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BigP

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Everything posted by BigP

  1. BigP
    I had 5000 grafts. Check my blog post. I am shocked. That's a lot for someone with so much hair! I had NW5 and I had just enough to get a little coverage. I would say 2500 for you. I had 5000 over two days and it is exhausting. Probably too much for you imho
  2. BigP
    The library isn't the best place for pics and I just got a hair cut today. I'll grow the hair for a week and then post some more pics with higher resolution and lighting so you guys can see a better angle.
  3. BigP
    SOme emergency pics from the library!
  4. BigP
    Hello all, guess who's back. After recieving some panicked messages asking for updates, I have come back on to post the pics as I felt bad. You can see I am in the library and felt bad for one particular user who thought I left because something drastic happened! I remember being so panicked in the days before my operation! The last couple of months I have left my job and am doing an MBA at University which has taken over my life. Also, the hair really isn't an issue anymore for me so I guess I have drifted away from a forum like this. This goes back to my point about how I felt this was more a psychological operation than a physical one. I have accepted what I look like and have moved on with my life. I am attaching some pics. I keep my hair buzzed at grade 1 as I just want a frame to my face rather than the strong dome. I think I have had some growth since the last pics, but perhaps doesn't look so grown as I buzz it every week. Youc an see that donor area has gone back to normal colour. Also, I think some of my natural hair has receded as I have stopped using minoxidil. However the transplanted hair is till growing as strongly. I may think about some extra coverage on the crown. However My confidence with women has grown. Also women seem to really like the feel of it buzzed, and some of my friends who are girls says it really brings out som of my other features such as my eyes. However, my mum is still a bit concerned that I look like a bollywood villian haha. So in all honesty I am happy with the operation as it has given me a good hairline that frames my face. However, the stopping of minoxidil may not be good advice for those who want more than that, such as long hair. I however, want to move on with m life with a grade 1 and may come back for a crown operation in a couple of years (1-1.5k hairs). As far as erdogan is concerned, the clinic asked me for some pics a couple fo weeks ago, after 9 months. I will send some back and get some advice. Let me know if you have any questions
  5. BigP
    I went to the barber after 1 month, told him to be careful and use only scissors. I then started buzzing it after 3 months. I don't use toppik at all. Thanks for the feedback, not sure what a month result should look like but waiting for 1 year is probably the only time you can really judge!
  6. BigP
    Hey, yes this is in direct sunlight, and also after growing for 2 weeks. When I buzz it down, it looks pretty good. I am still on propecia, but I stopped using minoxidil. I also admit to having a bad lifestyle for the last few months - lots of drinking and smoking unfortunately. I am going to go on a health kick now, and look after myself! Hmm, yes I will admit that the idea of wearing toppik fills me with dread. I will never wear that again. To be honest, all my friends and family have now seen me with a shaved head, so I don't feel the need to hide it anymore. Any further growth is a bonus. I am considering doing a bht to my crown in a few months too. Probably another 1000-2000 (if I have it!) will make it look fuller. Thanks for the feedback... fingers crossed for more growth!
  7. BigP
    Hi all, Apologies for the delay. I can't beleive it's been 5 months since the operation. My life is so much better as I can walk around without being concerned about my hair anymore. I keep the hair buzzed down to grade 1-2, and the hairline is very sharp and tight and frames my face which is pretty much all I wanted. For the purposes of the picture, I grew my hair for 2 weeks so that you can see where I am with it grown out. I am waiting for the full 12 months before passing judgement, but I think it looks good at this stage. I hope there is more at the front in the next few months. When it's buzzed down to Grade 1 it looks a lot better as you can't see the patches as much. Perhaps by 9 months, it will be more full. Hoping for bettter results soon and will update all of you. If anyone knows if this is good or bad for a 5 month stage please let me know. Thanks
  8. BigP
    I work in the UK, we have 25 days holiday here. I booked 13 days and had two and half weeks off work. Wasn't hard at all with my work place. PLus i have a good relationship with my manager. Not sure about your location or manager, but if it's hard to get time I would suggest speaking to HR first about the issue, position it as a health issue (depression or confidence), and then use their advice to speak to management. Personally I had depression about this, and if my manager were to decline I would tell him the truth and keep it confidential. Good luck
  9. BigP
    Hi to all those that have asked for an update. Sorry I have only got back to this. I will publish the latest pics by Tuesday. I have an important project deadline and I want to give a detailed update of the last four months.
  10. BigP
    Hi all, So it's been about 6 weeks since the operation (wow, it has really flown by). Just to update about where I am with the process. In the first 3-4 weeks I had literally no shock loss, or hair falling out. I thought I might be the one who bucks that trend! However, in the last couple of weeks, there has been a lot falling out. I would say over 50%. However, the hairline is holding up and it doesn't look too bad I guess. I am keeping it short (buzzing the donor area to grade 2, and asking barber to use scissors on recipient area - i have been adivsed not to buzz the recipient area for at least 3 months). It looks clean and I am not too bothered by it. The hair that has fallen out has this weird 90 degree angle at the root, suggesting that the old hair is being pushed out in the new root location - anyway I'm no doctor. Using the shampoo and conditioner and then the aloe vera gel at night, everytime I rub my head, I can see about 10-15 hairs on it - so a bit concerning, but having these forums enough, I guess it's part of the process... hoping for the best.
  11. BigP
    Some people flew back the next day. I don't think pain is an issue when flying. It's more to do with if you want to have a bit of a holiday and be around yourself for a while (which is me) or if you want to go home and recover there. I preferred to stay there as I had been hiding away for so long with that damn hair powder, I didn't know how long it would take for me to psychologically get used to my new face - i didn't know how I would look and if there would be problems etc. So in my own paranoia, I stayed back. So don't worry about the pain, it's not tha bad at all. You will be too excited about your new hair to be that aware! In terms of scratching, yes that was a big problem for me. I started using the ice pack on the donor area after the 4th day to cool it down. I also applied moisturiser to the donor area. I never touched the recipient area no matter how bad it was. I guess you just have to distract yourself. However, I found that the cool Istanbul air (about 5-6 degrees C) made the area alright again. I think it really starts to scratch at night, as during the day it's fine. Just make sure you don't touch the donor area at all.
  12. BigP
    Hey, sorry about the late reply. Have been preparing for an exam. Yes I remember having pain for some time. I guess its normal after a 5000 graft procedure, and I had particular pain in the points where I had the anasthetic injections. You need to take some tabs to get rid of the pain and sleep is tough for the first couple of weeks. After that then it depends, but the scalp wiill be scratch and you will feel electric waves time to time. I guess thats a good thing as the nerves are healing.Like when you go from a hot restaurant to the cold night air, you can feel circulation rushing up! Also, in the mornign you feel like scratching a lot - that's why i liked staying near the clinic for the first ten days. I looked forward to going in first thing and having them gently wash the area - it was sooo relaxing and stopped me wanting to scratch it (until the night, anyway!). Only time it will hurt is if you accidently hit it. Like I was walking down the road, and the wind was about to blow my hat off, so I instinctively grabbed it but hit my scalp and that hurt like hell!!. I really was angry with myself, so you have to watch yoursefl for the first 2-3 weeks. It's been a month now and I have been using aloe vera gel and shampoo and conditioner and I have literally no pain now. Sometimes in the gym I can feel something but I would recommend aloe vera gel just to reduce the inflammation and cool the area. The numb sensation I had on my scalp is 50% gone. I still can't fully feel the touch when I touch the recipient area. Donor area, 75% is back. I can also sleep on the area after 2-3 weeks with no discomfort. I would say from my experience, the pain only should last for 2-3 weeks. Any more then you should check with your doctor. Are you having a procedure soon? I remember you were going to have one in March.
  13. BigP
    Yes my donor area is also receding a bit and he mentioned that... He said he could get about 7000 good sized grafts, and decided that 5000 is the right amount to take now, and 2000 for the future. Doctor said he would target a narrow band in the centre of the donor area where it was the thickest. And yes the pics where the hair is slicked back is wet. If the hair is pushed forward then it was dry. When hair was wet, that also incudes donor area. Let me know if you have other questions On another note, It's been a month now since the transplant. Some of the hair has shed now so am in the ugly duckling phase i guess!
  14. BigP
    No, not really, the recipient area is a bit itchy. Since week 2 i have been feeling little electric waves going through my scalp. I guess that's the nerves growing back. I read that aloe vero helps with post HT, so I have got organic aloe vera shampoo and conditioner. After shower I then use aloe vera gel to run in and leave it in at night. THis feels really cool and is apparently good for keeping the skin with moisture and is a natural cleaner of skin. And also to remove the redness. I have only been using that for a week now and it has reduced the itchiness. I didn't get any pimples, or swelling post HT. I haven't had too much shock loss as well. Just a few hair fallen out. Not sure what the timeline is for these things so hopefully it stays that way. The donor area looks a bit sparse, but I am not sure if that is shock loss, or what it looks like after you remove that many grafts. But anyway, I need to give it a few weeks before I know what's going on!
  15. BigP
    Ok just to kick things off. I started losing hair when I was 20 and went from a popular guy, confident around girls to some who lost confidence at an early part of his life. So I was already quite depressed before I started propecia as I was always hiding under a hat. With propecia I noticed that in the first 6 months I had developed a very very strong temper. I snapped at the littlelest of things and was a ball of anger. However I am not sure how much that was down to propecia but perhaps was also a combination of working long hours at an investment bank, alcohol and little sleep. So in my opinion I think there some physiological factors that cause your body to react to changing testosterone levels, but I think your lifestyle and self-confidence plays a major part into how much that physiological effect is amplified.
  16. BigP
    They give you a kind of cricket hat to wear. I positioned it in a way that is rested just ahead of the frotn hairline and the donor area, so I made sure it wasn't on the grafts at all. It was very windy in Istanbul so I walked around without a hat a few times. First 4 days I actually stayed indoors, or went to the cinema. But after that the grafts are pretty set and just make sure the hat doesn't touch the grafts and youll be fine. The middle of the hat rests about 2-3 inches above the graft so it should be fine. Just make sure you aren't around wind, rain or smoky/dirty environment. I spent a lot of time walking around, so when I was in a crowd I wore it, but when I was walking by the water it was off so I could let the grafts "breathe"! Also it was very cold in Istanbul so you wont have the problem of sweating under the hat, it was always very cold so I never sweated once, which is bad post HT
  17. BigP
    I am one of the people that had a HT recently and sleeping on an airpillow was very hard. Looking at that product, I can see that it is probably going to be more comfortable but I would be concerned how good it would be to stop turning at night. With the airpillow you sink into it and it rests on your shoulders so you are pretty anchored and your body resists the turn as you have to take the airpillow off before your turn. However with your product, it might work, if you also use some pillows to tuck you in. I hated the airpillow (so much that I stabbed it with a pen once I was done with it ) I would personally have liked to have used a much harder pillow to sleep on. THis may be a good idea provided you can get a system to accidently stop turning your head.
  18. BigP
    I suspected this as he was very angry against Dr Ergdogan for some reason on my thread! It did give me cause for concern but then I quickly realised he was probably a troll. Now I see it is much worse, that he was actively misleading people, discrediting other surgeons and promoting his own employer... this is so unethical, it is beyond words Great work Bill.. I hope that you email Dr Maral on behalf of this community and seek an explanation as to what happened here and create a public post for everyone so that they realise not to trust his posts.
  19. BigP
    Sorry realised I didn't answer your second question. You actually have to rest your donor area on the air pillow. So that is where the discomfort comes in. In the first couple of days you still have anasthetic there so you wont feel too much pain. But yes, the whole weight of the head is on the donor area which rests of the air pillow. If you rest your neck then the crown will hit the pillow. So unvoidable really unless you sleep on a recliner. I think Erdogan has rooms in the clinic which may have those type of beds. If you book there, then I would suggest asking if they have that option to stay in the clinic. Hope that answers the question
  20. BigP
    Spoke to my doctor again and he said donor area minimum 1 month, reciptient 3-4 months. I guess I will have to follow the doctors instructions, and bite the bullet as you say!
  21. BigP
    No it does not have reclining beds. I know that Doganay Clinic has hospital beds and that would be convienient. At Radission, I couldn't use the main pillows as they were too big and would hit the grafts. So I would use a small scatter cushion and then put the air pillow on top . It wasn't the most comfortable but I used pillows to tuck me in and the airpillow stopped me turning over. Given that I had 5000 grafts, some blood did come through the bandages and this went onto the airpillow and the cushion underneath. I apologised to the cleaner (but they understood as the hotel has lots of HT patients) and used a damp cloth to clean the airpillow. It is also hard to sleep with a raw donor area on the air pillow but you will get used to. Unfortunately this is a part of the procedure and discomfort that will be unavoidable....
  22. BigP
    Thanks, I will email the clinic back and ask for certain as I don't want to walk around looking like Friar Tuck for the next few months
  23. BigP
    HI all, So I had my first day back at work today given that was a topic raised in this thread. So It has been 2 and half weeks since my hair transplant. Not much hair has fallen out but the donor area had grown back faster so I currently look like I have a prnounced horseshoe from the back but the hairline is still quite strong from the front. I went to work today and was nervous before i walked in. I work with around 9 people so I went in early to make sure I got there first! Then as they came in one by one, I got their reaction and this was easier to manage than if I walked in and they all reacted at once. I think this was a particularly clever strategy if I do say so myself! To my surprise they didnt react that strongly at all. I guess in our heads we build these situations up so much to a poitn where we think its such a huge story but not really. Some guy at work cut their hair short, is really what happened, it just so happened you are that guy! It also helps if you have a few jokes handy. SOme people said hey, skinhead! I said yeh I am auditioning for the new Fast and Furious movie. Sometimes I said, yeh ,I am moonlighting as a bouncer and they insisted. To an Indian friend, I said yes I am auditioning for a role as a bollywood villian. It was easier if you become a part of joke than be all serious about it. Somee senior people asked why I did it. I said I just hated managing my hair, it's simple. My donor area was still red, and I had some dry skin from the HT which is naturual. I then told people it was due to sun burn. Again, unless you are considering a HT yourself, you wont really know what donor area is or what you went through! I just told everyone this is how I am keeping it from now on. So luckily first day was fine, no funny comments, just back to normal, except I am no longer paranoid about how my nanogen hair fibres look.
  24. BigP
    Two best FUE surgeons in Turkey are Erdogan and Doganay according to my research. I went with Dr Erdogan. I have written a very long summary here: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178325-dr-erdogan-asmed-fue-5000-grafts.html
  25. BigP
    Hi, yes thanks. I think I will buzz the donor area but ask a skilled barber to use scissors to cut the top and be very careful! Yes i was a bit concerned that you have to wait months. I am not sure that I can however as it will look quite bad given how many grafts I have had. It will just look like a barbie doll head, so I need to keep it as short as possible.
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