NORWOOD 6 members who have had HT surgery

[Artista]

While opening up the forum this morning I saw a HT surgery image done by
Dr.Paul McAndrews, MD
I clicked onto his page here and was impressed by his work. I had not known of him til today.
I went to his site and one of the statements made was
"He does not believe that the responsibility of performing a hair transplant should be handed off to a medical technician..."
Its imperative that all doctors feel that way when performing this type of surgery. When looking for the right clinic - Research research research.
When considering the option of hair transplantation as a NW 6
(or ANY NW scale for that matter ), the most important tool to use is that of 'REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS'
These two image links that I have added here of Dr McAndrews works shows that, if you have realistic expectations and if you are willing to ACCEPT the idea of scalp IMPROVEMENT , then you can be a satisfied individual.
With both of these men here, im sure that if you were to brush their hair at different or at extreme angles, their scalps would be obvious.
It is a matter of acceptance within.

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/album.php?albumid=18

http://www.baldtruthtalk.com/album.php?albumid=79

I am not a shill nor paid to promote Dr McAndrews or any of our forum Doctors. I created this thread to talk about the possibilities of HT surgery for a NW 6 (and all others)
Dr McAndrews , you do some great work out there!

[Notcoolanymore]

Waste of time to be honest.

What is the point of getting HT surgery just so that you are looking like you are balding afterwards?

I am not attacking you or anything, but this is an easy thing for somebody who still has 99% if their hair to say. For a slick NW6, it may be worth it.

[Artista]

Hi Thinkingaboutit I really APPRECIATE your recent comment on your experience .
Its common sense. Thanks

[UK_]

Histogen.

Acell is only as useful as its capabilities of activating the WNT pathway, that's where the signal to (1) form new hair follicles and (2) go into anagen come from (it's a regenerative pathway).

The literature still supports the WNT hypothesis, which many have rubbished over the years with a combined attack on the the companies that are researching this area, funny how while all other companies have fallen, the companies looking into WNT proteins are still conducting trials.

Any HT surgeon will tell you when looking at bald areas with a magnifying device, one can see approximately 80%+ miniaturized hairs, the rest would have either miniaturized below the level of the skins surface or are simply now dormant follicles resting inside the dermis. The factory (follicle) has shut down, and the only way to commence operation (the generation of progenitor cells) is to reactivate a disrupted signal (via WNT signalling).

So WNT signalling may have a positive effect on the 80% minaturized follicles that can still be seen, rescuing those dormant follicles below the skins surface may prove more difficult, but in this scenario, breath-taking coverage would no longer be tough work for even the most inept hair transplant surgeon.

[thinkingaboutit]

I would say I am satisfied. I still don't have the "original" head of hear I had in my late teens. However, that would be unrealistic. However, it has given me a hairline, which has made the world of difference. Your perception definitely changes with age.

I would still want more hair ...but don't we all!

[win200]

Wow, this thread really has grown.

yeah,yeah,yeah,



With all due respect this comment tells me you have no idea what you're talking about. But of course, how could you? You're 28 and a NW2. Bobman was a strong NW6. He may not be able to pull off a Beckham hair style, but he's 40 plus years old and looks fantastic. The point of getting a hair transplant isn't to look like a celebrity or to impress others with how stylish you are. It is to look better overall and to feel better about oneself and Bobman certainly achieved this, in spades.

It's all relative really. Us bald guys just want to not be bald any more. You young'uns want the hairline that you had when you were 18 but your loss is just as bad for you as losing everything was for us.

Joe's comment is dead on. The reality of hair loss changes as you get older and the loss accumulates. If you're a NW6, of course you'll always want that high school hairline... but I have a hunch you'll be ecstatic at the prospect of having a NW2V hairline to frame your face and avoid the "chromedome" look. Also, context matters... as you get older, more and more of your peers will have loss. This won't make things OK, of course, but it'll make you less conspicuous and mitigate the feelings of being singled out. Even at 31, many of my friends are getting to the NW2-3 range, whereas virtually no one was at that phase at 20. And it'll be different still by 35. High Norwoods will always sting, but guys that fall into the NW2-4 camp will have more and more company as time goes by. Different ages, different loss, different goals.

[35YrsAfter]

Waste of time to be honest.

What is the point of getting HT surgery just so that you are looking like you are balding afterwards?

Most younger men have this point of view. I felt the same way myself when I was a teenager and in my twenties. Some men, even in their fifties have this point of view. For instance we had a man come in for a small session of FUE, whose hair looked similar to Ronald Reagan's with the exception of a silver dollar-sized thin spot in the back. To this man, not even a small thinning area was acceptable.

Guys like me for instance who were headed toward a slick Norwood 6 in their thirties can often be satisfied with light coverage and a natural hairline that frames the face. Most of us in that category are satisfied by avoiding being greeted in the mirror by an older, shiny dome, mega forhead version of ourselves. That image in the mirror feels like a downgrade. At least it did to me.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
forhair.com
Cole Hair Transplant
1070 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
The contents of my posts are my opinions and not medical advice
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[Artista]

Hi there Fred' !
Thanks bro'..Have a great day

[fred970]

And I'd be very happy with a diffuse NW5 when I'll be slick bald. Yeah I'm not very demanding, I shave my head. I just want even a faint frame.

I totally understand what you're saying Artista. yeahyeahyeah isn't even balding so, I don't understand his contribution here. When you're bald, adding a few thousand grafts can be a huge improvement. Little hair is always better than no hair.

I cancelled my FUE and I'm now waiting for pilofocus. I hope everything goes right for you with Dr. Wesley Artista!

[Artista]

Hi Yeah' I understand your point of view on this.
It is all a matter of objectivity, perception and what someone would be COMFORTABLE with.
For me, if I could get my scalp improved enough to look as it did back in 2004 (a natural looking NW 3 to 4-ish) Id be comfortable with it.

[yeahyeahyeah]

Scientifically speaking, a hair transplant can NEVER give you back a full head of hair. That is just COMMON SENSE.
If a NW-6 sufferer decides to have hair transplant surgery the objective should be to achieve an IMPROVEMENT and not to HOPE for a full head of hair.
Yes 'good' donor hair numbers are limited depending on each individual.
A qualified and reputable hair transplant surgeon who is experienced and has GREAT artistry concepts could do wonders. A good friend of mine who use to be a NW 6 has a good looking head of hair to this day--NOT a full head of hair...an improved appearance! He is happy.
REALISTIC GOALS for IMPROVEMENT is key.

Waste of time to be honest.

What is the point of getting HT surgery just so that you are looking like you are balding afterwards?

[Artista]

Scientifically speaking, a hair transplant can NEVER give you back a full head of hair. That is just COMMON SENSE.
If a NW-6 sufferer decides to have hair transplant surgery the objective should be to achieve an IMPROVEMENT and not to HOPE for a full head of hair.
Yes 'good' donor hair numbers are limited depending on each individual.
A qualified and reputable hair transplant surgeon who is experienced and has GREAT artistry concepts could do wonders. A good friend of mine who use to be a NW 6 has a good looking head of hair to this day--NOT a full head of hair...an improved appearance! He is happy.
REALISTIC GOALS for IMPROVEMENT is key.

[thinkingaboutit]

I was told by dr wong that i am a nw 6. although the there was still a lot of hair there you could see where the hair was receding too. I had my first ht 11 days ago. sucks im only 21 but hopefully this will wield good results.

Clark Kent, it does suck. However on a positive note, if you have the donor hair and the money, there are solutions out there now that can deal with the problem. When I started going bold at young age of 17-19, it ruined my life, and almost 20 years ago now, the options were also limited in terms of hair transplant technology and medicines etc.

So it does sucks to suffer hair loss. Life is not fair. You just need to accept it for what it is and deal with it and move on.

I hope that helps.

[35YrsAfter]

Robert Hoffman gave a great lecture on Nestin producing follicle stem cells. these cells need very little stimulus to carry on minor regeneration of structure such as nerves and blood vessels. It the right setting, it is not surprising that they can carry out more complex structures such as intact hair follicles.

One not is that in our initial Acell trial we used other pro-inflamatory induces and we got faster growth than we are seeing in our follow up study where we used Acell alone. The combination, as expected, may turn out to be the optimal recipe.

This is why I believe that advances in regenerative medicine will lead to more effective treatments for men in the higher Norwood categories.


35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
forhair.com
Cole Hair Transplant
1045 Powers Place
Alpharetta, Georgia 30009
Phone 678-566-1011
email 35YrsAfter at chuck@forhair.com
I am not a doctor and the content of my posts are my opinions, not medical advice.
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions. Ask for Chuck

[John P. Cole, MD]

I think your result is good, Thinking about it. the photos are a bit blurred, but it seems good. It also appears that your hair is at least medium. Medium and coarse hair will fair better than fine hair. One should always remember to compare apples and oranges.

I think the level of transection probably affect survival of both top and bottom halves of the follicle. A low bisection will probably result in a higher survival for the top half and not as good for the bottom half. A middle cut probably has the best survival for both top and bottom. A top cut probably has a best survival for the bottom half.

i just returned from the Japanese society meeting last weekend in Japan. MOst of the lecture are on basic science here. There was a lot of talk about stem cells including the Japenesse equivalent to the Jahoda/Chritiano study. There is considerable confidence, as well.

Robert Hoffman gave a great lecture on Nestin producing follicle stem cells. these cells need very little stimulus to carry on minor regeneration of structure such as nerves and blood vessels. It the right setting, it is not surprising that they can carry out more complex structures such as intact hair follicles.

One not is that in our initial Acell trial we used other pro-inflamatory induces and we got faster growth than we are seeing in our follow up study where we used Acell alone. The combination, as expected, may turn out to be the optimal recipe.