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mattj

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Everything posted by mattj

  1. Not from that far forward. I did a quick, rough outline (in green) of the area from which grafts would be extracted via FUE. The area that I outlined in red looks thin, but extractions would never be taken from this far forward. I think this is a case of where the quirks of natural hair and the effects of HT surgery can look very similar.
  2. Good advice above, I agree with it all. I especially agree that the buzz look seems to suit you. You're right, the lighting is without a doubt making your photos tricky to judge. This is especially true in your donor area, where the occipital bun (the bump that juts out of the back of any human skull) is changing how the light hits your hair and potentially making areas of equal density appear uneven. The combo of your fair hair and the lighting is creating a misleading situation and it's best that anybody withholds assessments until you can take some better photos. I'd suggest growing it out a bit and taking some photos outdoors.
  3. You have a hairline that many would be envious of. I agree with Shera that historical photos would be needed to tell whether anything has changed.
  4. Are you referring to the thin appearance above his ears? I don't think this is a sign of FUE surgery as the thinning is very far forward, right above his sideburns. It isn't normal to extract from this area - no reputable doctors do - and in fact I can't recall ever seeing any examples of extractions from so far forward.
  5. Temple points can often be reconstructed and look great (like in the example above) but aren't always necessary. I would trust Dr Rahal's advice and keep in mind that your surgical plan was tailored to your specific needs. You're unique and the plan is too. I would resist the temptation to compare yourself to anybody else and remember why you chose Dr Rahal to begin with.
  6. It's looking good, very natural. Always great to see HT veterans swinging by with an update!
  7. I use this on the baby and occasionally on myself. Johnson's baby shampoo. This is in the UK so might not be available where you are.
  8. Thanks. He's nearly 18 months old and I'm always in danger of boring people with stories of what he gets up to! You're thinking about using the derma roller with Minoxidil? I understand the interest people have in cutting out chemicals and using products that are as natural as possible, but I doubt if they make any real difference. Plenty of people have no hair problems at all while using all of the products under the sun.
  9. I have nothing to say about this particular doctor, but from your description of your hairloss my gut tells me that you almost certainly need more than 1800 grafts. It would be helpful if you could upload some photos (I'm sure it's possible from an iPhone!) but what you describe sounds like diffuse loss in a Norwood 6 pattern. Or thereabouts. 1800 grafts might thicken up the hairline area and give you a nice result from the front, but men with significant diffuse loss need more grafts to cover the balding area. Yes, there is a risk of damaging existing hair, but if done right that risk is very minimal. It's important that after the time and expense of going through a procedure, and healing, that the outcome is satisfying.
  10. I would wait before going back for crown work. I had to do some math to work out what 146 days is in months (truth: I did no math, I just googled it ) Your doctor would probably want to wait too. You say it was mainly a frontal procedure, but if some grafts were placed further back then it's possible that your crown loss will not be as noticeable once the grafts have grown. The balding area might be reduced to the point that you simply aren't that bothered. Of course I say this without knowing where the grafts were placed or what you look like. I honestly don't think there is any significant difference in shampoos, other than with baby shampoo which is very mild and is recommended for use post-op by Dr Rahal. I used it post-op as instructed and still occasionally grab the bottle to use as I have the stuff for my baby son. It does the job it is intended for.
  11. Not bad at all. Very impressive, in fact.
  12. You are fine to go back to lifting weights at this time. It won't help or hinder growth. Nor will your choice of shampoo or the fact that you're sweating. You're well past the stage where you have to be very careful with the recipient area. Six months is six months. Normally a lot of growth will have occured at this time, but there is still plenty of time for more. Hairs sprout from bald areas. The transplanted hairs don't all grow at once. Basically, their growth cycle has been interrupted and messed up. The hairs don't all begin to grow at the same time and it would be rare that a patient sees all of their growth at six months.
  13. Oh, and I should add that I've never, in all my years of involvement in this subject, heard of someone having a strip removed and not having enough scalp for closure. Perhaps I've missed a rare and horrific case and someone will point me to it, but I doubt it.
  14. A valid concern, but any good doctor is going to ensure that there is enough scalp laxity to remove the strip while leaving enough room for closure. The width of the strip is rarely going to exceed around 15mm and if the patient has never had previous surgery, then there will be enough 'slack' to remove a strip safely. The same will usually go for a second surgery. The amount of stretch available in the average scalp varies, but it's actually possible to increase this with stretching exercises. Doctors will normally instruct patients to do these exercises before FUT surgery. It's rare but not unheard of for a patient, especially one who has had multiple procedures, to be told that FUT surgery isn't possible due to a tight scalp. Better to be told this than to end up in the scenario that you're imagining! Really, it's a question of choosing a good doctor.
  15. I do think that the initial 'explosion' is often where the majority of growth occurs, but that doesn't mean that this is all you're going to see. I would hang on longer before passing judgement as I've seen so many cases where people feel a bit down about their result, only to see a big difference occur further down the line.
  16. Personally, I always found Dr Feller's input to be very valuable. You can argue that it was poor marketing (and I was often left a little bit surprised by what I read), but we don't judge a doctor on their marketing. I for one would like to see him back. The forum is at its best and most useful when people are slugging it out. That's when you reach the truth.
  17. There are a growing number of surgeons who produce great work, along with the tried and trusted names. Best advice is to check out the work that is posted on here, do a little research into reputation and send out consultation requests. You'll get a good feel for the clinic by what you get out of the consultation.
  18. The way the hairline fits with your facial structure is bang on. I'm really liking this result. Plus, growth is rarely all done by month 5. I look forward to the next installment!
  19. I don't think so, but ther switch has been a little bit confusing, as all switches are really.
  20. Phenomenal! Great early growth and very nice haircut to go with it.
  21. I can see the changes in your hairline. It doesn't appear that your hairloss is very aggressive. I had stopped the meds by the time of my HT. Fin can strengthen miniaturised hairs and that is beneficial whether you're having an HT or not. Being on the meds isn't essential to having a transplant, though. Getting a great result doesn't require Finasteride use. Lower dosages of Finasteride have been shown to work while limiting the side effects. If you are especially sensitive to the drug (and it appears that you are) then it's possible that the 0.25mg dose will not give you the side effects. Yes it's true that side effects can subside over time and remember that Fin can cause some shedding within the first months of starting it. Your hairline reminds me of what mine was like when I was your age or a bit younger. Your hair is thicker than mine (you're lucky) but the hairline shape is very similar. My hairloss didn't progress very much and I haven't lost a noticeable amount of hair since my procedure five years ago. Bottom line is that you still have a great head of hair, but your hairline has taken a hit. It could be restored with surgery and you are a good candidate for a dense hairline procedure. If you were on meds then that would be better, but meds aren't essential. Lots of patients shun the meds due to what they read or have had direct experience with them which is negative. Surgery i still possible and still lead to phenomenal results.
  22. Yes, as the trauma from the FUT occurred at the same time as the follicles were transplanted, you can expect the growth in the donor area to happen at roughly the same time as your new hair grows in.
  23. The fact that you feel stubble is very promising in itself.
  24. Not necessarily. A lot of guys have these false alarm situations. I remember what it was like to be totally clueless about how hairloss works.
  25. I've heard of cases where some numbness remains. It can take time for the nerves which are severed by surgery to settle down. It doesn't normally take this long, but it can happen. This is based on my experience of speaking to many people from a wide array of doctors. The numbing injections have nothing to do with this. They wore off long ago.
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