Scar Grafting with Dr Cole

[gillenator]

jetfan,

One other thing. I joined this community six years ago. My YTD posts are 1200. Divide 6 years into 1200 and you get 200. Divide 200 by 12 months and you get 16.67 posts per month or 4 posts per week.

Someone who posts an average of 4 posts per week is hardly someone interested in earning an income from it.

Even the math tells all...

[VictimOfDHT]

Thanks again, Northeast and thanks Gillenator for sharing your story and for offering to help. I just want to say that I'm not saying that hair loss is worse than cancer because I know it isn't, however, this is what my point is : I don't have cancer. What that means is that I DON'T know and I'd NEVER know what it would be like to have cancer UNLESS it happens to me. It is not possible for someone who doesn't have something to feel it. But what he will feel is what he actually has (whatever ailment or whatever that's causing his suffering). That's just the way we are. This is like telling someone who's lost a finger to not cry and complain because the guy next to him lost half of his arm. And telling the guy who lost half his arm not to complain because another guy lost his whole arm, and telling the guy who lost his arm to just be happy and thankful because another guy lost both of his hands..... It just doesn't work this way. Yes, the guy who lost a finger is in a much better place compared to the guy who lost both hands BUT at the end of the day he doesn't know what it feels like to have lost both hands, and the fact that someone else has lost both hands doesn't actually take away the fact he's lost a finger and he'd have to deal with the consequences and his own problems....

If we all sat down and just started comparing our problems with those of others around us we would have NO problems any more and suddenly our lives would be cream and peaches. Yeah so what I'm blind in one eye? That guy is blind in both. So what I've lost 2 kids? That guy lost 3 kids.... Right? No. I don't think that's how things work no matter what people say. Yes I know, some people are much stronger and can take sh*t and still have a smile but not all of us can. This is just another fact. Again, if hair loss hadn't bothered me in the way it did I would not have run to get HT after another and spent $22000.

And yes I don't have cancer but I've already lost my life (in many other ways). You guys don't know the amount of suffering and hardships -not hair loss related- I've gone through just about all my life, yet I kept going although barely. But this hair loss hell is the one I cannot deal with. I have been living like a hermit for many many long years. No social life or whatsoever. No dating and no women. Not even male friends except one. Looking for a decent job isn't even an option for me because I'm held hostage by my battle with hair loss and all the HTs... Like I said before, my whole life has literally been on hold for the past 15 years and now looks like forever. I can't go into all the details about all the things that are happening in my life and that are a direct outcome of my hair loss hell but all I can say is my life isn't better than a life of a prisoner. Yes, he's alive (in a cell) but what good is that? Add the mental anguish (in my case).

I know we could go back and forth on this forever and neither one would probably accept the other's opinion but unfortunately, for me it is what it is. Yesterday I went to see my doctor and told him about what's happening for the first time. He prescribed some anti-depressant and he's going to try to find my a psychiatrist but he said it would take a long time to see someone, if ever. Meanwhile I'm waiting for some counseling. I don't know if any of that will help though if I continue to lose my hair...

Anyway, I'd still would love for a doctor here to give his opinion/advice on what's happening in my case and if there's anything at all I can do to try and hold on to the hair I have left.

Thanks all for the replies. I hope we all realize we're here to at least talk about problems whether we agree on how we see things or not.

[gillenator]

Victim,

It takes a lot of courage to share you inner feelings in the place that you are.

And listen my friend, that's a good start. As hard as it is, and believe me I know firsthand, things will get better.

One thing that I have observed from folks that suffer from hair loss, is that there is a broad range of psyche involved. The same is true about people dying of cancer or someone who has lost both legs.

Roughly two years ago I met a young man at Walter Reed Nat'l Medical Center here in DC who was 32 years old, an Army Sergeant who lost both legs and one arm from an IED explosion in Afghanistan.

For the first year or so, all I did was sit in silence, no words. I waited and silently just prayed. He clearly was not interested in conversing but eventually every time I asked him if he wanted to be alone, most times he shook his head no. So I stayed.

One day, his wife stopped me as I walked my way down the corridor to the elevators , and she said, that was a huge step for him to acknowledge his feelings.

She was an angel. She knew and believed he would eventually talk but it had to be on his terms. So we all waited.

Eventually he said hi to me and said thank you. That's it. But that was enough for him and certainly enough for his wife.

I still visit him but now he has prosthetics and going through some very difficult physical therapy. Present day he is talking and even has a dry sense of humor.

He has come a long way and still has a long way to go.

Just start from wherever you are and try to keep your mind focused on getting better.

It's a start Victim, don't worry about tomorrow too much because tomorrow will come and each day is a move in the right direction.

I wish you peace my good friend. And you have two friends now...

[gillenator]

Victim,

One other thing that you may want to consider when you are ready. Your handle is "Victim". As long as you call yourself Victim, might there be the chance that you will always see yourself as a victim?

If you give yourself a more positive name, it may help you to see yourself as someone different such as "MovingFoward" or "FormerVictim".

Just a thought...

[jetfan11]

I am not trying to start some argumentative thread here but we can agree to disagree on a lot of things. You get paid 1100 dollars a month by HT docs who perform a surgery that has an extremely high probability of ending in disaster. Some right away some down the line. Because you dont make much money doing does not absolve you. Maybe it makes you feel important or knowledgeable? Maybe you want to help people? Either way its irrelevant. There is no question about that. I mean this site is paid for by the docs to promote hair transplants and its littered with tortured souls trying desperately to live a normal life. You need to take a good look at yourself and stop justifying your role here. To quote my last post "some guy here is going to be swayed by your advice and end up regretting the rest of his life you will have played a hand in his demise"

And if you sleep at night knowing your presence on here is without a doubt swaying people to get this procedure thats on you. Because its veiled as "patient advocate" or "do your research" means nothing. Every high profile doctor have patients that get bad growth and bad scars. If you blame it on the patient then shame on you thats very low. If you have been on here 10 years and can only imagine the # of guys who got horrible results because of your input here. You can get angry, deny that very fact but its true. Completely true. Strip surgeries are a dirty dirty business. Many end in failure or a ruined life. Thats a fact. Nobody knows this better than you being in around the business for so long.

I realize there are fantastic results. But for every amazing result Id venture to guess there is at least 1 disaster. The good result doesnt outweigh what this surgery can do to peoples lives. Look at this Victim guys thread.

Is it ok NE guy has 2 scars on his head probably never probably had a decent look with 5 transplants because someone else had a good result?

Is it ok this victim guy wants to kill himself because somebody else had a good transplant?

You need to look in the mirror and ask yourself these questions as you promote transplants for these docs.

As for the scars most of it is not due to surgeon skill. Its do to patient physiology. My brother in law is a prominent NYC plastic surgeon and he has confirmed this. I have also done much research and talked to lots of high end HT docs and they agree. Why do you think the best surgeons can have some amazing scars and some horrible scars. Moreover very few people get 1 transplant. Opening and closing those scars 2 3 times is asking for disaster no matter how good surgeon is.

Look I do believe that you think you are doing a good deed here. And there is some merit to researching this surgery beforehand and having someone like you be knowledgeable about the risks and conveying that. But doing these surgeries is very risky its a game of russian roulette. Ive read your posts and they are much more to side of promoting transplants than playing russian roulette.

If you want to be an honest advocate here are the things that can go wrong and go wrong everyday in strips feel free to use this exact list when you are acting as an "independent patient advocate":

1-poor growth
2-need for multiple surgeries
3-stretched scars inability to cut hair short
4-shock loss of existing hair that may not grow back
5-shock loss of donor hair
6-thinning of donor hair reduced blood flow beneath the scar
7-Once you do a strip you may never be able to cut your hair short
8-you may lose the rest of your hair irregardless of propecia
9-if you maintain propecia your dick could stop working and the hair around your transplants can fall out
10-transplants are not permanent donor zone hair thins too
11-most people dont have enough donor hair 8000 grafts max over 2 or 3 surgeries wont give you a full head of hair

I could probably make the list a lot longer and you know it.

Bottomline this is risky business and all I ask of you is to take a long hard look at your role here and see it for what it really is. We all have to be challenged by other people to see the truth. You seemed very angry in your response. Sometimes those who anger us and challenge us do the most good for us in our lives. I believe you are a good person and I believe you think you are doing good here. The reality is you are doing more harm than good. You can dismiss me and get angry or you can challenge yourself to see the truth in what I am saying.

Again Id implore you to take a big step back and ask yourself the question

"How many men on here took my advice and ended up getting a transplant and how many of them are miserable because of it?"

[chicago99]

I vote that we get back on target with what this thread is about. We are lucky that NEguy is willing to share his story and I would hate to see him walk away from this thread because it has turned into a debate about strip vs fue or any other topic other than grafting into strip scars

[northeastguy]

Thx NE guy,

I hope so. The following docs told me "no way" hair would grow in that scar:

Bernstein
Hasson
Feller


So it kind of makes me less optimistic. When I look at your pics I want to cancel the vbeams and just go do this tomorrow! If I could get somewhere between a 2 and 4 clip even if it took 3 or 4 years I would be ecstatic. Doesnt even have to look perfect just enought to move on from this would be just fine with me!

Jetfan, I was told the same thing. Hair grows in scars. Period. At a high yield too. When a transplant Doctor tells you hair doesn't grow in scars, he's saying He can't get hair to grow in scars. One of my consults involved a Doctor to remain nameless, that told me the exact same thing you were told. He then proceeded to discuss doing another strip surgery that would increase the with and length of the upper scar. Your doing the right thing.

[northeastguy]

I vote that we get back on target with what this thread is about. We are lucky that NEguy is willing to share his story and I would hate to see him walk away from this thread because it has turned into a debate about strip vs fue or any other topic other than grafting into strip scars

I won't be walking away anytime soon... I certainly don't mind debates that arise. It's healthy. I just wish these forums existed 20 years ago.

Anyway, I'll soon be posting some donor site photo's of my neck. I won't have any shots of my head for 3-4 months so certainly don't mind other topics popping up.

[jetfan11]

scars

Jetfan, I was told the same thing. Hair grows in scars. Period. At a high yield too. When a transplant Doctor tells you hair doesn't grow in scars, he's saying He can't get hair to grow in scars. One of my consults involved a Doctor to remain nameless, that told me the exact same thing you were told. He then proceeded to discuss doing another strip surgery that would increase the with and length of the upper scar. Your doing the right thing.

Im in. Just want to get this scar in the best position possible for growth first. The way I see it if I get good growth over a few procedure and I can cut my hair short I dont want to look back and say I wish I took my time and got the red out 1st. So Im sold I think its my best option. I like Dr Cole. Im giving it a go.

[jetfan11]

thread

I vote that we get back on target with what this thread is about. We are lucky that NEguy is willing to share his story and I would hate to see him walk away from this thread because it has turned into a debate about strip vs fue or any other topic other than grafting into strip scars

Thats cool didnt mean to hijack the thread. Just cant stand to see this guy play the concerned soldier here and take money HT surgeons and promote them at the same time on other parts of this site. Hes obviously long since justified this to himself and doesnt realize the hypocrisy of it so we'll just leave it alone. And I agree these threads are great a lot of good guidance for repair.

[jetfan11]

scar grafting

Jetfan, I was told the same thing. Hair grows in scars. Period. At a high yield too. When a transplant Doctor tells you hair doesn't grow in scars, he's saying He can't get hair to grow in scars. One of my consults involved a Doctor to remain nameless, that told me the exact same thing you were told. He then proceeded to discuss doing another strip surgery that would increase the with and length of the upper scar. Your doing the right thing.

I remember you saying that earlier in the thread how hair wouldnt grow in the scar. Im all in. Im going to give it a shot. The way I look at it. If I do a test patch and have permanent scars then I just stop and then do a revision. If I do a 1000 graft session and get a 30% yield Ill just stop. In those scenarios I cant go backwards. I cant make my situation worse.

If it doesnt work thats ok. No harm no foul.

A revision that could a make my scar worse or B shock out more donor hair is too scary for me at this point.

Even if i did 4 beard hair sessions and it took 4 years to cut my hair short...Im ok with that just some patience and no risk of making it worse.

Seriously though thanks for posting this stuff. I honestly get down sometimes and stare it your pics with a 2 guard to cheer myself up.....and i fancy myself a tough guy!

[northeastguy]

I remember you saying that earlier in the thread how hair wouldnt grow in the scar. Im all in. Im going to give it a shot. The way I look at it. If I do a test patch and have permanent scars then I just stop and then do a revision. If I do a 1000 graft session and get a 30% yield Ill just stop. In those scenarios I cant go backwards. I cant make my situation worse.

If it doesnt work thats ok. No harm no foul.

A revision that could a make my scar worse or B shock out more donor hair is too scary for me at this point.

Even if i did 4 beard hair sessions and it took 4 years to cut my hair short...Im ok with that just some patience and no risk of making it worse.

Seriously though thanks for posting this stuff. I honestly get down sometimes and stare it your pics with a 2 guard to cheer myself up.....and i fancy myself a tough guy!

Hmmm I don't remember saying hair won't grow in a scar. Perhaps it was misread? Anyway, take it slow in the first pass and evaluate growth and scarring. If all goes well, you can always pick up the pace with the subsequent passes.

[northeastguy]

Got a good laugh at this....

http://screen.yahoo.com/comedy/bald-badass-two-easy-steps-213441012.html

[jetfan11]

scar growth

Hmmm I don't remember saying hair won't grow in a scar. Perhaps it was misread? Anyway, take it slow in the first pass and evaluate growth and scarring. If all goes well, you can always pick up the pace with the subsequent passes.

Sorry NEguy I meant to say I remember you saying that prominent drs told you hair wouldnt grow in a scar not you saying that. You are living proof of it!

[jetfan11]

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