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@rhal22 Is it stretched everywhere or just a few places? Out of curiosity, how many months post op did you notice you scar stretches? I agree with what we there's have said, beard head would be perfect for transplanting into it.

It was just based on an article I read. I don't have it handy but you should be able to find it on his site.

Keep in mind sutures are a lot more comfortable in comparison to staples. My first strip was closed using sutures and I had minimal discomfort but with my second strip I had staples and tbh sleeping was uncomfortable. I slept with a neck pillow for like a month. I do think that staples are the better chose cause they don't cause strangulation of tissue nor train tracks. I had some mild train tracks from my first strip. I think in your case getting FUE is probably the better choice cause if the scar stretches again with a revision you will have gone through all the healing for no reason. Whether sutures or staples is still preference based on surgeon and arguments on both sides but it also has a lot to do with how you heal.

Most of time it's just the way our body heals. There would be no guarantee that the scar will not stretch again. The scalp laxity would have actually worked in your favor rather than against. Some people are more prone to stretched scars. There was an article from Dr Bernstein on scar revisions and how he uses staples and removes most but not all at 2 weeks. He either leaves a few in longer or removes all and adds a few more for some more time. I don't recall exactly. Instead of getting it cut open and going through the healing all over I would recommend you get FUE into the scar. You would not need many grafts maybe a few hundred and you don't have to deal with having staples in your head for 2 weeks. I should also add that FUE into the scar will allow you to keep your hair much shorter on the sides.

As far as I know it should only be avoided the day of surgery as it can increase blood pressure I believe. Post op should not be an issue.

Totally agree with donor health. Someone maybe a full Norwood 6 but with a super dense donor and good beard hair. Also, depends on whether the person is on any meds to manage further dipping of the donor. The good news is that there are options better than what it was even 5-6 years ago with more use of BHT being used.

Are you on meds? How is your beard hair? You can try consulting with Eugenix they do a lot of high Norwood cases it would still have to be majority scalp though. Pictures sometimes can be deceiving depending on the lighting and camera quality. Have you consulted with any surgeon's and are you open to surgery?

What a great result. Nice end result to the frontal third.

It was definitely not something easy to do but I really wanted to get the most grafts I could. I plan to get my crown filled in next year, I need about 1500 grafts and the plan is to do another strip. I'm gonna try to start the scalp laxity exercises much more in advance. With Finasteride you should most likely see thickening of thinned hair in the lower crown area.

Agree the first month the back feels tight but it then starts to feel normal again. Myself, I was spending about an hour each day doing the exercises.

https://youtu.be/-4cangTFUx4

Perform scalp laxity exercises. It helps. At my consultation for my second surgery I was advised I can get 2200 grafts but was advised do the scalp laxity exercises and after about 4 months on surgery day I got 3500. I would have had more but I had a lot of scar tissue from my first strip which had to be removed.

The additional 2500 should give you good coverage.

Don't apply heavy products or anything that will really clump hair together as Melvin mentioned. Using small amount of product will help style and give you some volume.

At only 5 months this is really good. Imagine once it all grows in and its kept longer. Prior to surgery did you always keep it buzzed?

@JohnAC71 have you documented your hair restoration journey?

Looking better and better

You are at the point where you will most likely see the growth in the next 2-3 weeks. I know it's hard not to think about it but just busy yourself and keep positive. You have done your research went to an excellent clinic and on meds so you have done the right things.

A lot of healing is still happening the first few months but it's never a bad idea to check with the clinic/surgeon.

I would say every individual is different. Some have very dense donors and there have been many on this forum that have had close to 12k grafts. But someone with thick hair may not need as many grafts while a person with thin hair texture may need more for coverage. I think really it's a case by case basis.

Seems it's normal shedding phase. It can be a big distraughting seeing all the shedding but it's part of the process. After this 5200 grafts you should be pretty much done.

Yes, certain products when not over applied can add volume and give a good illusion of density. Usually though the next morning when the products break down and mix with scalp oils it tends to weight the hair down making it seem more thin from my personal experience.

Do you have pics showing your hair after shower and the next day. One thing could be your hair is still maturing after this recent surgery as it may still be a bit wirey and can take a little over a year to fully mature in terms of texture. The other thing to keep in mind is what you stated regarding illusion of density. The exact density of your hair prior to any hair loss would not be possible via surgery and packing too closely would mostly result In a lot of grafts not surviving as they compete for blood supply. A thing I always found also is that after showering and drying my hair it always seemed thicker but would appear more thin the next morning. The reason with me was mostly due to hair products mixing with my natural scalp oils weighing my hair down.

Looks amazing and the hairline is so natural.

Interesting with the latest growth. Was this transplant around previously transplanted hairs which would have had previous scar tissue? Did you do anything different during your second procedure such as using Minoxidil which may have sped up the growth?