Good hair transplant Surgeons in Southern California???

[omarrodriguez]

Hello All - Is anyone familiar with, or know of any good hair transplant surgeons in the southern california area (primarily Los Angeles, Orange County, Inland Empire, San Bernadino, San Gabriel Valley areas) to recommend to me.

Im looking to get a free consulation, hopefully with a Doctor that you or someone else has had some stellar experience with.

BTW, I am new to all of this and am just starting a regiment and am already sick of the prospects of using topicals, popping pills and doing other treatments for the rest of my life in hopes of sprouting a few baby hairs.

Check out my story.. http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=44703

and anyone that has been through the hair transplant process, maybe you can help shed some light for my situation. From the looks of it do you think it will work for my case? What types of procedures should I be looking at for my hair loss situation? Any other information hair transplant and my situation would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to help this newbie in his depressed hair loss state

 

[Guest]

omar,

IMHO, there is no way you should be considering a hair transplant at this point in time. I read this and other posts on your other thread with your pics and you are asking questions that you should be getting the answers to by PERSONAL RESEARCH.

In addition, you need to really research and understand what DHT is, how it affects hair and the only viable options to slow down its detrimental effect on hair follicles. You will find out that finasteride is the most effective med out there for male pattern baldness, and why do you assume that you will have sexual side-effects when a very high percent of me who take it never have them? Some guys that get the side-effects discover they are temporary and they do go away OR they take it less often.

You need to be examined by a competent reputable hair transplant surgeon and only a doctor can formally give you a diagnosis. I do concur based on your pics that you have diffused thinning throughout the top of your scalp.

Another comment about finasteride. Another poster on your other thread stated that you can take 1mg per day or 5mg per day which did not matter. He is referring to Proscar which is 5 mg per tablet and it SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN AT 5 MG PER DAY FOR TREATING HAIRLOSS (male pattern baldness). Proscar is prescribed for treating the swelling of the prostrate. It should be cut into 4 equal pieces if taking for hairloss which I do myself. But taking it at the level that prostrate cancer patients take it IS DANGEROUS! :freaked2:

It gets back to doing your own homework to know the differences and not attempting to piggyback off someone else's knowledge which could prove disasterous for you. :dunno:

 

[omarrodriguez]

IMHO, there is no way you should be considering a hair transplant at this point in time. I read this and other posts on your other thread with your pics and you are asking questions that you should be getting the answers to by PERSONAL RESEARCH.

Why do you say that I should not be considering a hair transplant at this point?? Is it because of my age? Or is it because I refuse to take these so called miracle drugs finasteride/dutasteride ?? From the posts I have read, there have been individuals that are younger than me that have gone through this procedure. There have also been many individuals that have exhausted the prescription drug route either because it didnt work or because they didnt want to take the drugs, and have chosen the hair transplant route instead. I will explain why I have chosen not to go down the finasteride route in response to your other point below.

In addition, you need to really research and understand what DHT is, how it affects hair and the only viable options to slow down its detrimental effect on hair follicles. You will find out that finasteride is the most effective med out there for male pattern baldness, and why do you assume that you will have sexual side-effects when a very high percent of me who take it never have them? Some guys that get the side-effects discover they are temporary and they do go away OR they take it less often.

That is why I have signed up for forums like these, so individuals like yourself can impart such deep knowledge to newbies like myself. You say that finasteride is the only viable option, but what about revivogen, which has proven through its own studies to reduce scalp DHT @ 90% as opposed to finasteride's 67% DHT reduction. To me this seems like a much more viable option, since sides are not an issue, (or not as bad as an issue as with finasteride users). The reason why I so call "assume" that I might develop sides from using finasteride is the same reason that you "assume" that the alleged Merck's so-called 2% is an accurate depiction of how many individuals do experience these sides. In real life, who knows what the actual numbers are, just from perusing this site and propeciahelp.com, finasteride seems to cause some very major problems. That is also not taking into consideration the number of individuals who have not even come out and disclosed their issues with finasteride products, who knows how many individuals those are. And you say that these sides are temporary, im sure the individuals on propeciahelp.com would beg to differ.

Let's really break down the mechanisms of action of this drug, as it inhibits more than just DHT, shrinks your prostate, messes with neurosteroid production in the brain, can cause gynecomastia and other issues (ie depression) that Merck did not disclose. These are just a few of the sides that can occur in addition to:
* Loss of Libido/Sex Drive
* Erectile Dysfunction
* Loss of Morning / Spontaneous / Nocturnal Erections
* Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, curving, numbness, wrinkled)
* Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
* Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
* Forgetfullness (can't recall names, places etc) / Losing Train of Thought
* Stumbling over Words / Getting Tongue Tied
* Lack of Motivation
* Penis Feels "disconnected" from head or body
* Watery Ejaculate
* Reduced Ejaculate
* Inability to Ejaculate / Orgasm
* Testicular Pain
* Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
* Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
* Persistent or Unexplainable Fatigue
* Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
* Weight Gain

Some of the less common side effects experienced are:
* Blurry vision/acuity decrease
* Lowered body temperature / decreased metabolism
* Decreased Immunity
* Enlarged Prostate (via increased Estrogens after Finasteride use)
* Penile tissue scarring/Peyronie's Disease (this has been confirmed with ultrasounds, by a quite a few Finasteride sufferers, and ultrasounds and Dr. Irwin Goldstein has confirmed that it is possible)
* Lack of blood flow to the penis (confirmed by numerous Urologists)
* Dry/Dark circles under eyes (unknown how Finasteride causes this but reported by many users)
* Pancreatitis (confirmed in a research report from Taiwan)
* Liver damage (elevated AST/ALT levels)
* Muscle Wasting (due to low T levels)

So once again you can tell me this is the most effective drug out there, but at my age, sorry I REFUSE to take that risk! If this is working for you great, I have already read from individuals how taking it after 2,3,4,5,7 up to 10 years have now just started experiencing or are still experiencing sides from this drug. No Thanks...I think im better off with out it, I do not want to be like 22 - 50 year old individuals that i have read about that want to smash their cars into trees to end their lives because their lives have been ruined from finasteride. Hopefully that answers your question.

Another comment about finasteride. Another poster on your other thread stated that you can take 1mg per day or 5mg per day which did not matter. He is referring to Proscar which is 5 mg per tablet and it SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN AT 5 MG PER DAY FOR TREATING HAIRLOSS (male pattern baldness). Proscar is prescribed for treating the swelling of the prostrate. It should be cut into 4 equal pieces if taking for hairloss which I do myself. But taking it at the level that prostrate cancer patients take it IS DANGEROUS!

It gets back to doing your own homework to know the differences and not attempting to piggyback off someone else's knowledge which could prove disastrous for you.

I agree that there are many individuals on this forum that dont have a clue about what they are talking about. That is why knowledgeable individuals on this forum (i.e like doctors, etc.) should really clarify some of the dosages relative to these drugs. There are many individuals out there that take this information as the gold standard without doing their research, and as you say can lead to some very dangerous outcomes! (Trust me - i have been doing plenty of research before I head down any of your or anyones proposed paths)

So Gillenator any other wisdom you would like to disseminate to the masses?

 

[Guest]

Omar,

A couple of things. Yes I do see finasteride being the most effective med available for slowing down the effects of male pattern baldness for most men. I base that opinion NOT on what Merck states, but rather "the mass of men who are taking it". I do not take any drug company's word for anything because they are trying to market thier drugs, just like the manufacturers of Revivogen. Don't put words in my mouth and if you are going to quote me, do it accurately, not what you want it to say to accomodate your position. I never said finasteride was the "only viable option", those are your words. I said it was the most effective that is available for treating male pattern baldness. I never said Propecia had a 2% side-effects occurance rate, you provided that number.

Now, I don't doubt the many side-effects that you listed simply because patients respond to drugs differently which was in fact my point to you, the fact that you MIGHT RESPOND FAVORABLY. Surprise, surprise. I do however respect your right and choice as a patient to not take finasteride. My point is two-fold. Don't just assume that you too will experience all of the side-effects you listed. Further, that list is not representative of the mass of men who are taking finasteride, they are the exceptions. Also, where are you getting your figures from such as finasteride being 67% effective in DHT reduction? That information is not anywhere is the data that supports the actual ongoing clinical trials of Propecia, not that I believe everything it states. For example, Merck states an occurance rate of between 3 and 5% for sexual side-effects which I believe is inaccurate. I do not believe that any more than revivogen removing 90% of DHT from the sebum that contains DHT. Revivogen is a natural product and not a drug so they can literally say anything they want about it because it is not a product regulated by the FDA. I believe it is more marketing hype. WHY? Because if it WERE true EVERYONE would be hearing about it and it would be the talk of the town in the hairloss community like Propecia is, but it's not.

Don't get me wrong, I advocate the use of these natural products IF it fact works for you or any other patient. The same goes for Nizoral, Nioxin, whatever. If it works for you, then by all means use it. I never said the potential side-effects from finasteride ARE temporary, I said they CAN BE temporary which has a total different implication and is based again on the feedback I get from the men who are taking it. You're twisting what I precisely stated. Also remember that there are a number of guys who psychologically convince themselves that they will or are having the side-effects when actually it's more their psyche than actual physical symptoms. Plus, just about everyone they tell INSISTS they will have the side-effects. I hear about it every day.

Please give us the links and/or threads where these patients are driving their cars into trees, wanting to end their lives because of effects of taking finasteride. SO NO, it does not answer ANY question for me because without specific facts that represent the mass of men taking it, it's just heresay on your part, coming across with an extreme negative opinion about it when you have not even fairly tried it. I am always so entertained by people who have such concrete opinions on something they have never tried themselves! You are entitled to whatever opinions you wish to choose, but it's you presenting the unknown questions not me, so don't misunderstand and think I was asking for any clarification of facts.

You asked for more information to disseminate. This is in reply to your last comment. Responsible doctors DO in fact explain the dosages at the time they prescribe any medication, and it is further underscored by the labeling directions on the bottle provided by the pharmacy. Some individuals have "selective hearing" and never follow them. They do what they think is best for themselves and basically discount what a licensed trained doctor tells them regarding how much and how often. OR, they are buying meds online without being examined, diagnosed, and treated by a licensed physician. And it proves another point. I find that many guys who tell me Proepcia is not working or they are having unusual side-effetcs are not taking it "as prescribed". They either don't take enough or they think taking 6 Propecia pills daily will have a better effect on controlling their hairloss.

Any other questions Omar?

 

[omarrodriguez]

Listen gillenator, we can go back and forth quoting each other and trying to bring up relevant information to refute each other's points. You might have the time to do this all day, but frankly, I dont. I already have in a previous post responded directly to comments that you have stated.

It is very simple, I too have been looking at studies (for example, Revivogen study, etc.) to extrapolate pertinent information.

You are veteran poster and im sure a guru of hairloss in these types of forums, however you are not a Dr. and base your opinions on the "mass of men who are taking it" since that is a pretty scientific approach huh? I have been able to critically ascertain information from studies done on finasteride and any other hairloss drugs and have deduced my own opinion; which at this point is that I will exhaust all other possibilities before I get on these meds - and that is solely my prerogative.

Like I said, you can continue to go back and forth and flex your hairloss knowledge might, but all I asked for was some simple information about a hair transplant. I clearly dont need anymore information from you, since you are unable to provide the info that I am looking for.

Have fun refuting this comment and killing this thread 10X over!