i'm going to write as little as possible so forgive me for that. i will make up for it in my own way.
i had my hair transplant last february w/ dr pathomvanich and the results are impressive considering my degree of baldness. i made 2 appointments w/ him last year, one for consultation (and if that went well), one for the surgery. my requirement from him were that from a face to face perspective i appear to have hair. in the consultation after 30 seconds of thought and inspection of my head he said he could do that. that's when i committed to the surgery 3 weeks later, after my wife and i toured Thailand.
later in the month the surgery date had to be postponed due to a sunburn i acquired in bali, fortunately he could fit me in a week later so it turned out to be good and provided more time away from home.
the day of surgery i showed up at 9am (i think) and by 10am they put me out w/ sleeping pills. the next thing i know it's all over, transplant completed. i thought everything looked fine and the doctor and staff were there to answer and help me w/ my recuperation plans. i returned to his office 2 days later for a follow-up and the next day it was the long flight back to the USA.
during all the time since i had the procedure i have been following the doctor's orders religiously. i wasn't intending to use minoxidil or finasteride but i did w/in a couple of weeks after my return because the doctor said it would most likely improve my new growth. i am still taking both although there are side effects from the finasteride i do not like. every 3rd day i skip the finasteride just to lessen the side effects. not sure if that's doing anything but i'm doing it for now.
the whole process was (for me) painless but a small inconvenience w/ stitches etc. this inconvenience was soon history and the waiting game began. the waiting game is the hardest part of the process (for me) and i still have a few months before i can return to BKK for my 2nd surgery. it is what it is and by now i am enjoying the fruits of the doctor's and my efforts. it is great to have hair again, much like a wonderful dream. hair isn't that important in the big scheme of things but there is something magical about this technology and it's potential.
i am taking the time to post my experience because others here have done the same and helped me in making this huge decision to go for it. i am not a young guy anymore but the doctor told me many guys do it in their 70's so that was good enough for me. also this site helped immensely so i give back now. i am not censoring my photos because that would detract from the work that was done by dr pathomvanich. why censor? i'm proud i made this decision, it's one of the best decisions i've ever made.
so here are some photos i think will interest some,
1. 2 years before, 2. the day before my HT, 3. HT prep, 4. moments after surgery, 5. in hotel room, 6. swelling during the first week at home, 7. five months after surgery, 8. in august i grow a beard for new potential donor area for #2 HT (to see shape and texture), 9. today 9/30/17