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as a 47 year old norwood 6 patient I felt I had no choice but to try and maximise my donor area using strip, if I was was to achieve the results I was hoping for, then after maximising strip turn to fue, I didn't think it possible at my level of loss to for fue only, I have now in the last 12 months had 2 strip surgeries (5800 grafts total), jan2012 and dec2012, in 18 months time I plan to have fue, in my opinion if you are willing to risk the scar and put up with the inconvenience/pain then for a norwood 5/6 this is your best option, yes I am worried about my future scar but the difference in my appearance has for me made it worth the risk and I can always have fue in the scar if it is a problem, after my first ht my scar was almost invisible obviously having it reopened for a second ht may change this but things are healing up well for now, have shock loss though which is a pain, I don't have a clue how many grafts I can get from fue after having 2 strips but do feel in my case I have chosen the best option, I am also on a trial drug called anapril which is normally used for lowering blood pressure and heart problems as it may help with the healing of my scar, only been on it for 3 weeks since my 2nd ht and have to keep the clinic informed of it's results but worth a try as I'm obviously worried about my scar, anything that may help in this area would be beneficial to anyone having strip surgery.

Thanks for your reply, I'm afraid you've got me more worried, it has been just a simple case of a really bad dose of influenza and although never had a thermometer in my mouth I know in my lifetime I have never had a temperature as high as that, it probably happened about 80 hours after my transplant so my grafts had some time to settle, I'm a norwood 6/7 and obviously can't afford to lose my any grafts, damn unlucky for this to happen as it's only the second time in my life I've had influenza, hopefully as you say you've had patients with infections and they've not had problems and that the grafts are fairly resilient so hopefully my worries will prove unfounded, an unexpected and unforseen complication which I could have done without.

Hi everyone, hope maybe someone has had a similar experience and can reassure me with this one, had my 2nd HT 6 days ago with DR Path' in Bangkok like the first time (3650 grafts FUT) had no problems whatsoever 2nd time around, this time tight scalp 2100 FUT and 600 FUE, had two transplants in the one calendar year (norwood 6 ) but 11 months apart anyway came home to UK one day after surgery only to have the worst case of influenza I've ever had shortly afterwards, still suffering, I am worried that my extremely high temperature with the onset of this may somehow have affected my newly placed grafts, I hope not, I hope someone can tell me absolutely nothing to worry about, is worrying me and as holiday time can't email the clinic, hope someone can help me with this? Thanks..

Hi everyone, apologise for asking this as it's already covered on the forum unfortunatley indecisive me can't decide yes or no, I'm 46 year old norwood 6 been losing hair for 27 years, probably lost about 75% of the hair I'm going to lose, I had my first ht 3 months ago (3700 grafts) and will get another approx 2500 grafts in 9 months time, my question is should I be using Finastride? and/or should I be using Rogaine foam? or am I at my age and level of baldness where I'd be wasting my money on these, I initally thought this was the case and haven't tried any of them but the more I read the more I think maybe I have made a mistake, the cost of these is small compared to getting a Ht, any advice would be greatly appreciated....thanks.

thanks bonkerstonker, if there's pictures on the internet of this stuff causing damage then I won't use it, I'll put it away in a cupboard and use it in 6 months, shame, I've just got it and wanted to see what I looked like with hair on top of my head for the first time in many years, just have to be patient, something which you need in this game!!!!

I am 3 and a half weeks post 1st surgery, I am 46 y-o norwood 6, since my transplant I have had no shedding yet and have lots of little hairs growing on top of my head where there hasn't been for years, people are commenting on how better I look already, my question is hair products to hide baldness/thinning hair, am I safe to use these products so soon after my ht?, I have just ordered toppik hair building fibers, toppik hair spray and sammy fat hair creme, I won't use any of them if there's any danger but if they are safe I'd like to try them and see if they work, what I spent on them is very small compared to the cost of my ht, so got nothing to lose by giving it a try, read lots of favourable reviews online before ordering these products but as I said if any of these products can interfere with my newly placed grafts then I won't be putting them anywhere near my head, I realise I am very early to try this but without hair for so long I am curious to see what is achievable once my grafts have fallen out and regrown, be great if someone can advise me on this.

Hi England, Thanks for reply, in answer to your question, I was alwas going to run out of grafts, they worked from the front back the way, there was never going to be enough grafts, that was established before surgery, I would have needed 6000+, they had 3732 to work with, the more I read the more I realise that having all my grafts growing at 3 weeks is fairly normal and that they are due to shed soon.

Can I ask you wokeupto' what were you like after 3 weeks, I'm 3 weeks today, check my pillow every morning, still no grafts shedding, at 3 weeks I have lots of hairs growing, would love them not to fall out, I got a ht believing that they'd definitely fall out, go back to being how I was pre tranplant, people say don't look in the mirror for a good few months, hard when new hair is growing, bit confused of what to expect post transplant, any info from previous patients would be great, I have seen a few people very similar to myself and there grafts have eventually shedded, suppose it's bound to happen soon.

Rod G, your case is so very similar to my own, almost the same number of grafts and hairs transplanted, and very similar level of hair loss, I'm 4 years younger than you, hope you don't mind me asking Rod, you last posted pic's 5 months ago, has there been a further improvement since then, and are you considering/getting another Ht, must be easy to get greedy and want more, I really have no choice if I want the job done properly as I have still a large bald and untouched crown area.

Thanks Rod, first Ht with the clinic, definitely need and want another ht which I will get in 12 months time, your's was one of the cases I read about priot to my ht which helped me decide on the DHT clinic, I am pretty sure I chose well, I will stick with Dr Path' though.

Thank you Dr Pathomvanich for your thorough response and for clearing this matter up, I feel so much more knowledgable now, sometimes it is not possible during consultations to gather and take in all the information given to you, this site is invaluable for educating prospective hair transplant patients, I look forward to meeting you again in 1 years times for hair transplant number 2, no doubt we will discuss in more detail my next procedure, thank you for taking such good care of me when I visited your clinic in Bangkok and for doing such a good job on my head, post op I've had absolutely no problems whatsoever, as you know I wasn't even at my hotel when you called on the evening of my surgery to check on my wellbeing, I felt ok then to go out that evening and it's been a steady improvement since, all my grafted hairs are growing well and none have shedded yet, couldn't be happier, thank you.

Rod G, Thanks for the reply, no I didn't get to meet Dr Kulukarn or if I did I wasn't aware of it as you know you're eyes are covered for a lot of time and I slept a lot, they're a good team in Bangkok, I was very impressed and happy with them, my new hairs are growing really well (shame they're going to fall out) and my scar's not giving me much bother, post op' has been absolutely no problems for me, I think I will start light exercise today, keep out of the pool for a little longer.

Thanks bigcow, Good to hear the other side of the argument, when I had a consultation with a uk clinic in October, the guy from that clinic had 2 ht scars, I asked to see them, they were both slim and you had to look for them, if in one years time before my next surgery, my first scar is undetectable and the likeliehood was that a 2nd scar would be simarily undetectable but produce a good deal more grafts then maybe it's not such a bad proposition, I would be in the same positon regarding scarring as I was in a year earlier, ie one undetectable scar with a new surgery to come as opposed to no scarring but about to have my first surgery, the fact is though there are very knowledgable people on this forum even Bill the managing publisher suggested I may have misunderstood Dr Path' as the idea seems so against normal practice. this forum is where I learn about Ht's but I'd be surprised if anyone on this forum is as experienced as Dr Path', for me I done the correct thing by raising this issue, I'd love to hear from anyone else whose had a 2nd scar and think it's a good idea.

don't know dingdong, maybe one of the more experienced members can answer that

yeh, newhairplease, I agree with you, got to be sensible, I won't do anything for a month and then take it slow, can't do anything which will jeopardise my new hair/scar tissue, hate not being able to exercise but I knew this would happen when I decided to go down this road.

Hi Bill, The reply I received from Dr Path' yesterday confirmed that he does make a 2nd scar, the email goes on to state the advantages of this method, I explained this yesterday and also that no decision will be made before consulting and discussing with the patient, he definitely wasn't as you put it Bill, "referencing the second scar that replaces the first one", I'll send you the email reply if you want, I fear I may not be too popular with Dr Pathomvanic and his staff now, I fully intend going back there in one years time and believe they have done a marvellous job on me and will do so again in one years time but I cannot apologise for researching and trying to find out as much as possible especially in this case where the treatment being recommended seems to go against the norms, as I said before I spoke more about scarring than my actual new hair during consultations, surprising then that I'd be recommended a procedure that could give me more scarring, I look forward to reading Dr Path's response to the forum co- moderator and to his input on this subject.

Hi, I would like to ask the forum how soon I can start to exercise after ht, I am 17 days post Ht, my workout consists of this, 60 minutes on treadmill walking very fast up hill, at the end of workout I am very very sweaty and continually wiping sweat from forehead during workout, this is followed by 30 minute swim and then steamroom, I ask because as usual I read conflicting reports, I am missing my exercise as it makes me feel good and keeps my weight down, I do not get seriouly out of breath and I do not touch any weights or machines, only treadmill and swim, would love to start it again but will not do anything that can affect my future hair growth or stretch my Ht scar, would love to hear the forum's thoughts on this, thanks in advance.

Hi, I would like to ask the forum, how early hair growth in the days and weeks after a Ht compare with the final result, I had 1st Ht 17 days ago 3700 grafts, to the front working back to they ran out (still have a large bald crown), anyway I am pleasantly surprised by how the top of my head looks, lots of hairs growing, quite good density no shedding yet, is this a good gauge of the final result as these are mature hairs? or can I expect it to grow back in with even more density? just wondering from guys with previous experience what to expect? is what I'm seeing now nothing like the final outcome or is it a good gauge? I know one answer is to be patient and wait and see and another is "stop looking in the mirror" both these are hard when you've been without hair for so long, now you look in the mirror and there's hair there!!!

newhairplease, we had our hair transplants only days apart, yes it will be sad to see those new hairs go, got hair were I haven't had for 20 years, I'm only 46, wish the techniques and my finances were there 20 years ago, they're there now, got to make the best of it, good luck with your journey, hope you achieve more than you are hoping for.

staggerlee123, just read your story there, shame you were treated so badly, good luck with what you decide to do, all I can tell you, is that I am quite bald, 1 year younger than you, noticed my hair falling out when I was 20, didn't want to believe it, up to 2 weeks ago I was nw 6 no hair on top, 2 weeks since my ht, I already look better, don't have to look at my big bald head in the mirror any more, I've all these little hairs growing on top of my head, just looking at them makes me feel good, break my heart when they all fall out, I'm sure you'll be able to make a good improvement with whatever you decide, I say that because I am sure I can make a big improvement to my appearance, wasn't sure before but now that I've made the first step I'm very sure.

hairthere, I don't expect I will go to another clinic, I was very happy with Dr Path' and his team, I will have a good discussion on this subject with him, I've already sent him 2 emails today regarding this, a 2nd scar seems like a very bad idea, strange that a "leading clinic" would suggest this, better the devil you know, they say so I will stick with him, every confidence in him that even using my original scar he will be able to obtain optimum results for me, 16 days since my surgery, can't believe the hair I've got on the top of my head, been so long since I had any there, I know it's going to fall out soon, hopefully it will grow back in nice and thick, my crown is very bald maybe that's influencing the good Dr on my next procedure, I guess I will need about 1500 grafts maybe more for that, it was always a long term plan that I decided on, 2 strips followed by FUE in years to come and even micropigmentation as well, getting a 2nd strip wouldn't influence that as I spoke to HIS clinic who tell me covering 2 scars isn't any harder than one, just more time consuming therefore more expensive, the guy at HIS clinic told me they regularly have patients with 3 and sometimes 4 Ht scars, thanks again everyone who helped me.

thanks guys, Fabulous help, strange that Dr Path' does 2nd strips when he runs a "leading clinic" I spent more than half my initial consultation fussing over my potential scar, Dr Path' knows how I feel about this, I hardly mentioned my hair, he is the expert and will guide me but I will have the knowledge that you guys have passed on to me, invaluable help and I am very very grateful, surely though I cannot tell a leading HT surgeon how do do his job, yes it's my head but when he starts to inject your head then it's down to him, need him and me to be on the same page if you know what I mean, this does concern me, he get's rave reviews on this, why would he carry out something which seems to be so wrong? no one said this journey would be easy, got to make sure it was all worth by making the right choices.

hairthere, good luck with your next surgery, your hair at the back looks very thick and able to conceal scarring, you have said you wish you only had one scar, if a another scar were to produce a lot more grafts, would you consider it?

newhairplease, Dr Path' is one of the recommended physicians on this site, he does do 2 strip scars, he confirmed it to me today in an email and I posted the reasons he gave, my first HT was done in "normal circumstances", my scar is low and very much in the "safe zone" I was surprised when he explained to me that my 2nd ht would be a 2nd scar, that's why I posted my question, I am definitely going back to him for a 2nd HT but have to have a good discussion with him about this, he's been doing HT's for 20 years, he obviously know's what he's doing, it's early days for me but I was extremely impressed by him and his team, I already have comments about how small my scar is, I have shock loss, if it wasn't for that then my HT would be undetectable, the impression I am getting from the clinic is if the scar is small and undetectable, then why not have another similar undetectable scar, you will get more grafts and the old scar will be left untouched, Dr Path' told me after surgery that he would expect to get 2500 grafts from me on a 2nd transplant, I'm norwood 6, I could do with a high graft count like that, reading about Dr Path' and about HT's in general mainly on this site led me to him, I made a good decision, hopefully this site can again help me with my next decision.

hairthere, can I ask you what difference there has been made to your scar after surgeries 2 and 3, has it roughly stayed the same?