Coligion

Gillenator, thanks again for the detailed response. I sent another PM your way. My procedure was performed by Dr. Keene in Arizona. Here are some additional pictures that showcase my donor+scar, crown, and right-frontal third/tuft. Much like the the left-frontal third, my right side was also quite affected by shock loss, possible transection, and future thinning.

waitforanagen, Icecreamman, Raphael84 thank you for the comments. My family is extremely small, so my father is the only indicator I can look to. He's had several procedures over years, albeit much smaller graft counts than by today's standards, though I don't know the exact number. He's also been an avid user of Minoxidil for the better part of 15+ years. Without his procedures, my best guess is that he may have been somewhere around a Norwood 4. He'll be 70 this year, but his hair looks darn good for his age. I've contacted a few offices and inquired about their stance on my current situation. I've also spoken to Scott Alexander in Phoenix about my concerns. It can be difficult to get people to look at my case objectively because I'm still young, but also because many offices don't like the idea of doing small procedures. Everyday I find myself looking in the mirror wanting to find a way to fix this. However, I know I'm still not a good age to pursue further work. As I said before, my first procedure really left me disappointed, not only with graft yield, but my scar is sub-par, and I still have discomfort in my donor region after more than 3 years. It can be easy to look at yourself in the mirror and see what needs to be done, but when you've been through it all before--especially at my age--it's hard to logically go down that road again knowing how it turned out the first time.

I'm looking to get an outside perspective on my current hair situation. Comments and advice are appreciated. First, some back-story... I had a 1000 graft FUT procedure at the age of 22. Prior to the procedure, I had been on Finasteride for about 8 months. At the time, my concern was with my frontal third, where I noticed quite a bit of miniaturization and loss of density. I had issues with parts of my hairline as well, but opted to not touch any of that for fear of future recession. Now, roughly 3.5 years later, I can honestly say I was not at all satisfied with how everything turned out. After the procedure, I suffered a great deal of shockloss in and around the area and, to top it off, my yield was very poor. I remained on Finasteride for about 2 years after the procedure, but again, I saw no evident results--yes, I know it primarily effects the crown. I was also getting some side effects, so I've now been off the meds for about 1 year. Fast forward to today, and I am now 26, which is still a young age for anyone thinking of FUT/FUE for the first time, let alone an additional procedure. Overall, I know my situation is no where near dire by any means, but my hair is still very sparse and open in that frontal third/tuft area. I constantly find myself thinking about doing another procedure to increase the density there, but my age, poor prior experience, and better judgment (not to mention costs ) keep me away. I'm afraid if I were to have anymore work in that area I would risk damaging what little hair that did grow from my initial procedure. Anyway, I was, of course, very young on my first procedure, but I did my best to have the grafts placed in a long-term location. Unfortunately, the procedure did not pan out well for me, so future work has always been on my mind. I've thought about having a very small procedure to have this area strengthened, but as I've said before, I'm doubtful it's in my best interest long-term. I've attached a video and several photos. In the video, I try to focus on where the density is blatantly lacking. One photo is taken with outside lighting, while the others are from a CFL light source. Appreciate any input provided, thanks. http://s722.photobucket.com/albums/ww223/Coligion/Other/?action=view&current=6-11-12.mp4

I can attest to this. I am over 3 years post-operative from my procedure and still have discomfort in the example you provided.

It's interesting to see a Rahal result with this low number of grafts. vbseo, your hair looks quite stellar even before the procedure. If all goes well, you should have quite the hairline! Good luck.

Yeah, his pre-op hairline is one that many of us would love to have. He is fortunate to be able to utilize all of his available grafts to correct any imperfections he may see in his frontal 1/3.

Not exceptionally dense, but clean, natural, and refined.

It also doesn't help that the scar is still a bit pink. Hopefully the scar will be less prevalent once the color begins to fade. As for your thoughts on the scar stretching, does it have anything to do with the laxity of your scalp (loose, average, or tight)? Perhaps it is also the way your body heals.

Definitely try to get some better pictures up so a better evaluation can be made. Even with good pictures it's often hard to judge someone's hair accurately. Regardless, I think talking with Rahal is certainly a good start. If you are to have work done in the frontal 1/3 to 2/3, I would imagine you would need to shave down in the recipient area. Especially with higher numbers of grafts (such as 2500), I think it'd be best to make the recipient area as clean as possible. Also, at your age I would try to not go over the 2500 grafts you are thinking of utilizing. Everyone is different, and of course you want a significant improvement, but be cautious to not use too many grafts at a younger age.

qwerty, the works looks great. How many grafts did you receive for each temple? Also, how many grafts were used in your previous session with MHR?

It's been a while since a Rahal result has been posted. Frankly, it seems a lot of clinics are not posting results as often...Anyway, this seems like a great result. A large number of grafts were used, but in the end, the patient must be very pleased. Thank you for sharing.

I would also look into Hasson and Wong. They have provided the forum a good number of repair cases. They are located in Canada, but never let distance get in the way of a decision like this.

Congratulations, Mane. You're hair looks great. Thank you for providing a very detailed story.

I think your hair is looking great. I see your areas of concern, but the benefits you've gained outweigh them entirely. Also, I think your hairline looks very natural. We all want perfectly symmetrical hairlines, but yours is very natural and not perfectly straight as if it were artificial. As far as product goes, would you recommend the Sammy product you use?

youngsuccess, thanks for the links. They were informative. I also tried to do more searching through the forum, and it seems a few users have made the choice to take the medication every other day or at .50 mg. However, I did read that in the instances where the user had been on Finasteride for over a year and then switched to every other day, they noticed some loss. This worries me as I'm in a similar boat. I think I will try splitting my 1.25 mg in half and get as close as possible to .50 mg. If I take the medication daily at a lower dose, as opposed to every other day, hopefully my body can transition better to the change. It seems users advocate every other day usage, but only if you are first starting a regimen. Perhaps the body becomes too dependent on the medication once you try to lower it after years of constant usage...

I'm currently purchasing 5mg Finasteride and cutting the pill into fourths (1.25 mg) for daily use. However, I know many of you on this board have varying regimens for Propecia/Proscar/Finasteride use. Some of you seem to take it every other day, while others take a .50 mg pill every day. I was considering the former (since it's very hard to cut the 5 mg pill any smaller than fourths), but I wanted to read some input from those of you that don't follow the 1 mg per day recommendation. What have you noticed from changing 1 mg per day (if anything)? I've been on Finasteride for over 18 months now, and if I could cut back on my daily intake without losing ground, I'd definitely consider it for both side-effect concerns and financial.

Dr. Rassman claims it's normal to lose 100-150 hairs per day... http://www.baldingblog.com/200...in-with-each-shower/

I'm definitely dreaming, but for round 2. Unfortunately, I have so many variables to consider that keep me hesitant. I'm younger and of thin/athletic build, so my laxity will always be a question. Unfortunately, I feel that I am constantly held back by hair loss. So much so that I feel like my life is on hold until I can get some partial resolution. My first go around was anything from success, so I fear of making matters worse with a second pass. I wish it was a more clear cut process--at least for me--but it's an extremely difficult decision. For those unlucky individuals that go through a painfull first surgery, it makes the second attempt that much harder to endure.

Time is needed for the new grafts to heal and grow to maturity. You don't want to go under the knife after only a few months and have your grafts in a weak, susceptible state. Shock loss is a big enough factor to consider; Don't make it worse by having trauma induced to an area that is already under enough stress. In addition to your grafts, you're donor hair/skin needs proper time to heal and loosen for subsequent procedures. Hair transplants always have risks associated with them. Keep the odds in your favor, and make sure your body is healthy before surgery. Wait at least 12 months!

No, I'm positive there was no thinning prior to the surgery. I have read that trauma from both the incisions to the scalp and anesthesia can cause shock loss that can spread beyond the recipient and donor area. I have only read this in articles and not actually seen other members share a similar experience. This is what I believe to have happened to me, and by having the surgery I triggered the MPB gene in my crown early causing the thinning I see now. I just wanted to know if anyone else shared a similar experience.

Can anyone attest to shock loss that was in an area not touched upon after having surgery? I had a small procedure that focused on the frontal third of my scalp. Months after the procedure I noticed thinning in my crown area that was not evident prior to surgery. I have read that the trauma inflicted upon the scalp can not only affect the donor and recipient zones, but also in areas not touched during the surgery. I'm just curious if anyone else experienced something similar. The thinning that I experienced has not since returned, but doesn't seem to have gotten any worse. Shock loss in the recipient/donor zone is bad enough, not to mention areas of the scalp that are not even part of the surgery.

Thanks for posting this small session. How many grafts were used in each section?

TheBoom, congratulations on your result. Do you have any pictures depicting the result achieved through your first surgery with Rahal?

Are there any before, top-down photos? Without seeing further pictures, it appears he has pretty good hair prior to the surgery. However, 2300 grafts in the temples/hairline seems quite significant.

You should take great consideration in your peers thoughts and concerns. However, it ultimately has to come down to how YOU feel about moving forward. Like any surgery, there are obvious setbacks, but you hope they will lead you to a greater good. How severe does hair loss hamper your life? Are you affected daily? Everyone has different levels of concern regarding their hair loss. Some accept, and others fight back. If hair loss is a severe burden in your life, you're not at all materialistic for wanting to improve your own image and self-esteem. Again, listen to friends and family closely, but you need to make this decision for yourself and no one else.