badger_01

For what its worth, I felt exactly the same way before I started my journey. I thought that there was no way I'd shave because of the "stigma" associated with having to wear a hat to work for an extended period of time. Dr Gabel, who I picked doesn't require shaving, but suggested it for me. I'd seen pics of his patients that weren't shaved and had a great result, but after doing a bunch of research on my own I decided to shave down.This was not an easy decision for me and I felt there were long term benefits.

You can add Dr Gabel to your list of top surgeons who don't require shaving.

Toppik definitely makes your hair look and feel different. Make sure you don't use too much, that you pat down the area to shake off the excess particles, and you could try using their sprayer to get a more even distribution.

Rahal does amazing hairlines...congrats on your decision. You'll be really happy in a few months. Good luck with the procedure.

Everyone heals differently and you need to choose a skilled doctor, but I'd say that its a realistic goal. I had an HT 3 months ago, and my scar is virtually undetectable already with a 3 buzz but at the back.

spex and the aloe vera gel ..listen to the man..its great and really helps with the itch too.

I lost the hat at around 1.5 months. Dermatch and toppik really help..i have some pics with the stuff on my blog. I'd recommending practicing with the stuff for a few days before going out in public. When done well its virtually undetectable, but when done badly it can look terrible.

Glad to hear your infection cleared up. I can only imagine the flood of emotions having to deal with all this on top of the surgery. Keep your chin up and grow well..it will look great in a few months

Wow..its been 3 months! I've updated my blog with pics. The good news is that I had minimal shockloss, the bad news is that I still have a LONG wait ahead . Thanks for all the support!

http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=787

Wow..its been 3 months! I've updated my blog with pics. The good news is that I had minimal shockloss, the bad news is that I still have a LONG wait ahead . Thanks for all the support!

http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=787

You're a transformed man! Dewayne is right..you look like you had alot more than 2700 grafts...you're going to make everyone with less than 3000 grafts optimistic! Congrats!

what a great transformation. Really happy for you..congrats!

Like Bill said, maybe you just have lower density than an average person. But having said that, you may want to check with a dermatologist to see if you are experiencing the onset of male pattern baldness. If you're not there are concealers you can use to give the appearance of density, if that is want you want. If it is MPB, there are options too, in terms of medication.

Congrats on your HT dude! Heal, grow well and keep us posted

real nice transformation with only 2600 grafts. From the pic, it looks like you got back to even before your 31yrs old pic, which was your original goal. Congrats!

The last of my crusts fell off at around the 3 week mark. I had alot of crusting and part of the problem was that i was too afraid to massage the grafts early on. If you follow your docs instructions they'll all come off soon. I also tried soaking my head in a warm bath (fill your tub with water and lie in it) for about 20 min before my shower. That really helped to soften up the crusts.

looks like your making progress but tough to tell with the lighting

yeah...some of the crusting will break free from the scalp but will get stuck in the transplanted hair..thats what you're when you massage the area..its completely normal

Some of the crusting will fall of with the attached stubble, while in other cases crusting falls off on its own. As long as you allow the crusting to resolve in place, you'll be fine. DO NOT PICK OFF THE CRUSTING. At 13 days you should be very gently massaging the crusting in the shower. Use small circular motions and make sure that your fingernails don't get caught in the crusting. My doc asked me to soak my head in a warm bath for 20 min before showering. I also applied mineral oil to the graft area and was crust free by day 15 or so.

you're hair looks good and will get even better.

Also, understand that most of us on this forum are not affiliated to any doctor or clinic. We're here to help others who're going through the HT journey. Sorry you felt the need to conceal your identity while posting your results but I'm glad that you feel confident enough in our objectivity to reveal it now!

Real nice growth for 4 months..should look even better when it thickens up

As someone who is in the ugly duckling stage right now...I'd say it simply means that you look worse than you did before the HT. If you look at people's hairloss blogs it will become obvious. There are parts of your scalp that have longer hair (that may not have been shaved)..there's parts that thinned due to shockloss, and theres other parts where the stubble is just beginning to grow.

It occurs differently for different people and lasts for a varying amount of time. The key take aways are that

1. It does happen - it gets worse before it gets better.

2. Its only temporary.

I have to tell myself that everyday now .

I'd expect you to get a great result with any of the docs on your list. Go with the one you get the best vibe from. Trust is very important when you get in that chair, so trust your gut.

Relax wazzuhair..you'll be in good hands. Not sure what '5' means..but on a scale of 1-10 i'd assume it means average! There's alot of people with avg donor hair that have got really good results. Good luck and congrats on deciding to get an HT.

the good news is that your seeing growth! Hang in there..only a few months more. Like everyone said..be patient and don't evaluate anything yet.

Looks great! Congratulations..you must be thrilled! Would be great if you can dig up some post-op pics for us.

Based on the info you provided...the math is simple...

You have 170 sq cm of donor hair with 85 follicular units per sq cm.

1 graft = 1 follicular unit.

So you have 14450 grafts.

Having said that...I don't think that this is the number of grafts that are transplantable.There are other factors like scalp laxity. How many grafts did he think you'd need?