Steeeve

This result is 🔥🔥 congratulations!!

Thank you, @ArochaAngel4247! I’ll be back in December for an 8 month check up so maybe I’ll catch you then!

Thank you, Melvin. I’ll always be a baldie at heart. 😂

Thanks! It’s really exciting watching it come together. Makes me feel good about future restoration.

5 month update! I actually started this post a few days ago but I was traveling across the country and I accidentally deleted the whole thing by mistake. Not much to report other than these hairs are growing! I’m very happy at this point but I know there’s still improvement to come. I’m not getting pimples like I had been but I still get one now and again. The hair is definitely taking shape. I’m just playing the waiting game at this point. I still have some stubble that has yet to take off but I’m not really worried about it at this point. I’m attaching pictures under different lighting and hair lengths. The lighting really makes a difference with how the hair transplant looks, as has been documented by many. The first set of pictures is under harsh light and the hair is at the same length to compare to my three month update when I cut my hair. They were taken the 16th which would’ve been exactly 5 months post-op. There is no product or concealer in my hair. Take note of the scare now from month 3. Again, my hair is the same length in both photos only 2 months apart. These next few pictures were taken in a park bathroom about a week later as I felt like the light was really working for me. My hair had grown out some so I was styling it a bit differently. Yes, I’m holding a pacifier in my mouth so that I can better steady my hands to take a picture. Yes...I got a funny look from a guy walking in to the bathroom to go pee. These last pics were taken in my hotel room. The lighting was really showing off my current progress. What a difference a week makes after a hair cut now. So yeah. As I said, I’m extremely happy with my progress so far and I’m not even half way done with these hairs growing out. Any questions or comments and I’ll be here. Cheers.

That is one good lookin’ hairline.👍🏻👌🏻

Your hair is already amazing, man!! LOL I think with your use of finasteride and waiting until your hair is nice and strong from a second round of PRP you would yield a good result. Your hair is already in a good place and while most people deal with shock loss in some manner I wouldn’t worry too much if I were in your shoes. I agree with your statement above, though. It would be cool to see some cases specifically dealing with PRP. Maybe yours could be that case!...🙂👍🏻

I’ve read many times in the past that prolonged use of finasteride is your best defense against shock loss of native hairs after your transplant. I actually believe that I would have experienced much more shock loss had I not had the PRP done, though. That’s speculation, of course. There’s no way for me to tell at this point. Dr. Arocha believes that PRP reduces the risk and I’ve seen Dr. Cooley speak in interviews about how he believes it reduces the risk of shock loss. Like I said, though, my shock loss was so very minimal and I believe the PRP helped everything from falling out.

@Mycroft The grafts also helped to add a little coverage. My shed was as a whole was very insignificant actually. I didn’t really experience much. The grafts that we’re placed during the procedure didn’t really fall out and they were very dark and thick, so there was an interesting illusion of coverage from just that while I waited for everything to grow. Where it was most noticeable was in the corners of my hairline but especially the right side. It was really only noticeable under direct light and sunlight. My right side was quite see through during those first months. The PRP really helped to speed up the whole process. I really need to invest in a laser cap. I have read (and spoken to Dr. Arocha) about how it can help to prolong the effects of PRP for longer periods so that you don’t have to go in so often to get a touch up.

It’s kind of hard to explain. I noticed the tiniest bit of native shed throughout my recipient but it was so insignificant that by the time it had fixed itself the grafts had already started growing and basically by the end of month 3/beginning of the 4th month I didn’t notice it anymore.

@Mycroft, thank you! I believe the PRP has helped to bulk up both my recipient grafts and my native hair. I’m very very pleased so far.

Hey everybody! I wanted to hop in here and post some pics that I took at about the 4 and a half month mark ahead of my 5 month update. I felt like I had made some interesting progress halfway through the month and I wanted to share. I’ll have a somewhat more comprehensive post in the 5 month update. These pics are all under normal lighting conditions. There is no concealer or product in my hair. For comparison: Pre-op 4 and a half months wet. I took these next 2 pics with @made2care in mind. In a post on his progress thread we spoke about how Dr Arocha does an excellent job of seeing which way your hair grows naturally and places the grafts at their natural angle within the hair. I’m aware that quite a few top docs do this but there are quite a few docs that are considered to be aces on the forums that don’t and place the grafts in a somewhat “manufactured” way. I’m not trying to take anything away from that, ultimately, as their results still tend to come in strong. I just want to highlight the care and patience that was taken by the doctor and techs during my procedure. The middle of my hairline has always grown in a wavelike cowlick and that’s what I’m trying to show with these next two pics. This last picture was taken by my mother at a family gathering. At that point no one had really taken note of my hair. My mom has begun to suspect something is up 🙂 although she hasn’t been able to put her finger on it yet... This isn’t the best angle but it shows off my hairline to a degree and I believe this is how most people see me. I do plan to come clean with my family but I wanted to wait until I could show them something that was really transforming. Something to really compare. Cheers everyone. As I said I’ll be back in a few days with a 5 month update. ✌🏻

Man, I think this looks great. I don’t think you should worry about it at all at this point. It looks normal at this early stage. I agree with Cosmo, you should see your donor growth come back in a few months. Congratulations!! Looking forward to your final result!

Your hair looks fantastic. I don’t think you have anything to worry about at this point but if it really bothers you you should do some research on this forum and find a really good, ethical hair transplant doctor who’s going to give it to you straight. I don’t think any doctor would perform a transplant at this point but if you indeed are in the beginning stages of male pattern baldness they may tell you to get on some form of preventative medication. Is there any history of male pattern baldness on either side of your family?

This a a total home run. Dr. Lorenzo is a true master of donor and recipient management. Congratulations.