HairFusion

Thank you all for your kind words and feedback ! Davis91 Dr Rahal estimates I have around 3000 grafts left. He said he could cover most of the crown with these. It would be lesser density than what I have in the front but would offer a more complete look with the sides being covered. I would still have a small bald spot left after a 2nd HT but would obviously look much better than the rather large crown balding I have now. Sean The community is indebted to you for the time you spend in your detailed responses, feedback and your own documentation and I am no different. I may only be halfway but I do not expect the result to be double than what it already is. If that happens then I would be blown off my feet but yes a bit more maturing would certainly do Scar .. what scar ?. I cannot find it, my wife cannot find it. I can only feel it a tiny bit in the sides. I can not even feel it in the back. Funny story. I went for my 6 month follow up with Dr Rahal last month. There was a prospective patient in consultation with Dr Rahal when I arrived and Dr Rahal asked politely if I would be willing to show my scar to this guy. I offered to do that and Dr Rahal lifted hairs off my donor to show the area. The guy was saying over and over "Dr I cant see the scar can you point it out". Dr Rahal pointed it out but he still could not see it lol . In the end he said .. "Ok I have an idea of where the scar should be now".

Well folks it has been a couple of months since I provided an update. I must admit I am becoming into one those that don't browse/update these forums anymore after a successful HT But I have fought these internal thoughts and summoned the will to post an update lol. Months 6 & 7 seem to be more of a thickening stage than the growing stage I saw in months 4 & 5. This is what was expected so I believe I am on course. Its amazing what a difference an apparently full frontal head of hair can make to your personality. I feel much more confident now in myself. I have pictures taken at all events now and even post them on facebook .... unthinkable for me a few months ago. The baldness in the crown seems to stick out like a sore thumb now A 2nd HT beckons. I am updating my hair loss page with pics but here is a comparison of pre-op vs now.

Coming along really nicely there Cap. Fun times ahead !

NHP. You are coming along really nicely. Definitely worth the investment.

Hi folks, I have my 6 month followup with Dr. Rahal tomorrow. Do we have any favourite/top questions that we ask our surgeons at 6 months post op. Just want to make sure I dont miss anything important I should be asking at this stage. Thanks,

Looks great for 4 months. You are probably going to go in the rahal hall of fame

Amazing ! How was this guy motivated to spend 15 - 16 hours in that chair. I think I spent 9 and my patience had been exhausted multiple times by then

@aaron - At this point I am going to wait for the full 18 months, see how I look and then go from there. It would be another big financial commitment so would probably see if I can budget for it at that time. I used to use concealers at one point before my HT and found it too much of a hassle so I prefer to trade it off with a slightly thinning hair look. Lets see how much growth I experience in the next few months. @KO - I was classified as having good donor density rather than excellent donor density. So I would probably put the illusion of fullness to Dr Rahal's expertise rather than my donor. I was told that I had great donor hair quality though. @All - Thanks for all the positive feedback, it does pump me up !!

Well folks it has been 5 months. I still cannot believe I spent thousands of dollars and willingly had my head cut open to have this done but it has been worth it. The difference between my pre-op state and today is there to see and it feels great to know that I can still continue to expect more growth. I look at my pre-op pics and cannot seem to justify how I could lead a normal life as a 30 year old looking like that. My crown is still as bald as an egg but at least I dont have to look at it in the mirror everyday so that is some compromise I have posted more pictures in my web log which you can access via this link: http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/journal.asp?CopyID=7759&WebID=2258 Here are some pictures comparing my pre-op state with today. Sorry the lighting is not the same but the difference is still notable.

Cap, You look great already. I can now say by experience that the fun starts after 3 months. I bet you are in for a rockstar result

Gattica, That is one of the reasons I chose Dr Rahal too. I could have had a transplant 10 times cheaper in my home country but the combover effect is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Due to my advanced level of hair loss I have to compromise on a low hariline but thats ok. I am still just a bit over 3 months post op so its early days for me but I can the art in his work in the way the little tiny hairs are coming out. The transplanted area seems reasonably full already like its never been for the past 6 years or so and I never comb it ! I just hope it continues to grow and grow on schedule

NHP, You have so much pre-op hair I am not sure why you got the transplant. Having said that, you are probably in for a rockstar result with 4808 FUT.

Coverage looks good and dense ! NHP you are one lucky dude

Well folks, time flies. I am now at 3 months and have posted my pics on my website. There is an improvement and the shockloss is gone. I know it is too early in the game to say anything so I will reserve my comments on what the final result might be at this point. I expect to see a lot more growth in the coming months. I attached a couple of photos here. The first one is my before pics and the 2nd was taken at the 3 months mark. All my photos are on my blog though. Have a peek and let me know if I look to be on track. HairFusion HT blog

Well I sure hope Rahal does not operate this way as I only do like 2 posts a year so that does not bode well for my outcome NHP, best of luck !

My tightness lasted for a whole month. So you still have a few days to go. It is all part of the healing process. I read a lot of people here saying that its gets better when the sutures are removed. So I started to expect some magic relief to happen once my sutures got removed but that did not happen. It took a few days after that for the pain/tightness to subside. So, while I would agree that it does get better, it is gradual so please do not expect the magic relief that I wrongly did. I slept at the 45 degree angle for almost a month even though it is needed for a few days post-op only. This is not because I was worried about the grafts. It was too darn painful to sleep normally due to the pressure on the donor area. Anyways, that was just how it turned out for me and you may be different. You have every right to fall in love with your hairline, it looks fantastic !!. Sorry, but I am a bit jealous of your hairline lol

Cap, Welcome to the Rahal club ! Works looks excellent as usual. 4600 in such a small area is definitely a recipe for a WOW result. Dr Rahal does take dense packing to a new level. You are going to be one happy man in a few months.

Sean, This looks great and you must be thrilled !

Congrats Capelli, I admire your commitment to this forum. You still had the energy and drive after such a long HT session to send in a post. I admit that after my own HT with Rahal, opening up my PC was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to have some dinner, take a percoret and go to sleep !. Definitely look forward to seeing your pics.

For the sake of the community, the name of this doc should be disclosed so that others can stay away !

Tremendous result !!! Honestly I cannot see from these pics why you need a 2nd HT. You have not posted any side, back or crown pics though so I cannot say for sure

Dr Rahal gives a few surgical hats but i preferred to wear my own bandana just because it looked a bit better than those caps. I was also a 9 hour drive from home but had the option to take the train which I did. I was glad I did because I was a bit drowsy due to taking the pain meds and did not really feel up for the long drive. However, I notice that you are staying put at the Foxbar for a few days whereas I took off the next day. So your situation is a bit different. Your swelling would probably go away in a few days and you would be down to regular Tylenol or Advil which makes you less drowsy than the Tylenol 3. So if you dont mind a long drive and want to stay out of sight then probably drive, otherwise fly.

Keithh, This is all normal no need to worry. I had my HT with Dr. Rahal 4 weeks back and I can tell you the first week is just a week to forget. The swelling is worst in the forehead on Day 2, then on Day 3 it got into my eyes and cheeks and then on Day 5 it got into my neck and then the body absorbed it from there. I also felt my nerves tingle a lot in the swelling area which quite frankly irritated me a lot. There is nothing you can do about this but just wait it out, drink lots of fluids, sleep at your 45 degree angle and take your pain meds. Its interesting to see that you had your head shaved completely. Dr Rahal just shaved my donor area so just wondering if you requested that ?

Hi Capelli11, I have just had an HT with Dr. Rahal a couple of weeks back and have posted a detailed experience in a separate post so I hope it would be helpful if you can search and read that. Here are some tips I can provide .... 1. If you are a side sleeper then definitely start sleeping on your back for a few days to get used to laying on your back My HT lasted 9 hours and for me, it got really tough to lay on my back for the last couple of hours. There was a movie playing in front me but I was least interested as I just wanted to get off my back ! 2. Bring your ipod, iphone, reading material, whatever you are into to pass time during the HT. 3. Stay at the Foxbar the night of your HT. They have reclining sofas everywhere and you need to sleep on that during the night. Personally I had no problems sleeping the night of my HT. The recliners were comfortable and I guess the sleep medication was in effect. 4. The travel pillow has really helped me over the past couple of weeks It was only since a couple of days that I could sleep at a proper angle. I was sleeping at a 45 degree angle before then. 5. Not sure how long you plan to stick around close to Dr Rahal's office after the HT. I would recommend either leaving the next day after your followup or staying for more than 5 days. I was looking like a real freak from Day 2 - 5 due to all the swelling and tried to avoid as much of the outside as possible. Other than this, just follow their post op instructions. Dr. Rahal provides detailed post op instructions and Mike is always available by phone if you have any questions.

Wow this is an unbelievable transformation for 6 months ! Congrats