topshiny

Dear Bill, The hair has been dense packed in a virgin area. Till date, no region has been addressed for HT twice.

Dear Nelly, Dr A is proceeding on a course of action that was planned long ago. The body hair is now being mixed in a manner that each graft has three hairs. The body hair from two or more regions, except in those few cases where three hair grafts were extracted, are being mixed. This is being done to mix up the differing cycles of various regions, which is a very important aspect of BHT. The BHT is now being done on fortnightly / monthly basis - again to even out the cycles of body hair. The crown area is being addressed in the next session. Hair from the legs, backside and a few more regions are likely to be used for this session. I am posting a picture of my chest which was taken early this month.

My photo just prior to surgery. Please not that only Body Hair has been used on my scalp.

My picture immediately after my 1000 Body Hair Transplants

My photo just prior to surgery. Please note that only Body Hair has been used on my scalp.

As I have posted earlier, I am planning to go in frequently for small sessions of BHT. I have taken this decision in consultation with my Doctor. The reason for taking recourse to this strategy and not going in for mega sessions has been, to manage the peculiar cycles of Body Hair better. The second reason has been to have optimal yield from donor areas rather than harvesting too much in one go. I have got 1000 BHT done on 13 Jan 07 from Dr AP, who has been giving me valuable guidance and advice. My case is unique since only body hair has been used for my hair restoration. So the results are likely to be unambiguous either way. It is really a great feeling to have a large amount of my hair restored, and that too without any visible scarring. I am enclosing some of my photographs, which have been taken immediately before and after the surgery today. The details of body hair are given below: The interesting part of this HT has been that three follicles have been planted in each of the recipient areas, as compared to pairing of two follicles done in my http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/showthread.php?t=144912]my previous surgery.[/url] I will be posting my progress regularly on this site.

Thanks Middleson, Encouragement from fellow bloggers has really helped me to arrive at the decision of going in only for Body Hair Transplants.

Dear Nelly, I chose BHT over FUE or strip for two reasons. First, I did not want to harvest from a resource which is already depleting at a rapid rate, especially when I have abundant body hair. Secondly, I did not want any tell tale signs on my scalp, least of all a scar. Reduction of unwanted body hair is ofcourse a welcome outcome! Some of the follicles are still sprouting - so at this juncture I will not be able to accurately give out the yield. A rough guess would be 70% and still growing! Thank you for your good wishes.

My 'Before' Photo

Rear View.

I am enclosing my latest pictures, which have been taken six months after my 5000 BHT. The hair growth so far has been very satisfying. My front and side profiles have improved considerably. I knew that very few BHTs were attempted earlier on this scale and was therefore slightly apprehensive initially. However, the test patch of 700 BHT that I did prior to going in for full scale BHT, allayed some of these apprehensions. After six months, I can confidently say that I had taken the correct decision. The body hair has merged well with the original scalp hair. The minor scars on the body have healed. At most places, there is no trace that any hair extraction was done. The best part is that there is NO tell tale sign on the scalp to indicate that an HT has ever been done!! I intend to go in for more BHT over the next six months. I have consulted my Doctor and we feel that it would be a better proposition to go in for smaller sessions more frequently, rather than go in for a mega session now. The main aim is to space out the hair growth cycles. My four months post op details I would like to thank all fellow bloggers, who have shown keen interest in my case and have given their valuable suggestions and encouragement. I will be posting my progress regularly on this site.

Thanks Pat, You are doing yeoman service for our fraternity. Keep up the good work. I would also like to wish all the forum members Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Dear Balla, BHT costed me Indian Rupees 175 per graft, which is approx US $ 3.5 per graft.

Hello Bill, I think that roughly 80% of the grafts survived in the case of 700 BHT. However, the bigger issue is the cycle of these hair, which is quite different from scalp hair. To overcome this problem, we resorted to the following: <UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Single hair follicles were paired and then grafted. So even if one goes into sleep mode, the other may be growing. <LI>Follicles from multiple donor locations were mixed and then grafted. <LI>Donor areas other than the chest, esp the armpits, pubic area and abdomen had a higher proportion of two hair grafts. I intend to undergo fortnighly HTs instead of one jumbo session in the near future. The aim is to transplant hair with diverse cycles and in different phases of their growth.

Dear Brian, Thanks for the encouraging words. I did a test patch of 700 BHT and the results were very encouraging. Strip is a strict no no, due to the scarring. FUE is surely an option.... But why deplete an already shrinking resource. The associated problem of shock loss will further reduce the hair on the scalp. So why not kill two birds with one stone---I get to remove unwanted hair simultaneously!

Dear Bill, Thank you for your keen interest. I agree that there is not enough documentation available on BHT cases. I think it is partly because large scale BHTs have been attempted only recently. It has been my sincere endeavour to regularly post updates for sharing my experiences with fellow bloggers. I have updated the Journal in My Blog. I had gone in for a test patch of 700 BHT last year. I am attaching the before and after 8 months pictures for your comment. I think a fair assessment of my progress can be done only after a couple of more months.

Chest Donor Area

Top View Photo

Side View Photo

I am enclosing my pictures that have been taken four months after my 5000 BHT. In the interim period, more than 80% of the hair was shed. Some of them have sprouted again and have grown slightly more than 1 cm. When I run my hand on my scalp, I can feel a lot more of them budding out. Even at this early stage, I feel that my front and side profiles have already improved considerably. For a NW 6+ like me, it is a very positive feeling. The donor sites have healed considerably. The thigh and the arm areas are taking the longest time for the scarring to diminish. The arm pits were the fastest to heal. I would like to thank all fellow netizens who have shown keen interest in my case and have given their valuable suggestions and encouragement. I will be posting my progress regularly on this site.

Hi Garageland, Thanks for the interest. The decision to go in for BHT was solely mine. The Dr did explain the pros and cons of BHT to me before both my procedures. He also mentioned that BHT procedures are still in a nascent stage. However, since considerable money is involved, I did a test patch of 700 grafts on the forehead and only after seeing the positive results did I go in for 5000 BHT. The reasons for my decision to go in for purely BHT were: - I have ample supply of good quality body hair. So, I should be able to achieve a good density. - The hair supply on the head is already depleted. Going by my family history, it will thin even further. Taking hair from the head would reduce the density even further. So, why not use a resource which is available in plenty. - A lot of unwanted body hair gets removed. I intend going in for more BHT starting early next year. The option to harvest hair from the head is always open.

Post Op Picture of Donor Area Thigh

Picture of Donor Areas Chest and Abdomen is enclosed.

Donor Area picture of Armpit is attached

After my 5000 BHT by Dr Arvind http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=569...751006652#5751006652 , the crusting of the scalp was only about 10% as compared to the 700 BHT done earlier. The swelling around the forehead was also negligible this time around. About 50% hairs are still there and I am rubbing the recipient area regularly after bath. The balance 50% has shed over the last three weeks. The donor areas have shown healed differently. While the armpits and the pubic area healed within a few days, the chest, abdomen and thighs have taken more time. The arms are taking the longest time to heal. The arms also had a few bumps which are taking quite some time to flatten out. Overall the healing process as well as the hair retention has been far better than my previous 700 BHT experience. I am enclosing my post op pictures taken 21 days after my BHT. I will be posting updates of my progress regularly on this forum.