aaron1234

Right on track. Donor area looks very good. You still have some redness in the recipient area but that will take time to settle down as well. Hang in there!

Assume that you will need another transplant in the future after round 1. That's what a lot of newbie's don't realize, that getting a transplant pretty much signs you up for more HT's, quite possibly several more.

2 guard would be too short, the strip scar would be noticeable.

💯 This! I had five strip surgeries (plus one scar reduction) before I ventured into FUE. I needed every graft and then some. I will say that I'm glad FUE's yield rates have drastically improved over the past decade. Arguments about the viability of FUE grafts really dominated the forum back in the day.

@deitel130 Depends on how you define working well. Did I experience more hair loss on Fin? Yes, my sides and temple points have receded, but my lateral humps are still strong and my crown hasn't widened. So any loss I did experience was not dramatic and I have Fin to thank for that. The medication has been very resilient for me even after the 10 year mark.

When I got my first 3 HT's I still had a lot of native hair remaining, so any loss I had since then would be very difficult to say whether it was the native or transplanted hair that thinned (maybe a little bit of both?). My first strip was taken fairly high (as determined by Dr. Ron and Paul Shapiro) so if I did lose some transplanted hair it could be because of that. But I also have some retrograde alopecia, so if I lost transplanted hair it could because of that as well. Or maybe I didn't lose the transplanted hair at all and it was native... again, impossible to say with 100% certainty. But yes, I've been on Fin for 14 years and it has definitely helped my situation.

With miniaturization in the donor it's obvious to expect future thinning of the transplanted hairs. What is not so clear is whether it's possible for HT's to thin over time even if the donor remains stable. I would replace "so many people" with "a select few". It's all anecdotal at this point since we don't have a clinical study on the longevity of transplants to reference.

I've never heard "only the top layer of skin came off" excuse before.... smh another Bosley victim.

Very true! So why are the "safe zone" hairs genetically resistant to DHT? Is it simply that there is less DHT in that area? Do scientists even know why? I'm starting to sound like a 3 year old, "Why? Why? Why?"

Rahal FUT! This is so 2010 😜 All joking aside, looks like the transplanted hairs are on track to blossom the next 2-3 months!

What are their thoughts on the usefulness of PRP and do they incorporate it at all in their practice.

Maybe a stupid question... If DHT exists in the scalp, could it eventually attack initially healthy transplanted hairs, thus causing them to thin?

Yes!

Awesome, good luck these coming months! Dr. Gabel does great work! Have you been on Fin at all since you had your first HT with Dr. Rahal?

I think this can happen (I think of @Portugal25 among others), but I think it's the exception rather than the rule. Even for me I've had thinning in my frontal third after my 3rd transplant in that area, but it really is hard to say how much of it was native or transplanted hair falling out.

Not sure if this means anything, but my first procedure took the longest for the numbness and tingling to subside, like around 4-5 months. Subsequent FUT's only took a month or two.

Doctors in the US are required by law to do the extractions. Clinics outside the US have multiple techs do the extractions. That's why you see bigger graft counts abroad with FUE, it's far less laborious for the surgeon.

That'd be great! Would love to see a patient review of Dr. Zarev. Yeah, definitely outdated numbers there on the transection rate. Most docs would say about 2-5% now for FUE.

It might. But FUT + FUE will provide even more grafts. For me, I did 6 strip surgeries before my first FUE and I'm on track for having over 10K lifetime grafts. Don't regret it one bit.

The outdoor pic shows a very thin donor region so you'll have to rely on body/beard hair. Eugenix would be a great place to see if you're a BHT candidate. If it were me though I'd just continue shaving it and move on with my life... especially with that killer beard.

I think FUT then FUE for you is the wise choice. Do you have a doctor picked out yet? Are you on fin? Regarding scalp exercises: I did them, and I think they become more important to do with subsequent FUT procedures. It's hard for me to say how effective the exercises are, but my strip scars are not atrocious even after 6 strip surgeries so they might have helped. Have you had any in person consultations? Have the docs said you have a tight scalp?

Nice! Was this guy wearing a system before? I wonder just because of the red marks on his scalp in the pre-op pic.

Probably ok by the 4th-5th day to wear a loose fitting hat.

Yeah, you pretty much need to accept that you'll look like a freak for a week, especially if you're getting it all shaved. But wearing a mask for covid now is actually a nice plus for HT travelers. As far as a baseball hat goes, be careful. I wouldn't wear anything for the first couple of days, but maybe by day 3 or 4 it'd be ok. Depends on how tight it is.

I doubt a shock is going to kill grafts at 4.5 months post-op. Just try to not get struck by lightning... I hear that is not so good for the graft yield. 😉