UK39

23 minutes ago, johnto said:

Are you taking any meds at all?

No buddy and never have. Im going to start TRT soonish as it is very important to keep T levels high when you get to a certain age (mine are above average but over a certain threshold brings endless health benefits and protects against prostate cancer) 

I would contemplate finasteride if it was micro-dosed in vodka. The doses people take are way higher than they need to take and the sides can be horrific and permanent. 

I do have a very large red light therapy panel at my house that i use most days a week and I swear by it, it has proven benefits for the hair amongst other things.

I'll ask for my pre op photos to share for those who want to see them.

My hair is that thick i could always frame my face without showing signs of obvious hair loss but will be very evident with the clinics photos as the hairline is exposed.

 

Hey guys...

Sorry for the lack of updates.  Here are some brand new pictures. 

I believe these are the 8.5 month post op photos. 

So it looks very natural and nobody has noticed I have had it done at all. 

Obviously there is still time for more density to come in as well. 

My only gripe is the left side hasn't been done like the right. I have a small mole on the left side that was covered in the pre op drawing, but the hairline has not been taken to where that line was and as such the right side looks a lot better.  

You can see from the photos the right side is more aesthetically pleasing and balanced. 

However Dr Rahal and his team have been exceptional during the whole process and have assured me they will do a small touch up if needed in the future.

I will keep you guys updated.

All in all I cannot recommenced them enough to be honest, and I would not hesitate to go there again. 




 

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

I had the same gaps from crusting and mine DID grow in those areas. 

Can you post pre op pics 

Did you have the same gaps at 6.5 months?

I will try to get the pre op photos

Here is the update guys...

I am just over 6.5 months out. 

Hoping for some noticeable improvements as you can see from the photos, but I had a reassuring call with Dr Rahal and his team, who I must say again have been phenomenal with post op follow up and care.

Here's hoping it really starts filling in soon.  

Just now, Melvin-Moderator said:

5 months is still early, things will continue to improve. Please keep us updated.

Is it still likely to have new hair sprout at this stage?

I didn't know if all hair would have sprouted by now and its just current hair density that improves?

I will keep updating.. it's so frustrating when guys just stop. Haha. 

Two more outdoor shots in better lighting

I am two days shy of being at the 5 month mark.

I'm certainly not convinced yet at this point and I hope things start to improve quickly now.

Can you still see new hairs pop up from this point? Or is more usually just the existing sprouted hair that thickens?

 I will say again though, the patchy areas i highlighted originally have never sprouted hairs.

I'll remain open minded, but I'm far from convinced for the 5 month mark.

Maybe you guys will know more?
 

On 2/4/2020 at 2:49 PM, John Doe said:

I had the same issue you’re worried about, but larger area. Hair will not grow there. I’m 9 months post op and it’s the same as my day 1 concern. About an inch back from my hairline....the center of my head to my right temple, you can see my scalp and I must use Toppik. 

What was your Graft Density and Average hairs per graft?

My density was 50.3  and averages hairs per graft was 2.2.

I seen results where they had lower than mine and the result still looked great and full, so I try to keep that in mind. 

But yeah, I am apprehensive for sure of those areas. 
 

Hey guys,

I'm 3.5 months in now so thought i would share photos of each side.

I'm still apprehensive about the gaps i highlighted previously but I am just forgetting about it until further down the line.

Not sure how this holds up with other HT's at the 3.5 month mark.

 We'll see how it pans out.

So was permitted to use regular shampoo and gently wash the grafted area today. This is how it looks now.

I raised my concerns regarding the patchy areas seen before and Rahal's team came straight back as usual. The customer service level there is exceptional.

Their reply was the below'

"This is the healing that many patients have come to call the "river and valley effect".  As the scabs heal, there may be some clumping of the hairs/scabs. The grafts are in place, but the hair that was transplanted with the graft is released from the graft and since the scab is hard, it can pull those hairs together, causing areas to look like "rivers" of no hair and "valleys" of scabs. Then when the scab falls it takes the hairs with them.This is normal, and your hair will return to its regular appearance once all the grafted hairs grow back in a few months"

The reply makes sense, but I will of course be making final judgement when the process has reached the end.

I still think one side looks denser than the other, and hopefully that is not down to one technician being better than the other, as two worked on it and had a side each.

Luckily i averaged 2.2 hairs per graft, so I'm hoping regardless the result is a dense, thick finish. 

23 minutes ago, duchaine said:

You still have crusts and scabs. Same problem of mine. 
did the doc suggest something to clean the recipient area?
Is it my impression or your trasnspltaned hair are growing "slowly"

I am only just now at the two week mark and nothing has touched the grafted area except sprayed saline to date.

I can have a gentle shower on the grafted area now the two weeks is up. 

20 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Yea, definitely. But they may not fully match your native density. However, it won’t be noticeable when grown out. You may notice it under certain lighting, or if wet. These are the limitations with surgery.

Thanks man.

My issue though is there are transplanted areas more densely packed elsewhere on the scalp than these areas, when I would have liked consistency with the denseness across the whole transplanted area for obvious reasons. 

I’ll keep your comments on board and see how it transpires

Just picking out a few of the areas i mean here in a red outline.

I have no idea, if this is how it should be in an ideal scenario? Or have they overlooked a few spots that needed grafts?

 

8 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Wow Dr. Rahal is doing some superb work. The work looks impeccable.

Thank you Melvin.

As somebody who has seen thousands of HT photos at all stages. 

Can you say the sides are densely packed enough in your opinion?
 

7 hours ago, Sam818 said:

Great hairline design👌....as far as the gap you’re worried about I wouldn’t put too much nto it . Doesn’t dr rahal have you spray with fut Brown bottle as we’ll as vitamin e to keep them moistured ?

Thanks man. It's just plain old saline. 

I've been pretty much been spraying the grafts every waking hour since I had it done. Even on the flight home. Ha. 

Yeah I hope there is enough grafts in those areas. Time will tell. 

2 Week Update. Crusts are making there way out as hair grows.

 

3 minutes ago, Raphael84 said:

Congratulations.

Your work looks great.

Wishing you the best in healing and growing. Looking forward to following your progress.

All the best!

Thank you very much for that.

Do you see any issue with the graft distribution / density? 

You have obviously seen many HT photos. ! Haha.

Hi guys, 

I was actually a member of this board years ago under a different name. A HT was always something I wanted, but I wasn't prepared to rush into one. 

I finally took the plunge and had my hairline restored / improved. I say improved as well because I always had a widows peak even as a teenage boy, and I always wanted a hairline to better frame my face. Being 39 now it seemed an ideal time to finally get it done. Especially as my hair loss has been so slow over years.

After lots of research I decided to go with Dr Rahal, purely because his hairline work looked outstanding and natural, and seeing as I work in the entertainment business and perform to large crowds all over the world, I had to feel confident the result would deliver. So I made the visit all the way from the UK during January as that is the only time of year I get 3 weeks off.

It will be a week tomorrow I had the procedure done, but I am happy to share some photos and keep you guys updated on the milestones. 

I will be honest with my updates, including any concerns that hopefully will not arise.

I can speak about my experience with Dr Rahal and his team and can honestly say it was a 5 star experience from start to finish. 

I had the procedure done in their Toronto clinic, as I felt I would have been bored in Ottawa during the 5 days I had to stay post op. (Although honestly, I could have flew home perhaps at any time after, considering how good my recovery was)

Dr Rahal was fairly quiet (which i could care less about to be honest, we are there for one reason only and that is to get an amazing hair transplant) although we had a pleasant chat whilst he was making the incisions, and he does have an aura of confidence about him. You can tell this man is at the top of his game during the time you spend with him, and he runs a very tight ship. Everything goes like clockwork, and his staff are extremely personable and attentive. 

So I seen a few comments on here in regards to they have noticed that Dr Rahal's patients have considerable more swelling than others? 

Well just to balance out that out a little I can tell you I had hardly any. When they first take the bandage off you have a band of swelling sat at the top of the forehead which of cause has to make it's way down. My remedy for this was to buy an Ice Roller (which is essentially a face massager you keep in the freezer) and every hour before I sprayed the saline onto the recipient area, I  just rolled the swelling from the middle of my head, across my head, and down my face, towards the back of my left ear, and did the same for the right side) 

This made such a huge difference and when I went for my hair wash the 2nd day post op, the lady washing my hair commented on how the swelling had fell perfectly behind each ear, and it was so minimal.

I did also of course sleep at a 45 degree angle after making a pillow fort. This isn't the most comfortable, but you just get on with it right.

I will also add, that I had a minimal amount of local anaesthetic injections (and this will of course contribute to less swelling overall) - They did keep checking in to make sure I was comfortable, but honestly i hardly felt it, and the numbing injections were barely noticeable as well. 

Luckily I yielded 2.2 hairs per graft and my hair by nature is very coarse and it is thick and wavy. 

The ONLY niggle and very slight concern i have at the minute is I am not sure if there is an area at the front right zone (the very close up photo) which show some small areas lacking some grafts?  

I am hoping this is a void concern that i need not have. Time will tell I guess.

Maybe some of you more experienced guys can tell me if the graft distribution looks good all over and that spot is also fine? 

The photos show one photo from the day after procedure, a single photo from 4 days post op and the rest of the photos are from 6 days post op (Today)