Lounk's question on having a mega bht procedure

[topcat]

I have started this thread for Lounk as he is considering a mega bht procedure. Personally I think not only is it risky but I believe it to be unethical for a clinic to perform such a procedure.

I believe smaller bht sessions over time with consistent evaluation along the way provide for both a better and safer outcome.

[caphead]

strategy-more graphs vs. less and after the fact pain

I have started this thread for Lounk as he is considering a mega bht procedure. Personally I think not only is it risky but I believe it to be unethical for a clinic to perform such a procedure.

I believe smaller bht sessions over time with consistent evaluation along the way provide for both a better and safer outcome.

Hi again,

With regard to smaller bht sessions over time with consistent evaluation along the way. I agree with Topcat, this is optimal. However, in my case, I have chosen a different strategy. I wish to get as much done as can be accomplished judiciously. Obviously, in Louck's case travel distance is a huge factor. Secondly, I don't want this spreading out over the next 10+years. I would like it over with. If I do 500 to 1000 graphs at a time and need 7000 +/- graphs, I would be in for the duration. I want to get on with this and move beyond. Besides the travel, the injections are painful but with careful planning can be mitigated to a much more tolerable level (as Dr. Umar has done for me on my most recent procedures). I have not had body hair transplants, so I do not know what the pain is like compared to head and beard injections. My understanding through Topcat is that they tend to sting even more than the hair and beard injection. Is it safer to continually year and year out inject your head and other body parts with the combination anesthesia protocol or would it be better to utilize larger procedures to limit the amount of times one would need injections? Of course, thinking that everytime you inject you are causing trauma. Convenience factors-I think this goes without saying: Shaved head, skipping events, shockloss and/or infection, wearing a hat all the time. Let me also add, that it is more than likely that you will have to go back again and perhaps again for the final result you are happy with. I am not kidding here. Do you have 3 trips to India worked into the plan? You very well could have one larger procedures and 2 smaller ones. Just depends on the amount of work needed to be done and the areas the work needs to be done on. Scars, for instance, might need 2 or more cracks at it.

Regarding after the fact pain. I concur with your analysis that fue is less traumatic regarding after the procedure pain. However, you are getting a lot done in one week. Like are you really planning to wear a hat? You could be kind of messy and it could be a real hassle caring for all these newly placed graphs. Pain is probably something at this stage that could be mitigated. However, getting on the flight from India to Az. the next day is in my view, is probably not a good plan with hat on head.

Also, I am not trying to dismiss in any way any other Dr's who practice body/beard hair transplants and their skill level. I have not had work performed by them so I am do not think I am qualified to give informed feedback rather than conjecture. Thus I can only speak about Dr. Umar with regard to repair. I have presented a multitude of repair problems for Dr. Umar to work through. I am most pleased regarding my progress and I am thinking that we might very well accomplish what I thought was impossible just over a year ago.

I reached out to you because I was in a similar situation. I also looked at this decision on what to do and where to go with trepidation.

I have no horse in this race. If one Dr. would have had a real and verifiable method for donor regeneration- hair cloning or hair multiplication, I would have gone to India and back. I don't see this happening to date. And I don't want to wait another 5 years like I've heard for the last 30 years. If one Dr. had accomplished the holy grail of donor regeneration -don't you think that many brilliant Drs would soon have it too. In my view, this news would have traveled fast. Having no holy grail of donor regeneration, I sought out the best of the best for what these experts thought they could do for me. I was told by one that I was not a candidate for them and another suggested they could perhaps maybe do a small FUT procedure-no beard though. However, Dr. Umar gave me real hope for accomplishing even more than I thought possible. This really pleasantly surprised me.

I wish you the best.
Baseballcap
btw...you might want to check the pricing again for treatment during this summer...

[Lounk61]

Thanks for opening the thread topcat and thanks for your input caphead. Are you talking about pricing this summer with Umar? You think his cost would be lower? Also as far as getting as much work done as possible in one visit, Umar wanted to do 7,500 grafts over a week period using scalp, beard, chest, and maybe other body hair. Placing 7,000 from front to back on scalp and 500 to fill in some fut scars. He also told me I would be done after that. It would be my final procedure. Also told me definitely not to get any more fut work. That was last year. Besides the cost being too much for me I felt after listening to advice including yours topcat, and researching that maybe that was too much work to have done in one shot and I should take it slow. So I went back to my ht doc here about 6 months ago and got another fut of about 800 grafts which is all she could get from scalp donor and an fue of about 200 from the nape and 20 beard hair to test all to the front and sides and All of which is growing in now. Wish I would have listened to Umar and not gotten another fut. So in the last 1-1/2 years I've had 3200 fut grafts, 200 fue from nape area, and 20 beard as a test. That's besides my original 1200 or so useless plug grafts from the 1970's when I was about 27. In retrospect, for an NW6 like myself, would have been better off I believe going to Dr Arvind in India to have only fuse work done with scalp, beard, and body hair in a large session. I would have saved time and money with a better outcome. I believe I have wasted the last 1-1/2 years with the work I've had done asthetically speaking. So to topcat I say yes, slow and conservative is optimum but it depends in my opinion on each individuals personal situation and circumstance. Leaving me now in my present situation with a major decision to make. Again if I could afford Umar I would not consider going to India to Dr Arvind. I believe their skills are comparable and trust both to do good work. Any experienced input would be appreciated.

[caphead]

adding

Why not call his office to inquire? What have you got to lose. :-)

bbc

[Lounk61]

I'll call but I'm pretty sure he is at $8 a pop. He'd have to drop to $4 for me to go with him. You have any connections?

[topcat]

Lounk may I ask why you now regret having that last strip session, just curious.


Personally I think once someone has experienced both types of procedures rarely does one choose strip again.

[caphead]

sorry -no on the connection front-just like everybody else

I'll call but I'm pretty sure he is at $8 a pop. He'd have to drop to $4 for me to go with him. You have any connections?

Hi Lounk61: I think that perhaps you are misunderstanding me.
As I mentioned before, I have no horse in this race. What I meant by that is I have no connection, no affiliation, and pay the same price as everybody else.

I happen to check in the websites periodically. I ran across you. I saw a man in turmoil trying to figure a proper course of action of which I had some very personal experience.

I'm just like everybody else here when I was looking for a solution. The difference as I see it, is that I think I have found that very solution. It's slower than I wish, it costs time, energy and money. However, it already has been well worth it and I am yet to realize the benefit of my second set of procedures.

If you hear anything I am saying please listen to what Dr. Umar told me specifically as I was seeking advise, doing consultations, and trying to decide what could be done if anything at all. I think Dr. Umar put it very succinctly to me. "You have little margin for error." And I heard his warning.

Do you have little margin for error too?

best to you,
baseballcap

[Lounk61]

I appreciate your input. Thought you might be able to get me a better price from Umar. Just a shot. I don't have much room for error and that is why I'm taking time to make my decision. I will call Umar again to see if He can do better. We'll see.

[Lounk61]

For 800 grafts I didn't need another scar and painful recovery. Also the total procedure yielded about 1000 grafts 800 fut and 200 fue and as far as I can see it won't make that much of a difference asthetically speaking. I will need much more work to make a difference so I should have gone for a much bigger procedure using beard and body hair. I will have to do that now anyway. Would have saved me time, money, and pain.

[topcat]

Lounk keep us posted on what you decide to do. My only issue here is that you have not posted even one picture which is a way of helping others. I think it is very bad karma to only use the forums for help without trying to help others. You might have easily avoided this additional strip by posting pictures beforehand as others might have chimed in advising not to take that road. Patient posted pictures also help others make better decisions so it’s important to take that time.


If you need help posting pictures just let me know and I will do whatever I can on my end to help you out. I know at first it can be confusing but once you get the hang of it uploading pictures is very easy.

[Lounk61]

First of all Topcat, I am not using this forum only only to get help. I have participated in this forum to to share my experience and to learn about other peoples experiences and to give my input which might be helpful to some. Most people with hair loss problems and experiences do not participate in any forums. As for pictures, while posting your pictures has been helpful and I commend you for that, it is a personal choice. Has nothing to do with good or bad karma. I stated in a previous post that I would post before and after pics when I'm done. And as far as being helpful to the community, I will take the time to post the decision I make as to what and where my procedure will be and what type of work will be done just like I've taken the time to participate in this forum over the past year and a half or so. Don't want any bad Karma following me around.

[topcat]

Hey I respect your honest reply that's exactly how it should be. Hope it works out for you whatever you decide to do and if you move forward I look forward to seeing the pictures.

You have been very civil and maybe just a little frustration on my part on what on see going on in this industry. Sometimes what I see makes absolutely no sense and there is no need for it but some of these guys are just so greedy for money that they have become completely blind. They like to think repair patients are bitter when in fact many of us are not but what we are bitter about is what we see them doing to others today.

And what really bothers me are all these patients that contact me and tell me this doctor butchered them or this rep told them to do this. None of these guys are coming forward to tell anyone or post there pictures so they are in fact helping no one but themselves. So of course this starts to wind me up after a while as they are the ones that can force change and I can't post their experience for them.

[Lounk61]

Understood. The only real screwing I got was with the plug transplants in the 70's. The last 2 fut ht's were well done but not asthetically helpful because I will need much more grafts. The strip scars are very small and the hair is growing in. I have not gone through what you went through. If I do go to India and Dr Arvind I know I am taking a risk. I have done much research and hope to make the right decision and that things turn out satisfactory for me. Just wish there was a doc in the states who was experienced and reasonably priced for the work I have to have done. And topcat, you can get screwed from any profession, from plumber, electrician, auto mechanics, to priests, doctors, and lawyers. You have to be as educated as possible and aware of possible pitfalls and even after all of that you can still get screwed. That's the imperfect reality we live in. That being said, I enjoy life.

[topcat]

I agree I try to deal with people I know are of high moral character or become as educated on a process as possible. This whole experience for me personally has been very good in many ways as I have not been to a doctor in almost 30 years and I am just more aware in general and have been able to help many others with that awareness. I have also gotten to the point where the hair is no longer a big deal and more of a story to tell others and a lesson learned. Of course if I can fix it I will do the best I can but that’s more of a personality trait of mine. As I get older I seem to care less about the hair and more about what I see happening around me.

I think most would agree that with medical procedures there should be zero tolerance for any type of deception and when it rears its head it should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law with maximum penalties imposed wealth confiscated and prison time served regardless of if we are talking about cancer or hair transplantation.

[Lounk61]

If I was back in the 70's I would have sued the doc's who who did the plug transplants on me. Those type of ht's should never have been allowed to be used in the first place. Doc's of all kinds got into it and made tons of money while screwing so many with false hopes and terrible outcomes. I just believed and trusted them. They were doctors and professionals after all. Like you I learned the hard way. It's still happening today but hopefully more people get educated about the Dr's and the different procedures before they get work done. There are a lot of honest and skilled Dr's doing good ht work. So buyer be ware. Good luck to you on your journey.