Shabs88

Thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated! Shockloss is still there but not as bad, i'm guessing thats just due to my hair getting longer so its covering it up more. still noticeable without any concealers though! NEWHAIRPLEASE- no previous work done, just a low density donor area. the aim was for 2000 but couldn't make that goal!

Jman, I got 1704. Dr. True thought I could get close to 2000, but due to my lack of donor area due to just plain genetics, it didn't go as planned! Good luck on your journey man, definitely keep me posted and I'll do the same!

Even though I wouldnt want anyone going through the 'ugly duckling' phase, its nice to know i'm not alone in this. hang in there man, Hasson and True are amazing doctors, we should be good in a few weeks time! yea i noticed my donor scar is higher, maybe due to lack of density on oher areas of my donor hair. i'm all sorts of messed up i guess haha

i started using couvre on both sides of my scar. like you said man, toppik/caboki needs something to hang on to and i just dont have enough hair there (hopefully just for now). jman how many grafts did you get?!

i also use castor oil mixed with vitamin e oil once a week and leave it on for an hour or so. not sure if its helping but i doubt its hurting haha

thecricketer90- i did experience sides after 1 month of using 1mg propecia. my mood was off and my libido significantly dropped. i don't think it was psychological because i started taking the drug with a very positive and open mindset. when i noticed these side effects, i started cutting the propecia in half and taking 0.5mg daily. i havent noticed any sides since then and everything seems to be getting back to normal. i believe i'm still shedding a little though, but hopeful that its all part of the process and my hair will grow back stronger and thicker. hang in there!

sounds normal to me man. when you shed, did you notice miniaturized hair falling out? give it more time, if you stay consistent i'm sure things will get better. I'm on 0.5mg Propecia daily. I'm going through some slight shedding as well

Dr. True said I should not worry, and the shock loss should resolve itself in 4-8 weeks, and be completely resolved in 3-4 months. The pinkness will eventually go away as well. Spanker- yea my donor area isn't as dense.The doctor told me an average is about 75cm2, whereas mine was only 55cm2, i believe the scar is long but very thin, and Dr. True is usually on the conservative side (as so I've heard) and I remember him telling me after the procedure that he could've been more aggressive but chose not to. Thanks for the feedback guys!

Hey guys, Thanks for the replies and advice! Definitely appreciate it! Dr. True recommends waiting until the sutures are removed, so about 10-14 days before applying concealers. So I waited about 12 days before applying it because I had to go back to work. What I do is use a little bit of couvre (product like dermatch) on my hairline, and then use toppik or caboki fibers throughout the rest of my hair (I have diffused thinning). So far, I have been washing my hair nightly, and I stay away from concealers during the weekend unless its a special occasion! J-man and agenteye: I wouldn't worry about concealers post HT. If you're concerned with it stunting hair growth, maybe you can start using caboki since its made with all natural plant derived ingredients. so if you leave it on for the day, you can be at peace that nothing harsh is sitting on top of your head! Toppik is safe too, but some people freak out about the aluminum in it and others have been using it for 10 years with no side effects at all. so its really a personal choice. i'm caught in between toppik and caboki. toppik fibers are much smaller, so i feel like it looks better around the hairline. and with caboki, the fibers are a lot bigger so it tends to clump and fall out around the hairline which looks kinda unnatural. but caboki on the crown and mid section looks amazing! so natural if you get the color right, but with the crown and mid section with toppik, you have to use a lot more product cause the fibers are smaller. am i making any sense? sorry for rambling on haha..conclusion is that both are great products! and jman- thanks for the encouragement man. no real signs of growth yet, its just been 6 weeks so im not really expecting anything. all my transplanted hairs have fallen out except a couple which look darker than the surrounding hair haha. and im going through shockloss around the scar which sucks! how's your growth coming along?? let me know if you guys have any questions or advice for me! thanks

hey jerzig, thanks for your advice! I had my procedure with Dr. True in NYC. Not sure if you've heard of him, but he has a great reputation throughout these forums so I don't doubt his work. From looking at my pics again you're right, my scar does look higher than a lot of others I've seen but like you said, I believe it's due to my donor density. I'm hoping within 2 months the shockloss subsides because with concealers, I still have that "hat head" look! I'll reach out to Dr. True tomorrow. Good luck with your recovery!

i've been a huge fan of your blog man, congratulations on your third transplant! it looks clean as usual. i had a transplant with Dr. True in October, and both him and Dr. Dorin are great. That's badass how you got to meet heidi and on top of that she complimented your hair! it just can't get better than that haha

Hey Guys, I received 1704 grafts mostly focusing on my hairline. The plan was to transplant 2000-2500, but due to my less than average density donor area, we did not reach that goal. It's been about 6 weeks since my procedure, and I'm noticing a lot of shockloss around the scar and wanted to get your guys opinions if you consider this normal or not. I will also send these pics to my doctor for his feedback, but after reading through these forums I'm guessing my shockloss is normal, but I wanted other opinions just in case! Also, I am on 0.5mg Propecia everyday. Thanks guys!

Thank you Blake! I have been taking pictures and will continue to update my blog.

Thanks for the reply kokosam! Good luck on your journey as well

anyone? haha

Hey Guys, I recently got a transplant with Dr. True on 10/26/12 focusing solely on my hairline. I have been experimenting with Nioxin shampoo which I believe provides me great results , but I think its too harsh to use daily. So I wanted to find a shampoo that was safe, natural, and something I can use whenever I want without feeling like I would irritate my hair and scalp. So I started using Biotene H-24 Natural Thickening Shampoo and the separate conditioner. Its great! If you look at the ingredients its all organic and natural, and every time I use it my hair feels volumized and cosmetically looks thicker. I highly recommend the shampoo and conditioner but I have not tried the "Scalp Emulsion Spray". I get it from vitamin shoppe for 8.55/bottle. Check out my before Biotene and after Biotene pic (most noticeable cosmetic improvement on my crown). Let me know your thoughts/comments!

Stiches removed on 10th day, still seeing transplanted hairs that haven't fallen out. Most of the scabs have fell out and I have started to use concealers again (Caboki).

Guys, Check my blog out: Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Thank you all the wishes!

Guys, Check my blog out: Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs

Hey guys, So I had my first HT with Dr. True yesterday morning! My morning didnt start off too well because I ended up in the same address of his practice in Brooklyn instead of Manhattan, and walked into a ghetto apartment building that smelled like a bathroom and realized that.....this cannot be where Dr. True is haha. So i finally figured out where his office in Manhattan was and reached there at 9am even though my appointment was at 8am. Dr True and his staff were great, we joked around about the entire situation and they did not make me feel nervous at all. Dr. True is definitely a comfortable person to be around, and I'm glad I chose him as my restoration Doctor. So the procedure itself was painless as most of the people on the thread have previously mentioned. There was some slight pain when it came to the anesthetic injections which had to be done a couple of times to numb the donor area. The strip was removed which was also painless, it sounded like he was cutting potato chips which happened to be my tissue haha. Of course the staff (who were so accommodating and polite) gave me two Valiums to calm me down. Dr. True predicted that we would be able to harvest around 2,200 grafts. Unfortunately, due to my less than average donor density, we were only able to obtain 1,704 which was a little disappointing, but its better than nothing. I have diffused thinning throughout my head, with my hairline being thinner than my crown. So Dr. True focused on restoring the hairline, and putting me on Propecia to assist with the rest of my thinning. Overall, the procedure was painless, the hardest part was laying in one position for hours as Dr. True made the incisions in my scalp and the staff were placing in the hairs. The procedure lasted about 6 hours. I had no pain leaving the office (mixed with some local anesthesia and ibuprofen helping out), and I reached home fine with no issues. I do feel tightness around the donor area, and there was some pain, but I'm a sensitive guy and think its manageable so it should not be a problem to anyone else if that is a worry for some of you. Dr. True provided me with a post-op DVD that explains exactly how to take care of myself when I'm home, which was definitely informative and something easy to refer back to time after time. Even after the procedure was done, he answered all my questions thoroughly and even gave me a T&D baseball cap to rock since the one I brought was considered to be too tight! My advice to those considering a hair transplant, do not worry about the pain. The most pain you will feel are the injections, which are not even that bad, and that's coming from a guy who thinks every little thing hurts haha. The scar so far is barely noticeable and its covered with my existing hair (remember I have a low density donor area and even with that the scar is fairly concealed). I'll try making a blog and update you guys with my progress. I do believe though I will need a second transplant to obtain the results I want, but I'm hoping that with the current transplant, propecia (if I see no side effects) and soon minoxidil, I can have great results! Let me know, or message me if any of you have questions or comments! Thanks!

Thank you all! I'll try posting pics as soon as I can. A little nervous but i'm sure thats normal the night before..it's more like im not sure what to expect, but i do, but then again i have no idea haha. ok anyways, good luck if any of you are in the process of getting a transplant or recovering from one!

I have my first HT with Dr. True tomorrow morning (10/26/12). morehairwouldbenice your post was very reassuring, thank you!

Hey Guys, Tomorrow is the big day! My first HT with Dr. True in NYC (about 2,000-2,500 grafts). I'll let you guys know how it goes for those of you interested. Wish me luck!

I have my first HT with Dr. True this Friday, 10/26/12. I currently use caboki and couvre and no one is aware of my hair loss other than my immediate family (I'm a Norwood II approaching Norwood III). Can anyone provide me with their experience on using concealers after having their HT? Some personal insight would be really helpful. Thanks!

TommyLucchese and rev3, Thank you for your replies! I've heard that this whole thing is one big waiting game, so I have to be mentally prepared for that. And I will definitely ask about the density per cm2 at the hairline. This is the first time I've heard of asking this questions, so thanks rev3 for letting me know about it! TommyLucchese- what did you do about work? Since you avoided social interactions for some time, did you have a special excuse for work that you've been using the last 3 months? I use toppik daily, so I've been told I can use it at least 10 days after the procedure (or once the sutures are removed) as long as I wash it off daily. I'm thinking I can conceal the transplant from work and friends through using that.