UKLad81

You did see me but you just don't remember! I have been in surgery daily! The itchy feeling can be the dermatitis or it can be the nerves coming "alive". The crawly feeling is just that. The hair cut looks great in my opinion as well! The shedding will stop! It is so random that we don't really know why it occasionally happens. You may want to alternate shampoos. I like to tell everyone that these shampoos are really scalp treatments so put them on sparingly, leave on for 5 minutes lather then rinse then use whatever other shampoo you like. Keep us posted!

Thanks Aileene! Appreciate the support and positive words! And you're probably right, i don't remember at all.

uklad81...thanks for the pics of the scar line...Do you feel any raised keloid scar feeling when you run across the line at some points...? I think you will have a good result....I dont take propecia due to sexual side effects, but i apply topical finansteride to my crown only..I take biotin and i also add in MSM like you from time to time .The wait time is prob gonna be your frustration....i started seeing hairs at 3 months and started thickening every month after until about month 7 or 8 when what you see is what you get.....

Nope don't feel any raised areas along the incision. Apart from certain areas being more red, the incision looks pretty good at 4 weeks.

Well today marks Day 29 post op. I would say at least 90% of the grafts have fallen out and seems to be slowing down now! Probably back to where i started. Hairs are still falling out in the donor area and am hoping that it stops very soon.

Still feel some numbness particularly in the mid scalp area.

The incision is healing pretty well, with the right side healing faster than the left. The left side was a little more red and since last week I've been applying Bio-Oil every night (recommended by Dr.Cooley). My brother tells me that the back is harder to find which is great to hear.

@forgotpassword: Hey buddy, things are going as expected. Flight home was very comfortable. Paid a little extra and upgraded to business. Hope all is going well with you!

Add a little toppik to the mid scalp area buddy and it will disappear. Has that recently thinned?

This is probably the hardest time, get through the next few weeks and fingers crossed the magic should start!

Are you taking any meds / vitamins? I know you are taking the Help Hair shake.

Did you even have any work done?? Everything looks really good and the hair cut makes it even better. Glad to hear the incision is a non-issue as i know this was of concern for you.

Its probably a little too soon but how does the incision area feel now that you have the sutures out? You'll probably feel the difference when you go to sleep tonight. All in all, the incision looks very similar to mine!

Looks like you've shed most of the grafts as well? Is the shed over for you?

You taking any meds / vitamins?

Day 24 Post Op Update

As previously mentioned the shedding started around Day 17 and still continue to shed. Not really worried about the grafts as we all know that these are temporary in the early days. Still a little worried about how many hairs are falling out from the donor area though.

I have noticed that the head is a little itchy both on the scalp and around the incision area. Sometimes, it does feel like something is crawling on the scalp (no its not lice!), is this blood flow or something?

The mid scalp still feels a little numb and small areas of the incision (particularly behind the ears) still feel a little tender. Other than that I still find it hard to believe how painless the whole procedure has been, both on the day and up to today.

Taking MSM daily, Propecia 1mg (Mon/Weds/Fri) and the Help Hair protein shake daily. Run out of the shampoo that Dr Cooley's clinic gave so back to using Alpecin. This is one that is recommended by the clinic and I've also been using it for the last 6 months. Although, I might change the shampoo due to a slight 'dry scalp' which Dr.Cooley advises as being dermatitis.

I've also had a hair cut today - a low #2 and the hair dresser did a great job - well I think so anyway!

I've attached some photos both of how it looks today and how it looked a couple of weeks ago and the donor area following the hair cut. I also received from photos from Dr.Cooley of how things looked immediately post op, again I have attached them.

@dboy318, I've attached pictures of the incision as requested. Hopefully, they help. Its hard when you doing it yourself.

@arussell, thanks for your detailed response. Appreciate you cant describe everything that Dr.Cooley does but I think this should give everyone that reads your reply an idea about the process. Btw, I can't believe I didn't get to see you when I was there!

@jcs87, thanks mate. Appreciate the positive words!

Again any feedback, would be appreciated!

Happy you stayed back a few days to get the daily washes

You'll be at peace once the sutures get removed; you should feel no pain at all.. the worst is all in your head.. if it does hurt then whomever is removing them is doing them wrong!

Completely right buddy, i had the sutures out last Thursday at my local GP. She was a little rough to say the least and certain areas did hurt. The incision did look a little red after but has calmed down since then. I'll try and get some photos up for opinions.

Shedding also started last Thursday, which was expected. What's worrying me is the amount of hairs coming out of the donor area. That's something I didn't expect as my donor area was pretty strong. Still remaining calm and just need to ride out the next couple of months.

Thinking of getting my hair cut later this week. What do people normally get on the back and sides for a first hair cut post HT?

Wanted to drop a quick line:

Dr Cooley emailed me on his day off calming my fears. I wanted to emphasize that he took the time on his precious day off to message me. Dr Cooley and his entire team are a class act; I'm confident that if you are a patient/thinking about being a patient, they will ensure that any questions/concerns you have will be addressed promptly.

I echo the above. Likewise, Dr Cooley has been in touch with me throughout the Xmas period to see how things are going with me and has also answered some of my questions. A class act indeed!

I totally agree with HTREGRETs, your going to be just fine in a month or two. I'm confident that you will look back at this post and think "what was all the fuss about".

Thanks buddy!! To be honest, anything would be an improvement on what I had previously!! But yeah I'm hoping a year from now things look a lot better. I'm already thinking of the next procedure to finish the crown work and maybe add some more density if required.

Dr.Cooley advised that I should wait 3 weeks to get them out. So first week of Jan.

Speaking of which i have attached photos of the incision. Again the first photo (image1.jpg) is what the incision looked like on Day 1 and the second (image2.jpg) is what it looks like today. I'm amazed how the incision has healed so well. I'm still applying the antibiotic cream twice a day.

Again i would really welcome community members for any feedback on the procedure so far!

Finally, Merry Xmas to you all!!

Hope so Buzzbee!

Not really been out to be honest. Worked from home the week I got back. But I do use toppik to conceal the balding areas so I'm hoping that people will not notice much difference other than the hair at the back being longer then normal.

So today marks Day 11 post op. I've had no scabbing or crusting at all. The only slight inconvenience is the incision which feels a little tender in a few places. I have had to take paracetamol a few times before sleeping just to make sleeping a little more comfortable.

I'm also showering as normal but still applying very little pressure in the recipient area. Applying the antibiotic cream twice a day on the incision as advised by Dr.Cooley. Nothing more to report! :confused:

I've attached some photos as the scalp looks today and also a comparison of how it looked on Day 1 to today. Hard to imagine that these will fall out soon!!

Welcome any comments.

Nope no crusting or scabbing whatsoever. The only thing i did have was some white'ish areas after washing which Cooley advised was dead skin. He's asked me to rub these a little harder while in the shower. I did that today and needless to say I was so nervous i might lose some grafts but nothing. I guess being Day 9 post op they probably are in place now.

Are you going to be getting your hair washes done regularly from the clinic? I would recommend you do, certainly for the first few days. It makes things so easy them doing it for you.

Haha, that's Saran Wrap is a pain in the arse but it seems to do the job and definitely helps keep the grafts moist after you spray. I was walking around down town with it on and the cap on but really didn't care what people thought. Even on the flight home i had some awkward stares.

The first few days are annoying especially at night as you got to wake up every two hours but its worth it. I'm still spraying every so often as Cooley said keep doing it until the bottle runs out.

It's sold as MSM under different brands. Often health stores have their own label, for example Holland & Barrett in the UK. I see you're in Germany - if you go into whatever the big German chain health store is, I would almost guarantee that you'll find MSM on the shelves without a problem.

Matt, being someone based in the UK, do you recommend any particular brand?

Congratulations buddy! So glad to hear the procedure went well for you and like me (and others) you had a great experience with Cooley and his wonderful gang! I expected nothing less from him regarding getting those extra grafts.

I know the incision was very important to you and am happy to hear that Cooley was able to accommodate. Would love to see how it looks at some point.

Anyhow, the work as expected looks very clean! Heal well, keep spraying those grafts and don't be too alarmed if you feel absolutely shattered today! Oh and enjoy the hair wash!

You picked one of the best guys in the business buddy!! Things can only get better from now onwards. In a few months I'm certain the hair is going to look awesome. In the interim, try a bit of toppik, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

All the best and i look forward to seeing your progress!

Thank you David. I echo your words the whole experience with Dr.Cooley and his team has been outstanding and he certainly has a passion for ensuring ALL his patients have the best possible results!

Great to hear the use of the ATP spray is giving your clinic good results. Personally i think this has helped tremendously in the whole healing. It's now 7 days and aside from some white'ish areas (which Dr.Cooley advises as being dead skin) the work still looks really clean and healing has been pretty rapid.

As promised here are the graft breakdowns as confirmed by Dr.Cooley:

1's-1383

2's-1953

3's-510

4's-257

Total= 4103

I asked Dr.Cooley to provide me an idea of how the grafts were placed. He was very kind in providing the attached annotated post-op picture, which shows where all the grafts were placed.

One week update to follow!

It's great that you and I had the procedure around the same time, can bounce off of each other, cry about the forthcoming shed etc.

Yes i was advised by Lollie prior to the procedure that Cooley recommends the protein shake so decided to buy a few bags as they seem to be cheaper here than in London. Great to hear you did extra due diligence. It's got a whole load of good vitamins which can only do us good!

Yep, I'm propecia (1mg). Have been on it since Sept. Although started daily, Lollie and Cooley advised to take Mon, Weds & Fri. Which i have been doing. Not sure if it will prevent shock loss but should help in some early growth. Let's hope!!

Charlotte was great, not looking forward to getting back to chilly London and back to the normal work routine!

Thanks UKLad81! Yeah I'm going to wait at least another month if not 2-3+ months before shaving my head (if I even decide to) and even then with a 3-5 guard, so nothing skin deep. Basically I'm taking a super conservative approach to everything.

 

I do get the white look on the grafted areas after a shampoo. I was thrown off by that at first but read it is normal. Once my scalp dries it goes away.

 

As far as showering, I was told by Cooley that after 7 days I could go back to the normal showering of my hair, but in being super conservative, I'm still using a cup to wash my hair and I'm 18 days post-op. I really don't mind it as it only adds a few minutes.

 

Also still spraying but now only 4-6x a day. I'm still even wearing button shirts every day, although with it being winter I want to start wearing sweaters, etc. I know my grafts are safely anchored in at this point, but after years of waiting for this dream procedure, heck I can wait it out:)

 

How's everything going on your end? Any pictures?

That's right i did my first hair wash myself today (last week has been done by the clinic) and noticed the white areas. They did disappear once the scalp dried. Just to be sure I shot an email to Cooley and immediately replied saying 'nothing to worry about'. What a legend!

Wow you are being very careful and good for you! I'm probably going to do the same as well, well at least for another week or so. I'd rather be safer than sorry.

I'm healing pretty well. Heading back to cold London tomorrow after a week in Charlotte.

You can see my thread in my signature. Appreciate any comments / feedback!

Buzzbee this looks great!! I wouldn't even shave it if i were you. Kind of looks pretty 'artistic'.

Question for you, when you did your own washes did you have any white'ish areas?

And how long after your procedure were you able to stand under a shower and shampoo as you would've done prior to the procedure!

Ha, guess the mystery still remains. Yeah, he definitely cares, i think it was like 15 hrs for me.

Looking good, keep us updated.

Thanks buddy! Yep the mystery still does remain.

Do you have a thread about your journey?

Anyone know how to update the name of the thread? Just realised there is a typo!!

Yeah, all in all a pretty painless process if you ask me. Aside from a very long 12 hr uncomfortable day getting needles and holes drilled in your head....i would equate the procedure and recovery aspect to...idk, maybe a very long tattoo session on a painful area of the body??

Haha I wouldn't know what getting a tattoo feels like but i know what you are saying. Looks like you and I had a procedure at the same kind of time, all be it I had FUT and more grafts. My procedure lasted 13.5 hours but I really didn't feel much (could be a contribution of jet lag and the meds) apart from the last hour where the shoulders / neck started aching.

Don't you wish you had a fast forward button now!! :cool:

Day 3 / 4 Post Op Update

To summarise up until now, I have had no swelling (which i am assuming is due to the swelling medication Cooley gives) and no scabbing either. The only pain i have experienced is during the hair wash and only in the donor area where the ladies have had to use a little bit extra pressure to remove the antibiotic cream (again Dr Cooley advises to use this twice a day until the sutures are removed) from the back of my hair. Still spraying the recipient area with the post ATP spray every few hours. Dr Cooley recommends doing this until basically the bottle runs out.

I've attached photos of how the scalp looks pre and post hair washes. I'm still in Charlotte and it really has helped having the clinic clean on a daily basis. Not to mention having them assess the development. Yesterday I had the pleasure of Dr Cooley washing my hair (a bit rough compared to the ladies i had!) but both he and Brandi mentioned that the healing process is as it should be and that the grafts seem to be sticking in well. Which was pleasing to hear. I've also attached some photos of the scar on Day 3.

Any feedback / comments would be greatly appreciated.

Hey Matty, the work looks really clean and aside from slight redness, it just looks like you've had a shorter hair cut.