caveman

Thanks for the feedback @Berba11. Going into the first procedure I thought exactly the same as you and opted for this more receded natural style of hairline. Unfortunately I have not been happy with it. I truly don’t think it frames my face well and I’ve gotten feedback from countless friends and family that it doesn’t look the best. The pictures I attached with the change in hairline is very crude. I don’t plan to make it exactly like that. My main concern is making the corners less receded. I’ll definitely keep ur advice in mind when I physically actually go to India but I will definitely be tweaking things a little bit (maybe not as drastic as in my pictures lol)

I am growing my hair out again and it’s been several weeks since I’ve buzzed it. It looks kinda bad at this length but I wanted to grow it out so I can have a good idea of what we need to address in round 2. Below are a few additional pictures of my current state. I’ve circled some areas I see as problematic and would like to address them in addition to the changes proposed in the previous post. Homogenization is something I’d also like to do. Right now some spots in my donor and recipient area both look way thicker than other areas so adding some evenness would be amazing! I’ll continue to add posts and details as I figure things out

Here are a couple pictures of my healed SMP with short hair. It looks decent in most lighting. I want to adjust my hairline and corners. I don’t really enjoy how it frames my face currently and so I have proposed a similar adjustment as illustrated in the images below. I had a call with dr arika and she has said 2500 grafts will be enough to fill in the density and adjust the hairline. that graft count was a little less than I expected. Ideally, I want to maximize density in all areas. As of now, my midscalp is sparse as well as my crown, my lateral humps also need some work. eugenix has completely changed their packages since I last booked a visit. Their prices for specific doctors have increased so it’s limiting my options as to who to go with. I imagine I need someone with experience who is able to go in between the existing grafts and preventing shock loss (as I had some on the sides of my head that didn’t really recover) does anyone have recommendations? To keep my options open, is there any other affordable clinics that have expertise in this type of work?

Hello everyone. I know I’ve been MIA for a bit but wanted to give everyone the latest updates on my journey. @Melvin- Admin you’re definitely right about shaving your head before getting a transplant. I advise everyone to do that first. I also did before deciding to go to eugenix. I did not like the shaved look. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, I couldn’t opt to immediately go for a second procedure which is why I decided to do SMP and see how I’d like it. For the time being it wasn’t bad at all but now I’ve had the chance to come up with a plan to go for my second procedure. I want to clarify again I have not spoken ill of eugenix at all. Everyone will have different results, that’s just how the game works. For 4600 grafts, being a norwood 6, I think I got great coverage. The quality of my hair has nothing to do with eugenix or their techniques, rather that seems to be genetics. Anyways, I’m going to post a few follow up posts regarding my SMP work and also a general game plan going for round 2. Any suggestions, ideas, or feedback is always welcome.

I just had a consultation for SMP. It will be $3200 to get it done in 2 sessions. Now I’m thinking some more about what to do from here. If I choose the 120 rs package at eugenix, it will only be slightly more expensive than SMP, but I will have real hair. For 3000 grafts it would be around $5500-6000 including the flight and hotel. what does everyone here think I should do? Go for SMP to get a quick fix for now and then revisit the transplant later or go and get my second procedure done? I am sure I’ll do both SMP and my second procedure at some point regardless but I am confused about the order in which I do it. I have currently been more social and am worried that the 1 year recovery time for the transplant may be a hindrance in my day to day life currently.

Hey @SLA! Yes yes hah I know how you feel. When I put product in my hair and toppik and have a hair cut I think it looks sooooo good. I will upload a picture of my hair like that for everyone to see. The only problem is that if i touch my hair or take a nap, etc pretty much do anything that could disrupt how it is styled, it ends up looking like the pictures I posted. It becomes a daily stress for me, much like I was stressing before getting a hair transplant. I am very confident that one more procedure will surely help me gain the full coverage that I want. When I do the touch up, I don’t think the hair quality will matter as much because I will have more fullness and can keep it at a manageable length. The issue right now is that I have to keep certain sections long, like the hair in my hairline, so I can comb it backwards to create an illusion of density. Now when the hair sticks straight up ( which it tends to do naturally, unless I put a styling wax in it) the overall appearance looks very messy and unappealing. my hope is the SMP can augment the current procedure and add some density and when I am able to go back for the second procedure I can attain the final look! as always thank you for being a core part of my hair journey. Our talks and your advice helps me navigate the situation as strategically as possible 😊

@omarca awesome dude thanks for such a clear perfect answer that relates perfectly to my situation. Even if SMP gave me 4 years of worry free living I’d be so happy. By then, I will definitely be able to go for my second procedure so I could fix any additional hair loss at that point. You’re the man!

@omarca dude! Your result looks incredible. Congrats. I am excited for you. Also your experience is exactly what I was looking for. The SMP and 3 month post transplant look is so clean. That is ideally what I want to pull off. thanks for the insight about your journey. Please do make a late thread as I think many members can learn a lot from what you have been through. What number buzz was your hair in the first picture? Does anyone notice the SMP? Do you feel it ever looks super fake or noticeable? I am thinking to just get it under my current hair so that way as my hair grows itll cover most of the SMP but the SMP can just fill in the balding areas or less dense areas.

@omarca hopefully it will let you! Thanks haha

@omarca awesome thanks for the advice and well wishing! I will definitely be continuing the finasteride. When you got your SMP and buzzed your hair down, about what length were you able to keep it at? I’m fairly sure a number 1 guard will be too long.

I agree. Thanks for your feedback! Also in regards to your last reply, I too have missed the gym due to my hair. In fact I have to do a whole routine just to get ready so I can look presentable at the gym and I am beyond tired of doing it so I can definitely relate to that issue. Also applies to going anywhere or doing anything in general. Do you think with the current hair density I have, I’d I buzz it and get SMP it will look decent? Has anyone had SMP done that can chime in about how it blends with hair and what length I could keep it at? I am thinking a 0 guard on sides and back into a 0.5 guard on top.

@honey21790 for sure. The fact that there is hair where there wasn’t hair before is irrefutable. The result was solid. But to achieve the density and look I want it will take 1 more procedure most likely. The fact that my hair is of such poor quality doesn’t have much to do with the surgeon I don’t think. So overall I’m not unhappy. Just considering other options!

Here is the 13 month update. I just got a haircut today so please keep in mind this is the BEST it looks. In about 10 days it will look more untidy. I just want to be clear again. I do plan to go and get added density in the hairline mid scalp and crown. I think 3000 grafts would be more than enough. However I can’t do it currently due to the cost and the time it takes to see any results. with the current transplant I already have a solid foundation for my hairline and some density throughout the scalp. By adding SMP to my current hairline and scalp, I could achieve the look of additional density. If I decide I don’t like it I can just grow my hair back out to what I currently have. I have also attached some buzzed haircut pictures. I think if I keep my hair at a 0.5 guard and fade it into a 0 or skin fade, I can make it look more neat and it may look better than what I currently am rocking. Finally, I have added an example of someone with thinning that got SMP and that is the look I’d like to go for. let me know your thoughts!

@GeneralNorwood yes! I see we are thinking in a very similar way. The only difference is, even when I had more hair I always worried about how it looked and how it was styled but now that is on overdrive. i spend a lot of time money and effort just to get a busted head of hair that doesn’t even look appealing lol. I also took your advice of using a hair mask that we spoke about last time. I’ve tried using different oils and leave in conditioners yet there doesn’t seem to be much progress in improving the quality of hair. I thought about trying a different hairstyle but the issue isn’t just hairstyle. It’s just lack of hair. I think even after I get a second hair transplant (which I will in the future) the issue with the quality of my hair will still be there. So for those reasons I am considering SMP. Check out the next post to see some pictures of the current results!

@Gatsby Thank you for your comment. Yes everyone this is very true! A hair transplant is a lifelong commitment for sure. I did years of research and thinking before taking the dive. The only thing that I did not predict was the poor quality of my hairs. I was hoping to have the same texture/health of hair that the back of my head has. The hair is thick and luscious and can grow long and healthy without worrying at all. Unfortunately, the hair on the top of my head is not the same. I’ll be making a follow up post in a few minutes to show some pictures of what I am working with and what my goals could potentially be with SMP. 😊

Hey everyone haven’t updated in a while. As of now not much has changed. My hair is still dry and brittle but a big improvement from where I started. That being said I want to go for a second procedure. However, as of now I can’t afford it or spend another year to grow the hair back out. Instead, I’m seriously considering getting SMP done. I actually enjoy the buzz cut look and feel with the current coverage I have, adding SMP and keeping hair short can give a great result while having a 3D look (with the hairs that I have transplanted already). I will add some final update pictures tomorrow as it has been 13 months since the procedure. for the SMP, I want them to fix the hairline and temple points without “lowering” the hairline much. I’ll provide some examples tomorrow and look forward to getting feedback from you all. I DO NOT regret getting a transplant. I’m in a much better place than I was before. However, using toppik everyday and worrying about my hair all the time and getting constant hair cuts has gotten me exhausted. I was hoping the transplant would alleviate all these issues but it has not. Additionally, my hair quality in person is so poor that even when grown out it does not look appealing AT ALL. I think I would prefer to have a clean cut look and I believe the current transplant along with SMP might help me achieve my goals.

@sftraderHT thanks for the kind words. Yes, this a great supportive community and I am happy to give back where I can. I wish you best of luck for your upcoming procedure 🤞🏽

@Melvin- Moderator thanks Melvin! The comparison picture does a great job in highlighting the change that occurred. Sometimes it is hard to see the progress that’s happening since you see yourself everyday. Side by side comparisons like this really put things into perspective so thanks again for doing that for me!!

Hey buddy. I’ll add another picture later today showing the 2 points. As for who I go with, I am unsure. I’m broke right now so need to save some money up lol

@Shadman I added some details about my visit with dr Pradeep above ☝🏽

Thanks @GeneralNorwood for the feedback again. I agree that for the number of grafts used, I was able to get a pretty good result so far. I am not fully satisfied so want to get a touch up procedure to address the problem areas. For the hairline, I don’t want to lower it. Rather, I just want to fix the 2 points that are created on my hairline that are quite far back. Initially that was the plan to conserve grafts and make it look like natural recession but too many people have suggested that “if I can close that up a little bit things would look way better.” my goal is to be able to wear my hair combed forward at the end of this journey. If I can get a nice fade with messy on top look, with no clear scalp showing, I’d be quite content. Dr Pradeep said that we can do maybe 2000 scalp + 1500 beard or some mixture like that to get the complete coverage and density that I want to have. Hopefully I can plan a trip in the fall/ winter to finish this up 😎

Hi! Yeah I am definitely thinning over the ears. The left side is worse than the right side. I think I had a bit of retrograde alopecia going into this and it has gotta worse after extractions for the transplant. I just got back from meeting with Dr. Pradeep. He said he could get an additional 4000-4500 grafts from my scalp over 2 sittings if needed. Plus the beard is pretty much unlimited grafts. I was happy to hear that as I was also curious as to how much donor I had left. 4600ish grafts for full coverage is definitely going to lack density but surprisingly, the density is not bad at all. There are a few areas that are lacking for sure so the goal will be to go back and touch up on those spots. I also asked about the spots under the ear that are looking sparse …I was told that we could add some grafts there to fill in that space. I agree that one more surgery is warranted and will hopefully produce the results I wish for.

@Shadman thanks for the feedback! Yes I agree! for sure there is still a few months of maturation to go. Especially in the crown which typically grows slower. I do expect some further improvement but I am not expecting for a miracle where every gap and bald spot fills in densely LOL. I will definitely update after seeing Dr. Pradeep and hearing his thoughts later today

@Shadman no I didn’t. I had used it earlier in the week but I washed my hair before taking these pictures. With toppik you will see no bald spots at all

@GeneralNorwood hey buddy thanks for checking out my post! Here is an update. I am right around 9 months post surgery. I am definitely seeing my hair growing out way faster and longer than before. Some density improvement is also visible but I find that I am still using toppik most of the time I go out or do things. I will be meeting Dr. Pradeep tomorrow so we can discuss progress and potentially going for touch up on hairline, mid scalp, and lateral humps. of course the crown was not covered densely the first time so we will also discuss goals and possibility of adding grafts there. I specifically want to modify the hairline. I don’t know if I want lower or not but the left temple point seems super far back. Even my parents are saying that I should see if I can touch those spots up. I am happy with where I am at with this procedure but see room for improvement!!! let me know what you guys think and if there’s any suggestions for helping my hairline match my face/ any specific areas that I should address. also these pictures were taken after I used shampoo and conditioner. I had toppik in there before I took a shower and I checked to see if there was any remaining and I did not find any. However, I will not use toppik for a few days and take some more pictures to confirm that these are representing the results properly. Finally, I have added some less flattering angles to the best of my abilities to make sure my results are fully transparent. Of course I don’t wear my hair that way but it is just to show where I may want to add density. Ideally I would like to wear my hair forward and have a bit more volume density in the areas I mentioned above.