Hey Bill. Thanks for the advice. =)

As you know, the donor scar was my biggest concern before making the decision to go forward. After surgery, I took every precaution I could think of.

For guys like you and I who practically live at the gym, its been really tough not to go hit the weights, but I haven't been in 2 months (since 2 weeks before surgery). I've also been trying to sleep on my back when I normally sleep on my side, and I even bought special mirrors for my car so I could see my blind spot without having to turn my head around while driving. Just to be safe, I even gave up paintball for a while (ouch!). lol

I say all this just to illustrate that I have and will continue to play it as safe as possible when it comes to my donor area.

Matt Zupan was actually teasing me a little when he was taking the pictures right after I got my staples out, because I didn't want to bend my head forward so he could get a shot of the top. =)

One thing I will agree with you on is that SMG is taking very good care of me. I sent an email to Janna about my concerns and got a reply within an hour, assuring me that even in the worst case scenario, they could preform a scar excision. I asked if they would charge me for that, and her answer was "Of course not. We will do whatever it takes to make sure you are happy with your procedure."

For anyone who doesn't know about Janna or SMG, this level of care is pretty normal, but I thought I'd mention it anyway. =)

Hope I don't have to take her up on it though. =/

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-Steve

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I don't work for a doctor.
Got 2700 fu from Ron Shapiro, 11-30-7

Yeah that level of care is normal to them, but not to alot of other places. They went above and beyond what I expected.

Steve,

Normal to worry--I also did about my scar. You'll be good. I personally believe what you are seeing is possibly still a little bit of swelling along the incision, combined with redness giving it a wider presentation. I was told by Dr. Shapiro that all would change after time and sure enough my scar is already looking much much better at 5 months. Relax man. All will be good.

Emu,
Listen my friend try to calm down and give this whole ht thing at least a full year, remember?!?!?? I know its tough we all did our research and we have read these kind of threads before, but when we actually go through this we tend to forget what we learned. I can probably tell you, at least for me, it got worse before it got better. If it helps look at my blog, I take close exposing donor scars every month. In my opinion my scar has gotten smaller but it is still quite pink. Besides everyone heals different, we both went into this procedure so sure of Dr. Ron Shapiro's amazing hairline work, that we made our donor scar a major concern. I think we play mind games with ourselves and we get worked up over it. Listen its a scar in you skin and it takes time to heal, especially if your like me and not using anything like "maderma". I hope in 6-7 months we can look back at this time and laugh. I am in no way doubting Dr. Shapiro or anyone else at Shapiro Medical group, personally no one else will ever touch my head besides those people, they are great. Ok ok sorry for the cheering but I have faith that everything will be ok. take care Emu...

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You only live once...

Ha ha. You research for years, and you laugh at all the guys you see on the boards who sound like they are freaking out about stuff when its way too soon to tell if they should be freaking out or not.

And then 1 1/2 months in, you look back at your posts and realize you sound like that guy. =) I feel kindof silly. =)

I am still a little worried because the sides don't look even, and the staple marks look farther apart... however, like I said earlier, SMG is taking great care of me. In fact, Dr. Shapiro emailed me himself. He said the redness could be the result of a low-grade infection and not to worry. He also said that the sides can look different due to local physiology. I trust him, and regardless it looks like the best thing to do is just wait and see. =)

Arrie, thanks for your post bro. You are kindof trailblazing for me as you are 3 months ahead of me from the same doc. I hope your results are amazing, and I'm confident they will be.

And thanks for the calming words. =)

__________________
-Steve

</br>
I don't work for a doctor.
Got 2700 fu from Ron Shapiro, 11-30-7

Steve,

I just want to re-emphasize that worrying is normal.

No matter how much you know, when it's your own head, feelings often take hold.

I was a nervous wreck for my first 2 surgeries especially due to all the shock loss I experienced. Even though I had very minimal shock for my third surgery, I became very nervous around month 3 when I didn't see any new growth!

With all the knowledge and experience I've acquired, I still worried a bit. Would it grow? Will this numbness go away?

But it did and I feel great.

Of course, complicated situations CAN happen but giving it ample time is important. Try to remember to apply what you've learned to your own hair transplant and continue to seek member input for encouragement and support

Cheers bro,

Bill

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To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.