aaron1234

Thank you! After the surgery Dr. Konior mentioned that I have more FUE grafts remaining but he didn't give me a number. I'd venture to guess that I have at least another 1,000 left in the tank before the donor region starts looking compromised.

Haha, indeed it is!

@Melvin-Moderator Take a look at pics I just posted from 15 years ago. Looks like NW6 territory to me, right?

I will get more HT's in the future if I have more thinning, but as I near the end of my donor supply I will need to be judicious in how I use my remaining grafts. Dr. Konior believes that it is wise to keep some in reserve in case of an emergency. Recovering from smaller strip surgeries is relatively easy. With the staples/sutures on one side of my head it was nice to be able to sleep on the other side, something that isn't possible with the larger sessions. My FUT scar(s) are a non-issue. I still have the strip scar from my first surgery in 2008. Both Dr. Ron and Paul Shapiro looked at it and thought it was taken too high, outside of the permanent zone, so the strips for my SMG procedures were taken beneath that one. Sure thing. Here are two pictures from 2005, right before I started Fin. I was 25 at the time, I'm now 40.

Thank you! I think around the 4 month mark I was back to square one, but by the end of that month I knew I had something good brewing. By month 6 I had full coverage even though the hairs will wispier than they are now. I can't say that this procedure took longer to fill in than any of my frontal HT's, they all seemed to grow in at the same rate. Thanks, John! I still feel some stubble in the crown so I anticipate some thickening yet to come.

Thanks! Dr. Konior did mention that he could have used more grafts in my crown, but other areas needed to be addressed too. The closer you get to tapping out your donor supply the more precious each graft becomes. Makes you appreciate the wise planning all the more. Looking forward to seeing your results! 😎

In the interview with Melvin, Dr. Ron Shapiro said that he estimates that this approach may provide between 2K-3K more lifetime grafts. I'm over 8K now and Dr. Konior indeed says I have more in reserve. 🙏

Totally agree, and that's what I hope this post demonstrates. A small number of grafts can go a long way if used in the right way.

@Melvin-Moderator Thank you, sir! And I also see some similarities between my hair color and texture to @makehairgreatagain

Alternate thread title, "Maniac gets 7th transplant?!?!" 🤪 This post requires some background. I had my first FUT at 28, rushing into it without doing my due diligence. I wasn't botched, but I had cobblestoning and multi-haired grafts in the hairline. Thankfully it was only 1k grafts and my donor still had plenty to offer. One year later, Dr. Paul Shapiro and the good folks at SMG performed a game-changing FUT (2,348 grafts), removing the multi-haired grafts from the hairline, creating a more natural hairline and providing a significant density boost to the front. Seeking more density, I returned to SMG two years later for a 3rd FUT (2,000 grafts). The photos from these procedures are documented in my blog, linked below in my signature. I'm forever grateful to the SMG team and highly recommend them. In 2015 I noticed a decrease in volume in the front, but I knew my options were becoming more limited. I set up an appointment with Dr. Konior. Noticing my limited scalp mobility he said, "I believe your days of strip surgeries are over." However, he did notice some laxity on the sides of my head above my ears. I had a decision to make; either begin FUE or do two small strips to make use of the localized laxity I had left. I'm probably a NW5-6, so completely maxing out on strip made sense to me. In the summer of 2015 Dr. Konior removed a strip on my left side that yielded 771 grafts and he sprinkled them throughout my frontal tuft. The pictures below are from another clinic for an elective surgery not hair-related, but they still show a significant increase in volume in the front at just six months post-op (before on the left, after on the right). Two years later I returned to Dr. Konior and he removed a strip on my right side that yielded 558 grafts. These grafts were implanted just behind the frontal tuft, reinforcing the center bridge. I do not have pictures for this specific procedure but the improvement was also noticeable. Fast forward to the summer of 2020. I had originally booked a 500 graft, no-shave FUE procedure with Dr. Konior to address my crown. Covid happened, everything shut down, and my public engagements were cancelled. Dr. Konior was kind enough to aim for a higher graft total and I was happy to shave my head in order to make the most of the surgery. Even though I put "crown" in the title, Dr. Konior only used about 700 of the 1,124 grafts in the crown, a similar number to what @1978matt had done. The remaining grafts were placed throughout the front and 70 grafts were used on each side to recreate the temple points. I'm thrilled with the results at the 8th month mark, and I have a feeling that I'm pretty close to being a finished product. It gets stated often on this forum, but I cannot recommend Dr. Konior highly enough, not only for his surgical talents but also his longterm planning. Total FUT: 6,977 - Total FUE: 1,124 - Total Grafts: 8,101

Dr. Ron Shapiro is known for his undetectable, natural hairlines. There are his speciality.

H&W with yet another grand slam!

I hoped that once too... now 7 transplants later.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CK9jreCjv10/?igshid=efc2s4c8bmc9

That's good to know. Definitely have to look into this!

Numbness eventually goes away. I've had no long-term nerve damage around the strip scars.

@ciaus Same for me. So you didn't notice any skin irritation from the oral min?

Do you usually wear your hair long in the back? If so, then you should really consider FUT. 4,000 grafts will do you plenty good, especially in the hands of Dr. Hasson, regardless if it's FUT or FUE.

If it looks this good at 3 months/1 week just wait until the 6 month mark. Exciting times ahead! You're gonna notice changes on a weekly basis now.

Do HT's thin over time? Possibly for some, though many men get HT's in regions with thinning native hair. When that region thins over time are you able to detect whether it was the transplanted hair or native hair that thinned or died out? I think it's very difficult to say. I will say that I've had to address my frontal third over the course of 7 surgeries. Is that because my first strip was taken too high (as determined by both Dr's Ron and Paul Shapiro)? Or is it because I have a mild case of retrograde alopecia? Or did I just lose more native hair? Impossible to say.

I think these are great results and they'll only get better over the coming months! Thank your lucky stars that you are in this position without doing research going into it. 😎

All the hair you have on top right now will eventually fall out, even with the meds. You'll eventually become a NW6. So plan on having multiple procedures and try to maximize the amount of lifetime grafts you can get. This means you should do FUT first (and again if possible 2nd and 3rd round), then FUE. It's the route I've taken and I'll be approaching 9-10k grafts and I need every single one.

Impeccable.

It could be retrograde alopecia but it could also be alopecia areata. Definitely keep an eye on it in case it progresses, but for now it doesn't look bad.

Damn @FoxtrotChi! You killed it! 😎