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Hi BOW32, I can see from your posts that you are happy, and thanks for posting as you have and this is why I said I see you understand the light issue in the first line, so it was not intended for you but for those who maybe wouldn't understand that aspect. It was more for those who think a test of a successful result is that criteria and to let you know I think you have an amazing result personally and dr.b also happy to see you to assess. It takes courage to share a case and especially in different conditions as you have and thanks for sharing.

With respect, and as you are thankfully aware also, the test for a good outcome is not to have the hair going upwards and under harsh spot light, a HT is not planned to show no skin under those circumstances, you would need a hair-piece for that! It is about an illusion, placing at less than native density and giving a pleasing result. If anyone wears the hair straight up and under spotlights then you will see a very different picture than when they are walking down the street in natural light. So, keep that in mind and if a hair transplant was to make no skin visible under those conditions then you would exhaust the donor pretty quickly to be honest and have to place at a high density that would be hard also to achieve. Dr.B will be happy to see you and from the photos you have posted under normal light it seems a very nice outcome for the amount of grafts placed and of course your advisor will liaise for you to have a consultation and can also look at densities. But as said if we judge a hair transplant on the above style and lighting conditions then you would not have a case with no skin showing and especially when the hair is not going at any angle to provide coverage but more upright at the part that you can see skin, so the density and coarseness of the hair is giving the coverage and not the laying effect of the hair where there are spaces.. In other posts under less harsh circumstances that are more the norm, and even with the hair going up it does seem a very nice result, especially as then your hair with length has a natural curl that will give volume at the top. Keep in touch with your advisor and they can update you for a review at 12 months etc, but realistically I think this is a nice outcome at this stage and a final review is 12 months onwards. Your hair will take more time to relax as it cycles also and this takes more than 12 months usually. Take care.

Ginger, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper etc when taken also help blood flow to extremities. Take in the form of tea or in the case of Ginger and Turmeric you can eat the root. Garlic also if you can handle the odour.

Scalp redness is normal where grafts are placed, there is neo-vascularity and redness is part of it also with inflammation. Usually artificial light and camera makes it look worse than in natural light but I don't see anything to worry about in this photo and people heal also at different rates. It will continue to fade but seems barely noticeable in this photos. Heal well.

You are welcome. Because your surgery was not with the clinic I rep for, you may want to check with your own clinic to make sure they agree but I will answer as if you were one of our patients and say yes, to sweat and to work out now is not a problem. We would say to avoid hot showers or hair dryer or sauna that may exacerbate skin redness but to work out and sweat will not damage grafts. Enjoy the workout.

No, you will be fine! Take it easy and relax and If you were my patient I would say wash well now and massage well. Of course see your clinic for the regime they want but if you were a patient I had booked then I would say that. I've been in the industry a long time so it doesn't take me long to see a photo and read the situation. Take care and heal well.

You shouldn't really be having scabs at 3 weeks if you wash well, so you've been probably overly cautious as is often the case for first time surgery patients and the fact you have seemingly kept a lot of the transplanted hair still can indicate that. Scabs come off with hair and you would not have lost the graft that is under the skin okay. Obviously your own clinic need to guide you but patients I book start to massage at day 8 the recipient when wet and washing and massaging in circular motion to break down the scabs that will feel like salt under the fingertips as it dissolves, and this breaks down the scabs that are usually gone by day 10 and they can apply moisturiser to the scalp if dry also. Wash well to speed up healing and apply a good moisturiser. Take care and heal well.

Your nape hair is raising up and crown can go down, so need to establish the safe area to take from and keep in mind any donor limitations. Be good to see longer but at this length can see the density drop from nape area then going up, so as said have to know aside from your density and hairs to follicular unit groups, also the areas that are safe to harvest from. Best.

All the best to you, you are a true gent and looking forwards to the result!

The hair line design I think in terms of height is wise and will make a nice difference, maybe make a tad more symmetrical. Be good to see donor photos though, because as said here you are thinning throughout the top of the scalp and will need more surgery so need to see the donor also, both full sides and rear profile. If the donor is good then gives you more room for future surgery and something you need to keep in mind. I would be also hesitant in terms of graft numbers as the hair quality of the transplanted is better than the miniaturised hair behind and also you do really need to make sure you don't then lose and have an unattached hair line. So, I would agree with the above statement of treating more and giving a solid result and also consider Propecia depending on how your loss has stabilised. This doctor may be great but a year is very early to tell because it does take that for a result to finalise.

Here is a repair case from a HTN poster who had a very significant amount of beard taken in order to repair a Strip scar. He healed very well and still has a strong beard. This case may be helpful in your research as is an older one so probably not seen by most today.

As said by LC above go with some length so the doctor can assess your native hair and they again should guide you on that. To shave to that number (around 1mm) you would need to have little to no visible scarring, so to shave before surgery when no FUE has been done will not present an issue in the donor, but you need to see the clinic to ask about shaving that short post surgery and the implications and this is where the punch size, extraction pattern etc and how you heal comes into play. So, that is the caveat that I would say. A shaved look with hair also does look better than a shaved look without hair, that's the whole reason that people opt for SMP also but of course you cannot beat real hair and even at 1mm it is visible. Of course if you grow it out then you will have a different look but for sure a transplant that is shaved in my book is not wasted at all and does look different to no hair. You will not damage any grafts in shaving but make sure to follow the clinics advise as to when you can shave that short post surgery as the skin will be healing so need to follow what they say. All the best.

Donor looks fine, the odd area that could be scars from something but at this length the donor looks fine. They have blended the cut going upwards and I don't see anything here to worry about on this person's donor.

Good question and the approach varies greatly from doctor to doctor but essentially you want to be looked at with both naked eye and under magnification. The doctor will look at donor densities, I say that in plural because it will change in the donor as you from above the ears around to the rear occipital area where there are then the coarser and larger groups. So, essentially densities, hair to follicular make up, i.e single haired, double, treble etc, coarseness and curl, characteristics of the hair, colour, miniaturisation levels in the donor, check for DUPA or retrograde alopecia. If your donor has thinned significantly (previous photos will help to compare) then it is possible you have DUPA or miniaturisation due to other reasons. Donor hair should be harder to pull out and with more pain than where the hair is weaker and miniaturising but a good doctor will be able to assess and under magnification and a display really be able to assess well and give you the empirical data as well as visual representation. As said, I have seen many doctors just tell a patient "you are a good candidate" but no real data given, so it is very subjective and nothing really concrete, but today you should be able to be thoroughly assessed and if I were you I would ask the clinic/doctor, what exactly will they do during the consultation. Best.

The Vitruvian Man is great, but he never suffered hair loss! It's an ideal but was not made to be a template for hair transplantation back in 1490 I know it is mentioned a lot in hair line designs but it doesn't take into account the factors that one needs to in surgery, age, loss potential, donor, bone structure, etc. So, for a potential NW5/6 a Vitruvian hair line then with crown open and the sides dropped would not be a good look. Great if one is a NW2/3 and future loss is not an issue, but not all fit this category. They need then to get the Vitruvian body to then match the hair line. Joking aside I think it is a handy guide for some but certainly not a template to be adhered to and actually a bad idea for some cases, bone structures etc.

You are welcome of course. It would be our pleasure.

Pleasure, take care my friend...really looking forward to your progress! I like the design also and the thinking also.

I live in Italy and speak Italian so I am not against the great Leonardo but his teaching was not really made for hair transplantation rules when as said there are many variations. Firstly he himself had a hair line nearer his neck than his nose! The third rule is great in an ideal world but you are 33, you have already an extensive loss pattern of thinning, your donor is not the thickest from the photos and especially considering the above ear (supra auricular) areas and the doctor has not harvested from there for that reason probably also. Your loss will be progressive and also hair line design to these thirds also is determined on the natural bone structure of the patient. So, all in all, 7cm from the glabella etc is great if one has a great donor and little loss but you will be thankful as you age to have saved the grafts and when this all comes in it will make a nice difference. A hair line is also easier to lower than to raise, so if you are really unhappy then wait and have it lowered but for me a wise decision and especially considering all of the factors presented. Best or as the great Leonardo may have said....stammi bene! SL

Totally agree, a doctor offering a consultation has the cost of the office, equipment, his time and also his expertise in the field and you should have real empirical data given, not just opinion but real data i.e Donor area size, laxity if considering Strip, densities, usually two or three as the density changes throughout the donor regions, hair to follicular unit make up, miniaturisation, hair loss potential, medication advice etc. At times the consultation cost will also in goodwill be put towards the surgery costs if they are a good candidate and proceed to that. There are non-doctors charging and again they may be charging for their time but I am uncomfortable with that and have myself met countless people to discuss the clinic I work for and hair loss, show my result etc etc but it is not a medical consultation and never will be. Today we have self-proclaimed gurus out there in all fields, not only hair, and are charging for consultations and they have zero medical qualifications and at times even a poor understanding of the industry. I have heard of "gurus" not even knowing what Cicatricial Alopecia is when asked, so they need to improve their Latin if nothing else. Use forums, research, meet people and then go for consultations to the clinics/doctors you feel comfortable with and who will give you real data and not a hard sell. I speak to a fair few who have had even consultations with doctors and have zero empirical data given, just opinion that "they are good candidates" which is all subjective. Get real data and especially if you are paying for the privilege as today there is no excuse not to give this with the technology that is available.

Yes at 2 weeks there are still signs and the extraction points will heal still further. As said, size of punch plays a part and patient's own healing but wash and massage really well now and can add aloe vera or a cream that will help healing but nothing at this point to worry about and the pinkness will go.

Big improvement and especially considering body hair. Thanks for posting

If you have a pc then use the web camera in that, you can take snapshots or video and send that or send stills from a video. All the best.

A second day is not a second procedure as such but considered part of the whole surgery. If one has a truly second procedure distinct from the first sitting then best to wait a good 8 to 12 months because if you are covering behind the first surgery, i.e if the frontal third has been done in the first surgery, the surgeon will taper off the density to not create a sudden wall of hair stopping, and then in the next one, go back into this area and continue to then address further back. So, you do ideally want this crossover area to have come in well before then placing in and amongst it to avoid wasting grafts and why a waiting phase is needed. If this is done on day 2, then we see where we have placed and do not need to have growth, so why it is not a second procedure in terms of growth and then the need to see what grows in then place among. So let the first one truly grow in and then go for a subsequent procedure if having surgery that is a follow on from the first one. I talk from personal experience of this. Hope helps. Take care.

Looks very good already, thank you for sharing.

Dear Forum UsersDr.Bisanga will be in London on the 23 & 24 of February, 2019 to hold consultations. These are free of charge and with limited availability (23 fully booked now) but a great opportunity to have your hair loss examined including donor density measurements, check for miniaturisation, hair groupings and calibre, loss potential, suitability for surgery, surgery type, design, graft numbers etc.If interested then please feel free to send me an email:- stephen@bhrclinic.com Thank you.