southbeacharchi

scar5, thanks for the reply. what do you mean you don't see the effect of the uneven surface of the skin around the scar?

Fellas-

 

Hope everyone is doing well. I just had another thought that might put some at ease... de-training effects don't occur for 8-10 days in weekend worrier type athletes and may take up to 14 days in elite athletes or olympic level athletes. I ran my 5k on post op day 11 in 20:50 which was only a few seconds slower than the one I ran a week before my HT, but it was also a different course. Best of luck to all the athletes out there in taking some healthy rest time post op and then getting back to their sports and peak performance quickly.

Congrats on the 5k time. I was actually going to follow-up and ask about it, but post-op got sidetracked.

I was able to make it 5 days, then I had to start running again. The skin back there isn't tight, so I am pretty comfortable. I am lifting weights for first time tomorrow.....going to start with lower weights, higher reps.

Thanks SO much for the de-training effects information. That did put my mind at ease greatly.

Are there ANY "safe" chest excercises? Why is it said to not do anything that puts your head flat against a bench, just because of the position it puts your head....stretching the back?

Thanks all and happy excercising.

Thanks so much David. I really appreciate the affirmation.

I also appreciate all you put into this site to help people. This website and people like you greatly helped in my research and ultimate decision.....and is continuing to help me any time something happens and i freak out (thinking is this supposed to happen, is this ok, should i do this) etc. lol.

I will keep you all posted.

Best wishes.

Dr. Keller is one of the most underrated ht doctors on this site. You are going to look excellent!

I definitely agree about Dr. Keller RC. I am hoping that my progress and results of his work speak for themselves and change that underrating. Very few of his patients show their results on here or post.

Thanks for the encouragement

thanks aaron,

thanks for the reassurance, but the pinkness is the least of my worries right now.....mostly because i am lucky enough (grad school break) to not have to go anywhere or worry about the appearance. i am worried, even though i am past "the window" that grafts will come out, that i'll do something wrong, that they won't grow in, etc. etc....i could list 400 worries. that's just my personality.

best wishes and thanks for the assurance and input.

i've been looking through many many many posts for days. maybe i am doing it the wrong way. can anyone teach me how, or refer me to any specific posts with examples of short haircuts in the back showing the strip scar...ranging from shortly post-op to later after healing?

thanks so much

I hope so.....I need it.

Thanks a lot bud.

Just had appt. today. Had staples removed and scabs/crusts oiled/massaged away. It's a little pink, but Dr. said all grafts looked great and he thinks it is going to be an incredible outcome. Wet hair, right out of shower, no-dry pics.

Thanks newhairplease and and a hairdown,

As far as mederman, i've read a lot of reports that say it just doesn't work any better than petroleum jelly. And I actually used the graphcyte spray for the first week, doc gave it to me....well included in the price, and i think it helped a lot. I can't afford the whole kit, especially since i already in essence paid for the spray. But thanks for the ideas.

Keep em comin.

thank-you Thehairupthere,

what about after staple removal? i've been reading that still keeping the wound moist helps heal and helps reduce appearance, for instance, using vaseline.

Thanks orlhair1. Looks like you are going to have a great outcome as well. Shapiro really did a good job. Now we both are in the waiting game.

Hey all,

I tried searching the threads and couldn't find anything directly addressing this. I have been doing research on how to minimize scarring from the donor area incision. It seems like a lot say neosporin for first week and then just petroleum jelly and that they key is to try to keep it moist.

Has anyone done this? Experiences? Other suggestions? Feedback?

I put an email in to my doctor just now and will see what he says but wanted to throw it out to you all as well.

Thanks much.

thanks hairthere, really appreciate the feedback.

wish you the best,

oh, and corvette, yes....i started propecia, well 1/4 Proscar (can't afford Propecia) about a month before surgery. thanks for the observation and tip.

you know self-perception is so amazing. i always was only worried about and only thought my receeding hairline was the problem. before consultations i would tell the doctor, "no, the top and crown are fine." then i goto the consultations and they take a comb and a mirror and i was blown away.

i've told everyone i know that I will not go bald...i will fight this every step of the way.

thanks aaron and corvette,

i really appreciate feedback as to how it looks, everything taken into consideration. i know it is way too early to draw any conclusions. now begins the waiting game...from what i read, is the hardest part.

corvette, i checked out your pics....really good looks. do you happen to have any immediately post-op pics....or "scabby" pics as i have begun to call them.

hope you both are doing well.

Edit

Please note: Periodic updates including pictures - 2 months through 15 months post-op are later in this post, make sure you check out the other pages. And from now on, I will be posting the updates with pictures on this thread (I didn't know what I was doing when I started this, one of my first threads.

Original thread:

As promised, here are some before pictures followed by some after pictures taken 2 days after the surgery. I received 3170 grafts, but need to ask for the exact breakdown of singles, doubles, etc. I was supposed to receive 3000, but they harvested an extra 170 and gave them to me for free! Many were placed in the receding sides, but he also did some temporal work and added more to the entire front middle. Sorry, don't know all the lingo.

As far as the procedure goes, I would have to say that Dr. Keller and his ENTIRE staff have to be the nicest people in the business. Four technicians, the nurse, and Dr. Keller were there with me throughout the day. I was constantly asked if I was ok, feeling ok, hungry, thirsty, needed anything etc.

To illustrate how nice they are, I got off at the wrong train station, I called to tell them I may be a little late. They asked where I was and told me to stay there. The doctor gave the nurse his car to come pick me up!

I promised to document my experience with Dr. Keller, due to the lack of patient experiences and documentation so far from patients of his on this site even though he is a recommended doctor. I reviewed and researched extensively and from the results I saw of his, I could not see why he was not spoken about just as much as other local doctors such as Dr. Konior and Dr. Shapiro (not in Chicago, but close enough). So far, I would rank him just as good as them and feel that he is one of the HT world's biggest secrets.

I will keep updating as time goes by. I now need to go prop myself up in that uncomfortable position to sleep.....I can't wait to sleep normal on my side again. lol

Thanks so much rich91403 for all the detailed information. It will all be used and is greatly appreciated. Sorry I did not reply sooner, but it was finals week at grad school.

Best of luck to you as well.

You have no idea how much I appreciate your post. It makes me feel a lot better. There is no way I was going to be able to take off even a month completely, let alone what some doctors say out there....3, 6...etc.

I decided to go ahead and cut out the possibility of my half-marathon this fall, but glad I can get back to running/lifting a lot sooner than i thought.

I just don't want to stretch the scare. I like to think of myself as fairly intelligent with good common sense....I think i am going to be safe and wait at least 10 days before anything, but maybe biking towards the end of that period. But, planned on resuming running/lifting gradually as I have read many places and using common sense that if I can feel strain or anything in the donor area...stop.

Thanks again so much. Have a great 5k, and please keep me posted on your donor scar healing, etc.

Best of luck.

It is good to be conservative with weights for the first couple weeks. From my research I did nothing the 1st week, walked the 2nd week and resumed full cardio after that. I decided to be conservative and wait until this week (4weeks) to lift weights even though it is probably fine to start light weights a little earlier, but I just thought why take the risk. Also, avoid anything that will put pulling pressure on your scar for a few months. Hope that helps. Good luck with everything.

Thanks for the replies, yeah, that seems to be what the information says out there,...at least for minimal wait time. I'm afraid of losing what I've attained so far, but the hair is more important.

Basically just wanted to hear other's stories, how long they waited, and if it stretched their scar or not?

Thanks and good luck with you too.

This is something I have been doing research on all day. There seems to be many conflicting views on this. It is such a conundrum....you work so hard to achieve a certain level of fitness, muscle, running endurance....and taking a month or even as some suggest 3 months, would set you back so much...3 months would be like starting over.

But, then you also want to minimize the scarring on this procedure that will hopefully change your life.....

what to do.

I would like to hear more feedback on this.....anyone?

Thank-you. Yes, everything I've seen from him has been great. Then I got a call from a former patient of his that verified everything I already thought and actually made me really excited.

Thanks for the Welcome!

Btw, keep reading more threads. I am pretty sure that I have read of several people from the U.S. going to Europe for HT because of doctor's they researched and found that they felt were excellent.

Hey,

Good luck to you as well. Isn't it fairly inexpensive to fly to U.S. from Europe these days? From what I've read, there are great doctors all over the world, and as I'm sure you've also read, they say that cost for travel should not be a factor in deciding on a doctor.

And some doctors will help pay for some of your travel. I think Dr. Shapiro, who is listed on here, in WI, maybe does that? You would have to look into it. But, I bet he would have about the same wait time.

But...I know very little compared to most on here.

Best of luck.

I've been reading posts on here for hours day after day. This website is a true blessing. It helped confirm my initial findings on some of the top doctors in the Chicago area. I know you aren't supposed to go by proximity to where you live.....but, I figure I live in one of the larger cities in the United States, there has to be some good ones, right?

I scheduled three consultations, and went to two them and already decided. I know I probably should have gone to all three but I am a firm believer in "gut" response, but of course that is not solely what I went on.

I have decided to go with Dr. Keller, who is a recommended doctor on this site. Although I know Dr. Konior seems to be the most talked about, and I am sure he is at the top of his field, I also believe that there can be just as good, "less-known" doctors out there - not to insinuate that Dr. Keller is not known. But there seems to be a lack of posts by his patients on here and many outcries for some.

Well, this site helped me, and I believe in helping for the greater good of all. So, I will try my best to tell my story, update, and give an actual patient account of my experience with Dr. Keller.

I will write more at another time, just about my initial phone conversations, emails, and consultation with Dr. Keller and his office. So far, great experience.

Very nervous, excited, scared, hopeful. I've been wanting this for 15 years!

Stay tuned......