Loags79

UPDATE 16/5/14: this is a selfie taken 5 minutes before the operation on my samsung s4 under normal fluro light. I hope this update helps potential Dr. Radha patients decide whatever they might do or for those already booked in with Dr. Radha to observe my progress. It's day 10. Things are growing healing nicely. No signs of shedding. Had re-commenced finasteride last night. Will re-commence minox in 10 days to be safe, dont want to risk irritating the graft area. Front view closeup of front view. You can see native hairs and also healing grafts. No scrabs so far, good sign IMO. Scar (back view). Absorbable stitches still not fully absorbed. Might be another 10-14 days I think. After than I will likely cut my hair shart. Regards Logan

any chance mods to lock this thread until things cool down or become clearer? It's annoying get notifications for this thread constantly and serves benifit to no-one at this point as there is no educational value & is potentially damaging Dr.Doganany reputation where there could be no case to answer for. My thoughts for Mods to consider

thanks for replying future-doc, clearly no generalised answer can be given for minox as its dependent on the surgeon's technique used. Understood thanks. I've cleared it with my Docs so all good. For my FUT op: 1) supplements were fine a few days post op, as soon as I feel well. 2) minox, 10 days post op 3) fin, 10 days post op

How soon after HT can we start to use: 1) herbal or other trace element supplements 2) topical minoxidil. What strength is safe in the early stages? When is 15% minox safe. I have used 15% with great success before my HT once the heavy shedding occurs. My only concern is 15% too strong early on? 3) when to start finasteride thanks Logan

I was advised not to rub the area until after 15 days if I can avoid doing so. Only to press down with the flat of extended fingers to the grafted area during shampooing.. at day 9 its looking 80-85% healed so that info seems reasonably valid and sensical

Based on the most recent photos emm17 hair isn't that bad to start off with so 1700 grafts for hairline with current outcome looks valid. The issues with this post was it started off very bad with a dodgy before photo. Hence that's why myself and many pthers questions the validity of claims of 1700 grafts Really. Too much drama here for a topic that shouldve been straight forward. Standardised photos and true and acurate posts is a must (or even perhaps our duty as guys who've had HTs tp help thoses who have not had HTs) because it may benefit others who may be deciding their options of docs or fue vs FUT

Update: day 1 post-op (12 hours after op) Day 6 post op not a single hair has shed. Graft hairs have grown 1-2mm as well. 2/10 numbness. Some white flaking only. No redness. IMO I think I'm doing usually well?

@spanker: no reason to come off minox in the short to medium term (perhaps long term 3-4 years plus.. perhaps). Im' just worried it could make donor grafts "addicted"... so lets say in 2,3,5 10 years if I stop could the donor hair be weaker without the shot of minox everyday like a drug addict become crazy without crack. I can do without fin though as its depressive side effects is more bothersome that a slight drop in morning wood. But i will admit fin has work very well for me and my dad. My dad had a shiny head last year, I put him on fin and his head is full of fuzz now, no shiny head now.

Im just being extra cautious hence the follow questions to those who've had HT. 1. When's it safe to take hair supplements post HT. These are the ingredients I take. 2. When's it safe to apply minox to the grafted area for the native hair. Will it affect donor hair by making them "addicted" to minox and adversely affect them if I stop?

Good to see you've almost reached the acceptance phase my friend. You've weathered the grief amd anger stages, then the denial and it looks like your just about to accept things as they are stage.

I’d like to document and share my FUT HT done by Dr.Radha with HRSN community. Any constructive feedback or advise on my progress and advice regarding best practice postop hair care would be appreciatively received. I've put in high quality photos for people to view. Background & self-image To put thing in perspective. I consider my hairloss to be on the mild side of moderate. It has improved since I’ve taken finasteride and 10% minoxidil for the last 15 months. I think that I have reasonable density but lack a defined hairline especially on my left side. I’ve grown my hair long for the last year and part it to the left as it conceals the thinning on the left side. With hair clay/putty and Toppik, my hair looks quite acceptable. I thought long and hard for about a year before deciding to book my HT with Dr. Radha. I could have just live without a HT and continue to conceal with toppik and use clay/putty in my hair to build volume. But it’s a pain in the arse to do this everyday and take fin and minox everyday, and my hairloss is slowly and progressively worsening. I made my decision to do the HT a year ago and searched for about a year for a suitable surgeon. In photo 1 & 3 I have hair clay/puty and Toppik. In photo 2 I have only Toppik. 1: 2: 3: Pre-Op I met Dr.Radha in her Vizag office at 3pm after only arriving at 1.30pm at the airport. I was pleased by the set-up, it was clean and clinical-looking. Staff were inviting and friendly. Dr.Radha and I chatted for a while about general things and then she asked me questions about my general health and HL history and what I was expecting or wanting from my HT. She examined my hair and hairline, then donor area. She was pleased about my donor area, stating it was perfectly healthy. She was confident to be able to achieve maximum density for me from what I have. After the consultation, I left the office and made the most of my final tourist days in India. The next 4 days will be confined to the hotel room for rest and recovery. Before I left, I was given pre-surgery shampoo to wash my hair that night and immediately before arriving for the surgery. Op Day I checked-in at 8.30am at Dr. Radha clinic. Her assistant took a blood test. Short time after Dr. Radha arrived and welcomed me to the operating theatre. For the strip harvesting, I was required to lie on my stomach. I was given local anaesthesia injections. My donor area hair was trimmed, ice was the donor area and in few mins, I believed the donor area was harvested. Absolutely no pain at all. Had no idea if I was being cut or stitched at any point, felt nothing at all. Dr. Radha told me harvests and stitched up the donor area in thirds in minimise trauma and maximise healing. I makes complete sense to me. After the strips were harvested and I was completely stitched up, I was asked to sit up and go freshen up if I wanted. I was given a meal, Subway was a real treat after the 4 weeks of local India food bacons I was backpacking through the small towns so western food was hard to come by, but additionally I wanted to live as Indian as I could for the time I was there to experience it’s way of life. I think about 15-20min passed before I was asked to return back to the operating theatre. Dr. Radha requested me to lie facing upward for the HT procedure. I was given anaesthesia nerve blocked, one jab above each eyebrow. Graft slits were made for the follicular units in the hairline first and then progressed backwards (I assume this as I felt jabbing in my hairline first, then I can’t remember much after 30 minutes). Pre-op Dr.Radha estimated 2900-3000 grafts due to my ethnicity. Being of SE-Asian heritage means my density isn’t such high as Caucasian or middle-eastern folks. However after the HT procedure was completely finished, she told me she was able to extract 3260 grafts from the standard-sized strip. She warmed me against wanting more than 3000 as my scalp is borderline tight, but I wasn’t able to guarantee a good clean scar, but also to preserve the donor area for future HTs. As is stands, I was more than happy with 3260 graft, I was ecstatic, almost 400 graft more that original estimated. Surgery started at 10.30am and finished at 7.30pm. Dr.Radha was in the OT the entire time. She is very hands-on and involved with the whole HT process. I rate Dr.Radha very highly Pre-op photos This photo front on with flash looks so BAD, but you can see there's not much there, just a few strands but quite a lot of fuzz that recently grew back from 10% minox Immediately post op photos Dr. Radha's suturing skills are beyond what I was expecting. I've very happy. Op details graft count: 3261 1s: 1254 2s: 1882 3s: 125 Total hairs: 5393. Not bad for SE-asian hair i figure. If you look at my scar photo, I do notice more 2s above and below the scar. Looks like the 2nd HT will be the HT that is "THE" HT to end my journey my hairline appears to have been quite densely packed likely with 1s with the odd 2s thrown in and then tapering off in density with 2s and a few 3s for the middle and rear area, left side more than right side. I'm really happy with the final results immediately post op. More updates to come in the next few days. I’m currently on day 7 post-op. I’m doing very well, hardly any scab formation. Hair grafts are strong and thick and non have fallen out yet. No redness, no swelling. FUT scar looks thin and healing very well, it’s only mildly numb. I have the nylon retaining stitches out come today. Feel free to PM me or add me as your contact. For future Dr.Radha patients, I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Regards, Logan

I dont believe we are eluding to the docs work. Your point taken Future re quality of preop photo. It shows general hair condition to be very bad and donor area is lacking substantial density to begin with even before the HT. Then the after photo is completely & significantly different. Great result for the patient though. Thats all that matters. Very happy for the fella.

I'd question the validity of this case. Appears closer to 2600 to me plus great response to fin and minox Weird why the donor area is denser.. hmm?

I had similar email delay issues. But its not big deal guys. Please telephone Dr.Rahha instead, it's the best way to get your questions answered if she is available (not doing surgery). There are many HT clinics (from what I've read on this forum in the past year or so since I joined) where the X-Doc might make the incisions slits for the grafts, insert the important grafts only perhaps 500-800ish and then leave the rest for his/her assistants to finish off and then the X-Doc would go off to take a break or even perhaps retire and come come at the end when everything is done. Dr. Radha is a hand-ons doctor. She was there with me for the WHOLE time of the transplant. From start to finish. My point being, Dr.Radha was in the OT with me from 9.30pm to 8.00pm.. That's a bloody long day to be at work actively doing your work. So I wouldn't blame her for not having enough energy for returning all the emails she might have received that day. Obviously her assistance are not allowed to answer emails on her behalf so emails are personally answered when she can. In terms of Dr. Pong. I had a very poor interaction with Dr.Pong. He declined to do a HT for me, he stated my my hairloss was not suitable for his FUT procedure.. I'm in my mind - he said NO to FUT to me, WTF?? I was so shocked and angry he declined. I've seen photos from before and after from his clients on the website. My hairloss is mild compared to many guys on his website and and he stated I wasn't suitable. Really? It was absolutely unbelievable to me. It seemed he had Zero care factor. Didn't even suggest or refer me to a colleague who could assist me if he himself couldn't do the job. He said and I paraphrase "your only option is to continue to use minoxidil and finisteride". What a load of.....I might stop here before saying much more I shouldn't. The best thing happen really. Because if he did accept me as a patient, I wouldn't have been Dr. Radha's patient. 10-11 months passed after Dr. Pong when I made a call to Dr. Radha. It took about 1 month to organise a date for surgery following a few emails. Hope this helps puts things into perspective. Regards Logan

@ 4 months-ish it is looking great. I'm hoping to have similar progress as you had Mr.NpK21. I'm on day 6 and my grafts look strong and healthy. I've got 80% sensation back in my head and stitches are coming out tomorow. My scar look thin, clean and very precise so far which is a plus+++. Swelling is almost all gone, I'm feeling good and very optimistic about my results so far. hope things are looking better week to week for you. It would be great to see another update. Regards Logan

Hey fella I'm on day 2 post FUT from Dr. RADHA. I couldn't speak more highly of her genuineness and caring nature. I had a bad reaction to some tramadol it made me vomit big time for 24hrs. I rang her up next day saying it hadn't eased. So she immediately took me in, gave me 3 lots of IV drips and anti nausea injections. I stayed under observation for half a day til she was satisfied I was ok. So you're in safe hands my friend. anyway, I'm flying back home to Oz in 2 days so when I get a chance, I will update my progress pf Dr. RADHA's work. Logan

You'd still shed even after 1 year. What you'll notice is where you never used to have hair, there will be a lot of fine fuzz growing which might eventually get thicker. Weaker hairs will shred and finer new hair will grow in its place. These newer hairs might take another 6-12 months to mature and thicken. In summary, you'd need 2 years to get a satisfactory benefit from fin. 3-12 month period is the worse period when taking fin.

You'd still shed even after 1 year. What you'll notice is where you never used to have hair, there will be a lot of fine fuzz growing which might eventually get thicker. Weaker hairs will shred and finer new hair will grow in its place. These newer hairs might take another 6-12 months to mature and thicken. In summary, you'd need 2 years to get a satisfactory benefit from fin. 3-12 month period is the worse period when taking fin.

Hi all, I'll like to share my hairloss experience. I'm Australian of Asian heritage. I'm 34 year old now. I've first notice my hairloss when I was 21 but it didnt become an issue til I was 25. At 27 it become a major issue, my own fault I think because I was heavily using workout and body building supplements which boosted my testosterone levels. After realising this was happening, I ceased all workout supplements (LESSON for for everyone). I first took finasteride when I was 28 for about a year, I had heavy shedding which I blamed on finasteride and therefore ceased taking fin. After I stopped, it appeared to me that my hair started to grow back but unfortunately it gradually fell out over the next2-3 years and I was worse off at that point than I was when I was 28. At this point I was 32-33. For no particular reason, most probably a mixture of desperation and hope, I re-commenced finasteride in late 2012/early 2013 and have stayed on it despite have some wretched weeks/months where I had massive amounts of shedding. My previous attempt this was the point I gave up on finasteride. So people, stick with it, fin worked for me at 9-12months. I started using 15% minoxidil around June 2013 which made shedding even worse. After 6 months, the shedding has eased up. I now have a lot of fine fuzz as well as thick hair. I am happy with the results from Finasteride but it was shocking between the 3-6 month period. Then to add 15% monoxidil at the 6 month mark, I had massive shedding again. 6 month later it eased and my hair has come back. I think I'm at about 13-15 months now since taking finasteride. BUT despite the good regowth results, I realise it's not permanent. I have lost 50% destiny and my hairline on the front left area. I don't intend to be taking fin and minox forever. That is where HT comes in, it will provide permanent results After some research, I come across www.hairrestorationnetwork.com. I contacted Dr. Radha via email and over a period of 6-9 months I felt confident to book an FUE HT with her. Initially I was going to opt for FUT, but what happens when I'm in 50/60/70? We naturally loose hair as we get older and it's not related to male pattern baldness. It doesnt matter when I'm in my late 50/60s if I loose my hair density and hairline. But it does matter that I have a FUT scar I can no longer conceal. Therefore the only procedure that best suits my needs is FUE. Well thats all from me for now. Feel free to comment on my post and ask me any questions about my experience with 15% monoxidil and finasteride. I have attached a photos of my hair from about 3 months, 9 months and current. Regards Logan

Hi fellow members, I would like some advice regarding my situation. I had contact Dr. Suradej Pong at Thailand Hair Transplant Center recently requesting an online consultation and hopefully doing a HT with the doc. His first reply he said I am unsuitable for HT. This completely surprised me as I have seen many others with significantly more hair loss than me undergo HT with Dr. Pong. Can someone tell me why Dr.Pong rejected my request for HT? :confused: Anyway, it seems Dr. Pong does not want to do the HT so I'll have to look at other Drs. I'm a bit disappointed cos Dr.Pong's cost is great and his results appear good My background story First noticed hairloss when I was 16. Noticed mid hairloss at 22. Stable from 22-27. Progressive and gradual hairloss from 28-31. I've been using 1mg finasteride and 5% minoxdil for 2 years, admittedly I went off finasteride for 3 months and have come back onto finasteride for about 5 months. Had a lot of hair fall at the 2-4 month mark, but the hair fall has slowed down now and I can see a lot of finer hair coming back. thanks for any input Loags