hrvoje14

thanks, goldilocks! btw, where can i see your results?

sutures are out, yaaaaaay...! no crusts/scabs forming though... ???

also, sometimes a mantra or two can help, something like: 'i CAN be happy even if my hair is not perfect', 'i CAN be happy even if my colleagues at work are jerks'... i myself am a total control freak and perfectionist, so, for instance, my two mantras are: 'i CAN be happy even if i am not in control', and 'i CAN be happy even if not everything in my life or about me is perfect'... silly but helps...

thanks for your advice, aaron, appreciated it... and happy growing to you!

i agree with the others - life after coillege can be a bit of an anti-climax, psychologically and emotionally... you should know you are not the only guy this is happening to... i also agree that your hairloss, as tough as it may be, may not be your real issue... my advice, and this has helped me in the past, is to work on YOURSELF, from the inside out... happiness, as cliche as it may sound, really IS inside of you (as is misery!!!)... it's not the things around you, it's how YOU perceive and react to the things around you... so it's something you can work on and change, whether through some counselling, or medication, if appropriate, or both... it's great that you are talented physically - i often find that physical activity helps a great deal to keep one from slipping into anxiety and depression... another thing that helps is to try and force yourself to be/think positive, no matter what... it's not easy if it goes against your nature (as is the case with me), but it can be done, you can slowly re-program yourself to be more positive and relaxed... be kind to yourself, congratulate yourself on all the good things you've done in life, all you've accomplished so far, focus on the 99 things you have in life rather than agonizing over the one thing you don't: you have your health, you have both arms and both legs, you are doing well financially, you are young, you are educated, obviously, you have (at least) half a brain in that head of yours, lol... focus on that, and don't take everything you have for granted, like it didn't matter, and just worry and criticise yourself for the one or two things that you are missing right now... some people are positive and happy by nature (lucky bastards!), others have to work on it a bit, but i assure you, YES YOU CAN! lol...

nicely put, kaounis... john - it really is still a bit early - check out pushing40's blog and then his post 2 yrs post-op... think he was struggling with similar issues, and in the end - wow, crazy result! even more importantly, however - no matter what your FINAL result (and this applies to all of us here) - do not let your hairloss/HT 'own' you... you are the boss, what you say goes... say to yourself: 'i CAN be happy even if my hair is not perfect!' and work on yourself to make it so... and, really, happiness is what life's about, not perfection...

can't see anything wrong with that, jojo... you don't want a 'brick wall'-type hairline in the very front, that's not natural... look at the hairlines of people without MPB - the first row or so is usually a bit 'transparent'...

thanks, sparse! it's just over 7 cm in the middle, but obviously more on the sides as the temples are not closed... this however really is very individual, i think, depending on the size/shape of your head... i think my head is a bit on the smallish size, (who you calling bird-brain???, lol), so 7 cm IS conservative for my head, but might not be for somebody with a larger head... like i've already said - am very impressed with your early growth, you are very lucky!!!

well, look at jamie foxx... ok, he doesn't shave it to 0, but certainly keeps it very short, and instead of what you do, he has a big tattoo over his scar on the back of his head... there are all kinds of possibilities, the important thing is to be confident and to 'own' it, lol

anouar - glad you like the hairline... it IS conservative compared to my original hairline and the temples are left open, but every face is different... i too waited for a couple of years and am glad i did it now, i was ready and in a good place mentally and emotionally, which really helps... mattj - i've been losing hair since i was 23, so it HAS been pretty slow... and yes, i actually deliberately planned the date so as to be ready for the summer...!

just re-read what i wrote, sounds like i'm pontificating, which really wasn't my intention... i am deeply moved by what has been said in this thread and that's the only reason i am posting... my point was - you can't always influence/control things in life... the one thing you CAN control, however, is yourself and your reaction to those things... so, if you do ANYTHING, work on THAT... MAKE yourself and your reactions positive and relaxed, and your life will suddenly be so much easier and more beautiful... no matter WHAT is happening around you... it isn't easy, but it can be done...

raphael, i see your point, but i think you misunderstood me... i am not saying depression isn't real, or that KWIH's suffering/loss of grip on reality isn't real, or that hairloss is something pleasant... my point is that depression is not a 'normal'/healthy reaction to ANYTHING, not even to much worse things in life than hairloss... which is why THAT is something one needs to work on, one's reaction to things in life, and not necessarily the things themselves... you are right, i am older and it's precisely because of that that i am trying to give you younger guys the benefit of a slightly different perspective... the benefit of experience (20-odd years worth more than you guys have)... and, believe me, i am only trying to help you, not criticise you, or belittle what you may be going through... consider this - if this is your reaction to something like hairloss, how are you going to react to the much worse things that all of us have or will have to deal with in our lives - the death of your parents, illness - your own or of those close to you, the break-up of a long-term relationship, the loss of your job etc etc... it may be hard, but work on yourself, first and foremost (counselling, medication, increased physical activity), on making yourself be positive rather than depressed, relaxed rather than anxious, grateful rather than entitled... notice the 99 things you do have rather than focusing and agonizing on the one thing you don't have... and then you'll be able to tackle the things on the outside no matter what they are...

hey, aaron... i'll be 42 soon, and i am not on anything, but i will be starting with minox 2 weeks post-op for at least a year, as suggested by dr Rahal... still debating about propecia, dunno... what's your experience with fin?

thanks guys! Scottishguy, your forelock seems to have been pretty strong even before, so i'm guessing the size of the area filled in in your case may have been much smaller than mine... do you know what it was? at any rate your numbers sound excellent as far as density goes... looking forward to seeing your result! Raphael - you're spot on, the buzzed look doesn't actually look half bad now (to my surprise too), but imagine what it would have looked like with my pre-op hairline... no, not sexy, lol...

oh boy...! i agree with the others - looks to me like your immediate problem is not your hairloss but your psyche... hairloss can be tough, we've all been there, but thoughts of suicide over a silly, frivolous little thing like that??? it IS inconvenient, frustrating, not ideal, a blow to one's self-confidence etc, etc... but really, it's a problem of luxury, a problem of privilege... you are not hungry or homeless; you are not dying of cancer, or have had both your arms and legs amputated... clearly, by nature, you are prone to anxiety and depression, and the sooner you tackle this, the better... if it wasn't hairloss, i am sure something else would have triggered these drastic feelings in you somewhere down the line... so, my advice - forget about your hairloss for now, work on yourself, your mental and emotional state... and don't make drastic decisions until you are out of this state of heightened emotions... once you are relaxed and positive again, and your hairloss is in perspective, and your dark emotions are under control (whether through counselling or anti-depressants or both), then move forward and tackle the hairloss itself... but only once you've realized how insignificant a thing it is in the grand scheme of things, a mere inconvenience, that's all, certainly not a matter of life and death... all the best!!!

i am hopeful, especially after seeing such good results from people like yourself, and so early on!!! most people have almost nothing at 3 months, zip, zilch, nada...

i still can't believe i've actually gone through with this, lol - thought i'd never have the guts... but now that i have, why not share my experience, hopefully to the benefit of those still agonizing over if/who/when/how many, etc? (the least i can do after i've availed myself of all the info/advice provided by so many people on this wonderful forum, for which i am grateful)... here are the numbers i got from dr Rahal and Adrian: 3225 grafts (initial goal was 2700-3000), area filled 50 cm2, strip surface 31.6 cm2; 485 singles + 1974 doubles + 743 triples + 23 quads = 6,754 total hairs; hair characteristics: average donor density, average donor laxity, average hair diameter/coarseness, VERY straight hair (unfortunately!)... the experience was great, everything was smooth and professional and relaxed, no salesmanship whatsoever... thank you dr Rahal, Adrian, Mike and all the others... Adam's Inn - more than adequate: good price, very comfortable beds, fridge, good breakfast, not far from clinic (20-25 min walk), Chinese takeaway around the corner (every portion as big as 3 European-sized portions - just heat up in microwave on breakfast bar), supermarket 10 min walk away... surgical cap - great, get a bunch from the clinic and wear whenever you go out; with a sweat suit on people will think you're an absent-minded doctor who forgot to change after a long shift (or that's what i made myself believe, lol)... btw, the higher, more conservative hairline was MY request, and dr Rahal agreed with me... my reasons: 1. it's age-appropriate (am almost 42); 2. though my hairloss has been very gradual and slow, who knows where it'll end?; and 3. if i'm not happy with the result and future hairloss isn't too bad, i can always go back for something a little lower, plus have the temples filled in a bit. my main concern is density (surprise, surprise!), so any comments are welcome... thanks for reading!

those numbers sound excellent!

your donor looks great, especially considering it must have been quite a strip to yield 5500 grafts! do you have the numbers on the strip, by any chance - length, width? and please keep us posted with future growth!

also, i forgot - i guess one can get an estimate of donor density, no? aren't there places out there that can do that for you? then you have all the numbers you need - strip surface in cm2 x donor density in fu/cm2 = total number of grafts... total number of grafts / recipient area in cm2 = average number of fu/cm2 received... simple...

why are we all so obsessed with graft counts and number of fu/cm2? wouldn't it be better and easier to simply compare the area of the removed strip - i.e. 24.3 cm2, with the area that needed to be covered as discussed/drawn in pre-op consultation? not sure what that is in this case, but Shamrock you must have it, or ask Adrian to give it to you... let's say it's 40 cm2 or 45 cm2 (similar to Predator)... so, grafts/donor density aside, you had 24.3 cm2 worth of donor hair spread over 40 cm2, which gives you 61% coverage overall at your normal/donor density, whatever that may be... you probably got more than that in the hairline and a little less in the back, but overall it sounds very good to me, your result should be great... isn't that a better way of looking at things? i wish more people, when posting results, would include the measurements of the strip removed and the area that needs to be covered, especially since you get those things from your doctor anyway... and not focus obsessively on grafts received and fu/cm2 in donor/recepient... however, as for grafts received and fu/cm2 in donor/recepient in Shamrock's case... 3888 grafts in an area of about 40 cm2 - that's over 97 fu/cm2!!! surely, that cannot be, can it??? or is Shamrock's recepient area much larger than it seems?

HairHope, - surely, ACTUAL density is just count and nothing else, PERCEIVED density is also the diameter of the hair... no?

sure, TC17, but that's a whole other topic... i'm thinking purely density here, not area size/donor supply... just a theoretical question, that's all...

on the other hand, wouldn't a thicker hair have a larger follicle too? dunno...

thanks guys, that would make sense - if it's the follicle size that matters and not the shaft diameter, i mean...