2nd transplant. 10 days post op. Not too much about leonard on this site. I'd like to give some perspective. Good experience so far. If anything their post-op was a little more rigorous. They advised polysporin on the recipient area. It was messy but the crusts slid right off.
Well just coming up on the 3 month mark. Really wasn't expecting any significant growth at this point but I still wanted to keep this updated. Yes, the anxiety is getting me at this point. I feel some slight irritation in the recipient areas. I'm curious if that's a good sign. Also, shock loss has made something of a negative impact (check the attached photos and compare to 1 month). I guess 3 months is the bad time. Hopefully I'll have some good news when I check in next time.
Well I just passed 5 months. It's tough to tell but the baby hairs are coming in. There is some noticablle difference but they're still pretty short and thin at this point.
No news at this point. Not really expecting anything. I felt as if thre was some shock loss. Now i can't really tell from the pics. However, I have noticed some additional hairs in the sink. It could absolutely be my imagination as I'm really looking for it at this point but there really are no major asthetic changes as of yet.
Something to note - I think everyone anticipates shock loss to be radical (the name does imply major loss). However, it really isn't as drasitc as it seems. It's something you may notice but I doubt any third parties will. Basically, just back to the waiting game at this point. Pics attached.
Just hit the 15 day post op mark and I am more or less back to my normal routine. Stitches were removed 5 days ago (not as painful as people predicted) and the donor area feels fine. Both the nurses removing the stitches and my barber commented on how impressive the incision area was. With the exception of some continued numbness in my recipient area, my head feels pretty normal again. There really weren't any significant complicaitons during my recovery time. Except for fighting boredome and surviving my self-imposed solitary confinement, the 2 weeks were relatively painless.
I had my first post-transplant haircut today. Just a basic trim. As you can see in the pics, the sides are still fairly longer as my barber didn't want to but a blade to potentially disrupt any healing at this point to my donor area. At this point, I don't think anyone can tell that there's been anything done. Although some stubble remains in my recipient area, my existing hair covers any work.
In terms of hair treatment, I am back to normal showers (thought I am still pretty gentle on my recipient area when it comes to shampooing). I use Toppik on occasion and just put a very light amount of gel in this morning. Something my barber noted for all those who plan on hiding under hats for the weeks/months immediately following the procedure, be sure to wash hats with soap and hot water unless who want sweat to lead to bacteria and possible infections. Otherwise, I'm really not doing much to disrupt any growth, although I have been assured at this point that the plugs are fully secured.
As you can see in the pics, no notable shock loss at this point. Lets keep our collective fingers crossed that this doesn't change. I have my followup with Dr True in 12 days. Hopefully, he'll have nothing but positive things to say about the growth.
I know that there have been a number of blogs/posts about NY area surgeons. I recently had 1200 grafts with Dr True. I wanted to share my particular experiences in the most succinct way possible. Please keep in mind I am currently writing this 10 days post-op.
Background: Currently 28 years old. Living in Boston. Started (well noticed) thinning at 21. Began Propecia at 21. Began looking in earnest for a hair transplant surgeon in March 2012.
1) Research - Surprisingly very few choices in MA. I had consultations at Bosley and with Dr Leonard. Bosley is more expensive and I very rarely find any positive experiences on this site. Also, they had a new surgeon as of May. While there may certainly be some rookie all-stars out there, I really didn't want to take my chances. Dr Leonard (from Rogaine commercial fame/notoriety) seemed cavalier and indifferent at my consult. He rushed me out of there in about 5 minutes. I barely had time to present all of my questions - admittedly, I had plenty. Definitely not someone I wanted to entrust such an operation with.
At this point I realized looking out of state should be an option. I reviewed Feller and True and Dorin. Dr. True comes up to Boston monthly for consultations. He outlined a plan, presentED an approximate price and took the time to answer my questions. I felt in good hands with him, and given the lack of qualified/trustworthy surgeons in MA, I booked with him about a week after my consult.
In the months leading up to my surgery, I bombarded both the Dr and the Patient Coordinator with plenty of questions. They were responsive, insightful and frank. After charging the down payment and scheduling the date, the waiting game began.
2) The Procedure - I arrived the morning of the procedure, paid my balance and took a few finals pre-surgery snaps. Dr True then prepped me for the surgery. He didn't spring any last minute surprises, and we more or less adhered to our initial plan.
Just about every doctor claimed this would be a pain-free procedure. I was naturally skeptical. Surprisingly, the surgery was, as they claimed, relatively painless. In fact, I dozed off for most of the procedure. I went into surgery just after 8 and was ready to go by 2. After some post-op snaps and re-reviewing the post-op care procedure, I was on my way. The staff was friendly, efficient and made the procedure practically a breeze. Seeing as I live out of state, I chose to forego the next-day cleaning and made my way back to Boston, fairly satisfied, but still anxious about the weeks/months to come.
3) Recovery - While recipient area remained fairly pain-free, I would be remiss to say the same for the donor area. There was some pain over the first few days. I certainly wouldn't say it was excruciating or throbbing, but I definitely did feel a tightness in the area. Sleeping at the 45 degree angle was also a challenge. Fortunately, the pain and sleep meds got me through the worst of it. I did experience minor swelling on the forehead, but nothing some ice pacs didn't take care of fairly quickly.
Dr True provides a DVD and detailed instruction sheet that more or less answers any potential questions about cleaning, what to/not to do, etc. Overall, while the swelling and pain meds keep you pretty zonked out for the first week, it hasn't been too unconformatble. I'm anxoius to get the sutures out and resume my regular routine.
Some surgeons say you are okay to resume your regalar activities and go back to work the next day. I took 2 weeks from work and don't plan on going back to the gym at least 1 week after my surgery. In my opinion, you won't be 100% for at least 2 weeks.
Below are some photos that show my pre-surgery, and 5 day day post-op status. More photos to come to detail m progress.
