Hello guys,

Finally it's done!!! I have had my 2nd procedure with Dr. Wong, and words can't explain how happy I am. Everything went as I had hoped. It was an amazing experience and I am very happy with how everything turned out.

Dr. Wong harvested 3522 grafts (initial plan was 3000 grafts). Placement was not exactly same as what we had planed over the phone consultation.

My main goals were to balance the hairline and fill in the crown, but once Dr. Wong saw me in person he advised that we should not touch the hairline since it's already too low and it might be difficult to meet the ends if I lose more hair in the future. So we started working about half cm behind the hairline (see the pictures). Also he advised not to be very aggresive on the crown, but he put enough to cover the thin areas. So the final breakdown was --- 800 singles in the frontal hair line zone (1 inch in from the hairline), about 800 grafts on crown, and rest on top. I think this should give me pretty good coverage to hide the thinning. He said that he can harvest another 2500-3000 more grafts in the future if I ever need to go back.

Also, on the same day I was having the procedure, there was this other fellow who posts on different forum - I think his forum name is iceman. He was having procedure with Dr. Hasson and he ended up getting 7000+ grafts!!

Anyway, Dr. H & W do amazing work, their staff was extremely knowledgable and ofcourse we all know how supportive Joe and Doug are. Thanks everyone at Hasson & Wong.

KG

anuther bruther in wong!

i cant believe your 1 day post-op pics... looks like most peoples 10 day or 1 month!? thats some awesome healing power. im siked to see your progress kg, especially since your 2 months "older." ;-)

ps. great call on my FU count before i even headed to the procedure. nice!

kg,

I hadn't looked at your pics for awhile but couldn't help noticing the similarity in Dr. Wong's strategy for each of us. I had a lot more "real estate" to cover but the placement appears similar. Not sure why I hadn't noticed until now.................anyway, happy growing!

__________________
Hairbank

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's
2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong
3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

My Hair Loss Weblog

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

Hey what's going on guys?? It's been awhile since I have posted. Actually I have been very busy at my new job, and I barely get any chance to hang around here. I hope all you guys are doing well.

I just uploaded my 8 month post-op HT2 pictures. So far so good, but I am little disappointed as I had higher expectations. My hair feels very lifeless, flat and thin.

I am still not very happy with my crown. Although I have already invested about 2200 grafts, I still feel the need to add more to fill in the crown. What's your take on that?

Also, I am thinking about making a switch from Propecia to Avodart. I know lot of you have started taking the Avodart in past few months, how's the experience? Is it working better/worse?

KG

Honestly, you likely will have another 4 to 8 months worth of growth. You have nothing to be worried about. 1 year from today you will look so good. 12 more months... it passes slowly (take the time to start learning something new and you'll be pleased with your new life when the 12 months are over).
That sounds too much like a fortune cookie. Sorry.

It's a numbers game and honestly 2200 grafts is nothing when it comes to the the entire head. Wait a few more months and then decide whether to go for another final one..

John in NC -

I think you're mistaken. My total is 5000 grafts. First procedure was 1500 grafts, 2nd was 3500 grafts. Out of that I had 2200 grafts put in crown which was real thin. I had about 800 put in hairline and about 2000 in 2/3 of the scalp.

KG

kg,

Thanks for posting the updates. The top appears to be coming along fine. Density appears to have increased for your which was the goal. As I have experienced personally, the crown takes a little longer..............I really think you'll see more thickening and growth in the crown up to the 1 year mark or maybe even a little longer.

I think we have a similar situation when it comes to the crown. It seems the Doc's go back to the point where the "whirl" of the crown is but don't drop below to the thinning "U" below if you know what I mean. I think it's assumed that you'll get some sort of coverage there with a little length. I say this because that's what was done with my crown as well. Now, at a little over the 8 month mark for me, I'm still a little thin on the crown but it's coming along.

Your density on top/front is better than mine. The overhead view doesn't show any scalp which is great. You may want to shoot a pic similar to the one you took from the front with the comb lifting up the hair. I think it really provides a great view of actual density.

So far, so good. Keep posting the updates!

__________________
Hairbank

1st HT 1-18-05 - 1200 FUT's
2nd HT 2-15-06 - 3886 FUT's Dr. Wong
3rd HT 4-24-08 - 2415 FUT's Dr. Wong

GRAND TOTAL: 7501 GRAFTS

current regimen: 1.25mg finasteride every other day

My Hair Loss Weblog

Disclaimer: I'm not a Doctor (and have never played one on TV ) and have no medical training. Any information I share here is in an effort to help those who don't like hair loss.

kg, a couple of things: 1st, it is well documented that the crown takes longer to fully mature in some people, so that might be the case here. Again, another 4-5 months will see a truer result.

2nd: It is possible that transplanting in your crown simply accelerated your hairloss in that area, which is a very real possibility.

The good point is you look awesome, and a little thinning in the crown is something we all would like if that was the worst thing that occurred.
If you have a problem though, I recomment calling the clinic and explaining what you are going through, and see what the doc says.
I hope this helps you out and hang in there!

__________________
Go Cubs!

6721 transplanted grafts
13,906 hairs
Performed by Dr. Ron Shapiro

Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Paul Shapiro are members of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians.