corvettester

Cardel, I don't know how I missed this thread for so long... The work looks very clean and refined. Everything from graft placement and density to the overall design looks excellent. I'm also glad to hear that you had such a wonderful experience with your doctor and her staff. She seems to be very detail oriented, attentive and ethical. I think you're in for a great result. You seem to have responded exceptionally well to meds too, which is just great. Your before & after meds shots are really encouraging and among some of the best that I've ever seen. Also, thanks for documenting your experience so well. I'll be following your result closely as I'm sure others will be too. Corvettester

Joey, The above referenced patient has a great result for only 2,600 grafts. However, there are some significant difference between you and him: 1. You have more hair loss. You are a NW5/6. He is a NW5. He also has more hair throughout his frontal and midsection than you do. 2. He has denser native hair and what appears to be better hair characteristics, i.e. thick hair shafts, whereas you have much finer hair. 3. His donor area appears to be much denser than yours. 4. He is wearing his hair much longer than yours. The longer the hair, the better it conceals hair loss. 5. He is using a comb-over. You hair is wet, gelled and combed straight forward. 6. His crown is much stronger than yours. 7. There are no overhead after shots of his head... 8. Poor photo quality. I don't think these photos reveal the true nature of his result very well. Don't ever let one patient's result sell you, we're all too different. Besides, I doubt you'd want to sport your hair the way he does. You're going to need a second procedure, possibly a third. You need a minimum of 5,000 grafts to have good coverage. However, if you're like most of us, you'll get hair greed, so you'll end up wanting even more. Let's hope you have the donor to support it! Irene was so weak. I was outside until 4:00am with friends enjoying the abandoned neighborhood, having a hoot in the rain. It's not often you see empty NYC streets... it was like a ghost town here. Corvettester

LMFAO! It worked well for me. I used Care Credit for my first and second procedure and never paid them any interest or additional fees because I paid it off well in advance of the one year 0% financing interest deadline. However, I do recall coming across a thread or two where patients were complaining about their experience with Care Credit, but I don't remember the details. So keep that in mind... I bet you wouldn't be saying that if he replaced "Rahal" with "H&W." With all due respect Lorenzo, of all people, you have no room to talk... Corvettester

Hey Joey, I can't say what your yield was without seeing your hair minus gel or product, but it really does look like you've had substantial growth from what you've posted so far. I can imagine what it looks like dry though and it's very promising to me... I'm not trying to exaggerate or paint a rosy picture here, but for what it is, it looks good. I think Dorin did a good job with your case. You now have uniformity throughout your scalp or general coverage. Before, you had an island forelock that was pretty thin in itself. You also had a few really thin patches of hair here and there. Now you have general coverage so at the very least, it looks a lot better than before. Just remember where you started from... What's more, you may have the option of using concealers now, whereas before your HT, they were completely out of the question. Men get really clever with concealers, so don't rule them out. To me, there was never a questions as to whether or not you'd need a second procedure, it was always a forgone conclusion. If money is an issue, I would suggest using Care Credit. They have 0% financing for the first year. So if you put it on credit, the time you would have spent saving, could be spent growing from your next procedure. So long as you have enough donor, I'd say that you're in a good position. Another 2,500 will put you at a conservative final result and Dorin is just the doc to give you good coverage from a low number of grafts... yes, 5,000 grafts in your case is still low! Corvettester

Hariri, How do you think the 2,500 grafts should have been used? What would your strategy have been? If I understand correctly, Dorin spread the grafts pretty evenly throughout, except in the hairline where he put a little more. This makes sense to me as I'd rather have thin coverage throughout, than a dense hairline and temples with a completely bald frontal third, midsection and crown. Do you expect more coverage from 2,500 grafts for a NW5/6? He didn't have much to work with, so I think it's important that we remain realistic here... however, on the bright side, Joey seemed to respond well to the procedure. He had a good yield so I think that with another procedure he can address his density issue. Nobody is going to claim that 2,500 grafts will be enough for a NW5/6 even in the most ideal circumstances. They say that one needs a thousand grafts per NW Level for a conservative result. So I do think he got his money's worth. He has something to work with now. Who knows, maybe he'll only need another 2,500 grafts to get where he wants to be... Corvettetser

Hey Joey, When I compare your pre-op pics to your recent pics I see a definite improvement. You were a NW5/6 before and now you have established a hairline and more coverage. I think it looks about right for the amount of grafts over coverage. You appear to have gotten good yield. Here is the link to your pre-op pics: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/158735-day-after-my-first-hair-transplant-dr-dorin.html I remember initially asking you about the low number of grafts used and you replied that your donor supply is limited and that Dr. Dorin wasn't able to safely get any more than 2,500 grafts. At that time, we were hoping that you would get by with the illusion of density because T&D are so good at doing a lot with very little. That being said, I think you're going to have to wait for a few more months to see how maturity improves your situation. I doubt that there will be much new growth, but maturity should help. To give you a little perspective, I was a NW3 and I got 1,700 grafts in my hairline and temples only. I subsequently had to go back for another 1,300 so that I can achieve the density that I desire. That's 3,000 grafts for just my hairline and temples. You're attempting to cover your hairline, temples, frontal third, midsection and crown with only 2,500 grafts. I'm sorry to hear that it isn't what you hoped it to be, but what really were your expectations? How much denser did you think it'd be? For anyone with your amount of hair loss, I'd say that you need at least 5,000 grafts to start to get a desirable result. You're definitely going to have to go back for a second pass if your donor supply can support it. I assumed that that was understood after your first procedure. Lastly, it'd be great if you could post some pics with your hair freshly cleaned and dry without product or concealers. I think that would give us a better idea of your true yield. The gelled and or wet look that you're sporting in your recent pics isn't doing you any favors in terms of concealing your hair loss. Corvettester

Can't Decide, Ok dude, I get it now. This makes perfect sense. I didn't realize that it was only 110 cm/2, I thought it was at least 150cm/2! Just by looking at it, it seemed like so much more surface area than I had, but apparently not. Thank you for clarifying that for me. By the way, I'm glad to hear that you have another 5,000 grafts of donor supply. I know how reassuring that is. This certainly puts you in an even more auspicious position to completely address and ultimately conquer your hair loss. Good luck and keep us updated. We all value your posts and photos... you're an asset to the community, so no more apologies for posting your pics. Corvettester

Josh, I PM'd you my contact info. Apropos H&W and Rahal's estimation, bear in mind that they are generally considered the most aggressive docs in the industry, but in a good way. I consulted with H&W and Rahal too. Their graft estimates were among the highest I received. Who were the other four docs that you did the in-person consultations with? Since there was a consensus in the four in-person consultations, I think it's fair to conclude that you need a minimum of 1,800 and a maximum of 3,000. The conservative docs will shoot for one stand-alone procedure of 1,800-2,000 grafts with the possibility that you'll have to come back if it's not dense enough for your liking. H&W or Rahal will try to accomplish it all in one session via a larger procedure. This is where you have to decide for yourself whether to go conservative or aggressive. There really is no right answer as you may be happy with only 1,800 grafts, or you may not, and therefore have to go back for a second procedure. I don't know who the other 4 clinics were that you consulted with, but H&W and Rahal are excellent at what they do, just as I imagine the other four clinics are excellent at what they do. So now you have to consider the advantages and disadvantages, or rather the benefits and risks, of going conservative or aggressive. I'd suggest speaking to several members and asking them how they came to their decision and then deciding which is right for you... I imagine that your decision-making matrix will look something like this: Conservative: Benefit: Save Donor, Higher Potential Yield. Less Trauma. Risk: Not enough density in one pass. Possibly have to return for second procedure. Aggressive: Benefit: Sufficient density in one procedure. Risk: Potentially lower yield. More trauma to scalp. Must shave recipient area. I'd be sure to always have your donor supply in the back of you mind because hair loss is progressive and you won't want to be bald at age 38 anymore than you will at age 28... How is it by the way? What did the docs quote your donor supply at? Corvettester

Hey buddy, I originally posted this in response to your comments on my review of T&D, but I think it would be more appropriate here as it is completely off-topic for my thread and very much on-topic for your thread. So I'll go ahead and delete it there and we can continue the discussion here... Just to get everyone else up to pace, what follows is my response to the above quote where Can't Decide claims a density of 50-59 FU/cm2 from his HT with Dr. Rahal. I argue that it can't be that dense, but closer to 33 FU/cm2 throughout... Can't Decide, Correct me if I'm wrong, but even with 100% yield, I don't understand how that is possible. Unless you were referring to hairs and not FUs, there is just no way. You easily had 150cm2 covered. Divide that into 5,000 and you come out with 33 FU/cm2. Even if Rahal bulked up your hairline, that would have left your frontal third and midsection sparse, which doesn't look to be the case. At 33 FU/cm2, and a high number of doubles and multiples, that can easily put you at 60 hairs/cm2 and give you good coverage. However, I'd be interested to see how dense your hair actually is up close. I mean, it looks terrific in the photos, but all your photos are at a distance. As a point of reference, I had approximately 50-60cm2 covered with 3,000 grafts. Thus, my FU/cm2 should be somewhere around 50-55 FU/cm2 when it all grows in. I consulted once with Rahal, great guy. When I spoke to him, he told me that he wanted to see a total of 3,500-3,800 grafts in my hairline and temples for a total of 60-65 FU/cm2. He said that this would translate into 65% of native density thereby giving me actual density as opposed to the illusion of density. I hope I'm being clear and please correct me if my calculations were wrong. I'm not trying to take away from your result, as it's amazing and speaks for itself, but I just can't understand how you came to 50-59FU/cm2. Let's try to figure this one out as I'm keen to know exactly what your density is and if I've been calculating density figures correctly. Maybe Mattj can chime in on this one too... Corvettester

Can't Decide, I went ahead and moved my comment to your thread because it is completely off-topic here, but very much on-topic for your case. It's a very interesting discussion and worth looking into, so let's finish it up there... http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/160548-5000-grafts-dr-rahal-pics-2.html#post2277101 Corvettester

That is the risk with any online consultation. For this reason, among others, it's important to do a few in-person consults too. If all the in-person consults are saying one thing, and the online consults another, I'd base my decision upon the in-person consult. Good luck. Corvettester

Secretly Thinning, Do you really think I was approaching a NW4? That hurts man! You're really scaring me now! :eek: LOL! Just to clarify, it only appears that my hairline has been lowered, when in fact, it has only been squared off. Dr. Dorin designs his hairlines very jaggedly to give it a natural appearance. However, that isn't my preference so I asked him to contour it or square it off because that's just how I like it! However, he certainly lowered it with my first HT, which basically reestablished it to where it had always been. Yes, I've always had a high hairline... I appreciate the compliments though. Looking more youthful and masculine by flattening out the forehead angle is exactly what I was shooting for. You have a good eye for detail. Thanks a lot! So when are we going to see your results, buddy? Corvettester

Vincent, Yes, I believe that my hair loss has stabilized for the time being. It's held steady since my first consultation two years ago. I go in for follow up visits every three months. Each time, they examine and photograph my crown and midsection as we are monitoring it very closely. One of the reasons I'm monitoring it so closely is that I'm not on meds. If my crown or midsection starts to go, I will start Propecia immediately so as to possibly save whatever native hair I can. However, for the time being, I'm opting to stay away off meds. Corvettester

Exactly! To this day, many posters still rave about what a great result and clear improvement I had from my first HT, which is funny considering that I had a relatively low yield. No doubt, I had a significant cosmetic improvement. However, it just wasn't at the level I had anticipated. I'm glad my doc shares my high standards. I can only wonder what I would have done if I had gotten a 100% yield... Corvettester

Teach77 is a perfect example of a few grafts going a long way. He has what I consider to be ideal hair characteristics for an HT. Here is a link to his result from his first HT, a very conservative 1,500 grafts. An enormous transformation and exceptional result, in my opinion. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/161214-dr-dorin-1508-frontal-fut.html Corvettester

You are in exactly the same situation as I was when I started looking into FUT two years ago: 28 years old, NW3, interested in reestablishing my hairline and closing my temples, uncertain future and wanting to play it safe... I don't think that 3,000 grafts for a NW3 is extreme. I did 3,000 grafts over two sessions. It really depends on your hair characteristics. If you have thick, dark, curly hair (and darker skin), then 3,000 is probably too much as your hair will do most of the coverage by itself. If, however, you have thin, fine, blonde hair, like I do, then you may want to opt for more grafts to better provide density and coverage. You don't want to go for the illusion of density in the hairline and temples, you want actual density if you have the donor supply to afford it. So what type of hair do you have? Describe it to us. Post some photos and we'll be able to help you better. Also, what have the docs said about your donor availability? Below or above average? H&W and Rahal are great. The consistently produce excellent results. However, depending on your hair characteristics, you may not need that many grafts to get the type of density and result that you desire. Plus, that extra thousand grafts may end up costing you an extra $4,000! I'm glad to see that you are considering your future loss too. You're definitely asking all the right questions. Corvettester

Don't fret. Every one of us has gone through the same anxiety of choosing a doctor. The important thing is to be patient, take your time and research. Remember that different doctors have different approaches. It's more a matter of what you want for yourself and how you want to go about getting it: aggressive or conservative. You'll be in a much better position to know what you want for yourself once you have done your due diligence and researched enough patient results as well as studied the pros and cons of whatever approach you're pursuing. Just give it some time and it will work itself out. Things sort of just fall into place once you know what you want and how you want to get it. Corvettester

Bonkers, I consulted with several elite clinics, none of which suggested that I have 3,000 grafts done in one session. I thought it prudent to listen to the experts on this one... The highest estimate I got from any of the elite clinics was from your clinic, Hasson & Wong, who suggested that I go for between 2,000-2,500 grafts FUT. Dr. Rahal suggested around 2,000 and SMG suggest around 1,500-1,800. Dr. Beehner suggested 1,500-1,700 and Dr. Law suggest 1,500. Nuhardt 1,500-1,800. Dr. Path in Bangkok suggested 2,300-2,700, which was the highest. T&D were definitely on the conservative side, no doubt, which was one of the reasons that I decided to go with them. Essentially, the decision to go conservative was my decision. I didn't want to risk a big session if I didn't need it, I wanted to see if I could get by with less. Also, I knew that most people opt to undergo two procedures, typically for density, whether or not they need to. I've seen plenty of dense packing sessions that had to go back for a second pass... Different doctors have different philosophies. It doesn't mean that one is better than the other. I didn't want to risk a big session due to the increased risk of shock loss and lower yield. Also, all the dense packing docs wanted to shave part of my head, which I wouldn't allow... how's that for downtime? Had I chosen any of the other doctors, it appears that I would still have to go back for a second pass. So in that respect, I'm glad I went conservative and I stayed local, among other reasons. Although I've seen some outstanding results from dense packing single mega-sessions, I think it is over-hyped. If it were so much better, why wouldn't more docs be doing it? Most docs I consulted with cautioned me against it. I simply chose not to buy into it and I'm happy with my decision. Thus, to use your phrase, I think it's "much wiser" to play it safe. Corvettester

Exactly what Ahairdown said... Your 7 month update with dry hair and no products looks great, very natural and dense. Your 9 month update with wet, gelled hair makes it appear less dense, even though it does look really good styled. Indeed, you have a clear and definite cosmetic improvement. I imagine that it looks perfectly natural in person and any thinness is completely undetectable to 99% of people. We can only see that because you posted micro-photos of your hairline. Although you still have a lot of maturing to do, I'd say that this is a pretty solid result and I'd be happy with it. If anything, you may want to go back for a touch up in about 6 months if you're not happy with the density in the immediate hairline, but it certainly isn't a necessity in your case. I can't imagine you wanting or needing more than a thousand grafts. It's quite common for most people to go back for a touch-up procedure to address density. However, I do consider what you have now to be a good stand-alone result. I'm happy for you. Good luck and keep us updated. Corvettester

Joshelstad, I highly recommend True & Dorin. They're very professional, ethical and consistently produce excellent results. I think that they have close to 30 years of combined experience in the hair restoration field between the two of them. What's more, they stand behind their work and patients. I consulted with several doctors before making my decision, but T&D stood out in my opinion which is why I chose them. So if I were you, I would definitely do an in-person consultation with them. I did two consultation with Dr. True and then I did two more with Dr. Dorin before I decided to go through with a procedure. After consulting with each of them, I felt comfortable having either one of them do my HT, so I went with Dr. Dorin who happened to have an earlier opening available. I just had my second procedure with Dr. Dorin two weeks ago. In the links below, you can read a comprehensive review regarding my decision to go with T&D and of the procedure and the follow up care which I just posted today. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/159626-review-true-dorin-part-1-3-pre-op.html http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/162392-review-true-dorin-part-2-3-procedure-follow-up-care.html#post2276915 Also, click on the link in my signature to see a detailed account with loads of photos of my hair transplant experience on my hair loss website. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Corvettester

Comprehensive Review of True & Dorin. Part 2 of 3: The Procedure & Immediate Follow Up Care. What follows is the second part of a three part comprehensive review of True & Dorin. In Part 1, I covered the consultation, the decision to take the plunge and why I chose T&D. You can read it here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/159626-review-true-dorin-part-1-3-pre-op.html Here in Part 2, I will cover the procedure itself, as well as the immediate follow up care and suture removal. Part 3 will cover the growing phase and final result, so it’s going to be a while before I can write that. I waited to post Part 2 because I knew that I would need two procedures, so I thought it best to review both as one. Therefore, what follows is a composite of my two procedures at T&D. When necessary for clarity, I differentiate between the two; however, for the most part, both procedures had far more in common than any differences. In short, both procedures went smoothly and without incident. The immediate follow up care for both was seamless and without issue. Having done my due diligence, it was everything that I anticipated it would be. Further, the healing process was far more rapid than I had anticipated. By the time I had my sutures removed each time, there was hardly any evidence of my having a procedure at all. There were virtually no complications with the procedure or the healing process: no swelling, no bleeding, no oozing, in ingrown hairs or infections, no excessive pain and no shock loss. Now for the long version… I arrived at the clinic at 8:00am, signed the waiver, reviewed the day’s agenda and strategy with the doc, took pre-op photos, took a valium and readied myself for the procedure. Dr. Dorin started with the anesthetic in the donor area. Administering the anesthetic is the only “painful” part of the procedure which is because the doctor has to inject the donor and recipient area with anesthetic via a hypodermic needle. Basically, you’re getting a shot in the head, several shots actually. It stings and it makes you cringe and your toes curl. It’s a very short-lived pain though. The anesthetic only takes moments to kick in and the sting from the needle is immediate and only lasts a second. I’m no hero when it comes to pain either. Once that’s done, the doctor shaves the donor area (actually, he may have done this before the anesthetic, I can’t remember). So he shaves the donor and then he starts the incision. My head was completely numb so I felt nothing at all. Even though I couldn’t feel anything, I could “sense” what was happening to me… and let me say that it creeped me out big time! I mean, you can feel him slicing open your head, yet there is no pain—it’s very surreal! Dr. Dorin cut the donor out in sections, I think he did mine in three sections. He even showed me one of the sections after he cut it out which looks like the excess skin or fatty tissue on fresh duck or chicken, for those of you who debone your own meat. This process takes anywhere form 30 minutes to an hour. I really don’t recall both times because my perception of time is so distorted with the meds and grim reality of what is happening. The doc then sent the grafts off to the techs so that they can start slicing them up and removing the grafts individually. Then he started suturing me up, which probably took another 20 minutes or so. Again, the suturing is completely painless, can’t feel a thing. With my first procedure, I was given a standard closure. With the second procedure, I was given a trychopytic closure. Dr. Dorin decided to go with Trycho for the second because my scar stretched a little bit on the right side after my first procedure. It wasn’t bad at all and most docs would have found it acceptable. Dorin just wanted to see if I might benefit better from Trycho this time. You can see photos of my scar in the 8 Month Update in my Hair Loss Website, link below. After I was all sutured up, I took a bathroom break and the doc let me watch the techs cut up my donor and separate the grafts for a few minutes. There were four techs simultaneously completing this task. Next, anesthetic was administered into the recipient area. It’s the exact same sting as in the donor. After the anesthetic is in, Dr. Dorin started making the incisions into the recipient area. The big difference between the first and second procedure is that the first one was done very quickly. Dr. Dorin was making incisions onto a bald surface, so it only took what felt like 30-45 minutes. For my second procedure, he was making the incisions in between hairs so it took significantly longer, what felt like two hours! Dr. Dorin told me that he had to be careful not to transect hair from the previous procedure. At one point during the second procedure, the anesthetic wore off so the doc had to give me more. I could actually feel him stabbing me with the little incision maker. It hurt, not bad though because of the residual anesthetic. Dr. Dorin was surprised that I could feel it that the anesthetic had worn off so soon. So once he finished up, I took a lunch break with my head covered in blood. Something about surgery and healing makes me ravenously hungry. For both procedures, I wolfed down the sandwich that they had ordered for me. Even though I had eaten breakfast, I was very hungry by the time lunch came. What’s more, I noticed that I had a significantly increased appetite for the first week or two after the procedure. I mean, I was eating everything in sight in huge quantities. Next came the graft placement, which was done entirely by the technicians. There were three techs who worked on me. This too took a good deal of time, especially for the second procedure, for the same reasons sited above. Again, it was completely painless, couldn’t feel a thing. I could “sense” it though which is just weird. The techs will chat you up if you want but each time I was so zonked that I wasn’t much for conversation. I think I feel asleep for a few moments too. The worse part, in my opinion, was having to sit so still for such a long amount of time. I mean, I’m fine to sit and read or write for hours, but I’m kind of fidgety, which is a big No-No when it comes to URFUT. You have to sit still and not move a muscle. My back started cramping, I started getting anxious, etc.… it sucks. Three quarters of the way through the second procedure, the anesthetic wore off again. I started to feel them placing the grafts and it really stung. So they put some more anesthetic in and all was well. After the grafts were placed, I was glad to be done. I was cleaned up, had a final discussion with the doc, had some photos taken and was out the door. The next two weeks will differ from person to person. For me, the first HT was the first procedure that I had ever had. I’ve never broken a bone or had any illness. So I was in pretty bad shape. I think a lot of it had to with the medication, my body just isn’t used to it. True & Dorin give all patients a post-op video to watch at home. It explains what to expect for the first two weeks and then gives you a break down of what to do and when to do it in 3-4 day segments, over the next two weeks. It was very instructional, informative and helpful. It answered almost all of my questions and explained everything well. I had to go back to the clinic the next day for the post-op cleaning and examination. Each time it was pretty difficult to make it there and by the time I arrived each time, I had to go straight to the patient’s room to lie down because I thought I would be sick. The first time I took a cab to and from the clinic which was a huge mistake. Just too much bouncing around and abrupt stops. The second time I took the subway, which was much better, despite so many people. T&D’s clinic is conveniently located just two blocks from NYC’s Grand Central Station. The first three nights are the hardest because you have to be so careful to sleep upright and not roll over. A travel pillow is essential in my opinion. I used one for the first two weeks after both procedures. I made sure to take plenty of painkillers and an Ambien right before I went to bed so that I wouldn’t be moving around. I was always glad to wake up in the exact same position that I had gone to sleep in. The clinic called me after a few days to check up on me and make sure everything was going well. By the end of the second week I went back to have my sutures removed. This hurts. Nothing unbearable, just stings, especially the beginning and end of the suture area because that is where the doc ties the knots. After the sutures are removed the doc comes in and examines your scalp and scar and answers any lingering questions. From there on out, it’s all about the wait. In conclusion, I found my procedure and immediate post-op care to be exceptional and exactly what I anticipated. Both procedures went without incident and I felt very supported and taken care of throughout. The doctor and staff were all very professional, well organized and prepared, as well as hygienic. I experienced no post-op complications: no swelling, no bleeding and no shock loss. Everything went according to plan and was up to my expectations and standards. I would strongly recommend Dr. Dorin to anyone considering an HT in the future. As always, any thoughts, comments or questions are welcomed… Corvettester

Well, I actually consulted with Dr. True and Dr. Dorin twice each before making my decision. In my particular case, Dr. True wanted to go a little more conservative than Dr. Dorin, but only by 300 grafts. Dr. Dorin's approach was still on the conservative side. As I mentioned before, I was very comfortable with either doctor. I ended up with Dr. Dorin because he had an earlier opening. Had Dr. True had an earlier opening, I would have gone with him. I would definitely suggest meeting with Dr. True as I find him to be a wealth of experience and expertise. He is one of the pioneers of the HT industry and actually teaches other docs how to do FUT/FUE. He's very welcoming and affable too. I'm sure that he has his own opinions, style and philosophy when it comes to HT, which is a good thing in my eyes. So go ahead and consult with him, I'm sure you'll learn something. Corvettester

I really don't know. I've had docs quote me from 75-100 FU/cm2. So it's not insanely dense like some of these 120 FU/cm2 guys that I've seen on the HTN. I will say this though: it's definitely denser in the donor area than it is in the frontal third, midsection and crown. It always has been too. Corvettester

I just learned that I have really great donor hair! It turns out that I have another 7-8k in the donor bank between FUT and FUE. I can't tell you how happy I am to hear this! It's is a real game changer... Corvettester

I just got my sutures removed at 12 days post-op. I was also given a bit of good news which I'll get to shortly. The healing process was much easier the second time around and much less traumatic an experience overall. Just like with my first procedure, there was no swelling, bleeding or oozing. Of course, my donor area is still sensitive but that will go with time. To date, there has been no shock loss. I didn't experience any last time either so I'm hoping that it holds this time as well. The big difference is that my head is no longer numb. This is in stark contrast to last time where my midsection remained numb for over 5 months post-op. I was beginning to get worried, thinking that it would never go back to normal, but it started to subside around month 6 and by month 8 I had normal sensation again. So what's interesting this time is that it's only been two weeks and the numbness is virtually gone... I don't get it. I thought that it would actually be worse this time! I'm not complaining though. Now on to the good news... Dr. Dorin is on vacation now so Dr. True gave me my follow up examination. I had a pretty long conversation with him about FUT and FUE, closures techniques, scars, methods, etc... It's really nice to have access to another doctor and get a different opinion and perspective. So I asked him what he thought about the quality of my donor supply and how much I had left. To my surprise, he said that it looked like I could easily get another 7,000-8,000 grafts out of it between FUT and FUE!!! Bear in mind, that a year ago, they estimated that I had around 7,000-8,000 grafts total available donor supply. Now, after two HTs totaling 3,000 grafts, it appears that I have another 7-8k left in the donor bank! Hells yeah! I had thought that I was down to 5,000 grafts or so but it appears that I'm one of the lucky ones. I basically had around 10,000 available grafts in my donor area to start with. If I'm down to 7-8k now, that puts me in a very comfortable position should any hair loss progress. I'm crossing my fingers it doesn't though... Below are some pics of my recipient area two weeks post-op. As always, any thoughts or comments are welcomed... Corvettester