Sparse

Hey Michael: thanks for the kind words. It's shaping up to be a hell of a fun ride for both of us (knock on wood)! Grow well, and please keep us all posted on your progress.

Hey Teach - got an update for us? Would love to see how things are progressing!

This result is ridiculously impressive. Dr. Hasson raises the bar for single-session transformation yet again. In fact, this patient would be perfect on Oprah with Dr. H (and Jotronic, of course). Joe, I have contact info for her producers if you want to send them these pics!

Joe, this result is phenomenal! You wouldn't happen to have a pic immediately post-HT to show the graft placement, would you?

TTP - I've followed this thread with some interest, and it's been clear to me throughout that you were in no way casting aspersion on Dr. Alexander's surgical skill. In fact, given your legitimate frustration with the growth you've experienced to date - whether due entirely to innate physiology or to some other as-yet-unspecified set of factors - I believe you have been quite gracious in your comments to date. I also admire your ability to use this forum as a sounding board to gain perspective on your situation, and to come to a clearer understanding of the slow pace of growth you've witnessed to date. Prospective HT patients need to see the full range of possible HT outcomes, even the frustrating ones - and that holds especially true regarding surgeons like Dr. Alexander who are (deservedly) held in high esteem. Thanks for your transparency in sharing your results over these past several months, and best wishes on a much more satisfactory pace of growth in the months ahead.

Good luck, Sweet C, and grow well! Do you think you could post some pics? It would be great to see pre-HT, post-HT, 1-month, 2-months, etc. It may sound like a hassle to get all that up on the site, but it's a pretty painless process, and those pics truly help so many people come to an informed decision about their HT (surgeon, hairline placement, # grafts, etc.).

Thanks, Raj! It's like a dream come true.

Thanks, Joe and Rpachigo - very helpful.

Hi All, I've come down with a sinus infection this week and am trying to beat it without resorting to antibiotics (with mixed results). So, I'm trying to figure out if there's any contra-indication to taking an antibiotic like Augmentin (which is amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid) a couple of months after an HT mega-session? I've noticed a bit of shedding when taking this drug in the past, but it might just have been the result of the underlying infection rather than the drug. Does anyone know whether or not such antibiotics might pose any sort of risk to the recipient grafts?

Good luck with your 3-month checkup. Dermmatch has been a godsend: does a great job covering up the scar and some shockloss just under the scar on the sides, even in sunlight. I would NEVER use it on the new grafts themselves, though, as everyone has advised keeping the new growth free of any concealers or other products.

Bill & Razi: As I mentioned earlier, the best photo of the donor scar (at Day 16) is pretty misleading due to the (inadvertent) upward camera angle and head tilt. However, the scar comes down to about 1/4" above the very center of the occipital ridge at the back of the skull . . . still well within the "safe zone", I think. (Fingers crossed!)

Thanks, John! I hope you're growing well these days . . . it would be great to see an update with some pics some time when you have a chance. Oddly enough, my scar is still a darkish red in some segments (especially up by my right temple), but almost completely faded in other spots. I tried trimming down to a #3 guard, and wound up having to use Dermmatch to cover the scar in spots. So, how's your scar doing? Hope all is well . . .

Razi, The donor scar comes down to the occipital ridge in the back: isn't that where it's normally placed? I think the 2-week pic I've posted (the one that gives the clearest view of the scar, as I still have staples in) may be a bit misleading, as it's shot from below with my head tilted down, which makes the scar look like it's placed higher than it really is. However, as you suggest, the scar does come up pretty high on the sides . . . not sure why that is, although I assume the choice was mostly based on my desire to harvest as many grafts as possible with only average laxity.

I'm at the 2.5-month mark today . . . and there's been some nice growth over the past 15 days. It's SO good to be emerging from the doldrums stage: now (with any luck) the real fun begins!

As Severn suggested, it's a good idea to try the shaved/buzzed look before taking the plunge, as many guys look great that way (especially with light-colored hair like yours). I'll also second Sparky's advice: don't do an HT until your doubts are resolved and you're certain that's the best path, as there's no turning back once you head down that road.

Nice repair work: it's a big improvement and a solid overall result - especially given only ~2700 grafts to work with. With another 1500/3000 available to shore things up, he could have an elite, "homerun" result.

Joe, The amazing thing is that your result looks even more impressive in person. Congrats!

This result is impressive: it looks like the sort of outcome we've all come to associate with Hasson & Wong (the highest praise I can give)!

Hi All, Today (9/28) marks exactly two months since my HT procedure with Dr. Hasson. I'm still firmly entrenched in "the doldrums": looking more bald than ever, but at least now there's a light at the end of the tunnel. The past two weeks have brought a proliferation of tiny dark hairs across the entire frontal recipient region. Most are hard to see, but I think you can get at least a glimpse of the new growth in the accompanying pics. Here's hoping that these new little guys flourish in the months ahead - joined by a sturdy band of newly sprouted brethren! (P.S. I should mention that I still have quite a bit of post-HT numbness. Specifically, I only have about 40-50% of the sensation back in the mid-frontal recipient area, and only about 20% sensation in the crown area above the donor scar. This actually represents a big improvement from immediately post-HT, when I had minimal sensation anywhere in the recipient area or above the donor scar. This is one of those annoying facets of the HT process that probably doesn't get talked about as often as it should . . . but needs to be faced honestly in the interest of full disclosure. I fully expect to have 100% of scalp sensation back over the next year as the damaged nerves regenerate, but of course there's no guarantee.)

You're healing up very quickly - that's great (one of the advantages of youth, I guess)! I've still got some redness in both the frontal hairline and crown areas, along with some shockloss on both sides. Keep us posted, and grow well.

Freaking awesome result!!! Somehow, it's even more impressive in those last two pics that show how naturally it frames your face; thanks for taking the time to post them. Dr. Hasson is a genius, and if I wind up with a result anywhere close to yours 4 months from now, I'll be ecstatic.

Comb: thanks for the supportive comments. By the way, do you think you might be willing some time to post a pic that shows how your hair now frames your *entire* face? (perhaps by simply blocking out your eyes and/or some part of your lower face). Your hair looks amazing, but I'm having trouble getting a good sense of low/high the hairline placement is and how it complements the forehead and the rest of the face. (I'm curious, of course, because you and I have had similar work done . . .)

Thanks, John. Good luck with your growth, as well, and I'll look forward to seeing your updated pics. (And hopefully the new gray hairs will prove temporary . . . although I'd much rather have gray than no hairs at all!)

Ok, here are the 1 Month (Week 5) update pics I promised. As you can see, I've now shed the great majority of transplanted grafts. Since I've also had a fair amount of shockloss of native hair in the crown and middle third regions, I'm now looking more bald than ever. Throw in the residual redness and the additional shockloss around the donor scar, and it's safe to say I'm having a "bad hair month". Welcome to the doldrums. At this point, I'm just trying to stay focused on the big picture: if the grafts all grow in as expected - and assuming the shockloss-ravaged native hair returns, as well - it will all be worth it. One bright spot: some of the transplanted grafts seem to have taken hold and started growing in the hairline, and every day brings some new, wispy little fledgling hairs in the recipient region. (I'm thinking these have to be grafts that are just starting their growth phase?) Comments welcome!

I'm in awe, comb. You must be thrilled. Hey, I just hit the 5-week mark after a 5500-graft session with Dr. Hasson, and I think I'm starting to see some wispy little hairs poking through in the transplant area (especially around the new hairline). Do you remember when you first started to see a little growth there? I know you were already seeing massive regrowth at 3 months, so I'm curious to know when those hairs were first detectable . . .