JustJax

So this past Wednesday was officially a year to the day I had my HT. Overall I am pretty happy with results and I love how it’s reframed my face and I am no longer self conscious if I get my hair wet or the wind is blowing. However I have some weaker spots that are obvious if you part the hair in those areas. They may still fill in a little as they say the hair can grow up to 18 months, but I don’t think they will at this point. Density - day to day this looks fine when my hair is styled, but I do notice it looking like it’s thinning a little if I’m under harsh light (like those little recessed ceiling spot lights). To be fair, I realise now that my expectations around density were a little unrealistic. Obviously if you are transplanting hair into an area that had none, you aren’t going to have the same kind of density that you have else where and I guess this is why a good percentage of people go back and have a 2nd procedure. 2nd procedure - At this stage, I’m a bit unsure what to do. Part of me just wants to move on and not have to go through the physical and mental process of having a 2nd HT procedure, but on the flip side, having come this fair and paid out quite a bit of money, I’d like close this out and address the weak spots and increase the density further. Timing is another factor. Its my 50th Birthday next July and I of course want to be looking great for that so if I don’t have the 2nd surgery before Christmas, I’d want to leave it until next August/September instead. What do you guys think? FYI, In the pictures below, the last one is hair wet and combed back. Sides and back are clippered with a grade 1 so pretty short.

Hey, I think I get what you’re talking about and if we’re on the same page, then I still get that a little. It’s kind of a tightness that you occasionally want to itch, or at least that’s what it feels like to me. Now at 6 months I’d say there is a very strong possibility it’s growth related. But it’s akaa hard to know as people vary greatly. I got really strong growth around months 4-6, but there are others on here that really didn’t see their hair growth kick in until 6 months and after. For me at 11 months I’m not 100% sure. It’s less pronounced so I switch between thinking it’s growth or just dry skin. It’s become hard to notice, but I think there has been a slight improvement in the last 2 months so maybe it is related to growth.

Thanks, I was standing in front of the window, probably should have just re-taken the picture. With that said, I think it's agreed that you can see (if you know what you are looking for) that the donor area hair has a slightly different density if you go too short. As I said it doesn't overly bother me as I've noticed people's hair much more since my HT and in have seen lots of guys with very short clippered hair and they have some unevenness which clearly is just natural and not a result of a HT.

It wasn't great when I was there. Fine for day to day Internet but it struggled streaming Netflix. That was Oct year, might have improved I guess. In my experience hotel wifi is never great.

Hi Rwethereyet, just found your thread, really good day by day diary. I found these sorts of posts really helpful when I was pre-surgery. I know you have shed now, but it looks like you'll have a great hairline once it grows back. It's amazing how it frames your face so differently isn't it. BTW, I also had Sevinc as my interpreter, she's lovely, as are all the staff. Good luck with your growth and I'll be watching your thread for updates!

So I'm at 10.5 months, wouldn't normally post pics mid month these days but I'm bored and I got a good haircut so I took some shots. Only negative with the cut is that I went a bit too short at the back and it looks a little patchy maybe (they used a grade one, possibly shorter) but it grows super fast so it'll be fine within another 2-3 days and to be honest I don't really care. Should add that Light saturation in the pic of the back makes it appear harsher than it is. Anyway, actually considering a skin fade cut but not sure if that would make more or less obvious?

Hi Ponchik, i think it peaked around month 7, but I also did get quite good early growth which not everyone gets so I think you can't always compare. BTW, I wouldn't label myself "dissatisfied", more that I hoped, perhaps naively, that the density would be in line with the rest of my hair (which TBH is actually quite thick). Don't get me wrong tho, I get nothing but compliments for those that know I've had it done, but I still sometimes find myself looking in the mirror picking out little flaws.

Afternoon guys, here are my 10 month pics. Got my friend to take the pics this month so finally have a decent shot of the back/donor area. Anyway, not sure if there is any noticeable change from last month. Density appears to be about the same, at least that's how it seems. TBH, I've kinda resigned myself to the fact that it might not improve beyond this. That would be disappointing but I've kinda made piece with it already. With that said, I do find myself toying up with the idea of having a small 2nd (maybe 750 grafts?) HT just to add further density if there isn't after further growth, but a) really don't want to go through the whole process again and b) really don't want to spend more money. It's also a big birthday for me next year so don't want to be in that ugly duckling/growth phase during that time. We'll see. Anyway, pics, first 5 are dry with a little bit of product in my hair, although on checking the pics after I took them I can see it's still a little frizzy/fluffy looking and should have used more product for a neater look. Last one was wet hair combed straight after the shower.

Hi Kirlay, you had your HT at Asmed just a few weeks before me. I kinda get what your saying and I have have similar thoughts ocassionally as I also have thicker hair, but when I have asked people, they have all said it looks normal/natural. As others have said, perhaps we become too critcal and a little obsessed if our HT's look natural. I find myself trying to remember what it looked like before in terms of density, etc. When you say you feel you have no recourse as the clinic offers no follow up, why do you say that? Although I wasn't aware of any guarantee, I did see in Vainism recent thread something about a ASMED Warranty Policy, not sure what the policy covers, but might be worth mentioning this when you speak to them. BTW, did you email you patient assistant or just the main clinic email address? If you still have your patient assistant number on whatsapp, you could try messaging them or calling the clinic directly.

Thanks, funnily enough I saw a friend for lunch today and I hadn't seen him since maybe Feb/March and his first comments were about how great and thick the top of my hair looked. As for hair products, I agree it does seem a little excessive and I know other clinics aren't as cautious, but with that said, I wanted to ensure I followed the clinics instructions to the letter so I did exactly that. However, a little workaround/hack is to mix Aloe Vera gel and almond oil (both of which are approved by Asmed) together and use that as a styling gel. The Aloe Vera goes a little stiff so the combo of the both together worked quite.

Did this side by side to try and show the difference. As you can see, quite a big difference in the temples and clearly a lowered hair line. Sure I wear the hair feathered a little forward, but that was the case previously too.

Thanks guys, I think I was just panicking a little. I've cut my hair shorter today and it feels better. Doesn't change the density of course, but as you say Gillenator, it helps create the illusion of more density. Think going forward I will keep it shorter.

Okay, here we go, 9 months pictures. Strictly speaking it's 9 months and 11 days as I missed taking the pictures last week and figured having missed the day, I might as well wait until this weekend as I was getting my hair cut again. Tried to get several different pics including the back, although that's always an awkward shot without someone to take it for me. They have taken the lower half of the sides and back quite short and perhaps it's a little patchy, but I'm not really bothered. I have seen guys who have not had HT with some unevenness with really short hair so I don't think anyone would look and overly suspect. As requested by Hkuser, I've even attempted a 'spiked' look. It's a terrible look (reminds me of a bad 90's haircut) but I aim to please. One thing to note about the pictures on the left side, last month I asked for a haircut like Chris off reality show Love Island (British reality show) and he actually shaved an actual line for the side pattern. I didn't realise what he was doing until it was too late. Luckily it was easily covered, but if you look at the pic you can see it slightly. Thankfully it's growing but. Finally, as a few of you might have seen, I also posted a separate thread asking about shedding of new hair. Now that I've had my hair cut it feels and looks denser, obviously the density is the same as last week, but what I'm trying to say is that having it longer appears to make the lower density more obvious, at least to me. Anyway, I think it probably suits me a little shorter.

Hi Vainism, only just found your thread, great pictures and write up. Brings back lots of memories! Looks like you are on track for a great result, looking forward to seeing your next few updates.

Hi, I actually just posted this on the main forum Can new hair shed again within months? - Forum By and for Hair Loss Patients but to answer your question here, it doesn't feel like its really improved since around month 6 if I'm honest. People do talk about density improving in the latter months so I am hopeful that it might still improve. I will post some new pictures after I have it cut on Saturday.

So maybe I'm just being paranoid but I actually feel like my hair has actually gotten a little weaker in the past month. :confused: Once the new hairs grow in, can they shed again within a few months as part of the natural pattern of shedding and regrowth? I am now at 9 months and I had really good growth until about month 6, but it feels like it hasn't really improved since then and if anything I feel like the front/hairline is now a little weaker. Now it could be the length of the hair. I was growing the top longer (its around 3 inches long) but I'm now wondering if the length is making it appear less dense? I was planning a hair cut on Saturday but I think I'll go shorter than originally planned to see if that makes a difference.

Great little complication pic. The difference between the first and the last is amazing. Completely reframes your face. :cool:

Sorry guys missed my 9 month anniversary on the 11th. I am getting my haircut next weekend so I'll wait for that and then post updated pics.

Hey, unless it's a really old mobile then you should still be able to get good pictures. Instead of normal room lighting I find by the window or our doors (not in direct sunlight tho) better. In terms of the result so far. Hard to really judge on those pics. Try outdoors as I suggested. I can commiserate a little though. While mine looks pretty good and I get compliments on it, if lI ook closer at my hairline and the overall density on the left side, it's definitely not as strong as I'd hoped, with the left side patchy in some parts. I'm still hoping (as I am sure you are) that it will improve further by 12 months. They do say density can improve in the later months and some posters on here have noted improved density in the 9-12 months stage. For me at least, if it doesn't improve by my 12 month anniversary then I'm going to speak to the clinic. Have you discussed it with Dr Saifi's people yet?

Looks awesome, congrats on your result, it's amazing how time flies. Will be interesting to hear if you do notice any difference between 12 and 18 months. I do have one question, what was your density like around month 7-8 vs now? One thing I am hoping for is an increase in density. Looking back at the threat you mentioned it was getting thicker and thicker at month 9? Did that continue ?

Definately. As we both know its hard not to compare and worry about where you are in comparision to other, but its sound advice and one that we we should all try and follow. :cool:

I agree, it would be a bit annoying but if it never improved beyond what it is today I would still be happier and more confident than I was. In terms of more density at 7 months, I really do think it carry vary greatly from one person to the other. I think we see guys who's HT grows in quick and then suddenly thats the benchmark which then leads to higher expectations. True and when you think about it logically, its of course not going to be the same density as the donor area. Hopefully. I'd be happy with a little more density and just for the weaker area to be similar to the left side. To be honest I think I saw the bulk of my growth by month 5th. For me it really kicked into high gear just after 3.5 months and then really filled in through months 5-6. However, just to caution, I think I was one of the lucky ones to really see early growth. Difficult to tell/observe now thay my hair is longer, but I can't say I have overly noticed much difference between months 6-8. Just one small note, the pics I posted yesterday are all naturalle .. with no hair product and barely any attemped at styling. I simply showered and left it dry naturally. IMHO it looks better with a litte product in it to help with normal frizz. I know I keep saying I'd do various pics, but as its my 9 month annivesary next month I'll try and make a wider selection of pictures including wet and fully styled.

Hey all so today is 8 months to the day that I had my surgery. Pics below are from today. As mentioned in the last few updates I've been feeling pretty confident with my hair these days so it's not generally something that's on my mind or I'm stressing about. With that said I have perhaps looked at it a little more this month and while to those looking at me it looks pretty strong, there are definitely still some weaknesses when you look closer, more so on the right hand side. As you can see if I part the hair on the right side you can see the weakness in that area. Although I could live with it as it is, I will be disappointed if that area doesn't fill out over the next several months.

Looking great! :cool: TBH, I do think that having it shorter really helps. I notice mine definately looks a lot stronger when shorter. As for the fuzziness, I totally know where you are coming. I found the front looked a little wiry and fuzzy going back a month or two, especially when it was a little longer. From what I can see its partly down to split ends. But its already improved since then and I had a good cut about 3 weeks ago and that really helped get rid of some of split ends. I have also read that the new hair texture improves over time.

Hi Sk78, thanks for the compliment. :cool: Obviously I can't really speak to how good or bad the DHI doctors/technicians are as DHI were not someone I considered and in truth, thats because I don't think any of their doctors are highly rated on here (unless thats changed in the last year). I basically decided on Europe/Turkey due to costs and from there decided on Turkey and then looked to go with the best in Turkey. Given that you said the price at ASMED vs DHI is almost the same and you aren't convinced with DHI's results, whats ultimately stopping you going with ASMED? Is it travelling overseas or Turkey specifically? In terms of ASMED, I really only have good to say about them. The team is lovely and Dr Koray is such a lovey guy. I don't know what I expected, but the clinic itself was very impressive, like a mini hospital, very clean, very smart and well run. If I had to find a negative, then it might be that there isn't really much follow up on their behalf post treatment, but saying that, whenever I had a question, I could email or text them and they would get back to me pretty quickly. I certainly don't have any reservations recommending them. Finally, as for how ASMED get their result, I think its possibly the higher density, they do tend to quote a higher number of grafts that many clinics so perhaps the greater dentisty is what makes their results stronger?