youngsuccess

Ultimately the session size, surgical technique (FUE vs Strip), and your individual physiology will determine the short-term physical/cosmetic outcome. Doctors' instructions will also vary, but I'll attempt to offer some generic advice. 1) how soon can I go back to the gym? It might take a while to completely reacclimate yourself to a normal workout routine, especially if you undergo strip surgery. At an absolute minimum, you may be able to return to exercising at low intensity about 10-14 days after the surgery, at which point the sutures would have been removed. The main issue people are normally concerned about is scar stretching. Just use caution/common sense. Definitely avoid anything that may place strain on the donor area for several months. You can gradually build yourself back up with weights. Some patients start training relatively quickly without developing a wide scar, but I'd begin very conservatively. 2) Do I have to wear a do rag or some bandana on my head, or can I just wear a cap? I think a loose-fitting baseball cap is usually pretty standard. You don't want to expose the recipient area to direct sunlight, so you should keep it covered when you're outside during the day for awhile. Just don't smother the grafts. 3) How long after will I need to wear a cap? It's usually optional; however, it's probably a good idea in certain situations during the first couple weeks following the procedure. Common sense applies. If you have enough native hair to disguise the work, you may feel comfortable going out in public hat-free sooner than some people. 4) How noticeable is any scarring or swelling 1 week after? Depending on the length of your surrounding hair in the donor area, you might be able to hide the scar well after the procedure. Swelling should subside by this point. You'll most likely still see some degree of crusting in the recipient zone since a lot of patients tend to baby the scalp a bit. 3 weeks after? Generally there will be some redness remaining where the grafts were placed, but you shouldn't be dealing with any swelling. As far as the scar detectability goes, you may experience some temporary shock loss in the area at some point, but it's virtually impossible to predict. You can dig up more information by using the Find feature located in the toolbar. Good luck!

Pretty epic opening statement; I don't think I've seen anything like it from a first-time poster. You have refreshingly bold, positive outlook, and must be a pretty self-assured person. Good for you, man. I noticed my hairline maturing when I was about twenty, and it felt almost catastrophic. It's a tough call on this one. I'm normally a pretty big proponent of taking Propecia, but I don't think I could staunchly recommend the drug to someone who honestly seems pretty indifferent about his hair loss. Usually guys your age are dying to get their hands on a prescription. However, the fact that you did see a doctor about your situation suggests that you must care to a certain degree, no? If this is true and you are interested in trying to maintain what you have currently, then finasteride is one of your best options at this time, like Scottishguy recommended. You may wind up feeling very differently if you lose more hair and then regret that you didn't act when you had the chance. But it is a fairly serious commitment, so if you're leaning towards "no" after thinking it over, and really don't feel any sense of self pressure, then I'd go with your gut. It's obviously an elective treatment option, but one that should be taken seriously.

It's generally regarded as junk science by most leading physicians in the field. Although some remain cautiously neutral, very few revered surgeons are actually promoting laser therapy as a viable option at this point, I think. The language used in that video is also very misleading. The narrator says, "There are others who state that alternative treatments have to be used with a laser to become effective, such as Minoxidil." The argument is actually the other way around: people who experience regrowth after undergoing laser therapy sessions are probably only benefiting from the meds that are also being taken. Semantic nonsense, but this is how these companies operate. You may experience a positive, synergistic effect after simultaneously using minoxidil and finasteride, but I doubt laser treatment is going to do much for you. Posters who purportedly have seen positive results almost invariably refuse to share pictures, too.

Assuming you're going with a surgeon who doesn't require shaving the recipient zone, I think it might be feasible to pull it off, provided your hair is long enough in the front to obscure the work. However, it's definitely a little risky in my opinion; you don't want to be messing with the area too much only days after the procedure. You'll have to grow bangs that will naturally dry over the hairline and definitely avoid using any "product" that will aggravate the scalp. I'd mention it during your consultation. Ideally, I think you should allow yourself a few more days to recover, but ultimately it's your judgment call. You may still have to contend with some swelling, which won't be easy to mask, and possibly some other issues. It's best not to totally expose yourself to the world before you're ready. In the end, your individual physiology will greatly influence the rate of recovery and overall detectability. How have you fared in the past?

I think I can see what you're referring to, but post-op pictures would definitely help. You currently have an aesthetically pleasing and natural-looking contour to your hairline, with proper, subtle recession toward the temporal angles. It definitely doesn't look like you've achieved uniform, native-like density, but creating a nice widow's peak and decent central hair that tapers off towards the sides was a sound approach I think, as opposed to transplanting a solid, straight wall of hair that's evenly dense throughout. If you continue to lose hair but keep a closely-cropped hairstyle, I think you can maintain a more natural appearance this way, without a completely symmetrical and overly loaded front. Is it more the hairline or area behind it that bothers you? The good news is that you've only used 1000 grafts so far, and your scar looks very good. I'd discuss your goals with Dr. Keene. In addition, you might want to look into FUE options if you're interested in only increasing the density in target areas. Looks very good to me, though.

Honestly, based on this particular pair of pictures, I can't detect any hairline issues, density-related or otherwise. Maybe try taking a couple more shots that more accurately expose the perceived problems. It's always better to use non-flash photos like you did, but the downside is that unless you remain perfectly still under strong lighting conditions, there is usually some degree of blurriness, as seen in the second cropped picture. The upper temporal region on your left side appears a bit thinner, but considering how short your hair is cut, it doesn't look that inconsistent with the rest. Hard to tell because it's wet and a little blurry, too. How does it look grown out? One direct shot of the entire hairline might help. Looks very natural to me, and you may not want to compromise that with another procedure yet. How's your scar detectability at that length?

I'd recommend taking a look at azza786's profile: http://www.hairtransplantnetwo...e-page.asp?WebID=327 You appear to have a similar balding pattern and possibly comparable hair characteristics. This may provide some insight as to what kinds of benefits/problems you might experience (in the short term, of course) if you decide to pursue surgery at this stage. Like others have suggested, I think that the state of your donor hair is going to ultimately be one of the major determinants. The prevailing assumption is that you'll almost never see a man who retains remnants of a juvenile hairline and thins behind it, but I don't think it's too uncommon. I have a friend whose MPB is nearly identical to yours, and he's been buzzing his head down with great success for the past two years. His face is still framed by the hairline stubble, and the overall style is cleaner, sharper, and much less distracting when you're face to face with him.

LMS, I don't know you personally, but I think this may be the problem: Staunch ideological crusading, boycotting, etc, are often perceived as negative tactics because they're usually intended to be punitive rather than constructive, and in many people's opinions, antithetical to the idea of a free society/community. On a hair transplant forum, it sends the message, "There are risks associated with this procedure, so let's destroy its credibility, or even try to hurt the industry financially." If everyone who has ever considered looking into hair transplantation suddenly retracted their interest out of fear, there would be no future, no progress made, period. The way to promote advancement in the field is to support the doctors and hair loss communities, not condemn them. I say this as a repair patient.

Pictures of wet hair often expose problem spots, but can also exacerbate the appearance of perceived thinning in otherwise intact areas. However, it's clear from your photos that your pattern is becoming pronounced. Transplanting dark, fine donor hair on relatively fair skin can be problematic due to the contrast it presents, particularly in the hairline. This doesn't mean that great results can't be produced, but it's probably going to require a different approach than in a patient with more favorable characteristics (thicker caliber hair, darker skin, etc). The other factor is graft angulation, which seemingly might work in your favor since the natural orientation of your frontal hair appears to point/lay forward. I think this can enhance the illusion of overall density if you work with a layered style, as opposed to a transplanted area consisting of thin hairs that stand straight up (usually not a good look). It's an understandable consideration, but many people would actually argue that staying on meds is one of your best option at this point, if in fact you're not an HT candidate yet. Your expectations don't seem outrageous; however, being able to comfortably allocate 3,500 grafts to the crown is probably unrealistic. Your primary goal in my opinion should be establishing an appropriate hairline and focusing on frontal-mid scalp restoration, possibly leaving any remaining grafts for the crown at a later time. It's a gamble since you're young and hair loss is progressive and unpredictable, as you're aware. I don't think anyone can guarantee that you're doomed for certain. The most troubling observation you've mentioned is the possible thinning in the donor area. The other big factor is going to be your scalp laxity. I would definitely go through with your scheduled consultation and get a few more opinions from other qualified surgeons, too. Good luck!

I think it's important to recognize the distinction between the public's perception of openly bald men vs. individuals who wear hairpieces. The commercial is obnoxious for sure, but pretty much every facet of the entertainment/advertising industry has used the toupee as a metaphor for artificiality or phoniness by now. It's not fair, but it's definitely not surprising. The whole "guy's wig blowing off" angle has become a basic slapstick comedy cliche that should probably be retired already. And while I don't agree with the commercial, I also don't think that otherwise confident balding men who have never worn synthetic hair should be offended by it.

I found the other case I mentioned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrmXbs0mgOw If I'm not mistaken, Dr. Diep is one of the guys who trained under Rassman. Don't know much about him, but the patient's repair situation is looking very promising. The left side of the scar has already received some grafts and looks great, IMO. It sounds like the plan is to attack it again in addition to starting the revision of the right half. The donor hair is practically buzzed right down to the skin.

I believe it's possibly to greatly improve the appearance of a less than optimal strip scar via FUE, but it's going to be difficult to achieve a completely undetectable look if your plan is to buzz down that low. The problem is that there's a lot of talk about this but hardly any posted results. "After" picture sets often include a photo exposing the scar by combing up average-length donor hair, which is next to worthless if you want to keep a closely-cropped cut. But here's a pretty good one: http://hair-restoration-info.c...21087683/m/975102654 The left side looks great; another pass at it to cover the spot on the center-right and he might be set. The yield is probably never going to be terrific, so I'd go in with the expectation that more than one procedure is likely to be necessary. There was another result floating around somewhere that looked even better and was buzzed down almost to the skin, but I can't find it.

I wouldn't even call it a congenital bald spot; it's just the natural contour of your hairline. It's perfectly normal. The guy in the middle looks like he has a similar spot near the center of his hairline. You could probably grow your hair literally one centimeter longer and cover it. The recommended minimum age to be considered for a hair transplant is usually around 25 (though there are exceptions), but I don't even think that applies in this case. The location of the area is probably too risky: you might get stuck with a small patch in the very front and lose hair elsewhere. Even though it might not be THAT devastating in the long run, I can't imagine that many doctors would think it'd be worth it, for you or them. Julius is right that the only thing that should even remotely be considered is FUE, but you're probably going to have to wait a long-ass time. Your hair looks good.

Great result. I agree with the post; however, I wouldn't classify the patient at 28 as someone with some normal, mild recession. Based on the black and white photo, it looks to me like he's got a non-existent hairline, fading temple points, and was already beginning to resort to a combover type of style.

Impeccable post-op presentation, as expected. Looks like the density throughout the recipient area will be relatively consistent with his surrounding native hair, too. I'm a big proponent of using only singles anywhere even remotely near the hairline after experiencing firsthand the damage that even some double-hair grafts can do. And I have pretty fine hair, so I can imagine how artificial the more offending larger units might look in someone with thicker caliber locks. Definitely the right thing to do rather than taking the lazy way out. Great job.

Finally! Donor repair pictures that show what many of us are really concerned about: buzzing the head after HT w/ scar revision. This looks like it was relatively successful; the appearance of his scar is much improved.

Looking good there, Bill. Would love to seem some hairline shots without flash next update.

Always appreciate the scar repair threads. Looks great. Can't wait for the 6 month update.

Any idea how many grafts you have left? Also, the hair looks good with blond highlights. I've seen a lot of bleached hairlines that have these little dark dots still visible where the hair exits the scalp, so if you wind up going all the way, I'd be curious to see if your roots actually absorb the color. Actually, I think bleaching just kills the color. But either way, roots of transplanted hair often seem resistant. Can look a little weird, IMO.

Awesome story and great pictures. Happy for you, man.

Great post. I probably would have never heard of any of these products. Let's get some pics of that styled hair, son!

I understand where you're coming from. The appearance of the front of your hairline has improved greatly; however, the right side looks a bit artificial to me: A little sparse and grafty in the corner temporal region, and the orientation of the hairs is too straight (or maybe just too sparse) near the temple point. Just needs to be softened a bit. Other than that, you look good.

Hot damn. Extremely natural and seems pretty dense, too. Looks like any viable native hair that remained in the area wasn't compromised during surgery either, possibly giving him that extra thickness. Thanks for including post-op pictures. This ginger wound up with a great result.

Give me those pills if you're not going to use 'em. Thanks for the write up. Sounds like quite a day, and you were definitely in good hands.

Looks pretty good, man. I had moderate success masking my donor scar with some cheap hair mascara after buzzing down, but I get the feeling after seeing this that experimenting with some Dermmatch would have been more effective. It looks like you've at least definitely nailed the right shade, with little contrast between the color of your native hair and the donor cover up. Bingo. Is it undetectable? No. A lot of people probably wouldn't be satisfied with this, but it looks about 100 times better than the pics in your blog. Night and day. I think your bad haircut explanation is reasonable since it looks like a layered buzz mishap or hat head.