SLA

@Gatsby @Capelli21 and @Bandit90 all get my votes!

On 12/18/2023 at 1:54 PM, caveman said:

I just had a consultation for SMP. It will be $3200 to get it done in 2 sessions. Now I’m thinking some more about what to do from here.

If I choose the 120 rs package at eugenix, it will only be slightly more expensive than SMP, but I will have real hair. For 3000 grafts it would be around $5500-6000 including the flight and hotel. 
 

what does everyone here think I should do? Go for SMP to get a quick fix for now and then revisit the transplant later or go and get my second procedure done? I am sure I’ll do both SMP and my second procedure at some point regardless but I am confused about the order in which I do it. 
 

I have currently been more social and am worried that the 1 year recovery time for the transplant may be a hindrance in my day to day life currently. 
 

 

I'd get the HT 1st @caveman then decide on SMP

On 12/10/2023 at 9:27 PM, caveman said:

Here is the 13 month update. I just got a haircut today so please keep in mind this is the BEST it looks. In about 10 days it will look more untidy.

I just want to be clear again. I do plan to go and get added density in the hairline mid scalp and crown. I think 3000 grafts would be more than enough. However I can’t do it currently due to the cost and the time it takes to see any results. 
 

with the current transplant I already have a solid foundation for my hairline and some density throughout the scalp. By adding SMP to my current hairline and scalp, I could achieve the look of additional density. If I decide I don’t like it I can just grow my hair back out to what I currently have. 

I have also attached some buzzed haircut pictures. I think if I keep my hair at a 0.5 guard and fade it into a 0 or skin fade, I can make it look more neat and it may look better than what I currently am rocking.
 

Finally, I have added an example of someone with thinning that got SMP and that is the look I’d like to go for.
 

let me know your thoughts!

Hey buddy- While I think you can look great with the SMP/buzz cut look, when I look at your hair combed properly, it looks amazing. I do not see any signs of poor quality hair and I did see you in person :).

You and I have spoken extensively about this through WhatsApp, so I am just reiterating this to express my thoughts on the forum.

Whatever you do will be great, but just wanted you to know that to me, your hair looks great.

Another couple of thousand grafts to add more density if you'd like and the deal would be sealed IMHO.

On 12/12/2023 at 2:47 AM, Capelli21 said:

Hey fam, Month 6 update.

I have let the donor grow a bit.  Ill admit, for the first few months post HT,  it was so hard for me to believe the donor would bounce back.  Even though I've seen numerous cases where it did for other Eugenix patients, I just started wavering.  Many of you chimed in with support and it helped.  Thank you.

I must say, I am pleased with how the donor has turned out, and my worrying was in vain.   Eugenix knows what they're doing.  See ya at mo. 7 ✌️ 

DANG!!!

8 hours ago, MildSeven said:

6 months update:

 

im starting to worry about bald spot in the middle hairline

but when i try to look close up on mirror with torchlight i see some tiny hairs on the bald spot

Will they go mature and turn into terminal ?

 

 

While I don't know the answer to the question, I can say that your hair is looking great!!!

I would imagine those hairs are starting to grow...you are only at 6 months.

On 10/3/2021 at 7:21 PM, Spaceman said:

Its good to use dandruff shampoos on your scalp and face to help treat seborrheic dermatitis, however, you aren't helping things very much if right after the dandruff shampoo you slather on conditioner or moisturizer that then encourages the growth of malassezia.  In that case you are simultaneously inhibiting and encouraging the growth of Malassezia.  So SD may improve, but it will not go away completely, or it goes away but keeps coming back.  I spent a couple decades like that.

It turns out that nearly all (like > 90%) of skin and hair care products contain ingredients that are known to feed the malassezia yeast that causes seborrheic dermatitis.  The problem ingredients include fatty acids with carbon chain lengths of 11-24.  That includes almost all oils, polysorbates and esters.  You need to avoid anything with olive oil, coconut oil, avacado oil, etc.   And avoid anything with lauric acid, myristic acid, tridecylic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid, etc. Unfortunately those ingredients are in most skin and haircare products! 

There are some products that don't have those ingredients and they will help because they will not throw gas on the fire.  You really do need to check the label.

I now use 100% malasezzia-safe products and that has made all the difference for me in controlling SD.  I'm sharing them below in case anyone finds them useful. These products are all widely available, cost less than $15, and I have no financial interest in recommending any of them to you.

I use Nizoral 1% on my face, ears, neck, and scalp once a week or so.  This works very well, but in moderation.  The other days I use a medicated baby shampoo called Happy Cappy.  It is very mild and very effective.  I use this Vanicream facial cleanser on my face. Again, mild but very effective. As a treatment for facial seborrheic dermatitis around nose folds, mustache, etc, I use MSM facial sulfur gel.  Topical sulfur is a great treatment for SD.  This gel uses MSM instead of elemental sulfur so the gel has no smell. The carrier is organic aloe and is very mild and very safe. Totally non-irritating. I use this daily on my face and neck.  After that, I apply CeraVe cream again to face and neck. 

Hi @Spaceman or anyone else with some insight. I am 5 weeks post HT#2 with some seborrheic dermatitis. I am interested in trying Happy Cappy shampoo referenced in this post. Surgeon thinks it is fine to use at this stage. Anyone have anything other to say as to why it may not be a good idea?

Thanks!

30 minutes ago, Shadman said:

 

@Gatsby @SLA

Can provide you with additional details. Their temple work 10/10

Thanks @Shadman-

Hi @HablaBar- I think Eugenix does an excellent job with temple points. You can check out my thread as well as @Gatsby @Bandit90 @MazAB and @Zoomster.

All were designed by Dr. Pradeep Sethi.

12 hours ago, S Butt said:

Yes, I did. I have attached pre-transplant and 4 month post-transplant photos. 

The overall experience was good. It is not a big clinic. The Dr. is professional and clear up front. Answered all my questions during initial consult

He implanted around 3200 grafts in total. The procedure was overall painless but the table and set up was not comfortable. I guess I did not tolerate laying down on my face well. The post-op course was OK- lots of swelling. I was called for a cleaning session 3 days later. 

Outcome has been not super impressive. I can see some empty spots and the density implanted is not great overall. Maybe it improves over time. I think a higher density would have been better but the doctor is the professional, so he would have taken the best decision. Happy to answer questions

You are only 4 months post-op...this is where the fun begins. Be patient

I had excellent results with HT #1, as this is 5 weeks post op on HT #2.

I also had a breakout of seborrheic dermatitis post HT#1, and didn't do anything to treat and it went away.

This time, the scalp feels a little more inflammed, although it does seem to be subsiding.

I guess I am concerned about doing anything that could compromise results, although some say that seborrheic dermatitis might be a contributor to sub-optimal results- seems to depend on who you ask.

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!

Thanks @jjalayand @Berba11- I know about nizrol, but I read in a couple of places where patients claimed their HTs went south after using. While I know it is anecdotal- who know the actual reason, it was enough to scare me off.

@Berba11- Which shampoo are you using? I was told by the dermatologist that shampoo with selenium sulfide or pyrithione zinc are good. 

Much appreciated!

Hi All- Has anyone used desonide lotion .05% to control seborrheic dermatitis post hair transplant? I am about 5 weeks post op and my surgeon who is a dermatologist recommended using. He did NOT say it was a must, but would control inflammation and itching and told me the dermatitis would NOT affect outcome.

Just reaching out to see if anyone has used- I want to be cautious and not apply anything that may compromise results.

Thanks!

1 hour ago, Haris said:

Taking any medicines ?

Yes, finasteride 1mg daily and 2.5mg oral minoxidil daily as well as a multivitamin

34 minutes ago, Haris said:

 

Everything is fine. For you second sitting you consulted with some other doctor? could you please give me an idea of how much $ each graft Dr Pradeep charge, only if you want to share

Hi @Haris- I did not consult with another doctor for the 2nd sitting. Since results were very good from 1st sitting I decided to return to Eugenix.

You can go to the Eugenix website to get pricing as it is very transparent or contact them with any questions. I personally feel that you can get excellent results with any of their packages. 

11 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

@SLA I think you are already out on parole! You’re holding a lot of hair and the work looks great! Perfect game plane to stick with the crown. This is really going to go down as the hairiest GOAT in the herd. 💯👌

Thanks @Gatsby- You will always hold the title for hairiest GOAT and for one of the GREATEST HTs of all time!

Talking with you before my procedure was a pleasure and I held that memory during tougher periods on the operating table like when I was on my stomach and my face was being smooshed into the small opening 😆.

13 minutes ago, Melvin- Admin said:

Wow you completely skipped the ugly duckling phase. Your donor looks excellent as well. 

Thanks @Melvin- Admin...let's not jump the gun yet on skipping the ugly ducklin phase- LOL. There is still time LOL

On 11/13/2023 at 4:34 PM, Shadman said:

Clean work. Any specific reasons for addressing the temples ? And looks like mid area also received some density work

Sorry @Shadman- I didn't see this...So very interesting regarding the temples. I was perfectly fine with them, but was seeing Dr. Pradeep salivating to perfect them- he is a TRUE artist. While I guess I could tell that they were not 1000% perfect, it was only noticable to the doc, really. I did NOT want to spend precious donor on perfecting the temples, however, the doc said that he takes from the nape of the neck which is not used for any other place. It is only for that reason that I agreed to it.

As for mid scalp...I told the doc that while in theory, the mid scalp could benefit from increased density, I wanted to focus ONLY on the crown as with proper styling, my top looked 100% full. The doc put grafts mostly towards the back of the midscalp as he remarked that since it is challenging to fill the crown to perfect density, if he puts more there I could comb back to back look very full....let's hope his thousands of procedure intuition comes to fruition. 

...AND I heard from Dr. Somesh when I was there that you were there too. I regret that we weren't able to connect :).

Best in your continued quest for hair...you are looking good and are still early in the process :)!

1 month post HT #2- 13 months post HT #1

One month post HT #2 is in the books- yahoo! Took about 5-6 headwashes for all the scabs to fall...which was similar to HT #1.

Like HT #1, I developed some sebhorreic dermatitis around 3.5 weeks post surgery. The doc said nothing to worry about and said I can put some desonide lotion (presciption) at night as per needed basis.

On one level, HT #2 1st month has been easier than HT #1 in that I have a frame of reference for the process and know what to expect. Also, since the crown was the focus in this sitting, most of the hair on top was already 'mature' so it visually looks better than 1 month prior to HT #1.

The tougher part is being 'forced' to look in the mirror at the backside and see the recovering donor which is looking in my opinion a tad bit 'rough'...however, when I showed it to @Bandit90 he remarked that it was looking great for 1 month...and then I remembered that it takes at least 3-4 months usually for donor to begin to look 'normal'. He also reminded me that the crown is usually on a different timeline than the top and could take longer to reach it's potential...so I will try to not look back there unless 'needed'. 

When I was connecting with @Gatsby, he compared the 1st couple of months of an HT to being in prison...to which I had a great chuckle.

I don't think I have yet to shed and am hoping that perhaps, like HT # 1, that perhaps I may get luck with only a smallish shed...if not, so be it.

Here are some photos...

Thanks again to everyone on this forum, especially @Melvin- Admin for supporting each other through this journey. It is what makes it great.

On 11/18/2023 at 9:43 AM, asterix0 said:

The crown due to weaker blood flow to that area definitely kicks in a bit later, wait until 9-10 months to assess. 

AGREED! @general-etwan- the crown always lags behind. I was talking with @Bandit90 who said that it wasn't until month 8-9 that he started seeing the crown really pop.

On 10/27/2023 at 7:40 PM, MAL87 said:

Month 3 update

Don't know what to say, I guess shedding is over and growth is starting. All pictures are fresh out of the shower, un-styled and nothing in my hair. Things looks pretty good from the front, though the right side is lagging behind the left so far. Seems like crown already has some growth, but that could just be from keeping up with meds. I'm pretty optimistic, though.

 

Looking fantastic for 3 months! The best is around the corner...

https://www.practiceupdate.com/content/very-low-dose-oral-minoxidil-in-male-androgenetic-alopecia/101851 

22 hours ago, Digs49 said:

Took some photos for a friend and figured I would post them. This is my hair without anything in it (ie, no hairspray, gel, pomade, fibers, etc). I am about 6.5 months post op with Dr. Pittella. I am so happy with the results.

Amazing!

9 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Coming up to one week short of ten months. I’ve just had a hair cut and color. 
 

This is really unbelievable, @Gatsby. They way you style the hair, there is not an ounce of hair loss that can be detected.

They may start calling you up to do hair commercials soon.

You look amazing and content...and those temple points are perfect!

8 hours ago, Capelli21 said:

Hey all, checking in for month 5 update..

Not a ton of change, other than hair being obv a little longer.  Donor area is inching its way forward little by little.  Might try to grow donor out a bit and see if that helps it look any fuller.

See ya at month 6✌️ 

Homerun! You look smashing!!!

16 hours ago, Gatsby said:

What about the widow's peak? 🤔😉🙌 Addy in all seriousness your hair has the perfect characteristics for surgery. Low hair color/scalp contrast, wavy/curly hair for more coverage, etc. As I have said before your double cow lick that was perfected in your first surgery only serves to show how natural your results are. This second procedure in the crown will only add to that. I've really enjoyed not only your following your journey but watching how your patience has served you well. This is an incredibly smart hair transplant. The hairline, coverage, everything will end in you hitting a 'six!'

Thanks @Gatsby! Fingers crossed and keep sending me your good vibes. I am assuming 'hitting a 'six'' is a cricket reference which I only know since I have now been to India twice :).

1 hour ago, Stewie said:

Excited for you mate, this is going to be great!

I certainly hope so @Stewie and your results are INCREDIBLE. Thanks for the positive vibes and well wishes!