LaserCap

Meticulous to the core! AND he does his own extractions which is awesome. Most clinics will have someone else other than the doctor do them. A shame. I am aware the Doctor has a new location and, based on the photo of the reception area, I am sure it is amazing and welcoming. I've met with the doctor plenty of times and his work is outrageously good. Nice work Doc!

There can be a HUGE difference between 6-12 months. First, did you do PRP with the procedure? This helps bring the grafts in sooner and can also help reverse the miniaturization of the native hair. Typically, when hair starts coming in, it is NOT the quality of the hair that is in the donor. The hair will be very thin, almost like vellus hair. It is not uncommon for patients to say, "I don't see anything, I just lost all my money." On top of that, not all hair come in at the same time, it can be staggered by several weeks. Then the hair starts maturing and taking on the quality of the hair from where it came from. How many times I have patients call at 12 months to say, "I can see a huge difference." Transplants do not propagate. Where the grafts were placed, that's where you will see new growth. This does not promote growth elsewhere. NOTHING regrows hair. Medical therapy, and I hope you are doing something, (Propecia, Rogaine, Laser and PRP), can help halt or slow the loss and sometimes can help enhance the hair that is dissipating and going away. I am under the impression that when patients go through the process, do a procedure and add the meds, they will see very positive results because of the patient is being proactive and doing everything he can. At that point you are really taking advantage of everything available to you. With regards to a 2nd procedure, this can be in the same area or on a different area, (say farther back into the pattern or in the same area to add density). This was and still is, very common in the industry. The universal belief is that grafts compete for blood supply. Some doctors will leave a separation in between grafts to make sure everything survives. Months later, typically 12 for most doctors, you can return and work around the separations and "fill in the gaps." By that time the first round is "in" and can not be damaged. The other reason why you want to wait is to allow the donor to heal before harvesting again. BUT now I have seen techniques that I call 3-dimensional. I think this has to do more with how the incisions in the recipient site are made. Instead of being 1 dimensional, (doing the apertures side by side), now they are done in such a way that the hair shingles and works together to allow for more density. It is now not uncommon to achieve great density with just one procedure, all pending on how many grafts you decide to move forward with. You bring up a good point. If you are completely bald and have nothing, the first procedure, again pending graft numbers, the change will be dramatic. The second, not so much because there is hair there already. Take a ton of photos and put them away. 6 months later do it again, and another set at 12 months. If things go right, you will see the change. If you started with some native hair, you better be on medications because eventually you will lose that hair and will have to return to do another procedure to replace what you just lost and not raising the bar of density.

Keep it up Blake! Nice results, It even seems it has helped you in the front. Impressive when you consider that the most results, in addition to just retaining, are typically seen 1 year after you start taking the medication.

Dr. Arocha has developed advanced techniques that allow for great density in a single procedure. Think of a 3 dimensional drawing. It is truly unbelievable. With regards to the shampoo, and I am very much aware of TSA and their antics, you can use baby shampoo. I am surprised to hear the crusts were up there for 3 weeks. Typically after 7 days you can scrub all that off. I realize how some patients are quite gingerly about this. You've just spent X amount of money and do not want to harm anything. The fact is, grafts are under the skin and you will not harm anything after the 7 days. I am curious, did you do PRP at the time of the procedure? This will typically help reverse the miniaturization of the native hair and will help grafts come in sooner. With regards to Propecia, I have been on it for 20+ years. No issues. And, if you never did experience anything, you never will. Generally, and most believe, that there is more testosterone with the medication than without. When I take it I think of it as a "benefit" to me. If you start thinking negative about it, for whatever reason, something will come up eventually, at which point you will blame the med for whatever you are experiencing.

Melvin, nice video. Well done. It would be nice to know when you started Propecia and if you've done any other medical therapies. Seems you had a lot of miniaturized hair and it is likely that the use of non surgical modalities is contributing to your overall density. I particularly like the staggered hairline, very natural. And, to have a bit of thinning on the hairline, since it is a transition zone, I think also adds to the naturalness. Not sure if you were really a class 6, perhaps a 5+ as there were still remnants of a bridge in the mid-scalp and not too wide a pattern. Regardless, nice work and awesome results.

Every time you have a consultation, ask. How long does it take the hair to start growing. It is typically 3-4 months post op. If it took a week, how come the hair does not start growing right away? Think of a tree. it takes time to root before it gets going. I realize that as soon as the graft is in place, it is in the system, per say. Just semantics.

Not sure, call around. Many offer dermabrasion which involves a skin-resurfacing rotating device to sand out layers of skin. I recall my wife getting this done months apart to remove spots that she got after pregnancy. It was effective. You need to check what it will take to get it done. I am certain they can offer a lot more than just chemical related treatments. Or, perhaps, they can guide you in the right direction.

Must have been very early when I replied to the original post. Inadvertently started writing about SMP. Time will tell, very marginal results. Not sure if this needs to be done at a specific interval, say once every three months and is it done under local?

Nice article. In most recent years I have seen some doctors achieve unbelievable density in just one procedure. It is truly amazing. When I began my career the general thought was that a separation was required in between grafts to allow for grafts survival. They were, and still are, in the belief that grafts compete for blood supply. So, if you think of graft paper, and draw a dot at the end of each square, that would be similar to what was being done. Some do would do a random placing for more naturalness, but the separation would be there. That's why most can not achieve density in a single procedure. This is what a call a 1 dimensional drawing. But most recently I've noticed this changing. I call it three dimensional. Think of a 4 hair graft and placing a 3 hair graft right in front of it so that the hair shingles in such a way that it creates more density. Now, how many grafts? It depends on many factors that have already been outlined. Again, look at results before making any decisions.

I was once offered a job with a company that offered this service exclusively. I was impressed. They were targeting patients that had little to no donor area that anted to have, at least, something that resembled hair and that would frame their face. I think they accomplished that. It is not a tattoo. It is an ink that requires no anesthetic. Since that time, and that has been about 5 years, I've met with a number of doctors that offer the service. It lasts about 3 years and it helps to minimize the contrast of the color of the hair and the color of the scalp. Thus, there can be many different applications. A woman just wanting to minimize contrast behind the hairline, which is typically where they commonly tend to lose hair, an African American that likes to keep his hair short, or the Anglo individual that has no donor left and now wants to address the crown. Where I think it does a nice job is in the donor area. It can help camouflage wide scars in the donor if that's bothersome to the patient. This technique does not help in any way to retain or grow hair or to heal anything. Think of Toppik but a bit more permanent.

First suggestion is go to the dermatologist. I am sure they can discuss a number of alternatives.

Typically, after 7 days, you are asked to scrub the crusts off. Whatever stub came with the graft, will start growing from day one. Whatever the length of the hair is, that will fall off as well. It is not shedding. Once the graft reincorporates into the blood supply, (3-4 months later), the transplanted hair will begin growing. You need to get the crusts off! Not doing so after X amount of time can result in an infection. Get in the showing, let them soak, and scrub. You can resume Rogaine 7 days post op.

I gather that you had some native hair to start with. It would be difficult to tell which hair shed. The difference between the hair in the front and top in comparison to that of the donor area is hair quality. The best hair, with the most thickness, etc...will come from the donor. Hair in front and top is typically a finer, and not as thick. This can be easily seen under magnification. I would encourage you to schedule an appointment with your doctor and ask him to scope the area and take photos. Do the same 6 and 12 months post op. This should give you a decent idea of what is happening. PLEASE continue finasteride and, perhaps, add another modality to the mix.

A couple of things I would like to add....... This technique can be done in a number of ways as there are many systems available. Some dry, some wet, ARTAS, etc. Typically it is not the doctor that does the harvesting. Make sure to ask who specifically will be doing the work, and their qualifications. I am always concerned with ARTAS because it uses a punch greater than a .9mm. This will always leave scarring in the back that looks like honeycomb. Typically .7mm or less is ideal, it leaves an undetectable mark, Again, do your research. Ask for photos of the work.

Typically the best result for a beard transplant is to take the follicles from under the chin. It will be an exact match. The question will be, based on what you've written, if there will be enough to accomplish your goals. Dr. Arocha does tremendous work and has a great deal of experience with beards transplants. I would take a number of photos and send them to him. He is in Houston.