Baldietwo

11 Months since procedure number 2. I think it's improving...but it's hard to tell from the pictures. Different lighting conditions from the last pictures makes it hard to compare. The crown itself is still very sparse, not a lot is happening. The hair that was transplanted there is growing but it's slow and still quite thin....i hope this will thicken up. The midscalp is also still quite sparse, but I hope this will thicken as well. From my first procedure I had this little "island" transplanted in the crown which I was VERY unhappy about. Yes, I did ask for some scattered hair in the crown area but not an island on it's own. That was an issue of miscommunication between me and Bisang. In any case, I was always going to have a procedure number 2 and that island is now more or less gone as the new hair is growing in. From the pictures and certainly from looking in the mirror I can tell that the hair around the "island" is much thinner than the hair in the "island". Which tells me that the hair from phase 2 still has a lot of thickness left to grow. My hair is very coarse so I hope this will improve well beyond 12 months. It looks like the hair transplanted 11 months ago has a lighter colour as well. As if they are not mature yet. However, that could also be due to the sun exposure over the summer.. See my previous posts and image if you're curious about what I mean about the "island". Overall I'm still very happy. From a NW5/6 to a thickish front and covering in the scalp midcrown. I was never going to have Justin Bieber hair...I'm 40 years old after all....There's a few minor niggles that I will discuss with Bisanga once I pass month 12. I believe he's missed a couple of areas...they're only small but I notice them (others might not) The pictures below aren't great. Particularly since I've not had a hair cut yet!! I need to get that done soon. That should improve the look. I'll post some more photos once I've had a hair cut If I have one regret it's that I should have asked for a lower hairline. It's way to high in my opinion.

You need to see the doctors in person. They will always err on the side of caution when judging pictures. I was told by several docs that my donor area was weak when looking at the pictures. However, when i met them in person and they inspected my scalp thoroughly they could see that my donor area was actually fine! Pictures don't tell the truth, in particular when you use flash. This makes the scalp see through and can make it look thinner than it is...Flash can also make it look thicker than it is Go see the docs in person

I just posted a response here and it says "awaiting moderator approval" What does that mean? I can post this....

fortune11, It is such a nice feeling isn't it.. To go from NW5/6 to a full head of hair. Sure, it's not dense and it's see through at times. BUT no one will say that you're bald! They might say "it looks like you're going bald". But I'll take that any day. Because I know that what I have is permanent. Happy growing! 8 months will go fast. BUSA, I see you're a NW5. You'll soon come to realize that expecting a full head of dense hair all over is unrealistic for us high norwoods. No matter what the surgeons say your hair will be see through and the crown will be less dense. The exception is if you happen to be lucky and have exceptionally high density and hair shaft caliber/ And....FUT because I don't have 2000 FUE grafts left.

I think you need much more than 5k. Closer to 7 or 8k. 5k will cover hairline through to midscalp as others have said. A further 2 or 3k will give light coverage in crown. If you use 5k for the entire scalp it will be very thin. I was myself a Nw5 heading to 6. I have had two HT so far. 1st was 4700 which focused on hairline and midacalp. Second was 2100 to cover crown and rest of midscalp. My first HT is now 18 months old. I'm very happy with it, but it is still see through in certain light conditions. 5k all over would make your see through all the time. Just my two pennies.

I had 4780 in the first procedure (FUT) and 2080 in the 2nd (FUE). Just shy of 7000 grafts in total. I wouldn't call that 'few grafts'. Right now I have no plans for another procedure. I'm OK with low density crown. Its expensive and I'd like to spend money on other things in life. I have another 2k or so available if I do another FUT. Maybe in 5-10 years I'll fill in the crown. This has changed my life in a way that only fellow NW 5/6s will understand. I never had any expectations of youthful dense hair. Frame the face and avoid the slick cue ball look was my goal. That goal has been achieved already and I have another 6 month of growth to come (at least).

Time for an update! I don't hang around too much on these forums but a promise is a promise. I've learnt a lot here so it's only fair to post the pictures. 19 months ago I was a NW5 heading towards 6. Now, I'm a NW something else (not sure where I fit to be honest). It's been 6 months since my 2nd procedure which focused on the midscalp and crown. It's growing nicely but it feels slower than the first transplant. The crown is also taking it's time. I didn't put many grafts in the crown since I didn't really have enough. I wanted a scattering to avoid scalp shine and I think once it's fully grown out it will achieve that. Nevertheless, I'm a new man! As you can see from the pics in certain light conditions it's clearly see through. I also have to style my hair in a certain way to achieve maximum illusion. If I was to point all the hair upwards it looks awful! This is not a surprise since there's only so much a HT can do for a NW5/6. I'm delighted with the result. I'm hitting the big 40 soon and many of my friends are now asking for advice on getting their hair done! Now, for some pictures. There's still lots of growth left to come for the midscalp (and crown) but so far I'm delighted with the result.

Thanks KO. For the high NWs such as myself FUE only is not an option (unless you are very lucky with high graft density and narrow head). FUT+FUE was the only way for me to have a chance of getting a full head of hair. I've done my 2nd op now. New post with pics are here; 2084 FUE Bisanga September 2014 - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients

Thanks KO. For the high NWs such as myself FUE only is not an option (unless you are very lucky with high graft density and narrow head). FUT+FUE was the only way for me to have a chance of getting a full head of hair. I've done my 2nd op now. New post with pics are here; 2084 FUE Bisanga September 2014 - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients

Soo...It's been just over a year since I had my first Procedure. Back then I was a NW5-6. I had a 4703 grafts to cover the front and part midscalp. That made a HUGE difference and I am pleased with the results (read the story with pictures etc here:http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/172018-journey-my-4703-fut-hair-transplant-dr-bisanga-august-2013-a.html) A couple of weeks ago I went for procedure number 2. 2084 grafts was placed in the end to cover the rest of the midscalp and crown. It won't be as dense as the front. I guess the total area covered this time is almost as big (probably a bit smaller). So maths says that this will be half the density. Still it will make a huge difference to me. It will no longer be shiny shiny scalp, but a covering of hair. The scalp will probably shine through but I'm not to concerned about that. I'm 40 years so no one is expecting me to have perfect dense hair anyway. This will take YEARS of my look. The procedure was over 2 days. The food they served at lunch time was great and very tasty. A heck of a lot better than the crappy food they serve at the Hotel Catalonia where I stayed. The breakfast is ok but the evening meals.....it's not fit for dog food. I ate there the night I arrived just to see if had gotten any better...it hadn't. I stayed here last time as well so this year I came prepared!! I brought some ready meals (noodle packs)I could mix with hot water and some pepperoni sausage. The 2 days themselves went really well. The staff were helpful as always. The only "bad" thing about the 2 days was the anesthetics... which hurts! And there so many more of them than for FUT.... on the 2nd day the injections felt 10 times as bad.. Don't know why but it was excruciating. When they were over the rest was a doddle. Post op I had very little pain. Compared 2 FUT the pain post op is a walk in the park! Now, just 10 days post op i have no pain or discomfort at all. With FUT the pain lasted a good 2 weeks until sutures were out. On the topic of FUT. I got to see the scar in it's full glory since I had to shave it all off. On the left side it's ok, the right is a bit wider. Nothing too bad and it will be covered with a grade 3 or 4 i think. For those saying FUE is the way..I was a NW5-6.. FUE would not have given me enough to cover it all. I had to go with FUT and I don't regret it. Even when seeing the scar. I'm not planning on any more procedures but I should have enough donor left for one more FUT if I really want to. But I have no plans to do so. If I do...and that will be in the distant future I can place some in the scar to cover that up. Apart from the FUT scar no one would know I've had a procedure.The scar is visible, but I'm not covering it up when out and about (I do cover it in the sun of course)..I'm just letting it all breath. All my friends and work colleagues know about it so there's no point in hiding it anyway. Below are some pictures. * The first is a comparison between my original NW5-6 state to 1 year Post my first op. (Basically the way I looked before this FUE Procedure) * The remaining 2 pics are from this Op on day 1 and day 10. day 1 and day 10.

You look right on track.5 months is early. I looked the same a you when I was 5 months post op. For me it really kicked in around the 6-7 months mark. The hair that's growing now starts out fine and gradually gets thicker. Final results can take 18 months.

I don't come to this board as often as I want but I've promised myself that I will keep updating the post so that others who are considering a HT can view progress and see what it's like. After all, it was because of all the stories on here that I ended up having a HT in the first place and reading other peoples stories was (and still is) an important factor in my decisions for who to choose as my surgeon. It's been 1 year now and this will be the last photoupdate on this post...why? Because in a few weeks time I'm going back to Brussles for Phase 2! I'm having 2k FUE to cover the midscalp and crown. Yes, I know it won't be dense coverage but that was never my goal. As a NW5-6 I'll be happy with the medium coverage that I know 2k will provide. And...the 4.7k FUT from last year has made it look like I have no hairloss at all from the front and that was my primary goal. I still wish I hadn't gone for the sprinkling in the back.That little island needs to grow quite long to have any effect. Having said that, it does have SOME effect now that it's mature and grown out, but when I have my FUE in a few weeks time that will look out of place for a number of months. If I hadn't had that island placed then it would make the next post op look much better. Nothing much I can do about that now so I need to let that go. In a years time it will all be seamless! Here are the pics. When I've had the next op I'll likely start a new thread since it's an entirely new procedure. Pre Op pictures from 1 Year Post Op

I swear I updated this post last week but it's not here... So here we go again. Can't believe it's been 10 months! It seems like yesterday, yet I look somewhat different! In a few months time I'll be heading for the chair once again to cover the rest of my midscalp and crown. Can't wait! My scar is very thin on the left side, but the right side is slightly wider. By wider I mean a maybe 3-4mm and it's only a small stretch of about 10cm or so that's widened. It's completly hidden with my grade 5 cut so it's not really noticeable unless you know what you're looking for. BHR has offered to fill in the scar with some grafts when I go back for my 2nd procedure which means I should be able to cut my hair a grade or 2 shorter if I want to. The pinkness has pretty much all gone now which is great. Here are some updated pictures with the "original" in the corner. I'm a happy patient!

Whatever you do, DONT inject minoxidil into your scalp!!! Its dangerous. Its called topical for a reason. Injecting it directly into the scalpis just a dumb idea.

Your head will feel numb for months I'm afraid. Took 3 months before I started geting any feeling back in my recipient area?