steve0580

Looks awesome! Very impressive.

Let me start by saying that I've had 6 hair transplants over the past 20 years.

First off, I guarantee you that the redness will eventually fade. Your scalp suffered a lot of trauma there and things are just going to take time. Find a way to cope, because it isn't permanent. Obviously, I can't tell you the number of weeks or months it will take but you'll get there.

On a personal note, I think your transplants look great!!  You're just starting to see bits of growth at 3.5 months and you're probably looking at the area 10 times a day. Completely normal.  Things will start to be more apparent at 4 months, then 6 and by month 8, you should really be encouraged.  It gets better from there, until about the 12 to 18 month period, when it's fully "complete", so to speak.  

Stop worrying.  What you're going through, including the fears and misgivings, is normal.  You're going to be just fine and sporting a phenomenal head of hair within the next few months.

Here's what I use and have for years: Propecia, Biotin 10,000 mcg, Folic Acid, Iron and vitamin E. Sometimes, I'll add in a B-complex and I've started using flaxseed oil recently.

Nope, I never cycle off of vitamins. IMO, essential for the hair.

Steve I appreciate it. Ya i have been paranoid as he'll until recently. Its starting to wear off gradually as everything fully heals. Now I'm just concerned about the shedding. Do u use oils or Rogaine or anything? Any vitamins or things i should take? I do tree ale biotin and forwarders. Thanks for your help!

Don't worry about the shedding. It's completely normal and a natural part of the transplant process. They'll be back, they're just on hiatus for a little while.

No, I wouldn't touch Rogaine personally (bad experience with it).

As far as anything on the scalp, I was just using shampoo and condition. If you're really intent on using some kind of oil, I'm a fan of a hot oil treatment. Use olive oil, nuke it for about a minute or minute and a half (not so hot you can't stand it), comb it through and wash it out after about half an hour or so.

I do that now, because I occasionally get dry hair but google the benefits on olive oil treatments for hair.

Keep us updated how you're doing and upload pictures of your progress. It's nice to see results and at some point, seeing your progress might help someone else in their decision in the future.

I've never used Tea Tree Oil on my scalp. I'm not so certain I'd want to use that.

Six months will give you a very good picture of how things are coming along but the best growth I've seen with the hair transplants I've had is around month eight.

I don't know if there's 50% more growth of new grafts coming in (that seems like a very high percentage). As I recall, mostly, I just recall the hair gaining density. Whether that was more from additional grafts coming in or the regrowth coming in stronger (hair diameter wise), either way, my concern was that I was gaining density and I'm certain that I was.

Granted, each individual is different, so give it time.

Oh yeah, I'm a proponent of supplements, so you might consider taking some iron (have it checked to make sure you're not deficient), also a B-complex (biotin, folic acid), vitamin E and zinc.

Everyone may not agree with me on the use of supplements but I feel those that I've listed help maintain a good environment to support hair growth.

You're fine.

Believe me, if you scratched or pulled a graft out, it would be VERY obvious. I've done it a couple of times by accident and I thought it would never stop bleeding. I remember thinking "how can so much blood seem to come out of such a tiny hole?"

As far as the rest, some hairs are going to fall out. They'll come back, don't worry. Some grafts will stay in, others will shed, go dormant and will come back in.

I guarantee you that you're just paranoid and nervous post-op. It's new to you, you don't know what to expect. I remember going through the same thing - you're not alone.

By the way, nothing will help those grow as fast as you want them too (like a full head of hair two weeks from now). It takes time. You should start noticing a bit of growth around month three, a bit more in month four, by month six you see some very noticeable growth and by month eight - you should be a very happy guy.

You're doing great. I looked at your previous post and these pictures as well. Quite honestly, it looks like you had an excellent transplant and your growth is coming along exactly as it should. Obviously, I'm not a doctor but I'm a veteran with having hair transplant surgery.

Yes, your hair will thicken up and more growth will happen. You're right at that stage to where you're starting to feel a bit of growth and by the end of month four, you should notice more and by the sixth month, the growth should be very noticeable and by the eighth month, I think that you're going to be a very happy man.

As far as the short hair being noticeable, it looks fine to me. You see it more than anyone else does and unless you point it out, I doubt anyone else will notice either.

Having occasional pain at the incision is not uncommon. I had six surgery and had that same issue. Over time, it should get better and the pain should go away.

If you look at my profile, I have pictures and details of all of my surgeries, so you can see what kind of growth I had, so you can compare the progress.

I know you're anxious but two months is too soon to expect anything. By the end of month three, you'll probably notice some tiny hairs and by the end of month four, you should start seeing results, however small. By the eighth month, you'll likely be thrilled out of your mind.

There's no way to make it go faster -you just have to be patient and wait. Don't worry, it'll come in.

I took propecia in the past and STOPPED because of sides. when I had my consult he said I wouldn't need to use propecia at all after and I told him that I wouldn't go through with a ht if I needed to use propecia again. he said don't worry about it. then the morning of my surgery he strongly recommends me take propecia. if he would have told me that he strongly recommends propecia at the time of my first consult I felt that would have been more appropriate. how could his opinion change about the use of propecia in 6 weeks time?

 

 

no need for your condescending tone. I don't think there's any "magic" involved in preventing hair loss. I have been fighting hair loss for 23 years dude so I fully know what it entails. if you can't write a constructive comment in my thread then please go elsewhere. its really not appreciated. Trying to belittle me by implying that I am idiot with your magically comment is just being rude. I hope you don't talk to your kids or spouse like that.

I had another response typed up but deleted it, as it wouldn't matter what I had to say anyway.

Sorry you took things as condescending, I just found your response surprising.

Good luck.

You don't NEED propecia but it helps to maintain the existing hair that you have. In your post, you say he "strongly recommends propecia". I didn't see anything about "you have to take it".

If you were already taking propecia, why would you possibly think you wouldn't need it anymore? Did you think he was going to transplant hair in one area and the rest of the non transplanted area would just magically decide to stick around?

The hair he's transplanted should stay there, it's just the hair that hasn't been transplanted that you're trying to keep.

Congracts Steve. Your hair looks fantastic & you should be feeling great about it.

 

Can I ask, from your 6 procedures did you do strip or fue or some of both?

 

Cheers

I was at the doctor's office today for my last appointment (progress check) and asked about it.

They used FUT / strip, because I seemed to be a good candidate for it.

Looking great!

 

There's no way (in my opinion) anyone could tell you had a HT done judging by your hairline.

 

 

BTW Steve how are the women reacting to your new look??

Thank you. The ladies seem to like it very much Obviously, it helps my confidence immensely.

I'm interested in this also , as I'm likely to have a 2nd procedure at some point in the future . Obviously laxity will be a big determining factor .

 

I'm at just over 10 weeks post FUSS surgery , and as I have shock loss at a small part of the scar line haven't yet cut my hair at the sides / back. I'd be very happy to be able to get a #2 or #3 , but will have to wait a while to try it out .

 

One question I do have that may sound daft - how do you determine what you can go down to before any scar line is exposed ? I'm guessing to start carefully on the higher numbers and work down , and on each subsequent start on a very small section of the scar . That way , if it may be visible , you can stop and there will be very little to hide .

Laxity could be an issue, depending on where the strip is taken from an how much donor area you have left.

The last of my donor area was close to the top and sides of the back of my head. I had a very limited amount that the doc could take (he ended up skillfully getting 1100 grafts) but in the couple of weeks before the procedure, he had me keep massaging the scalp area to loosen the skin a bit, so it would be easier to extract more of the area. Obviously, yield was extremely important to me, so I massaged my scalp a lot!

As far as the haircut, that's why I mentioned that it will depend on the skill of your stylist. He / she will need to know where the scar is located, so around the area where the scar is, the #3 clippers could be used and still conceal the scar. Below the scar, a #2 or #1 could be used and obviously ,there would be no scar to expose in that area. That way, you can still get a clippered look without anyone ever know that you have a scar.

Thank you for the compliments.

This may sound odd but I really can't remember if it was one or both but I believe it was both. They did cut strips out of the back of my head and from the discussion I remember having with the doctor at one point, we talked about FUE.

Honestly, I just left it up to the doctor as to what he thought was best and I was comfortable with his decision. He's very experienced in the field and in my book, there's no need to tell a farmer how to grow corn.

Your'e definitely seeing more hair loss than anyone else is and I'm in agreement that a reputable doctor should turn you away for a HT.

I'm also in agreement that most people will be thrilled to have a head of hair like yours AFTER a transplant.

If you're really concerned, I'd suggest a different hair style. Cuts like these are very popular right now and will make you look like you have a lot more hair:

I am starting to get serious about finding a doctor to restore my hairline. I've been on Finasteride for 8 months and now my goal is to bring the recessed temple areas down about 1-2 cm and the center of the hairline down about .5-1 cm. I'm not sure if this is a realistic expectation or not, as I have not had an in person consultation with a HT doctor yet.

 

I am looking to have the procedure done within the next 12-18 months, but am concerned with a few things listed below.

 

1. My age. I will be 25 at the time of transplantation if I get the transplant in the next 12-18 months.

 

2. Graft count. I do not want to exceed 1500 grafts for my first procedure so I have the option of future procedures. Do you think this is enough to meet my hairline expectations above?

 

3. FUSS or FUE. I am pretty much set on FUE but am concerned with the potential of a poor yield and over harvested donor area. FUSS seems like it has the most consistent high quality result.

 

Please take a look and tell me what you think. I would really appreciate feedback, recommendations, and your experiences.

 

Thanks everyone.

How do you feel about your hair? Does it affect your self-confidence and self-esteem? If so and if you can afford it, I'd say you should definitely get a transplant.

1. At 25, you seem to be thinning early but then again, genetics are something that we don't get a choice on. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with getting it done within the next 12-18 months. In truth, I'd think it would be better to start now, because as time goes on, future transplants will blend in better as growth is occurring.

2. Consult with the doctor, in regard your donor area and the number of grafts that you'd need or want to fulfill your goal. His experience is more valuable than the articles you'll read in regard to what's best for you.

3. FUSS or FUE? Again, that's something you'll also want to talk about with your doctor. He may have a preference or decide which is best for quality or yield. Don't tell the farmer how to grow corn.

As a young man and depending on the amount of donor area you have, I'd suggest that you do hold back some of that area for a future transplant or transplants. Wait at least 3-5 years before you have your second or third transplant, because what you'll find is that some areas that you hadn't or can't have anticipated will thin and for strategic purposes, you'l be able to determine where you want at least some coverage, however thin and where you want to concentrate on having more density.

Unless it's dramatic, you won't or will barely notice it.

Having said that, I can't cut my hair too short in the back. To hide the scars, a buzz cut is definitely out of the question and a #2 or #3 on the clippers at the barber / hair stylist is about the closest you'll get before the scars can be seen.

Allow me to point out that the skill of your stylist will also have an effect on this. If your stylist is aware of where the scars are they will be able to conceal them better, depending on the location of them. For instance, if your scars are above the midpoint of the back of your head and you like your hair shorter, the stylist could use a #3 clipper for better coverage over the scars, while using a #2 near the bottom of your head where there aren't scars. Doing something like this would still produce a very clean, businesslike or in-style haircut and still conceal the scars.

If it's a rug, it's a very good one. I've read on gossip sites that he has had transplants though, so take it for what it's worth.

I agree that one year post op is way to quick. While you may not notice a dramatic difference between 12 and 18 months, I've always been told that 18 months is the normal time frame for the hair to "complete".Quite honestly, since the vast majority of the growth and coverage is in at 12 months, it's hard for me to say how much difference there really is between 12 and 18 months.

Since you mention that you're 35 and only want to do two additional transplants, here's some advice that I hope you'll take: wait a while, at least for one of those transplants.

As I've mentioned in multiple threads, I've had six transplants over the last 18 years. My first transplant was when I was 32 years old. What you're going to find over time is that certain areas that you hadn't or couldn't have anticipated will thin over the years.

I don't know how much donor area you have but since you've already had 3400 grafts, and since almost half of your donor area is exhausted, do the 3000 graft procedure now and wait a while to do the last 2000, even though that would put you in a position to have to have a third procedure.

What I'm saying is that over time, as certain areas become thin or more noticeable, you'll be able to concentrate as to where you need at least some sort of coverage and which areas you'll want to add the most density too.

Now, if you want to have a second transplant done as soon as you're able, I can't really see a problem with that but you'll want to save some of your donor area for a few years down the road.

I was never lied to and my redness varied over all of the transplants that I've had. Actually, the discussion never came up at any point.

The last transplant I had was the reddest and most tender of them all but I mostly attribute this to the fact that I had a limited donor area left and the sections that had to be taken were more toward the top and rear side portions of my head in the back.

Luckily for me, most of this was already covered but existing hair in the area but I'd say it took a good four months for the redness to go away and it's only been in the last six or seven weeks or so that the tenderness has gone away.

I will say that of the six transplants that I've had, the length of redness and tenderness varied with each one.

feeling good about yourself for 18 years is worth 30k. Without blinking.

Absolutely - I couldn't agree more.

@ David - thanks for editing that for me.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the nice comments.

From the first transplant to the sixth, I've spent over 30k (not including supplements and propecia). Some people are very shocked when I tell them this and they wonder why I would spend so much and that there were so many other things I could have done with that money.

I tell them all the same thing: It was worth every penny.

It's my belief that whether it's breast implants, liposuction, hair transplants or whatever elective surgery you choose to do, it's all about how it makes you feel about yourself. It's hard to put a price on self-esteem and self-confidence but for me, getting my hair back helped me have that.