UnbaldEagle

If I were you and couldn't use fin/min, but wanted to make the most out of microneedling:

- PRP 3x a year

- Stemoxydine every day - works in a similar way to minoxidil but without the side effects

- Topical dutasteride which is side effect free - see mustang's post

Microneedling on its own would not be very effective. 

Unbelievable. This is probably the best result I've ever seen.

Congrats, man, enjoy your hair. 👏

On 5/1/2021 at 8:56 PM, Cali Time said:

Still early. I’m at 5 half months. And my hair just starting to thicken up a tad. This is my second transplant myself for the front. I have really thick hair so I need it to thicken up lol. But we still early not even half way there yet! Do you mind posting a pic still? I know you said there’s no change at all just in all curiosity to see it at 5 months. Remember this is your thread it will be a good reference for the future when it’s past a year. Ppl can relate to you as well for late bloomers 

I guess you're right, I just took some pics for future reference.

17 hours ago, Mycroft said:

What's the status of the shock loss? Have you started seeing any of that coming back yet?

Second procedures can sometimes take a bit longer to grow because the scalp vascularity isn't as pristine as it was on the first round. It's not an absolute rule, but I feel like we see it often.

None of it came back, but I feel like there's a connection. And it makes perfect sense what you wrote, I too think that's the case and there's still hope.

2 hours ago, hairthere said:

If at 5 months you don't at least feel some new growth popping through I'd say there's an issue. 

2 weeks ago I've seen a local HT doc who looked at my scalp under a microscope but couldn't see any growth whatsoever. I can't see or feel any change since. Do you really think it's an issue? You got me worried now.  

2 hours ago, hairthere said:

Also redness can linger for quite some time especially on fair skin types. However, the redness you show looks like there might be something else going on (it appears splotchy or bumpy perhaps?). At this point I would definitely recommend getting a second opinion from another HT doctor. 

It is definitely bumpy, that's another concern unfortunately. 

3 hours ago, Jack dean said:

Hi unbaldeagle

I had bad redness for months and months, I had zoom consultation off a trichologist in the uk and he said use Alphosyl shampoo for 3/4 weeks so I did and it did calm the redness down alot,have look into it I think you can get it on Amazon,hope you turn the corner with your HT👍

Hey Jack Dean,

I'm glad you found something that works for you. That shampoo is normally prescribed for dermatitis and psoriasis, have you had such issues, or was your redness from a HT?

I doubt a shampoo would fix mine, it's most likely broken capillaries, or at least that's what the derms say. 

3 minutes ago, Helios said:

Unbald eagle, has the redness lessened to any extent over the 5 months? 5 Months is indeed still early. Would hold out until month 6 or 7 at least. 

Not a whole lot, sadly. I've been using tacrolimus as per my dermatologist's prescription, which acts like a fairly strong steroid but without its negative side effects, and I feel like that helped a little bit. 

Stopped using minoxidil just before the procedure and never resumed as that can cause redness to linger longer being a vasodilator. 

At least I found out that minox never did anything for me, I haven't lost any hair in the non-transplant regions.

The density is a bit low, but you're only halfway in, I hope it will fill in. 

When you pull back your hair, at least your hairline looks natural. 

4 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

5 months is still early, there’s still time. 

 

Thanks, Melvin. Have you been a slow grower yourself?

2 minutes ago, Parasol said:

Have you been keeping in contact with the clinic? I mean, I realize they’ll tell you you have to wait, but do they have any opinions on the growth as of yet, or any thoughts on the redness and pitting?

 

I received conflicting information concerning the growth. I stopped corresponding with them when they denied I have any redness. 

I've since learned that HT doctors don't really care about your skin issues, I spoke to a few guys who ended up with permanent redness, cobblestoning, etc. and their clinic just shrugged it off as "yeah, but you've got more hair now, right?".

1 minute ago, JohnAC71 said:

Out of curiosity when did you notice growth from your last procedure ?

Just before 4 months or so. I had no growth at 3 months. I don't get it how some people grow out like 50% by then.  

1 minute ago, JohnAC71 said:

Your a late boomer 👌 said it 😌 hope your ok ! 

Thanks, John. You're ever so encouraging. 

Hey guys.

There's no growth yet, which is very weird at almost 5 months. Please tell me I'm just a late bloomer, I'm really trying to hold my nerves here.  Although I must confess I'm getting really dejected.

I decided to hold off the VBeam for now, at least until I see some results. 

Not trying to be an alarmist, but based on your immediate pre-op from your other post + how dark your skin looked, this turned into necrotic tissue.  You have to see a derm ASAP so that they may prescribe you antibiotics. Unfortunately most of the grafts are lost in such cases. 3200 grafts into such a relatively small area was way too much. I'm sorry, man.

@ciaus, Eucapil is one of the strongest topical antiandrogens out there. Been around for many years, very well known on treatment based forums. It is definitely not a 'cosmetic' product as Rassman claims, I mean the active compound is a drug used to treat prostate cancer. 

15 hours ago, Mycroft said:

I definitely understand your concern with how irritated the scalp looks.

One thing to note is that the PRP could potentially impact the growth cycles of your hairs (donor and recipient), so definitely bear that in mind if things seem to be moving slowly for you. You seem like you have the right mindset so far.

Did you have this kind of scalp irritation on the first go around? Is there anything in your lifestyle that may have changed to possibly cause greater levels of inflammation?

Thanks for the info on PRP, that makes sense. Honestly I'm not impatient about hair growth as I know (or hope) that's bound to happen soon. 

Nothing comparable, although my first procedure was a small one of temple work only. I do realize this time around there was some dense packing in certain regions which could take longer to heal. No major lifestyle changes either, in fact I gave up smoking prior to the procedure. Do you have any ideas perhaps on what could have caused this?

I'm really unsure what's the best course of action. It's perfectly fine to wait when it comes to hair, however scars tend to heal slower as they mature.

15 hours ago, Mycroft said:

I definitely understand your concern with how irritated the scalp looks.

One thing to note is that the PRP could potentially impact the growth cycles of your hairs (donor and recipient), so definitely bear that in mind if things seem to be moving slowly for you. You seem like you have the right mindset so far.

Did you have this kind of scalp irritation on the first go around? Is there anything in your lifestyle that may have changed to possibly cause greater levels of inflammation?

.

20 hours ago, Helios said:

Some patients have redness that last a little longer but it passes. As others have mentioned, you are in the worst stage right now. Like you I also had shock loss I believe in some areas but they Eventually improved. 
 

I have attached my own stages After Fue with Dr Maras at 1 week after, somewhere around month 1-3 after, ( the worst stage) and about a year after the surgery. It’s not called the worst stage for nothing, hang in there. 

 

Thanks, Helios.

Btw, great result.

Oh well, I'll post an image after all, hopefully that will explain the situation better.

Pls tell me it's normal to have this amount of redness at 3.5 months, because it's not. 

I've marked the VBeam-ed areas, as you can see there's no hair loss due to the laser. If things improve, I'll zap the whole area soon. 

I'm not an impatient player of the waiting game, it's not the lack of growth what concerns me at all. 

Thanks for your responses, guys. 

6 hours ago, Zodiac said:

what is the laser for?

To improve redness and skin texture without affecting hair follicles. 

Hey guys.

Sorry for not updating this thread, I wanted to see some improvements first before posting anything. Alas, things are not really good at present time. 

There's been 0 growth at almost 3,5 months, however I think that's not a big issue and I should remain patient for now. 

My concerns are as follows:

1. The state of my skin is horrendous. I'm as red as a tomato with crater-like holes from the incisions still visible, bumpiness, raised areas, etc. I look into the mirror and can't help but to reprimand myself for what I've done.  

2. Shock loss. The center of my frontal third is pretty much devoid of hair now. Well, a few lone hairs here and there, but I've shed most of my natives there. The previously transplanted hair in the temporal regions seems to be holding on. I've cut my hair short as frankly there's no hairstyle that looks remotely okay right now. Nor can I fully cover the transplanted area with my native hair behind it. Seems like my sentence in ugly duckling prison has been extended.  

3. Numbness. Nerves are still pretty much dead in the transplanted region, I can't feel a thing and it's more than annoying.

Last week I had a PRP to aid the healing process a little bit. Although I don't think it's normal to experience this amount of redness and visible scarring at this stage, therefore I'm exploring other options too. 

I've seen a laser specialist today and did a few test patches with VBeam. I've shaved a small area so that was treated, and asked her to fire the laser on an area that remained unshaven - I wanted to see if the laser would evaporate the hair as she claimed it would. To our astonishment it didn't, so I won't shave my hair if she'd zap the whole area next month. I've made a lot of inquiries and apparently while hair transplant doctors unanimously claim that VBeam would surely damage hair follicles too, dermatologists who operate lasers claim the opposite. In fact Dr. Madan who is the the President of the British Medical Laser Association kindly responded in an email saying that while the other pulsed dye laser, the ND:YAG would penetrate deep enough to affect follicles, VBeam wouldn't and it's safe. Of course I have some trepidation about making things worse, but hopefully these test patches will reveal if it's worth pursuing this further. 

I guess I could update with a picture as requested, but since there's no growth whatsoever, I don't think there's anything to see apart from my ugly scalp. 😕

Sorry guys. I'm trying to remain optimistic though.

4 hours ago, Phab said:

Where to buy alfatradiol or fluridil ? Can't find this anywhere

Fluridil

Alfatradiol

Both ship internationally.  

2 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

The density is the donor density not the transplant.

Yeah, I thought the same. 

Although I once saw a - supposedly - high density HT of 76 grafts / sqcm in the recipient. That's insane. 

13 hours ago, welshman123 said:

Started fin/min/dermapen/nizoral 1 month ago.  

24M

That's a very good regimen there. I've seen amazing results from the dermarolling minoxidil users and you're addressing the androgen problem too. 

You're a diffuse thinner. I can see a lot of vellus hair that could be permanently shocked out if you undergo surgery. However if you stick to this preventive protocol you could revive a lot of your hair. Even some of the lost ones. 

You're only 24 and your donor does not appear to be particularly strong. 

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I wouldn't consider surgery if I were you.. At least give it a few more years to evaluate things first..