FinMin20

Hello everyone. Apologies for not updating this - there wasn't really much change from that point on to be honest, the density remained pretty much the same. There are some texture issues that started to occur as the hair got longer around the 8-9 month mark, and have remained since then - which is quite worrying considering I'm 17 months in at this point. I've read that texture problems usually resolve themselves a year and a bit in, but mine don't seem to be improving. Has anyone had texture issues this far in? The transplanted hair texture without product applied is nothing like my native hair and is very kinky/wiry, and dry and frizzy. The hairs do not join with each other, they're just single strands of hair, and even the shape and texture of each hair is completely different to my native hair. It just sticks out all frizzy and doesn't have a single-wave like shape like my native hair, It's like a zig zag wavy shape, through the whole hair from the end to the root. Using enough product does solve this, but since I like like to keep my hair a bit wavy, matte, and natural looking on a day to day basis, and not too styled, this is incredibly high maintenance for me. And unless I've applied enough product, the frizziness does start to reappear with some wind, after time has passed, or just rapid head movement. This may be a non issue to people who like to properly style their hair every day, as product does mostly solve it. It's difficult for me because I prefer a more natural look on a daily basis - which is very, very hard to do with the texture being like this. I've been waiting for improvement over the last few months but there's been none - and all the transplanted hairs seem to be affected. The texture is still the same all the way down to the roots. Here is a photo to show what the hair can look like in a completely unmanaged state (of course, this is at its worst and with product I'm able to get rid of this). There's also some close up photos of the hair brought down, so you can see the zig zag wave type texture. You can see it's like that down to the roots. Any advice would be appreciated. I'm really worried now that this is permanent.. Has anyone had texture problems 17 months in that have eventually been resolved?

7.5 months post op (today):

7 months post op (mid August):

6 months post op (mid June):

4.5 months post op (end of May):

Apologies everyone! The pandemic threw any routine out of the window. In the early days of lockdown updating this thread had completely slipped my mind, and so I didn't manage to take any photos either. The replies to this thread on 28th May reminded of this - so I started taking pictures from then on (so 4 months post op), and have since been taking them on a somewhat monthly basis. Had intended to upload them here a while ago, but just didn't get around to sorting and editing them. Will be doing this tonight and so should hopefully have some photos up soon. The growth is thankfully going well, and is right on track I feel. Will be good to hear how you all feel it's going. Apologies again for not updating this regularly.

I had asked them about it and they told me it's nothing to worry about. I don't quite remember what they'd said it was and what had caused it. Sorry.

Here's a 7 week update of the front.

Thanks! Sure. It's a bit difficult as the small hairs around the strip are a bit tricky to pull apart to expose the strip completely (especially as I'm applying vaseline on the strip every day, and so the hair around it has become slightly sticky). It'll be easier when the shaved hair becomes a bit longer. I've managed to take a few photos - the strip isn't fully exposed though. I can get someone's help in taking better photos if required. Let me know. I also took a picture of a small part of the strip on the second day, when the sutures were still in. Here it is:

Thank you. Looking forward to finally being able to style my hair again instead of just hiding the gaps!

Ah, apparently they were having some issues with their servers not too long ago. The same thing was happening to me nearing the date of the surgery. I went on their website and contacted them through their live chat feature as my emails weren't being answered. They phoned me back and informed me that none of my emails had reached them. They were having some IT problems. It's possible a similar thing is happening with you. You should contact them through their site. They should get in touch quickly.

I had an FUT transplant 5 weeks ago in Brussels with Dr. Bisanga. It was to fill in the frontal area. There were a total of 3503 grafts used. Here is the graft breakdown: • 1 Follicular Unit : 419 grafts • 2 Follicular Unit : 2018 grafts • 3 Follicular Unit : 637 grafts • 4 Follicular Unit : 429 grafts ----------------------------------------------------- I was in my mid 20s when I initially went to see Dr. Bisanga - 5 years ago (the before pictures I’ve added are from that time, hence the poor quality). He discovered that my donor density was pretty average and as I was quite young at the time, he suggested I wait a few years and get on medication to stabilise my hairloss. I started using finasteride (switched to dutasteride 2 years ago) and minoxidil, and thankfully they worked really well in halting my hairloss. My hair looked pretty much the same 5 years later, if not slightly more filled in some areas. I visited Dr. Bisanga once again a few months ago and he was happy to perform the surgery this time. ----------------------------------------------------- During the consultation on the morning of the procedure, I discussed with Dr. Bisanga if it was possible to keep as much of the little area in the front without shaving it (while also transplanting hairs in any thin areas there to add density). He said that as long as the thin areas are filled in it should be okay. I’m banking on the medication continuing to work so that the area remains strong. It's been the same since I started taking medication, maybe even a little bit thicker. If in the future the medication loses its effect and the area does start to thin and looks odd with the rest of the transplanted hair, I’ll get a second procedure to have it filled in. I decided to do this as I have a few formal events to attend in 3 months time and I don’t intend to tell anyone about my transplant. For now my hair is covered as I usually wear a hat in the winter anyway, and I’m able to wear a hat to work too. Hopefully, in a few weeks time, when the shaved native hair has grown out a bit, and using the longer unshaven hairs, I’ll be able to style my hair and cover the transplanted area. I’ll use hair fibers too if needed. ----------------------------------------------------- I’ve attached pictures below - starting from how my hair was before and ending with a few pictures taken today. Apologies for the poor quality of the before photos - they’re from 5 years ago. I didn’t have any recent photos of my hairloss. You can see from the post op pics that Dr. Bisanga has put quite a few grafts in the little unshaven area too (the thin part on one side). ----------------------------------------------------- 5 weeks in, I’m currently in the shedding phase - most of the transplanted hair has fallen out. I’ll be updating this post regularly. If anyone has any questions regarding anything I’d be happy to answer them. ----------------------------------------------------- Photos: Before Day 1 Post Op Day 2 Day 3 Day 6 Day 7 Day 9 Day 11 Day 14 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 23 Day 34