Norman Osborne Waves

On 4/4/2021 at 2:11 AM, Gmoney415 said:

@Skyb @Melvin-Moderator @Norman Osborne Waves 

what's do you guys think ? I know it's only 2 months ? 

I think it looks great!  Your donor area looks untouched.  I think you might still have an ugly duckling phase ahead tho, I can't remember my timelines.  Either way, your end result will look dope.

On Diep's note about no oils for a year, I don't know about you but that was unrealistic for me.  My hair gets super dry and brittle so I had to put some light oils otherwise it looked terrible.  YouTuber Dev Mo talks about it here as well:

YMMV, but I have the same issue as the guy in the video.  Don't worry, using light oils won't hurt your results.  Our needs as black men are different

On 2/11/2021 at 12:46 PM, Norman Osborne Waves said:

I've have a follow up with Diep next month.  It's weird that there's a two month delay even for a virtual follow-up appointment.  

I wanted to touch on something really quick.  Even though I'm happy with my results, I'm disappointed Diep's office hasn't improved their customer service.  My original transplant was in January 2020, my 1 year follow up should've been in January of this year. 

I settled for a mid-March date, mostly because it was virtual and I wasn't really expecting much.  I live on the east coast and the time for the appoint was set for 9 pm EST (6 pm pacific)  I waited for them to call me for the meeting but it didn't happen.  15 minutes go by and I call the office.  They tell me he's running behind on surgery and he'll call in another 15 minutes.  I wait 20 more minutes and call again.  They say sorry and he'll call me at in an hour.  I tell them that that's nearly 11 pm my time and I've already been putting things on hold for this video call.  They say sorry again.  

At this point I have a hunch they're not going to call so I just go about my night.  They never call and my follow-up doesn't happen.  I email them the next day complaining and they say sorry and schedule me for an appoint a MONTH away.  

I just don't get why this is so hard for them.  Just schedule people correctly and manage it.  It's just a video call, I'm not sure why they wouldn't just make the time to call me the next day or even later that week.  I would've been PISSED if I flew all the way out to Los Gatos and had to wait in the lobby for two hours.

Oh well.  Again, I'm happy with the results but its saddens me that they still have issues with customer service.  

On 1/6/2021 at 6:59 PM, krillin said:

Happy New Year brother, looks like you just hit the 1 year mark, congrats! 🎉

Would love to get your final thoughts on the procedure and curious if you noticed any changes the past couple months? Are you planning on re-connecting with Diep for your 1 year post-op?

Hey thanks for the reminder.   I'd add more pics but honestly it looks exactly the same as my last update so I'm assuming I've reached the pinnacle of my growth.

I've have a follow up with Diep next month.  It's weird that there's a two month delay even for a virtual follow-up appointment.  

OVerall, I'm pretty satisfied with the procedure.  I don't notice how bad things were until I look at old photos or my driver's license.  I do wish I could have had more grafts taken out because my donor looks perfect and 500 or more so grafts to fill out the yellow area in this picture would have done wonders.

On 11/24/2020 at 4:31 PM, Norman Osborne Waves said:

So yeah I'll have to keep my hair low but it looks good.  I think I'm a great candidate for a second transplant.  I might consider Turkey this time since it's cheap, I have the donor supply, I don't need much done, and they have good results.

The downside is that I have a second child on the way and there's no optimal timeline to travel and get it done considering all the issues with covid.  I'm still taking Fin, even though I'm not sure it's doing anything.  But I haven't had any sides so that's good.  I might try again in 4-5 years.  Hopefully prices drop and its even easier to get done.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Welcome to the community!  You'll look back at this being one of the best decisions you've ever made.  It does so much for your confidence.

This is a good reminder to update my thread.

3 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Wow that looks incredible, blends in perfectly. I could see how that area could’ve been a source of insecurity. Are you taking anything for the crown like fin or minoxidil?

I take fin 3x a week. Haven’t noticed anything good or bad. I don’t want to take Min because any gains require for you to be on it forever. It also irritates my scalp. 
 

I’ll just keep a low cut  

Been letting my hair grow out a bit more. I could still use some thickness in the mid crown and vertex but that has nothing to do with this transplant. 
 

Here’s a face on pic with the transplanted area circled in yellow. 

13 hours ago, krillin said:

Glad you’re still staying active on the boards and healing/growing well!

I’m especially happy your donor has healed so well, but I wanted to get more details on what exactly you mean by “literally can’t tell at all”. Do you not even notice the scarring yourself anymore when your scalp is exposed (like under certain lighting or how your hair is brushed)? I had a similar procedure (1500 FUE on black/AA hair, except I’m 26) done by Diep but I’m driving myself nuts with my donor. Its improved since looking like Swiss cheese but now (9 months in) it’s still often itchy and I can feel the difference (raised bumps) compared to the untouched top of my head. I know it depends on genetics, but I’m losing hope on any longterm improvements since my understanding is that FUE scars reach their “final” stage quicker than FUT scars. 
 

I figure it’s either like Melvin said and you truly heal like Wolverine or I just need to recalibrate myself on the reality of FUE scarring (ie no more low fades for your boy). 😂

It’s pretty hard for me to tell with my donor. If I get a bald fade you might be able to see some slight scarring if you look close but it’s really not noticeable. I may in fact be a great healer tho. I grew up getting a lot of rough haircuts so my scalp isn’t tender at all. I’ll try to get a real close HD pic next time I get my hair faded that close. 
 

I was getting the occasional ingrown hair in the back of my head but even those have gone away  

On 7/29/2020 at 3:09 AM, jimcraig152 said:

About an hour after I arrived, I finally was able to see Dr. Diep in his office. We had to cover business stuff. I relented on some of my original answers and allowed him to harvest beyond the estimated 2250 grafts (In the end, 87 extra grafts were extracted for a total of 2337 grafts). Honestly, I understand the graft amount is an estimate. But I feel this is some corrupt auto industry-type billing. A trained doctor should be able to give an estimated range to the patient. If under, then the patient should be due some money back. If over, some transparency would go a long way to fostering confidence for the patient to at least know what they are up against. This running up billable hours/events practice is off-putting. I am pretty sure, no one has left Dr. Diep's office with a windfall.

I wouldn't be too alarmed at this.  Unfortunately once you've gotten that far you're all in.  Ironically my graft count came in lower and I got a small refund.

On 7/29/2020 at 3:09 AM, jimcraig152 said:

I'll edit this post with pics shortly. But let me ask for those that have had work done with Dr. Diep, who performed the grafts? Did Dr. Diep do them for you?

• If YES, are you happy with the results?
• If NO, are you happy with the results?

I'm happy with my results.  It's not perfect but that's not because of him, it's because I have additional thinning in my crown due to more diffuse hair loss.  Nobody can see it if I wear my hair low.  My hairline makes me look much younger.  Ultimately that's what the goal was and it worked.

I documented my results in my thread here:  

I will say that I have the benefit of thick curly hair that can mask a lot of thin areas.  So my hairline looks 100% natural.  I've even had friends make remarks such as, "It's unfair you still have your hairline."  lol.  I'm at 10 months, hoping to see some more progress in the next two months.  I know I might now but if this is the end result, I would still say I'm happy.

My only gripes with Diep were scheduling and communication.  I do sometimes wonder if I could have gotten the same result at 1/6th the price in Turkey tho.

On 11/12/2020 at 1:48 PM, Hairgain22 said:

Great transformation mate, you look great!

there’s been a lot of talk about this doc lately, wanted to get your input. How was your overall experience? 

I was reading that all of his donors look like grounded meat, but I can’t see any scarring in your donor area, it looks good.

Also, noticed your before pic one side was receding higher, I’ve got the same thing. Did you need more grafts on that side? 

Yeah I've seen a few threads about him on here.  I won't lie, he uses a higher diameter punch than other places.  My donor looked crazy after the surgery but it's healed 100%.  Literally can't tell at all.

My right temple was receding higher.  I told Diep to put some grafts to fill in that area as well.  So yeah I needed more on the right side.

Donor area looks pretty clean. Look forward to seeing how it progresses 

6 hours ago, Gatsby said:

NOW that looks like one of the most natural results I've seen. Your hair all over looks really balanced and having curly hair is a definite plus. I've just read through your entire thread. The change while in many ways is subtle (compared to say covering a Norwood 6) yet at the same time you really do look ten years younger. BTW have you found the use of finasteride has helped in 'thickening' your hair or halting anymore hair loss? Your crown actually looks pretty good. Thanks for sharing!

Thanks, yeah I agree.  The hair loss to transplant was kinda perfect in it's subtlety.  Enough to make a different but not drastic to wear people definitely know I got something done.  I haven't noticed anything with Fin tbh.  I only take 1mg every other day though.  I honestly don't think I needed to take it.

8 hours ago, Chances101 said:

Looks great man. Do you think you will need crown Work down the line?

If it stays like it is then I'll just keep my hair as-is.  If I had more hairloss... maybe.  I'm pushing 40 so I'm okay with not having dense hair all over.  The good thing is my donor area is still ripe for more harvesting.  But I doubt I get more work done tbh.

8 hours ago, Chances101 said:

Also brother quick question . How long did you wait before you wore a du rag ? Or baseball cap? Post surgery 

Maybe 10 days for a hat.  I honestly didn't wear a du rag for a couple of months.  Even then I kept it loose.

23 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

How’s the reaction been from people around you? I’d imagine most people see the difference but can’t tell what’s different.

Honestly nobody can really tell.   I didn't do a drastic transformation, it's only 1500 grafts and I had been keeping my hair pretty low to lessen the affect over the years.  My own mother hasn't really noticed.  😂  All she's said is "You look good."

The biggest benefit has been covid keeping everyone in the house.  People haven't seen me in so long they've probably forgotten what it looks like.  If anybody were to ask I'd just say I grew my hair out or hopped on medication.  

There was only one time, around month 4 when I was out and one of my female friends kept staring at me saying, "Something looks different. Did you lose weight?"  I told her yes but she was skeptical, drew her eyes to my hair, and said "nah that's not it. It's something else.  🤔"   I just shrugged my shoulders and she dropped it.  But when I looked in the mirror right after there wasn't anything noticeable.

The FUNNIEST scenario was when I was sitting around at the park talking with some guy friends and one of them goes, "It's not fair you still have your hairline."  I'd honestly tell him if he was open to surgery.  I've teased the topic and he laughed at the idea. 

The only thing I could imagine is someone goes through my IG photo history but like I said before, I didn't really take many pics without hats or with my head at an unflattering angle.

33 minutes ago, krillin said:

Congrats man, looks awesome! 🙌🏾 Being a month behind you, I’ve really appreciated hearing about and seeing your journey. 
 

Couple questions: 

Did you notice any additional growth the last month or two, or was it mainly just hairs getting thicker?

Any comments on density? Looks great in pictures but curious if you’re still able to distinguish where the recipient area starts?

Thanks.

It's mostly just been getting thicker and more dense.  I can still tell where the recipient area starts but that's mostly because I know my hair.  The recipient area is just slightly less dense.  The good news is that both types of hair are growing at the same rate.  So when I cut it, it comes back even.

I'm hoping that when I get closer to a year it will be completely indistinguishable.  

Best of luck with your progress!  Getting your hair back is such a great feeling.

Alright lads, time for a proper update. I realized that I was doing this thread a disservice by not posting proper before and after photos. I’m at 8 months and got my first professional haircut. The barber didn’t even notice I had a transplant. 
 

Before I post pics I want to reflect a bit... I realized I didn’t have many before photos because I hated seeing my hairline. So most of my photos are with hats on or from my good side.  The most noticeable different is the front hairline. It’s like night and day. The confidence boost that comes with this is crazy.  It’s worth every penny imo. I’m in my late 30s so being able to frame my face properly and look younger is amazing. 
 

finally, I still have some thinning in my right crown. That was evident before the transplant so it hasn’t changed. Overall I’m happy with the way things are. Like I said before I can just cut my hair lower. I don’t have any donor area damage so I have that luxury
 

Let me know if you guys have any questions.   

Here’s a 7 month update. Not much has changed since last time. Like i said before, because of my diffuse thinning I can’t really show you guys a pic after weeks of growth.. i just look like a guy who’s balding with a hairline. Ironically I’ve been on fin since the transplant and it’s not really improving anything. I’d try minoxidil but it made my scalp red and itchy before. 
 

i have zero problems with the donor area besides some dryness and an ingrown hair every now and then. 
 

ive included a pic of me outside with the harshest photo filter so you can see the density difference.  I’m hoping the front continues to get more density. Right now I can wear my hair cut low outside with no one the wiser, but if you look closely you can see the difference in density. 

 

9 hours ago, krillin said:

Curious, did/are you experiencing itchiness in your donor? I’m about a month behind you (@ ~6 months now) and can feel slightly raised bumps (kinda like goosebumps) spread pretty consistently in the donor. It’s especially itchy after showering/shampooing. Wondering if this is common or something I should ask Diep about.  

Anyway, hope you’ve been well man, looking forward to more updates

No itchiness.  I do have some dryness that I noticed last time I cut my hair.  My scalp was REALLY dry.  It's a situation I'm monitoring.  I also have ingrown hairs from time to time.

Thanks for the nudge.  I'll drop some new pics in the next couple of days.

On 7/16/2020 at 7:36 PM, krillin said:

That haircut is was I’m hoping to get to once I’m further along..curious, how’d you cut your hair in your 6 month update (guard length, with vs against the grain, did you have to cut the recipient different than the rest, etc)?

 

1 guard - Wahl clippers with the grain.  I forgot what I used for the sides (homemade fade.)

I only used scissors on the recipient hair until most recently.  

7 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

You look at least 10 years younger, just did a side by side 😳 eager to see your progress. 

Wow it’s pretty jarring when you put it like that. 

2 hours ago, krillin said:

Coming along VERY nicely, huge improvement especially after the haircut. I’m a Diep patient (about a month or 2 behind you) so seeing your progress has me very excited. 🙂
 

How’s your donor healing? It looks good in pictures but wondering if you’ve experienced in-grown hairs or other irritations. 

My donor is 100% healed and has been for some time now. Except for an ingrown hair in the back or two that periodically pops up. Best wishes to you on your journey. 

2 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

I have to say it looks fantastic for 6 months, it's amazing how well-framed your face is now, I just looked back at your previous pics and the change is drastic. Thanks for coming back and keeping us updated 🙏

Thanks for the feedback

6 month update. Nothing new to really talk about. My transplanted hair is still growing. But it’s still not as dense as the hairs around it.  If I cut it even all over you can’t tell... I just would like to wear my hair longer. I’ve included pics of it now and when I cut it down some. 
 

I will say that I’m still pretty happy because I looked at my passport pic and it was appalling how big my forehead was!

On 5/14/2020 at 4:05 PM, curlyq52 said:

Things are looking good for 4 months. I’m going to PM you later to ask some more detailed questions about your experience , if you don’t mind 

Sure just hit me up.

On 5/14/2020 at 5:12 PM, Melvin-Moderator said:

Wow big improvement at 4 months already. Thanks for the details, including the bad, it's definitely important to note. That said, I think your hair is going to look great with a fade, eager to see the difference. Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress 👍

Thanks! I'm going to upload another pic after I cut my hair.

1 hour ago, curlyq52 said:

two questions:

1 - did he transplant into any areas that had native hair? 

2 - do you feel that the transplanted hairs are growing in a similar direction and pattern as your native hair ? 

 

If you haven’t already , look into intense scalp massages for hair loss as well as micro needling  (I recommend dermastamp, not a roller ). 
 

These methods could help you maintain / improve your crown. 
 

Once your transplant finishes growing,  you may just need some well placed fibers to blend in the rest of your hair. 
 

im going to follow your case closely , as Diep is one of the doctors I’m considering. 
 

1.  No.  All my hair was transplanted to lower my hairline and strenghten temples where no hair was.

2.  So far, yes.  But I plan on brushing more once it's fully grown.

I'm fully confident I could use fibers.  I could use them right now actually but I wanted to avoid temporary fixes.  I'll drop another update this week once I cut my hair down so you guys can see what it looks like.  It looks much better when all the hair is the same level.

On 4/24/2020 at 8:46 AM, curlyq52 said:

Update ? 

Just posted one brodie.

4 Month Update

The good: my transplanted hair seems to be growing fine. No real issues. Just being patient because it grows slower than the rest. 
 

The Bad: Growing my hair out during the quarantine has proven true some of my worst fears... the middle of my head and crown are noticeably thin. It sucks because I can’t grow my hair out beyond a couple weeks before it’s noticeable. 
 

The reality: I’m pretty sure I’ll get what I initially came in for, a lowered hairline. If I keep my hair low it looks really good. Even now most people can’t tell I had a transplant.  Given the diffuse thinning on my crown and vertex I’ll have to consider a second transplant to fix it. That’s not on the horizon anytime soon. 

I COULD hop on minoxidil. Especially since I’m already on Fin. I still might but I hate how it goes away soon as you stop. I sought out a HT for a permanent solution. 
 

Anyway, here are the pics. Sides + front and a top view of my head when I grew it out more. 

7 hours ago, T2222 said:

Hey did you die your hair for the procedure?

No i did not. Why do you ask?