Just a quick update following my meeting with Dr Lindsey and Spex last week.
Both were of the opinion that I still had a bit of maturing left, and that we would review after Xmas. Dr Lindsey is prepared to do a scar repair job for me FOC.
It was good to meet Spex for the first time, and see for real his amazing barnet.
I've added a selection of different photos under different lights, in slideshow format.
The density is better than following the Transmed hair transplant, but still quite thin overall I feel. After a spurt of growth around March/April, there's hasn't been much change in the last couple of months.
The scar has not changed at all, and is still very wide and bare.
I am meeting Dr Lindsey and Spex in a couple of weeks for a review.
At Spex's suggestion, I've taken a few more photos showing the front of my hair under different lighting conditions.
Brushed forward normal lighting
Brushed forward flash
Brushed back normal lighting
Brushed back flash
Unfortunately, progress has been rather disappointing. After a spate of growth around the 3-4 month mark, particularly around the temples, there has been little growth at all of note in the past month. If anything, some areas seem to be thinner than a couple of months ago. Growth at the front in the middle has been virtually non-existent.
I realise it's only six months still, but there has been very little sign of any new hair coming through in the past month, compared to 2-3 months ago, so
These photos were taken on day 45, just over six weeks post HT.
I haven't suffered much - if any - shock loss, so my hair now looks pretty similar to pre-op, aside from a little redness in the recipient area. This is largely covered now by the native hair.
The main contrast with my previous HT is that I have not suffered from any pimples bar a couple of tiny ones. By this stage following my previous HT I had pimples popping up all over the recipient area. Is that a sign things are heali
A few more pics. I've started using the photo gallery so hopefully the pics are a bit cleaner.
Two weeks after the HT now, most of the scabs gone. Scalp a little pink. All pretty normal.
My scalp feels a little sore at the top of my head - no grafts put there - which I'm putting down to scalp tightness.
Some progress photos eight days after surgery with Dr Lindsey.
The stitches were removed today, and it was very painful - probably moreso than anything experienced during the actual op! I think the pain was partly down to scabbing around the stitches, although I did try to clean as much off as possible when I washed my hair. However, the nurses (it took two of them!) said the scar was healing beautifully. But it was considerably sorer than when I had the staples removed after my first op.
In
So after much deliberation, I decided to have a second hair transplant.
Those of you who followed this blog before will know that my first HT was far from successful.
It was a major decision to have a second attempt, because at the back of my mind, I wondered if I was fundamentally unsuitable due to my physiology. However, it seemed to me the only way I could establish this was by having another another operation, with a top notch surgeon.
This time I took the advice of Spex, who many UK h
I'm pleased to say that I have reached an agreement with Transmed which I am happy with. I won't go into the exact details but I think it reflects the outcome of the HT.
I should say that Transmed have been very professional throughout this, and I feel sad that my experience with them was not all I'd hoped for.
This brings to a close my blog of my HT with Transmed. Obviously I have not had the outcome I wanted, and I've lost a lot of donor hair.
My quest now begins to find another su
Transmed has sent me some 'before' and 'after' comparison photos, which I've posted below. The before photos were taken in June 2010, just before the HT, the after photos were taken last week, on my follow up visit to the clinic.
Firstly, I should say that they present a more positive picture, and actually I feel a bit better for seeing them.
But - I don't think they tell the full story because:
1. My head is tilting forward further in the after pictures.
2. My hair is longer in
So, just over a year on from my HT, I returned to Transmed for a follow up consultation. As before, the patient experience was excellent; my flights and accommodation paid for, a car to and from the airport, and to and from the hotel and Transmed, and excellent service when I was in the clinic.
However, when I had the consultation with Dr Kulahci, her view - somewhat to my surprise - was that I'd had a good result.
I had my photos taken, but there was apparently a problem downloading them, s
So this is the final outcome. And it is a big disappointment.
Not just the poor hair density. And the cost. But also the time investment I put into this – four months as a social leper avoiding my friends, changing my work behaviour.
And perhaps above all else, the knowledge that those 2,900 grafts are gone for good – and that my chances of getting a decent coverage with my remaining donor hairs are greatly reduced now.
So how bad has it been? I reckon I'm in a similar place to whe
Well, 11 months since my HT, I think I can say for certain that I'm not going to get the result I hoped for.
I had begun to worry when my regrowth seemed to stall at the 6-7 months phase. Sometimes, the hair looked a little thinner if anything. Given my long-term pattern of hair loss, I don't think I've suddenly lot a load of native hair. So I wonder if some of the transplants have died. Is that possible?
Throughout this post HT period I have been holding back on any kind of verdict, in the
Well, a week over 10 months on.
Still poor density in the HT areas. The front hair line on the left side, where I saw the fastest regrowth early on, now looks thinner if anything. I suppose this may mean that native hair has fallen out, but I would still have hoped for better density from the transplanted hair at this stage.
Front
Front close
Top
Vertex
Left
Right
I felt as though I had made quite a bit of progress over the past month, but comparing the photos with those taken 6-7 weeks ago, they don't look much different. Admittedly I've just had quite a short hair cut, but even so...
Generally though, the last month has seen slow but steady progress, notably on the left temple, which had been slower than the right. I can see a lot of fine hairs there, which hopefully will thicken.
The front hairline density is still pretty disappointing though. Hopi
Slight delay with the monthly updates as I've been on holiday for three weeks. It's been good to get away and not dwell on whether my HT is making progress!
Now I'm back - well... I don't know, am I making the progress I should be?
My hair seems a little thicker compared to previous months, but it's not really much different from pre-op.
The crown seems, if anything, thinner now - not sure if it's the light shining on it from a different angle.
The density at the front is what's most dis
A quick update with new photos at the half-year point.
I continue to make slow progress. I'm not as far advanced as I'd like to be, but some of my worries have been calmed by helpful comments from FutureHTDoc, who pointed out that only 30% maturation is usual at about five months. There are enough examples of other HT patients who have had strong maturation after six months to keep me reasonably optimistic.
I've moved house, so the lighting in the photos means the appearance of my hair may l
Another month passes on the roller coaster of emotions that is my post-HT recovery.
First, my positive thoughts. Broadly, I think I've made steady if unspectacular progress since early September, particularly on the right temple. My hair looks more normal from the front now, though it is still thin. And I can see a few shorter hairs that will thicken things up further when they get longer.
But I've had plenty of negative thoughts too. I was hoping to be further ahead at the five month mark,
There has been more progress in the past month. By this point, I was hoping my hair would look pretty much as it did pre-op. It doesn't yet. But I feel confident enough going out without a cap and knowing friends won't do a double take when they see me.
There have been quite a lot of new hairs come through in the past few weeks. A small minority are thick and wiry, so these are certainly transplants. The rest are very fine. I can't decide yet if these are transplanted hairs coming through, or
I'm at the three month point now, and I'm hoping I'll start to see some regrowth happening soon, based on other people's experiences. As you do, I still scan my scalp each day for any new developments. Here's a summary of what I'm seeing, and what I'm thinking:
1. Plenty of spots still, caused presumably by new hairs. But if that's the case, why are the new hairs not subsequently pushing through and growing out? Also, a few of the spots have left little scars which are taking a while to fade.
Two months tomorrow since surgery in Istanbul. Two months of avoiding (most of) my friends. Thankfully the World Cup has given me something to do and the English summer has been the usual rubbish so I haven't missed being out in the sun...
Not a huge amount of progress to report. No noticeable regrowth - but I am getting regular explosions of pimples, which hopefully means the new hairs are trying to poke through? I am using Bactroban on the pimples as recommended by Transmed, twice a day, but
Four weeks after surgery. Another milestone of sorts: the first haircut. My local Kosovan barber in South London was very friendly, curious, and helpful. He used a grade four clipper to trim away most of the hair, using scissors for the more delicate areas.
The result is a relatively tidy-looking haircut, the exception being the donor scar, which is clearly visible. My barber advised that for future cuts, clever use of layers could easily hide the scar without the hair needing to be too long.
Two days ago I had the staples removed by a nurse at my local doctor's surgery. All 44 of them (see photo). It was 'her first time', but she was very good about it, and said the way the donor area had been joined together was “beautiful”. A few of the staples smarted a little, and were a bit 'sticky' coming out. So they definitely shouldn't be in much longer than the recommended 10 days (this was day 11). The safe removal of the staples, and the knowledge that the scar was looking good, wa
