Kraki77

I would not say that my temples look better than yours. My temples are quite destroyed for some reason, with good temples this intermediate diffuse hairloss would be much more bearable for me. My midscalp is also weaker in comparison with crown, however it was not affected additionally with surgery. The only reason lies in the fact that we didn't interfere too much with native hair. It would be too risky to do any kind of procedure on area that is still looking decent, to some degree. I'll upload few more pictures of the rest of my scalp for you, including donor. I had a haircut recently and maybe some different pictures offer different perspective and better insight.

Just wanted to let you know that doctor informed me yesterday that I have folliculitis based upon pictures that he has seen. He immediately prescribed Clobisdin as treatment. Can you share your experiences and share few tips how to battle against it? How worried should I be about it? Problem is that I'm sweating quite intensely and that probably does not help. I just wanted to say that I'm again humbled by overwhelming support on this forum with so many words of support. They are basically essential for peace of mind and without them I would have much more question marks above my head.

Thank you for the encouragement. It generally helps if you are avoiding mirror for first few months as much as you can because it can cause you mental stress. Constant checking and wishful thinking can do a lot more harm to you than good. I'm definitely staying positive, maybe words that I have used made someone think that I'm starting to be concerned but that's not the case. As long as there is clear growth and visible progress there's no reason for anyone to overthink. I'm taking absolutely everything that he has prescribed and I was taking it for many years prior to the surgery. We will see what the future has in store. Maybe I'll forget hair problems during next couple of months and that would be ideal but if not I'm not going to be devastated if touch-up ends up being probable.

4 MONTH UPDATE Growth is definitely slowly progressing. I really do hope that worst period is behind me. In comparison with some other posters from de Freitas my growth is not that impressive. Next two months should be more exciting and I firmly believe that everything will be alright. Only two things worry me slightly: First few rows don't have as much progress when compared with the rest of them. Secondly, there are some grafts that look like they are frozen since the shedding phase, they've stayed the same. All in all, there's no reason to question anything at this point or to be disappointed. It can be said that I'm not early grower but everything else looks to be on point. Usually I've noticed more pronounced growth for other patients after 4 months, we will see if that will be the case here.

Since I'm from Croatia maybe you can PM me and we can discuss in Croatian. However, I cannot reveal too many informations since I have decided not to proceed with Ana Maletić. She just doesn't have wide array of independent online client reviews. Huge number of patients are not willing to offer glimpse into their privacy. There are probably some cases that you can check when you visit the clinic personally but that's not convenient enough for me.

3 MONTH Update Nothing major to report. Since I did not expect anything there are hardly any surprises currently, I'm still in ugly duckling phase. There are some visible sprouts and things are getting better slowly but it's best to avoid mirrors in order to save mental health. Some hairs that survived shedding became longer and they are creating the illusion of more growth but in reality there are only some minor groups of grafts that are starting to grow. Middle of the hairline is still sleeping and there are many gaps where you only see skin and nothing else. I have seen many de Freitas patients on this forum that have looked better during this point. However comparing things does not make any sense because we're all different. I would like to see some growth in the coming weeks and I certainly do hope that worst part is behind me now. Honestly, I don't remember when was the last time that I've felt so good about myself. The fact alone that I have finally pulled the trigger and did something about issues that were bothering me, is simply enough to lift my spirits and ensure peace of mind. The truth is that I don't need to wear hats or helmets anymore. My hair is long enough to hide recession when there's no wind around, haha. Redness is fading day by day and it's not that prominent, it looks better in reality compared with pictures on the phone. Pain or itchiness are also part of the history, for a long time already. Flakes aren't present on my scalp, I'm still following routine prescribed by the doctor. Looking forward to April, I believe that improvement is on the horizon. Without further ado, I'm sending you few pictures for archive and to assess the situation.

Depends on how you're processing everything. Personally, I don't care that much about what others think about my looks. I just didn't like what I was seeing in front of the mirror every single day. Shaving did not change that perspective of myself. After surgery, I'm not wearing hat or cap during ugly duckling phase and I'm going to the gym where I look absolutely awful when sweat starts to demolish remnants of my hair. Deep down I believe that this surgery will improve my self satisfaction. There are many people out there who will tell you that they've accepted their baldness and that they are satisfied with their shaved look, however there are many of them who just accepted it because every other option seemed impossible for them through lack of knowledge or general way of thinking in the crowd.

2 MONTH Update Shedding lasted all the way up until week 5 after surgery. From than on, there were sometimes only two or three hairs on my hands during showering. Redness has subsided to some degree and I don't feel any pain in recipient or donor area. I think that I was able to notice some early signs of growth last week which is evident on photos that I'm about to post. Longer hairs that have survived shedding are also clearly visible. However, mentally I'm not expecting anything during next 30 days and I avoid looking in the mirror. On my job I have to wear helmet most of the time and almost nobody from my colleagues noticed that I had something done on my head. In the gym, I'm not wearing hat and most of the experiences were positive with some people even approaching me and asking questions. However, when ugly duckling phase really showed it's worst period there were some weird looks. Some girls politely asked me what kind of disease that is, haha. Personally, I don't find this ugly duckling phase demanding on my psyche. Honestly, since surgery day I have that pleasant feeling in my stomach and huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. That feeling when you know that you did something great for yourself to eliminate thing that bothered you deeply. It almost feels like I was depressed prior to surgery and had that state of mind for a long time. It wasn't just an emotion of sadness that would come and go, it seems to me that I was affected rather dangerously and consumed with mental warfare inside my head. WARNING for people that have costochondritis as long COVID symptom: I have felt tremendous amount of pain from week 5 up until week 8. I have felt difference immediately after surgery, however pain was very much manageable at first. I did not expect this, some medicine that was given to me probably triggered some kind of inflammatory response. Pain was even more accentuated on workout days. It came to a point where it was difficult for me to sleep and I was only able to do so in certain positions. If somebody reads this and has similar issues before surgery, be wary of possible consequences.

I would love to see update on this one. 6 months have already passed and I hope that things are going in right direction.

You have mentioned seborhic dermatitis, maybe that is the reason for delayed growth. It's hard to tell, have you noticed any difference since month 4? How old are you? Listen, I know it's hard because there are cases on this forum where you see earlier growth from the same doctor. And I understand your anxiety. But I still firmly believe that you are just late bloomer. Hang in there and don't overthink too much.

This is more growth than an average person can expect by this point. Bearing that in mind, you should be satisfied. These are high quality images with unfavourable light conditions in the bathroom and transplant still looks unbelievably natural. There's no way that anybody will notice that you had something done which is a huge win at this moment. Many people reach this point much later in the process. Don't worry about anything.

1 Month UPDATE Shedding started 16 days after procedure and it is still in full swing. I have decided not to go to the gym until tomorrow and I cannot wait to continue with strength training. Nothing major to report, still no visible signs of shock loss, pimples are not that prominent. Basically nobody noticed anything and I'm not wearing hat or cap, I feel pretty good about myself already since the surgery, like huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. I'm sending you few pictures, wasn't able to take them during daylight and they could have been better but they are enough to show that everything is under control. My major tip would be to avoid looking yourself every day and comparing your state with others. It does nothing for mental hygiene. Do whatever you can to distract yourself from that. Redness is also not that bright anymore it's slowly subsiding. Itchiness disappeared after two weeks and I don't feel any tension or numbness in recipient area.

Thank you. To you I owe much of the praise for every single information that I have received through private messages. They were essential for my piece of mind and many of them proved to be decisive when dealing with minor anxiety. That's one of the reasons why I did not have any doubts prior and during procedure.

14 days post OP Here are the latest pictures before shedding starts. Nothing major happened but redness is becoming less visible. Slight tension on the scalp is still noticeable but that's to be expected. Rosehip oil is definitely great for itchiness, as I did not feel almost anything after 10th day. I don't wear hat or cap but still nobody noticed that I had procedure, not even people that see me every day. This is important milestone because after two weeks I don't have to use other medications besides DHT inhibitor, Oral Minoxidil and Complidermol. I can also start to exercise lightly and sweat is not that big of an issue anymore (I'll avoid gym for 1 month just for precaution and that warning is listed on paper that Clinic gave me). Next update will be 1 month after procedure. If you have any questions, let me know.

It looks like you are a fast grower. Everything is as it should be, worst days are behind you now. If evolution continues to follow the same spiral of growth it can be said that you will be satisfied pretty soon. For 3 months, this is well above average in terms of density.