Ernie

Hi HLS2015,

Comfortability was about the same w/r/t removing the strip and the sutures post-op. I have very good laxity naturally (didn't do recommended scalp exercises). Back of my head never really felt tight and I expect a small scar again, just like I received in round 1.

In the front, this time around is much easier. More hair to begin with, coupled with less shock loss (due to a smaller graft count).

Very very happy thus far. Looking forward to losing the 24/7 hat in a few months...

^ (Dr. Feller's last post above) ^ -- I'll admit it's nice to read that while I'm 32 days post-op from my second FUT...

Don't hate me everybody, but I really do feel that FUT is still king.

32 days post-op. Not much shock-loss this time around. If you read my first thread (first HT), I had bad bad bad shockloss in round one at 40 days.

Just a quick, very poor quality update here. Proper update in a few days...

AS ALWAYS, I've posted my pre-op (prior to BOTH hair transplants) here as well. Helps for comparisons sake...

Erdogan and Keser. Nobody else. Just my opinion of course.

1. Stay away from dandruff shampoo this early. Stuff is harsh, man. To your question, are you really giving the crusts a good hard circular rub with your fingertips while in the shower? Should come off easily

Because you're limiting your graft potential with FUE alone. That, and the risk of transection is greatly increased. Where as FUT grafts are easily dissected.

 

 

 

Enjoy your 5,000-6,000 graft potential with FUE

 

Where as though who maximize FUT, and finish with FUE end up having 8000-10000 on average

 

 

 

If you do the math, FUE produces more scaring then a fine linear line shown from a FUT procedure. Essentially if you add up all the dots, you have a scar that resembles a baseball on the back of your head.

 

A good FUT surgeon will leave a pencil line on the back of your head that can be easily cut to a #2 guard

Agreed. My FUT scar for #1 was minuscule, and Dr. Rahal said I have another 3000 FUT grafts in the bank still.

Wow. Unbelievable result

If you're interested in FUT (you didn't specifically say you were or weren't), I had a killer FUT result with Dr. Rahal.

Critical day 10 has come and gone.

Today is day 12, the day I've been instructed to get stitches out. Day after tomorrow, day 14, I can let shower water hit my head with gentle rubbing.

Minimal scabbing, minimal redness. Scar healing like it did in round 1 with no issues.

May just let shower hit my recipient area on day 13 however. Feels about that time...

Here's pic from day 11.

I don't understand why would someone choose FUT over FUE. There are plenty of top FUE results better than FUT and carrying that scar for life time doesn't seem logical. But I hope you will be more than pleased with your result at the end.

Stick around a bit, and maybe you'll understand why FUT is better for some of us. Careful, it may even be a better route for you as well. Or maybe it won't :-)

Here's how my scar from round 1 turned out. Pretty good, don't you think?

Wow, Afterparty, you weren't kidding about our similarity! Same doctor 5-days apart, same transplant region, nearly the same graft count, and extremely similar hair color/fineness. It'll be fun to compare our results!

 

Spex, thanks for the pictures! I am a little surprised that Dr. Alexander transplanted around the front patch. He is the expert though and knows best.

Hey Slush, there's a pretty good chance Dr. Alexander transplanted into the patch as well, especially if it is/was miniaturizing. And quite often the frontal tuft IS miniaturizing - it certainly was in my case

To the OP, good luck!! You're in good hands with Dr. Alexander and Spex

Here are the specifics of my 2nd FUT with Dr. Rahal, which I had done 3 days ago. Previously I had a 3185 FUT to my frontal third with Dr. Rahal in February 2016, when I was 40yo.

3 days ago (age 42yo now -- bday is 2/19/75), I re-addressed the same area to boost my density in the frontal third even further, to almost 70 grafts/cm2 in zone 1 and in the front part of zone 2. (first 2 cm of hairline, sometimes referred to as zone A).

My hair caliber is very fine, and my # of hairs / graft in the donor region (on average) is less than 2 hairs / graft.

So, I have to pack a lot into my frontal third to get the "wow, amazing hairline" look that I'm after. So... round two with Dr. Rahal was 1204 grafts. Here's the breakdown:

1 unit grafts = 305

2 unit grafts = 723

3 unit grafts = 176

4 unit grafts = 0 (none!) :-(

total grafts = 1204

total hairs = 2279

average # of hairs / graft = 1.89 hairs/gr

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I'm waiting on a picture of what my first FUT scar looked like after they completely shaved my head down to a 0 blade. I remember seeing it, and it looked negligible. Waiting on the pic for you guys, nonetheless.

Pics below are labeled according. Pre-op, immediate post op, and the pics I took at home just now, which is "day 3 post-op"

----

For my first procedure, with the dense packing, my swelling was TERRIBLE. And later on down the line, my shockloss was TERRIBLE -- see previous thread (in my signature)

For this 2nd procedure, because only roughly one-third the # of grafts into the same area, and less analgesic injection amounts I think, etc., I have observed ONLY MINIMAL SWELLING in my face. Very happy about that -- wonder if it will translate to lesser amount of shockloss in a month or so??? That'd be awesome of course. Time will tell.

Bottom line -- second time around with FUT has been so, so, so much easier and enjoyable as far as the "post-op aches, hassles, pains" go.

FYI -- my other scars on the back of my head (above the smiley face) are from a bad car accident 10 years ago. Got run over in a crosswalk and the back of my head went into the oncoming car's windshield.

Here's the pics:

Fellas, all 3 of you guys above this post, you've only got one head with one given amount of lifetime donor supply. You might want to better your chances of an agreeable result by searching the FUE doctors recommended on this forum. In fact I just posted on another thread about this.

Think it was titled "best FUE surgeons" or something like that

Add Dr. Lupanzula to that list as well :-)

Just got back to the Rahal guest house after my 2nd FUT with Dr. Rahal.

Roughly 1200 grafts into the same area as before - frontal third around the tuft. Will start a new thread as soon as I get the exact graft count, before pics, immediate-postop pics, etc..

Stay tuned...

Hairhope4real,

This transformation is incredible. Very happy for you.

Lol, what a nightmare. Barbies were probably also the "techs". Bubble gum in your recipient sites

I've got a decent head tan at the moment, and seeing as my hairline is just a bit see-through, my skin/scalp is also quite tan. My upcoming HT is in 10 days.

Is it problematic to have a deep tan where the incisions will be? I.e., tougher skin, more leathery texture, and just not my baseline appearance?

HI vermaj,

You have very thick donor which is great for any future HT work you may or may not need. At 2.5 months you're right where you should be. Nothing to really do/see until months 4-6 (depends on the patient).

Try not to over analyze until you're further along, man. Good luck with the growth!

Nice plan for this guy. His new look suits him. How old was he at the time of surgery?

Any reason you didn't go FUE since you are maintaining your hair really well with propecia? How are you handling the scar? any regrets?

My scar is only detectable at a #3 or lower. I had such a good result w FUT the first time, so I'm going to do it again.

Obvioudly I have no experience with FUE on my head... and I prefer to limit any "unknown" factors that may deter me from getting optimal results.

Hi Kramer, since you asked me directly above, I can tell you that my experience with Rahal for FUT was exceptional. So much so that I'm getting another FUT with him in two weeks, just to make things 'perfect'.

Other FUT guys I like, Konior, Gabel, H&W, Cooley, R. Shapiro, Feller (not sure he's really available anymore??)

Ernie,

 

Thank you for sharing this. However, I feel that the title is a bit deceiving. Given that you reference in the post that you've had 3 hair transplants, I don't think it's fair to say that the reason you have so much more hair than your father is because of finasteride. Frankly, it's because of the hair transplants.

 

Now, how much of your hair is being saved from finasteride is another story. To get a real comparison, we will need to see crown pictures (assuming you haven't had any transplanted hair added there). We will also need to see a picture of your father at the age you are now or at least know your age so we can get an idea whether or not you may be past the hump of significant hair loss.

 

Don't get me wrong....I'm very happy for you and I'm not trying to rain on your parade. But I want our readers to understand that what they are seeing is largely the result of hair transplant surgery, not finasteride.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

I've only had ONE hair transplant, that being to my frontal third. My HT journey is below in my signature

I've always thought of body hair as "filler", for say, the crown or the area between the crown and mid-scalp area