azn_guy

Hey Guys, this is my experience Many folks on here say they shed 100-150 hairs a day. Most doctors acknowledge this is normal. But I don't shed hair! my hair continues to stick around. What I do notice is if a hair does fall out, I can see a difference in diameter by looking at the hair itself. So not every HAS to shed 100-150 hairs, eg: me

I know some folks are following, I added 3 photos - Overall View after 10 days - Left Side Donor Scar with Sutures still intact after 10 days - Rear left Side Donor Scar with Sutures intact after 10 days Those sutures are annoying, I can't wait until I have them removed!!!

mikethedane, Thanks, that makes 100% complete sense. I'm trying to be very optimistic here (maybe I shouldnt?) But because of the diameter of my hair shaft in addition to the procedure of 3000+ grafts, and the level of hairloss I have I HOPE, what you said about my changes are true I would love to sport a full looking head again, :-p Forums like these are great because many of you know what it feels like and it's awesome to be able to express how you feel about a subject that isn't really discussed with friends (especially the ones that aren't experiencing MPB) and that "glimmer" of hope is all one can really ask for after sitting in a doctor's chair for 10-12 hours

nope, but when I noticed some comments on the site based on other doctor's recommendation,(some remove them at 7 days, some at 10, even at 14) I spoke with Ailene (Dr. Cooley's Patient Coordinator) and she found out I made reservations to have my sutures removed at 12 days (I tried to do an average) She said, "we really want your sutures to be in for at least 3 weeks, especially with a megasession such as yours" I read that keeping them in too long is bad too, but I will go with what they say. I am worried about the long term effects of keeping sutures in too long though. Obviously this decision was made by the doctor's office. I wonder if it has anything to do with my physiology? I am asian, however I have really good laxity. Ailene said "we want the best possible scar possible and the longer the sutures are in, the better. I know it can be annoying and irritating but it's worth it" Anyone here have any thoughts on this? I 100% believe them and trust them, but I'd like to get some opinions about this from either experienced HT patients or even other Coalition Doctors The Post Op Instructions provided to me said suture removal should be 2-3 weeks after the HT surgery.

followup, I was told by Dr. Cooley's office they want my sutures in for 3 weeks, (21 days) Okay, question answered I tried scheduling based off some of the information on here where people have had them removed 10-12-14, or even 16 days. I'll stick with my Doctor's recommendation here

I could be completely wrong (since I was drugged up), but I "believe" my doctor made all the incisions first, then the techs started placing the grafts in while he continued to make the incisions. After he was done with the incisions, he started to help graft placement. Again, I was drugged out so I don't 100% remember

haha, wow, i just saw the video, I never imagined a video would be needed to "cut" a pill, I always thought it would make common sense Pill cutters are usually 2-8 bucks Whoever was cutting the pill, you better have a nice sharp knife! Thank goodness finasteride isn't in a liquid gel format, now that would make things a tad more difficult

if Emperor is correct, I personally would NOT trust the technicians with the control design and angulation of the slits I leave that to the doctor Transection is a BIG issue, remember the top docs here have probably done thousands of HT's meaning they really really have the experience. Last thing you want is to lose your existing hair, the whole point of this to prolong what you already have and add more, right?

yeah you don't need one, save your time, money, and keep what you got you're thinking and obsessing about it too much If you had true MPB, then it'll be another story, you look fine the way you are Come back to use in 5-6 years and if by chance your hair gets worse we'll talk again

I saw one of these on my 6th day, is that bad? Just one though while I was showering!

Can you elaborate on what you mean by "stick and place"? if you mean saggital incisions, then do a find for "lateral versus saggital" the very best doctors predetermine which incision method to use on a case by case scenario

looks good! How were the staple removals? Can you have a bit of detail on the donor site (how it felt a day before and after removal?) I'm sure you'll see positive results in a few months

I had posted before in another topic (a few months back) since my diameter is "larger" than the average caucasian, we "orientals" need less hair to achieve a good illusion for example, with a caucasian that has thin fine hair, he may have great density, but he'll need 3-4 fu's to achieve what I can with my 1's and 2's of course I'm being optimistic, Dr. Cooley did mention that my FU's had great diameter, so we shall see! While on the day of the procedure during lunch break, he showed me my follicular units via the microscope, I might ask if he can provide a photo (if he took one) He estimated that I had on average 75 fu's/cm2, not that great of density but he fully expected it because of my oriental decent

disregard this post there has been thousands of questions pertaining to this topic

Hey guys, quick question I was reading this article http://www.regrowhair.com/hair...ter-hair-transplant/ and Dr. Beehner makes a comment which I would like clarification on. he says "What is actually happening when a hair loss? patient goes those extra 4-6 days with the sutures in place, you give time for the hair-bearing scalp above and below the suture line to start to relax and stretch out. In this process the remaining hairs become infinitesimally further apart, which the human eye can't detect. Keeping the sutures in keeps the wound scar from being pulled apart on from above and below during those early days when the tension is the greatest." What does "In this process the remaining hairs become infinitesimally further apart, which the human eye can't detect." mean? So to make things nice and simple, Is it better to have the sutures taken out at 10 days or 14 days after the HT surgery Assume this is a first time HT, and the tension is normal (nothing extreme) I am having my sutures (not staples) removed exactly on the 14th day Has anyone had them removed past 14 days and encountered any issues? I noticed some folks saying that if you keep the sutures in too long that it could lead to additional scarring and possible temporary shockloss

Thanks Emporor, I told Dr. Cooley before the procedure that transection was my #1 concern, but he has the utmost confidence that I had nothing to worry about. One thing I am looking forward to is the hairline in the front, I was definitely losing it so he made sure to "define" it as much as possible you'll also notice my hairline is pretty straight, it's not a "U" shape like many caucasians. He definitely understood what "asian" hairlines should look like which impressed me He opted to go lower on my hairline and I said "nope, keep it higher so it looks more natural as I get older", he said "good choice" I don't mind having 50-70% coverage in the midscalp. I have a hair style I have in mind that will discreetly benefit me. I agree, my midscalp will eventually need to be re-done (maybe using another 3000 grafts in 10 years, optimistically) but hopefully it'll give me just the right amount I need. My main concern was the hairline, and I considered 1500 grafts, but then said since I'm already coming in, lets be aggressive and go with 3000 to address overall coverage We'll just have to wait and see right? I'm excited, I cant wait for another 6 months

I noticed that many folks (such as myself) will post photos of post-op photos 1,2,3,4,5 days after a HT I see a lot of encouragement, positive feedback, and praise when folks see the "right after surgery" photos. People will say "Wow nice HT, it'll look awesome in a few months" But is there any true way to know if the HT surgery was successful? In my eyes the only way to know is to wait 6-10 months (or more) to see the true outcome. I know many HT surgeons will post pre-ht and then post-ht, while other HT surgeons will wait and provide post-ht six months down the road. Any thoughts on this? I look at my post-ht (which I've been blogging) and to be honest I tell myself "this doesn't mean anything, yet" So for the question is, "Can you tell if you had a good HT surgery based on Day 1/2/3/4/5 photos?" I think part of the reason I record every day is to help inform users of the detailed scenarios such as "crusting" or "flaking" or "redness going down". Thoughts?

Looks good JMG! I like the styling of your hair, you'll look even better in a few more months guaranteed...

JMG544, you had the Lateral Slit Technique used on you correct? I had the Saggital Incisions used instead. I asked Dr. Cooley about this and he said because I had so much existing hair I would be better off with the Saggital Strategy

jmg554, you and I have roughly the same number of grafts done at 3k, I can't tell though from your photos, do I have coarser hair than you? If you take a look at many of my pre-op photos, I believe I had more density than you before the HT. Lets keep in touch and compare since we both are of Oriental Decent, I'd like to use the two of us as comparison Latin Lotus, where are you? The three of us can be our own case studies. jmg544, do you have any photos of our donor scar? I'd like to see how it looks in general. I'm trying to take extra precaution because I want this scar to be completely undetectable (if possible)

Haha I can actually comment on this now that I've had one! I had 3000 grafts and if I were to rate the pain from 1 to 10, 1 being minimal I would give the whole procedure a 1 It's also recommended to probably take tylenol for the next several days. I can't handle pain and if I can do this, I know the majority of the people reading this can. I think the "worst" pain if any were the lidocaine shots into the head, they felt like pinches at most

I thought about maxing it out to exactly 3 weeks (21 days) but then I know the postop said 2-3 weeks and I figured 12-14 days should be sufficient. I emailed Aileen and she'll let me know. Unfortunately I'm out of the state and flew to NC to get my HT, so I will have to get a local doctor to do this which I hear is pretty easy. Dr. Cooley's office also mentioned that they will cover the suture removal cost which is really awesome of them. Salt Water...hm...thinkaboutit, do you have any photos that you could share? I'm curious about this, you can email me if you'd like

fyi, I've scheduled to have my sutures removed on the 12th day. February 24th Anyone think that is a bad idea? or should I have them removed on the 22nd? (10 days to be exact)

2-3 weeks max with sutures, I'm giving it exactly 15 days it should be sufficient speaking of! I have to make arrangements to get the sutures out right now

dakota3, that is my only concern actually, I think the recipient area will look awesome. So maybe I can some of you seasoned veterans a question, I'm planning to have my sutures removed (not staples) in 2-3 weeks. I'm opting to leave the sutures in as long as possible which is 3 weeks. What do you guys attempt personally to try to minimize the widening of the scar? Obviously physiology plays a big role, but if there is anything that you recommend, I am more than willing to listen. I'm planning to not "turn" my head so much, as if I had a cast on my head, and refrain from looking up and down too much. Dr. Cooley also provided me Biofine which is a topical medicine for the scar, I asked about Mederma but he recommended I use Biofine which should help with the healing