FacelessMan

Three-month pictures finally posted; sorry for the delay and hope they are of use!

Grow well, everybody...

Benjamin

"Laughter,"

I understand...I also opted out of an HT, the first time I gave it serious thought. In part, it was due to not getting, basically, the "vibes" I needed, during my consultations, to feel ready. In larger part, I think, it had nothing fundamentally to do with my hair; I was feeling generally non-confident at the time (nearly two years ago) due to a variety of things and was putting too much hope in, stupid though this may sound, a physical improvement as a way of feeling more confident, happier, whatever.

I will say that, as good as I felt about going with Dr. Feller (and as happy as I am, now, that I did so), I was nervous (and excited) up to, the day of, and during the procedure...not in any way because of him or his staff, who went out of their way to be compassionate and professional, but because, hey, it's surgery! And by that time, I had done so much research that I had vivid pictures of what was going on while I was sitting there

The bottom line, as the saying goes, is that ideally, when and if you feel it's right for you to make the move, you'll know. And in the mean time, feel free to avail yourself of all the generous people on sites like this who have done it themselves; that was certainly a huge help to me.

Regards,

Benjamin

Hi all,

Just reached 3 months myself; there is definitely growth going on; in certain light I can see the "shadow" of hair on the recipient area, almost as I had during the first month or so after surgery.

It's interesting, and kind of cool to see how the hairs do their own thing...it looks like the hairline is growing first, and the hair in the temple points, as far as I can tell, never shed, and seems to be thickening, or at least blending in more to the sides.

I just got a much shorter-than-usual haircut, as well, to get the rest of my head more in synch with the top and temples...pictures coming to my blog soon, as part of my 3-month update, for any and all interested...

Good growth to everyone! Enjoy the ride...

Benjamin

Congratulations, Dr. Feller...and thanks again. You deserve it!

Sounds more than aggravating...when you say you had "no results," over what time frame are you talking about? It takes, from what I understand, 6 months or so or more to see a substantial difference, and a year to see the full result.

That said, from what I've read on this and other forums, positive reviews of Bosley clinics are very, very few. If you're in NYC, I'd say run, don't walk to Dr. Feller (worked on me...excellent), Dr. Bernstein, or others in that area whose named you'll see mentioned on this board, quite positively. At a minimum they can do excellent repair work, if you need and want it, and for that matter can give you another expert opinion on the state of the procedure you've already had.

As for filing a complaint, I'm afraid I don't know where you'd go for that...I hope you are able to resolve things.

Benjamin

Bushy,

You're coming along quite well! The front-on shot looks particularly good...impeccable hairline. You're also definitely thickening up behind said hairline, so here's to the next months!

Benjamin

I have no knowledge of either of Drs. Rahal or Seager, aside from Dr. Feller showing me his own excellent transplant, which Dr. Seager had performed.

Regarding strip vs. FUE, in my case, all other things being equal, I had no hesitation opting for strip -- given my 4200-graft procedure, FUE would have cost phenomenally more, even at Dr. Feller's reasonable rates (it is a far more labor- and expertise-intensive procedure), and given that I never wear my hair particularly short in back nor intend to, a scar is no issue for me. Although, when I had a haircut almost a month ago, the stylist could hardly find it!

So, bottom line, I would ask one or more doctors about the comparative medical advantages of strip vs. FUE, whatever they may be.

Benjamin

Hi,

Yep...have had both! The scalp-pizza effect has pretty much gone away at this point (2.5 months, give or take), and was never that bad; the itching continues here and there. I have simply been using my usual shampoos...no Rogaine or other treatments.

Benjamin

Hey Troy,

If I'm not repeating a post, let me just say DAMN!! Nice transformation. The "before" and "after" shots from a while back really highlight it.

You seem to have the kind of hair that has given you a lot of bang for the buck; it looks like it has enough body to it to really magnify the thickness you've gained. Not to mention, you're a "diffuse thinning" repair success story (if I'm using the term correctly)!

Keep growing well...and enjoy!

Benjamin

I recommend this warning icon...

Hey Worried,

I'm guessing you're at the 5-month point by now. How are things going?

Benjamin

Troy,

Looks as if it simply grew in...looks great!

Thanks for doing the "wet" shots; it highlights the exact match of your transplant to the density of your original hair.

I'm sure you're enthused about the months to come!

Benjamin

Orion,

I second Gorpy's emotion...with donor area or transplanted hair, shockloss is a temporary scenario.

I had 4200 grafts done, and if you look at the photos on my blog you can see, comparing my after-procedure photos and my 2-month photos, how Dr. Feller packed the hell out of my grafts among my existing hair, in his words -- "as if it weren't there." This of course was to anticipate my losing the original hair I have up there, assuming that happens.

So far, I can see no shockloss...it's a little hard to judge, given that my hair on top has never been this short, but based on what's growing now, everything looks just as it was pre-HT...which is to say, not all that abundant!

Benjamin

In my case, Dr. Feller specifically recommended that I keep the hair in back long enough to "flop" down over the scar when it was over, and he shaved the recipient area down to the scalp. So, had I buzzed it down to 1/4" or whatever beforehand, all I would really have achieved was the same distinctive look I had leaving the clinic, plus a nice view of my scar and 34 or so shiny staples ...

Michael,

7 months and really counting! Looks great...and entirely natural. You must me quite happy.

Benjamin

Anant,

Nice...looks like good work, and on top of that (no pun intended) you seem to have the kind of hair texture that will give you a lot of bang for the buck, graft-wise. I'm sure you'll be pretty happy when all that grows in!

I know what you mean about photos being a reality check; it wasn't until I did a set of "pre" photos that I realized what the scalp situation really was.

Grow well!

Benjamin

Looking good! Your most recent top-view shot literally looks as if you just buzzed down the hair; even with some redness no one would see a procedure at all.

Drinking an ale to good growth for you...!

Benjamin

John -- I couldn't find older posts; are you already planning a Fellerization, or still in the evaluation stage?

Benjamin

Domie: nice! Your baldness pattern/hair texture remind me a little of my own... It looks like you're coming along extremely well; here's to more progress!

Benjamin

Hi all,

Dr. Feller and I did not discuss any post-op care above and beyond a) not touching the grafts in any way for a while and b) careful shampooing, all of which he detailed in the (printed) post-op instructions he gave me. I had no problems with (notable) scabbing, flaky scalp skin, soreness, or anything else.

Benjamin

But how can you go wrong with the "Stick and Place Technique?"

Hey,

First...nice results, it looks like you'll have a solid hairline to call your own, soon. Grow well!

As far as hairs popping off, from what I've read, if you lost an entire graft you'd be seeing a lot more than just a hair and bulb (including noticeable blood)...so I'd say that you're fine.

Wishing you well,

Benjamin

Thanks for all the replies and good thoughts...for my part, things are progressing as I've read/heard they would, and I am eager to see this take shape. Once the front/top grow to a less odd-looking length and I can ditch the hats, the rest will be just a waiting game...

Glad to hear that everyone is progressing well. Keep growing!

Benjamin

Hello,

This is a late reply to your question, but I've read a lot of positive things about a Dr. jerry Cooley in SC (I believe).

Benjamin

Just wondering how others at the one-month-or-so point were doing. And, hope everyone here is growing well!