Rbs

22 hours ago, MazAB said:

Agreed! Any updates would be great😁

On 7/21/2022 at 3:07 AM, bbq111 said:

Hey @Rbs I know you have been busy with life but would love to see the 10 or 12 month update. Thank you!

Sorry guys. WIll do one this weekend.

ALl great. Right side density is a little worrying. I will look for some objective feedback from this group

On 5/16/2022 at 8:38 PM, bbq111 said:

Agree would love an update

On 5/16/2022 at 3:56 PM, SLA said:

Hi @Rbs- How are things progressing?

How is the donor healing?

Sorry for the lack of updates folks, busy with life, work and other stuff!

All good/great on the hair front! The growth is good; low density on right side is slowly getting better....

Donor area healed really really well SLA; I dont see ANY scarring unless I use a macro lens

Will post the 10 month update soon!

On 3/23/2022 at 8:43 PM, MazAB said:

I would ask Eugenix.I do believe they would advise against SMP in most situations. You have plenty of donor my friend. Smp in the donor or any where else is for the dudes that have burned thru all their donor (ie beard, scalp, chest, pubic). Having the donor to spare in your case, fixing the issue instead of masking it makes a ton more sense for you. Talk to Eugenix about it if in a years time, nothing's improved on the donor. Especially if your interested in a refinement session, hold off on SMP altogether.

Thanks, Maza!

35 minutes ago, Zoomster said:

I know it’s not ideal in terms of maintenance but regular 0.5 skin fades solves the donor aesthetics issue ..seems to be the lower half back and sides are the problem ..just buzz them off and blend into the top half ….or marry a hairdresser with barbering skills job done ✅ 😊

Looks great overall though ..happy for you .

Ha ha, true. Heck, even a 1 or 2 does a great job. It's when they get long it looks raggedy...

2 hours ago, MazAB said:

Another approach would be to transplant beard hair back into donor. I spoke with Dr Pradeep about this and they do a lot work with patients on this, and it solves the problem instead of masking it.

See how it progresses and go from there.

Food for thought

Interesting. I do see myself doing a refresher transplant down the line (about 5 years maybe).

SMP shouldnt impact HT in the same area right?

45 minutes ago, Fue3361 said:

I wonder if some conservative micro pigmentation could be done on the donor area, just to make it look a little fuller.

Yeah, I am thinking about it. Will wait for a full 18 months and then decide.

Here's the 8 months update. All good and progressing well. I am extremely happy with the growth so far and density has improved quite a bit. The right side seems thinner (Something that concerned me from Day 1) and will wait till the statutory 18 months before I push the panic button. Of course, the kind folks at Eugenix have been informed as well.

The hairline is still solid; the odd strand here and there gives it a diffused natural look...

Left side and temple are still amazong. Kinda changed my look for the better with that framing and contouring...I believe EVERYONE should go for temple point adjustments. Period.

Donor area is healthy but I am concerned about the patchiness as you can see below. These look like a combination of shock loss (After 8 months??) and diffused hair loss. Hoping Fin has/will help.

Right side / Area of concern. The temple points are fine but the density is still a problem

The biggest update would be the improvement in the crown area! I think Fin effects have kicked in well and truly (Along with other parts of my daily regime) and I couldn't be happier...See for yourself below 4/6/8 month progress...

I started on Fin (1 Mg everyday) post my HT surgery and was initially disappointed by the results (or lack of them)

Till about 6 months (middle pic) I wasn't too impressed but took some pics yesterday(Month 8, right most)and the difference, i feel, is stark!

I strrongly suspect Fin is what contributed to the most, though.

Regime:

Fin 1 Mg per day

Nizoral thrice a week

Pure Argan oil every time after washing hair

Biotin/Zinc Hair Gummies everyday

Collagen 4 times a week

On 3/3/2022 at 4:45 AM, Zinedine said:

Wow!!! Eugenix is rocking! What a result! What a comeback from 3 months to 6 months, home run! 

Incredible result for just 6 months... could your update? Thanks for sharing!!!

On 3/1/2022 at 7:15 AM, Goat said:

update?

 

All good folks except for the relatively low density on my right side. WIll post some pics soon...

+1

Apart from his stellar results; he's super helpful and knowledgeable. Frankly, I thought he was already on that pantheon

Thanks for posting this, Melvin.

For MSM and MAP; would you recommend continuing on the same regimen much after transplant as well? As part of your regular hair care routine?

2 hours ago, SLA said:

Looks AMAZING.

Finasteride can take 6+ months to show any results and sometimes there is shedding that precedes this...so it could actually be a good sign (?).

As for donor shock, I do not have experience, but I am sure other members can comment. Did you ask the clinic?

Your words never cease to bring me joy and hope! Thank you!

6 Month Update

I took a break from overly analyzing and comparing for a few months as I thought that's the best course of action to avoid unncessary stress and anxiety. Which worked really well. Did some travel (finally) and had aa chilled out december.

And...looks like it worked. Here's how the hair looks at 6 months mark!

At this stage, I don't think the hairline crafting skills of Eugenix needs any more praise but whatever you've seen and heard doesn't do justice to actually feeling it on your own head!

Here's the side view which also proves another point TRUST the Dr when they want to do your temple points! The difference is astounding; the way it frames your face and knocks 5 years off!

Now the not so great part and concerns:

1. Right side hairline density is still low. I doubt it's gonna improve much and the disparity will stay. Hopefully, it gets to a stage where I can part on right instead of the left

2. Shock-loss on both sides in donor area is alarming. Looks like there's been no improvement. Is it common for it to last 6 months?

3. Not directly related to surgery but despite 5.5 months of finasteride, not only has there been no improvement in my crown area but looks like it's worsened?

Sorry to hear that man but as most of the replies mention; do not get disheartened. There is no "perfect dose" that has to be ingested for it to work; everyone's body chemistry is unique and what doesn't cause sides is the dose that is perfect for you.

Since you had no issues for a month I'm pretty sure you can rule out nocebo effect and assume that you are facing some sides to fin.

Like suggested here; try the alternate regimes (Microdosing, topical, dut mixed etc) BUT keep a journal (Regime, doses, effects etc recorded) so that you can get to the right mix or dose that works best for you.

Worst case? you have so many success stories without oral fin out here including Melvins

Good luck and happy growing!

6 hours ago, EriGuy said:

I am sure I’m probably being a little paranoid as it is still early but I was wondering are there signs to look out for that would indicate the transplant is not taking. It has been 6 weeks since I had my hair transplant and I know it’s still the ugly duckling phase and I shouldn’t expect to see anything until at least 3 months in but I can’t help but be worried. My donor area has healed very nicely and my scabs all fell off weeks ago in the recipient area. But In the last 2-3 weeks I’ve developed some dandruff and the shedding has hit pretty hard. From what I’ve read this is probably normal but I can’t help but feel nervous. I had some weird skin flakes in the middle front of my head that I was peeling off and I would see hair coming with it which worried me if I was taking out transplanted hairs and damaging the growth. I was told that after 2-3 weeks from procedure that transplanted hairs are firmly rooted and are very difficult to remove but is that true. My head looks bad right now and pretty much how I looked before the procedure. Especially the crown which has not shown almost anything. Am I just over thinking things or is there validity to my concerns. Any help is appreciated.

Hey Man,

As someone who just passed through the ugly duckling phase, let me assure you. You are not unique!

Despite reading about this phase ad nauseum in these forums, I wasn't prepared for how bad it looks! It's s struggle every day to remain calm when you look at your scalp in thee mirror.

And the dandruffy residue with hair on it? Had the same problem and freaked me out. I posted with pics on the forum and also checked with my doctor; completely normal.

Just forgot you had a transplant till Month 4 and continue. You'll be fine. And listen to @Gatsby

I am seriously thinking of starting a "2nd Monthers Anonymous" support group out here

17 hours ago, MazAB said:

It's all going to even out my friend. Progressing nicely! You could probably get away with hair fibers at this point, or just continue with the diffused thinning look. Can't go wrong either way!😉

Not really comfortable with fibers so gonna stuck with this diffused look

Thanks, @MazAB, @Gatsby and @Melvin- Moderator

Your positive feedback is greatly appreciated!

3 Month Update

Will have to be a quick one as I dont have the detailed pics like last time. Looks like things are progressing well. There's definite improvement over Month 2.

Only concern is that the right side is much sparser than the left temple area. Hoping that it will even out in next few months...

Thanks, @JohnAC71! These are the days rife with paranoia for anything scalp/hair related

Folks,

Wondering if this is normal and what this is...

Ive seen for the last few weeks that there are 4-5 hairs a day that shed and has a off white blob like way attached to it. I don't see roots so this seems like it's just shedded hair. I do Nizoral 3 times a week and there is no dandruff.

Pics attached

1 hour ago, Berba11 said:

Yes I did wonder if you were a little sparse on the sides to begin with. Either way it looks quite ok to me!

Would be cool to see how it looks now you've trimmed them down if a picture isn't too much trouble!

sure, here you go!

19 hours ago, MazAB said:

Things are looking great! Scalp condition looks perfect and yes, you are definitely in the growth phase even this early on. The way I remember it explained to me was that each graft will take on a mind of its own. Most graft will shed and go into Telogen phase and rest for up to 100 days, plus or minus. Some will shed but will enter into Catagen phase and start to regrow within a few weeks. Others grafts transplanted will like there new home and never leave the growth phase or Anagen phase and will just continue to grow and thrive moving forward. Great news for you that you have more grafts that never changed out of Anagen, and definitely more hairs in Catagen. This is the best scenario for you as you have basically skipped right over your ugly phase and look completely normal. Essentially you look like a diffused thinner that is gradually getting his hair back. Happy for you brother!

Cheers, brother! Thank you for the reassurance...Your comment (and all other comments) made my day!1

3 hours ago, Berba11 said:

To be hones the back looks fine and will hopefully thicken up a bit more over time. I'd never have noticed without it being pointed out and neither will anyone else.

The side profile is a little more sparse but not unnaturally so. I wouldn't consider it anything to worry about but if it is a bit of shock loss and it recovers over time then happy days! Some creative barber work would probably leave it completely undetectable to 99% of people as it is.

Agreed. However, the sides were a little sparse to begin with. So I am sure that has something to do with it.

On the creative barber work, I did a 3mm fade on the sides 9and sides only...boy, were you right! It looks so much better now

4 hours ago, JohnAC71 said:

Looks to me like your right on the cusp of your grafts about to kick off 👍🏽 

Thanks, john. It makes me super happy to hear that!

31 minutes ago, Berba11 said:

I don't know that there's any particular advantage or disadvantage growth-wise for shedding vs non-shedding. Less shedding has in your case somewhat meant you've skipped over much of the ugly duckling phase though! Things look good at this stage.

Do you have any photos of the donor area?

thanks, man. Here's the donor area(s)