gillenator

ILMH, From your description, it sounds like you are experiencing a diffused thinning pattern. This is evidenced by loss of hair shaft diameter to some or a significant amount of your hair shafts. A more simple way of stating this would be that you are simply losing hair caliber. With a diffused thinning pattern, the individual usually does not start experiencing MPB with a recessionary pattern of losing hair shafts and/or density. It begins with a visual thinning of hair caliber and further manifested by beginning to be able to see one's scalp even though the hair shafts have not been lost. This is called diffused loss and eventually the hair shafts become so thin in caliber that they no longer produce hair and the latter stages of diffused thinning is complete loss of those hair shafts. Minoxidil can potentially improve hair caliber and may be the best option for the present time for those with diffused thinning. Low dose finasteride really does not improve hair shaft diameter but more of a DHT inhibitor to maintain hair density. That's what you are presently doing by quartering Proscar into very low levels of finasteride. I do the same thing cutting Proscar instead of using Propecia which is far more expensive. The best thing to do at this point in time is to get physically examined by a reputable HT doctor to get a formal diagnosis for MPB. Then you will know for sure what you are dealing with. Many HT doctors won't charge you for the exam/consultation. Best wishes to you in your journey...

If the hair shafts do not come out with a reasonable amount of force then that's a pretty good indication that those hair shafts are still in the growth phase. When the grafts go into the telogen (dormant) phase, they begin to shed the graft hair soon after and subsequently it does not take very much effort to remove the dead hair because the hair shafts become disengaged with the dormant stage follicles.

That will depend on the size of the surface area where the grafts will be placed and how dense you want the area to be. Typically, the surgeon will draw in the area where the grafts will be situated which will include the starting point where the single hair grafts commence. The two of you will then concur and the surgeon will be able to estimate the needed graft count based on a defined level of density.

I would recommend that you leave the crown alone for now because of the potential that you are going to lose everything on top of your scalp. If you are going to move forward, you may want to start with only the frontal zone keeping a high placed hairline and see how you respond with that.

Your graft count in that zone may very well be higher than anticipated because of the high number of single hair grafts required.

Local anesthesia and general anesthesia are two different types and while local anesthesia does not require the presence and oversight of a anesthesiologist, rendering general anesthesia does. Your vitals are constantly being monitored by a licensed medical professional throughout the procedure. As far as the impact on regrowth or the final result of your HT procedure, nothing comes to mind that would present a negative impact. Yet if I were you, I would get the opinions of your PCP as well as the specialist doing your nose procedure. Although we can offer our own insights, there's nothing like the knowledge and medical experience of your physicians when it comes to this type of issue...

multiplier, Just curious...how many grafts did you have added into the scar? The thing about ink into any scar is that scar tissue lacks blood flow, and as a result, the body absorbs the ink very differently than normal uncompromised flesh tissue.

Vitamin C is also a good vitamin to take as it facilitates healing. And you can take more than 500 mg daily for the next several months...

Roughly a decade or so ago, almost all clinics and doctors prescribed anti-biotics for their upcoming HT procedures. I believe this practice was simply a pre-cautionary measure for potential infections. Yet infections are not very common for this type of surgery so in essence, many practitioners ceased the use of them. I also think that in the past decade the medical community began to see some clinical evidence of resistance to some anti-biotics. So the prescribing of them began to be more scrutinized in the interest of the general population. Keflex was probably the most used for HT surgery. Yet over the past four decades I have not heard of any negative impact or trend that suggested that anti-biotics in general have a negative impact on the actual result of the procedure. The bottom line? Follow the advice of your doctor who is treating you for any condition or procedure that he/she is performing.

Do you mean the graft hair?

Ukboy, When you say, "hair not falling" we assume that you mean your grafts have not shedded, is that correct? If so, that is somewhat out of the norm, but not necessarily a bad thing. It could be that some of your grafts have continued to grow however many of them should be shedding at 3 months post-op. Here's a suggestion. Using your fingertips, simply pull some of the graft hair and see if they come off. If so, then it's really a matter of getting more pro-active in removing the dead graft hair shafts. At 3 months post-op, your recipient zone must be fully healed by now and so any of the crusts would be removed. If they are not removed, the new hair shafts cannot get through the sites where the crusts still exist and that is probably what your doctor was referring to when he was explaining the regrowth results. If you still have the crusts, get in the shower and shampoo up your scalp, let the suds saturate your scalp for roughly 5 minutes or so and then begin to rub off the crusts. At this point in time, they serve no purpose because the crusts are nothing more than dead graft tissue above the scalp line. By getting them wet in the shower will soften them up and make them easier to remove. You will see that most of the graft hair will come off with the crusts. Every now and then, I hear from a guy who is not removing the crusts after 7-10 days because he is just being extra careful and think removing them is not a good idea. If you read and review many of the post-op instructions that clinics provide, they advise their patients to remove these dead crusts after 7-10 days. For those individuals who heal under normal time frames, 10 days is more than sufficient time for the recipient sites to heal enough for the crusts to be removed. Once your recipient is cleaned up, the new hair shafts have a clear path to grow through the scalp. Then you should start seeing a difference with new regrowth coming through. Feel better now my friend?...

You're very welcome newhair . And yes I agree that it would be best to continue your once daily regimen including the crown area so as to not disrupt what you already started. I just would not change the amount of frequency in the daily amounts and listen my friend, time will soon tell. I don't think it will affect your overall yield or the final matured result. It's more the time period of regrowth that is impacted. Again, the progress since your last photo update have been significantly improved so that's a very good sign that things are progressing, not regressing. It's the waiting that can be challenging but you will get through this period newhair and am looking forward to seeing your final result...

DD, That looks amazing...what a difference...CONGRATS!

If you did not receive PRP concurrent with your recent procedure, I would not recommend having it done until your scalp heals. IMHO, the additional injections into the scalp could potentially raise the level of trauma that you already sustained with the multitude of recipient incisions. I actually heard from a guy who did this and said he immediately went back five days later for PRP injections. He then ended up sustaining a very high level of shock loss. Was it from the PRP injections? No one knows for sure yet the level of his shock loss was alarming to say the least. And he did not have this type of shock loss from his previous procedure where no PRP was used. Possibly his experience would have been very different (with a low level of shock) if the PRP was added "during" the procedure, but again we just cannot say for sure. Just a thought...:rolleyes:

I would get multiple opinions from the specialists/physicians directly on this one.

The instrumentation is only as good/effective as the level of skill of the surgeon using them. So even though blades are generally less invasive, they too are only as proficient as the individual(s) using them. I have personally seen an endless number of cases where diffused weak native hair ends up with shock loss, on meds or not. And the more diffused the hair shafts are, the more likely they will be susceptible to shock. Still, we cannot deny those cases where some individuals feel that the meds have made a difference with post-op shock loss. So a part of this equation is not only related to how we all individually respond to the level of trauma, but the meds as well.

newhair7, It's very encouraging to see the improvement and especially in such a short time. IMHO, the new growth and improvement above the scar where you have not been applying minoxidil is right on course. This is why I am of the opinion that applying nothing post-op and just allowing our own bodies to function and do the work often produces the right results. As far as the delayed growth below the scar, it's no doubt related to the dormant stage that those hairs are currently in after they were shocked out and the initial impact of the minoxidil having a reverse effect. But give it another two months or so and I think you will start to see improvement in that area (below the scar)as well. Remember my friend, once the hair is shocked out, those follicles will rest for another 3-4 months before they enter a new growth phase. In time, the redness of the scar should also start to dissipate and it certainly would not hurt to put some aloe rich cream on the scar at bedtime and allow it to absorb into the scar tissue overnight. I think you are going to continue to see improvement and wish you the best in your progress and thanks for the update newhair7...

WTC, Thanks for sharing your story with us. That's takes a lot of courage to share your unfortunate experience. Are you willing to put up a few photos so we can see what you are referring to regarding your hairline? It's difficult to see the work without photos and you can always cover up your face if you wish to avoid recognition. It is possible to have some of the grafts removed in the future to make a more aesthetically pleasing hairline and those grafts can potentially be relocated to soften the appearance. Obviously you would be doing much more extensive research beforehand. Hope things work out for you.

Now how many guys would absolutely die for hair like that?...:cool:

We all respond differently to these type of non-surgical treatments and to date, there are really not enough cases to measure hair loss efficiency from a clinical standpoint.

Scabs should not affect the regrowth unless they are picked at too early such as potentially pulling out the graft within 72 hours of placement. Scabs are basically blood that has clotted and formed to close the incisions or wounds. Yes post-op saline sprays and some other applications can help facilitate the healing however scabbing should ideally be left alone because they will come off when they are ready as our bodies are designed to do just that...

Overall, my observation has been that blades are less invasive but like anything else, it's the proven skill of the surgeon using them and especially when its a case of working within a diffused hair mass. Meds helping to minimize shock loss is a controversial issue and overall I tend to have the opinion that they do not help significantly because shock loss for the most part is related to how the individual responds to the level of trauma caused by the surgery. And the more diffused the existing hair is, the more susceptible it can be to shock loss.

Borromeo1517, IMHO, what you are experiencing is not abnormal. It is probably related to many nerves that were severed when the recipient incisions were made and the nerve endings are now healing and growing. And yes, it can cause feelings of soreness or sensitivity to the touch and even feel like little electrical type shocks or tingling in the area. Regrowth of grafts can also cause this tingling feeling in the recipient area. In addition, you may not feel like you are seeing density gains in the area because you may have sustained some mild shock loss. And although the area may appear thinner at the present time, it should look much better after 12 months have passed. Your new grafts will also mature in hair shaft diameter (caliber) which will definitely make a difference in visual gain of coverage. It is perfectly normal for subsequent HT procedures to grow in a bit slower. Many are of the opinion that the blood flow to the area not being as rich as a virgin or uncompromised scalp. Let us all know how things look after 12 months and I think you will see a difference. Obviously 1100 grafts was a smaller procedure and depending on how dense the grafts were placed in proximity to each other is going to also have an impact on visual density. So if you lost some native hair since your first procedure in the area, you may be replacing some loss but not necessarily making a significant gain in visual coverage if you know what I mean. But better that you added some new grafts and coverage than doing nothing and wish you the best on your recent FUE procedure...

You're very welcome buddy, and listen, if the spray you are using is for post-op healing such as saline spray, then no it's really not necessary anymore IMHO. But you always want to follow the post-op instructions that your doctor provided you. Now, if you have some mild lingering redness, I would not recommend using any minoxidil in the area because of the high content of alcohol and alcohol related based additives. That could potentially cause more redness and even some inflammation which would be counter-productive IMHO. A fair number of guys like to use minoxidil in the recipient area post-op to "jump start" their grafts into sooner or for quicker regrowth but I am of more an opinion to just allow your own body to do its own thing. And yes, I do think that a fair number of your grafts remained in the growth (anagen) phase and are continuing their growth. Yet they will eventually shed and begin a new growth cycle after resting for 3-4 months. But don't worry because they shed and regrow on an intermittent basis. Shock loss normally occurs to existing weaker native hair which is not a concern for you. The hair behind your grafts looks strong and not diffused which is what I meant in my earlier comments so I doubt that this will be an issue for you. You will shed your grafts eventually but good things are coming your way. Meaning, new growth will occur after the dormancy period is fulfilled and that my good friend is definitely worth waiting for, don't ya think?... You're gonna look awesome Mr6435!...

Possibly the more practical question would be, "should I save these limited number of grafts for future loss or use them up now?" MPB is indeed progressive over a lifetime so what about planning for future loss? Where does that fit into the equation?...:rolleyes: