savehair

On 9/1/2020 at 4:12 AM, tanner1987 said:

2016 SMP for me and been very happy with it. My biggest advice is to take your time to select a good clinician. I sat down with 3 before I was happy to continue; you want experience and evidence of results. I also wanted one that would naturally fade over time, so I kept the option to let it fade or touch it up. You definitely don’t want a permanent tattoo-type job IMO. Also, don’t get too greedy with a low hairline; I think less is more when is comes to SMP for a natural look. Getting it wet is absolutely no issue. Main issues are sun protection, and you do find your head (apparently) sweating more in the heat without hair to absorb it, but you will find it a dream compared to the maintenance and limitations of concealer. I can’t imagine any issues facilitating a HT per-se, but SMP has to be kept shaven to look right, although I often let it grow when I know I can wear a hat out. This could make the transition to HT quite awkward when you have to grow it out, making the SMP look wrong until you have hair to cover, but I wouldn’t let this hold you back. Take your time to pick a good clinic and go for it 👍

thanks man. i do still have hair just it's diffuse thinning so i use concealer to cover bald spots up. i see most SMP folks just go with the shaved head look. i guess i need to find some example of people who got it with medium length hair and get some advice

any updates on this? very interested to see your results now that it's 10 month post op

Hi All,

long time lurker here, i'm seriously considering doing SMP since i still have hair but diffuse thinning all over my head. I currently use concealer products  and they look good to a certain extent but the draw back for it that it rinses off so i cant really do any water sports or always worrying when it rains.  

got some questions below hoping the experts or experienced users can comment here. by the way, i keep my hair at medium cut length (around eye and ear level)

1. how does it look wet? is it more noticeable or it remains hard to tell

2. does it complicate things if i want to get a HT down the road?

3. what are some of your regrets if any after getting it done?

Savehair who was your doc?

Hi, save.

 

Thanks. You may be looking at a week or two post op before the grafts all shed. The last one where the redness is more visible is the most recent. I'm closing in on 3 months and I have some early sprouters and new growth coming in but nothing like that pic

 

Who was your doc? Do you have some pics to share? I'd be interested in following your progress.

hey guys, im also a patient of Dr. Rahal and yep, i was looking at your pre-shed photos and thought they were your 3 month post op photos.

sorry, i dont want to share any photos online but i am about 8 month out, i see some growth but not super dense and not where i want it to be yet. i also got about the 2k grafts on the front. i hope it denses up in the next few months when i reach full growth at 12 month

wow nice results man, they look very dense at just 3 month out even with the buzz cut espeically the one you were wearing a tank and the close up shots , i think you will have great results by the time it's all grown in.

mine is still very thin at about 7 month out , FUE for about 2000 in the frontal third and similar sq/cm. hopefully im a late bloomer and more to come in the store for me in the next few months

jacob - great result, congrats, 2 questions: hows the scar, what was # of grafts/sq.cm.

 

slickrick: do u have some pics. im sure ull get good results too

same question as the above on the sq./cm

great results man, so happy for you ! hoping mine turns out decent (playing the wait game now)

i believe the most important for you now is to find out how much donor you have. if your goals are to restore a full head of hair , it may be possible but depends on how much donor you have. i m guessingin it will take a minimum 5~6k grafts to restore the entire front and top, if you wana do crown, it may take even more. good luck !

Its tough to say. Most people do have recession when they age ( unless you are one of the few who get the perfect head o hair for life - insert Ronald Regan)

 

My hairline started to recede in my 20's and then - BOOM I hit 24 and it was down hill. Other people recede but not lose their hair unlike my situation.

 

At this point, relax and keep an eye on it . Does hairloss run in the family -

i agree with MrJobi

lol, stop worrying and go out and enjoy life, you have great hair, you do not appear to be losing either

if you are really paranoid, start documenting it month by month with pictures and measurements, that is the only way to tell if it's starting to go

long time lurker, and this site had helped me greatly so i decided to make this thread for those who looks to pursue the HT path for restoration. it's a big next step to take and there are much lessons learned as i went through this process , just thought i've share my experience for those that are out there planning to go through this process can benefit from it. keeping everything toe bullet points for easy read

Pre Op/Consult:

• Understand what you want to achieve first
   
  
• Go for at least a few in person consultations with different doctors to assess how much donor you have and can you achieve your goal (even if it's not the doctor you intend on going to, go to a few different doctors to get their perspective of your situation and your goals)
   
  
• Always talk to surgeon himself if possible in person , phone, or web cam, online consult photo will not be enough and can set up for false expectation. Their representatives are knowledgeable but you are better off talking to the Dr himself/herself so expectations are set correctly. you probably have to do it in person to get the expectation set correctly as well.
   
  
• if you plan on traveling abroad , get debit and credit cards that does not charge foreign transactions , you will save a lot of money through this for payment of the op and expenses while you are there
   
  
• if you have long flights (5hr+) consider buying travel size spray bottles so you can keep your grafts moist while you are flying or waiting for connecting flights, you will also want to consider staying for at least 3~4 days before flying
   
  
• Try to stay at Dr. guest house or somewhere close to the clinic for first few days, you can always go for cleaning and ask them to check on how you are doing, and worst case if something goes wrong, you can get help pretty quickly. (i had my surgery with Dr. Rahal, and i stayed at the Brookline guest house. it was good to meet with all the other patient and it was walking distance to the clinic. it made a big difference given the convenience and meeting people going through the same process)
   
  
• if traveling abroad, try to be there a day early, you can get familiar with the environment and go out and get supplies that you may have missed while packing. also in case for whatever reason your flight is delayed, you don't miss your surgery
  

Post Op:

• plan to stay in door in hide out mode for about 3~5 days. everyone will get facial swelling and it's probably at it's worst the first 2~3 days post op, you will not want to go out
   
  
• get a neck pillow, it will help you secure your head in place without touching the newly place grafts for most part
   
  
• take the prescribed mild pain killer even if you are not in pain, it will help you sleep and you need to rest for it to heal well
   
  
• sleep in 45 degree (recliner chair is great if you have one), this will help the swelling disappear much faster
   
  
• keep your activities light and in door. exposing your head will speed up the healing process
   
  
• it's almost better to shave your head, this is easier for the Dr and team when they do the insertion, it will also help you clean easier post op. of course, only if you are comfortable with shaving it and depends on what type of surgery you went with, you may have to shave regardless.
   
  
• Buy a couple spray bottles, you can use it for shampoo and water rinse, also just to spray your head every couple hours to keep the receipient area mois
  

that's it for now, i will come back and add more as it comes up.

Happy new years and hope new things come out in the near future to help us all reach/exceed our goals as we all continue the journey

I've no idea but being ultra cautious I'd probably continue with the baby shampoo for at least 3 months.

that was my first thought too but was told by the clinic that baby shampoo may dry out the scalp so it's better to go to a normal shampoo. they did recommend a generic brand but as i look up the ingredients, it contains a lot of chemicals, i will probably go for something all natural or continue with the baby shampoo

what is a good mild shampoo for daily use post op?

i know you are suppose to use baby shampoo but what should one use after the initial month?

*doctor instructions shows one is safe to go back to regular shampoo but just want to be extra cautious and get some advice from

Hi Sugar High,

any updates? also interested in going through FUE with Dr. Rahal but just wanted to see what was the latest update, can you let us know or pm me?

thanks!

Altdot, yep, that helps.

also getting some of my question addressed through Chad.

it's good to know that it's virtually undetectable in the back after 1 week, how about your receipient areas, when do you think it will start look normal

altdot, how was the overall experience, i am also in for about the same size of surgery, im still deciding whether to go with FUE or FUT. leaning towards FUE for the less scaring, but FUT seems have more example where it give better yields

tough decisions, wants your feedback on your FUE experience

any update on this? thinking about FUE with Dr. Rahal, just wanted to see how you are doing

nice thread, i was looking for this. im surprised at the ratio disparity between FUE and FUT. considering more and more people are adpoting FUE. of course i could be wrong

great topic, when is it ok to start using the concealer post op?

Hi Guys,

 

Thanks for the kind comments, i'm very pleased with the result so far!. I got my hair cut today so here is a new picture.. without any toppik!.

 

looks amazing, congrats!

After having a discussion with friends and friends of friends about all things personal we got onto the subject of physical things we'd change about ourselves that would make us so much happier.

 

All manner of subjects were discussed from being taller, breast enlargement, botox, nips tucks in certain areas etc and it was all good fun and quite enlightening about what people think of themselves.

 

It turned sour when it came to my turn and I honestly only had 2 things I'd change about myself. I'd have some pock marks from teenage acne on my face removed and I'd have my hairline restored. This caused an absolute barrage of taunts, verbal prods and rather soon deteriorated into insults and argument.

 

I was accused of being vain as per the normal but what I couldn't get over is that these people really couldn't get the idea out of their head that I wanted my hairline restored so I could get more women. That's it, that was their sole idea of what a man who is losing their hair thinks about.

 

They really couldn't understand the fact that it was ME who didn't like the way I looked and if I did anything about it it would be for ME and no-one else.

 

One of the girls also said one of the most ignorant things I have ever heard, she said "I can understand being upset if a woman goes bald but a man? Grow a pair and just accept it!" This was also the girl who wanted bigger boobs, liposuction (instead of diet and exercise) and get's a fake tan every week. Equality is not alive in this day and age.

 

The taunts and insults don't actually bother me personally but It really sticks in my craw that it's socially acceptable to mock someone for this affliction, or to be more accurate for showing that it bothers you. I would never insult someone for being fat, for having a birth mark or for having some condition that is beyond their control affect their physical appearance.

 

I'd like to hear about anyone else who has been witchhunted for opening up about their hair concerns and if you have any funny quotes from people like my bronzed female friend above then please feel free to post them!

hairloss is "funny" to those who are not going through it

challenge them to having a balding hair cut for a month and see if they can even deal with it

oh man that is killer result, congratulations on your transformation

and very glad to see this is coming from Dr.Rahal who i have a surgery planned towards end of the year too

wow the scar looks extremely good

quick question, how are you gona hide your scar now that you have shaved it?

lol i guess maybe the scar isn't a concern for you

any pictures of it before you shaved it?

lol im surprised he didnt go for FUE '

but none the less, congrats on that gold medal and the HT

Dude its up to you to make the best informed personal decison you can by researching everything possible you can lay your eyes on on the drug and its side effects.

 

I tried it for 3 and a half years and you will see my other posts had to come off due to severe side effects.

 

I dont really regret trying it as i was desperate at the time. Im not anymore.

 

The facts are it will help stop or slow hair loss but it generally wont grow anymore where theres no hair. If you are going to take it be sure to have all your blood work done prior to starting so you have baseline data to refer too should you have issues. Its essential you have this.

 

I will never take it again due to the severe sides which kicked in. And having been off nearly a year i can safely say it was having sides all that time even though i didnt really realise it at the time. Its only being off i can see the difference and it is big.

 

Weighing everything up and bearing in mind future Hair restoration technologies that are hopefully coming to the mainsteam in the next few years. Along with the 'unknown factor' of what long term Fin use can do to a man.

 

The risks are not worth it in my opinion and i feel a hell of a lot of peace of mind now that i am off it. That is the most important thing for me. Plus i value a raging libido over hair any day of the week.!

thanks man, very good advices.

unfortunately , i didnt take any blood work before finasteride intake for a baseline , for those of you who are about to try the drug, you guys should definitely do it

after reduction of dosage, i already see some improvement in the mood and the sides. i am seeing some shedding, still a tough call for me to whether stay on or completely drop it

So since my date was set, I have been feeling extremely stressed out.

 

I keep looking at my hair, spending too much time in the mirror.

 

I feel a little guilty for spending this much on myself (my wife is surprisingly cool with it).

 

I have been paranoid about being able to camouflage when I go back to work.

 

I have been paranoid about further loss and wondering how long this HT will last me.

 

I was dreaming about hair last night.

 

 

I actually get a little irritable over it.

 

 

Did anybody else go through these things or want to chime in?

going through similar feelings, as soon as my date was set , it felt like reality just hit

all these thoughts started going through my mind and started thinking about if i really want to go under the knife....etc

it's perfectly normal, i m glad you are sharing your thoughts, it makes me feel better knowing that im not alone and you should feel the same too

meanwhile, i would just keep your mind on the future outlook and how good things will turn out once it's all said and done. Cheers!

looks great man, is there a thread showing your pre-surgery days ?

just wanted to see how many grafts was transplanted and what level of loss you were at