Sean

That really looks awesome. I am sure you are very pleased. Outstanding work, especially for the 10 MONTH mark and you still have time for it to grow out and mature. Looks great.

I think you have a great looking donor area and your hair texture may be really good. You might achieve a really great result using the suggested number of grafts the doctors have told you. This in conjunction with the size of your head will be a + for you. I think you can achieve great density but only a doctor will be able to tell you that in person, especially, during your procedure. In your particular case, you may be able to have hair line lowered and or temples worked on. This will depend on what the doctor suggests after looking at your density and hair texture/caliber. Good luck.

Is that the same person? Cuz I mean, wow. Was it just the Frontal or with the crown the areas worked on? Did the patient take anything before transplantation or anything after, such as rogaine & finasteride. 3,575 grafts went a long way here. I think it's a home run. Awesome work. Placement, with the right amount of hairs, right caliber/hair texture, can work wonders. I think this is a great example of how 3,575 grafts can do the trick and cover up the scalp on some balding men. Great work. It is a very impressive result especially with the hairstyle he chose to have.

Answering another question regarding information I wrote in my initial post. I had mentioned an Indian actor and his hairline and what Dr. Rahal drew on it. Here was the original description in my initial post: "I did bring some photos of patients from his website that I thought the quality of work done was ideal to my goals, as well as some indian actor's photo to explain what I was looking for. He drew the hairline design on the temple area of the indian actor's photo he suggested would suit me. He did not want the temple area to be the same as the indian actor's as he explained it may look more like a feminine temple design. " Here is the actual picture of the actor, and then the temple design drawn by Dr. Rahal on this photo on this piece of paper I am uploading. Regarding the Indian actors photos: First Picture (shown below): frontal picture of the actors photo to show you how he looks with his hairline. The actor has never had a transplant and that is his natural hairline. Second Picture (shown below): picture with pen markings made by Dr. Rahal on the actors photo to explain to me the design of the temples and what is appropriate and masculine and what is feminine touch or not appropriate. Third Picture (shown below): picture with pen markings made by Dr. Rahal and the explanation of hairline being feminine/masculine to show you what side was mentioned as masculine and what is feminine. I hope this helps answer your questions regarding temples. I am getting asked a lot of questions and keep getting emails when I do get a message. I'll try to respond as soon as I can and I have been trying to answer all of you. Thanks again for the comments and questions.

Yup, the reason I went to him is that he has impressive hairlines. Hopefully, when it is all grown out, I can see the work better. I know what you mean about worrying about drawing vs actual. The shedding doesn't help either, I mean if I go out I gotta wear a cap. I am not jeapordizing my grafts by applying anything other then what was directed. Toppik may be risky right now so I haven't touched it. Also, you defintely have to keep away from the sun. I think the sun can damage the grafts too. I have shed more hairs as you can see from my recent Iphone pics. I'd stay off dating until the pinkness and some hairs have grown back, i'd say at least 3 or 4 month mark? Some people are lucky they grow quicker. So, lets see how it looks at the end of this month, and then next month. I hope my monthly updates help.

I guess the doctor knows when it is even, he looks at existing hairs, and uses stuff to measure it with. Some areas may need more hairs than others, it depends on what he sees. Obviously we are not professionals when it comes to making the hairline calculation, but I guess doctors are aware of this when they do it. They have to be the artists. I think they use the bridge of the nose as a starting point, then base it from there. I remember him making a point in the middle of my eyebrows above my nose, and then measuring with something, then marking, and then I kept asking him to tweak it because I didn't want it conservative at all. So, he drew what he felt he thought was the best he could do. I did address all my concerns with my goals, the forehead fears, concerns, comments and etc. So, I took his opinion as he is the doctor and now I will wait to see how it all turns out. Recession is the reason I never stuck my hair up after 2001. I kept it like with bangs or combed forward messy with gel and it just got harder and harder. I think temples and hairlines play a major role with transplantation. I guess if you had pictures taken at your initial consult that might help as that is the type of hairline you want, you have something to base it off of so you don't forget how you wanted it.

Thanks Capelli, I am definitely trying my best to have patience with this. It sucks having the hairs shed, but this is part of the process and I gotta remind myself of this. The hairline took just a few minutes to draw, with some questions/comments/concerns and requests made in between, particularly the widows peak. As I think it plays a good role, I had one before, but it became weak, so we retweaked it all. I think it takes less than 5-7 minutes to draw it and measure, draw, erase and draw, etc. can't wait to see your pics, soon you will be in the chair. wish you the best.

Ok, I took these photos 4 DAYS ago with my iphone using living room light/kitchen light. I tried to mark the areas to show the difference between transplanted area and native area by showing the cutoff mark. Let me know if you have any other questions. I have been asked all sorts of questions and I am trying to answer each of you one by one through messages or just posting it here on my thread. Also, you can see I have shed more hairs around the transplanted areas, some in native areas as well I believe. This is some shockloss (I think) and the overall shedding is normal I believe as with most hair transplants. I should be going to go see Dr. Rahal and will try to update photos again at the end of this month. Thanks.

Sirius, hope you are doing alright. The recipient zone for me is still pink/slight red and is clearly showing. I also lost a lot of hairs due to shed in my recipient zone, I think even some of my native hairs it seems. Because my transplant was done in and around my native hair area as well (could be temporary case of shockloss for me). It is very uncomfortable to go through but the shedding/pinkness is normal i believe. We are almost 2 months out, hopefully by next month we will start seeing something, maybe bigger better changes. We both got our transplants around the same time with the same doctor so it would be good comparing pics. I think at this point, everything is normal though, it's just a headache to go through "the shed" and not see anything grow right away. I do think though taking MSM might speed up hair growth and I am on it right now. I think it probably helped slightly but I can't really tell cuz I had my transplant around my native hairs too. I did notice some of my hairs that did not shed in my recipient zone grow longer ( i don't know if it was native hair or recipient as I can't really tell right now). A lot of people told me MSM speeds up the growth of hair and this could be true, because I am having to shave my facial hair often it seems more often then I usually do. MSM wont add new hairs I think but it speeds up hair growth. Did you talk to Mike the patientcare advisor at Dr. Rahal's about MSM? It might be worth looking into after speaking with them. I think even Spex mentioned it in one of his informative posts. I will be going to see Dr. Rahal in NY as well so you might see me there. wish you the best

I should be posting photos up soon again. I got a message from someone asking to see a close up of hairline / temple areas and where my native hairs were. I cropped the photos so it would be easier to zoom in and see. These photos are my post op photos. I don't know if it helps, but you should be able to see the placement. If not, try to zoom in, you should be able to see native hairs vs implanted hairs, especially on temple areas. The recipient zones were buzzed a little closer I believe then other parts of my head. I think the image may be resized, but if you do click it, it should allow you to see full size and zoom in. Thank for the comments.

You could be right. I am 50/50 on it. I don't know if there are any studies that were done to find out if it does or doesn't. I did come across this link with people talking about it. Hair Loss Help Forums - Tribulus Terrestris? can it cause a temporary raise in DHT-Testosterone to cause rapid miniaturizationt/thining?

You actually make your own food, they have a self serve breakfast. Other then that, you can order out / have delivery. Which is what I did for the days I was there. But the fridge is stocked with lots of things. You can make eggs, cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, coffee, tea, sandwiches, other breakfast foods, I don't even remember but the fridge is well stacked, with some sausage/bacon too, juices, milk, and more, etc. They do have a decent seafood place nearby. I went there, I also ordered pizza at this place nearby (the pizza was good, not greasy). They got a couple of other restaurants and places nearby. They got a book they give you with all numbers, places to go, restaurants, delivery, entree menus, etc.,

Haha. If the other side isn't secure, the wind will blow that thing in the other direction. Very funny video.

I used Toppik before with the spray attachment/pump. I think it worked well with short hair. I haven't used it since my transplant since I do not want to clog or damage my grafts. I know when I used it with my short hair style, it really worked well. They have a special spray you can use to kind of hold it in place in the rain.

You are right, looks like they got rid of the promotion for 0% interest for a year back in September. That sucks. You are right about the $10,000 in cash thing, too risky lol. TSA is notorious with currency. I remember my trip to Costa Rica, they made me count my money to see if I was carrying over $10K lol. I had tons of 1's, like 3000, that threw them off hard core. But those ones came in handy in costa rica. Not only do some places accept the US dollar, but when you exchange them for Colones, it makes things easier. I wouldn't want to carry large bills or lots of money with me anywhere.

I'd use those with caution. They do increase testosterone. Not to an extent steroids would, but they do. I've read ton of articles about them. Remember EAS Andro 6? They even have warnings not to use it under age 26. Some companies versions might be snake oil, but if your using major brands that are tested, then definitely use caution. You don't want to activate something that will make you shed more hair or rather speed up the process.

I'd definitely stay at the FOXBAR again. Clean, they got special medical pillow covers, got everything. You can't beat the convenience and price and location if you are going to do surgery with Dr. Rahal. I gave it a raving review in my 3,000+ graft FUE thread. El Nino is right about the prices.

Yea, big fue procedures can work if you are the right candidate. Try not to worry about the donor area, like others have said, it will get better week by week, it's too soon, esp for a 5,000 graft FUE procedure. I'll post my next update in a few days, look forward to seeing your updates when you do post them. I agree and I think FUE is getting better and better as time goes on. Larger sessions are being done with lots of success. Best of all, no linear scar. Wish you the best and happy growing.

Sirius67, how's it going? I am the guy that got the 3,000 graft FUE procedure around the time you were there. Your post op photos look great. How is everything now? Do you see any new hairs sprouting up yet? I'll post my 2 month update in a few days. Already nearing the 2 month mark, it seems time really went by fast. Are you using any other medications right now? I am on propecia, rogaine foam, and MSM.

Gabrieljose43, it was 3,016 grafts and it was done using FUE.

Hang in there. It doesn't look bad for a 5000 graft procedure. I think it is temporary. Give it time. It will heal week by week. The scars would shrink and temporary shockloss in the donor area would be reduced weekly. I was worrying about my donor area too, but looks like it is still healing. It takes time to heal. I am about 50 days out of my surgery. I still think my donor area will continue to heal.

Do you have any photos up of your donor area? The donor area should get better. You had a larger session then I did. Wait till you reach one month at least though, two and a half weeks is still fresh. Take a look at my hair loss website for pics and look at my donor area. I do have some donor photos in between my thread, but you can still see my donor area slightly pink in some areas. I will be posting updates in the next 10 days or so.

Sugarhighs, thanks for the comments. I think Wells Fargo once had a presence in Canada, however, they now just have an office or two (I think). They are able to transfer money to the Bank of Montreal. Some banks may not be able to do so, and if you have such a bank that does not, then you have to transfer funds via wachovia/wells fargo NY to Bank of Montreal I believe. Did you look into the Chase Sapphire credit card with no foreign transaction fees and their rates? I agree, I think Oanda looks like a really good idea right about now when it comes to exchange rates. Dr. Rahal does surgery in Canada. I think the other offices/locations are just for consulting. I had to pay Canadian as it is a Canadian business. The rates you are quoted are also Canadian. Right now with the way things are going, exchange rates may be to your advantage. I think it was just 1.06 Canadian per $1.00 USD as the market rate or it may be moving back up. You have to pay for the procedure in Canada at the right time. There was a time where 1 USD was even $1.20 CAD+. So, you really have to be on top of all these exchange rates as well as to finalize a service you will use. If you lay out like 10 different services, it is only going to confuse you in the end. See which one gives you the best rate, and use it when it is time to pay. If you somehow had a Canadian bank account, you will probably get a better deal, because you can always put money in at the right exchange rates and then pay for your procedure that way. While some businesses charge you tax rates in Canada, some may give you out of town/country discounts as Dr. Rahal does. So, the discount really goes against the tax rate charges and you don't end up paying extra on top of your procedure.

Looking great for 4 months. Everything seems to be going very smooth. I can't even see the scar. Both the front and crown are looking great. It's only going to get better and better in the months ahead. Thanks for sharing.

There are a lot of factors to consider. How many grafts are you getting? At what density are they being transplanted? Your own physiology. etc etc I had 3016 grafts done in the frontal region and had a military style buzz done on the day of surgery. You can see my pics at my hairloss website to get an idea of what you may face. Scabs for me took a while to come off, say about 2 weeks I think. I followed every instruction and continue to follow all instructions. Now in your situation, you are just getting 1,000 grafts, that's a much smaller procedure and it may not show as much or impact your scalp as much as 3016 grafts did for me. So, you should be good to go. Good luck.