FacelessMan

My "big difference," which I defined as the point where my hair was long enough to comb and also at the point where it was showing a distinct difference from the pre-HT days, really wasn't until 7 or 8 months. Benjamin

For me, once I'd reached about the 1.5 year mark after my first HT, I honestly didn't think that I had much to post, because there wasn't much progress to report! At some point I scaled back the posts, and just checked my email routinely for questions. Benjamin

Hello, My impression is that the "to shave or not to shave" is based more on the size and specific plan for a given patient's procedure than on an overall clinic's policy, but don't quote me on that. A word of advice, perhaps unsolicited: to the extent that shaving can facilitate optimum graft placement and avoid excess trauma to existing hair, as some doctors have suggested on this forum, I would say that it's worth being creative with a cap for a few months (assuming of course that one can). I was lucky; after my first procedure (complete shaving of the top), my job presented no problems whatsoever with wearing a cap, and since my second (shaving of most of the top, with enough forelock left unshaved to look almost normal), which I had roughly two weeks ago, I have been between jobs, so I've dealt with a cap only for sun protection. Benjamin

An update: as of 11:30 today, my staples are history, and my head feals measurably more normal! I anticipate sounder sleep in the coming night.e Dr. Feller took some additional follow-up photos, and we both noted the speed with which everything was healing. He also showed me close-ups of the top and crown, and needless to say, I am enthused at the prospect of seeing his densely-packed artistry grown and thrive. While I was there, I was able to meet another guy who was in to have his head de-stapled; from the looks of his scalp he appeared to have had a similarly large procedure (3000+ grafts). His recipient area looked great; even after only 10 days, it looked as if it had merely been buzzed. Another satisfied patient! More photos to come, as they occur... Benjamin

Let's see...my family, and several friends. Dr. Feller has some inkling too, I think Benjamin

Wouldn't that make the patient a...dickhead?

Saw the same thing a day or so after the procedure...it went away a couple of days later. Benjamin

Looks great!

Garageland...thanks! You are looking great; quite the change!

Bill -- gracias... I should probably worry more about the effect of the impact on the door jamb of the 80-year-old cottage I'm staying in -- at present I'm in South Bristol, Maine, with my family, conducting an in-depth study of the effects of sea air, lobster, and beer on the growth of transplanted grafts. All in the name of progress... Oh, and more significantly by far...I'm married! My wife and I just completed phase one of our honeymoon in New England...and I'll join her in Spain in early-mid September (she does the Foreign Service thing). Future blog entries from me will still be in English, unless I expand my vocabulary beyond "another beer, please..."

Thanks All! The recovery/healing, this time, seems markedly faster than with my last procedure. I'm attributing it to a) maybe, it being a smaller procedure by about 1100 grafts, b) me knowing what to expect, c) also maybe, my being in better shape and health, overall (I've dropped about 10 pounds in the last 2 years and exercising more consistently). All the above, plus the quality of the surgery! A very slight "@#$%" last night: I bumped my head, slightly, on a door frame. There was no particular pain, and no blood whatsoever; given that, and the fact that today is officially the first day I'm allowed to shampoo with direct contact, I am going to assume that all is well and be happy that I have a thick head... One thought I'd forgotten in my initial post -- although my drive home after the procedure was fine, and Dr. Feller ensured that the only meds I had in my system were local anesthetic, one thing to consider is range of motion. Because of my scar/staples/numbed scalp, I wasn't able to turn my head quite as freely or as far as I generally do, which I didn't notice until I was backing the car up and checking my blind spot. It didn't present a problem at the time, but is something to consider... Benjamin

Hello all, This past Monday was my second procedure with Dr. Feller. As I had posted before, my goal was to: * Add density to the top * Lower the hairline at the temples * Add density to the crown region Thanks to the density created with my first procedure (4200 grafts, 3700 on the top), combined with a good yield this time around, my threefold goal is off and running! This being my second procedure, I felt somewhat more at ease, although I remain a colossal wimp when it comes to injections, and had to find creative ways to distract myself during the strip excision. Dr. Feller performed the latter in stages, removing it in what appeared to be four sections, which allowed him to both close the incision sequentially, giving the skin optimal time to bind and stretch, and also allowing the techs to begin dissecting grafts as efficiently as possible. The result of this, and of skilled placement, was a day that began at 7:45 and ended at approximately 4:00, with a break for lunch. During the break, Dr. Feller introduced me to a gentleman who was in his office for a consultation; at that point the bulk of the placement was complete, and the prospective patient was able to see what was hopefully a very real picture of a reasonably large strip procedure, up close and personal. I drove home after the procedure; the techs had given me two hours' worth of local anesthesia in the scar area before my departure, and I was well-rested and felt comfortable behind the wheel. In which context I offer yet more heartfelt kudos to the Toyota Prius: I am 6'5", and because of my car's superior headroom, felt no qualms about driving over potholed NYC streets with a freshly renovated scalp! The evening of the procedure went well: having learned from my first experience, and with the added input of my mom, who is a retired nurse (and who has found my procedure fascinating), I took my pain meds in advance of any notable discomfort, and was able to sleep through the night nearly un-interrupted. The following day, I removed the bandage, which by that point was entirely dry of any residual bleeding, and with my mom's help took a decent photo of the donor incision, which, like the first, looked clean. By the afternoon of 8/26, the pain in the recipient area was nothing more than an occasional sting, combined with the "itchy" feeling that accompanies healing -- a good sign. I took a shower that night, being extremely careful to use the cup-of-water method on all parts of my head, and massaged the sides and back gently. My head felt decidedly better after the shower; whether this was because the warm water helped relieve scalp tension or because I simply felt refreshed, I don't know. I didn't use a towel or hair dryer, of course, but rather let the air do its job. Today, as I type this, although there is as expected tightness around the donor area, as expected, there is no pain whatsoever, and the tightness seems to be decreasing by the hour. There is periodic itching in the recipient area, and, upon inspection this morning, I may have seen a few pimples, which as I understand it are commonly associated with the growth and healing process...so, here's to hats... The third night after surgery was decidedly better than the first, but a word of advice I will share with any prospective strip-ers is: find some arrangement of pillows that will heep the pressure on the neck, just below the donor incision. My solution was an oblong pillow that my grandmother had, actually, made and crocheted for me when I was eight! I am sure she'd be proud to see that her handmade gift was put to good pragmatic use. In summation...this has been yet another highlyworthwhile experience with Dr. Feller and his team, and has only redoubled my respect for him, his skill and concern for his patients' welfare, and the talents of his staff. Photos from the past two days are available on my blog: http://theaffairofthehair.blogspot.com/ I will be updating it regularly. In the interim, please consider yourself welcome to ask any questions that may come to mind. Good growing to all! Benjamin

"Nikolina," Speaking as a patient of Dr. Feller's, I have posted photos of my results, and compliments of his and his staff's work, for two reasons alone: a) I am extremely happy with his work and proud to recommend it to anyone, b) Others who have done the same have helped me immensely in my hair transplant research, and I want to contribute in kind to this online community. Dr. Feller has never offered me compensation for recommendations, for the simple reason that his work speaks for itself. And, for the equally simple reason that he values ethics as much as he values his profession and patients. If he gains business because people like the results I've shared, great -- he deserves it. Many, in fact, would argue that sincere word of mouth is in fact the most powerful form of marketing. If you have doubts about the veracity of that word, or the integrity of Dr. Feller or for that matter of any patient on this board who has praised their surgeon, then you are entirely welcome to prove your claims. And if you honestly lament the badmouthing that you write about...the high road is yours to choose. Bluntly, Benjamin

FormerlyBadHairUK, Fantastic! The plugs are a distant memory... Nicely done, Dr. Feller! Benjamin

Hi All, Today is procedure #2 with Dr. Feller...in 4 minutes I go to meet my cab. Photos as events develop! Benjamin

Hi All, Today is procedure #2 with Dr. Feller...in 4 minutes I go to meet my cab. Photos as events develop! Benjamin

Looks great!

Curious, I would say, all -- from the "before" shot, there was very litle there, and I have a large head and fine hair. Of the 4200 total, 500 were used for the temples...leaving 3700 for that large expanse of skull Benjamin

Wow...superb...he must be thrilled. Spex, you are Johnny-on-the-spot with the imagery ! Great job, Dr. Feller...

"michaellovesnyc?" As I recall he had a second procedure with Dr. Feller earlier this year.

"michaellovesnyc?" As I recall he had a second procedure with Dr. Feller earlier this year.

I once wanted to think that shampoo (specifically, Nioxin) could actually help my hair beyond simply cleaning it...but I do not. I'm pretty sure that the most that a "thickening" shampoo could do is coat the hair shafts, thereby making them seem more robust than they are naturally, but as with much in the hair world...it's an illusion. As a shampoo, I like Nioxin, and it smells like mint, which is different. But I don't really see it being worth the price... I use Infusium; it doesn't pretend to thicken anything, but it seems to clean well, and my hair generally feels smoother and softer (for my fiancee's benefit) after using it. Benjamin

A small update: I added a FeedBurner feed to my blog; it may be useful. And, hey, it was free http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheAffairOfTheHair Benjamin

I haven't technically been blonde since I was 10 or so...but my hair has blondish qualities in certain kinds of light, so maybe it's relevant... What is your situation? Is your hair curly, straight, fine-textured, thick? From what I have read, any and all of those can make a significant difference... Good luck to you! Benjamin

Added some new blog pictures today, taken this past weekend: http://theaffairofthehair.blogspot.com.