Eman

From where you started, it looks amazing. Great to see a Konior patient posting because I know how good of work he does. Congratulations on your progress and you can expect even more!

I have not heard of him. Where are you located? This link will help you search for docs recommended by this forum in your area: Hair Transplant Network - Find Hair Transplant Clinics and Doctors Please do a lot of research first before making any type of HT decision!! Making a hasty decision could lead to more heartache down the road...

Great result. The patient must be loving it!

agenteye- I'd say go ahead and shave down again and in a month you'll be at your four month mark and the hair will be on their march towards filling your head out. You got a great number of grafts and I look forward to tracking your progress. Patience is the key right now and it sounds like you are enjoying the story telling about the scar...so the next couple of months will fly by and you will see true progress then!

will post in separate thread in a few days

Raphael- Early grower--you must be loving it. And the fun for you is only beginning. I remember the 5-7 month mark and the amount of growth during this time is phenomenal. You will look at yourself in the mirror and be astonished every day!!! Great blog and keeping everyone updated. I re-lived the days of crusts, shedding, gaps of hair by the scar, PIMPLES, and the dreaded doldrums through your blog...thanks for the memories. But your doldrum days are behind you and the fun is only beginning for you. I look forward to your updates and seeing how truly awesome your hair will be in a few months. CONGRATS!! Eman

guaranteed this guy is loving his new hair!! Great work Dr. Keller!

You should definitely be washing the transplanted area at this point. I was instructed to take baby shampoo and mix it in a cup and gently pour it over the recipient area. And then when out of the shower drip vitamin E oil all over the recipient site. Your grafts are anchored at this point, but still be gentle with the area

No knock against Panine...I have been away from the forums for a while and simply don't know much about him as I catch up with all the newer docs since I was last active. Glad you were able to better respond about Panine for iwantfullfrontal.

Remember, you are your own worst critic. From the pics, there is definitely thinning but it doesn't look as bad as you see it. I would wait, just as others have said and enjoy the hair you have now. Try not to be so tough on yourself. If girls are asking you to do things and want to spend time with you...that should be a better gauge in terms of who you are and how you look.

Great choice and in great hand!! Congrats, from an ecstatic Rahal alum!

For myself, the one and done mentality in terms of HTs is how I went into my procedure. Is this realistice? It can be, but most with high NW levels, they may need another HT further down the road. Be realistic. Find the best doc (recommended here), get the best procedure you can ($ not dictating size of procedure) and you will have years of enjoyment with your new hair. Do not go into this procedure light heartedly as it is invasive, it is expensive, it takes a long time to heal, and results vary. If you cannot afford the HT you have been recommended because of money...wait until you can and continue to research. After the HT, hopefully you won't need another, will be working and saving, and if need be you can begin the research process once again for another procedure. Again, I wanted a one and done HT. I researched a ridiculous amount. I saved and got the best HT I felt was available...and got it! 4+ years out and I went from a NW 4+ to having a full head of hair not having to worry about another procedure any time soon. That is what patience and research and saving can do for you.

Congrats...one less burden on your mind! Now the waiting begins.

I had my sutures removed by Konior and had a chance to look at some of his results over time and they have been awesome. Super nice and patient! Keller has also shown some great results on this forum. Not sure about Panine So, you have a couple here in Chicago...

Like everyone said, more info would be needed for anyone to give an informed opinion to you. However, if one chooses the right doc (recommended by this site), only after researching this site and speaking to as many people as you can; a 2nd HT with one of the great docs here will get you closer to feeling better about your hair

taco- here is my request I made years ago when I had my surgery. I was and still am a gym rat...so, hope this helps a little! No scar issues whatsoever for me http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/153702-donor-scar-intense-workouts.html

Not going to hijack his great results, but am lurking a bit from time to time and my results are still as good as 4+years ago as NEWHAIRPLEASE's will be!!

Dr. Keller did a great job!! Looking good!

Really filled in nicely!! Great to see Rahal patients still posting their awesome results!

You have had surgery and didn't tell her, which is fine. But if you are going into another procedure, albeit less invasive than FUT, and you want to maintain honesty and transparency in the relationship, I would tell her. She would be plenty upset for you not "trusting" her or being honest with her about what you are doing, especially when you are together and possibly a future together. I told my girlfriend at the time I was going in for my HT and she turned out to be super supportive. Was I worried she would tell others if we broke up, no. But if she did, so what?! I had an amazing job done and I am super happy with my results (even 4.5 years later!) My thought is, if someone inquires...tell them. They will be intrigued and you are being honest. It doesn't make you any less of a man to be somewhat vain. We care about our looks just as women do.

You are in great hands!! When you meet with Dr. Rahal, come up with a game plan for your HT. Do you want one large HT to rebuild the hairline and then place some coverage in the crown? Do you want two large surgeries, one in which you build up a strong hairline/front half and then a second where you build up the crown? Dr. Rahal will advise you on his professional opinion, but will also work with what you want. Definitely come up with a strategy with him With your level of loss, I would personally do two large sessions--I know one session would be preferable--again work this out with Dr. Rahal. Anyway, one to rebuild the front half first, then a second one to build the crown. That way you will have an amazing hairline and strong front half. The crown can be filled in later, as long as you remember that the crown can be a "black hole" for grafts (a lot can be used up there)...that is why I would start with the front, which is how most people see you first.

mav- If your head looks good shaved I would say keep that look. Most bald actors use hairpieces for roles they need hair for anyways, don't they? Most of us that have gone the HT route shaved our melons at some point or another and it just did not look good for us...that is why we went down that route. If I was able to pull off the shaved look--like you are, I would not have got a HT. But I have a large dome and needed a HT, and LOVE the fact that I did it. I was a Norwood 4 and had a little over 4000 grafts strip surgery and the results are amazing to this day. I am almost four years out and I couldn't be happier. Being that you are a Norwood 5, strip surgery would probably be the best way for you to get the coverage you would want. A large session by one of the top docs recommended on this forum would be one you should consider. But keep in mind, shaving down may not be a possibility without the scar showing...but a makeup artist could hide that if need be:)

Typically, once you have figured out what Norwood level, approximately 1000x that norwood level will help you predict about what size procedure you should want next. Again, this is an approximation. Then research the doctors and only the doctors recommended by this forum...don't even consider anyone else as you have a limited donor supply and you want the best possible result.

Like others, you begin to look at things differently once you have a nice head of hair. It's definitely important that I give back, so this week I will take pics before and after my haircut. Hair is great and the only thing I am dealing with is the winter doldrums.

-Enjoy what you have now. -Enjoy being young. -Have fun and try not to be too critical of yourself--a problem all of us have here. -Wait and see where your hairline goes in the next ten years...hopefully stays the same. -Finally, just go out and be confident in yourself, you have great hair now!