FacelessMan

Dr. Lindsey,

I've been away from this forum for a while...I just read your news about your daughter; that's great! I hope that she continues healing with great speed.

Benjamin

Thana,

For what it's worth, your hair looks great and very full...the style you've chosen definitely works to your advantage. The color is cool...looks like flames shooting from y=tour forehead...!

Benjamin

Physician, heal thy colleague...!

Great results!

I've had two procedures with Dr. Feller; I'm highly pleased with both of them. \

Benjamin

I'd agree that "pinch" is a euphemism...those needles make their presence known!

One pain-management technique that many find helpful is a form of meditation, or mantra. Mine, for example, was "MOTHER@#$%$ #$#ING #$#$!!!!!!"

Benjamin

notsosure,

I believe so...but Propecia, as far as I know, works on the crown only.

Bottom line, of course, is whatever your (or any) physician tells you...

Good luck!

Benjamin

Looks great, and as per usual, 150% natural. Well done!

notsosure,

Based on both conversations with Dr. Feller and what I've researched on this forum, my understanding is that transplanted hair doesn't require medication for the same reasons that allow transplantation in the first place -- the transplanted hair is inherently non-balding.

Benjamin

notsosure,

I can't speak about medications, never having taken them.

Regarding scalp tightness: having had two somewhat large procedures (4200 and 3100 grafts, respectively), I've found that in each case, the feeling of tightness all but vanished within a couple of months after staple removal. I think it's safe to say that a skilled surgeon will be as focused on donor area healing as on the overall appearance of the transplant.

Benjamin

That's an unfortunate story. I generally think that those working for TSA are professionals who care about doing their jobs...but once in a while there's the occasional power-tripping asshat with more authority than brains.

My marginally related story involves, not me, but a colleague of my wife's who was flying back to the States after a somewhat serious injury sustained in a bombing in Iraq. The asshat in question demanded that said colleague remove the bandage she had been wearing on her head, which as you can imagine was extremely painful. Insult to injury of the lowest order, considering that she was on the plane in the first place because she had been injured while working for her country.

All turned out well, and as far as I know the matter was taken care of...which I personally hope included the TSA officer spending the rest of his career cleaning up after the bomb sniffing dogs.

Benjamin

I would definitely wait until the techs have finished placing the grafts...

JoelH,

Congratulations; you and your scalp will be in highly skilled hands. I've had two procedures with Dr. Feller, and am highly pleased with the results.

Have a safe journey across the pond...

Benjamin

Dr. Lindsey,

That's a thoughtful show of support for your daughter...I wish her the fastest of complete recoveries.

Benjamin

Janis -- your hair looks fantastic. Props to you for sharing your photos on this site.

Dr. Feller -- once again, a home run.

Benjamin

Regarding "weighted" transplants, this was also the approach that Dr. Feller took with my second procedure second procedure -- which, granted, was different from the case of the patient who is the focus of this thread. Given that I part my hair on the left and will always do so, and therefore would benefit from maximum density on the left, Dr. Feller planted 2-hair grafts in the left "temple triangle" area, and single-hair grafts in the right (Dr. Feller, please confirm my facts here).

This photo, taken the evening after my procedure, seems to be an example of two aspects of how "weighting" worked for me.

* In the temple-triangle areas (top of the head, extending back from the left and right temples respectively), the greater density is not particularly evident when looking at the newly transplanted hair, nor in later photos of the top of the head, but in total work subtly to give the hair more bulk, based on the way I generally wear it. The result is a strategic "construction" of hair matched to my unique style and characteristics, but that looks natural.

* There is a small rectangular-looking area near the crown , into which Dr. Feller had opted not to transplant hair, given the particular hair loss pattern in that area. In the photo, the line between that area and the recipient area is highly pronounced, because my light hair was shaved down to my similarly light scalp, causing it to stand out vividly against the just-planted grafts near it. Again, in later photos, once the redness of the recipient area had subsided, there is no visible difference between the above two areas.

Benjamin

buccap,

A good question; based on conversations with Dr. Feller and what I've gleaned from other discussions on this forum, the answer depends on how your surgeon assesses your particular donor area density level, scalp laxity, etc..

In my case, I was lucky enough to have a good enough donor scenario (dense hair, relatively loose scalp, very big head) to allow me two large sessions -- 4200 grafts and 3100 grafts, respectively.

Benjamin

indian_guy,

I do understand; I had staples with both procedures, and it wasnot until they were taken out that I was completely comfortable sleeping on my back, or for that matter lying down with my head resting on something. What worked for me was arranging pillows in a way that supported my neck just under the scar, as well as using a travel pillow.

Benjamin

HairIsThere,

I observed the same thing with both of my procedures -- pimples that appeared, then reappeared after I went after them. They stopped appearing, completely, by (as I recall) the three-month mark. As Bill states and Dr. Feller had advised me, they're a normal, temporary part of the new-hair-popping-up process.

Benjamin

sjd12,

With regard to your scar concerns: my own hair is much finer than yours, and, even within a few months after my last surgery, I had a haircut shorter than the one pictured in your photos (check out this photo and this photo from my blog), without any visible scar that I could detect.

Benjamin

Eman -- I'll add to the long list of congratulations; it looks fantastic.

Props for taking excellent *and* realistic photos; seeing the results in sunlight, and wet after a shower definitely show how completely natural your hair looks.

It's amazing to me, even after several years on this site, that this kind of surgical precision is even possible.

You'll be further amazed at the added thickness you'll see in the next several months, not to mention the next year. I saw a big difference after the 8-month mark.

Benjamin

Outstanding...the "spiky" look (I don't have a more accurate word for it) is 120% natural, and definitely shows off the added density. I think you'll be psyched in another 6 months -- I was surprised at the change myself.

Enjoy...

Benjamin

Acrobaz,

Looking good! I don't doubt that you'll be highly pleased in months to come. In some ways -- apart from your having completely differently textured/colored hair -- your baldness level reminds me of my own.

By 8 months...expect to potentially forget that you even had a transplant. After a year, expect to see your hear fuller and thicker, subtly...and expect to be...what's the word? Seriously chuffed!

Grow well!

Benjamin

Bill: Thanks; this site has been a huge help! Thank you for all the work you (and Pat) put in to keep it going. So how's YOUR dome growing?

mgem: Thanks!

Byehair: Thanks, and, I think that the temple areas complement the somewhat lower hairline well.

Hello All,

I've been on this site only sporadically in recent months, but have posted some updates to my blog:

http://theaffairofthehair.blogspot.com/

To recap, my first procedure (June 2006, 4200 grafts) essentially filled in the top, where the hairline had all but disappeared, except for the forelock. The procedure re-created the hairline, at a high position, and provided increased coverage. It also restored the temple points, which had receded considerably.

My second procedure (August 2008, 3100 grafts) both lowered and straightened the hairline at the temples, and significantly filled in the "temple triangles" behind them, along with thickening the entire top apart from the forelock (which Dr. Feller left unshaved). At this point it has been nine months since this procedure; all the previously existing hair has grown to its normal length, and the transplanted hair has grown almost identically to it.

Overall, I'm extremely pleased with the results of both procedures! I would eagerly recommend Dr. Feller and his team to anyone, inside or outside the United States.

Benjamin

Good question. I suppose the most obvious answer is the classic "it depends." I've seen older men (including my grandfather and step-grandfather) who kept pretty much the same hairline and thickness from 50 to 70, and others who went to what I suppose would be NW 6 or 7 level.

Benjamin