glocktop

Is this a dead graft, or just a shed hair? I'm day 73 post op. Is it possible that a graft can die after implantation but stay embedded for weeks/months and then lift out looking like that pic? Or am I overthinking it? Between days 25-50, I shedded about 90% of the implants. Some were shed in the shower, and they were clean, small hairs, about 5-8 at a time. But also, my scalp itched and whenever I ran my fingers through my hair where the itch was, and I lightly grazed with my finger nail, a hair would usually come out with a little piece of dried skin attached, usually in the middle of the hair. This one has substantially more skin, and goes to the bottom of the hair, which isn't typical but I've also seen it many times. Just looking for some reassurances during this very ugly duckling phase.

Queue up month 4 ... things should be kicking in about now! How are you doing Tercex?

ErNot, I would not recommend you use Rogaine unless you're prepared to follow the instructions and use it twice daily. Forever. Once you begin using Rogaine, you will experience a shedding - a lot of crown hair may fall out and it will alarm you. With proper use, the shedded hairs can be expected to recover, and then some. However, if you use it only once per day, you will probably experience the shed but not the recovery or improvement. The instructions also clearly state using a higher dosage will not improve results. To address your other questions: you do not need to wash it out. The foam will quickly dissolve into a liquid form, and soak into your scalp. It will leave it *slightly* sticky feeling in that area, but not as much as a hairspray or gel would. There is a minimal (and I think nice) scent to it. If you're serious about combatting hairloss, your best bet is to consider Propecia (finasteride) medication. You are young and there are side effect risks, but I wish I had started using it when I was your age and in your Norwood state (NW2).

How do travelors checks work? Do i write the check to myself, then cash it at a bank in Spain?

Spain. Agreed, it is a lot. But that seems to be European clinics want to do businesss. In cash.

If you were going to have a HT in Europe that cost more than $10,000 USD and payment in cash-only was required on day of the op, how would you get the money there? Has anybody here carried or transferred similar amounts from the US to another country? And if carrying physical cash, when and where in the process is the cheapest and safest way to convert to euros?

Olmert, the reason FUT yields more grafts is because you are extracting 100% of the grafts within the FUT strip. If you have a 7 inch by 1 inch strip, all those grafts are used. With FUE, you would never use 100% of the grafts within the same 7 inch by 1 inch area, because then you'd have a long bald strip spanning the back of your head. When the FUT strip is removed, and closed, the skin below and above stretches somewhat and heals into the linear scar. The new density in the back of the head is actually lower now (less hair covering the same amount of surface area of your skull), but may not appear so at a glance. So if you removed 5k grafts, and ideally get a pencil thin scar, you've achieved a high yield without any visible loss of donor area density. With FUE, you'd have to remove those same 5k grafts from all over the head, and if you extract too many from any one area, you'd get a patchy, or "moth eaten" look. In essence, visible density will be less to the human eye. I guess to address the core of your question: if you get a big FUT that is well done, then that will allow a doc to subsequently cherry pick via FUE in later sessions throughout the remaining donor safe zone, and using his judgement and skills, extract the remaining viable grafts without visibly impacting the remaining donor area's density. So FUT + FUE = maximum extractions, with minimal subjective change to donor density. FUE alone just simply wouldn't get as many grafts, because again the FUT strip yielded 100% grafts in an area, where FUE will probably never want to take more than 50% in that same area to avoid changing the look of the area. * Note, I just made up the 50% number for FUE... I'd be curious as to what a doc would say the magic number is for extracting follicles before affecting the apparent density of the area.

Maltese, you're looking good! Can anyone elaborate on how Dr Lorenzo and Dr Vila work together on a patient during the same op in Madrid? Are there are any patients with results on here?

E4, as frightening as your post-op donor pics looked, the 1 week photos look remarkably improved. How are you looking these days? Any pics for an update? Most of the threads I have seen around here show the donor site looks more or less undisturbed after 2 to 3 weeks of regrowth which effectively conceals all of the extraction sites. Hopefully you're improving with each day, and even if the extractions take longer to heal in your case, at least they'll be undetectable soon with your native hair regrowth providing some cover. Hang in there buddy!

Hey Raiden, good luck and congrats on your new procedure. Do you have any pre-op pics?

Hey PMA, i dont want to hijack Jimbo's thread so i will be brief. Email consultation, 3500 grafts, Hotel Ibis. First time to Madrid! I will create my own thread soon.

Jimbo, looking amazing! Keep those pics coming! Did you use Aloe Vera, and what concealers does Lorenzo suggest? I'm scheduled with Lorenzo in late November. And I'm with you PMA, the redness factor is a chief concern for me. I can only take about 2 weeks off.

Foam is much easier to apply than liquid which may simply drip down your head onto your neck or into your face. I also personally believe that applying the foam when your head/hair is dry will allow it to absorb better into your scalp - I can feel it soaking in when my hair is dry, whereas I cannot if my hair is wet.

If you are like me, you apply foam in the morning after you shower and style your hair. Then you apply it at night before bed. This could be a mistake! The key is letting your hair dry in the morning before applying the foam. I now keep a bottle at work and apply it about 2 hours after my shower - when my hair and scalp has dried - and it absorbs much better - I can feel it soaking into my scalp. Since applying it this way, I have had better results. My theory is that when the scalp and hair is wet, the foam dilutes somewhat and the moisture doesn't allow it to effectively absorb into the scalp.

Regarding Rahal - years ago, I used to really enjoy reading a new Rahal patient post, and seeing the awesome hairline results. Now, its almost as much fun to read a new thread and see if I can view the pics and unaltered story about disappointing results before it gets edited and redacted by the patient after 'speaking with Dr Rahal...' What is going on with that clinic!? So glad I decided not to proceed with them after my virtual consultation in July 2014. I hope they bounce back to steady, strong results. They have quite a legacy to protect. Or is that the problem? Are we lately seeing behind the curtain, and getting a better sampling of the not-so-great results that many users of this forum suspect are common in this industry?

None of these meds are part-time endeavors. Rogaine clearly states on the bottle that any gains will be lost if you stop using the medication. It also clearly states its only a benefit for the crown area. Were you using it on your frontal third and hairline area? Who directed it to use it and stop? That sounds like patently bad advice. Your six month photos like beyond awesome. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and hoping your DHT resistant hair will bounce back.

Congrats MyNameisRich, glad it worked out for you! What was your recovery like?

You should inquire if he will extract donor grafts from the entire donor area, or just one side of your head (left or right). If I recall correctly there was at least one patient on here where Dr Diep extracted from only the right half of the donor area.

What kind of scientist are you?

Lateatnight - I received these instructions via email this month.

I'm not sure I understand how you calculated your balding area measurements, and the doctors statements about density. Are you saying they estimated the size (length x width) your bald area based on photographs? But you mention density - were they providing estimates of how many grafts they'd place per square centimeter? Or how many hairs they believe to be currently present in the recipient area? I do appreciate your empirical, data driven approach. Could you explain further? Or perhaps post a photo with some captions on it? I don't see a lot of discussion on this forum about pre-op measurements. And dittos on the finasteride. Maintenance meds are equally important as the ht itself.

I'm glad to hear you're making steady progress. I swear, your pre-op photos could be mistaken for my own head, our hair characteristics, skin complexion, and NW status are so very similar. Therefore I'll definitely be watching your thread and wishing you the best. I wouldn't fret too much over the 2 short hairs that came out. From what I've read on here, if the graft/bulb tissue didn't come out with them, then the graft is still anchored in place and safe.

The same amount of money invested now with a reputable surgeon would give you 4000 grafts FUE or more, or 5000 grafts FUT with funds left over, and dramatically better results. The good news is, depending upon how the extraction went in your first surgery, you could have a lot of good donor grafts left for any of the above ops. How is your scar from op 1?

People may not being using it because its expensive ($600-$1000/mo) and requires a doctor's prescription in the US. I've known a bodybuilder or two to get a prescription for various "medical reasons", but I'm not sure a doctor would prescribe it for HT recovery - do you have any experience with that Snowboarding? Other's may not like the idea of using a needle to inject themselves. (Like me, haha)

I don't know about UK laws, but HGH requires a medical doctor's prescription in the US. I'd be interested in knowing if there are clinical studies demonstrating HGH's use after a hair transplant.