ArochaHair

Baby shampoo is great because there are no surprise ingredients to be worried about. Try to avoid specialty shampoos because the thing you want to do is clean your scalp only, not influence it in any way with "oils" or alternative ingredients. Keep it simple and your body will do the rest.

Hi Jttx85, There is some peeling to be expected but this is not so much skin as it can be from the crusts that build up on some patients after a procedure. There are scabs and there are crusts and the crusting is sometimes a clear covering that is the result of clear fluid seepage from the wounds that dries up. This is what causes the "cracks" in the recipient scalps of some patients. I can't be sure if this is what you're referring to or not but you should contact the clinic by phone to get some clarity on this. If the doctor is in surgery then send an email with the question as a follow up. You should also send photos or consider coming into the office if you are near. I hope this helps.

Please start your own thread to announce consultation opportunities for your own doctor.

The ultimate goal of any reputable hair transplant clinic is to deliver a result that looks natural, not just in some situations, but all situations. The use of 5 hair grafts (or more) in some cases is not unheard of as five hair grafts certainly do exist in nature and are more commonly found on patients that have lighter, finer hair such as genetic Northern Europeans. I won't comment on the use of 500 5 hair grafts in a procedure because anything is possible, including finding a patient with an unusually high number of five hair follicular units. But, the practice of making five hair grafts is not unheard of in some clinics as the idea is that this helps to add fullness to the result. However, as I said before the goal is to achieve naturalness in ALL situations, and that includes if the patient wishes to have a very short haircut and in these cases, multi-unit grafts or "MUGS" as they are called today, will leave the patient with a stalky appearance in the recipient area. Will most people notice this? No, but Dr. Arocha feels that naturalness should not be up for compromise under any conditions. By using almost exclusively natural follicular units that can only be harvested using stereo microscopes the patient is not only paying for the hair, they are paying for the work that goes into creating the most natural results possible using human hands.

With all due respect to Speegs, this is not a "hair mill playbook" move as almost all clinics use consultants for helping to educate patients interested in hair restoration. In fact, it is an exception for doctors to perform all of their own consultations, not the rule. There are two schools of thought on the subject. The first is to not have consultants so that the patient is not pressured by a salesman to have a surgery that he or she may not want or need. By this logic we have to assume that all a doctor needs to do is eliminate the consultant position and they get instant credibility. The problem with this logic is that the ultimate financial benefactor of any surgery is the doctor so the financial motivation still exists, but without the consultant, the doctor gets a larger profit as there is one less salary to factor into the equation. The opposing idea is that a consultant helps to take the work load off of the doctor, whose only job is to take care of his or her patient. This allows the doctor to spend more time with the patient or patients and less time trying to sell his or her services to new potential patients. This is the approach we take at Arocha Hair Restoration, as do most Coalition level clinics. In the end, neither approach is bad or good, but having consultants should not be labeled as being a tactic of "hair mills" because this essentially labels most Coalition clinics as being hair mills, and we all know that is not the case.

The worst thing you can do after you have a surgery is assume that any post-surgical treatment is acceptable. Always consult with your clinic before adding anything to your regimen.

Dr. Arocha will be conducting complimentary consultations in the following cities for January. Dallas - January 21 and January 22. Austin - January 29th. San Antonio - January 29th. If you would like to schedule your complimentary consultation with Dr. Arocha and receive your personalized hair restoration treatment plan, please call 713-526-HAIR (4247) or 1-888-723-HAIR (4247).

Two months of minoxidil won't give you visible improvement. You have to give it time. PRP can help too and you sound like you might be a candidate due to the amount of hair you say you have. We find that it works better on patients that have moderate thinning but do not rush into anyone's PRP treatment. It is a very inconsistent procedure with few clinics offering the same version so ask your chosen clinic for examples of their PRP results first if you decide to consider it further.

Working with thinning hair to add density is based solely on the comfort level of the physician. Some prefer to shave the recipient region as they feel they can better see the spaces in between the native hair and this helps to avoid transection. It makes sense, but it also depends on the tools that are being used. If a flat blade is used then there is more surface area on the cutting edge that can easily transect native hairs. There are other clinics that do not feel the need to shave. Dr. Arocha has only shaved a patient's recipient zone one time in his career and that was because the patient asked him to. Dr. Arocha prefers to leave the recipient area native hair longer so that he can get an understanding of how the hair flows and behaves. He does not use blades but instead uses solid core needles which have almost no chance of transecting native hairs unless the incision is made on top of native hair. With proper magnification and of course experience this really isn't a probability that is realistic.

Legally, you do have to be a doctor to perform hair restoration in Turkey, but apparently money talks not only for patients but ministry of health officials as well.

We prefer to refer to his density as that of a beaver pelt;) His hair shaft was not really that thick and was more of an average diameter but the wave certainly adds to any result. "Easy" is subjective as working in the temple region is one of the more difficult regions to deal with as there are varying angles and directions to recreate and mimic. Many clinics will not work in the temples because they haven't the experience to do so safely and naturally.

There are various versions of what "shock loss" means. In your case, I don't think it would necessarily be called shock loss as it is a given that your grafts will shed whereas typical "shock loss" is not guaranteed in every procedure, both the permanent and temporary forms. Your photos indicate a natural progression of shedding after a procedure. Your two week photos show a healthy recovery and the grafts are still in their original position (angle, direction). The four week photo shows that catagen has occurred and the hairs have separated from the follicle and they are in the process of shedding. As they shed they are physically traveling up the shaft canal as they exit the scalp so they logically will become longer, but because they are not anchored they begin to point in varying directions and angles and you will see gaps form in between where once there were hairs exiting. This is the shedding process and it will continue for the next few weeks until all or most of the grafts have shed their hairs. The way you care for your hair will also influence the rate of shed so usually by this time most clinics will have already recommended that you wash your hair thoroughly and vigorously as if you never have had surgery. This helps the hairs that have already separated from the follicle to shed and this keeps the scalp healthy.

Surgery is easy. The wait is what gets you:) Regarding your question, because the hairs are supposed to shed, the scabs falling away can and do take some of the hairs with them. This makes every transplant look thinner than it really is soon after the procedure is completed but hang tight, they will begin to grow in a few months.

It would be a good idea to find a couple of reputable clinics and see if they can give you a thorough hair exam. Photos in poor lighting conditions are one thing but in person evaluation is the final word on the subject. Look to the list of recommended doctors near your area to start.

Happy Holidays to All!

Thanks Shampoo for your kind words and support to the HTN community! SMP is not the same at all providers. We are a BeautyMedical trained facility, employing only BeautyMedical equipment and natural organic pigments. As such, these pigments are metabolized at different rates by different individuals. Hence, you are correct that it will need some maintenance. This is a good thing because if you do not like it, it will eventually fade unlike the permanent inks which may need lasering.

PRP tends to work better on patients that have only the beginnings of visible hair loss so you may be a good candidate for the treatment. We've seen some solid improvements using PRP with ACell and the Angel centrifuge system, which we feel is key to the success of the procedure. You can see what I'm talking about by looking at our PRP gallery. You don't see massive improvements because the improvements are cumulative throughout the scalp for a stronger overall head of hair. http://arochahairrestoration.com/gallery/prp-platelet-rich-plasma/

Most doctors will create an outline for the hairline that is a general reference for the shape of the hairline and for the placement in relation to the various facial features. For instance, doctors will measure the distance from the glabella, the area between your eyebrows, to determine how high or low your hairline should be. They will also measure the sides of your hairline and their distance from the eyebrows. They will combine this with the overall facial structure in creating the hairline plan. The filling of the hairline will involve using single hair grafts for the very front of the hairline and the larger grafts will be placed behind the hairline for more fullness. The grafts are then blended into your existing hair by making the incisions in the same angle and direction as the existing hair so that when the new hair grows it blends with the old hair. In a case like yours many clinics will shave the front of your hair in order to have a more clear field of view in order to avoid damage but doctors like Dr. Arocha do not require such shaving and will still be able to avoid damaging your native hair. Since I did not see the video you are referencing I will generalize why some hairlines look unnatural. Unnatural hairlines can be created by inexperienced doctors and in many cases the hairlines are pluggy in appearance because too many multi-hair grafts have been used. With FUE too many clinics are not using microscopes to refine their grafts so this can lead to the pluggy appearance as well. The straight appearance of some hairlines simply comes down to a lack of artistry. Some doctors have an artistic appreciation and skill while others do not. I wish I could be more specific for you but these are basic answers that hopefully will help you with your research.

Thanks Triple7, We appreciate you taking the time to view and comment on our patient's result. The patient is very happy and pleased with his result!

You have a couple thousand grafts left, so I agree with Peter-from-Farjo, but the blueprint for extraction must be precise and well thought out. You have what appears to be donor thinning and those areas should be left alone in any future procedures or else you'll be in a world of hurt. Your entire donor area, which for FUE is outside of the traditional donor area for FUT, should be utilized to it's maximum potential.

This patient in his late 20’s came to Dr. Arocha with thinning and severe frontal temple recession with some persistence of the anterior forelock. Dr. Arocha and his team performed a 3000 FUT (strip) procedure. The after results were taken one year post-procedure. We originally featured this patient with photographs in the thread below. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/188291-dr-arocha-3000-fut-procedure.html

Hi Gander. I echo what the others have stated about your case in that you need to make sure whomever you trust to give you the best result possible has a lot of experience doing the same for others. The problem with any approach for you is that you are limited by the resources of your donor zone, which is where the hair is coming from to address the areas of loss. In your case, your supply does not meet the demand so that means you just do not have enough hair to address all of your balding areas with a very high density so you have to accept some compromises. There are two schools of thought when it comes to transplanting hair on patients with a lot of loss (like you). You are a NW5A which means you still have some hair across the bridge of your scalp but your crown and the front are essentially bald. You have the option of either going for the biggest session possible to address all areas or to break your pattern of loss into two sections and address each accordingly. If you go for option #1, you're looking at 4000 to 6000 grafts in one procedure and this is using FUT (strip). You'll have enough hair transplanted to give you a strong hairline but one that has natural looking recession and with moderate density. You'll then have lighter coverage for the top and even lighter coverage for the back. Will the coverage or density be enough in any of these areas? it is difficult to say. Option # 2 is to have two sessions. Session #1 is to address the front first as this is going to give you the biggest cosmetic improvement since it is what you see in the mirror and what people around you see when they look at you and talk to you. If that works out well and you're happy you have the option of having a second procedure for the back or to not do anything at all and enjoy your results and improved appearance. Coalition member Dr. Arocha, of Arocha Hair Restoration in Houston, routinely offers consultations in Dallas so if you are in the area then you can meet with him personally for a consultation so you can get a qualified second opinion. In fact, he's in Dallas today so if you call our office today maybe he can see you. If not he'll be back to Dallas again soon. www.arochahairrestoration.com

The last thing you want to do at 4.5 months after a hair transplant is treat any redness with a laser. This could have lasting negative effects on your final result and I find it unfathomable that your hair transplant physician gave the ok for this. This also tells me that your hair transplant physician hasn't explained to you properly the time line for healing so the first thing you should do is contact your physician immediately, tell them about your concerns and inform them of what you've done to your recipient zone with the laser. FYI, different skin tones take different amounts of time to return to normal but in general, the more fair skinned you are the longer it takes to recover 100%. Some very fair skinned patients can take six to ten months to see all redness disappear.

You've not shared any photos of your donor region so it is difficult to say what is possible for you, in the short term and the long term. The donor area determines everything because if you don't have enough donor hair to accomplish your goals then you shouldn't even try. I agree with Spex that about 2500 to 3000 grafts would be a solid estimate to keep in mind but then you do have to figure out if you prefer to have a strip procedure (FUT) or an FUE procedure. Given that you have a shaved head now, and I assume you've got a military background based on your username and like a buzz cut, FUE may be the better option, but this is between you and your doctor. In addition to your surgical option for the frontal zone there is also the option of PRP with ACell for the mid-scalp and crown as this has been shown to help above and beyond what Rogaine and finasteride can accomplish. Since you are in Texas, it is only logical to consider Dr. Arocha. He's based in Houston but routinely conducts consultations in Dallas and Austin and is starting to travel to San Antonio as well. You should contact our office for a no obligation consultation. 713-526-4247.

This patient came to see Dr. Arocha about lowering his hairline slightly and to restore what he felt was a receding hairline back to his original hairline. After lengthy discussions Dr. Arocha determined that the strong family history warranted a hairline reconstruction and temple angle closure. The result shown below is 18 months after his procedure with 1024 grafts via hand held FUE.