pbus66

1 year ago to the day, went under the scalpel and have been very happy with my results. Getting compliments on my appearance and hairline both from people who know about my surgery and also from those who don't.

August 28, 8 months post op. Hair continues to fill in and I'm happy with the progress. The untransplanted area is more conspicuous as the front third grows out, which shows progress and at the same time makes me want to work on that area next. My appearance has improved markedly in my opinion and the reception I am getting from friends, family and strangers affirms my decision to have the work done.

June 24 photo, 4 days short of the 6 month mark following surgery. Hair continues to fill in and has really exceeded my expectations so far. Hoping for more results over the next 3-6 months, but so far I'm thrilled. I've been getting compliments on looking younger, although only a few people have noticed my hairline but have not attributed it to a hair transplant; I kept only a very select few people in the loop.

So all of the worry and hand wringing after a long 2-3 months was not necessary. Month 4 is almost in the books, and I'm starting to really see some progress, just like everyone on these blogs said. My hairline is much improved, still quite thin in direct sunlight, but so much better after just 4 months. I can actually wear it so that i need a comb or brush and put some product in it. I feel like time is moving backwards. Where I see thinning, I just think positive thoughts because I know it will fill in over the next 8 months or so. In the past, thinning meant it would only get worse. It's such a cool thing to experience.

So I thought this would be a good time for an update and document with some photos as this is hopefully the jumping off point now that I hit the two month mark this week. Two months have passed, so now it's time for some hair to grow! There has been some activity, some little sprouts coming through the formerly barren soil that was my scalp. There is still some noticeable discoloration to the recipient area, so I'm hopeful that eventually this fades. I have fairly light skin and it gets irritated easily. Fortunately I'm a taller individual so most people aren't looking at me from this angle. I have returned to all my normal exercise activities although I wear a baseball cap in the daytime outdoors to protect the grafts from the sun. The donor area is looking better, but a #2 clip is the shortest I can go without it being very noticeable.

Hello to anyone who is following, so I'm at the 3-4 week period following surgery. Part of me still can't believe I went through with it. All of the things I have read are true. Shedding, almost looking like I did pre surgery etc. Really excited though because I clipped my horseshoe hair and front with a number 2 setting on the clippers and things are looking good. My donor areas don't look that bad any more, they are starting to grow in as the doctor had previously shaved those in for surgery. So I'm almost back to the original status but I can see some transplanted areas that will fill in. Feeling really optimistic as I see what the hairline will be. The best thing is that at a #2 setting on the clippers, I'm almost hiding the donor area, not quite but almost. I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Long way still to go but feeling like the worst may be over almost 4 weeks post surgery. I'll post some pics when I see some positive growth.

I have been concerned about my hair loss since about age 19, and not a day has gone by where I look in the mirror and don't lament my slow progression toward baldness. Since I am now 49, that means 30 years of at least once a day being self conscious about my hair. When I was in my early 30's, I noticed losses accelerating, and so I began taking propecia. At some point though the costs outweighed the benefits and I discontinued use. I had a young family and every dollar counted, so by the age of about 35 I buzzed my hair with clippers and no guard. From time to time I would attempt to grow things out just to see what kind of hairline I had. From my late 30's into my 40's I went with anywhere from a #2 to a #4. My hairdresser (a.k.a. wife at the time) would clip the sides and scissor cut the front. Eventually though as I got into my mid to late 40's I settled on a #1- #2 guard and restarted using rogaine and propecia. It's funny when you are losing your hair you obsess over 1/8" of hair length and examine every angle in the mirror while most people couldn't care less about your hair. But that's the thing, it's you and that's why it matters. I just hated the thought of being described as the balding guy or the thinning hair guy or insert comment about hairloss here guy. So finally this year I had the chance and the will to do something about it. I researched surgeons and went with Dr. Scott Alexander. I was impressed with his support team, the testimonials and results of his procedures. There were specific examples that I saw with hair loss patterns close to mine with impressive results with grafts in the 2500-4000 range. HIs associate Spex encouraged me to perform laxity exercises which I credit to giving me the extra boost in donor area. I emailed and called several times and felt I was receiving prompt and realistic responses. I decided to go for it! On December 28th I had a face to face consult, with surgery scheduled for the 29th. I was nervous about coming from out of state and not having a chance to consult other than photos, emails and phone conversations. But I felt that the evidence weighed in my favor and so I moved forward. The procedure wasn't painless, but my comfort was monitored and my pain was managed. I have posted before pictures and some same day and first week results on my profile. The Doctor did a great job of listening to what I wanted and delivering. I'm happy to say that he implanted over 3100 grafts with some larger 4 and 5 hair units that were used to bulk up the mid and back areas. The hair in the donor area was very useful and coarse according to Dr. Alexander, and he believes that when it all grows in I will be very pleased, so I am optimistic about things at the start. I will keep this updated to track my progress. I am extremely excited and I can't believe I finally did something about my hairloss. Lastly I would like to thank the support staff at Dr. Alexander's office and Spencer (Spex) in prepping me, answering questions and even providing transportation back to my hotel after the procedure, not to mention beautiful accommodations while in Arizona. I feel like there haven't been any surprises because the conversations have been frank and honest. It will take time to ultimately determine my satisfaction, but I am optimistic based on what I see so far.

So it is day 10, January 8th. Redness is gone, lots of crusts which are coming off with neosporin treatment 30 minutes to an hour before shampooing. My daughter commented on how it looks like I have a sh*t load of hair now, which is nice to hear. You know how blunt and honest kids can be! However, concerned and stressing over the donor area scar. Had stitches removed day 7 as per doctor instructions, but a clear line is present on one of the sides of my head. My hair was pretty short going in and they shaved the donor area so I'm hoping (praying) that the line will be less visible by the time I go back to work in 3 days. I know I can grow my hair over the scar but hair takes time to grow! Still very happy with my decision, but not looking forward to the so called 'ugly duckling' phase of shedding all the new transplants, especially since I have to wear the horseshoe area longer to hide any scarring. It's going to be a long 3-4 months I can tell you that. I wish we could fast forward this entire year or at least the first half of it!

I copy pasted the last 3 paragraphs of my profile to start this blog: On December 28th I had a face to face consult, with surgery scheduled for the 29th. I was nervous about coming from out of state and not having a chance to consult other than photos, emails and phone conversations. But I felt that the evidence weighed in my favor and so I moved forward. The procedure wasn't painless, but my comfort was monitored and my pain was managed. I have posted before pictures and some same day and first week results. The Doctor did a great job of listening to what I wanted and delivering. I'm happy to say that he implanted over 3100 grafts with some larger 4 and 5 hair units that were used to bulk up the mid and back areas. The hair in the donor area was very useful and coarse, and Dr. Alexander believes that when it all grows in I will be very pleased, so I am optimistic about things at the start. I will keep this updated to track my progress. I am extremely excited and I can't believe I finally did something about my hairloss. Lastly I would like to thank the support staff at Dr. Alexander's office and Spencer (Spex) in prepping me and answering questions. I feel like there haven't been any surprises because the conversations have been frank and honest.