hairthere

ok, let's see the results then....

Cost is usually $5/graft for the first 2k, then it goes down to $3/graft for every one after that. every doctor has different prices though and some charge by area rather than graft count. that's for strip. FUE prices are generally higher because there's much more intensive work involved.

He is a top surgeon and does excellent work, imo. i haven't had surgery with him but he was in my top 5 docs. many ht surgeons are D.O.s not M.D.s. not to worry.

Thanks so much for the post. Very useful....

trainer, i meant it's not good that you can't even remember the doc's name as it indicates he may not have been too well known. now knowing you went to mhr i understand why. this was not meant as a slight towards you.

i did the buzz look 5 days post-op. i used a 2 guard. there were no problems with doing so.

have you ever taken it? i notice in your other post you are concerned about sexual side effects, but those don't effect everyone. i personally had no problems with it. if you are 21 and thinking of getting an ht you should definitely try it.

predator, it is totally normal to be a little down at your stage. even after my second one when i knew what to expect i felt slightly bummed at 4 months time. trust me, IT WILL GET BETTER. I really cannot stress enough how important it is to give your ht the full 12 months before making any kind of judgment. do a search for a poster named spex who posted the difference on one guy from 12-18 months...

I'm a little surprised at the low number of grafts too for that large a bald area. it looks as if the scar does not extend all the way around on the right side as it does on the left so i'm guessing limmer could have extracted far more grafts. the work does look clean though and you can always go back for more so no worries. good growing to you!

"Therefore, it's hard for me to believe that I will have the 40-50 cm2 that I was anticipating from my consultation" To make this statement at such an early part of your ht post-op led me to believe you were making a final judgment. Plenty of those grafts haven't even popped yet so hang in there. btw, there is an anticipated growth timeline out there that is for the most part accurate. Can't recall where it's posted though....

You cannot make any final judgments at just 5 months. you still have TONS more growth and thickening to come. I recall seeing a big difference even between months 8-9. Just be patient.

trainer, i'm a little surprised at some of the advice you've received here. firstly, you cannot judge an ht as a failure or succes at 8 months time. you need to wait at least 1 year. i saw a good deal of change from 8-9 months, even in my first ht which was not a very good one. that being said, i have to agree with vince hair that it's not good that you can't even remember the first doc's name. the second doc i have never heard of. with ht surgery there are many docs who perform it, many docs who perform it very poorly, a number who do an adequate job, and then those who consistently provide "homerun" results. the latter are a handful compared with the former. using docs who are in the coalition on this forum is a good place to start. these are doctors who have to meet a criteria of excellence in results and use the most modern technology. the only thing you can do now is wait out a year. if the results are underwhelming move on. DO NOT go back to the same guy who did a poor job for free surgery. go to a highly qualified doc who can do it right. if you're lucky, and judging from your pics you are, you did not get butchered and it will simply take some grafts to fill-in the gaps. best of luck to you.

It would be nice if those products did work but there is zero proof that any of them help block dht. the only known products to work are minoxidal and finasteride.

ready for change, it looks like you will have very nice density. are you following dr. rahal's post-op instructions? those grafts should be fully secure after 8 days and you definitely want to start cautiously washing those scabs off in the shower. good growing to you!

gq, i was thinking the same thing. i often wonder why umar's work is so bloody...not to take away from fusion's thread though--very nice, clean ht work. good growing to you!

Great choice of surgeon. I am a big fan of his hairline work--very natural looking.

You need to discuss this concern with your doctor and come up with an appropriate plan. if it's the lower half of your crown that won't have coverage maybe you can grow the hair long enough to cover it up...

I only experienced it around the donor scar with both hts. it grew back both times.

looks like you had good growth agio ,congrats! i went for ht #2 about 18 months after #1.

shockloss is an unpredictable beast, but it's unlikely that a frontal ht will effect native hair in your crown. the only meds which are known to work are finasteride (propecia/proscar) and minoxidale (rogaine).

Anyone can remove the staples but i would definitely recommend having someone in the medical field do it who has experience removing them. two reasons why: 1) someone with no experience may get squemish and you don't want them bailing halfway through. 2) it's not as easy as you might think. i have a high pain threshold and i actually found the staple removal part to be more uncomfortable than the surgery itself.

feller had one by the late dr.seager u believe...

pgp, how do you know patients had such low growth rates? i am not doubting it, just curious...

I was not charged for extra grafts (a few hundred over estimated). depends on your doctor but definitely discuss it beforehand.

lms, i saw a HUGE difference after 8 months and so do a lot of the results we see. making him feel like this ht is a failure before 12 months are up is wrong. spex has posted some great examples of why you shouldn't jump ship on an ht at 8 months. maybe he can repost them...