HatMaster

Hi all, here’s my 9 month update. I haven’t had a haircut in a few months.  It’s getting a little shaggy so I’ll definitely have a trim soon, but I like being able to grow my hair out. 
 

This will probably be my last update since I feel like my results have stabilized. The left rear area is still sparse, as is a spot on the right temple that you can’t really see with my hair longer like it is now. Overall I’m thrilled. Still on dutasteride, oral minoxidil, and ketokonazole. 
 

I’ve more or less decided to go back for a second procedure to address the crown and rear areas, add some more density in the midscalp, and possibly lower the corners a tiny bit. In addition to Dr. Laorwong, I’m considering Dr. Patty at HairTran in Bangkok. I like their results, and the price and availability are both significantly better. Besides the fact that I already had a good experience with Dr. Laorwong, is there any reason to advise against going to a different doctor for the followup?

Thank you for the nice comments. I'm incredibly happy with how things have gone and feel like I'm looking better than I have in a long time (maybe ever).

I am currently considering whether I want to go back for a smaller second procedure. My donor still feels quite thick compared to the top, and I wonder if a second pass would take me from "not really balding" to "good hair". My priorities would be:

1) Filling in the crown / rear scalp areas that weren't touched or are still sparse

2) Reinforcing the midscalp behind the hairline

3) Potentially lowering the hairline a bit in the corners since I went with a pretty conservative hairline the first time around (see picture below)

Curious if you guys think there'd be a cosmetic benefit or if I'm better off keeping the donor grafts in the bank in case I have further loss (although meds seem to be working well for me). I'd be looking at 1500-2000 grafts max, depending on donor assessment.

I’m just about 8 months post op now. The right temple and left rear area near the crown are still slow but I think have been gradually thickening up. I haven’t had a haircut since the last update so my hair is longer than in previous photos. Although I’m still hoping for a bit of improvement overall I’m thrilled by the progress and would be happy if this is my final result. 

Personally I think his response is straightforward and reasonable. The only piece that seems “off” to me is that they don’t have a precise graft count with classifications. At least for FUE I think this is almost always noted and made available to the patient. 
 

I agree with other comments that if you want to dive deeper into specific questions about your surgery, you’ll need to sit down with your surgeon (maybe a video call would work if it’s too inconvenient to visit physically?) and/or consult with another doctor. 
 

Since your doctor stands by his claims, it’s unlikely you’ll get a refund unless another doctor examines you and directly refutes what he’s saying. Even then, you’d probably have to involve the legal system. So, to be honest, I think you’d be best off moving on. 
 

For what it’s worth, I think your result looks great. 

To clarify, I did not have any work done on the crown. 

Hi all, here are some pics of the hairline and crown as well as a video. Actually I don’t think my crown is too bad, my balding started in the temples and then affected the mid scalp and especially the area in front and to the left of my crown. 
 

Regarding my nw classification, I definitely feel like I was quite bald before surgery and even more so before I started meds. So I was also surprised that several clinics told me I was nw3. In my opinion, though, the classification is not worth fixating on. Both surgeons and people experiencing hair loss ultimately deal with their specific pattern, not how it maps on to a textbook model. 
 

I covered everything about price and logistics in my original post. I accepted the prices that were offered and did not negotiate. 
 

https://streamable.com/wla5uc

Hi all, I’m just about 7 months post op. Still hoping for further thickening but I’m already so happy with the results. I like the way I look and have received many compliments from friends and family. 

Hi all, I’m about six months post op now. The transplanted hair is still quite thin everywhere, especially in the right front and rear left areas. However, I’m already very happy with how it looks straight on. I feel like I’m looking better than I have in a long time. If this were the final result I wouldn’t be satisfied, but I still have many months for further growth and thickening 🙏.

One note on the design: the hair on the left side of the airline goes more up and to the side than I expected. My natural hair in that area grew more down over my forehead and to the side, similar to the right side of the transplant. I don’t mind the look because it adds some natural texture to the hairline, but it’s a bit different from what I expected. I didn’t think to mention it or show old pictures to the surgeon during the design phase, so I’m not sure how he would have known. The area was obviously totally bald before the transplant. 
 

I checked in with the surgeon a few days ago since I feel like the growth is a little behind most reports I’ve read. He didn’t seem concerned and just said to give it more time. 
 

For fun I included a pic of my hair while skydiving in 2021, before I started any medications. It’s not a fair comparison (shorter hair, bad angle, extremely harsh lighting), but it made me appreciate the progress so far 😀.

Yes, I have seen that post. I’m hoping I’m just a slow grower as the left side only picked up recently. But I will certainly be contacting the doctor if it doesn’t improve in the next month or two. FWIW, I don’t have the scalp tightness he describes, and my pinkness has been fading. 

Getting back on the monthly update schedule. I’m now 5 months post op. Growth has picked up steam, and I now feel like my appearance is well above baseline. It felt nice to receive positive comments over the holidays from friends and family that I hadn’t seen since before the operation 😀. Onward!

It's an excellent result. Your hair looks youthful and natural. Congratulations!

What are your future plans? Back for round 2, stick with finasteride, etc?

It’s an amazing result. Seems like the medication has helped too - your crown looks a lot better. 

8 minutes ago, JP1972 said:

Thanks for the update hatmaster wishing you success in future growth 

can you tell me is the medication regimen required or is it optional for growth?

Maybe people have reported good results (at least initially) without medication. For any individual case, it's impossible to say how the results would have been with a different medication regime. Dutasteride and minoxidil are well established as effective hair loss treatments, and I would be taking them even if I hadn't undergone a transplant. The evidence for the supplements is much weaker, and I'll probably stop taking them after my supply runs out.

Hi all, the four month update was delayed due to travel. I’m now 4.5mo out from the procedure. My results aren’t too exciting are so far, but growth is definitely underway. Hopefully things will round into shape in the next month or two 🤞. Medication regimen is unchanged, and donor area looks good. 
 

9 hours ago, JP1972 said:

Hi @hatmaster

Did the doctor tell you when you could expect to see results of new hair growth?

He said I would likely start seeing growth 3-4 months after the operation.

50 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

You're doing everything right @HatMaster. You just need to break free from the ugly duck. When you compare month four with now you will see a change for sure!👌

Thanks man! Appreciate the positive energy 🙏. 

7 minutes ago, Coffee_bean said:

Happen to have any pics around 10-14 days post op? Or do you remember if the grafts were growing with your native hair before they shed? 

Sorry, I don’t have pics. I recall that they were, but my hair was very short at the time, and shedding started by 3 weeks after the procedure, so it was hard to tell. 

Hi all, I’m now three months out from the operation. Not much growth to speak of, hoping that next month’s update will be more interesting. The redness has faded quite a bit, so now I feel like my hair looks more or less as good as it did before surgery. Donor area is totally normal. 
 

I started to experience some from oral minoxidil (occasional elevated heart rate during exercise, felt like my cardio fitness was a bit worse despite exercise, skin aging), so I shifted my dose back to 2.5mg. Everything feels better with the lower dose. Still using 0.5mg Dutasteride each day and 2% ketoconazole twice a week. 

It looks like great work, I'm sure you'll be thrilled by the final result.

To be honest, I think your hair looked great before. I doubt anyone who hasn't received a hair transplant or deeply researched would guess that you got work done, even during the ugly duckling phase. If someone notices the redness, I think it would work to just say that you decided to cut your hair short and then got sunburned.

Read my original post, I covered it there.

The doctor said it was fine to walk around outside for sightseeing, and other reports from the same clinic say that they spent a lot time visiting temples etc. I had been to Bangkok before and seen most of the tourist sites, so I wasn't too interested in braving the heat and humidity for that regardless of the transplant. I did visit and spend time in some of the big malls, which are pretty cool and have great food courts and movie theaters.

Hi all, here’s a quick 2 month update. Not much new to report, as expected. No new shedding over the last month, not really any growth either. I can feel / see some dark hairs and many blond wispy hairs in the temple area which was previously bare. Interestingly, I think the oral min has caused some new growth around my temple points as well as on my hands / fingers. Donor is the same as last month, all good there. 
 

On 9/30/2023 at 9:58 AM, Ramons said:

Yes I have.

I haven’t read the difference between but my own personal experience is the HiScrub is much more effective.

I didn’t feel like the keto controlled it much but the HiScrub definitely does - if I feel 1 or 2 lumps they usually subside within 12-24 hrs with HiScrub.

Also not sure this is a positive but if HiScrub gets anywhere near your eyes you look you have been on a road trip with Cheech and Chong….never got that level of chemical clean from keto.

So HiScrub will be a permanent part of my regime going forward as I work in a hot, dusty environment and wear hard hats frequently.

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Interesting, thank you for that information. Glad to hear that there are early signs the new protocol is helping!

Out of curiosity, have you ever used ketoconazole shampoo? I believe that's a common ingredient in antibacterial shampoos and also regularly used for hairloss prevention.

No issue at all. I often travel with my various OTC and prescription medicines mixed up together in a ziploc bag and have never had an issue anywhere.

Liquid rules vary by country and flight type (domestic vs international)... just google it for your location.

Thank you for sharing your experience. It's really valuable to hear about cases like this where the result was not optimal. I'll echo what others have said -- both you and the doctor showed great maturity here. I'm glad that you found a resolution that will hopefully satisfy your concerns.

Do you or Dr. Laorwong have any thoughts and what might have contributed to the poor survival rate? That information would be very helpful to those of us who have recently had procedures.

Wishing you a comfortable recovery and spectacular growth this time around 🙏