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Going for repair at Shapiro Medical Group.

Bigmac

Bigmac

Administrator
Staff member
Hope everything goes to plan for you, best of luck.
 
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thincity

Valued member
Thanks SadbutTrue! Westcoaster, thanks SMG did an awesome job with the mini-grafts they removed and reused last time. I had no scarring at all. These are towards the right rear of the crown and while providing some coverage, I cannot have my hair any shorter. I'd rather have low or no density in this area as opposed to the plugs. I think very light density in the gap will make a big difference. Thanks TC! Thanks BM!
 
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Dazzster26

Valued member
Hi Mate


All the very best wishing you great recovery and growth , will watching out for the updates


Have a great week end


Dazz
 
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thincity

Valued member
Hi Dazz,

Thank you for your well wishes. I am probably the last person on the planet without a smart phone, but I plan on getting one next week. This will allow me to take more frequent pictures. I looked at your most recent pictures, looks great, you are a very fast grower!
 
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Haribo44

valued member
Hi Thincity. Your hair looks superb. Have you had any concerns that your hairloss will outstrip your available donor if you continue to loose more hair?
 
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thincity

Valued member
Hi Haribo44, Thanks for the compliment. The short answer is yes. I use Rogaine Foam nightly and take 5mg Proscar daily, and I have held my ground and had some very minor regrowth. Dr. Ron indicated that I have roughly 2k grafts left via strip. At the beginning of my transplant history, no thought was given or offered regarding long tern planning.
 
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Haribo44

valued member
Thanks Thincity. It's reassuring to know you've held your ground with your regime.
 
bullitnut

bullitnut

4 awesome repairs with SMG
thincity wrote:
I use Rogaine Foam nightly and take 5mg Proscar daily, and I have held my ground and had some very minor regrowth.
Its awesome that you have held your ground and have some donor left in the bank, i am curious though, have you had any sides from 5mg Proscar daily and do you feel it has helped more?....i only ask because most take a lower dose dude;)
Hope your well BN
 
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thincity

Valued member
Hi Bullitnut, I took quartered Proscar for many years. I wasn't using Rogaine back then, and I was still losing ground. I take the 5mg dose due to my prostate, I had sides some sides at first, but they have all faded. I believe I have been on the 5mg dose for at least five years. I think the combination of the two is working. With the exception of the pictures that SMG took, I have no good comparison pictures.
 
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Haribo44

valued member
Do you think the 5mg dosage is more effective at maintaining your hair?
 
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thincity

Valued member
Hi Haribo44, In my opinion, yes, for me the 5mg dose was more effective. However, as I previously posted, I was not using Rogaine Foam when on the lower dose. I really cannot say which single treatment is best, as I seem to still be mostly holding my ground, I'll continue both. I recently read some blogs on Dr. Raymond Konior's website (by him) that I found very educational. They are on different topics such as,medical treatment, diet, stress, pros and cons of FUT or FUE etc. I will be getting a haircut in ten days, and I will post some current pictures after that. Last year I opted for a different hair style, shorter on the sides and longer on top, parted off to one side. I get far better coverage (The shingling effect I believe Joe Tillman or Spex wrote about) When going this short on the side and back, my worse scar on the right side is slightly visible, but I think its a fair trade off for better coverage up top. My hairline is weak, and I still have the slight gap in the center, although the existing hairs in this area have thickened and darkened in color (I have used the foam in this area for four years)
 
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Haribo44

valued member
Thanks for the detailed reply. I've never heard of the shingling effect before, it sounds like a good idea. Will it be visible to the eye in your pictures once your hair is cut?
Will check out Dr Konoirs website too.
 
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thincity

Valued member
Hi Haribo44, the shingling effect is in essence "a comb over" but not a real one as there is some hair there. Yes it will be visible as is its just longer hair parted off to the side, giving the illusion of more coverage. I continue to read all available information on hair loss and current and potential treatments.
 
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Haribo44

valued member
Thanks Thincity. Dr Konoir looks like he produces good work.
 
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thincity

Valued member
Uncle Plugs, they were not true plugs, they were large mini-grafts taken via strip. All the poor work was done by Chambers Hair Institute, which had clinics in many states.
 
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thincity

Valued member
Good morning, everyone, I had really wanted to post when I hit my 10-year mark (February 2022) post repair with Dr. Ron Shapiro. Right around that time Russia invaded Ukraine, and after watching the horrible suffering going on, I felt it was really just not appropriate to comment on hair. I'm not super happy with the way things are with my hair, and quite frankly only by using Rogaine Foam (generic) and Redken hair product can I make my hair look decent. The foam actually makes my hair look thicker, and without it, I'd really be much worse off. I'm still using Proscar but down to a 2.5 mg dose per day and of course the foam once very day. I most definitely would benefit from additional work, but fear that my loss will become worse, and I may need every single graft just to keep my current coverage from looking even worse. My hair is now totally gray/silver so that does work in my favor, and the foam dries light gray, so it does tend to reduce the scalp to hair contrast.
Dr. Ron had wanted me to come back for the removal of the remaining mini-grafts (in the crown) and that is something I should have done. The current financial state of our Country also makes any repair at this time much harder. As I had often posted, I wish I had been able to go Dr. Ron, first before having to have a repair with him. My old work was just awful, and his repair did help. I'm going to think about posting some pictures in the very near future, as it's good to see long term results. I do read here occasionally, and a few select other sites. I was horrified to see a recent supposedly FUE that was done, that frankly looks like the bad work I had with mini grafts. I know there are a great many reputable transplant surgeons out there, but it's still shocking to see terrible work still being done. I hope everyone else is doing well and keeping up the fight.
 
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