marklet

I asked Dr. Mohebi for the before and after photos so I could show more exact results. I think these really demonstrate the changes. The before photos were taken before any SMP procedures and the after photos were taken a couple of weeks after the third SMP procedure.

Oh, sorry, I think I was maybe a little confusing. It does add brown color (or whatever color your hair is). It just has more of an appearance of a shaved head (as designed), which is a little grayer looking as the scalp creates that effect. I guess it's not really so much gray but less of a saturated color because it's in the scalp. If it appeared vibrantly brown like the actual hair it wouldn't look real. It looks like shaved brown hair, not shaved gray hair. Sorry if I made that a little confusing. As for transection, it's tough for me to answer that technically as I've only undergone the procedure but I can say that in my experience I didn't have any problems I'm aware of. I was awake and aware of the whole procedure and could see what was going on, and I didn't notice any loss of hair. There's actually a lot of wetting and combing during the process and I did not see hair come out on the paper towels used to pat the hair after wetting it to remove the ink. Also, the ink isn't placed very far into the skin. I would expect that in order to transect a follicle and cause permanent damage, the needle would have to be inserted farther. Additionally, Dr. Mohebi and his technician plotted out every angle the needle went in so it matched the direction of the existing hairs. This was to create a realistic appearance, but I assume this also can help. Again, I'm not particularly qualified to answer this question but, in my experience, I didn't notice any damage whatsoever. I don't believe any of the three SMP procedures caused any problems at all.

This post shows the actual pictures with SMP results. Because there's hair all around, it's quite difficult to tell what's hair and what's SMP and what's actual hair. You can see the color of the scalp, however, is a little darker and grayer. The result that's so appealing to me is that when I comb my hair forward it looks fully covered in almost every spot. Before that you could see a lot of the scalp. It's still strange to me that it works so well because when combed back it doesn't look like there's a ton of coverage, but it's very effective when combed forward (which is what I wanted).

I recently finished three SMP procedures with Dr. Mohebi and wanted to share. I was a little hesitant in the beginning because I saw so much hesitance over SMP on these forums awhile back, but I'm very pleased with the results and thought I should contribute my experiences. My Expectations SMP would provide the same effect as using a product like Toppik. SMP requires a shaved head. SMP would be relatively uncomfortable. I'd have to go in for two sessions that would last a couple of hours each. The results of SMP would last 5+ years. SMP would be very dark and visible, like a shaved hair sticking out. I'd be able to notice the finally SMP results immediately. In some ways I got what I expected and in others I did not. My Results SMP does provide a similar effect to products like Toppik, in that it reduces contrast between the scalp and the hair. What I didn't consider—and, in retrospect, should've been obvious—is that SMP is skin pigment and adds no volume or physical presence on the hair. On one hand, this is good, because then your hair feels like hair and not hair with Toppik in it. On the other hand, it doesn't create a greater volume like Toppik can. While the results were quite good, I expected something fairly identical and didn't get that. Nevertheless, the reduced contrast helps greatly. SMP does not require a shaved head. Most people seem to undergo the procedure to have a shaved head look if they don't have enough hair to provide that appearance, but it can also be performed to reduce scalp contrast (why I wanted to do it). I'd thought I'd need to shave my head for the procedure and then grow the hair back. I didn't want to do this. Fortunately, SMP can be performed without any shaving whatsoever. I was concerned the results might not be as good but after three sessions I think they look great. Aside from money, a little discomfort, and impermanence (if that bothers you), there are very few sacrifices to be made with SMP. SMP was relatively uncomfortable. To call it painful wouldn't be fair, although there were some instances in which it did hurt a little. I have a relatively high pain tolerance, and I was told by the technician that I seemed to be bothered by SMP much less than most people. What I found surprising, however, was how unsettling the feeling was. It's very hard to describe, but it made my head feel overly sensitive during the procedure and I felt that sensitivity in my arms and legs. It made any touch feel uncomfortable. Fortunately, this passed almost immediately after the session was complete. As for the actual sensation of the SMP needle, it felt like getting stung by a bee repeatedly for several hours but without the lasting soreness. It took three sessions to achieve the results I wanted. Because SMP is relatively expensive at the moment, there is a pretty high cost if you have to go in three times. According to Dr. Mohebi, many people go in for three sessions. Two can be enough, but a third is often desired to get the look just right. I'd discussed pricing for the procedure in advance, with the understanding it'd probably take three sessions to accomplish what I wanted. We were able to work out something that was affordable for me. If you want to undergo SMP, I highly recommend figuring out the costs in advance so you know what to expect in the event you need more than two sessions. It's rare you'll find anyone who will do it all in a single session for a couple of reasons: 1) the sheer amount of time required and 2) the ink can bleed together and look like a blob rather than a hair if it doesn't have time to set. To avoid that, sessions need to be conducted at least a week apart. I'd recommend two, as my second was a week later and my third a month later. The second was much more uncomfortable with the first and third were not bad. According to Dr. Mohebi, the lasting results of SMP are unknown. It's a new procedure and nobody really knows exactly how long a patient can expect to retain the pigments. Unlike a standard tattoo, the ink is not placed as far down. It can last years but, by design, not forever. This also helps prevent the color from changing from your standard hair color to some unpleasant blueish black hue. The obvious downside is that SMP will require regular maintenance as often as every year. Dr. Mohebi predicted it will last 2-3 years, but could require touch ups earlier than that. Right now the procedure hasn't been around long enough to collect enough data to know the exact expectations to set. For me, non-permanent results were ideal because I wanted to see how I'd benefit from SMP without committing to it forever. Additionally, my hair color won't be around forever and it'd look pretty weird if I had colored dots on my head with mostly gray/white hair (presuming enough sticks around, that is). While I'd prefer SMP lasted for, say, 10 years instead of the presumed 2-3, it's still far better than forever. On that note, I've found some facilities that do promise results forever. While I can't speak to their procedure's efficacy, I'd be very hesitant to use them as I'd expect it's either not an accurate statement or the results won't look great after the ink sits in the scalp for too long. Or your hair turns gray. Dr. Mohebi was very honest and direct about the results with me, and how much we do and do not know about SMP, so I felt far more comfortable with him than any of the other places I'd researched. That and I'd been through procedures with him before. I'm sure there are other doctors capable of SMP that are also very good and honest, but I chose Dr. Mohebi because I had firsthand experience of his good work. I haven't had procedures with other doctors so I cannot offer a comparison, but I can say I would avoid anybody who claims they can provide permanent SMP for the reasons previously stated. SMP was not very dark or visible. It does look like shaved hair when the area is shaved, but only when completely shaved. When you have longer hair like mine, it's very hard to even tell it's there. The scalp just looks darker/grayer. It's much lighter and less perceptible than I'd expected. The downside is that it provides less contrast than, say, Toppik, because the color isn't vibrant. The upside is that it still gets the job done and it'd be very hard to notice it exists without close examination. When I examine closely, I still have trouble telling it's there. I was able to notice the SMP results immediately, but they look much better right after the procedure than they do a few days later. Because you're getting your head poked with a small needle repeatedly for hours, it gets (understandably) a little red. This redness also reduces scalp contrast, so the results look more effective for the first day or two. Additionally, because you can't wash your hair for about eight hours, some of the ink will stay in it. The technicians will remove the ink as much as they can with water and a paper towel, avoiding the scalp, but that won't get rid of it 100%. So you don't want to wear anything on your head or touch anyone because it might stain, but you should also know that the ink will help decrease scalp visibility just a little bit. I thought everything looked perfect after the second procedure, but a few days later there was more visibility. The third procedure added the extra "density" I wanted once the redness disappeared. If I had to guess, the redness reduction and removal of ink left in the hair made coverage look about 30% less than it did immediately afterwards. If you want to undergo SMP, you should know this so you set your expectations accordingly. So that's what I learned from the experience. SMP helped reduce the visibility of my FUT scar almost completely. There was just one tiny area with stretching that was obviously bereft of hair. I could've painted it black and it wouldn't have mattered—I just had to wear my hair long enough to cover it and hope it didn't move. For some reason my skin just stretch in this area that was half an inch or so. Who knows why. So before we even went ahead with SMP, Dr. Mohebi and I discussed a FUE procedure to transplant some hair into the scar as well as a couple of areas in the front of the hairline that SMP couldn't help. SMP was able to create the illusion of density I wanted almost perfectly—more so than I expected. I'm very happy with the results. I'm really hopeful that after this small FUE procedure my hair will look exactly the way I wanted. But that's just me. Hopefully this post helps explain a little bit about the procedure and this information will be useful for anyone considering SMP. As with anything, there are a number of pros and cons and I tried my best to outline them as well as what I learned through my three procedures. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask and I will answer as best I can! --- Also, photos. My blog has plenty over a period of time: SMP Results: Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Photos from the past: Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs

We're getting to the end of the updates, and some things have changed. This is at 9.5 months, but I also decided to do SMP. There was a little stretching with one part of the scar in the donor area, and so I initially decided to do SMP to minimize its visibility, but Dr. Mohebi said it was safe to do the rest of the head at the time as well. So, that's what we did. Because I don't ever intend to shave my head, I opted for a more aggressive measure with the pigments placed closer together than they would be if I did intend to shave. Since the result only lasts a few years, I can change my mind if I ever want to. I don't think I will, but I had no problem making this commitment since it wasn't forever. If you look back at my updates, you can really see the big difference SMP made. I'm very happy with the results. It's hard to even see it when I look in the mirror, but it reduces scalp visibility significantly. With a few small exceptions, it basically looks like I have a much fuller head of hair when combed forward. When combed back this isn't the case, but I don't comb my hair back so this isn't a problem for me. The only issue is that there are two areas in the front of the hairline that are a little thinner than I'd like. I knew SMP wouldn't be able to help with this. Also, the small area where the scar stretched a little too much is basically impossible to see when my hair is a little longer, but because I like to cut it shorter in that location it can be a bit of a problem. I figured I'd see how SMP worked and before moving forward with any further procedures, just in case I was wrong and it did cover up the problem. It definitely helped somewhat, but not as much as I'd like in those two circumstances. So to wrap things up I worked out a FUE plan with Dr. Mohebi to transplant a little hair into the stretched area and to reinforce the hairline to (hopefully) eliminate those problems. So that's where I'm at now. I'll be ending the updates for the FUT procedure since things have changed a bit for me, but I'll be tracking results of the FUE during 2014. Hopefully by the end of the year everything will be perfect! I'm always cautiously optimistic, but after SMP I feel I'm really close to the results I wanted. Presuming I don't lose any/much more hair (if the finasteride continues to do its job) that should be no problem.

Here's how things look a little under 6.5 months in. I knew there was progress but I didn't realize it was actually pretty significant until I reviewed the last update again. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress over the next couple of months. The front hairlines is already a huge improvement so hopefully the results will be similarly positive farther back.

Here's where I'm at as of September 12th, about 5.5 months in. Still not much of a change since last time, but that's what I was told to expect. I'm told to expect changes around 10 months and maybe notice a difference around 8 months. It does seem a little bit thicker to me with my hair down but when it's up it seems like's nothing has changed. So I'm just being patient for now and looking forward to added density hopefully less than five months away!

Here's where I'm at as of September 12th, about 5.5 months in. Still not much of a change since last time, but that's what I was told to expect. I'm told to expect changes around 10 months and maybe notice a difference around 8 months. It does seem a little bit thicker to me with my hair down but when it's up it seems like's nothing has changed. So I'm just being patient for now and looking forward to added density hopefully less than five months away!

This is where I'm at as of August 14th, 2013. That's about 4.5 months in. Pretty much the same as last time (it might look a little thinner but that's because my hair is wet and shorter) which is to be expected. I'll have another update around the six month mark. I've been told I shouldn't expect to be able to see a huge difference around then and will notice it more around 8-10 months, but maybe I'll get lucky and it'll be apparent earlier!

I decided to wait a month for this update since not much is happening right (as expected). This photo is at the two month period.

It's been a couple of weeks since my first update (https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/marklet/blog/3141/), so time for another one. As you can see in the attached image, pretty much all of the new hair has fallen out and so I'm back to normal again for awhile. Presumably these updates will look very similar for the next 3-4 months while a lot of waiting occurs, but then things should get at least start to get a little more interesting.

I'm about 2.5 weeks past my second procedure with Dr. Parsa Mohebi and decided to start tracking the results on here. I thought I'd share the first blog post the shows my hairline prior to any procedures and where I'm at currently: Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs I'm going to try to update every two weeks to a month to track my progress over the first year, but if anyone has any questions that I can help answer now that I've gone through this twice please ask.

About two and a half weeks ago, I received my second FUT procedure from Dr. Parsa Mohebi. I had my first about a year and a half ago, just shy of 2100 grafts, to fill out my hairline. I went back to increase density with about another 1500 grafts. Everything is healing nicely, and I decided to track and share my progress here. This is just the beginning, so I thought I'd start by showing my hairline back before any procedures (~1.5 years) and where I'm at as of a couple days ago (a little over two weeks after my second procedure). Although some of the transplanted hair has fallen out (as usual), a fair amount of that hair seems to be sticking around. If I remember correctly from last time, my scalp tends to be a little more stubborn and takes about three weeks to shed the transplanted hair and allow it to slowly start growing back. I'm going to try to update bi-weekly or monthly in the beginning to show as much of the process as I can. The next update will most likely show less hair than this one. For now, here are the first images. It'll be interesting to watch the process more closely this time around and see a detailed timeline of how post-op transplant results look throughout the first year. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

I've had one FUT procedure of 2,093 grafts and am mostly happy with the results, but I'd like a higher density (right now it's about 40% coverage). I'm told that'll take about another 1,500 grafts. This sounds pretty reasonable to me, but I'm worried about being able to conceal the procedure. I used to live alone so it was easy last time, but now I live with a roommate. I could take a two-week vacation, but I'm worried the operation could be visible afterwards. What are the best ways to conceal the procedure for the first month? I'd really prefer that nobody ever found out. I've been concealing with Toppik for years and would like to have enough density through the transplant so that I can stop doing that, but I need to be able to transition without detection and I can't wear a hat 24/7. Any suggestions, or am I out of luck?

Hi everyone. I've been reading the forums for a couple of years now but this is my first time posting as I could use some advice from the community. Here's the current situation. I'm 29. I've been on finasteride for about five years and basically stopped my hair loss. Unfortunately, I stopped it a little too late, so I had a ~2,000 graft FUT operation about a year ago and the procedure went well. While I'm happy with the improvement, the coverage wasn't quite as thick as I'd hoped. (I think I expected more density than could be achieved in a single operation.) I started a little bit better than a Norwood IIA and now I have much improved density. It's just not enough. I've managed to hide the loss for years using Toppik, and I still have to do that to make it look like I have a full head of hair. I really want to stop doing this, but I'm not sure what the best course of action is going forward. Here are the options I have to choose from: 1) Get another FUT operation of 1,500 grafts, which I've been advised will be sufficient. I have two main concerns with this: the scar may or may not get worse, and I'm not sure I can hide a second operation from the people in my life. I don't want anyone to know, and I was able to hide the first operation, but for several reasons that would take awhile to get into I don't think I could do it again. I can't get away for a couple of weeks, but after that I'd have to be able to appear perfectly normal again. I'm not sure that'd be possible, especially if the donor area has to be shaved (I was told it wouldn't have to be last time but then that changed on the day of the surgery). 2) Opt for FUE instead of FUT. Since I've already had a FUT operation this seems like a bad idea, seeing as a scar is present and shaving any area of my head would be tough to conceal. I've heard of "stealth" operations (on this forum and elsewhere) that involve around 800 grafts at a time, but I'd then need two of those and that would involve two recovery times. This doesn't seem like a good option. 3) Be glad I have more hair than I did and slowly stop using Toppik so it looks like I lost my hair naturally. If I could cut my hair shorter I'd be more inclined to try this, as it looks a bit better when everything else is short, but I can't do that because of the scar. Right now #1 seems like the best option, but I don't want to pull the trigger unless I can be sure that 1) there isn't a better course of action and 2) I'll only have to hide the operation for about two weeks and then can be sure nobody will know. What do you think I should do?