My 12-month and possibly final update. The surgery overall was successful with good growth. I'm already starting to forget what it was like to live with combovers for 15 years or avoiding social situations unless I could wear a hat. The survival rate for BHT also seemed to be pretty high, though more coverage is needed (as expected).
I do have a few nitpicks, which I think is only fair to the community for me to mention. The growth on the right side is still a bit thin in comparison to my left side and I also have some patchiness in my donor on the sides. Regarding slight thinness on my right side, I think it is mainly my fault because I remember noticing a thin spot had developed after walking around outside for hours with a bucket hat on the 6th day of post-op. I can cover this up pretty easily, but would recommend being careful to wear loose-fitting headwear after surgery. As for patchiness in the donor, it's not too substantial and I'm fine with it. It is noticeable to me and perhaps people within the hair transplant community, but I don't think the average person would think much of it.
Overall I'm glad I went with Dr. Laorwong and certainly believe he's a safe bet for good results.
FRONT:
LEFT:
RIGHT:
DONOR (right):
DONOR (left):
BACK, BHT: