turtle1974

Last photo for now.

Another 11 month photo

Still trucking along. Forgot about updating - that's good because I haven't been thinking about it anymore. Here are some closely cropped haircut photos. Dr. Wong rocks!

I was going to wait until 6 months but thought I'd share this wet pic at 5 months. Thanks everyone for your comments.

Another angle

Getting into the holiday season which is a busy time so I don't expect to update again until January at the 6 month mark. Thank you all for your kind comments. I am definitely feeling much more pleased about my results from Dr. Wong compared to my experience in 2006. To answer the question about my original 1700 grafts from 2006, my opinion is that the doctor could have done a better job if he had incorporated some of H&W's best practices, such as shaving the recipient area, using a carefully crafted blade to create the anchor cites (rather than a punch hole device), carefully dissecting the grafts into 'ultra-fine' grafts to avoid a 'doll hair' look, and providing detailed pre and post care guidance. I feel that the procedure from 2006 was almost a wash, where only I only benefited from about 500 increased grafts since I feel that many of my natural hairs were killed in the process. In contrast, with the H&W procedure I can already see a dramatic improvement far above the results from the 2006 clinic. Here is my most recent picture. I'll update the thread again in January.

Month four has shown great progress as my temples continue to thicken and fill in. I've even tried combing it back once or twice and it didn't look too bad. However I'm going to wait a few more months before I change my hairstyle. Very pleased with the result thus far.

Thanks for the encouragement Spanker, I'm pleased with the result so far and this month has been great, though im not posting more pics until November. As to any products or behavior to increase growth, here's what I do: Saw Palmetto 320mg; B-Complex; Zinc 30mg Additionally I give my scalp a 3-5 minute massage for circulation/relaxation in the shower each morning and try to get 8 hours of sleep a night.

It's been three months and the little hairs are beginning to fill in the barren areas in my temples. Still a few "J" hairs showing up, and a few pimples here and there, but overall progress appears good. Next month I imagine the biggest change will be seen, but so far so good.

Last photo for now

Another angle

Thanks for the encouragement voxman. As for the photos previously posted, the before picture was taken at the clinic just prior to ht#2, 8 weeks ago. So here I am at week 8, and almost two months post-op. My growth has been proceeding as expected, with the new grafts shedding at the one-month mark. As you can see from my week 8 picture, my appearance is now about the same as my pre-op one. This ugly duckling phase is hopefully almost at an end. I have noticed some early growth just behind the hairline, which looks like little hair stubble. It's still so short that it is not apparent unless you get extremely close, so I'm hopeful that this is the beginning of a good growth month. I'll be back in another 4 weeks to share more progress photos.

Hello, I had my second HT procedure performed at H&W about two weeks ago. Attached are photos of pre-op, the day of surgery and two weeks post-op. I still have a few lingering crusts, but I expect those to come off in the shower in the next few days, and otherwise my scalp is back to normal with a slight pink color. I'm getting ready to move soon and am going to be fairly busy, but I hope to provide another update on my results in a few months. HT#1: 2006 Clinic: Medical Hair Restoration, Dr. Niedbalski Grafts: 1700 HT#2: 2014 Clinic: Hasson and Wong, Dr. Wong Grafts: 3904 HT#2 Breakdown: 3904 follicular units transplanted 1657 singles 2105 doubles 142 threes and fours The whole experience with H&W was far superior to MHR and I am very glad that leading up to my second HT I conducted my research on message websites such as this one.

i'm also interested in which concealer is best for short hair. i had an HT recently, and am approaching the two week mark. in an attempt to even out the sides with the length of the hairs on top, i trimmed the sides a little too short, causing my strip scar to be revealed. i would like to use a concealer on the strip scar for a few weeks until the hair grows long enough to cover it . does toppik work on hair that is 1/4 of an inch? i haven't used any concealers before so i would say the only knowledge i have comes from watching youtube and visiting the website.

i have a related question - has anyone tried using tanning creams on the face so there isn't such a stark difference between a pasty white face and the redness up top? knowing that sun exposure is out of the question to get a red face to match the red scalp, i thought perhaps it would be easier to sell the redness on my scalp as a sunburn if my face were a little darker as well. my concern is that most tanning creams i've seen look like a 'fake bake' and don't come out very good. anyone try this with success? thoughts?

Please note that I am not a doctor or a medical professional of any kind, and the information I have listed below is based purely on message forum research and intended to create a discussion about post-op care best practices. With the understanding that different HT clinics have their own post-op protocol for how to care for the donor and recipient areas, and that we are all unique individuals with varying pH levels, hormones, blood circulation, etc., I was hoping that there is some general consensus among those in the HT community as to best practices during the initial two weeks following an HT. Specifically, I have read that transplanted hair takes anywhere from 4-14 days to anchor properly, after which patients may engage in more vigorous washing of the recipient area. My hope is that people who have been part of these forums for awhile, in addition to people who have actually gone through a HT procedure relatively recently, can either confirm or deny the effectiveness of the different types of post-op care. Assumption #1) Immediately following an HT, the average patient should not disturb, aggravate or traumatize the recipient area within at least 10 days of the procedure (examples include a) vigorous hair washing; b) bumping head on any hard surfaces; c) using hair products like gel, hairspray, concealer, hair dye, minoxidil, etc.; d) wearing a tight-fitting hat such as a beanie or headband; shaving the head). Assumption #2) During the first week, the recipient area should not be placed directly under a shower spray (hair should be gently cleansed by pouring warm water mixed with shampoo over the recipient area and then rinsed). Can this be done beginning on day two, and performed every other day, or even every third day? The goal is to disturb the recipient area as little as possible. Assumption #3) During the first week, the recipient area should be kept moist by some type of spray which assists with softening the scabs to prevent them from pulling out grafts that have not yet anchored (this includes, but is not limited to, aloe vera, vitamin e, water, coconut oil mixture, etc). Assumption #4) During the first week, rest as much as possible and allow the head to be elevated slightly during sleeping periods. Assumption #5) During the first week, you may resume taking vitamin supplements (this includes, but is not limited to, MSM, biotin, zinc, B complex, calcium/mag, d-3, etc.). Assumption #6) During the first week, prolonged exposure of the recipient area to the sun should be avoided. Are there other post-op measures one should take other than trying to eat healthy, get plenty of rest, don't stress too much, don't look in the mirror too much, and generally try to redirect your attention to other activities, without over exerting yourself physically or mentally? Any feedback is very much appreciated.