Okay, it's been years since I had a HT and it was from Bosley, which explains my nervousness this time. I've booked with Dr. Ron Shapiro but have been going back and forth between Dr. Shapiro and Dr. Hasson of Hasson & Wong.

I've consulted with both - H&W online and Shapiro over the phone. I think Matt at Shapiro is great and he took about 45 minutes with me on the phone. He wasn't pushy at all, but very helpful. H&W suggested approx. 1,000 - 1,500; Shapiro 1,000 - 2,000. (See M&M under Photo Albums to see what I currently look like).

First time admitting this, but I was actually ready to book with H&W when I was 'put on hold' and then told they will call me back (while I was trying to finalize a date). End result - They never did call back, nor did they email me back, so I consulted with Shapiro and decided to go with them.

As the date nears, I get nervous. I would like one final HT to make the hairline thicker and more natural. I was reading another entry that said (by Hairbank, I think) that if you are going for 3-4,000+, then you should go with H&W, otherwise, there are 5 top ones to consider. Clearly, Shapiro would fall into that category.

The H&W site has much better photos shown, while Shapiro is reported to be the master of hairlines and he does not require me to shave down. Since I only have about 5 days to recover (seven with the weekend), I can't afford to have to shave my existing hair. I'd honestly rather have two smaller sessions than one larger session, if it prevented me from having to shave down. Furthermore, thanks to Bosley, I couldn't shave down without exposing prior donor scarring.

Final point - I have a wedding to attend in late August. Any issues or recommended 'no later than' timelines to adhere to in order to avoid shockloss at the wedding?

I'm open to feedback and suggestions.

And to Pat - THANK YOU for this site!! It has certainly opened up my eyes and I intend to fully document my progress in the hope of helping others as much as I have been helped.

You only worry is because your first bad ht, You have done your research and consultated with the best docs worldwide, soon this will be behind you, you have taken all the right steps. just time and process ahead of you

what do you mean by 5 days to recover?....you do know that the staples are still gonna be there right?

I had a procedure on 4.5.06 with Dr. Shapiro...tomorrow is day 15 and Im gettin the staples out....might post some pics of the donor area tomorrow after the removal....

Also, I dont know the date you booked, but Im gonna log my progress as I go....everyone is different, but youll get some idea of a timeline...

Good luck man, and you are in good hands with Doc.

Thanks guys!

Troy - you bring up a good point as to why I'm nervous. I wish I waited, but at least I did find this site eventually vs. those still 'in the dark'.

Johnnie69 - look forward to the photos. Yes, I know the staples will still be there, but my existing donor hair should be able to cover that up and - with some styling effort - I should be able to also hide the recipient area.