baldlivesmatter

No

24 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

where are you guys taking first dates? I hope not 5 star restaurants that would get expensive. I’ve met a lot of dates for coffee or a drink at a dive bar. I’m not wearing a tux lol. Just casual, first dates you’re feeling the person out. 

^^^this guy tinders!

Yeah, not going to Dorsia for a first date with someone I've never met lol.

Thursday is a drink at a local dive bar, Sunday is coffee.

24 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

BLM you’ll be fine, but I’d still use concealer just in case you do take your hat off. Plus, it’s good to casually take it off from time to time just so she knows you’re not hiding anything. I usually just take it off to re-adjust the hat. 

But I am hiding something! lol

Can't use concealer for tomorrow as still within 2 week post surgery window (I know, probably fine--but no way am I gonna risk it).

Will consider concealer for Sunday but tbh, I'd way rather err on the side of caution. Plenty of fish in the sea (especially if the plugs grow in nicely).

2 hours ago, shookwon33 said:

agreed lol. I feel like i wouldn't be able to until like at least 5 months after or something

I'm just gonna wear a hat.

If she asks me to take it off I'll jokingly accuse her of trying to undress me on the first date lol.

Gotta be prepared.

9 hours ago, Yake said:

when I was young around 10 I used to be extremely fat and obsessed with food. I got bullied and body shamed everywhere I went, until after highschool  I decided to do something about it and that's where I started gym I did a lot of cardio sessions because I wanted to look good and fit and l managed to reduce around 35 kg in one year when I was 17, life became so good and my confidence went up high. And after like 2 years I started losing hair I noticed my hairline receding and thereafter it was a complete downfall and after like 5 years I have lost density and I look like a 40 year old man.from my point of view life was really unfair I worked so hard to get into good shape so that I look good and what's unfortunate for me  is that no one from my family is bald or going bald my dad has good hair and same with my brother 

Did you get a transplant? Or are you looking to get one?

Unfortunately the whole: "shave head, get really buff, be a badass" doesn't really work for everyone. 

2 hours ago, Shifty said:

@baldlivesmatter Did you tell either of these girls about the transplant? lol 

Saving that for pillow talk

2 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I can honestly say the hair transplants helped immensely in all facets of my life. 

I think this is an often overlooked point and one worth repeating as I've noticed similar benefits in my professional life. 

I know in another thread you made the comment that people don't think twice about buying a $15-20K car but treat a hair transplant like it's a luxury expense only afforded to rich people, rather than an investment in oneself.

In my case, the confidence I had from my "full head of hair" (largely Dermatch and Toppik smoke and mirrors) allowed me to push much harder during a recent salary negotiation at work because I was confident enough to interview other places and leverage offers against each other. I ended up getting over a 20% raise which more than paid for my procedure. 

If we simply define anything that can or will provide future income as an asset I think there's a strong case to be made for a hair transplant being an investment in an income-generating asset rather than a luxury expense. Not to mention all the other, non-financial benefits that a hair transplant has (e.g., more confidence in social settings, better dating options, etc.)

Rant over.

5 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Looking good dude, honestly your donor is looking pretty good. Obviously, it's a little reddish, but doesn't look horrible like many made it seem. haha my man living the single life like me, bumble, hinge, tinder or all of the above lol.

Haha I bet you're loving that swipe life with your new mop! Better invite Dr. Diep to your wedding lol.

I was going to hold off on dates for a few weeks but this girl matched and opened me on bumble so it wasn't really an option to delay cuz of the 24 hour limit thing.

Feel like these apps would be awful for a NW4+. Whales and single moms only.

Day 12 update Boyos,

Overall I think I'm healing quite well. Still a bit more redness than I would like, especially in the donor, but lessening each day. Been applying the ointment 3x/day (to the donor only) per the post-op instructions,  eating a high protein/high vegetable diet, and taking biotin each day so hoping these are helping. 

Went out today without a hat (not purposefully, just forgot it) and no one seemed to notice/care so I think it's at least passable at this point (i.e., maybe a second glance here and there but not much more than that).

Hoping for big improvements by next Monday when I'm back at the office. Also, have a date Thursday and a really fucking hot date this weekend so big improvements by then would also be very welcome.

Donor (soft lighting)

Donor (harsh lighting)

Recipient

Also, not to completely derail the "your donor is fucked" circle jerk,but I was watching the Wolf of Wall Street this weekend and noticed that Dicaprio's hairline is also asymmetrical despite being his natural hairline.

Further, corroborates Melvin's earlier point (though in a less exaggerated picture).

5 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I can definitely reach out to Dr. Diep, so he can respond. In the meantime, let's show BLM some encouragement. Obviously, being a repair patient already is hard enough.

Guys, at this point we understand some of you don't agree with the harvesting, it's been said over and over again. That's fine, everyone should voice their opinion. However, at this point we should also be saying things like "hope everything turns out well" "happy growing". Aside from the donor harvesting, the work looks clean and refined and based on Dr. Diep's, consistent results, I see no reason why BLM should have to worry especially a few weeks post-op.

Appreciate the response Melvin.

I definitely think hearing Dr. Diep's reasoning would help resolve this discussion. I've also reached out to the clinic via email with a link to this thread so hopefully he can chime in regarding the methodology.

Looks amazing!

Assuming you can pass for late 20's early 30's with that mop.

Keep fighting the good fight!

Anyone have experience using concealer on their donor area post an FUE procedure?

Or similarly on an approximately 1/2 guard buzz cut?

2 hours ago, hairlosscpa said:

I purposely avoid anything in the hairline because I have had scarring experiences in my pre transplant days of applying concealer to my hairline and feeling like having everyone in the world is staring at it...probably because it looked too thick and unnatural. So since then I've been going with the method of less is more in the front.

Agreed!

1 hour ago, nb98 said:

I’m sorry but just using half of your head as a donor blows my mind

Yeah, not sure i'm thrilled about it either...

Alright guys, here are the 8 day post-op pictures. 

At this point, I am allowed to resume normal hair washing.

The donor still looks more red than I would like so I'm hoping this subsides in the next week or so before I return to work. Otherwise, I'll need to try to disguise it with some dermatch. Anyone have any advice on speeding up this process?

I also decided to take some biotin for the next few weeks with the hope that it will help speed up the hair growth.

As a long-term user of concealers I'll say that concealers are great and have been a life-saver for me these last few years!

Here is my process:

1. Apply Dermatch to dry-ish scalp after washing hair

2. Allow hair and Dermatch to fully dry

3. Style and spray a bit of hairspray

4. Sprinkle some Toppik over the thinning area

5. Spray a bit more hairspray to keep the Toppik in place

I find that using the two products together provides a synergistic effect (i.e., one for lessening hair to scalp contrast while the other makes the individual hairs appear thicker).

Obviously this routine is a bit time consuming, but I only wash my hair 2-3 times a week--usually after running or playing basketball so it's really not too bad, and it takes maybe 10-15 min each time. I'll also top up on the Toppik on the off days to keep things looking good.

Takes a while to get a good balance without the concealer being obvious but definitely worth the effort if you can get it right!

Excellent result, patient must be thrilled!

8 hours ago, purple18 said:

I then started to use Minoxidil about 4 weeks post HT.  Once I began to use minoxidil, I noticed that the sexual side effects I attributed to Finasteride ceased, and the past couple weeks I have had even more erectile activity than prior to beginning all of this.

Minoxidil's a vasodilator, so it makes logical sense.  Why is all the talk on this pointing in the direction of ED, but I'm getting a boost?  Experiences?

Hi Purple,

Good question.

Although not a particularly common misconception, the minoxidil is actually supposed to go on your head--not on your dick.

Hope this helps! 

8 minutes ago, Aftermath said:

He’s 100% using concealer these days, I can’t imagine him wanting to use it forever and shaving his head would be been the perfect opportunity to take care of it. He was also wearing a hat for a while before those holiday pics. 

Oh shit, looks like you're right.

Just found his before picture.

Just checked his IG and either way his hair is on point!

I'm not convinced he had a procedure done--changing looks appear to be a combination of styling and/or concealers.

Dude reminds me of the following saying: "Men age like whisky, women age like milk" lol.

52 minutes ago, hairlossPA said:

can anyone comment on, or show studies of the efficacy of finasteride long term? I’ve read sometimes the effect wears off?

 

Im trying to understand if I should be “out of the woods” now or not? I know hairloss is progressive and continues, but surely this has to be a good sign for me?

My understanding is that it doesn't "wear off" per se, but since it doesn't block 100% of DHT you still lose hair over the long term, just at a much reduced rate. The rate of loss depends on the person. 

On 1/5/2019 at 2:24 AM, Raker said:

Fair point & an interesting hairline. 

Yeah, can't say I'd be particularly happy with that dude's hairline if that was from a transplant but definitely proves Melvin's point re: asymmetrical hairlines in the real world.

Jesus fuck! Huge improvement from month 5 to month 6.

You look great!

4 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I feel the same way, honestly I don’t think I’d be where I’m at now if I was still bald. At the time when I barely had any hair left. I just didn’t want to be a cueball. Now I’m amazed at where I am. Granted I still use concealer to look 100%, but having this hair allows it to look 100% natural. I’m also eternally grateful to Dr. Diep, guys chamged my life.

One poster mentioned surgeons only do it for the money, but come on, there’s no way Dr. Hasson doesn’t look at you and feel good about himself. You’re his masterpiece. It’s an accomplishment like a trophy. He’s spent the money you paid for your transplants long ago, but the satisfaction of his work will never go away.

Agree with this.

The docs aren't greedy capitalist pigs trying to make a quick buck.

They want their patients to have good results.

They have a desirable skill set and should be compensated accordingly.

7 minutes ago, Legend007 said:

There was a user on realself that complained about this also .. he was really angry Dr. Diep only harvested one side .. when his hair grew in , one side was always thicker, n the harvested side was thinner .. I think Dr. Diep explained to him he wanted to leave one area alone for future harvesting . So the unharvested side will have less scar tissue which will be better for future transplants .. I personally don’t like this strategy .. but was aware of it , that’s why when I had my surgery , i specifically told the tech n the doctor to spread out my extractions harmoniously throughout my scalp , so there will be no areas of patchiness .... 

.. It’s always best to know about the process and not just let the clinic do whatever they want .. got to let them know how u want things done .. n more than likely they will accommodate u .. but if u don’t know n don’t speak up .. its just another day at the office for them . 

Yeah Legend, I agree--seems like a fairly shitty strategy.

That being said, at this point it is what it is, and given that Dr. Diep is a world-class surgeon I imagine he has thought about this before and has reasons for his harvesting strategy.