hadenough2014

FUE is known for scabbing more severely and "crusting" more than FUT. Take some time and go through the FUE pics on this site and you will find lots of examples. You'll see lots of pics with scabbing and crusting. Don't panic, stay calm, and follow your Dr. instructions.

You can use minoxidil and a concealer at the same time. I used minoxidil and Toppik. I would put the minoxidil on first and let it dry then apply your concealer. I have only used Toppik so I cant say about others. I was amazed how well it stayed on the hair and only came off with soap generally. Good stuff in my opinion. Gave me about 5 extra years before my HT.

Squatch - did you notice that Toppik or other concealers were hard on your follicles? I used it a few times and it seems like I lost more hair in the immediate area within just a few days after application. I would like to have tried it more, but I think between Rogaine and trying the concealer, my hair loss seemed to accelerate in the 2 years leading up to my HT. It could have just been my physiology timing and severe losses of hair matched up with my attempt at the products.

It looks pretty thin, but you need to have a second top notch Dr. check it out as well. Get at least 2 opinions, maybe even 3. Do NOT go to one of the cheap places. They are known to "give it a try" anyway, and that could be a huge mistake.

Find another coalition doc on this site and ask for a consult via phone/Skype first.

Actually, crowns can get huge in terms of balding area if not maintained. So keeping your crown filled with hair is important to the overall look.

Incredible. That shows what 2.6 can do. Great plan and awesome result.

Thanks, Sad. Given my shedding, I would love to see New Year's Day growth! Sunny, how has the work week gome?

I think it's a great result but as someone else said, you probably need more singles in the hairline. Dr. Diep does seem to like going crazy with the zigzag with the result that the hairline can look a little sparse - even when, as in your case - it's not at all.

 

It would have been better if he'd placed those grafts used to build the zigzag side-by-side in a hairline a few mm higher up. That'd make it less see-through IMO

I think the hairline looks very good. The see-through effect you are referring to is exacerbated by his chosen style and the fact he has very dark hair contrasting against a somewhat fair complexion. But overall he should be thrilled with this result. He can wear it any way he wants with confidence.

Pretty good for that number of grafts. Result looks very natural. Move coverage from 2500 grafts than I would have expected. That crown is very large, and I think you did well to drop a few grafts in there and soften it's appearance, especially from the side view. He obviously could go for about as many grafts as possible, but tackling that crown may be a task not worth trying. He got a very good result.

Garageland - your documentation is over the top & awesome! Thanks for sharing so much with this community.

Hi Hadenough and Sunny,

 

Since you're both experiencing dry scalp due to Rogaine, I wanted to make sure you two are applying it just once a day. Give you scalp a rest for couple of weeks if you continue with dry, itchy flakes on the scalp. It might also be helpful to use Nizoral shampoo every other day for couple of weeks then taper off to just once a week. You can introduce Nizoral shampoo right away.

 

Good luck to both of you in the healing and growth progress.

Thanks, Janna. I'll dial it back to once per day. I haven't been too dry up until the last couple of days. I'll do the Nizoral as well.

I'm coming up on 8 weeks post op now. Everything has returned to pre op state. My donor looks untouched which I'm extremely happy about.

 

 

I'd like to say I've had to contact SMG many, many times with questions and they are always there to reply right away. I know I've been unnecessarily over anxious with the whole process when I don't need to be. Thank you Dr. Josephitis and Janna for your patience!!! I really do know I'm in excellent hands. Here are couple pictures.

Congrats, Pcrudance! I'm sure SMG is used to us nervous nellies post-op asking lots of questions. All we can really do now is take good care, and wait.

Good repair. He looks much better.

I know what you mean by the way you feel about shedding. I was starting to get used those guys. Day 23 for me buddy.

I stabilized the shedding between day 20 and 35, and on day 36 I shed a ton and today on day 38 I am still losing some. It can stop anytime now...

Too early to consider HT by the way you describe it. Finasteride may be a good try for you. If you get sides, just stop and see if you recede much over the next 5-10 years. HT have gotten better in the last 10 years, so who knows what 2024 may bring. Sounds like you have some time on your side.

Check out the 10 day photo. That amount of scabbing and crusting is more often seen with FUE, not FUT. FUT is typically much cleaner on placement with minor scabs. He has basically one big scab across his frontal 1/3. This patient could have bled a lot during the procedure causing grafts not to adhere, or perhaps the technician doing placement had trouble with grafts staying in place?

Like many others commenting, I can't explain how he had such poor results either. It just seems to me the 10-day FUT result does not look right compared to hundreds I have seen on this forum. I feel bad for him and wish him the best in getting a better result with the next try.

Yes, it is a relative issue and 10 years from now it will be even better. What is wrong with a guard 5? I would rather wear a guard 5 and have hair on top and in front than have no hairline but an untouched back of the head. I may as well shave if that's what I am after. That is the tradeoff we all accept with a HT...risk the back for the sake of the front, and the back can typically be made undetectable, even if the scar is not perfect.

No one should ever go into either procedure ever feeling your head will be as virgin coming out of the procedure as it was going in.

Here is my journey

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/174779-2370-grafts-dr-gabel.html

What happended between May and now? Your thread link ends back in May. Did you go to Dr. Gabel and get a confirmed diagnosis of dermatitis? Need more info

I don't want to discourage Aaron.

But, no there are not solutions that achieve 90-100% improvement in strip scars.

I would have found one by now if there were.

You can improve them aesthetically and significantly.

 

But there are tens of thousands of us with strip scars who regret them. So Aaron, you are not alone. And therapy or a mental health professional can help.

 

In the meantime, you wanna be working on a hairstyle that gives you dignity.

 

It's an ongoing saga and won't end until docs put down their scalpels and strip ends for good.

scar5, I appreciate that you have gone through a difficult experience, but you need to disclose your full situation when you make these statements. You have had 7 FUT procedures dating back to 1987, when the industry was far different than what it is today. Your experience is not in context of today's possibilities. A young man like this chap needs to understand that in today's world he has options.

Today''s FUT and repair work in the hands of a great doc can fix even the worst problems left by prior docs. This site has many examples. It will take time and maybe even more than one solution, but it can be done. Do not try to save money, just focus on finding the best doc for your scenario.

The only caveat to all this is that you may have to wear your hair at a 3 guard or more on the clipper. If you want it shorter than that and you did FUT, then you did not research enough...ok, big deal, now just wear it a little longer after the repair and forget about it.

Day 37: no major progress to report or anything worth taking the time for pics. Scar seems to be healing well and pinkness fades each week. I continue to shed graft hairs, which is bitter sweet. I have now shed more hairs and look more bald than i did before the transplant, so that is the true definition of ugly duckling, I think. I have shed basically everything in the front 1/3 and it's now just some fuzz there. That is the bitter part. The sweet part is the fewer graft hairs that remain, the better they should grow when that time rolls around.

Those are some lofty claims. Visions of Bhatti...??

He's got a great contrast of skin tone to hair color that the shaved look does look good on him...but come on, is there really any replacement for a nice head of flowing hair???!!!

I don't think you need any grafts. Yes it is recessed....but I think it adds character.

I agree. Your hairline has receded, but you have what appears to be a nice thick hair behind it. Your crown loss is also very mild. I would suggest fin and watch it for a few more years. If you keep losing hair, in a few years maybe then think about a HT when you hit Norwood 4. I lived through your current stage 15 years ago and it then progressed to NW4 and then NW5 in the last 5 years. I wish I would have made the choice to proceed right when I hit NW4 but I am Ok with finally deciding at NW5. I am not a fan of people doing HT before NW4 because it is not one-and-done; they will nearly always need a second session. They should try meds first at NW1, 2 , or 3. Keep your scalp virgin if you can.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think the doctor firstly needs to prove that he is 'good' and then be put up for recommendation.

As of now I see, hes got very few results to show and very few patient experiences.. It is difficult to reach a conclusion based on these few results whether his work is good or bad.

Criteria for selection is critical for the site to maintain credibility. Population analysis is critical. There should never be a minimum number of examples as a sole determinant, and from what I have read, the site has done a lot more to look into the methods, tools, staff, techniques, patient results (both good and bad) and many more criteria before a surgeon is recommended by the site.

IMHO they do a lot of the right things to select the best doctors out there for endorsement by the site. I am not sure what they do to ensure a doctor maintains that endorsement (ie: does a bad outcome put them into a "probationary status" until the case is further studied and understood?). There should be no tenure when it comes to this industry. I've seen only a few poor outcomes from recommended docs, but I never see if that changes their status at all.

aaron - please go get some help from a pro psych doc. Every one of us knows how this can play with our minds when all we do is think about it. A mark on your head does not define you. I am sorry it went badly for you. There are solutions to fix a bad scar to a 90-100% improvement level - don't give up on them. There are lots of examples on this site of people who have had their scars fixed. A great doc will take enormous pride in fixing your scar.

Do you have any pics on a thread you can direct me to?

Great result. I like that it got a little curly/wavy on top. Did you have some curl/wave before you had hair loss?