champybaby

17 hours ago, HappyMan2021 said:

do you still think about hair transplants in your day to day life? 

While I sincerely appreciate your update, I'm not sure why you are posting updates when your last surgery was over 2 years ago and you have 100% been completely done with your journey for quite some time now.

I think the end-goal for every hair transplant patient should ultimately be to stop thinking about hair transplants, and be able to live a full and productive life free from hair transplant world. 

What I'm doing here, and to answer your question — "do you still think about hair transplants in your day to day life?" — no, I don't. But I do enjoy helping people, like other members have helped me, through their HT journey.

I'm sharing because I know that people on this forum, both newcomers and older timers, wonder what a HT looks like beyond one or two years. Most first-time HT candidates think they just need 1 HT and their done. But the reality, especially for younger people with aggressive hair loss (like myself when I first got mine), is that they will lose more hair and that they will need (or want) another HT. I'm showing what multiple HTs (3) look like over many years.

It looks like you've posted a lot of questions seeking insight/help. I've done the same. We're all trying to help and support each other here. So that's what I'm trying to do. Cheers 🍻

4 hours ago, lakes9925 said:

just wondering did they blind fold you during your surgeries? also were you allowed to speak during your surgeries? 

Heya — No, I wasn't blindfolded. Is that a thing lol?

And yea, there was some talking during the first 15%-20% of the surgery, but generally speaking, you want the doctor and their team to do their thing so I try not to talk a lot. There is a TV in there, though I've never asked for it to be on. I essentially fell asleep for all of my surgeries.

I never associated pain with my surgeries. I don't believe they're painful at all. For me, I find sleeping post-op to be the most difficult, as you need to sleep upright. That's easier for some versus others (like me). Took sleeping pills to help with that. After 10 days, it's just a waiting game for results.

Just an update. Got 4400 FUT in 2012. Got a second* procedure in Nov. 2020 of 2500 (mostly FUT, about 500 FUE) and placed about 1500 in back and 1000 in front. I've been taking meds since my first procedure. I'm legit a hard NW6. Most recent pics below were taken today in HARSH lighting. Hair is very slightly damp. Also filled in FUT line about 4 months after second HT (400 beard). That made a big difference. I can shave it down to a 3. You can see before pics in my signature. First pic is my around 2011. Had a massive black hole in the crown prior to my second procedure.

Dr. K legit changed my life for the better. Just wanted to share some pics because this guy's work is amazing and meant to last.

I'm still losing some hair. Mostly my part line/halo. I imagine I will have another 2 HT in my lifetime, both minor to fill in some spots. Dr. K told me I should have a full head of hair for the rest of my life, as I did "everything right" — thanks to his advice (such as taking meds, doing FUT first). I'm nearly 41. Happy to answer questions. Cheers —

On 1/9/2023 at 1:41 PM, NikosHair said:

@champybaby How is the scar looking now?

Did you experience any improvements in the texture of the scar?

This thread contains some relevant research which may be of interest.

 

I've been shaving my sides w/ a 3 lately. Everyone I know says it looks much better with short sides. Mind you, I've had 2 FUTs.

In terms of texture, I can't really feel a difference. It's mostly a visible thing. Very glad I got the FUT filled in.

Dr. K literally changed my life. Wouldn't be where I am today if it were not for him. In my experience, the 4.5 month mark is when you can start going out without a hat w/ confidence. Just gets better and better from there.

On 10/2/2022 at 6:52 PM, Festa said:

Looks great, was your FUTs closed up with stitches or staples? Before the grafts in the scar the shortest you could cut it was a 4?

The first time, yes, staples. The second time, no, just stitches. Dr. K explained the why to me when I asked, but I can't recall what he said right now. 

3 hours ago, Tiger2050 said:

Have you considered SMP? You would get a nice boost from SMP and it will save you the trouble of having to apply dermmatch all the time. I would give the Xyon finasteride at least a year to make sure you can tolerate it and stabilize your hair loss before depleting the last bit of your remaining donor.

I looked into this. FWIW, this was a convo w/ perhaps the largest contributor of SMP on this forum. He was 50/50 on whether it's worth doing. He also added that SMP to fill areas damages his equipment, which I found surprising. 

Again, this was just a convo I personally had. People should explore do their DD, etc. Just sharing what I learned 😃 

On 1/3/2023 at 6:12 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

I would say I have at least 1300 grafts left in my beard. Maybe 1,000 from my scalp. 

I would NOT shave my head again. It took me 5 months to look some what normal. I’m not placing grafts all over my scalp. Thats the only time I would completely shave. 

It doesn’t look bad when I style it, but when it’s exposed its weak. I think 500 or so grafts would make a huge difference. 

Bro. I bet you could do it w/ 300 grafts. Plug the 200 elsewhere. My crown was a massive black hole and 1500 did the trick. Based on the pic you shared, much of it will come down to the skill of the doctor and how the grafts are angled, imo. If you're open to using a literally dash of XFusion or something, with the 300 grafts, it's look stellar. Real happy for you brother. 

On 1/3/2023 at 12:12 PM, Zoomster said:

Melvin quick question..if you were to have one more pass ..would you fully shave again ? If I were to go again I think I’d do unshaven ..if you’re active in the dating market the ugly duckling phase is rough .this one has been the toughest  ( as a single guy ) ..

This is why I always go in Nov. It's cold, hat season, holidays...just lay low for 3-4 months and you're good to go. 

On 12/31/2022 at 6:23 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

It makes your hair feel thicker. It’s an awesome product, been using it every day. Apply it after a shower, then blow dry and style. It gives hair a lot of volume. 

Thanks. The reality of getting a HT is spending money on all sorts of new products to find what works for you. That's been my experience. Though I'm always interested in trying a new product so I'll check it out.

I really like Harry Tame Cream (soft). It's cheap, but man, is it so much better than similar stuff I've spent $30+ for.

On 12/7/2022 at 11:44 AM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Here’s the sea salt spray

Can you elaborate on the sea salt spray? I've been using a combo of a shine spray + harry's soft taming cream. What does this do? 

Get on fin, oral minox. Start consulting w/ tier 1 surgeons now. You will have a much better picture of when. I don't believe you need to do anything right now but take meds and speak with a tier 1 surgeon. 

If you do opt to do a HT now keep in mind that it's more than likely you will need another one, or two, in the future. HT, the majority of times, is not a one and done thing. If you were like 50 with some hair loss, sure, that could be a one and done. 

On 10/2/2022 at 6:18 PM, HairRun said:

 

@champybaby

So there was only 4 months in between a FUT and then placing beard grafts into that same FUT scar along with the old one? 

Correct; it was maybe 4-5 months, but yes.

On 9/16/2022 at 11:07 AM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Very excited to see how it looks in another year. I’ve found that I can’t even tell where those beard grafts were placed. I get the odd coarse hair here and there but overall it’s undetectable.

Over time, they become less coarse and more in line with your regular hair. That's what I've recently begun to notice.

On 9/16/2022 at 9:20 PM, HelpfulFriend said:

Wow, amazing stuff! Congrats mate, seeing Dr K in November. Nervous but excited.

Just wondering why you had the scars filled in? Were you planning on cutting your hair shorter? Or were they more noticeable than expected?

Cheers

My first run w/ doctor K I was nervous; the second time I was so excited. You're in good hands.

Having two FUTs limited how short I could cut the sides. Since it was the pandemic and wfh and all, I thought I'd knock it out shortly after my second procedure.

On 9/16/2022 at 7:29 PM, webathon said:

Looks good! Just curious, why did you choose FUT over FUE to start?

The widely accepted logic on this forum and among most doctors is that if you want to maximize your donor area, you should opt for FUT, then FUE. Some disagree with this; I do not. I am a NW6. I need all the grafts I can get for my lifetime.

If I was like a NW3 in my 40s, I'd prob opt for FUE.

Amazing results brother. Very happy for you. What's wild is this is beard hair. It really opens up a lot of possibilities for NW6+. The crown will continue to get better. Give it 18 months. I know, sounds crazy, but you'll see.

On 8/7/2022 at 4:23 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

I haven’t tried that, I use redken brews cream, it works good. 

Try this product. Works amazing. I use a little concealer (near part) and some shine spray with it. https://www.harrys.com/en/us/products/taming-cream

Legit looks amazing. If I had the courage like you I'd post a video showing my face.

How good does it feel to be able to style and get ready in five minutes, Melvin? So happy for you.

I don't know where everyone gets their stats. I've had 3x HTs total. I stop meds about a week before surgery. I start them again about 10 days after. I've had nothing but success. Aside, one thing I wish I did a LONG time ago was switch to pill form minox. Such a game changer. I would basically skip the minox routine if I stayed over someone's place. But the pills are so much easier and they're totally effective, if not more effective, imo.

I started at 1.25mg then upped to 2.5mg. I did blood work a few weeks after switching to 2.5mg. That's what I recommend. Being active/healthy helps. Some say it boosts blood pressure, but I saw nothing like that.

To answer your question, you get what you pay for in the HT world. Don't cut corners to save a few bucks and go for a doc who does the work him/herself. Good luck.

On 6/11/2022 at 5:38 AM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Really you noticed growth after 12 months? That’s definitely encouraging to hear. My hairline grew way faster than the crown, I feel like its 40% there currently. I’m 5.5 months. 

After going through it myself, I would tell anyone who had crown work done not to assess final results until 18 months. You'll have a good idea at 12 months, but I really don't think things are final-final until month 18, imo.

On 6/6/2022 at 9:19 AM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Yes, it’s something I’ve tried to do, let me and get a discount code. 

fwiw, I get my meds from Blink Health. Just Google them. They are totally legit, in the US very cheap and they deliver. Highly recommend. I've been using them for nearly two years now.

I thought my crown was done at about 6-7 months and I was happy w/ results. Man, was I wrong. 18 months, imo. And I'm a so-called "fast grower." Looking good, Melvin!

This is perhaps the most watched HT of 2022! You're gonna look sick bro! The donor is looking real good already.

22 hours ago, HairTrippin said:

Did the beard grafts help you camouflage the fut scar more? You obviously know where they were placed, but would the common person be able to tell? Have you thought about smp on the scar 

SMP might be something I consider in the future, when I'm older and perhaps want to keep my hair short. Yes, the beard did help camo the scar. I can't buzz it down to a 1, though I knew that going in.