ThinninOut23

The only pre-ops I got are gonna be at the beginning of this thread. I need to look through some photos and try and find those pre-ops.

Sorry guys and gals, I got a little behind on the updates as I no longer really think about my hair!! Thanks Dr. Cooley!! I had a strip procedure and I cut my hair down to a number 2 on sides and about an inch on top for all ya'll to see and this is how I tend to wear it now. So everyone who is terrified of the strip procedure should take time to research as much as possible. However, I am a good healer with minimal scarring not to take away from the skill of Dr. Cooley at all. I took these photos outside in very harsh light to try and be as honest and upfront with my results as possible as I hate the "indoor darker lighting" that is used in a lot of after photos. These photos look overly harsh and not what my hair looks like in a normal setting but I am once again going for absolute clarity for anyone looking to make this decision to have this procedure done. I will attach one photo that is from an indoor front hairline shot to compare to the outside shot. Here ya GO! [/img] [/img]

8 MONTH UPDATE!!!! Hey Guys, As I have been trying to do, I am posting some 8 month update photos. I am a little late this time because I honestly don't think about my hair much anymore. I could not be happier with my results and the worry of my thinning hair has truly begun to completely slip my mind these days. I know I still have a ways to go till FULL results but I am so happy and grateful to Dr. Cooley and his staff. As always I tried to take these photos in OVERLY HARSH light to try and show as true and clear a result as I can. In normal lighting my friends make comments about how thick my hair looks compared to what I use to be rocking less than a year ago. I honestly can say I look atlas 5 years younger. Here ya go with some updated pics! Side note, the sides are at a 3.5 buzz cut. [/img] [/img]

7 MONTH UPDATE Afternoon all, Here are my 7 month photos for an update. The progress has been amazing so far and can not wait for the final result in December this year, but I will keep the updates coming monthly. As always I took these in DIRECT sunlight as harsh a condition as I can and one hairline photo in my house in what I would call 'normal" lighting. For your enjoyment here they are!!! Cooley is truly an artist! [/img] [/img]

Hey Bencar, I had a transplant done almost 7 months ago with Dr. Cooley in NC and could not be happier with my results. If you are wanting the hair you had at 16 back those expectations are going to be a little outta the realm of reality. However, good coverage to give back a good cosmetic result is obtainable and I am so happy I moved forward and had the procedure done. I had a FUT and would not take it back no matter what. I look younger and got back the hair I had lost and the self esteem I lost with it. It's a hard thing to take for some folks and I decided to act, and wish I had done it sooner. Use this forum as a research center as I did and do not let location affect your decision. I traveled a long distance for Dr. Cooley to do my procedure. I have many posts on my progress on this forum and feel free to look it up. Feel free to even message and ask members questions you have, it is a great group on this site. Good Luck!

Quick update, traveling for work and a few coworkers I haven't seen in 6months couldn't stop asking about my hair and how young I look now. My thinning in the front aged me beyond my years. I am only 6 months out and can't wait to see the one year result! Thanks to Cooley and The Gang!

Afternoon ALL my HT folks, I wanted to post some 6 month pre-op FUT updates that I had done with Dr. Cooley on 12/8/15. I have tried to keep this as up to date and consistent as possible to try and help out any folks thinking about making a decision on getting a HT. I TOOK THESE IN AS HARSH A LIGHT AS POSSIBLE. In my case that is the Louisiana sun cooking you alive at about 90 with no mercy!! I also took one shot in doors so the difference in lighting on hair density can be shown. I am honestly ecstatic with my results so far as I was blessed, thanks to my mom, with very fine blonde hair. My friends and family at just 6 months can't believe the difference and how much younger I look. I am very open with people about my procedure and if anyone has questions feel free to ask. Cooley is an amazing surgeon, and I owe him and his staff so much thanks. As for the FUT scar it is a non issue, no one can see it. I even try pointing it out to people and they still can't see it. One pic looks like you can see it on the side, but I honestly didn't comb my hair so what ya see is what ya get. Also the sides are a number 2.5 clipper!!!!! I went short and wanted to see what I can get away with for you guys who are looking at FUT. However, I am a good healer and have always been that way with cuts, scraps and surgical procedures. Now Pictures!!!! [/img] [/img] [/img] Thanks so much, G

Yeah, the waiting is the worst part, but it WILL come!!!! I try not to think about it and just really remember it when my calendar goes off to put up a new update. These forums are the best place to see real results and help guide people's choices. I wanted to give back to the community that helped me so much with my decision on which HT doctor. Hopefully my posts can help someone else who is struggling with hair loss and what to do about it.

I understand where you are coming from my man. I am 30 and just had my first HT, and I can honestly say I could not be happier that I did it! It takes time and I am just 5 months post op. I already have more hair than I did when I was in my early 20's. Do ALOT of research and make a choice from who you feel is best and this site as a resource. Feel free to look at my posts on here, I have a lot of pics and update photos with my progress. It is your decision and a very important one. You only get one chance to live, so do it with confidence!!! Be that bald and proud or a head of transplanted hair! Good luck!

5 MONTH UPDATE! Hey Guys, Here are a few shots at 5 months. I took them in my bathroom that has 4 lights and is pretty harsh environment when it comes to lighting. I wanted to do that to try and get the best representation of how my hair looks currently. Sorry, its messy been out all day today with the yard chores. My FUT strip scar can't been seen even at a number 3 clipper. I will likely go shorter next haircut and post it up!! I think once the last bit of pink is gone, I can go to a number 2 and the scar will still be undetectable. Thanks! [/img] [/img] [/img] Here is a wet shot, with my hair slicked back as a good comparison to my first post op photo to see the change so far in just 5 months!!

5 month update coming soon

Hey JR,Looks like u have quite a few graphs! What was you number break down?

Congrats!! I had a procedure with Dr. Cooley on Dec 8th and am currently about 4.5 months out. You are in great hands I had an FUT as well. Cooley and his staff are a class act and really one of the elite in hair transplantation. So many people worry about the scar with FUT and I can honestly say mine is hard to find now not long post op. My advice is just take it easy for the first couple days, binge watch some Netflix. I have pics posted also on the forum is you look up my user info and thread posts. Good luck, great choice, and happy growing! Be patient with it! Feel free to hit me up if you have any questions.

Thanks so much for the kind words and I will keep a month by month update going forward.

4 MONTH UPDATE! Alright guys, here are a few updated shots at 4 months post op FUT with Dr. Cooley. I have blonde fine hair naturally and the hair growing in as of now is very fine and hard to get great shots of. Here are some status updates for everyone to take a look at. My scar from the FUT is almost undetectable and will likely be completely impossible to find in a few more months. I am planning to buzz my head down to a number 3 all over in a few more weeks and I will post shots then also. I took these in as harsh a light as I could also. [/img] [/img]

Evening Guys, I just had my first procedure with Dr. Cooley on 12/8/15 and he really is in my opinion one of the elites in hair transplantation. It was my first procedure and I left my sutures in for 3 weeks. Figured why not! I am 3 almost 4 months post op and have a lot of small hairs coming in from the transplant already. I believe according to a lot of folks and their timeline I am on the faster end of the hair growth timeline. I can honestly say I did ALOT of research and then I just JUMPED and did the procedure with Cooley! You gotta take action and use this forum as a great wealth of knowledge. My healing process was fast in the donor area. I still have a very thin slightly red line that is improving every week and will soon likely not be noticeable at all. Most folks say 6-8 months for the red in the scar area to go away. Good luck in your procedure!

Yeah, I have a history of hairloss on my mothers side and have been on meds for the past 4-5 years to stop the hairloss as best I can. I am planning to track the progress and pending my results play it as I go. Dr. Cooley placed a lot of grafts within my native hair to help with the possibility of loosing most of it in the future and we did a mature hairline. If needed, I plan to go back for a second procedure in a few years to help stay ahead of the loss if it progresses. Lucky for me the bulk of my hairloss is all frontal and the crown has been stable. Honestly, if the crown thins that will be the last area I would address as I can't see it! haha! Thanks again and I will post some new photos and updates at the 4 month mark!

Just a quick update for those who are searching for advice. My healing appears to be going very well the scar is a very thin red line with hair growing through it already. As soon as the redness goes away I suspect the scar will be a challenge for my barber to find. Taking off and entire month for healing I feel is a great decision for anyone looking to have this procedure done. Happy 2016, and anyone seeking advice and a great HT doc feel free to message me. I will keep everyone updated on my progress. Thanks!

3 weeks out and got my sutures out today by my local physician. He was impressed by the scar and said it is hardly visible. So far so good! Taking one more week off from the gym, which will make it a month with no gym. When I start back I am staying with light weights for the first month back and will slowly work back into heavier lifts. Cheers! G

1's-514 2's-1966 3's-554 4's-360 That is the quick break down, I believe the final count in my chart was slightly different, but that is very close.

I would like to start off by truly thanking all the people of this community and all the information this group has provided for a countless number of folks suffering with hair loss and now a little about me. I am 30 years old and started loosing my hair in my early 20's and thanks to this forum and modern medicine I managed to save a lot of my hair with Propecia and a few other regimented drugs. My primary hairloss is in the frontal region and that will soon be filling in nicely thanks to Dr. Jerry Cooley in NC. Like many young people looking for answers to an age old problem I started with google and found many places to research and learn the options now a days when dealing with hairloss. I floated on this forum and several others for 3 years reading and searching and rereading about every surgeon I could find it seemed. It was thanks to this LONG dedicated research and LOTS of reading that I believe I narrowed my search to one of, if not the finest hair transplant surgeon around. I didn't just read posts and peoples opinions I looked at photo after photo until I almost drove myself mad. After all, letting someone alter your physical appearance for the rest of your life is truly no small choice. Mostly, it was not just the final result and fullness of the transplanted hairs that concerned me but since I decided to go strip I had the donor scar to think about as well. As many know some of the horror stories from strips gone wrong have probably given a lot of folks anxiety about it. So after all the research the calls the asking advice from many, many people I decided to go with Dr. Jerry Cooley and as many of you have known or read he has an amazing reputation and true passion for what he does. He really is a great guy and also I liked the fact that the guy doing my procedure had been in the same position I was putting myself in. There is a comfort in that. My procedure took around 10 hours I would say since I got in around 4-5 movies during the procedure. The strip removal portion I can honestly say I do not remember one bit thanks to a friend of mine named Valium. I laid on my face, passed out, and woke up when they were leaning me back up and flipping me around to start the recipient sites. All in all a easy day for me and a long day for Dr. Cooley and his staff. Dr. Cooley was in the procedure the entire time minus a few short breaks to rest his hand and to let me have some lunch. Brandi and Dr. Cooley are a well oiled machine and all the folks that work with him make the entire operation quit enjoyable.. I am now 11 days out from my procedure with Dr. Cooley and I can honestly say besides sleeping propped up for the first few nights specifically the two nights right after my surgery, the process had been a smooth one. I have not had to take any pain medication and the only thing I can say I still feel today is a slight bit of tension in the back of my head, but after having a strip of your scalp cut out and closed up, I don't consider that odd. Dr. Cooley and his staff did VERY clean work and besides the redness not a soul would have noticed the work. Now, I do tend to go above and beyond anytime I do anything so for sleeping at night I bought a soft neck brace and slept in it to keep my head upright and lessen the odds I fell asleep and wacked my head. The neck brace along with a recliner and a few pillows made the sleeping not all that terrible for the first two nights and a couple tylenol PM. I had some slight swelling in my forehead and on the bridge of my nose that lasted maybe 2 days and went away but this swelling was still very slight. I also opted to go back to Dr. Cooley's office for a 1 week follow up to have them wash my hair and I am glad I did cause I would have never scrubbed my head as hard as they did for fear of knocking out a graft just from my own paranoia. Today as I write this, my recipient site is only slightly red and that is almost completely gone at this point. My girlfriend also states that finding the incision to place the cream on it for post op care would be almost impossible if it wasn't for the sutures she could see and feel to find it. I will be posting some photos shortly as I am writing this before I head out to the girlfriend's company christmas party. If anyone has any questions feels free to message me and asking anything you would like. If your hairloss is bothering you and you just aren't sure where to turn this community is filled with amazing people to help you along the way. I can only say I wish I had pulled the trigger on getting my hair fixed so much sooner. And now....I begin the waiting game! Thanks, G oh, and my graft count was around 3300!