pokerbrat

well, all of them have to shave the donor area, but if you get strip and have the back of your hair at least an inch..then it can be concealed, at least that's what i did. If you go for fue..then they have to shave and i dont think it can be covered..from the pictures of fue i've seen it looks like a big shaved square..but i could be mistaken on that..Hope that helps.

spex..nobuzz..thanks for the replies. It's now day 10 post op and everything is good. The scabs never came or shed before i even noticed them..I've been putting witch hazel on after my shower to help with the healing and redness a bit. Also..i go to sleep with a good amount of aloe on my head so it soaks in nice overnight...still waiting on my pics from the doc.

its now day 6 and i havent seen any scabs forming on my head..so quick question..are the scabs still to come or did i get lucky and experience no scabbing. If the latter is true, i consider myself lucky. What do you guys think..is day 6 already to late for any scabs to start? i figured that they would have to have appeared already right?

hey jersey....nice growing so far..hope everything continues to go well. i hope i have that much growth 5 months from now! Good Luck with everything..

Bill- what part of my statement wasn't true? Fin does cause birth defects..you cant try and conceive while on it. My doc said if you are on fin and are going to try and have a baby you should get off it for a while, then go back on it. Is that the part that was wrong..if not, please let me know since i am on fin and i would like to know if i am mistaken...thanks

hey thanks guys for the support...i know i made a great decision after a long thought out process.. jersey-did you do anything to speed up your growth, or are you just lucky..ha?

I recently went to Dr. Feller for a 1500 strip to rebuild my hairline and i have to say that i had a great experience. Initially, the night before and the weeks leading up to it i was very nervous, but after it was all said and done, the worrying was a waste of time.(It was my first ht) I got there around 7:45 and Dr. Feller and his staff were great..made me feel really comfortable and i knew i had made a great decision to choose Dr. F. (His techs were great and very professional.) We talked a bit and he answered my questions..i think we started around 8:30 and i was done by 12:30, afterwards i was given lunch and told of my post op directions (i was also given a sheet to take home which had Dr. Feller's beeper number..just in case)The whole surgery was so easy...no problems..didnt feel a thing. I got 1530 grafts with 71cm/2 density. I told Dr.F i wanted my donor covered by my existing hair and it is totally hidden.(I let it grow about an inch before the surgery) I felt great so i was able to drive about an hour and a half to get home. That too was no problem, except for the fact that i had that damn bandage on my head and it was sticking out all around my hat..i must've looked really crazy driving..ha.(That was actually the worst part of the whole day) So now im on day 5 post op and the healing is going great..i took the meds for only the first night and there was little if any swelling. Maybe the first night, thats it! I guess this has to do with the size of my procedure, but i know it also has to do with a great surgeon. I also have very little redness in the recepient area. All in all i am so happy with the post op. I was expecting much worse..to be all swollen and red, but it isn't like that at all. I just wanted to give my two cents on my first experience with Dr. Feller and i am so glad that i did this. I am going back in a couple days to get the staples removed and hopefully get my pictures so i can post them up here. Once i post those i will put my recent ones up. Thanks to everyone on this forum that helped me make a great informed decision..reading these forums i learned so much and before i came here i didnt have a clue.

I recently went to Dr. Feller for a 1500 strip to rebuild my hairline and i have to say that i had a great experience. Initially, the night before and the weeks leading up to it i was very nervous, but after it was all said and done, the worrying was a waste of time.(It was my first ht) I got there around 7:45 and Dr. Feller and his staff were great..made me feel really comfortable and i knew i had made a great decision to choose Dr. F. (His techs were great and very professional.) We talked a bit and he answered my questions..i think we started around 8:30 and i was done by 12:30, afterwards i was given lunch and told of my post op directions (i was also given a sheet to take home which had Dr. Feller's beeper number..just in case)The whole surgery was so easy...no problems..didnt feel a thing. I got 1530 grafts with 71cm/2 density. I told Dr.F i wanted my donor covered by my existing hair and it is totally hidden.(I let it grow about an inch before the surgery) I felt great so i was able to drive about an hour and a half to get home. That too was no problem, except for the fact that i had that damn bandage on my head and it was sticking out all around my hat..i must've looked really crazy driving..ha.(That was actually the worst part of the whole day) So now im on day 5 post op and the healing is going great..i took the meds for only the first night and there was little if any swelling. Maybe the first night, thats it! I guess this has to do with the size of my procedure, but i know it also has to do with a great surgeon. I also have very little redness in the recepient area. All in all i am so happy with the post op. I was expecting much worse..to be all swollen and red, but it isn't like that at all. I just wanted to give my two cents on my first experience with Dr. Feller and i am so glad that i did this. I am going back in a couple days to get the staples removed and hopefully get my pictures so i can post them up here. Once i post those i will put my recent ones up. Thanks to everyone on this forum that helped me make a great informed decision..reading these forums i learned so much and before i came here i didnt have a clue.

giants..first off, even if money is not an option..the amount of donor hair you have is finite..which basically means once you use it all up..thats it. I think most good donor areas have between 5000 and 7000 grafts that can be used.(someone correct me if im wrong). Thats why doctors like to go conservative at first, just in case you will need to save some until you are older and need to cover the rest of your head. Also you can have an fue procedure into the donor scar and it will cover it up. I believe i have seen some pics on this forum of fue into the donor. Hope that helps.

Thanks for the help! I wasn't provided with any post-op solution spray, but i felt it may help.

hey everyone..i just got Bausch and Lomb Genuine Sensitive Eyes Saline Solution...Does anyone know if this kind is ok? It says it contains boric acid, sodium borate, sodium chloride..preserved with sorbic acid .1% and edetate disodium .025%? I dont know if this is standard stuff, but i asked for plain saline solution not that multi purpose stuff and this is what they gave me. Does this really speed up healing or should i not even bother

hey everyone..i just got Bausch and Lomb Genuine Sensitive Eyes Saline Solution...Does anyone know if this kind is ok? It says it contains boric acid, sodium borate, sodium chloride..preserved with sorbic acid .1% and edetate disodium .025%? I dont know if this is standard stuff, but i asked for plain saline solution not that multi purpose stuff and this is what they gave me. Does this really speed up healing or should i not even bother

From what i understand, it most likely will cause birth defects. You should stop taking it if you are trying to conceive. If you stop for a month or two and restart it still will work although you may lose the hair you have been holding on to. Hope that helps!

diamondlight..i use propecia and split them in half and take .5mgs a day, a full pill is 1mg. Dont know about the generic form but i assume it's just as good. If u want proscar then you quarter it and take 1.25mgs a day. You can get a pill cutter at any pharmacy..walgreens, eckard etc..I got mine at walgreens..it works fine.

Robert-i checked out your blog..very nice results.

hey..thanks for all the feedback..here i grow-i am working on the things i do have control over, diet, exercise, attitude..etc. i do have realistic expections on what i hope to achieve with the procedure..although i am going with dr.feller, so my expectations of what he will able to do with my hairloss is a little higher than normal. i have good laxity and he said my donor area is very good so hopefully that puts me in good shape for success. I know he dense packs, but what is good density for a hairline esp. based on what dr. f can do? 60cm/70 or even 80cm/90cm if possible..oh,im also on propecia to stop future loss and hopefully regrow the thinning in the crown.

yeah..thats sounds good..i cant wait till next summer. Im gonna go to the beach/pool as much as i possibly can..ya know, to make up for lost time.

Thanks everyone for all the responses. When i read about all the positive experiences and how you guys are now living your life, i really feel hopeful that this will be one of the best decisions that i will ever make..On the subject of money..i dont think you can even put a price on the amount of freedom and life changes that can occur with a successful ht..easy come,easy go. I would work three jobs to make the money back if i had my hair, just because i would be so damn happy. Jersey- i can relate to never really opening the car windows..and i always wear a hat to mow the lawn,golf,beach..if its really windy. Swimming? what's that...i havent gone in a pool or ocean (underwater)in about..lets say the last 6 years.

aq..i knew you would have some comment. it's cool i just felt like venting to somebody...got a little to in touch w/my feelings..thats ok though im comfortable with that. Yeah the girl..were done. but its hard to enjoylife when im focused on my head..sounds so stupid, but it's true

Yes..this is true from reading these boards its either great or really bad..but inevitably something happens in everyones life that leads them down this path and i wanted to find out if its a path worth travelling. For me, a couple of things brought me here.. 1.the girlfriend making little comments here and there (oh,you've got a bald spot on the back of your head..me- what...no thats just my cowlick..which at one time it was) 2.Not being able to leave the house (expect for work which i have to)without wondering if my hat is in the car..you know...just in case 3.Looking and feeling way younger than i appear on the outside..and wanting to do those things that i should be doing..(bars.pools/ocean.girls.)None of my friends or family even know i feel this way...maybe i have bdd or maybe i just want my confidence back the way i used to be. Anyone else have those moments when you just knew you couldn't live like that anymore..

Thanks..after a lot of reading and research i decided to go with Dr. Feller. I will def create a weblog as soon as i can..the surgery is scheduled for this month so i will be reporting back to everyone as soon as i can. I feel like i did as much as i could do to ensure that this will be a positive successful experience ie..research..questions..and good doc

First off..i cant shave my head, i did it once for a while when i was younger(early thirties now) and i look back at pics and i hate it. So..thanks for the suggestion but if i hated it with all my hair, i know i will hate it now. Second..No Aquarius, i dont really think it sounds sexy...thats why im asking for YOUR opinions. Im sorry you had a bad surgeon and a less than optimal experience. Third..thanks Bill and pushing40 for your opinions. It made me feel like it will be a great thing if researched and understood properly. By the way i do currently have an ht planned with Dr. Feller so i know im in good hands. Its a 1500 strip.

So..i guess you wouldnt do it again then, based on your response. That's fine, i just want some honest opinions.

Hey everyone..basically i want to know if you had the choice to do an ht all over again would you? I know most of you have had multiple surgeries and have had plenty of experience, but was it really one of the best decisions that you made in your life? I'm only asking because im very close to my own and i really haven't confided in anyone except the great people who make up this forum..thank god i found this by the way..Did your confidence go way up? or did it end up not being what you thought it would be. I'm just hoping that i can go back to my oldself and not be held down by my own self-consciousness all day. Im always thinking about it and wearing hats to go out..its gotten so tiresome..i dont do things i used to do and im still young. I just dont want life to keep passing me by. So did it change your life? is essentially what im asking. Thanks for listening..i needed to vent and talk to somebody.

Hey everyone..basically i want to know if you had the choice to do an ht all over again would you? I know most of you have had multiple surgeries and have had plenty of experience, but was it really one of the best decisions that you made in your life? I'm only asking because im very close to my own and i really haven't confided in anyone except the great people who make up this forum..thank god i found this by the way..Did your confidence go way up? or did it end up not being what you thought it would be. I'm just hoping that i can go back to my oldself and not be held down by my own self-consciousness all day. Im always thinking about it and wearing hats to go out..its gotten so tiresome..i dont do things i used to do and im still young. I just dont want life to keep passing me by. So did it change your life? is essentially what im asking. Thanks for listening..i needed to vent and talk to somebody.