PP2

*I used a different camera this time, my apologies, I didn't have access to my SLR camera this time around.

*I slowly see more growth than last time, so hopefully from this point on it will continue to get fuller.

*I can sleep on my back with no discomfort on the back of my head.

*Scar is still red but hopefully with time it will continue to blend in.

*Shockloss areas have become more hidden with when my hair is longer. But when I cut my hair like a 3-4 length, its still noticeably visible.

Thank you for your regular updates. I have really enjoyed following your progress.

 

Can I ask how much this procedure cost you?

PM Sent.

Thanks for the update!

Your welcome!

Just read the seven pages of your experience so far. Excellent details and I think the hat is soon going to be in your past. Please keep the monthly updates coming.

Thank you for the kind words! I will definitely keep the monthly updates coming

*I slowly see growth again, a bit more from last time...so progress!

*I have gotten more comfortable now sleeping on the back of my head with minimal discomfort now.

*The shockloss area's I feel have slowly gotten a bit more hidden than last time, although its hard to tell if there is hair regrowing back or not.

*I started to notice a good amount of dandruff started to develop all around the recipient area. Before the transplant, I had a very flaky scalp and had a lot of dandruff. The first 4 months I didn't notice any dandruff but now I'm starting to see yellow deposits forming and as I comb through my hair they sort of pop off. I called Dr. Diep's office about this and his staff informed me to not worry and to just use a dandruff shampoo. I purchased Jason's Dandruff shampoo and the yellow deposits have now began to go away.

*I'm exercising about 3 days out of the week (always wearing a hat when I go outside) and I haven't experienced any pain or discomfort unless I put pressure on the back of my head like doing a bench press. Other than that, I feel like normal.

Wow thank you for the insight.

 

It looks like this is not going to be easy for me too.

 

I am sure worse things can happen but on successful finished procedure like yours do you think maybe yours was worse then what usually happens? How common is shock loss?? The puffiness I guess will be there my brother had a procedure done with Bosley many years ago and I remember the pain and puffiness he went through the first week...I was hoping thkngs had gotten better...he still has a scar from bosley it doesn't look good; do you think the trychophytic closure you got will turn out ok in your opinion..

 

I need fut because I will need at least 5000 grafts and it is more cost and time efficient...

 

So a scale of 2/10 sounds like something I could handle is it a 2/10 directly after the procedure too like the next day? If so that would be nice..

 

Also how did the shots feel? Did you feel the strip being cut? And also how is the whole procedure on a scale of 1-10 as far as pain, comfort, etc....

 

If you can share anything else with me I would appreciate it if you want to PM that will be fine also.

 

Anyone else on the forum experience the same pain for more then a month????

 

Thanks

Based on a lot of other transplants that I've seen on the forums it could be that just my shockloss is a bit worse than I expected. But I'm hoping it grows back like the Dr. Diep said. I don't know how common shockloss is but I would be believe that it is something that is not uncommon. The area's where they strip the skin on the back of the head, those hair follicles undergo a lot of trauma and so it doesn't surprise me that the hair itself around those area's doesn't fall out. I think with time gradually the strip scar will be more hidden with time, I also did A-cell injection (extra $500) from Dr. Diep. It's supposed to help with the healing process of the strip area. I didn't go with bosley initially of the fact that it was so commercialized and I didn't see the recommended doctors on this forum work for bosley. I think all of them work in a private practice.

Well initially right after operation there won't be any pain because my whole head was numb throughout the procedure. And it will take several hours for the numbness to fade away and the pain slowly got worse throughout the rest of the day. But Dr. Diep provided me some pain meds to help alleviate some of the pain which helped a little bit, but they also made me pretty nauseous so I stopped taking them and just kind of sucked it up. I think the first couple days post operation was about 6/10 pain level. The majority of the pain was due to the tension of the sutures. Once the sutures were removed, the pain started to get better slowly with time.

The shots felt like getting a flu shot, it stings but its a quick sting. I did feel the strip being cut being cut but since I was numbed up it wasn't too painful, about 4/10. The stripping part was also took about 2-4 minutes.

There's not a lot of posts from Dr. Diep on this forum so I can't say how other people's experiences were, I wish there were more and that the main reason why I wanted to share my experience.

If you would like to speak over the phone, send me a PM and I would be happy to answer any more questions over the phone too.

Hello PP2,

 

Hope everything is going good with the transplant.

 

I am considering fut as well with same doc.

 

I am amazed at your story and how your pain is still around at 4 months and you have shock loss...do you know how common this is?? From my understanding this is not supposed to hurt past like the first week or so??...

 

I was thinking of doing fut (5000) grafts....

An was hoping to be a little better after a week and then wearing a hat for a month or so....

 

Your scar looks really visible and red in pics upto months after...I'm sure in due time you will be fine and you will have a film aet of hair...however do you think what yoh have gone through is the case with every hair transplant of this size or was youra just a rare case...??

 

Lastly does the back of the head feel tight and has it gotten better yet? Does it feel normal? Also does the swelling of the eye and face happen with every procedure????? Please help answering these for me..

 

Thanks in advance for your answers because I really need to know...

For the 2 months I definitely had some pain. The 1st 10 days was hard because of the stitches and it caused this constant pain. The stitches had a lot of tension and so my mobility with my mouth and head was limited in the beginning. After the stitches were removed, the pain was still there but it slowly got better with time. I wasn't aware of how long the pain should last but I believe you will definitely have some pain even after a week, just through my own experience. Its not a lot of pain, it was about a 2/10 scale, but it was constant. The amount of shockloss was a little frustrating but it wasn't a surprise. Dr. Diep mentioned that the shockloss hair should grow back overtime so I'm anticipating it to be better with time.

Dr. Diep mentioned that I can wear a loosely worn hat after 2 weeks, which is what I did. I believe a week may be too soon.

The scar will be visible for the first 2-3 months in my opinion. FUT is pretty invasive when it comes to Stripping the skin from the back of the head and it won't heal up within a month. It takes a while for it to heal. From my experience, it took about 3-4 months for the scar tissue to form completely.

For the first 2 months definitely my head felt pretty tight. My head was pretty numb for the first 2 months. It was pretty discomforting opening my mouth real wide, laughing or resting my head back on something because I could feel the strip area being stretched or pulled and it was really uncomfortable. After about 3-4 months my head started to began to feel normal and I was beginning to get feeling back all over my head. At about 5 & 1/2 months now, I feel very normal now, but I still do have some discomfort when I apply pressure on the back of my head. I do believe that swelling is common after the first week of operation. My face & eye's got pretty puffed up and I had a relative that had a transplant too and their face was puffed up too. If I would go back again, I still would do FUT because for larger sessions it made more sense to me to do FUT than FUE. I think for smaller sessions, FUE is a better option.

If you have any further questions please let me know.

*This past month i've noticed some more growth! Not much but progress!

*The discomfort of sleeping with the back of my head against the pillow has gone down a bit and I've been able to start sleeping & laying my head back more comfortably. I still do have discomfort but its gone down a bit.

*Shockloss is still noticeable on the left side of my head where the strip scar is. Its getting more hidden with time but still noticeable. On the other hand, the right side is mostly covered but still noticeable. Its not as noticeable as the left side. Hopefully in the next few months the noticeability will go down even more!

*I'm slowly starting to see some hair grow at this point, but its very small. At this point I look very similar to what I looked up just before my operation. Maybe I'm a slow grower...Grrr!

*The shock loss is still visible but it has become less noticeable as time goes on. Its still more noticeable on the Left side than on the right. I can't really tell if hair is regrowing back there.

*I still have discomfort sleeping on my back, with the back of my head against the pillow because of the scar line. I have been able to start sleeping on my side more comfortably, the discomfort of the scar along the side is a lot less. But I usually still sleep on my stomach (my preferred method anyway).

*For the first few months the top and back of my head were pretty numb because of the trauma of the transplant, but I've started to get a lot of my feeling back on the top and around the area where the scar is. When I was showering I couldn't feel my head as I was shampooing/conditioning. But more recently I have getting a lot of my senses back in those areas.

*I have been going to the gym and exercising more regularly now, about 3 times a week. I still avoid workouts that involve me applying pressure to the scar line, like bench press, etc. But I accommodate myself by altering my seating position to prevent me from applying pressure back there.

*Overall, I can't say that I'm satisfied yet because its still early and I feel I still have a lot more room for growth! More updates will be posted along the way! Picture qualities may not be as good because I'm living on my own now and don't have someone to take pictures for me.

any updates? curious to see how you're doing.

Yes i do! I have not forgotten about y'all! I'm currently just very busy at the moment but I have taken pictures of myself in the meantime. I will post my 3 month update later next week!

I'm sure Dr. Diep's aftercare instructions would have warned STRONGLY against exposing the recipient area to sunlight during the early months.

 

What are you doing allowing your head to get sunburnt?

I just went running outside. Thank you for the comments, I will be very careful from here on.

9/8/2014

*So far I think my recovery has been going ok. I look about the same as I did before the transplant now, some of my native hair has grew back. But I still have noticeable shockloss along left and right side of the scar line.

*All the scabbing has came off by now. And the redness has gone away completely in my opinion. I still have some numbness around the area around where the scar is and the area's near the transplanted areas.

*About 2 weeks ago I just started applying Nanogen again to help cover up the top as well as the shockloss along the scarline. Dr. Diep said it was ok for me to start applying it after the 1 month mark but I waited too about the 1.5 mark to start using it. I make sure after each time I use it I wash it off that following evening. Using it hasn't bothered me head nor have I noticed any irritation. It hasn't bothered me in any way so I will try to use it but I plan not to use it every day. About 3-4 days a week I use it.

*I have been getting out and exercising more. I feel more comfortable now working out. I started playing soccer last week and I felt fine, the top of my head got slightly sun-burned.

*I don't have much discomfort anymore along the scar line. The only discomfort that I have there is when I am lying back on it, like when I'm sleeping on my back and the pillow is applying pressure on the scare or when I rest my head on a head-rest in a car seat. Its discomforting in those situations so I try to avoid those.

*I apologize for the smaller pictures, I'm living on my own now and don't have someone to take pictures of me. Hopefully next time I will.

I have some shock loss under my scar as well. Its tough to handle at first but part of the process. The good thing is you don't look to have any shockloss in your forelock.

 

Have you looked into dermmatch? I use it in the scalp areas in the back and it does a really good job at hiding them. I will try to post some pics.

No I haven't tried dermmatch! I will look into it. I have just been using Nanogen and its doing a good job too.

Nice write up, hang in there, you will see a full crown of hair in no time! Keep the updates coming...

 

I have been losing hair for 5 years, I have been thinking of seeing Dr. Diep and using the FUE procedure instead. I have been told for asian, FUE would be preferable since the hair graft is thick and FUT will be very noticeable since the standing hair doesn't cover the scar much. FUE heals faster than FUT since it's less invasive. The only concern is yield rate and cost.

I appreciate the kind words. Yesterday was the 2 month mark and I took pictures and I will be posting a 2 month update later tonight!

As far as FUE, I think its a really good option as well. I'm not too familiar whether or not FUE is a preferred technique for people of asian decent. That will be a good question to ask Dr. Diep. Dr. Diep is asian too and I believe he is vietnamese. I would definitely recommend just going in for a in-person consolation and he will educate you the pro's and con's of each procedure, FUT & FUE. Each procedure has their pro's & con's. If you think you will need a large number of grafts then maybe going with FUT may be a better option but it also the type of hair you have can play a factor on what method is better for you.

8/11/2014

*So far I think recovery has been going ok. I have been able to sleep really well and back to normal this past week. No more troubles for me sleeping.

*I noticed a lot of the transplanted hairs now have already started to and have already fallen out.

*Only disappointing thing that I have noticed so far is that I do have a good amount of shockloss along the scar line, especially on the left side of my head. I contacted Dr. Diep and sent him and a picture and he confirmed it was shockloss. His staff mentioned that shockloss hair could take up to 12 months to grow back and I hope it does! It looks really bad! The shockloss has gotten a little worse from last week, thats when I first start to notice it. I have been disappointed about this but I will continue to stay positive as I am still in the early phase of the transplant.

*I still do have some slight discomfort in the back of my head because of the strip but it has been getting much better every week. I can still do my normal activiites but I still try to avoid looking too far to the extremes with my head, I try to turn my body in those situations.

*Since its been 1 month, I am cleared now to start exercising and lifting weights again! I love to exercise so its been really great getting active again. Exercising was a bit of learning curve too because I try not to move my head to much to avoid streching the scar. The staff warned me about exercising too much because it can delay the healing of the scar and so I exercise with caution.

How much does it cost???

PM sent

8/4/2014

*I slept really well this past week. I had no more issue's of getting up in the middle of the night. The pain level in the back of my head has gone down since week 2 and it has allowed me to sleep like normal now.

*I don't have necessarily much pain in the back of my head, I just mainly have discomfort when I move my head in certain positions. When I look to far down, up, left or right, I still have discomfort but not so much pain.

*I think the scar has been healing up nicely so far, the scarline is still red but I still put Neosporin daily, as the doctor recommended. I'm going to continue applying it the one month mark and I may stop depending on how it looks. This scar is still very noticeable from behind. I have some patches of minimal hair, hopefully its not shockless.

*Pretty much all the scabbing and crusting has come off. This stuff was like glue and it took a lot of massaging to get off but its gone now. Its hard to tell if I still have scabbing along the scarline but I believe a lot of its gone. Showering is not bothersome anymore, it almost feels like normal now.

*I have been wearing a loose hat periodically now because I have been going out and seeing people more. I try not to wear a hat for too long but I only wear it when I go out of the house.

*I started noticing a few pimples along the hairline​ and I have some now on my forehead. I called Dr. Diep about it and they perscribed me some Doxycycline (anti-biotic drug) and Erythromocyin Topcial Ointment. I take the antibiotic & apply the ointment twice daily. I will be takng this for a week so hopefully the pimples will go away. They said it could be due to ingrown hairs but I'm not sure why I see more on my forehead.

*Overall I have been feeling ok, I am no where close of starting to see growth but I can't wait to start seeing it because I look like crap right now lol, but staying positive ​

Sorry for responding back late I've been busy. To answer your question, yes after about 2 weeks you should have no scabs on the transplanted area. Although it will be slightly pink color for a little while longer. The scar is still very visable especially on the sides for me because the hair has not grown back completely around the strip yet but it has gone from dark red to more pink showing it is healing. FYI the transplanted hairs will fall out between week 3 -4. Got some small stubbles of hair growth at week 6 but not expecting to see much until month 3-4 which sucks but expected.

No worries! Thank you for reply, I appreciate the input.

7/28/2014

*It’s officially been 2 weeks! Still have a lot of time to go but I’m pleased that the hard part is over. The 1st week especially was pretty tough. So far I think progress has been positive.

*Dr. Diep had called to ask and check on how I was doing, which was nice of him.

*I slept well again. I have been feeling pretty much back too normal mentally. I still have some pain on the back of my head but a lot of the scabbing on the recipient area has gone away, still small amounts remain.

*I’m allowed to start wearing a hat now, but I need to wear it loosely. I went outside several times and it felt really good, I’ve been sitting at home these past 2 weeks. Wearing a hat is a little discomforting along the donor area but not too bad. I got used to it after about a minute.

*I think the scar is healing up nicely, still have a long way to go but there is still some scabbing along the scar line that I need to try and remove. It feels like now that scar is closed, and I still apply Neosporin daily.

*I’m going to start posting pictures and updates on a weekly basis for this 1st month, no more daily pics. Then after the first month, I will be posting on a monthly basis.

thank you. yours will turn out nice too, you just have to give it time.

 

and the recovery is like a roller coaster, so many times i sat there regretting the surgery in the 2 month, 3 month mark, but every day things improve, and just know there will eventually be light at end of tunnel.

 

do you know if he placed more emphasis on the hairline area. vs the crown?

Thats what I heard too, the 1st 3 months are an 'ugly duckling' phase of the healing process. I think Dr. Diep placed more emphasis on the hairline because naturally my hair line was pretty much gone. I still had some hair towards the front but the area's around my temple had no hair. During my second consultation we talked a lot about how I needed to restore my hairline because of the fact that was the area I was losing my hair the most.

good updates how much did they charge you ?>

Sent you a PM

nice updates, just give it time, its a long process.

 

i had my fue HT with dr. diep in late january, check out my thread to see the updates.

I just saw yours, yours is looking incredible even at 5 months, wow!

7/27/2014

*Slept well again. The pain in the back of my head didn’t change from yesterday.

*I shampooed again normally and applied some more pressure in attempt to get rid of any remaining scabbing. And more scabbing came off but there is still a little bit that remain. My head felt a little irritated because of the added pressure when massaging my scalp, hopefully I’m not overdoing it but this scabbing is really hard to come off.

*I had to go to a family get-together and decided to wear a hat. I was instructed that I could start wearing a hat after 2 weeks. Wearing a hat didn’t bother me on the recipient area but it was a little discomforting in the donor area. And I wore my heat really loose but after about 5min of wearing I felt the discomfort slowly went away.

7/26/2014

*Slept well again. The pain in the back of my head receded a little bit, but still there.

*Since I shampooed pretty aggressively yesterday, I only washed my head with water and conditioner today, very gently. No shampoo. I wanted to give my head a rest.

7/25/2014

*I slept well again. I still continued to have some pain in the back of my head, about the same pain level as yesterday.

*Having the sutures out gives me a little more mobility with my lower jaw but when I open my mouth or smile too big, I can still feel the scar stretching so I still try to be careful.

*I still have a decent amount of scabbing on top of my head. And so I washed more aggressively again by applying more pressure. Some of the scabbing came off but there was still some left behind. My head turned a bit red in some areas and got irritated even after the aggressive wash, but still there are scabbing that remained, this stuff is like glue! The doctor tells me not to pick them out and to just massage them out, which is hard. I’m hoping I’m not damaging anything.

*The scar area is slowly healing. I apply Neosporin daily along the scar.

7/24/2014

*I slept good again. Pain level in the back of my head didn’t change from yesterday.

*I visited Dr. Diep’s office today to get my sutures removed, can’t believe it has already been 10 days! When the nurses looked at my head they noted that I still had a lot of scabbing on my head. They mentioned that I really need to start trying to get the scabbing off or else it can hinder the growth of the graft. They told me I should try to be more aggressive when massaging my hair to try and remove the remaining scabbing.

*The suture removal was a bit painful but bearable. Some parts were more painful than others but it wasn’t too bad. It took about 45min. I also had a good amount of scabbing along the suture line so before beginning the suture removal the nurse had removed the scabbing first.

*After the sutures were removed, I felt I had some more mobility with my lower jaw but the pain in the back of my head was still there. Still about a level 2/10 pain level.

*Later that day I took a shower and this time I was more aggressive with the massaging of my scalp. I applied more pressure to the recipient area in an attempt to remove the remaining scabbing that I had. After the shower, a good amount of the scabbing on top of my head had come off but afterwards I had some slight pain on top of my head, Iwhich most likely was caused by the increase in pressure I applied when shampooing. The top of my head felt irritated and looked a bit pink. I hope I didn’t overdue anything but I’m will stay positive.