Bayer

Hey Andrew, I can't speak to the potential graft loss, but I would definitely not use any comb. I had a bunch of scabs caught in existing hair and gently eased them out by hand. This was a bit labor intensive but seemed worth it. Bayer

Hairfree, LOL on the scab helmet. Thought mine was made of Kevlar! Could you or Bill provide me with details on the aloe? Is this lotion or green gel? How often do you apply it and for how long do you leave it before washing? Your pics look excellent. Bayer

Having sex while wearing the system should not be a problem. As others have pointed out, keeping it on may be another issue. As far as being active and particapting in sports, would you want to be sweating into this and then wearing it for several weeks? As has been pointed out, it can stink. There is no substitute for what HT can give you - your own hair to wash and no fear of "loss" during sex.

Hi Jersey23, I believe that I understand your predicament - sounds a bit like where I am right know. First thing I would suggest is getting your hair trimmed a bit. If existing hair is to be of use, it has to be at a manageable length. Too long makes it look like you are trying to cover something. As far as the front, use make up (I use CoverFx) to match the color of your face. If you do have a few hairs, you might want to try Toppik to bulk up the few hairs. I have plenty of shockloss in the donor area and am keeping the hair long enough to cover it. This may take a full hair growth cycle (3 to 4 months) to start getting stubble. Hang in there, as I am sure that it will be worth it in the long run.

Bill, The guy on the right is a truly hairy beast! Duplication of expression was important, but it must have been awful hard to not crack a huge smile. These pictures a great example of results that can be achieved by good planning/research and going to top notch doctors. Bayer

No one can accuse Bill of ambiguity... Bayer

Janna and Bill have been mentioning new hair growth at 3 months out. Given their knowledge and experience, this makes sense. I have had some stubble growing from day 60 onward. Given that "true " new hair does not start for 3 months, is is reasonable to think that this may be some of my severe shock loss coming back?

Janna and Bill have been mentioning new hair growth at 3 months out. Given their knowledge and experience, this makes sense. I have had some stubble growing from day 60 onward. Given that "true " new hair does not start for 3 months, is is reasonable to think that this may be some of my severe shock loss coming back?

Hairfree, Excellent cut. Must say I am a bit envious of you being able to do this at 4 days! Like you, I wore my hair a bit longer but due to redness at the front and donor area shock loss at the back, I am unable to buzz and still in the hat zone. At 70 days plus!! Looks like you will get great density with an excellent hairline. Here's to growing! Bayer

Hi Allari, Just looked at this site. I am from the East Coast of Canada and found several butchers on this site. Suggest you do research on the forum and make your decision accordingly. Dollars in air travel are a short term decision when you are looking at wearing something front and center for the rest or your life. We are all here to make sure that you receive the best results possible. Cheers Bayer

Thanks for to all for the information. Bill, I fully understand that you are not trying to make me feel bad. I am here to hear the truth and provide the truth. Your, advice and comments, along with that of others, is greatly appreciated. The donor area pics were taken 2 days ago. The doctor said to allow for 4 months to see any growth in this area. He said that all hair, including hair about to break the surface was shocked, and will need the full growth cycle to regenerate. Cheers Bayer

Unfortunately there is a lot of legal latitude in this area. If you have any hair at all that can be integrated (woven or pulled) into the "system", you now have a solution that utilizes your own hair. Technically, you could have "hair in a day". I saw the new ad yesterday. Felt badly for one of the men with graying hair. His final product looked like someone had tacked a muskrat pelt on top of his head. Just a question of curiosity, are these things left in place for several weeks and does this not create a hygiene issue for the scalp?

Thanks for the comments. Looking around at many of the other post-op pics, all of them seem so clean compared to mine! The "stick and place" method was employed, so I am at a loss as to why this was so bloody. Putting aside the gore, does the day 63 picture look normal? I can look past the early mess as long as things are on track for the long term. Bayer (Bloodied But Not Bowed)

Immediate post-op and current donor area pictures have been added.

Thanks to all for the input. This is greatly appreciated. I have had extensive instructions from Dr. McKenzie. Also, Dr. McKenzie has been very accessible and responsive. He did suggest increasing the rubbing and to use neosporin (thanks Gorpy) and has been very timely in reviewing my pictures. He has commented that while my situation is a bit unusual, he has recommended to "stay the course". I did the "washing through the facecloth" until day 10 and as a result there was no real rubbing until then. Also, per Bill's note, I think that I may have been a bit timid with the rubbing - visions of my grafts going down the drain. I will post the immediate post-op pic as soon as I have it. I will also post a pic of the donor area shock loss. Thanks again.

As much as I wish that these were not correct timelines, trust me they are. Hence my concern. Bayer

Sorry, days it is. Wasn't concerned immediately post-op, so I neglected to take pics. Emailed the doc late today to see if he will send me his. Don't know if have existing hair in the area made it harder for the scabs to release - a lot of them seemed snarled in my hair. One thing that finally helped was reading info from Rassman or Bernstein (can't remember which) saying to wear a shower cap to bed over wet hair.

Thanks for the interest. I have posted the pics in the album section. The shock loss is staggering.

Here are pics related to my first post of yesterday. Sorry that I don't have an immediate post-op pics. I didn't realize how bad the shock loss was until I looked at the pre-op picture. I have been hiding under a hat or just plain hiding for 2 months. Going non-hat requires a 45 minute make up session which makes me into a bald guy instead of a bald guy with a red head. Toppik is not the answer - it requires some hair to that the fibers can attach. As mentioned before, I had no shock loss with prior procedures, so at least I had hair. How do you explain to people that you have hair one month and none the next? I may be overreacting, but seeing the pre-op pics has really put me in a tailspin. 3 Month Update The recipient area is somewhat encouraging. It looks like there is some growth - whether this is shocked native hair, shocked previously transplanted hair, or recently transplanted hair - but it does look less shiny. The redness is still annoying as I continue with regular applications of the aloe gel. The jury is still out on the donor area - not much change in the last 30 days. The scar seems to have faded somewhat and there appears to be some minor growth in the shocked area. The doctor said that growth hear will not likely start till month 4, so you know where my panic point is. 4 Month Update After aloe vera gel, valisone and time, the redness in the recipient area has been greatly diminished. There has been growth (good thing because of the shock loss) and I can only hope that there is more to come. The donor area does not appear to be a concern any longer. I had a hard time exposing the area for the picture due to the significant number of short hairs in the area. Overall this has been an encouraging month. I do hope that the recipient area will continue to thicken over the next few months. The updated pictures are titled "4 Month" and may take some effort to find due the random placing of the new system. Hoping for growth! 7 Month Update I haven't posted pics for a couple of months (thanks to a job change and a pending move), but I must say that I am really pleased with the progress. The donor area shock loss as grown in very nicely and is no longer an issue. The new growth in the front has been pleasantly dense. The color has been darker than my previous frontal hair and I have used highlights to lessen the effect. The beginning was truly scary (excessive scabbing) but the progress to date has been worth the trauma. I do realize that future crown work may be required due to the shape of the recipient area, but I will deal with this when the time comes, knowing that I have a great source of information when the time is right. I can't help but feel that I have dodged bullets with two Bosley surgeries and a procedure at the Seager clinic after Dr Seager's passing. Even after 7 months, I am still hoping to get more hair out of this! Bayer

Show me a facility that places the "hot chick" in their advertising and I'll show you a scammer. Seems like the hairmills do some of this too.

Hi Everyone, First of all, kudos to Pat for this forum. I have just finished my third procedure and regretfully only found the forum while casting an anxious eye toward growth. A bit of history... I had a 400 graft procedure done in 1995 by... Drumroll Please!!! THE BOZ. The good news is that the hairline was done properly, donor area scarring was minimal and the finished product was OK. This was done by Phillips in Boston. I went back to the same location/surgeon for 488 more in 2000. After reading a number of posts, I can't help feeling I was a bit lucky. I never achieved the density that I was looking for - the number of grafts was probably not high enough - and selected Seager in Toronto (did research on "The Bald Truth"). I definitely wanted to go Follicular Unit. Seager passed away, but I went with his successor, Mark McKenzie. I had the procedure done at the end of January. I had no shock loss with the first two procedures, but this time I had significant shock loss in the recipient area and for a 1/2" on either side of the donor incision. I was advised that the recipient area shock loss was due to the density (3588 grafts) and that the previously transplanted hair should come back as the grafts grow in. Any other hair may or may not return. As far as the donor area is concerned, I was informed that this is likely due to this being my third procedure and therefore the scalp may have been tighter in this area. Also, despite daily washing, the scabs did not come off fully until 3 weeks after surgery. There is also considerable redness which is just now starting to fade. I have hair starting to grow and a lot of scalp itching in the recipient area. I am just more nerved up this time around because of the shcok loss. Everything concerning Dr. McKenzie has been good so far. The arrangements, procedure and after care have all been very professional. I will continue to update as I progress. In the meantime, any info on the redness, late scab loss, shock loss or any other topic would be greatly appreciated. It's great to see people sharing information as well as humor on a subject that is sensitive for so many of us.

Hi Everyone, First of all, kudos to Pat for this forum. I have just finished my third procedure and regretfully only found the forum while casting an anxious eye toward growth. A bit of history... I had a 400 graft procedure done in 1995 by... Drumroll Please!!! THE BOZ. The good news is that the hairline was done properly, donor area scarring was minimal and the finished product was OK. This was done by Phillips in Boston. I went back to the same location/surgeon for 488 more in 2000. After reading a number of posts, I can't help feeling I was a bit lucky. I never achieved the density that I was looking for - the number of grafts was probably not high enough - and selected Seager in Toronto (did research on "The Bald Truth"). I definitely wanted to go Follicular Unit. Seager passed away, but I went with his successor, Mark McKenzie. I had the procedure done at the end of January. I had no shock loss with the first two procedures, but this time I had significant shock loss in the recipient area and for a 1/2" on either side of the donor incision. I was advised that the recipient area shock loss was due to the density (3588 grafts) and that the previously transplanted hair should come back as the grafts grow in. Any other hair may or may not return. As far as the donor area is concerned, I was informed that this is likely due to this being my third procedure and therefore the scalp may have been tighter in this area. Also, despite daily washing, the scabs did not come off fully until 3 weeks after surgery. There is also considerable redness which is just now starting to fade. I have hair starting to grow and a lot of scalp itching in the recipient area. I am just more nerved up this time around because of the shcok loss. Everything concerning Dr. McKenzie has been good so far. The arrangements, procedure and after care have all been very professional. I will continue to update as I progress. In the meantime, any info on the redness, late scab loss, shock loss or any other topic would be greatly appreciated. It's great to see people sharing information as well as humor on a subject that is sensitive for so many of us.