Seesaw

Yes he did all the extractions

I have low platelet count and I tend to bleed easy. Also, the clinic said it was not unusual for patients to bleed easier on the second day of the surgery due to higher levels of stress and exhaustion. They were tiny splashes and didn’t scare me much.

Supposedly yes. That’s why the clinic is now using it, as well as to be able to extract more grafts per day. However, in my first surgery using manual punch, Dr Maras extracted 3130 grafts in two days while in my second surgery using micromotor he extracted 2862, and I was still getting done at 4:00-4:30 pm. I also think there was more caution given to selecting grafts this time as the donor zone is weaker so it might have slowed down the process. The clinic said that using micromotor has not caused any effect on the quality of their results, and I trust them. I just didn’t like the micromotor because of the sound and feeling of something drilling into my head. Also on the second day of surgery, it seemed like I was bleeding a bit more easily (lack of sleep? stress?) and the spin of the motor head was causing some splashing of small spots of blood on my face, hand and phone that I was using while lying on my side and grafts were being extracted above my right ear.

Thanks man. This will hopefully be the final surgery. Few more day of discomfort and pain being traded for decades of satisfaction.

Thank you Melvin! I agree. The hairline alone has made feel much more satisfied and confident. But time to finish the job and maybe shave off another year or two. If I can achieve a result half as good or comparable to yours, I would be ecstatic.

Update: I’m back in Nicosia for my second transplant to cover the half of the balding area that wasn’t tackled in the first round, mainly the crown area. Today Dr Maras and his team managed to extract and plant about 1400 grafts, working from the back of the scalp towards the hairline. The goal is to repeat the same process tomorrow and even patch up the weak areas behind the hairline and the right side of the hairline which I pointed out in my previous posts. Dr. Maras agreed that the hairline doesn’t look optimal and needs further reinforcements for better symmetry, more straightness and a more youthful appearance. I will keep using this thread to provide updates over the coming weeks and months. Here are some of my photos from the last 1-3 months, 16-19 months post first op. You can see the weak areas behind the hairline that need more work. I didn’t ask the clinic for any repair work to be done at their expense because I hesitate to, but there was a post some months ago suggesting that I do that for the hairline. I’ll see how I can subtly and respectfully inquire if they would consider spot repairing the hairline tomorrow. Also one final remark: Dr Maras now uses a micromotor for extractions instead of manual punch. I don’t know if that’s related but the throbbing pain in my donor zone is noticeably more than the first surgery, when manual punch was used.

My plan all along was to do another surgery for the mid-scalp and crown. I haven’t set a date yet but I’m hoping late 2019 or early 2020. As part of that surgery, I’m going to ask for a touch up on the hairline and more grafts on the left side. I don’t know about HDC’s touch up policy. I haven’t asked. I’ll come back and update this thread when I know if they offer free touch up for weak growth areas. For touch up, I’d think 150 grafts would make my hairline straighter and fuller on the left side.

Thanks for the positive feedback. I agree that some asymmetry makes for a natural look but I feel like the asymmetry in my hairline is very noticeable. Then again, it could just be me because I check it every single day and keep comparing sides.

Regardless of the asymmetry between the left and right side, density and hair thickness improved over the last 3 months. The hairline is good and I’m at a much better place than where I was before surgery. There are some weak spots right behind the hairline where you easily see the scalp, and I’m using hair fiber to cover them. It could be that I’ve lost some of the little native hair I had left but it seems to me that some follicles haven’t grown well. These photos are from the last 2-3 weeks, with the last one being taken today, 10.5 months post op. Without bright lighting, my hairline looks good in photos! If I brush my fair forward, I can usually cover the spot right behind hairline.

In the last 3 months since my 7 months post op update, it seemed like hair quality kept improving. The weak spot on my right side which I pointed to in the last update filled in a bit and isn’t much of an issue. I wish my hairline on the right side was a tad lower so that it matches and is more symmetrical to the left side. I understand that surgeons don’t make both sides symmetrical and exactly similar because that looks unnatural, but my hairline leaves another 0.5 centimeters to be desired on the right side. See the photos below from January. If I’m wrong and this looks natural, please let me know so I can have realistic expectations.

I skipped providing a 6 months post op update because I didn't think there was any noticeable improvement from the 5th month. This is the 7 months post op update and there was a bit more growth in the last 2 months. The result so far is acceptable, not a home run or anything exceptional, but I'm satisfied that I have a hairline to frame my face. What bugs me the most is that the hairline on my right side (left in the selfie images) has a weak spot that I have to cover with hair fibers or by brushing the hair towards it. You can see it in the first photo. I don't know if I'm being too picky, but hope it fills in. It just doesn't seem like there are any grafts planted there. The next two photos taken from both sides of the scalp show that the in the frontal third where the grafts were implanted, there are still weak spots, especially behind the left temple. The fourth photo is taken right after brushing my hair and applying hair fibers in the morning. With proper combing/brushing (from back to front) I'm able to cover the weak spots.

I had a similar hair loss pattern to you and I got 3100 grafts planted in my frontal third. I ended up with the same look as yours with some gaps in the hairline, which look more exposed under severe light. I guess that that's what can be expected with 3000 over the frontal third. However, there's obviously a big improvement in your look and it looks like you've got plenty of grafts left in your donor zone for density and lowering the hairline if you choose to.

It’s been 5 months since my hair transplant procedure and, while there’s more growth happening, the rate of growth slowed down a bit. The difference between month 4 and month 5 isn’t as big as the difference between month 3 and month 4. I took 3 pictures during the last day: 1. Leaving my hair grubby on a lazy Sunday morning 2. Wet hair right after showering (Sunday night) 3. On Monday morning, after brushing, and before the application of hair fibers. The hairline itself is coming along nicely. I don’t even apply hair fibers there anymore. I added a photo zoomed in to my hairline. Behind the hairline, in the mid-scalp, there are some obvious weak spots at this stage. Hopefully over the next 2-3 months, they fill in as well as the hairline.

I'm also using Minoxidil. HDC told me that they don't believe PRP helps much and that there is no clinical evidence of its efficiency. I can't really disagree with them as all their patient reviews here seem to show good growth and good recovery without PRP. Plus, where I live in the Seattle metro area, PRP is very expensive, on the order of $500 per treatment with a minimum of 6 treatments. I'd rather save that $3000 and use it towards my future hair transplants.

Thanks! I seem to be tracking towards a good result but I'm keeping my expectations and excitement in check. Yes the same things happened to me. By 40 days post-op, virtually all my transplanted hairs fell out. If anything, your growth is starting a bit earlier than mine. I didn't notice those little hairs popping out until 50-60 days post op. Your redness seems to have reduced pretty fast compared to mine. Are you using hair fibers or any other product at this time? I was keeping my keeping my hair short and generously applying hair fibers along my new hairline. Now I just quickly apply some to my midscalp and vertex and I don't even stress about the hairline.

Hi Euler, Today is 4 months post-op and here is a photo to show where my growth stands. The hairline is starting to shape and that is certainly making a difference in my appearance. In the midscalp, behind the hairline, density isn’t there yet, but it seems the growth is where it should be at 4 months. The hard period seems to be behind me. You’re right, it’s the toughest between month 1 and month 3.

Hello, Yes, this first transplant covers half the balding area. You can see in the photo above taken directly over my head while I'm sitting at the kitchen table that this transplant does not cover the crown. HDC did advise that I would need a second surgery. They estimate that I need 5500-6000 grafts to cover the whole area which cannot be done in one surgery (Turkish clinics being an exception). If the result from this one turns out well, then I will get my second surgery done in summer or fall 2019, as they recommended a minimum of 15-18 months between surgeries.

What a terrific result!! Amazing density.

Thanks, I hope so. Yes I'm still using minoxidil, twice a day.

A little bit of growth between the 2nd and the 3rd month post-op, mainly along the hairline.

You're right! Maras's hairline stagger really does make for a natural look and I would much prefer it over a straight hairline. I also wondered why other surgeons don't often use this design.

Yes if you're willing to wait till September, you'll be able to book a flight under $1000. Have you made any travel arrangement yet? Seems like ForgotPassword offered to help you book your flights. My progress is going well, as well as I could hope for 2 months post-op. There is some minuscule growth especially along the new hairline. I haven't been thinking about it much, and I have been using hair fibers to give a fuller/thicker appearance for my hair.

Try British Airways or Lufthansa. I know for sure they fly to Cyprus. Aeroflot might be a third option.

Yes figuring out the downtime from work is definitely an important decision. I would say at minimum, you have to allow for a week to 10 days. Considering that you have a big trip which will take nearly a day each way, one (or two?) day(s) for surgery, and 3-5 days for recovery and waiting for swelling to resolve and your scalp to get some healing done. Given that you own your business, I’m guessing time off from work should not be a big deal. I took two weeks off and when I came back to work I fully rested and showed no sign of surgery (except for the shedding that followed). Like I said in my earlier post, the best way to pay is with a credit card, provided you have one with a high credit limit. That way you don’t have to worry about carrying cash and you would earn a good amount of rewards considering the 5-figure amount you’re spending. You can use your credit card to pay the deposit online as well. I did not solicit any help in booking my flights, as I’m pretty comfortable with booking my own flight. I would recommend you check Expedia.com if you wanted to give it a crack on your own. All you have to do is put in your origin, destination, and travel dates and you’ll get plenty of options to select from.

Yeah I can relate to feeling a bit nervous prior to such a big trip. I think the nervousness will ease up and you’ll be really excited once you start your trip. If you’re nervous because it’s a long flight and you’ve never been outside the US, I understand your nervousness. But you’ll likely enjoy being a new country. Cypriots are hospitable and friendly, given that tourism is a big part of their economy, and you will feel welcomed. Stores usually have people who speak English and all the folks at HDC all speak English as well. I don’t know when you’re flying but flying during peak travel season in July and August could be expensive. During off-peak season, you’ll able to score tickets below $1000. If you’re flying out of Miami, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of options like British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Air France..., so competition will keep prices reasonable. I would recommend you fly with a European airline, rather than an American if possible, as based on my experience, you get better service. If your son will travel with you, that would be good. As I said in my earlier post, it’s great to have a companion, especially on such a long trip.