BOW32

On 9/19/2019 at 6:56 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

DAMN 😱 crazy transformation bro

On 9/19/2019 at 11:48 PM, paddyirishman said:

Great result well done and Congratulations. 

........Paddy.....

On 9/20/2019 at 7:59 PM, mohasin said:

looks good but really cant understand why someone needs ht.. my bald so bad lol

On 9/20/2019 at 2:49 AM, LonelyGraft said:

Wow 

 

totally tubular results brah. Hang 10

Thanks for your comments guys, I'm over the moon! 😄

8 minutes ago, transplantedphil said:

Jesus! Your hair is prettier than most of my girlfriends

COngrats!!!!

 

Haha thanks bro! 😂

On 8/13/2019 at 4:04 PM, hairlossPA said:

very natural 

On 8/14/2019 at 8:57 AM, Newby888 said:

Looks perfect. Congrats!

On 8/26/2019 at 12:06 AM, BHRClinic said:

Dear BOW32,

Looking very good considering last pictures were taken around 5,5 months post-op.

If you need anything from us don't hesitate to let us know.

Kind regards,

 

Thanks for your comments everyone! 

6 months! - (a little before) 

Hey guys, 

Update with pics that I took just a day before what would have been the official 6 month mark, date wise.

First 6 are wet, combed back, in front of a window in daylight - then the donor, in the same position (as best I could), and lastly 3 that are wet and combed back, however not directly facing light. 

Things have been progressing well, although its hard to tell when you see yourself day in day out, but I've let my hair grow out over recent weeks, so its feeling as though appearance wise its on the road to reaching the heights of my youth, and its amazing to be able to wear my hair in the same way I did years ago, after having forgotten the styles you can do, and what you could/should look like, after living the last few years compensating with frontal loss.

There are areas further ahead than others, and when dry and not styled, I can notice groups of shorter, finer, baby looking hairs in the hairline, that hopefully will be on their way to thickening and maturing over the coming months, and add to the overall density - maybe those with sharp eyes can see where I mean in the pics. 

I'm over the moon so far, its been a great journey, and already it's turned out to be a decision I am very happy to have made. Happy to answer any questions as always - will stick with monthly updates from now on!  

 

Hi all

Taken a little under 21 weeks, and then just for comparison, one from the day of surgery pre op - both dry, combed back. 

Will update again like normal with all angles and wet at around the 24 week mark, I just wanted to get this in now because I know i won't have too much free time over the next few weeks! 

Cheers 

 

Thanks everyone! Will get some more pics up in the next few weeks 👍

Yep you're right Paddy, good to have others thoughts, because its very easy to get lost in your own little bubble when its your own head you're dealing with 😂

Will update properly later in the month! 

Quick update 20 weeks 

All is going well, and ticking along - I just wanted to get some feedback around the area which I feel is Lagging slightly behind the rest, and see what people’s thoughts are 

Thanks @Gasthoerer 

4 MONTHS 

Hi Everyone, I took some pics literally a few days after the official 4 month mark (date wise) - so week wise it would have been 17.5 weeks post surgery, however just getting round to updating now as I have been away. 

I am very happy with how things are progressing, and if I had a crystal ball, I would have never believed to be where I am at 4 months prior to getting the procedure!

The left hand side has always been the dominant side, I think possibly due to the fact that I don't think too many hairs shed from that area, so the right hand side is lagging a bit behind - there is an area just off the centre point of my hairline, on the right hand side which I'm keeping an eye on as it is the weakest visible part  - (I've attached a zoomed in pic of the area).

With that said I don't want to come across negative in anyway, because I'm really not worrying about it at all, seeing as it was just over 4 months, however I want to document the journey as honestly as possible. I'm no expert, but I'd hypothesise its a result of that area shedding in line with how a transplant usually goes, directly next to an area that hasn't perhaps gone through that process - and the hairs that are there, are very thin and straddly, which are hopefully transplanted grafts waiting to mature as opposed to minaturised hair that was previously there . . fingers crossed a few new sprouts will also be due there over the next few months!  

All wet out of the shower in front of a window during natural daylight, 

 

16 WEEKS/ DAY 112 

 

On 7/9/2019 at 2:36 AM, home1212 said:

I would kill to have your donor! your result is going to look amazing

19 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Damn what a donor! Great results too happy for you man.

Thanks for the comments guys!

@Melvin-Moderator - feel obliged to let you know that reading your story and seeing your unbelievable transformation, along with a few other posters on here, played a fundamental role in making my mind up and committing to the hair transplant route, so keep up the good work, because I'm sure there will be many more hundred and thousands benefitting from it. 
 

18 hours ago, CosmoKramer said:

Hi

Your progress is looking really good.

In my opinion and based on my experience as well as an informative post on here from Dr Bloxham, yes, you may have more new hairs sprout even after 6-months post-op, and at 6 months is really just 50% of growth and around 33% of its maturity.

@CosmoKramer - Thanks for the info man, thats great to here that potentially even after 6 months there could be new hairs to sprout! I find myself irritatingly checking my hair in the mirror now more than ever, because I know that I'm in that period of change/initial growth - I read a posters thread the other day where he described around this time to be constantly scrutinising whether theres still gaps in areas where he thought grafts had been implanted, and whether or not a black dot would appear, and I completely related haha - however gonna cool off for a bit now, and just let it grow, and look forward to the grafts that didn't shed mature, and the baby hairs that have already popped through grow in length and catch up with the rest!     

2 hours ago, vinzaf19 said:

Looks great so far! How is it healing and holding up without using any meds? The long term meds(Finasteride & Minoxidil) can help with ensuring you won’t lose more hairs in the future.

You can bolster it with PRP with Acell and Low-Level laser therapy too, for non medical/non surgical options!

Thanks man! Yea the healing was really smooth - I've seen and read testimonials of guys using minoxidil to help boost early growth and they had great results, but its not a product I've ever used, or that appeals to me. 

I use LLLT every other day, take a heap of vitamins, eat well, and had a few scalp massages (not direct on the recipient area) from month 1 - maybe month 2.5 . . so nothing directly targeting DHT inhibition, however I am fully aware and comfortable with the fact that I will likely lose more ground in years to come, and require further procedures down the line. 

I've taken just now and attached a quick pic of my donor as I feel it looks, and certainly feels untouched at this length - sorry the quality isn't great but hopefully gives a rough idea!    

I would quite like to try PRP, and was originally going to have it on the day of my procedure, however Dr B didn't feel it was necessary in the end. I'l keep my eye out on results on this forum and see whether it it could be an option down the line! 

DAY 105/ 15 WEEKS

-Front on shot is wet and combed back in front of the window,
-The close up is of the right hand side, as this was the area that was worst pre-op, shedded the most, and subsequently lagging a little behind the rest. 

Just a question for anyone who's  undergone a procedure, up until what month can you experience to see new shoots sprout out? Is it a case of all sprouts will be out and popping within the first 6 months, and then its just a case of waiting for them to grow in length and mature, or is it possible to continue to see new sprouts appear further down the line? 

Thanks  
 

Thanks man ! 

Hi Guys, 

Photos from DAY 98/14 WEEKS  

Seeing new sprouts and little hairs growing which is good to see, and already I feel more confident with how my hair is just now, compared to how it was pre op . . despite still being thin and obviously still early on in the whole process, I've noticed in particular this last week that its started sitting in a different, more fuller way, which has given me a great boost, and helped with styling options! 

A few pics wet in front of natural light from a window, and one dry to try and show how it sits! 


 

Some close ups from DAY 84/12 WEEKS

 

Hi guys, quick update - I took this and forgot to upload, it was just under 11 weeks, and I thought I would take advantage of a bright light in my hotel when I was with wet hair but never got round to posting! 

I think I'm a late shedder, as I am still seeing the odd few (what I presume to be transplanted hairs) shedding within the majority of the dry skin flakes I get in the frontal area each day . . maybe Its a result of being too protective of the recipient area, I'm not sure . . therefore because of that I am preparing myself for a longer wait in terms of their regrowth and what will be the end results - thats my logic to it anyway, perhaps anyone with a better understanding will be able to confirm or disprove that trail of thought? 

Other than that all is well, and trying my best to forget I've had it done, and then hopefully one day wake up and be surprised by the results  

 

8 weeks/ DAY 56 

Hey everyone, these were taken straight out of bed on the morning of the 8 week mark. 

Is it obvious to notice shedding? I have continued to shed but only physically notice it when I have looked to pick a bit of dry skin off my recipient area of my hair, when I do so there is usually more times than not a single or couple of hairs lodged within the flake. I'm presuming the rest of the time it occurs is during showering/sleeping/general day to day life, although I have to admit I haven't noticed pretty much any in my hands after washing my hair - I think I'm naturally still being over protective of that area, which is possibly it is taking until now as to why some are only just shedding. Anyway, hope that won't mean I'l have to wait longer to see the results of when they regrow again haha! 

As you can see the right side is more sparse than the left, which is interesting because I think pre op it was the worst side. It has also accentuated the irregular hairline a bit more too, making it look a bit wonky, which led me to reverting back to post op pictures for reassurance the final result won't grow out like that. 

All in all, everything is good, still just a waiting game, and to think that at 2 months you are potentially only 1/6 of the way, the wait sure can be frustrating, but trying hard to not dwell and just remain in the mind-frame of enjoying the journey. 

 

DAY 42 / 6 WEEKS

I'm off work this week so I've had a lot more free time to take more photos this update. It can look really good in some lights, and then thinner in others, so I've tried to be as honest and transparent as possible with them;  

I've attached a mixture of straight out of the shower in natural day light in front of a window, some dry in the same lighting conditions, and then some dry under my bathroom light, so hope thats of use to people - and also one of the donor shaved down to a zero in front of the window too. 

After saying to myself I was just going to leave my hair and not get it cut for a long time, the back and sides were just growing in what felt incredibly thick and bushy, and overall it was looking like it needed a bit of a tidy up, so I opted to go for a low fade blended in with scissors towards the temple area which was transplanted - (I showed my barber a picture of me post op so he was able to see the area that was transplanted, after telling him those areas could only be scissor cut, and he did a great job) and just left the top as it was. 

Shedding wise I feel the right hand side has definitely retained a bit less than the left, however still looks ok and I'm hoping the more my native hair grows in, the more it will conceal any thin areas. 

Today I have also just swapped to using a normal shampoo as well for the first time post op, which is just a tresemme keratin and argan oil one I bought last night, so just to re-cap after discontinuing the clinics shampoos on day 14 - I used a kids mild one from between day 14-until today, washing every other day (the days I use the laser), and from now I will just use normal shampoos. 

Will update again at 8 weeks, and in the mean time will be happy to answer any questions as always!  

 

Thanks for all the comments guys .. i’l make sure to post pictures every 2 weeks up until when it stops being useful for people! 

21 hours ago, purple18 said:

Your graft retention at 28 days is awesome.  Some of the best I have seen.  You might still hit the sheds but a lot of guys at this point are almost back to 0.  This is likely to be an early win.

3 hours ago, RecessionProof said:

Holy hell, really curious if there's a common thread when people manage to avoid shedding or if it's just luck/physiology.

In any case, great hairline design and congrats on all those triples!

Good luck with both your growing Purple and Recessionproof!

DAY 28

Good Morning everyone . . here are some late photos from last week at 4 WEEKS POST OP, taken with wet hair and in front of a window in natural daylight. 

My life has been completely normal since around day 12, other than my hairstyle being somewhat different. After discontinuing the IsoBetadine and mild shampoo provided by the clinic on Day 14, I purchased a kids mild shampoo from a pharmacy, which I have been using every other day up until now. I continued using a laser cap from day 6, and the daily vitamins I take are;

MSM 1334 mg
BIOTIN 10000 mcg
Zinc Complex
Vitamin D3 3000 iu 

I've started to see a bit more sparsity at the front of my hair, so I think its safe to presume the shedding phase is slowly creeping up, however I've been happy with the appearance of my hair up until now, and friends, family and colleagues just presume I fancied a new, low maintenance style. 

All in all I feel great, eager to fast forward a few months, however staying happy and healthy, sleeping and eating lots, and enjoying the ride! 

Edit - Ive added an extra pic front on in normal room light, for comparison. 
 

12 hours ago, garethbale said:

Looks great work mate.  Good luck with everything

I have a similar level of loss to you and one of my worries is hiding a HT from colleagues when I return to work.  However looking at your day 12 pics the work looks virtually undetectable, which gives me confidence that mine might as well.

Thankyou. From day 10 I think it was undetectable for 99% of the population, with only maybe HT surgeons and patients being able to notice something . . in my case I seem to have been fortunate not to have any lingering redness etc. and the donor area combined with the growth of my hair was also undetectable from perhaps day 6. That being said, I'm planning for the shed and potential shock loss in the coming weeks to leave me looking considerably different to where I was before the procedure, in that case it will likely be noticeable for my friends, family and colleagues etc. 

 

11 hours ago, paddyirishman said:

Thank you bow32 for your reply and very well explained answer. You done your homework . Everything you said about Dr. Bisanga I agree with 100%. Its exactly what I found when I decided to really narrow down my potential future HT Doctor.

When I discovered how ethical and caring regarding preserving the doner area along with providing great results I decided to take a closer look.

I travelled to meet Dr. Bisango recently and had a face to face consultation with him . Im very happy I did. 

I am not on any medication myself as I prefer not to. I note you are not on medication either.

I dont understand why some posters are sending you messages about medication. I personally dont agree with it and I know its wrong to do that.

 

 

I note Dr. Bisango is operating out of Athens now.

Did Athens cross your mind instead of Brussels?

You said the Technicans were very friendly and helpful, how many technicans were there for your op?

What did they do?  

Did you find out about their experience prior or during your HT?  How many years were they with the clinic?

Did the Dr place any Grafts?  

Did you decide to go with a manual punch or motorised punch for your op or was this up for consideration?

 

.........Thanks again bow32 

........All the best for now

.................Paddy...........

 

Paddy, when I booked my procedure the clinic in Athens wasn't open, however it seems like a good option to have surgery with the doctor under a different pricing structure. I was mainly aware of two technicians who implanted the grafts for me in the afternoon, they have both been working with the Dr for over 10 years I believe, and one of them before that was working in a different clinic in Cyprus if I remember correctly . . they did all the graft placing. In terms of the equipment used etc. I left all that down to the doctors discretion, the way I see it is that we as patients can read up on 1000's of different arguments on Google surrounding whats best for this and whats best for that etc , however at the end of the day, these guys are the experts in their field, so if you are happy and confident with the choice of Dr you have made, you should equally be happy and confident in the decisions they make regarding your case  - once that is, you are both on the same page after the initial consultation discussing what you are unhappy with, what your goals are, and they have done their analysis' in determining what is possible, ethical and the best course of action. 

All the best 

 

10 hours ago, paddyirishman said:

Best of luck bow32 . That number of grafts in your very frontal hairline should prove an amazing result. You picked a doctor that is very well known for FUE.

I presume you carried out research on other doctors also , why did you eventually choose Dr.Bisanga.? 

How many grafts per CM2 were implanted into your doner?

What type of hair characteristics did Dr.Bisanga say you had?

I WISH YOU WELL AND ALL THE BEST FOR A GREAT RESULT.. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR UPDATES. 

...........THANKS.........

............PADDY............

Thankyou Paddy. First and foremost I was looking for a skilled and ethical surgeon, and Dr Bisanga came highly recommended from multiple sources. Donor management was very important to me, as I am aware that I will be committing to further procedures down the line, and I was impressed with articles I came across specifically relating to the Dr's school of thought re. donor management. And ultimately I saw 3-4 case studies within the past year from the clinic with patients in very similar situations to myself, with great results. I'm not sure of the total area transplanted, so im unable to provide you with grafts per CM2 im afraid, however the frontal hairline has been very densley packed. My hair is classed as medium, medium fine - 60-80 microns. 

9 hours ago, Raphael84 said:

Congratulations. That is going to be one impressive hairline.

1 hour ago, Marco Van Basten said:

That looks great mate

I'm seriously considering Bisinga

Thankyou both 

DAY 12 POST OP 

Pretty much all the scabbing and crusts came off between day 9 - day 11,