SV_08

I'm 4 weeks post op. After 3 weeks, I started lifting again, lightly. Now for the past couple days I've been getting back to my old workouts, lifting pretty heavy. At this point do I run the risk of damaging anything? Be it Grafts or Scar? Thanks!

Thanks man. I'll look into that. Just worried that when all is grown in, there will be too great a disparity in the front and back. To an obvious level. If I could go back, that would be the only think I would change...

Today makes exactly 3 weeks post op. Everything seems to be healing well. Very minimal graft shedding at this point, but I know that will soon change. The biggest problem right now is the visibility of the scar. Clearly this has to do with me shaving my head pre-op. Very annoying. Using Toppik but it only makes the skin area black. Ends up looking like a terrible haircut. Another concern is the graft count and distribution. It seems like the front third is too densely packed compared to the area behind that. Wish I would have distributed them a little more evenly. Do you guys think this will be a major problem down the line? Will follow up with 1-month photos sometime next week.

Could these 'new hairs' be from the HT you signed up for on 1/5/13? Never heard of a laser comb being THAT effective in such a short time...

Thanks. My Dr. said Toppik. I gave it a shot. It mostly just covered the redness and made it black. You can still see the separation from the row of hair above the scar and below. It looks like a really awful haircut. Afraid this is going to get noticed back at work, which would be a very bad thing...

3 weeks out since my HT. I have to return to work soon and the scar is still very visible. For those who shave their hair pre-op, what do you do to conceal the scar while waiting for the hair to grow long enough? *Hat at work is not an option

Thanks man. Hoping for the best...

After 7 long years I finally decided to take the plunge and have my 2nd HT. As of this writing I am 4 days post op, and wanted to give a quick review of my experience thus far. History: My first HT was in 2006. 800 grafts into the hairline. The results weren't very good. I had a wide scar, and the 'row' affect on the my left side. At that time I did not know this forum existed. I actually joined 1 week after surgery. Poor timing, but fortunate enough to have it last me this long. Present: I am now 31 years old. Having this forum as a valuable resource, I was able to make much better decisions this time around. I started out by consulting with several top Dr.s that I found here, either in-person or over the phone. I tried to get a general idea of what plan they all felt I should take. Surprisingly, it was all very similar. Hairline, temples and front half. No crown. As for graft count, a couple Dr.s quoted me on the low end, around 2,000, while a few others wanted to go closer to 3,000+. I am a diffuse thinner, with good donor and great laxity. I also needed some repair work. We all felt confident that this was a good time to proceed. My final decision came down to Dr. Reed in San Diego. We had spent a couple of months doing phone and email consultations. Dr. Reed and his staff were very helpful during this time, always going out of their way to take every phone call or email and answer every question that I had. We met for the 1st time the night before surgery, and spent almost 2 hours finalizing the game plan and making sure I was comfortable enough to move forward. Surgery: Morning of surgery we spent another hour or so finalizing the hairline, and before I knew it the procedure was on its way. The original plan was to aim for 2400-2700 grafts. Due to good donor and great laxity, We finished off with a total of 2933 grafts. Getting the most out of this surgery was important to me as I do not have the desire nor the funds to do this again anytime soon. Overall, the entire experience went way beyond my expectations. Dr. Reed and his staff are all incredibly friendly, patient, understanding and knowledgable. I really can't express this enough. I was a nervous wreck the morning of, and they all went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable and confident. His assistants are amazing, and all work so well together. A very professional and caring environment. In my opinion, you can tell they truly care about their patients. The days after surgery were also very surprising. So far I have had very little pain. Almost no redness, and so far absolutely no swelling. I actually feel great and have been sleeping well. The scar is longer than my last one, but I can tell already it should look much better. Dr. Reed used a double layer Tricho closure. My initial reaction is definitely positive. I like what was done and the area covered, but now comes the waiting game, and I am once again a nervous wreck. All of a sudden I seem to only be reading posts about shockloss and people not getting results. Its instilling a lot of fear and doubt. These next few months are going to be tough. Only time will tell. Thanks to all on this forum for the help and support. The journey continues...

Had my HT yesterday. I also work in an extremely high profile place, seeing hundreds of different people a day. I took a total of 3 weeks off. Im hoping the native hair will grow in and cover it up. If you want I can definitely keep you posted how it goes.

Just completed my HT yesterday. Doctor instructed me that it was safe to start Minox on all of the grafted areas in 1 week. If you're worried about it dripping, just wait till the 1 week mark. Really isn't that long.

Went back for my Day 1 follow-up, shampooing. Doctor said everything looks good! VERY little pain. Practically no redness. No swelling yet. I've actually been out and about all day. Still on edge as these first 72 hours are critical until the grafts set in. I will start a thread with before/after pics as well as a complete review of my experience so far....

An idea of what Dr. Reed has in mind:

Yea. I didn't really research much. Hell, this was before I knew this forum existed! I'm ok with it being a repair case. Just means I'm going to look a lot better when its done =) Thank! Will do! Can you let me know how you mean exactly? You think 2700 is too much? Some Dr's I've consulted with wanted to go over 3k...

Thanks for the support! Yea Ive been doing the stretching exercising. Very nervous at this point and just hoping for the best! Regardless of how the last one went, I am confident Dr Reed will be able to fix it What do you mean by I went aggressive at 25? Hairline too low?

The time has come. Scheduled to have my hair transplant tomorrow with Dr. Reed in San Diego. Goal is to get around 2500-2700 grafts. Hairline, temples and front half of the scalp. Crown will not be touched. Also looking to improve on the scar from my last procedure. The original plan was to aim for 2200, but we decided to go for more if possible. This will be my 2nd HT. First one was in 2006. 800 grafts into hairline. I am 31 years old. So much research, thought, planning, anxiety goes into this. Hard to believe its time. Any last minute advice would be appreciated. Very nervous and anxious. The stress at this point is overwhelming... Original HT: Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss and Transplant Photos

Jo, I see what you are saying with regards to the donor hair being more coarse. I hadn't really thought about that until now. Thanks for the heads up. Its hard to tell from the pics, but my Left temple is much more receded than my Right. Its a lot more obvious in person, and something that bothers me. I guess I was hoping to try to 'fix' it a bit. At the very least even it out some. Also hard to tell, but the left side of my hairline sits higher than my right. This was from my last HT. I plan on lowering the left side a bit to even that out as well.

Yes sir... aiming for around 2400 grafts. Maybe more if we can get it. Will be placed from the hairline through the front half. No crown. Figured while I was under the knife, I would address the temple points. *Pic attached has water/gel so looks a little thinner than when dry.

Thank you Jo. Are you basing that on the 'before' photos? I guess its just 'hair greed'. I really like the way the LEFT temple came out after editing it a bit. If it could look that way after surgery I would be very happy.

Yes. A small procedure in 2006. 800 grafts into hairline. I am scheduled to get my 2nd HT very soon.

Still trying to figure out how to address my temple points. Was experimenting with photoshop to see how it might look. Obviously this is just a sample. It would look more natural coming from the doctor. Any thoughts? Anyone else try this? *edit: I will be going in for a large procedure - around 2400 grafts total. This is just a sample of how I am thinking of adding to my temple points, in addition to the rest.

Ron, How is the pain/soreness at this point? I heard around the 3 month mark its ok to get back into heavy physical activity (gym, weight lifting, etc) and wanted to see how you felt....

Thank you Jo. PM sent. I had never really considered traveling so far for the procedure before. I was always limited to looking at Dr's near me. I guess it takes a huge leap of faith to have the surgery performed by someone you've never met and just wanted to reach out to others that have done the same.

So I am seriously considering using Hasson & Wong for my 2nd HT and have put myself on their standby list. Luckily the nature of my job and schedule allows me to do this. However, I've never actually spoken to Dr. Hasson or Dr. Wong. Only their salesmen/representatives. At some point, if I decide to go forward, I would have to commit to the procedure without ever meeting or speaking with the doctors. Is this normal? I feel strange locking in a date and not meeting my doctor until the day of or day before. But I know H&W is considered Transplant royalty on this forum. Any thoughts or advice?

Yea I am very lucky. Hoping to get another 6-7 years out of my next procedure, maybe more. So you guys recommend not touching the temples at all and just adding density to existing hair/top area?

Stuart, I agree with you and wouldn't lower my hairline. My plan was to add density to the existing hairline, and use some grafts on the sides to bring my temple points forward a bit. My biggest conflict was addressing the 'points' right above the sideburns.