Betterhair

6 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

The fade has been around a lot longer than 3 years. I think you may be referring to an undercut. Which was actually really popular in the 40’s and had a resurgence in 2014. To be honest, the undercut is a classic hairstyle, but it got way too popular and to many men wear the style now. The disconnected undercut I believe is what you’re talking about something like this right ?

Yes, that's it! I see 50 year olds sporting this. The 1940's , interesting.

maybe I should bend the rules a little when my hair comes in and give it a try

I already know I'm an old fart

Okay so this haircut possibly termed "the fade" has been around what 3 years now ?? Anyway, this is obviously just my take and perspective on this but it just doesn't suite us if we are say 30 and up. Sides are buzzed short then you have this plume of overgrown hair on top resembling a peacock mutation of sorts. It definitely suits kids and teenagers because they are goofy but not middle aged men. 

Its amazing how trends are copied and some fall into the realm of copycat just to look cool. This haircut could possibly  be fueling the FUT movement since you can still shave your head in the back with no visible scaring. If you have one of these fades, don't take this post personally but it's not just me that has this viewpoint. 

Yes, I understand that fads come and go but when it comes to how we dress, carry ourselves and what hairstyle we choose, all of the above should be relative and appropriate to our age. With that being said you can obviously do what the heck you want but I personally will not be sporting a child's haircut.

Thoughts ??

Oh yes, I forgot to mention price. Same here , if I opted for FUE I would have shelled out an additional $6-7000 for same results but probably less density. No scar? I don't wear my hair in that ridiculous style most guys are wearing. Why are these middle aged men wearing teenager haircuts. They look ridiculous. Besides, in a year or two I hear long hair with perms are coming back. Then we will all look like women :) I should start a thread on age appropriate haircuts :)

I opted for FUT and here's why:

more density, statistically graft survival better than FUE, maintain thickness in donor region, can opt for FUE later, more precise hair groupings with no papillae damage.

my surgeon made every recipient site and yes , techs did plant , however, some techs are the best in the business because that's what they do. 

The hair transplant industry has become a frenzy leading to both good and horrible clinics so one has to be very careful. Although my surgeon has great reviews and all kinds of awards and qualifications, I will only truly know 8 months from now if I made the right choice. I guess all of us "roll the dice" and sometimes we win , while other times we lose. 

Good luck!!

I really think once you dabble into the psychological aspect of our ht journeys it's obvious to state that many variables play into each other. One can even object or agree to the " looking glass self theory "to some extent in an attempt to understand the dynamics behind our emotions.

i agree that most people will not even notice the changes at this point and with that being said, I can fly under the radar for a few months until the grafts grow.

i guess I just became somewhat paranoid but I'm better now. 

I work inside all day so all is good. 

1 hour ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

For your situation I think Dermmatch may work better, because it will conceal the redness on the scalp. But if I were you I would buy both and try both to compare how they look, that way you're prepared to go in to the office on Monday. Congrats on your recent procedure.

Okay, will do and thanks.

2 hours ago, Bill - Managing Publisher said:

Made2care,

if you are at least 10 days post ok, maybe you can consider trying some concealer such as DermMatch, Toppik, etc.   these concealers can be applied thick or thin and recreate an appearance of hair that suits what you are going for.  I suggest learning more about concealers which I believe may be your best bet here.  

Best wishes,

Bill 

I think you are correct here and another member mentioned styling in a way that's not too noticeable. In 3 days I will be at 1 month post op , so I don't think the hair fibers will cause issues in the recipient site. I will definitely research the hair concealer. 

Thanks for everyone's concern and suggestions. I will take a pic the morning I go back to work and see what you think. 

Cant wait for my new hair to start growing. Patience, lots of patience.

since I'm on here, here is a current pic. I am no combing what little hair I have left forward. I believe if I sprinkle some hair fibers in there and spray with hair spray, it just might work. 

Man, I wish I could have had the crown area done as well but I will have to wait. These procedure's are expensive!!

chow for now

3 hours ago, Gasthoerer said:

FUT or FUE? I assume the first, that is why you wanna keep the hair long, right?

FUT , yes you are correct. Actually the Doc went back and needed more grafts and made an additional incision on my left side. His suturing was amazing, can hardly tell but it's still red from it being just 3 1/2 weeks post op.

i hear long hair with perms are coming back.

14 minutes ago, hairlossPA said:

yeah i was gonna say... nothing like being discrete and wearing fake hair not anywhere close to what your hair was like before lol

Okay, let me "shed" some more info . Prior to the surgery, I did have some hair in the recipient site. Now, instead of that I have no hair and scalp redness. I sure the heck wasn't going to get an elaborate wig which would be very noticeable. Just thinking of a slight weave of sorts connected to my high sides. My hair is medium curly, so it should blend right in. Other option is to comb the sides, and top rear into a trumplike swirl, nobody would notice that :)

i will figure this out but no, I'm not opting for a ridiculous wig. I meant to say weave in the topic line.

From what I've read, the grafts are set 10 days post op. My grafts hairs are already shedding so I think a weave of some kind might have to be the route to go.

3 minutes ago, newpatient99 said:

I'm going to assume a wig could damage the grafts. Do you usually wear caps? Don't know if your co-workers will be suspicious why you're suddenly wearing a cap all the time. 

 

You are willing to put your face on here, maybe you could shave your head and just let people know you had surgery? 

Dress code will not allow caps. I'm not going to shave my head either!

Okay, so I have a long journey ahead of me. 2500 grafts frontal and some of mid region almost a month ago. I go back to work in 2 weeks . I have had quite a bit of shock loss with native hairs and my recipient site is quite pink. Any ideas on how to "hide" this area until the new hairs start growing. I have heard of hair fiber strands but not sure if it will work. Wig??

I will say this, if you have done your research, then it's worth it. 

10 years ago I took the plunge but without doing much research. At that time I thought I chose the correct place and since there was really no reference point to go on , I paid the price. dr Blaine Lehr a dermatologist ( Oklahoma City who no longer performs ht's) was the first online ad that popped up. I had my consultation and everything appeared okay . Since I did not have the knowledge I do today, my questions were limited and vague to say the least. I paid for 2000 grafts and didn't realize until 10 years later that they only transplanted around 700 at the most with only half of those taking. Yes, 10 years later I have another ht this time 2500 and it was like night and day. Your advantage is not only your research but availability to it, with more doctors specializing in the field. 

Getting back to my first experience with dr Lehr. His only activity with me was removing the strip and suturing the incision. Everything else was performed by techs. This 2nd go around, I research relentlessly and found an m.d. That only does hair transplants and actually makes the incisions in the recipient sites himself , which was very impressive. 

Statistically, you are more likely to have undetectable results today, given all the variables available currently as opposed to 10 years ago. 

You will be fine, good luck.

I'm telling from experience. If you find a reputable surgeon, his skills lend itself to a result that you would be looking for. Now, if you were needing a HT from back during the the 1980's, I could not make the same statement. Today's techniques are quite advanced and the artas punch or hand held are very small , therefore undetectable. Now, if you choose the FUT technique, you will have a linear scar on the back and sides.

Find a surgeon that only does HT's,  since they specialize in this field , the HT will not be detectable. I just had a 2500 graft HT with dr Arocha in Houston and he had large before and after photographs displayed in his clinic for me to view. I am confident in 8 months I will have a new hairline that is virtually undetectable. Good luck !

On 3/30/2018 at 2:09 PM, Der3k7 said:

I was planning on getting my 2nd surgery done by Dr. Erdogan but since I have had 1 previous procedure using ARTAS that was unsatisfactory, ASMED said I must fly in to do an in person consultation as pictures are not good enough for Erdogan to determine if I am eligible for a 2nd procedure and estimate number of grafts. Average flight cost is around $2200 from where I live to Istanbul and I would have to do that twice. Once for consultation and once for surgery, adding $4400 to my total cost of surgery.

 

My question is, are there any surgeons local here to the united states that are JUST AS GOOD as Dr. Erdogan? Considering if I stay local in the united states, I wont have to pay nearly as much for transportation, therefore I am willing to pay more per graft if it equals out and I can expect as great quality and aggressive results as I would get from Erdogan.

I just had a 2500 graft procedure in Houston with Dr Arocha. Although I'm 8 months out to see total results, I must say he's good and his procedure was reasonably priced ! 

9 hours ago, newpatient99 said:

Oh ok. So the special shampoo provided wasn't necessary? 

That's correct.

Well, I did send him some pics about 2 weeks post op . We never got on the topic of his shampoo but I remember the techs told me to use baby shampoo. 

Dr Arocha responded to me sending pics 2 weeks post op and emphasized to continue placing the zinc ointment on recipient and donor site. On the recipient site, he told me to use ointment 2 hrs prior to shampooing, then while I'm shampooing, I must use a circular motion to gently remove scabs. As you can see from my previous posting, scabs are gone. 

Hope this helps

Almost 3 weeks post op and my scalp is almost scab free. I have had quite a bit of native hairs fall out around the recipient site but no transplanted hairs have shed yet. Donor scar is healing nicely. Keep telling myself to have patience as I've quite a bit of time in front before I see results.

ist pic is current. No scabs but skin is red. Next pic was about 7 days post op.

I might also mention that my hair is naturally grey and therefore the transplanted hair cannot really be seen.

Well, I'm 10 days post op and my swelling is virtually a thing of the past. The 4th day had the worst swelling for me. Here is a before and after. 

I will also note that I called Dr Arocha's clinic on the 4th day with additional questions and he called me back the same day helping me with those questions. Very professional and stated that" we are here for you" if I had any further concerns. He also assured me that the swelling will lessen and that it's not something to be concerned about.

The first pic is current, next 2 were day 4,5

Okay, it's day 5 post op and my swelling appears to be subsiding but it's still quite profound. My wife is freaking out !! I assured her that it will pass , however it takes time. 

Meanwhile, since I've been home bound I have had time to further research finisteride. Interestingly enough , there have been many lawsuits against Merck for degenerative life changing side effects, some of which Merck denies even exists. 

Anyone bold enough out there to admit they have been taking this drug religiously for many years with little to no side effects and proven hair results they wanted?

13 minutes ago, newpatient99 said:

^

When I spoke with Dr. Arocha's assistants regarding the spray, I was told they carry the spray but only less than 1% of their patients actually use it and it's completely unnecessary which is why they didn't even offer it to me.

Makes sense. 

28 minutes ago, newpatient99 said:

Excuse my ignorance but why couldn't you take the special shampoo with you?

I also had a HT with Dr. Arocha in January. Glad to hear that I wasn't the only one that wasn't offered the spray, however I wasn't even offered the special shampoo lol. When I scheduled my surgery, I was emailed post op instructions that mentioned a post op kit that included a special shampoo and a spray. Right after my surgery, I was still out of it from the meds so I wasn't really in the right mind to ask questions, but the only post op instructions was to not get my hair wet, come back the next day for a check up and to be shown how to wash my hair.

The next day when I came in for the check up, I asked about the shampoo and spray but was told I wouldn't need it and was given ointment to apply to the donor area. When I asked what kind of shampoo should I use, they told me any shampoo was fine. I only used baby shampoo because just about every doctor on this forum recommended it.

I had swelling too, but that was my fault because I would end up sleeping flat on my back in the middle of the night after trying to sleep sitting up. But the swelling went away after a couple of days.

TSA will only allow liquid 3.5 ounces or less. Arocha' post op kit included a very large bottle of special shampoo rinse , therefore could not take it with me. No spray but a good supply( small packets) of ointment. Right after the surgery they rinsed my transplant and donor site since I bled slightly more than average. Their post op instructions were emailed to me a week prior to the surgery. Included were suggestions on rinsing the hair each day paying attention to not scrub . The donor site however can be lathered gently horizontally.  

Im very careful just using a cup to rinse per their instructions. I woke up this morning and my swelling is very bad but I expected it. 

Onto some other info, I'm going to get back on finisteride. I'm really at the stage in my life that I don't want to continue losing hair and this drug is the "gold standard" in preventing hair loss. Arocha also promoted this game plan. 

Well I would take a pic of my swelling and post it but I'm afraid someone will dial 911 for me so I will wait. 

Chow for now everyone:)