and have indicated that publicly reported transection rates, and extraction speed, may have been exaggerated. Quite simply, Dr. Cole does not believe that grafts should be removed by mechanical extraction of any means at this time; the mechanical devices currently available lack proven safety records and consistent results.

Graft price will vary depending on the procedure and number of grafts you elect to have. Strip grafts are generally less expensive than FUE grafts and shaven FUE/CIT is less expensive than non-shaven. You can try calling around to different clinics to get an idea of their pricing because the range can be quite broad. I’d say the price you were quoted was in an ‘average’ range, though (again, depending on the procedure).

As everyone will tell you, research is crucial before you jump into anything. I wouldn’t try and constrain yourself to a tight timeline because you could sacrifice quality results for immediate gratification. A good start would be to familiarize yourself with this forum and begin researching the results of various IAHRS doctors. Spencer Kobren is a highly trusted patient advocate and won’t hesitate to expose the shadier sides of this industry, which is why membership in his association is hailed as being so valuable.

Sorry this is so long but you asked a lot of good questions!