Aurelius

Thank you for that. Yes, I am just a data point.
I wish that all of us could have A+ results for every procedure.

It's been a while since I've been on here but I see that I've been tagged on this thread.

My experience with Dr. Diep has been good and I have voted "no" based solely on my own experience.

You can view my first FUT procedure on my previous posts. I was thrilled with the results and I still look 15 years younger than before the procedure. I had a second FUT procedure one year later for my crown area which yielded significantly fewer grafts. This resulted in some minor improvement but not as much as we had hoped for. Dr. Diep refunded a meaningful portion of the fee. If I had waited another year I may have had a better graft yield with a looser scalp. No harm done, it is was it is. Dr. Diep has always been above-board regarding risks and expectations with me. 

Two years after my second procedure (now 61) I have recently been speaking with Dr. Diep about a possible FUE procedure to fill out the crown area. I can't actually see the back of my head   so it has not been a top priority, but I will likely get it done with either Dr. Diep or another doctor. I'll being doing my homework on FUE to see what my options are.  I would say that even if I don't get a final procedure for the crown, and even though my second FUT procedure did not turn out as well as we hoped, I remain extremely pleased with the first FUT procedure. My hair and hairline look great, scar is unnoticeable, and I still get lots of nice comments from friends and family especially when we are looking at old pictures     

4 hours ago, js2020 said:

Thanks for the update! Right after the procedure too; that must some good sleep.  I don't see the other FUT scar, so did they cut along the old FUT and tightened it more? How does your back of the head feel compared to the first procedure (a lot more tighteness)?

Another decent night sleep last night. Actually zero bleeding on pillow cover - the stitching is excellent. I believe the FUT strip was taken on either side of the old scar since there is definitely only one line at the new incision. It does not feel any tighter than a year ago, same complete numbness above incision which was expected. Numbness from last year's procedure felt about 85% recovered (estimating) and I suspect that there could be some underlying nerves still not fully recovered that has reduced 2nd procedure pain. Curious if any one else with multiple FUT procedures noticed this.

19 hours ago, Skyb said:

Bro you’re going to look incredible when that crown fills in. I’m on my 3rd month of my fut with Dr Diep total of 8 thousand grafts! Surprisingly my scar looks thinner and the recovery is smooth. Can’t wait to see your results come in

It looks like my response did not get posted, thank you for the positive encouragement   It's great to hear about successful multiple FUT! 

On 3/23/2021 at 9:21 AM, js2020 said:

Would it be possible for 1 year update?  Any pictures, back of the head/FUT scar still feeling good?  Updates or issues with setting up the 2nd HT with MTHA?

Funny you should ask! My second FUT procedure with Dr. Diep was scheduled for Oct-21 but the clinic messaged me about a cancellation (and I called them back within 10 minutes).

I just had my crown done yesterday (13 months after my first procedure). I'll plan to chronicle my progress every month.

The second procedure was for 2,500 grafts - I don't know the exact count yet. Please keep in mind that these are pictures from yesterday so they are a little raw. I'm EXTREMELY pleased with the scar stitching. I slept surprisingly well last night and worked normally all day today. I've read that crown area often don't thicken up as much as the front area so I keep my expectations low and hope that they will be met or beat in the next few months

On 1/26/2021 at 4:07 AM, Skyb said:

I have to add that I felt 100% satisfied with the safety efforts made during the covid restriction in the office. Everything was being cleaned at all times. Every member had a mask on them and only one person allowed in the office at a time. They were very diligent with compliance  measures. Probably best I’ve seen so far. 

 

This is great to hear. Thanks for posting this and looking forward to hearing about your progress.

Good luck on a speedy recovery and sending positive thoughts your way

5 minutes ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Did you take pictures each month? I’d be curious to see how your hair looked at months 3,4,5, and 6. 

Yes, please see my original post.  The last seven pictures are of months 2,3,4,5,7,9,9 respectively. I couldn't find 6 and 8.

On 1/27/2021 at 7:24 PM, Skyb said:

That top view looks killer! Diep deff know how to place the grafts for maximizing coverage. Funny I noticed my fut scar and numbness is very little compared to my first session. Even the scar area looks less dramatic. First surgery   I deff rushed back into the gym to soon and got some stretch back. This time around I’m going to ensure a pencil thin scar Line by staying in a vegetative  state for six months or maybe I’ll live like a monk in top of the mountain till it fully heals. Jk!!! 

Thanks! I'm glad to hear about the scar after your second session. I'm curious how your overall recovery after second session is comparing to your first? And I did the same thing - I got back to exercise fairly quickly since 1) I was going crazy and gaining weight just sitting around watching hair slowly grow and 2) my hair grows a lot faster when I exercise and I figure the blood flow is good for general recovery. That said, I tried my best to stick to cardio low impact. I'm not unhappy with my scar but I can't claim that my exercise did not make it larger. Depending on what I can glean from this forum, I may dial exercise back a bit if I opt for FUT. Thanks again.

On 1/27/2021 at 2:20 PM, js2020 said:

AWesome to see a great result. If you don't mind me asking, why doing a another FUT instead of FUE?  Is it to tighten FUT scar much as possible?

*You might aready know this info. I was told by Dr. Diep to avoid working out for about 6 months to avoid stretching the scar, mainly weight training, said walking was ok.  Also reading ws2020 post that he got steroid shots for recovery and tightening the scar and his FUT scar looks great.  Maybe he can do the same for your 2nd?

Thank you. Dr. Diep suggested that my graft yield will be better with FUT and I have the scar anyway. If I could get the same result with FUE it would be tempting since recovery is easier (so I hear). On the other hand, the scar could be tightened a bit on the right side although it's not as high a priority to me as restoring the crown. I will be discussing FUE vs FUT and scar tightening with him in the next few days.  Based on you comment (thank you) I'll also discuss the steroid shots. Meanwhile, I am scheduled for the procedure in October.  

18 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Nice man, I hope you come here and share your journey with us.

Yes, will do.  Thanks.

6 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

That’s gonna finish it off nicely. Very happy for you man, when are you gonna get the next procedure?

Thanks. As soon as possible. Hopefully around the same time a COVID vaccination comes my way.

17 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said:

Wow, I have to say that looks absolutely excellent. Shocking it’s less than 4k grafts. Do you plan on doing the crown?

Thank you Melvin. Yes, Dr. Diep will do the same FUT procedure with an estimated 2K - 2.5K grafts.

Hoping for similar results with perhaps a slightly easier recovery

12 hours ago, yesplease said:

Wow, that's a great frontal third restoration and an excellent hairline. Good for you!

For completeness sake, since you said he restored hair in the midscalp and towards the crown as well, it would be great to see a top down shot. 

How is the scar healing up and maturing? Any shots of that?

 

Thank you. I just posted a top down shot above. The scar healed up nicely and it was barely noticeable that last time I had a real haircut. There is still minor numbness above the scar on the right side, 100% nerves on the left side. Please see photos of scar areas taken this morning. Brushback of scar on both sides as best as I could. Since my next procedure will use the same scar line, I am asking Dr. Diep to tighten that up as much as possible for minimum noticeability.

15 hours ago, giegnosiganoe said:

It would be great if you can show more revealing photos, such as parting your hair down the middle, or from directly above so we can more clearly see the non-transplanted areas

Happy to do so. Please see below. These photos were taken this morning (11 months post). I am trying to use bright light here so follicles are more conspicuous. Sadly, haircuts are hard to come by atm due to the CA stay-at-home order.

15 hours ago, Skyb said:

Somebody the other day called me a Dr Diep “fan boy” and it’s because of results like this!! My god   this has to be in the top 5 results I have ever seen in my life. Hair line is perfect and it looks like he took you from a class 6 to damn near full coverage. You look decades younger. I stand by my statement putting Diep as one of the best. 

Thank you. According to Dr. Diep I'm currently Norwood 3. I still have a way to go to restore the crown, but just having the hairline and front top restored has been a major change in the way I look and feel.

This is a review for Dr. John Diep (MHTA Clinic).

I met with the Dr. in December 2019 and he advised a FUT process to partially restore hair on the front top of my head. Due to a cancelation, I was able to have the procedure mid-February 2020. I am extremely pleased with the results and particularly happy about the design of my hairline. During my research it was not easy finding pictures and descriptions that clearly described what someone at my age and with my level of hair loss might experience if I were to pull the trigger on hair restoration.

I hope that my post here may help others be more prepared if they choose a similar procedure and perhaps also help in making various decisions related to the procedure. I'm not one to post personal information but I do feel compelled to share my experience as this can be a life altering decision.

Please note that this is my experience only and I am not advocating that anyone choose or not choose to do hair restoration. I am only sharing what has happened in my case.

My views:

• There is nothing to be ashamed about if you are losing your hair.
• There is nothing to be ashamed about if you want to restore your hair.

Why I chose to restore my hair:

• Mild but consistent hair thinning since mid-thirties.
• Rapid hair loss after prostate cancer at age 55 (successful prostatectomy - no chemo/rad).
• At 58, when I looked in the mirror, I believed that I looked 15 years older than I felt.

Why I chose Dr. Diep:

• I was able to find many positive reviews and some online pictures of Dr. Diep's work that were relevant to me.
• I wanted a doctor that performs a LOT of hair restorations.
• Consistent theme of reviews was "natural hairline" and "hairline artist." I wanted an age-appropriate hairline.
• The online description of the process as somewhat clear; the in-person meeting answered all remaining questions.
• I spoke with a couple of other well-known specialist who did not impress. Cost and location were not differentiators for me.

Restoration particulars:

• Date: February 2020
• Norwood 4
• Procedure: handful of various pills, comfortable chair, 15-20 minute conversation, the next thing I remember was being driven home. I was given lunch but I don't remember eating.
• Length: All day, early morning start.
• FUT 3,619 grafts. Front hairline and top of head toward crown.
• Opted for AminoFill and A-Cell injections.

Post-Op:

• Most of the pain was along the incision line which for me was "U" shaped from behind mid-ear on each side. Some pain in the new hair area but minor.
• I was prescribed narcotics but I only took Advil for a few days and the pain was manageable.
• The first 2-3 nights, sleeping was very uncomfortable. Every night after that was progressively better.
• Complete numbness on both sides of the incision. This began to improve after a couple of months. 100% nerve recovery below the incision after 6 months. About 95% nerve recovery above the incision after 11 months.
• I was meticulous in following scalp and hair cleaning instructions. The incision area needs a few weeks of consistent attention.
• In-office suture removal at 3 weeks.
• I was back to a vigorous workout schedule after one month.
• I wore a hat in public for about 3 weeks, always protected against the sun.
• I've been taking finasteride just in case it helps promote growth. No side effects for me.

I am planning on a second and final FUT procedure with Dr. Diep in the next few months to restore hair on the crown. This will take approximately 2,000-2,500 grafts.

These pictures span from procedure date to nine-months post: Days 1 and 2; Months 2,3,4,5,7,9.  Please excuse any lack of photo quality.