steve0580

I couldn't find your pictures using search. It might be easier if you could add them to your profile. If you have time, take a couple of pictures today and add to the album. People like seeing the progression over time. As far as the time frame for shocked native hair, quite honestly, I really don't know. It would be a guess on my part. I'm going to punt on this one and say "It depends". The area suffered trauma, so it has to heal first. Some people heal faster than others, some people have hair that grows faster than others as well. One of the hair transplant docs could field this question better than I can. I will say that even though you're not seeing visible regrowth in certain locations right now, doesn't mean nothing is happening below the surface. It's living tissue, so you just have to give it time. No matter how many times you look at it in the mirror, at two months in, it's extremely difficult to get much of an idea about anything. You can feel the stubble and you can see that a few grafts didn't fall out after surgery. In light of that, you can be sure that it's growing - so take heart. It sounds like your biggest issue right now is simply being overanxious and I completely understand that. Been there. Unfortunately, there's no way to speed things up. You just have to wait it out.

Sorry for the late response but thanks to everyone for the compliments. @RCWest. LOL @ Negative NW1. It does make me wonder about hand dominance in regard to hair loss and I'm wondering if there's a connection? The reason I say this, is because when I first noticed the thinning, I tried to compensate in a big way with hair spray and gel. I spent far too much time in the mirror trying to conceal holes or thin spots. My theory is because I'm left handed and that I spent so much time working with my hair, that the extra brushing, prodding, etc.. concentrated a disproportionate amount of effort on the left side, due to unconciously "defaulting" to my dominate side. I know it's a lot of babble but can anyone else see the logic in it?

I had something similar happen like this after a transplant once. It's so difficult not to rub or scratch the area. I'm not sure if it was just a scab or a graft but I accidentally pulled it off. It was pretty scary at first, because the blood just kept coming out. I was thinking "how much blood can come out of a such a small hole?". Regardless, it stopped bleeding after a while and I'm happy to say that everything was just fine. If it's itching a lot, trying getting some dandruff conditioner and leave in for a few minutes. Wash most of it out but leave just a tiny bit of residue in (just enough to where it's not squeaky). It may sound odd but it worked for me.

I've had a total of 4806 grafts. If you'd like to get an idea of the coverage, look at my profile. There are several photographs from the 1st transplant, right up until my most recent.

I'm very confident that it's the transplanted hair starting to grow. I know you're anxious to see the results. Unfortunately, there's no quick way to do it. It's all about time and patience at this point. By the way, welcome to the forum. I looked at your profile but I don't see photos. Maybe you could consider posting some before and after photos?

I agree with the others. It sounds like everything is normal. If it makes you feel any better, I had my 5th transplant back in October and have the same regrowth pattern that you do. A few stayed and grew but mostly, there is either stubble or barely sprouting. My advice falls in line with the others: Stop obsessing, have patience. It will grow in just fine.

I'm not a fan of minoxidil at all. My results were horrid when I used it. Based on the area that you're thinning, I think propecia would be a far better option for you.

I'm not a fan of minoxidil at all. Personally, I'd never recommend it to anyone. When I used it I had very little regrowth, pretty much fuzz at best and I quite using it. From there, I started taking propecia. I've had far more success using that.

Aside from that stitch, everything sounds completely normal. The stubble is new growth. Remember, it's going to grow in thinner at first. Over time, it will grow in thicker. You're already seeing minimal regrowth and it will be considerably better at 6-8 months. Have patience, It can take 12-18 months before you have the complete results.

There could be other factors involved. It's not necessarily the doctor's fault. The results from my 4th surgery weren't as good as I'd hoped. I'm convinced that a major reason that the hair didn't regrow as thick as I wanted, was because about 3 months after surgery, I started taking a weight loss medication -adipex. I lost roughly 30 lbs in 2 1/2 -3 months. That's a pretty rapid loss. In addition, I wasn't taking supplements like I should have. I'd also read that about 2% of the people that used the drug, experienced hair loss as a side effect. I'm pretty much convinced that I made a poorly timed decision to use the medication and that it was a major reason that the hair transplant wasn't as successful as I'd hoped. Having your blood tested is a very good idea. For instance, if you're deficient in iron, that's going to play a role in your hair loss or regrowth. Like a lot of people on this board, I'm a proponent of taking supplements. At the very least, I'd suggest a multivitamin.

I have a friend from Arizona who went to Hasson and Wong. His transplants came out wonderful and he couldn't be happier. I'd suggest that you consider using propecia. Based on your photo, I'm very confident that you would benefit from it, although it will take about 3-6 months before you notice much. It works far better for the crown area, than the temples.

No worries, there's nothing wrong. It looks fine. The stubble is there, it will grow. Patience, patience.

My guess would be somewhere in the area of 2500-3500 grafts.

Stop worrying, it could be stress -seriously. A few years ago, I was changing jobs and my stress level was very high. A patch of hair, roughly the size of a quarter fell out. Luckily for me, it was near the bottom of the back of my head near the neckline. After the job transition was complete, the stress I was feeling passed as well. Hair started growing in over the patch. Oddly enough, even though my hair is brown, at first it grew in gray but eventually, my natural color returned as well. I'm not saying that this is what's happening to you but I'm suggesting that it could be a possibility. Also, 4 months is a relatively short time period. You have to realize that the hair is generally going to grow in thinner at first but will eventually get thicker. I know you're anxious - just give it time.

Thank you. I looked at your profile and your hairline looks excellent. I'm curious, are you left handed? In your profile, you mentioned that your left side receded more.

Minoxidil was a horrible experience for me. At 25, I started noticing thinning. So, I got some Rogaine. It was terribly messy but I figured it was worth it. I used it as stated and at best, noticed only minimal growth of very fine hairs. After a few months without any significant results, I stopped using it. The manufactuerer may tell you different and some who have had good results may tell you differently; but I am convinced that it caused not only the fine hairs that grew in but also caused other hair in the general area to fall out as well. That hair was likely thinning and would have eventually thinned and fallen out further down the road anyway but in my belief, it accelerated the loss and caused the premature fallout. If you can take propecia, take propecia. I've had good results with that and no side effects. I'd also suggest supplemental use of vitamins.

Looks good. The hairline appears to be natural and from what I can tell, the buzz cut does suit you.

Wow! An outstanding result. In those pictures, I don't notice any thin spots at all.

I think it's pretty good, considering where he started from. How much is a hair transplant worth? It's hard to put a dollar amount on your confidence and self esteem. If it completely changes how you feel about yourself and your outlook, in my opinion, it's worth every dollar.

Looks good. I'm looking forward to the next update.

Excellent, especially for only 3.5 months. I'd have to agree that it's thickening up quite a bit. In another 6 months, you should be elated.

Very, very impressive. You have every reason to be thrilled. It looks like a natural, full, thick head of hair.

Nothing to worry about. You'll be fine. I've suffered from folliculitis for years but it's been in the beard and neck area. About 2 - 2 1/2 years ago, it got very bad and I went to see a dermatologist. They put me on doxycycline, 100mg 2x daily. That cleared it up. I'm not sure how you feel about taking meds but it may be something you'd want to consider.

Quite honestly, at 7 months, I'd expect better results as well. It leaves me wondering if the growth may be inhibited by the fact that you're so stressed over it. Are you taking prescription meds that may interfere with hair growth? When was the last time you had you had your blood tests run? Could you be deficit in something, like iron?

Very nice. I looked at your profile and made a comparison between those pictures and what you have posted in this thread. Excellent coverage.