Bandit90

On 8/25/2023 at 10:19 PM, Grouse said:

@Bandit90 just wanted to say you look great here, this is a phenomenal outcome! Literally wouldn't appear to have hairloss to anyone you come across day to day. Incredible given your donor and starting point too.

 

Please keep us updated as your crown thickens. This is making me consider putting a deposit down for Dr. Sethi

Thank you! I will do an update next week, appreciate i'm a bit behind this month! 

When I see implantation in rows/columns to me this comes across as the surgeon is taking a scientific approach over an artistic approach. I think these results will come out good, but will just maybe lack that artistic flare. H&W arent the only top clinic doing this approach, I have seen cases by Dr Bisanga using a similar graft arrangement. TBH I dont think it will make a huge difference so long as the angles are good. Implanting in rows also requires more grafts, so in higher norwood cases where you need to get good mileage then an artistic approach will almost be more beneficial. I take Dr Konior work as a good example due to his artistic flair he gets so much more coverage from less grafts. 

Month 17 Update 

The crown is now at 10 months, again still noticing improvements, I’ve included some photos of the crown combed forwards and also slicked back, which helps gives an illusion of a full head of hair. For the front im a month of the final ’18 month result’, although I feel that I have experienced a bit of a reduced density the past month, which I am owning to the anagen desynchronization kicking in (I thought I had dodged this as I cruised past month 15 milestone). It is hard to illustrate, and something which I have only noticed by running my hands through my hair, but something which feels more apparent in the mid-scalp area where I had lots of beard hair implanted.

17 hours ago, Patrick_Joyce said:

I have some questions about the safe donor area. @Zoomster had mentioned a couple of things that made me start wondering.

1) What/where exactly are the boundaries of the "safe donor area?" It seems so many transplant surgeon's have different ideas of where the boundaries are (ie, some are more narrow, some go further into the temples, etc).

2) Many prominent surgeons like Feller, Shapiro and Rassman claim that FUE has a lower yield than FUT and cannot harvest as many grafts from the donor; they often site that for most people, a healthy donor can give a max of 5,000-6,000 grafts (in total, not at all once) before it becomes depleted. When you look at surgeons like those at Eugenix and Pittella however, they routinely obtain at or well above 6,000 FUE grafts on their client's. Even clients like @Bandit90 and @Zoomster that had compromised donors to begin with, those surgeons were still able to harvest at or well above 6,000 grafts while still having more left to spare in the donor. How are they doing that? Are they going outside of the safe donor area?

3) Some state that the safe donor area might be different for for each person and that the it might be larger for some than it is for others because for example they aren't a Norwood 7 pattern and therefore their crown or lateral humps doesn't dip as low; they determine this through close assessment and mapping for miniaturization. Well how do they know that an area that currently isn't miniaturized won't start to miniaturize in the future? Or that a Norwood 6 who perceivably has a larger donor area won't start to progress to a Norwood 7? If graft are taken from that expanded zone, they can be lost in the future, no?

It's very hard to determine what is a safe zone. In my situation, though a Norwood 7,  I could take the view there would be no further progression of hair loss as my final  pattern is firmly established. But because I went bald so young there is a chance (albeit small) that my sides could dip as I got older. Now If I were to take the totally risk-adverse approach and only extract grafts from the 'guaranteed' safe zone, I would probably only have enough grafts for a hairline (and would be pointless even contemplating hair restoration). So to allow me to utilise my full donor area, I take out an insurance policy in the form of Finasteride, to protect the area outside of the 'guaranteed' safe zone from the small chance it could be susceptible to further hairloss. Now should there by any sign of hair loss progression own the line (as we know fin only slows down hair loss) there is a an acceptance from me I would have to jump on Dutasteride. 

 

I found the five nights of post-op sleeping after I had my crown/lower crown done was difficult. I recommend you get a travel pillow and put it at the end of your bed and lie down with your head slightly hanging off the bed (the lower the grafts in the crown area, the more uncomfortable the sleep gets lol). In the grand scheme though it's just Short term pain.. for long term gains 💪

Work looks super clean and I think the OP will have a great result. But I have to agree I think Dr Pitella uses way too many grafts! I'm not convinced the approach of blitzing the beard and scalp all in one sitting is wise for NW7's. I find myself asking the question if this was the best approach then why wouldn't Eugenix routinely do it, given they have resource and capability to transplant these numbers. Looking forward to seeing a few of the Dr Pitella review at 12 months, 18 months post op. 

On 7/11/2023 at 5:59 PM, azza786 said:

Had the privilege to meet John in person a few weeks back. Phenomenal results! 

Cheers Ali mate! Was a pleasure catching up with you as always! Yours are phenomenal results, especially for six months. 

On 7/12/2023 at 11:50 AM, Zoomster said:

for two thirds your way through your full restoration process you’re right on track ..I’d even say ahead of the curve right now ..beard looks untouched which is comfy to know ( as a donor source ) 

👏👏

Thanks Karl! Really happy with how the beard has come off in my transplant. Nothing beats scalp hair, but nice to know beard is doing a good job and like you said plenty more in the coffers for the future. Hoping for another 1k scalp grafts in the crown possibly next year to seal the deal for me. 

9 hours ago, MazAB said:

Un-Freakin-Believable John!!!

Thank you Armen my man! 

8 hours ago, BaldingEagle1 said:

Man I can’t wait to do my crown lol..

 

yours looks awesome bandit!!

 

sigh.. I have so much going on right now with baby coming in 2 months and work. 

Thank you man! Congratulations on your imminent arrival, please don't get too stressed about the crown, it will all get sorted in due course. On the plus note you are going have no time to think about the crown area with a newborn! They ain't newborns forever, so i'm sure you will be there soon. I did my 1st transplant when my child was around 9 months and worked fine! 

On 7/11/2023 at 5:55 PM, SLA said:

Looking amazing @Bandit90- with additional growth and proper styling, you are (will) look as if you never lost any hair!

Thanks you Adam! Agreed, especially with the slickback style, i can  pull off a full looking head of hair. 

On 7/11/2023 at 5:29 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Looking like a rock star John 👏🏼

Cheers man 🤘

Man this has come on so good the past month! Still have a good six months more of improvement to come to. You have got some good mileage from the 1.8k grafts used!  

Month 16 Update.

Now at month 9 for the crown.  Over the last month, I’ve noticed the beard hairs are beginning to blend in with the scalp. I met Dr Pradeep in London last month for a consult and he expects around 15-20% more hairs to pop through still (which I’m amazed at). As a Norwood 7, I have always had to have realistic expectations for the crown i.e. I’ll never have a real dense look, but if being honest it is surpassing my expectations. Plus 99% of the time I use the slick back style which now allows me to pull off a fullish-looking head of hair.

Unreal Karl! The hair style really suits you. Also  highlights a huge advantage of the FUE/BHT combo, in that these hair styles now can be rocked on high norwoods, when typically you had to wear is much longer to conceal the FUT scar. 

16 hours ago, MazAB said:

John, the amazing part about all of this is that if you stopped now and never got another hair transplant, nobody can say you've ever thinned out and lost hair a day in your life! If you go for a 3rd (which I know are in the plans for you), you'll have the hair density of a teenager, HAHA! Nothing more exciting than to be you right now! So happy for you brother!😉

Follow my Journey with Eugenix and Dr Arika Bansal!

Thank you so much Armen man.. you really one of the good guys! Honestly, never did I think I would be sat in this position 15 months after I did my first pass! 

6 hours ago, Gatsby said:

This is incredible John and it couldn't have happened to a more deserving, nicer guy. That's a mop of natural looking hair you have already. 💯🙌

Thanks so much Adrian! I say the exact same when i see your results! 

33 minutes ago, Zoomster said:

Still another 20% to come to fruition and a 3 rd pass on the horizon ..holy cow !! 
 

🐐🐐

Cheers Karl! .. Haha, if I do a 3rd sitting next year. My planning session is going to be quick one and will go something along the tune of  "give me a Karl doc" 

57 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Wow look at this difference, John I’m chuffed for you mate. You’re definitely one of the chillest, nicest people I’ve met. You deserve this incredible result. 

Thanks Melvin mate! Means a lot coming from someone of your calibre! 

1 hour ago, BillyHopkins88 said:

Absolute insane transformation mate , can I ask how much all together did it cost please ? 

Thank you mate! I don't really want to disclose what I have paid, It was a lot lol.  I did book the transplant back in 2020 when the Dr Pradeep Package was cheaper though. 

Incredible for just five months. I cant wait to see this in a few more months. Zarev is a magician! 

Looks like a killer design Ethan, very pleased for you. I’m sure in six-month time you’re going to be a very happy man. Nice that they were able to address the humps and crown, along with the hairline and temples too. Even more impressive this was all done with scalp hair. Looking at your photos, I think what previous posters probably didn’t appreciate, when they were being critical of your plan, is that your head shape is relatively small and as a result, you got good mileage from the grafts. Take Zoomster for example who wasn’t even a NW7 like you, he needed 15K grafts to cover the same design. Anyways please keep us all updated, despite the previous negativity I know the overwhelming majority love reading your updates which bring hope to lots of dudes, especially those who have gone bald young.  

Month 15 Update 

It is now 8 months since I had the crown done. I would say that this last month I have seen the most change to date, especially with the scalp and beard hair blending . Humps seemed to have filled in nicely. I’d say I’m very close to being able to look like I have a full head of hair, especially when slicking back. Have been using a sprinkle of hair fibres on the crown for special occasions, mainly just to give it an aesthetic edge while it slowly grows (there are no fibres in any of my pics on here though btw). I know I’ve said it 1000 times, but I couldn’t have wished for a better outcome and am incredibly thankful I was able to achieve such a good result. It has been truly life-changing for me and has given me so much confidence across many aspects of my life. 

45 minutes ago, ready4Hair said:

 

I'm not sure if I agree here. Yes we are here to be supportive of one another Part of that is being honest and not kombaya. There are two separate issues here; one is how to proceed with the next HT to fix what is by anyone's measure an HT that was not approached the right way by the HT Doctor.. And to give Ethan some input (which may have been sorely lacking the first time around) on how best to achieve his goals.

We are also here AFAIK on a larger mission; to asses critically the work of HT Doctors so that others can choose wisely and well moving forward. And to hold those same Drs. accountable.

So Melvin I don't think the issue is whether or not Ethan would have been 'happier with a high hairline'.  Given the 'humps' he only had the foundation in the first HT for a higher hairline since it was 100% critical to address those sections first.  Do my mock-ups give him a higher hairline than he'd want at first? For sure. But they connect the top and bottom of his head for pete's sake, in a way that he could then bring his hairline forward with a second HT. That was the only correct decision, whatever Ethan's desire was at the time, and the Dr. should have insisted on that approach.  I say this in a 'larger mission' way since I too am considering Dr. Das and this decision is a major red flag for me.  I think it is an absolute 'mea culpa' result that she should own and do everytihng in her and Eugenix's power to rectify.

Older or younger, I would not want my hairline lowered with the cost being those sides. An HT shouldn't require good barbers and special haircuts to hide the outcome.

So yes, we want to support Ethan and help him get his HT on track. But being brutally honest that it was a bad HT and bad approach by the Doctor is, again AFAIK, critical to the mission of this board no? In hindsight I'd bet that Dr. Das wishes she had done the implants more along the lines of my mock-up and if she is worth her salt will learn from this. Most of her other work is stellar and if she can (and should) pull this one out with a second and/or third procedure she will cement her place as a top HT doctor.

The reality being is that the humps take up a lot of grafts and to be able to achieve everything on a NW6/7 in one pass is just not realistic. Playing devil's advocate, would you want nice humps with an increased risk of an over-harvested donor? You are analysing this like a final result, whereas as a NW6/7 you have to work on a 3/4-year programme across three sittings. For example, you can take a look at my journey just before I went for the second sitting in October 2022, you would probably share the same sentiments as you do now towards Ethan, but would you say that now I’m 7 months after my second sitting. My point is there is a tonne of overthinking going on here when the reality is Ethan is about one-third through his hair restoration journey!   

2 hours ago, GeneralNorwood said:

 

 

Ok so this photos are from the same time and have the same haircut : 

 

picture 1:

 

picture 2: 

 

 

But still 1st photo has normal color of hair, and 2nd photo has weird color, lighting looks pretty the same on both pictures. Am i the only one who sees this? 😅

I don't know what you were using or how you styled your hair, but you achieved the most flattering result. You didn't post picture 1 in that time, but picture 2. You had picture 1, it looked less flattering and you decided not to post it back then. Now you posted it and we see the  real situation. Just leave it at that. 

If i am too negative here, you can always report me to Melvin. 

I think the above photos have more to do with angles rather than fibres, Ethan takes the 1st picture higher up vs the 2nd which is more parallel to his face. I could make my humps look better depending on the angle (before the first procedure). Also, Ethan's miniaturised hair has a different colour, which is what you would expect. He is going to share his pre-op photos for his second procedure in the coming week, so not entirely sure this analysis is necessary. Let's do the right thing and be supportive of Ethan, as travelling halfway around the world for a cosmetic procedure takes its mental toll on you, and I imagine the last thing Ethan needs right now is to be defending accusations!  

The centre of your hairline is different to the centre of eye brow, it should not line up perfectly! 

Insane result! (with still more to come!). 2023 Hall of Fame for sure! 

Adam you are looking like a different person, shaved years off you ! know that feeling well getting rejected by top docs (I didn't even make past the patient adviser, at my local forum recommended doc, before being quickly shown the door)  .. it makes you super sceptical of HT outcomes. I've come to the conclusion, that when I heard the "you are not a candidate" what was actually meant was  "sorry, we don't have the confidence to take your case". Your result is amazing for seven months, and honestly still more improvements to come, especially will all that beard in the mid-scalp. Interestingly, I was at seven months when we met in India.