Airbumps

G'day, My hair is pretty fine. I recall I was told I have average density (no real problems, but not out of this world impressive either). What was a problem for me was laxity. Dr Wong said when he first examined me that it was great, but after starting the cut for the strip realised it wasn't what he originally thought. During the procedure he actually offered to take the cut an extra inch or so further on each side, which probably would have yielded another 500 or so grafts but I declined. Maybe I should have taken him up on that offer, but still, they're always there for next time.

Hey all, Just updated the blog again. Its been 8 months now and I'm reasonably pleased with the progress. As previously whilst I was really hoping for 5000 grafts, the growth I've had with 4000 has been pretty good. I'm not using Nanogen much and if I do it doesn't take a great deal to provide good coverage. You never know, hopefully there will be some extra growth in the coming four months but all in all, I'm happy. Its a definite improvement from pre-op!!

Hey all, Just posted the six month update. It does appear some more growth has happened which is good! Would love a little more, particularly on my left hand side where I was noticeably thinner anyway. Still, fingers crossed. Thanks for all the feedback!

Updated with 4.5 month pics - starting to see a little growth....I think....

I think some people criticize them because people become dependant on them. The reality is its not a hard core drug and if the worst thing that happens to you this decade is you become dependant hair fibres then you're probably doing alright. I'm not a fan of dermatch as that's far too much work and I believe can be a lot more visible, but a few sprinkles of Nanogen or Toppik never heart anybody and if it boosts somebodies confidence then isn't that the ultimate objective anyway?

Mate I agree with you 100% and have always maintained so. I started diffuse thinning when I was 22 (now 33) and used Toppik for about 10 years - it was a life saver. So much so that when I told my parents and girlfriend of 8 years that I was going to get a HT they all started at me blankly and said what the hell for! None of them knew I was thinning at all, yet without the Toppik in it was quite apparent. I don't consider it any different to women (or men nowadays) that wear makeup. Chicks spend hours covering this and that, adding a bit to here and there. If its good enough for them, its good enough for me - particularly in this day and age when every second bloke I pass on the street has a fake tan anyway. I've just had a HT in April and the little bastards are just starting to grow through. I don't know if I'll need to continue to use the Toppik (or Nanogen) when it comes out 100%, but if I think it adds to the look or feel of it then I absolutely will. Why kid myself and think that 4000 grafts is going to be enough when I can shake a can a couple of times and have that 4000 turn into what looks like 20000?

Thanks chaps - you're all correct. To be honest I really don't care that much about it at the moment as I can use Nanogen to give the appearance of a full head and nobody is any the wiser. I guess I was looking for growth just to satisfy myself that I got something for my large amount of money

Thanks for all the comments guys - updated today with 3.5 month shots. Out of interest, can anybody recommend a good way to see if/how much is growing? I've still got a bit of coverage on the top which makes it difficult to spot any little sprouts. I've spent a while looking in the mirror (expecting at 3.5 months I should be starting to see some movement) but either nothing is happening, or if it is I cannot for the life of me pick out the new sprouts from the existing hair. Any advice? Hooroo

Thanks for the replies all!! Updated for the two month mark. Not a great deal to report. Shedding stopped a few weeks ago which was nice. No growth to report as yet but that is to be expected - another couple of months to wait until I see new shoots. I've had a bit of shock loss to the native hair in the recipient area and a small amount along parts of the scar on the left side as well. Still, hopeful that this will all grow back in the coming months. I've uploaded a few pics of the scar mostly just to show how different light can make it look more/less obvious. I clipped down to a #3 today for the pictures. All pictures are taken in natural day light and without flash. Hoping for a bit more scar fading in the next month or so!

I was told my H&W cardio (running) is fine after the staples come out at 14. Still no wight lifting for at least 2 months I think though....

I started to get it in the recipient area about 2.5 weeks post op. Up until then almost nothing fell out. At that point it stated pouring out. I was getting heaps each night in the shower. I'm 4.5 weeks out now and its starting to slow down. Different for everybody I guess, but for most i think it usually occurs 2-4 weeks post op.

Just updated with the 1 month photos. All HT hairs have left the nest and I think might have taken some of their native friends with them. Scar is doing good as long as you don't really look at it from the left

Thanks for the comments guys. Now at about 21 days and am seeing more and more hairs in the shower each day. I was expecting them all to fall out but that doesn't make it any easier to digest or deal with! Its hard to tell as I'm a diffuse thinner how much if any of my native hair has fallen out as a result of shockloss. I've been taking about 6000MG of MSM, 300 MG of Silica and about 3000MCB of Biotin daily since the procedure. Hopefully that heaps getting the old hairs growing a little faster! The staples came out at day 14 and I barely felt a thing. Very easy and painless. The scar has settled quite nicely. Its still a little visible at a #3 guard as the scar line itself is a little red just above the ears. Still, I'm happy with it thus far. I've attached a couple of pics from about 18 days post op. The first is the scar which is visible though about a #3 on the left. The second is the top obviously. Cheers guys.

Mate I'm in Melbourne and have spent the last 10 years researching Australian Docs. My advice - go overseas. Just got mine done by Dr Wong in Vancouver.

Below are some pictures I took at day 6. I did get a fair bit of swelling around day 2/3 but that was quickly gone and aside from pain when sleeping, havn't had any discomfort at all really. The recipient area is quite numb and the stables are a PITA but asside from that, all good. Below are a couple of photos from around day 6;

Hey guys, Thought I would throw my post into the mix here to provide a bit of an account of my recent surgery with Dr. Wong of the famous Hasson and Wong. I'm 33 now and started loosing my hair when I was 21 or so, and it happened quickly. On a whim, I happened to ask my Doctor if there was anything I could do about it and he prescribed me propecia which I've been on to this day (Proscar now). That was a Godsend and has given me years of continued coverage. If it hadn't been for that, at the rate I was loosing it I would have been a billard ball when I was 25. Due to the Proscar I've been able to maintain decent coverage, mostly because my hairline has held very well. Its been thin behind the hairline for a while but with Toppik and a little bit of styling I've been able to pull it off and most people think I've got a full head of hair. Over the last six months however, it became more and more apparent that if I wanted this facade to continue I'd need some more material to work with - so, after about 10 years of research I booked an appointment with Dr Wong of Hasson and Wong. The goal was to simply add more density to my thinning areas. Being from Australia, it was going to be a long trip. I left Australia on the Tuesday, arrived the same day and went straight up to Vancouver for an initial consult. Dr Wong advised me my density was good and laxity very good. Joe did me a favor and buzzed my hair down to a #2 so I could get a better look at exactly what was going on under there after which it was back to the hotel. The following morning I returned at 0615 to begin. Its quite a day. Unfortunately Dr Wong advised after getting half way through taking the strip that my laxity wasn't as good as he first thought. We only ended up getting the 3999 which was shy of what I was really hoping for. I left at about 1730 h and headed off back to the Hotel. Sleeping the first couple of nights wasn't too bad, I did as instructed and took the pain killers which worked a treat. Went back the following two days for a wash and pimple pop before heading back to Australia again. All told, gone for five days. I've attached below a couple of sample pictures and will then update the thread as progress goes on. The first two pictures are those that I sent to H&W for an online consult. Dr Wong advised that I was looking at between 4000-4500 to fill it in. On the day, he only managed to get 4000 out which was a little disappointing - hopefully it goes a way to fixing the problem though! The third image is a good demonstration of what Toppik and Dermatch can do for a thinning head. I've been using this stuff in moderation for about 8 years. Amazing. The final image in this post is obviously the day of the surgery. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little painful and uncomfortable. That said, the staff there really do know their thing and were amazing!