Slush

The resort was ~$500/night, but Dr. Alexander's office covered it for me. I am not sure if this is something they do just for out-of-state clients or for everyone. It added to my overall comfort level, and I wish I had more time to enjoy it.

I am admittedly struggling with this topic. My doctor strongly advised Propecia. I was adamant about not taking it, but after undergoing the HT and studying more, I am weighing the option. I started Propecia about a week ago, albeit at a much smaller dosage. Many take no more than 0.25mg every other day, or occasionally even less. In any case, to address your question, it's not necessary but strongly encouraged. As my doctor put it, it only has to be taken until the next scientific advance comes. In my mind, hopefully, that is stem cells allowing for unlimited hair follicles. I am 34, so my hope to make my hair a non-issue, without minoxidil or finasteride, was my hope. Now I'm shifting to "preservation" until hopefully I can get to that point. I'm protecting my donor hair the best I can.

Do you plan to have another HT in the future​? Many people have their original scar removed at that point. I don't think I'd touch it now while it's healing. Remember that if you're unhappy the scar can be reworked in the future. The only caveat is that it can never be removed completely, but all of us that have had FUT accept that reality (I admittedly still struggle with it a little). Don't feel overwhelmed or stressed. It is what it is, and your hair covers a lot. I'm eager for mine to have there much coverage.

Is Couvre that you use just a lotion? I stopped at ULTA (first time I've ever said or done that LOL) and looked at their products. They had a lotion/cream, and then a duo of what looked like fibers that are shaken on and then hairsprayed down. The second option seems pretty crazy to me, not only in the work required but the action of application on the lower head. I went with a HT so my hair would be less of a concern. I'm trying to remember this is just short term - while my hair re-grows! I have no intent to mask thinning permanently. For the guys out there who aren't shaven for their FUT, my advice is to just do it, especially if your front hairline is being rebuilt. It helps the ugly duckling phase so much, despite the masking questions. (See my thread in signature for my pics before I shaved.)

I don't know anything about the injections, but I can sense your concern. With a good doctor (and money) it seems a lot can be repaired cosmetically these days. I wish you luck. Deep breaths and stay positive. Educate, don't rush, and find good help.

The help I was looking for was more along the lines of "Couvre would be a better match" or "try the medium brown Dermmatch" or perhaps even "mix the light and medium brown Dermmatch" or ...? I provided the cut length for reference as I knew some would be interested. I had to cut my hair short since I'm just 2+ weeks past my procedure. I haven't cut my hair this short since... Probably 10 years old. Haha! (It looks better than I thought. It's a shame I took that option away with FUT.) I saw reviews on HT threads about Dermmatch being a "miracle". I was hoping for a great masking agent. As you pointed out, it helps but still has a ways to go. I may have expected too much. Do you think Couvre could more effectively hide the evidence of the scar? I don't see this as a permanent option for me, I just want to mask while my hair regrows. Thanks for the help!

Motow, since you're not far behind me you may want to chime in here: Disguising my FUT Scar

Alright guys, see my HT journey thread to see what I have looked like over the past two weeks since my FUT. I decided it was time to shave my head and try to conceal the scar. Reviews and YouTube videos convinced me that Dermmatch was best. This can be an FYI for some, but I also need input. I used light brown. How does it look? My hair guy said it's only obvious if you really LOOK. Can I be confident at work and a Vegas nightclub like this? Would I get a better result with medium brown? With my mixed hair color, I wasn't sure what to get. I'm told that scar line is only so obvious now because it is red and the hair hasn't fully grown back adjacent to it. For those curious, the top is shaved at a #2, the scar area is a fade ~#0.5 (b/w 0-1) and the very bottom is a 0. This makes me hopeful that I can ultimately cut at a #2 without a visibile scar. Note that I am only at Day 16.

It looks great!! How much of the transplanted hair went through a shedding phase?

Donor scar after two weeks. I've applied maderma daily. I'm told it'll be nearly impossible to see after the redness subsides. So far, so good. Grow hair, GROW!

Thanks for that info, Speegs!

I do believe my doctor did a trichophytic closure​. I haven't looked at the scar much because I've been far more obsessive about the transplanted hair and masking the shaved donor area. Haha! After looking at your pics again, I wouldn't worry if I were you. You're zoomed in really closely and it's still not much. I agree with the post above, give it time. Last night I had my gf snap a new pic since this thread made me curious. It's looking good. This is the "worst" of it. Based on what I have seen over the last decade, both of our donor areas look really good.

I am sorry that I cannot answer your questions directly. I will say that it has been a week since I had my stitches removed, and I definitely still feel tightness. I was told to "respect the scar" and not put any unnecessary pressure on it, such as snowboarding or weight lifting. I understand why. Attached are two pics from immediately after my stitches came out. I haven't seen the scar since then, so I'll try to get a new picture or two. I wish I could speak to the apparent increasing size of the scar. It may be just skin settling. I have no expertise to speak to it, but can only give you a recent comparison. I would definitely call your doctor. Good luck

The guy who cuts my hair had his first look at my FUT scar a few days ago. (I had FUT two weeks ago.) He thinks I will ultimately be able to cut at a #2 and not have a problem. I am very hopeful. I needed FUT to maximize donor hair.

I saw Dr. Alexander just before you on 2/22/17. It'll be interesting to see how our recoveries compare. Happy growing!

Day 14 - and the shedding has begun. I was resisting starting minoxidil because new follicles often shed their hair at first. Now that I know I am not a lucky exception and will indeed shed, bring on the minoxidil!

The Biotin is part of a Hair-Skin-Nails supplement from Target. MSM I got from Amazon. It was a top rated 1500mg from a company called Best Naturals. I did see that Costco has both supplements in individual form as well.

Yes. OTC supplements. I take about 3000mg of each per day.

Day 13 and I stayed home sick. Maybe I picked up an Arizona flu bug. I just snapped some pics to look at status. My hair looks awwwwful. I need some help making this look better. I found 4-5 hairs on my cellphone today so I may start shedding soon, but I don't really know. Not this weekend, but the following weekend, I have a trip to Las Vegas with my girlfriend and friends/family. We almost certainly will go to a club, which means no hat. I have an Irish hat (st Patty's) for the rest of the time but I'm stumped on how to make this look better! I think the best option may be to cut all hair really short and just use a cover for the donor line or....? Is this the so-called ugly duckling phase? I definitely underestimated how much this would impact my life. Messy pics attached for update. Great growth but perhaps the beginning of a shed.

I have long been reluctant to take finasteride. After my HT, I am considering it. I don't like the idea of taking anything that impacts hormones, but after much research I have decided to give it a try. I am wondering if there have been any studies, or personal experiences, on minimum effective dose. "The MED is simply the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome and anything BEYOND the MED is wasteful." I am essentially wondering, can I get a significant benefit with a smaller dose. For example, I would be willing to take 0.25mg if it blocks 60% of DHT production over 1.25mg blocking 90%. Does a study exist or does anyone have personal experience with relative effectiveness?

Thanks! So far so good, but I'm only 13 days post op. I am hopeful!

Did it include his supplement list? Oops. Try this one. http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/165223-products-take-post-hair-transplant.html

Very interesting, as the entire body "donor supply" would be over an order of magnitude larger than the head alone. (5M vs 150k follicles) I presume this would be more successful for patients with great similarity between head and body hair. As a Caucasian male for example, I have a huge amount of chest and beard hair but it is black and relatively coarse while my head hair is a fine blonde/light brown. An awkward match for sure. Arm and leg hair, at least in my case, are a better match for color and texture but are even more fine in nature. Perhaps persistent use of minoxidil could help, but it seems BHTs are best as a bulking agent. The question about those using DHT blockers is also extremely valid, as it is stated that a reduction in body hair is a side effect.

Spex has a good article on post-HT recovery. I suggest reading his blog and watching all of his informative videos on YouTube. https://youtu.be/0opDXxppUxs

Do you prefer a punch in the face or an elbow to the gut? ? I agree with Spex, framing the face and setting the hairline was more important. Of course, this was influenced by personal circumstances. My recession in front was not as severe as the crown, so I fixed the hairline first. At least this way photos and taking face to face I'll appear younger.