Vann

Honestly the only time I think someone can say what norwood your guaranteed to be is if its NW7. If youre 20-25 and already have lots of hair loss it would be best to assume they will have very little to work with. Its extremely difficult to judge how people will proceed. 

Not all people lose their hair at the same pace. It could be extremely aggressive in your early/late twenties and slow down when you hit your mid thirties then pick up. DHT works differently as we age and our hair is still sensitive to a certain threshold. 

I think if you take medications you can stabilize and perhaps predict how you will hold as you age. But you will still lose ground over time, its unfortunately a biological process that we cannot control 100%.

Wow 2,300 grafts isnt a whole lot for that much surface area but this looks like it went a long way for them.

Interesting. It seems like a lot of similar methods are being used in other places. For example chondrocytes for cartilage. Seems like they use matrix scaffolds and spin them to regrow and have a quarter size putty to implant it back.

Seems like it would be promising if this could be sped up and we actually have this soon. But of course such is a way of life. Thanks for sharing Melvin.

Very aggressive, but then again you were already committed to a bald look prior. So I think with time you will adjust your needs and wants. Tackle these operations slower while you get more results from Dutasteride. It may save you a few hundred grafts in certain areas. 

Have you ever considered oral minox? It might help your beard and scalp a bit more. That way you can have some stronger beard hairs if you used them on the scalp.

I actually never recommend someone to work on their hairline this aggressive. But im not going to lie it looks nice so far. So thanks for sharing and good luck with your future ops!

21 hours ago, gxm100 said:

Alright here we are about 5.5 months following my procedure. Good news - I'm super happy with it. Bad news - there really isn't any bad news. I'll post some pictures and share some thoughts as well about where I am.

 

First the pics. These are immediately after the shower. 1st is wet hair slicked back. 2nd is dried hair from over-head (so you can see how things are in fact a bit immature/weak in that area based on the angle. 3rd is my hair dried with a bit of gel in it from face on view to show how I actually look to people I'm talking with (which I am INCREDIBLY happy with).

 

So as everyone can see, this has been a massive improvement for my situation. Given that I am only 5.5 months, I expect I might see some more improvement over the coming months! I wanted to show the over head shot because I see a lot of people posting this same kind of picture going on about how their procedure has failed, but then they won't show a picture from a more normal angle to go with it. I will say I do think that I have had a little bit less than ideal growth in that weaker area (I only say that based on the high # of grafts which were placed there), but even with that in mind, it still looks fantastic front on.

 

The biggest improvement for me though is not the cosmetic but the happiness that comes with it. It is incredible how freeing it feels to be out from under the weight of a receding hairline that had me down for so many years. All of the little things that are different now blow my mind every day. For instance, today I was out walking through the parking lot with some coworkers in heavy wind and I didn't even think about my hair. For the last 8 years I have viewed wind as my mortal enemy. I don't worry about my hair disappearing when I jump in a pool now. I don't worry about wearing a hat. I don't worry about taking a hat off and how that's going to look. I don't even have to use hair products. It's just nuts.

 

I'll keep updating this thread all the way through a year just because I think it's important to share the whole journey, but yeah, I am just so pumped. Based on my result and my experience I would highly recommend Dr Bloxham. He's also the man.

 

 

 

Very nice. You can see some of the native hairs at the peak coming back and your hairline behind it really reinforces it. I wonder if you had some regrowth to it from the surgery.

Mm, its hard to say your hair loss pattern. Its kind of forming into a norwood scale but it kinda looks diffuse. Its really hard to say how many grafts you would need in the future. I always say plan like youre a NW7 so you can make the most of each procedure. But small and steady is the way in my opinion--- if you choose to get a HT.

If you arent already on medication, theres finasteride, minox, etc. Probably look into Dutasteride 0.5mg, speak with your doctor about that. Try to take them for at least 12-18 months, you would be surprised at how much it can help mitigate and stabilize your hairloss when you start it early on.

If you stop any medications your hair loss will continue to worsen. Regardless of choice (HT or not), you will need to address the root cause of your hair loss which is your hairs sensitivity to DHT. 

My best advice, take as many medical options that you can (fin, dut, minox, oral minox, etc.). Do your research on other people that have similar hair loss types to yours. Look up surgeons, get a free consult, and just wait to see how everything pans out. With time you will definitely notice some improvement or see more of a hairloss pattern.

If you are worried about the FUE scars (white tiny dots) you can look into SMP. But no matter what you do there will be some kind of scar, regardless of how well it heals. Some people can get lucky with FUT scars and barely have anything showing. It really varies between technical experience of the surgeon and your own bodys response.

Personally if I was in your position, I would get some lab tests done to rule out any form of DUPA, auto immunity issues, or any type of scarring that could potentially work against a hair transplant. Your hair loss pattern isnt too different from mine (the thinning I mean). I was a lurker on this forum for awhile just looking at peoples scalps and seeing what options were available.

One thing I would say from my experience is that I would have done FUT the first go around. If the healing time for FUT wasnt so long I would have done FUT first (maybe first 2 surgeries) then have done FUE to cover whatever ground in the future.

12 hours ago, Surfarosa said:

I started on Proscar in 2002 (before Propecia was FDA approved) and progresed to Avodart over the years. In 2013 (or there abouts I stopped taking meds). This was due to reading some negative reports about its long term use and effiacy after prolonged use. I did not notice more shedding so thought I was fine.

The final picture is what happend after just 4-5 months back on it.

After nearly a decade off it - it kicked right back in to the point it's not even noticable.

And it's still getting thicker!

I think in your case your hair loss isn't extreme as some others. Some people have very sensitive levels towards DHT and can easily lose hair from even the smallest amounts of DHT. 

I think in your case your hair is a little more resistant to some levels of DHT which could be why you are gaining some ground back. Nonetheless, this is very lucky and interesting to see.

Any future plans towards next steps?

3 minutes ago, fuelish said:

@Vann Thank you so much for responding. Are pus filled spots also normal? 

I’m not a medical expert.

but pus usually occurs from a site of infection because it’s your body’s response to inflammation and fighting bacteria. So it’s usually a good sign of healing. I think it looks normal, and personally I would just wait and see. If you believe it to be abnormal. Taking antibiotics or seeing a doctor wouldnt hurt. The antibiotics would just give you an upset stomach for a couple days but at the end of the day it’s better safe than sorry. 
 

just to state I am no medical expert.

I don’t think you have any issues. I think that looks very normal and perhaps the itching has caused the dermis to get swollen and infected from an in grown hair. Usually it resolves itself. 
 

but if you live in the states I know you can go to a derm, primary care, etc. get some antibiotics for a prescription for 3-10 days and take them just to be on the safe side (if it makes you feel more reassured aka peace of mind). The cost of the medication will probably range from $0-30 depending on your area/coverage. 

There are so many things wrong with this.

First I think you should NEVER choose a surgeon based off price. If you get something permanent make sure you put the right amount into that. Especially, if its surgical. 

Second, I am hoping that you are on medication (finasteride, minox. etc.) and have been taking it for over a year to stabilize hair loss.

Third, some of the doctors you mentioned do take awhile to respond. I remember when I reached out to Pekiner for a consult, it took over half a year. Some of the doctors also have waiting lists.

Fourth, dont look solely into Turkey because of the price look at surgeons skills. You would be surprised that some of the prices are not that different but the surgeons have far more experience.

Also, I do not think you are a good candidate for a hair transplant. You seem to have very good hair. It doesnt seem like you have a lot of hair loss. A lot of people would love to hair your degree of "hair loss."

Now it doesnt always mean that whats above the surface is perfect. Perhaps take photos in real lighting instead of just artificial light? THat way it can help others visualize the degree of hairloss you have and relate it back to you.

Honestly, I think you should take a step back and relax instead of trying to rush into this. Just remember, whether you have surgery today or next year. The results are going to be permanent, whether they are successful or not. Just do everything you can before hand to maximize your results.

I think your hair loss is similar to mine, just that I have more of my hairline intact and more hair loss throughout the midscalp back. I think you should stick with medication for the time being. Perhaps look into dutasteride 0.5mg or add minoxidil to the mix if you already arent taking it.

Would you ever consider FUT? That way you can preserve your grafts and plan your hairloss as if you are a NW7. You seem to have good hair characteristics so you may be able to get away with using a little less grafts. 

I believe you are a good candidate for a hair transplant, but given your little amount of time using medication I think your best approach would be to do things slowly. Perhaps give finasteride a full year maybe a little bit more 1.5 years and approach your hair loss in stages of hairline/midscalp. Then midscalp density and crown.

Do not rush into anything. Once you commit to any type of surgery remember that it is permanent whether it is successful or not. But using the medication before can help you maximize the best outcomes. Just look around the forum and see what other people in your situation have done and do your research first. 

Also, never lower your hairline if you have diffuse thinning. You never know how severe your hair loss is or how aggressive it becomes. Just because it slows down does not always mean its done. I think you should look to enforce what you already have and work for density throughout the scalp and get the "illusion" of density vs getting native density. Make sure you understand that you will NEVER have the same density as long as you have future hair loss. 

I think you went to the best surgeon when it comes to hair transplants (in my opinion). Not only do you have a good donor I think in combination to future planning and angulation placement youll have an insane result on your 2nd transplant once you see how everything turns out. 

I know you said its a small procedure of 1200 but why not go with FUT? Wouldn't you prefer to maximize your hair greed and future hair loss since you said you have extensive hair loss given your family history? I am not saying 1200 fue was a bad choice but I am curious on your future approach. Also given that you went with Konior I have seen the FUT scars heal insanely insanely well for people who have a more invasive procedure. Of course not everyone heals the same way but given his and his teams technical skill I think it wouldve been a better choice for the future.

Nonetheless, I bet you will have a very nice result if everything goes 100% perfect. Nonetheless, I am sure that there will be some areas that may need more improvement, because in most cases the first procedure helps to provide a good amount of work and other procedures help to add more density. But if you were to lower the hairline I think you could probably do it minimally and go for more density along the corners (not that its bad) and do small procedures in small steps to solidify the natural look.

Would you mind sharing the graft counts/break downs? Like singles, doubles, etc. hairs per follicular unit.

Lastly, thanks for sharing, and I hope you keep us posted. 

2 hours ago, Yan bio said:

5 months is too soon to use fibers???

 

I think perhaps he means he doesn’t want to have a large adjustment to his hair? Maybe because he has gradually rocked the way it looks and if he suddenly had a fuller looking hair it would be against what he wants?

6 hours ago, BaldingEye said:

Thank you very much for the encouragement comments! 

My hair is much thicker than it was 2 months ago. I suppose that now, after 8 months, there will be little more evolution but, I would sign not to get any more improvement if I could stay like this FOREVER 🙏🏻. I say this after reading some post out there in the Spanish foro "Recuperarelpelo" that implanted grafts end up falling off over the years 🙄
I will talk about this with Dr Couto over my one year review to get his opinion on this.

WHAT!

also the hairs that you mention falling out are usually because of alternative causes like DUPA or alopecia (areata - the autoimmune one). Its more unlikely that your transplanted hairs will fall out because they are intended to be more DHT resistant which is why they are extracted and implanted where your hairs have miniaturized. Given your age and hairloss pattern I would say its safe to assume youll be fine. But of course mention any concerns to a doctor/surgeon.

A myriad of things.

hair quality, density per square centimeter that allows for healthy graft survival, location, angulation, contrast, etc.
 

there’s just a lot of variables and no one’s scalp is the exact same. 

Nice. How does the density compare without any kind of styling. Are there visible gaps? 
 

there’s a bit of spacing on your front slightly to the left. How does that hold in natural/harsh lights?

nonetheless for 9 months this looks really great

5 hours ago, mountain said:

Hi together,

I have attached a picture 6 weeks post op.

The transplanted hairs tend to be upright (and do not fall forward like the non-transplanted hairs) and have a different structure than the non-transplanted hairs. The shedding is within limits. What do you think about the current status?

Best

mountain

I also had weird angles but that was because the skin was growing/healing. After like 2 months you kind of see the hairs sprout into very tiny dots that don’t grow for awhile. Then suddenly they start growing. 
 

thing is it really depends on their thickness at that point. If it’s whispy hairs it may take more time to settle and soften. But for now I would say not to worry.

for example my hairs are growing sideways but then curl. While my native hairs grow into the curl when it’s long. So I can see native vs transplanted very easily. But overtime it’s just curling so I believe it will happen and you won’t realize it because time went by. 
 

stay strong for now and be patient,

happy growing. 

First cut (135 post op 4.5 months)

On 10/9/2022 at 3:19 PM, general-etwan said:

3-4 days after procedure, upon arrival back home. 4th pic is donor area up close after a few days.

 

 

 

Meant to say in my original post, too:

I understood going into this that I would never have the density of pre-hair loss, or even the density that I briefly had wearing systems. I fully understood the hairline would have to be conservative, as well as the difficulty of the thinning ring area that could not be addressed in this procedure. Still, this was absolutely the best way forward for me, and if I can regain some framing of the face with some coverage on top, that will be a success to me.

I know this felt great rubbing this off. 
 

im late to reply but I’m just now reading this. You have written a really detailed, well report, about what you experienced from your procedure. I’m addition, to your mental hurdles you experienced as many of us have. 
 

Anyways, stay strong, you’ve done the hard part, now it’s just a waiting game. 
 

thanks for sharing. 

If you want the best money can buy for as little grafts used possible I think the best option is Konior.

in your case FUT would be an obvious choice given your hair loss pattern and  if you’re not on meds you might as well plan to be a nw7. That’s where FUT comes best in your play. At this point taking fin for you would only be to keep what you have and minimize future loss. 
 

at least your forelock seems to be strong so you could save some grafts and do touch ups in the future (another surgery—  probably 2 more). However, slow and steady in your case would be best. Perhaps address the front/mid scalp and address your crown and possibly some parts of your mid scalp after the first. You may lose more hair from the surgery, (shockloss) which may be worse in your case since you aren’t on medication. 
 

i won’t go into too much detail but I’m sure your doctor of choice will explain it all. 
 

also if you’re willing to go to other parts of NA. I would suggest H&W in Canada. They’re probably closest to koniors price but also put out very good results. 
 

Another one in the US is “Bloxham and Feller.”

Here’s a photo of the implanted hairs at the hairline that are growing vs some native (and transplanted hairs that never shed) under different angles of artificial (harsh) lighting. 
 

6 hours ago, BaldingEye said:

Hello guys,

It's been 8 months from my hair transplant with Dr Couto and I still can not believe it's me when I look myself in the mirror! 😱

Before ...

 

And NOW ...

 

 

no ****ing way.

19 hours ago, Gatsby said:

@Vann these are insane results and you have the perfect hair characteristics! 👌

7 hours ago, BaldingEye said:

Wow, awesome result at just 4 months. You are going to have a great result, and as Gatsby is saying, you have the perfect hair characteristics. 

Can not wait to see your 6 months update!

Thanks guys. I think part of the native/existing hair plays a major part in it. Its hard for me to say since I am always looking at it, but I'll take your words to heart  every compliment I will accept haha.

14 minutes ago, civic said:

In few months it will all grow in! The reason why my 4 months appears fast grow is because i was practicly bald af😎so any small hair growth makes it look like a big progress, keeping it real. Upon close look you can clearly see my midscalp is very see thru, patience is what we gotta master for the next few months!

Yeah, if my hair was more even it wouldn’t be as bad. I’m not in a rush too much. But it’s always nice to see everything unfold.

yours still is better in my opinion because more hair looks like it’s developing.

1 hour ago, civic said:

Looks great for 4 months! Though my hair grew a bit early, i also have less density in mid scalp as of yet, i think mid scalp takes longer to fill in, also, my front left side is yet to fully grow, i also see some areas that have not yet even entered grow phase. We right on track, we got this😎 

Hell yeah man. I think your hair is rocking better than mine. So far. My mid scalp looks so much worse than it really does because of the sides of my hair. I added a photo below to show what I’m saying.