krisl

Hi all, Firstly very sorry for the tardiness of this update - I actually took the pictures posted here a few days after the One Year mark, which was at the end of October, but I just never got round to writing this. So, thoughts and feelings on how I feel one year on. Firstly, Dr Feller made absolutely the right call with the shape of the hairline. I was always a bit receding, and this has shed a few years off but still provided me with a mature hairline for someone in their early 30s. Also, the fears I initially had post-op that it looked slightly lopsided seemed superficial when the hair grew out. The hairline looks completely natural so all good there. My family and friends have all been amazed at the transformation. They've all said I look so much younger, and more handsome The friends who didn't know I had something done, haven't been able to work out why my hair was so much thicker. The only, *only* time I got rumbled was a couple of weeks ago when I walked into a barbers I'd never been in and after sitting down he flicked at my hair and immediately clocked that I'd had a hair transplant. I was pretty thankful there was no one else in there as I got pretty embarrassed! I asked him how he knew and he said he could just tell, but he said 'it's a good one', so got the barbers approval... Personally I think the coverage was spot on, but the transplanted area needs thickening up. It actually looks good when wet and when there's even light, but it can look a bit wispy and thin when in direct sunlight or under a strong light-source. For the time being I'm very happy. It's true when they say you forget how you used to look, so whenever I have a day when I'm like 'My hair looks shit' (which we all have whether you have a full head of hair or not), I just click on the 'Hair' album I created on my phone, and look at all the old pictures I have on there from before the HT. Works a treat Will write another review in a few months, and then I think that'll be that until the next one. Thanks all, and happy to hear any feedback

Grow well mate, look forward to seeing your progress over the coming months...!

Cheers Spex, your support and guidance greatly appreciated, as always

Wow!! That is a pretty significant change isn't it. Will be posting a few side-by-side ones next month for the one year mark, plus one with the wet look which I haven't done yet, as I think it'll highlight how far it has come since pre-op.

Sorry for anyone following this for the delay in posting - was away on Summer vacation and have had a hell of a lot of work to catch up on since I got back. I've really started to settle into the look now, and I think Dr Feller was spot-on with the hair-line. It really has made a dramatic difference to my appearance, and I've DEFINITELY noticed getting checked out by a lot more honeys this Summer, and tasty ones at that I guess all I'm hoping for is some more density. As you can see from the first couple of pictures, the front is looking good, and a lot thicker than a few months ago. It's when you see it from the top that the thinness shows. This may or may not change that much over the coming months, and sure it'll be a shame if it doesn't, but the main thing is the front is looking very good, and it's already made such a huge difference to my appearance. Look forward to updating you all with the One Year mark, where I'll add a few more photos with a wet look, as well as dry.

Cheers everyone, good to read through your replies. Tacolinowest - family and friends are stunned to be honest, at least those who don't have the benefit of seeing me everyday. The ones who see me sporadically all say how much thicker it looks, and those who haven't seen me since pre-op can't quite figure out what's happened, other than I'm 'looking really well' Spanker - Dr Feller said I've got a good amount of donor supply, but I'm in no rush. I'll see how it pans out, and I definitely won't be planning another one until I see the full benefits of this one. FriskyDonor - cheers mate, and grow well! It's a long road - DM me anytime if you fancy a chat about it. TommyLucchese - thanks for that dude, good to hear. It's something that I've needed to be reminded of - this is by no means the end of the process, and there is still plenty of maturing to come. Am gonna go and check out your pics now!

Thanks Mike, and I think you're absolutely right - I think I almost made myself think that the 8-month mark was it, and everything subsequent to that is minor. From what others have said, there's still plenty more to come, so it's a case of relaxing and trusting in the process. And looking at the the before and after pictures at the minute have made me re-assess how far I've come!!

Hey everyone, So the 8-month mark has been and gone, and it's a hard one to describe. I've spoken to Spex about this in the last week, as my overall feeling was, if I'm being honest, of slight disappointment. I had set this stage as the first time I could really gage how it's come along. But looking back, I'd say the mark that really blew me away was around the 6-month stage. My hairline had begun to be formed, and it was all very exciting. So looking forward I imagined my hair to be a lot thicker than it is now. Spex gave me good advice, and it was to assess how far I've come altogether, rather than where I 'should' be. Looking at the pictures side-by-side of where I was pre-op and where I am now left me stunned. You really do forget. I can't believe how bald I was going. So compared to then, it has been a massive success. I guess the only battle is with my own personal goals. I would like it to be a lot thicker on the sides, and you can see from the photos that it's still quite thin in those areas. I'm hoping that in the next few months they'll thicken up considerably, but I'm already preparing myself for this to be unlikely. Fingers crossed. Happy to hear everyone else's honest opinions.

Hey guys, sorry for the late response - lots of work on at the minute. Mike - cheers dude! Appreciate that. It's ups and downs at the minute (though very few downs), as I come to terms with what I can and cannot do with my hair. There's that initial amazement at what's happening, then there's the impatience (for some impatience probably comes first), so it's a case of being patient and trusting in the process and seeing what happens. Tacolinowest - early days mate. I don't want to be rating it till the process has come to its conclusion, and even then a rating seems wrong. How can you gage this? It's different for everyone. We lose perspective. Two months ago I was at a '10' - I had hair - the first time in years. I've become used to that now and I'm looking for the 'next level'. So it's about being comfortable in whatever the process brings.

Just a quick update to keep things ticking along. I haven't noticed much change over the last month, which has made me feel that things have started to slow down a bit, only for me to see friends I hadn't seen in a few weeks who have re-assured me that there is definitely a lot of growth still happening. Because the hairline is shaped now, it's all about the thickening and maturing, which you don't notice on a day to day basis. I remember Dr Feller saying to me on the day "You'll forget what it was like." I couldn't believe it, Of course I'll remember what it was like! But sure enough as the weeks go by, you do become used to this look, and because once upon a time we did have this look before, we very easily settle back into it, and the (good) 'problems' that arise with it i.e. adding an extra 20mins before going out to style/re-style your hair over and over again. So all good, and looking forward to sharing the 8 month mark, though can't imagine much of a change to now.

Look forward to seeing your progress - grow well!

Yeah, want to give it to the 8 month mark. If there's a big change by the end of the month I'll post something up...

Dude don't worry about it. We went with a highly experienced surgeon, who does these kind of ops day in day out for a living, and has had countless amounts of positive evidence posted backing his work. No hairline is perfect and with the amount of aggressive hairloss we've had, it's only sensible to give a conservative hairline. I was super analytical the first few weeks, but once you get over this tricky period you'll settle into it. The staples at the back were such a b****, sleeping on them so frustrating, but once out it was a relief. All will be good mate.

Thanks for the replies everyone - that's what I thought, good to know this is definitely the case. Will be in touch with an update and more pictures at the end of June

So it's been just over six months, and surprisingly, this has been the most difficult period. Having a hair line again has meant that I've begun spending up 15-30mins styling my hair in the mirror before I go out! Whereas before there wasn't much I could do, now it's so tantalisingly close that I just wish it was fuller instead of this in-between stage. Also, what has surprised me is how quickly you get used to it. Last month I was loving it - constantly amazed at the transformation. This month though I've settled into the look, and have begun to have my first taste of what hair-greed is. I really, really can't wait for it to fully grow and even then, I can imagine wanting a bit more. Terrible, but from I've read, unfortunately quite natural. Now having to find myself a good hair-dresser, and strange having to think about hair styles again. One thing though, people have been amazed at how it looks - and friends who hadn't seen me in a few weeks, mention that it looks thicker than when they last saw me, so things are happening quite quickly. I take great satisfaction from telling them this is only the half-way mark I know I said I wouldn't judge it till at least the 8 month stage, but with it looking like this, it's very hard not to. Next update will be in a couple months! p.s. The transplanted hair is very curly - does this blend in eventually?

Great thread, thanks for sharing chrisdav

Guys thanks so much for all the replies, was really great to wake up to them and have a read through. rock1225 - I suffered from pretty bad shock loss and I had to contend with people who knew I had it done, saying to me it looks worse than before. It was a pain to have to keep reminding them that this was normal. The 2nd picture in that series with the red background was how bad it looked - very wispy and thin. But within two weeks of that being taken the transformation was starting, so it's true what they say about getting over the first three months. Just forget about it if you can and you'll look in the mirror one morning and just go 'whoa...something's happening here...' tacolinowest - haha, cheers dude! And good luck! You've chosen someone who has a proven track record. spex - thanks for that mate agenteye - thanks a lot for that, really appreciated. Exactly, I can't believe this still has to mature! I've been so used to having thinning hair, that I'd happily take this, so to think that it's going to be completely thick in a few months is unbelievable. My brother couldn't even look at me on Skype he was so jealous! He's already saving up the dollar ;D Look forward to updating my progress in due course...

I've been thinking that maybe the pictures I've been posting haven't given justice to the gradual transformation. The shape at the front looks a lot better than before, and a good friend has said that it reminds him of how I used to look. I keep reminding him that this is nothing, and to wait until it fully matures. Here some update pictures (apologies in advance for the 'blue steel' in the latest one).

No offence taken dude, no worries, I'm sure you're not the only one thinking that I guess this 5 month stage must look barely noticeable, but to me, someone who has obsessed about their hair since my late teens, it's just massive. My hair at the front is thicker, stronger, and I can now style it. I've gone back to being 24 again. I know it still looks thin, and there's no 'WOW' factor yet, but for me, it's exciting because I know this is just the beginning. I said to myself I wouldn't stress about the growth, so instead of having the mentality that it's not thick yet, I'm not where I'm supposed to be, I'm appreciate and thankful of any growth whatsoever. One thing everyone has said, is that there is now a shape to the hairline. Doesn't matter that the hair still needs to mature, the illusion has already been created.

Something quite incredible has been happening the last few weeks. For the first time since I was 23/24, I feel like I have a semblance of my old hairline back. It's all happening quite quickly, and it's really taken me by surprise. I have to keep reminding myself what it was like before, so I don't take this for granted, but it really is amazing. My brother, who lives abroad, was completely shocked when he saw me this evening on Skype. He saw a major improvement, and I love that I can slick my hair back now. I came across a picture from January, and I couldn't believe how bad it was at one point. Really thin and wispy. My hair just looks so much thicker, and healthier. I really am amazed to think that it's only going to get thicker and thicker. Honestly, if it was to stay like this, I'd be happy. The scar area is becoming unnoticeable, but my girlfriend brushed away a scab the other week, and unfortunately the area quickly became very bloody. Once it dried, I was left with a small hole in the scar area. Spoke to Spex, and he said it must have been an ingrown hair, but to rest up and leave the area well alone, which I have done. I've included pictures of that. So apart from that very small detail, I'm delighted, and can't believe in a few more months I'll have a full head of hair.

Mate that looks great for 4-months - I'd be proper chuffed. Still early early days - for me it's all about the 8-month mark before I even debate how I'm feeling about it. Everything before that is a bonus.

It's been over three and a half months now since the op and thought a timely update was needed. Would've been earlier but was away in Bangladesh for 18 days so this is my first opportunity. Something I noticed whilst I was away - my hair no longer looks as thin as it was at the front when wet. This is the key, as I've become so used to seeing scalp for so long after a shower, that I did a double take and started inspecting the hair to see if I was imagining it. Also the whole time I was away I decided to do without any Toppik, which I've admittedly become addicted to, and was shocked initially when I look backed at the pictures from the start of the trip and saw how thin my hair looked, but became amazed at how much thicker it looked by the end. Again, I wasn't sure if I was imagining this until I arrived home Friday night and my girlfriend immediately picked up on it and commented that it looked a lot thicker, especially at the front. The hairs either side of the old mohawk are starting to grow now as well, and I can't tell you how nice that is to see. There's something so positive about that, after becoming so used to having hair full out and inspecting the ever decreasing hair line, to then see hair growing there - it's a really wonderful feeling and makes me really excited about the coming months. I'll add my bit to the 'first three months' debate - it is actually quite hard and difficult, but the hardest part was managing OTHER people's expectations, as I'd decided to be quite honest about it and tell close friends I was having it done. I've had to contend with a few mates sneeringly suggesting that it looks worse than it did before or that it looks the same, only for me to re-explain that this is all natural, most people go through shock-loss and not to judge the results until at least the 8 month mark. Shock loss was bad and the redness stayed for a long time, mainly owing to me being quite pale, but things are definitely beginning to look up and I'm more than excited about the coming months. Will update again in due course.

Just seen your reply GlasgoIrish67 - thanks very much mate. Look forward to checking out your progress in due course!

Thanks Matt - I'd say it depends on how much you need done - some guys can brush their hair forward and cover up the work. With others, like me, there was no such option, but thankfully I work for myself so just avoided going out for the first couple weeks. Once the staples were out, and I evened out my hair, I started venturing out, but only with a cap at first, and then only without once my friends assured me that I looked fine (and one in particular who I've known since I was a kid really wanted to take the mickey so he was disappointed that it all looked fine in his eyes!). At two months there is redness, but barely noticeable. In all in all I'd say you should be absolutely fine by the one month mark, but definitely take two weeks out if you can.

Hey everyone, thought an update was in order. It's been seven and a half weeks now, and the redness has gone down considerably, as expected. The donor area has been quite itchy, which was also expected, and all the transplanted hair fell out around the one month mark, which was, erm, expected. I guess this was all expected because I was so well briefed by all those in this forum, so thank you. At the minute I feel quite relaxed about it all, which is all due to what's been discussed here. Of course I would love it to be fully-grown, but I must admit it's quite exciting seeing the small hairs sprouting. It was quite a shock when I first noticed them a week or so ago. I got up close to the mirror and was like, 'Whoa...this is where my hairline will be' and it's quite surreal to think that in a few months that whole area will be filled with hair, especially when you've been so used to it being bald there for what seems like forever. Apart from that not much to say. A lot of my friends keep asking me how I feel, and was it worth it, which I think is there way of not knowing what else to say. In truth, I don't know if it's been worth it or not, until the hair is fully grown. At the minute I look pretty much exactly how I did before the op, so will have to wait and see. Will keep everyone updated and happy to answer any questions on how it's been so far.