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I apologize Raymond, something with me is that...my hairloss problem that I am faced with I...try and put so far behind me that I almost allow myself to forget there is a problem I am dealing with. Problem may be the wrong word to choose but, it is what it is. However...a month and a week post op, I don't have too much to really touch on (hence why I also haven't kept a weekly update). I have shockloss to my front right (mostly) temple area and what I hope (is shockloss) throughout the donor area. There is maybe at an area or two about a half inch of loss just before the ears. This is somewhat able to be covered up through dermmatch but I have to be careful and not just "assume" everything is good back there. In terms of shockloss and dealing with the "wait period" or "ugly duckling" phase, with the amount of native hair I have alongside dermmatch and toppik, I am managing to get through this period without much angst. Albeit I am dealing with the donor scar and making sure that is all well. To touch on that for a second, I am fearing getting a normal haircut at this point like I normally would. I would get a number 2 and need a little dermmatch to assure the scar was covered up for a week or so. From there out, I was good to go...however...at this time I just feel there is a lot of loss (fingers crossed it's shockloss) in that area that I "Will Not" shave down that low. I actually have clippers and decided to take some of the bulk out earlier that has built up around the sides and back. It looks good Pictures are on the way...

Quick update here - everything is going good in my recipient area, no pain except I can still feel my scalp is a bit numb still, no pimples (I know it's early), no redness really either so the addition of dermmatch makes it look as if I haven't even had a transplant which is good. I'm able to patiently wait without suffering too much now that the redness is all just about gone and all of the scabs are off. No bleeding or anything throughout the past few days while I was massaging off the scabs, a lot of grafts came with the scabs and it seems a lot have also stayed. When I run my finger tips over my scalp I can feel all over some of the small hairs still intact. My donor area is still a bit sore and slightly uncomfortable. I went in Friday to have my sutures removed and was told that the Doctor wasn't overly happy with the way my scar has healed because in some spots the scabs were a bit patchy. This may be because I took it very easy on the scar and didn't want to scrub away or massage away at the scabs and disrupt anything. Unfortunately either the way the sutures were removed (meaning some of my hair around the scar was cut down) or being that the sutures were holding that area a little tighter and when they were taken out it gave a little slack? (if to say that) and that area dropped a tad or I'm just now experiencing shock loss but, there is a decent drop off in the donor area which takes some skill to cover up.

Thanks for jumping on board Raymond, maybe we could right this thing out together It looks as if you had 500 more grafts than me? but we both have identical recipient areas it seems. At the moment I am only using finasteride. For a while I was using nizoral 1%? (pretty sure it wasn't 2) and didn't really like it. Albeit it may help with surface dht and maybe I'll give it another run at some point with a different approach but, it just dried my hair out really bad which I wasn't happy with. For a few months a while back I also used Rogaine Foam and just found it to be too much a hassle and messy for me. I have a good amount of hair in my crown area and was looking to regrow a small bald spot and help with further loss but, at my stage of loss in that area, it was just too messy being that I still have a good amount of hair back there. I thought about the minox liquid drips and actually asked you about them in your thread. It may be easier for me? <shrugs>

Wow, after reading through your log, it sounds like you've had an amazing experience from a-z So happy to hear everything has and is going the way it is for you because with such a big investment and move on our ends, any less just really isn't right. You look like you're going to yield some amazing results and I could only imagine how thrilled you are thinking of yourself months from now. Not that we want to fast forward life or anything because it's always about living in the moment but, you catch my drift Also an excellent stack you've built to fight against hairloss. The kirkland minox, is that the liquid that used as dropper over the desired area? If so, can you comment on this in terms of its ease of use, mess, smell, does it run?, make your hair very wet where applied? Happy waiting and I'm sure it's going to be well worth it!

updated post op pics in second post

Even around day 4 or 5 aren't the grafts anchored pretty well?

If you are to return, I wouldn't do any type of crunches or ab work as that my pull on the donor area. If you must return, I would keep the weight very light and work through high reps and super sets to achieve a nice pump and that would be it. I am an avid weight lifter and will be sidelined due to my recent operation I had this past Monday. It's tough but, use this time in positivity to think of it as a nice full break for your body and cns to recover. You'll come back a tick weaker and not as much stamina but, that will all come back quickly and then you will surpass your previous level and make for some new gains

Day 5 post op - swelling in forehead has been pronounced since about a day or two ago. I've been using ice to help a bit but, it looks like it's just going to have to take its course. I've started to massage very gently at the scabs and some of the hairline has come off which is good. It's starting to become a bit less noticeable at this point, but my right side temple area still has a lot of redness too it. All of the grafts seem to be anchored in nicely too because while massaging the scabs away, I didn't have a point where a lot of blood came pouring out (which I believe as they said, "you'll know" when you lose a graft) which is related to losing a graft? I had a small bit a blood at one point, but just a tiny amount because that one particular scab could of been slightly fresh still. Other than that I'm not having any major concerns or worries at this point, all seems to be on schedule with no interruptions. My donor area is still very sore and I'm requesting a refill on my pain meds because I feel I'm going to really need them to help me through this next leg of recovery. I've been having to take 2pills 3x a day to help keep me at ease throughout the day. Everything seems great and I'm honestly just praying that this operation yields much growth in the way that I expect it to and that it really helps take my confidence and my ability to function and live life to the next level.

The pain in the donor area has been more than I remember. I would assume this would have to do with the larger session/larger strip being taken out. Another note to make on Dr. True's performance, my first surgery with Bosley left with a bit of a raised scar in some areas. My second surgery with Dr. True, he to my knowledge followed the scar and took from the same area not making for two scars. Just this Monday for my third surgery, Dr. True dug? out some of the old raised scar tissue to make for a cleaner, better healing smoother scar. There was also something new he used called a Matrix that he put into the scar area? before sealing it back up. This helps speed healing I believe? Anywho, I've been having to double on on my pain meds taking two at once to help alleviate the pain. It has been pretty bad back there, but no where else luckily. I hope he'll be able to give me another script for a refill on the pain meds. I've been layering up the ointment on the scar twice a day looking to achieve some great repair. A problem I've always had was when getting a fresh cut, say down to a 1.5 or 2 in the back reveals the scar pretty bad and I've had to use dermmatch back there to cover it up. Maybe things will be different this time around? No promises there... I woke up to some swelling on my forehead and have been using a bag of frozen veggies to help reduce. Still have some redness in and scabbing in the hairline and temple area, gently been blotting with shampoo/water.

Well said...building the bank, sorting of travels, work schedules, how you're going to avoid the public lol you finally get it done and yeah....you just wait. Wouldn't it be nice that right then and there results were instant!

JacobG - those are some results and I could only imagine how thrilled you are. Congrats and hope you enjoy all that comes with your new hair growth!

How bout some more pics guys? These are all after a shower today, pouring water out of a large cup on to my head, adding shampoo to the cup as well as a sponge. Squeezing the sponge over my head and gently blotting with an up and down motion all over. I got out of the shower and applied my first layer of ointment to the donor area. These pics are with wet hair both natural lighting and bathroom lighting and then after I dried my hair with a hair dryer on a cool setting.

Thanks for stopping by TakingthePlunge. The day definitely went be easily and I can't believe it's just over like that. I guess the more sessions I have done, the better I am to handle the situation. I remember building up to the date of surgery and every day would eat away at me. Then the day of surgery not knowing anything, feeling totally out of place. I just had a whole new feeling this time around and I'm glad thus far everything went the way it did. Now my fingers are crossed for some excellent growth, nice density up front and even more coverage up top!

here are a few shots from my phone that I just took update: here are post op I got a hold of

Hey everybody, quite a long time member to the forum minus a lot of action/posts. I browse and read a lot and have always appreciated those that share their stores with us all…both good and bad. It allows those of us who haven’t undergone surgery take a look into what lies ahead and allows those that have had HT’s relate and be there to help through the hard times. As I mentioned, I’ve always been thankful to everyone here of course but, especially those that share their journeys. So, I thought what better way to give back than to do so myself. A quick look in to my background would tell you that I’m a 28yr old male and this would be my second surgery with Dr. True. I had my first HT at an early age with Bosley and they were more than willing to get me in the chair. The doctor who performed the work didn’t do too bad of a job aside from creating an unnatural hairline and cost me an arm and a leg. One thing anyone could learn from reading this is to do your research, find a great doctor and don’t rush into anything. I hope this finds you before those late night Bosley commercials do that just suck you right in. I didn’t know any better at the time? As I learned more about hair loss and that this wasn’t a onetime thing for someone like myself, I started to google around a lot more and stumbled upon this great forum. From there I learned of the certified board members that are recommended for their capabilities and credentials. This forum allowed me to find my way into Dr. True’s office. I have nothing but good things to say about the man and his entire staff but, I’ll try and leave this to the bulk of the matter which would be my recent HT I had just undergone. My first HT with Dr. True was about 1600 grafts to re-establish a natural hairline, rebuild temple structure and add the rest of the grafts to the frontal region just behind the hairline. This allowed me 5years of happiness with a little help from some cosmetics. Sure, life can always be better and we can always be happier or look better but, I’m a firm believer in not only being thankful for what I have, but for also where I’ve come from. The results I achieved weren’t perfect where I could throw in the towel and never need another HT but, they yielded great results and accomplished what we were after. They allowed me to take my social life to a whole new level but, at the same time still restricted me from a lot. You can only do so much at one time right After consulting with Dr. True for my second HT with him, we talked over where I was looking to go with this and he then of course added his thoughts. I’m not in any position to have a HT at will for many reasons but, financial and my personal life being the biggest culprits. I have a very high speed, face to face networking style type of life and I can’t just keep going in to hiding. My point is that I was really looking to make the biggest bang that we could this go around (well I guess we all obviously are). We both agreed upon 2000 grafts and locked it down at that. Their NY office has moved a few months ago and it couldn’t be IN any better of a location for those commuting in from the train. It is right outside penn station on 7th ave and several blocks down. No cabs needed which is always nice and it makes for that much less stress. I was able to arrive nice and early today and I got right to the paper work. Filling out the usual reactions to any medications, this that, amount for the session we agreed upon, how many grafts, what I’d like to eat…etc From there I was able to be taken right in by Peter to have some pre-op pictures taken (for now I’ll provide some quick shots I took with my phone but, when he gets those sent over to me I’ll be sure to include that as well) and then went back out to wait till Dr. True was ready. Fast forward I suited up, took my pain meds and the anesthesiologist got to work. She was very nice and did a great job. I didn’t feel ANY pain the entire procedure so…they did a great job of numbing me up. After my strip was extracted I was stitched up and then got up and stretched a bit. Next was time to numb up the recipient area (or maybe I had lunch first? Lol). Again a great job done here and everything went great. Dr. True then came in to go to work and made all of the incisions or punctures where all of the grafts will be placed. I think that after that is when I ate lunch and had about a 15minute break before it was time for all of the grafts to be planted. I had a team of girls working on me and they were all very nice and helpful. They actually had me laughing a lot of the time just listening to them converse with one another and then when I lol’ed a bit, they were surprised to hear that I was awake and thought I was sleeping the whole time. So I got all of that inside girl talk It took quite the time to place all of the grafts and they rotated quite a bit it seemed. Fast forward and the procedure thus far went great! I feel no pain, slight swelling (which hopefully goes down quick) and everything looks good. Anyone who is with me here knows this is the part where, oh I hope all of the grafts took, oh I hope they’re all in there, I hope they grow quick, I hope the redness goes away quickly, hope those scabs go fast too, when will I feel normal again, how about look normal again, I hope this turns out to be what I wanted and is money well spent....but this is where going with a Doctor you are comfortable with really pays off. You can almost guarantee that in due time the good will shine through. So yeah…the fun part…the waiting game and the intial stage is a bit harder imo because you have to wait to shed the obvious layer that you had something done from the redness to the scabs and the swelling all before you’re appearance somewhat returns to normal. Wish me luck everyone and I hope you enjoyed my little read J I didn’t want to carry it on for too long because than no one wants to read it lol I will keep weekly updates with pictures as well and let’s get this ball rolling. Who's in for some sexy new hair growth from the one and only Dr. True

Another + here for Dr. True

Excellent choice with Dr. True indeed. I had a session done with him over two years ago which yielded very nice results. I am currently mapping out my next plan of attack with him and may also keep a detailed log to "give back" to the forum and showcase Dr. True's work. I look forward to your progress and wish you the best!

Been using Fin now for about 2years give or take. Rogaine foam only on my crown area. Ive googled Terminal hair and all I got was a bunch of terminology I wasnt familiar with. Is Terminal hair basically ones mature hair at its thickest point? Im leaning towards regrowth, but from the fin...in my hairline? Could it possibly be its hair lost to shockloss or shedding that just took its sweet old time to come through? I cant imagine it being terminal hair in its miniaturization stage as their all the same size etc...and theres quite the amount of them. So that would be some coincidence for that to be the case. <shrugs>

Hey everyone, I'll try and make this short and to the point. I was taking a real real close look at my hairline and noticed on less denser side of my hairline, a whole bunch of about 1/4in long very blonde thin hairs sprouted all throughout the hairline. I thought maybe it was toppik fibers built up (I knew it wasnt but I was so confused), so I took a shower, got my head nice and clean...took a good look and they were all still there. What could these 1/4in long thin blonde hairs be that have only sprouted on the less dense side of my hairline?

Thanks for explaining shockloss Maxxy. HelMania- Maxxy basically summed it all up. Its possible for the lost hair to grow back as its just a temporary shock from the work being done in the surrounding area. But then again, if the lost hair due to "shock loss" was good to go one day or another due to mpb, its very possibly those hairs will not grow back. Thats my best understanding of shock loss Hope it helps!

I would recommend taking the trip to Short Hills after setting up a consultation with Dr. True. He is a forum certified Dr and I as well as others Im sure could definately vouch for his work. His very honest, conservative, concerned approach let me know from the beginning I was in good hands. His staff was very friendly and was told they have been working with him for many years if I remember correctly. He restored my hairline a bit as well as my temple area (which has made a huge improvement in my appearance) as well as some coverage from the hairline back some. I am very pleased with the results and am looking into talking things up with him again for my next HT if all goes well. I dont want to sound like I work for him (which I do not) or anything and constantly preaching his name, but this is a site where peoples experiences can greatly help others make the right decision. So thats all I am trying to do, take my experience and share it as best as I can to help you and others maybe make theirs.

I definately recommend having a talk with Dr. True. Great, stand up honest conservative type. Great friendly staff as well. He also has a consultation office in NJ which was nice for me. I begged (well not really) not to shave my recipient area in which he was fine with. It would obviously be easier to shave (hence why doctors only shave or highly recommend such) but, with my lifestyle and my hairloss/ht journey being a complete secret from the world (except from this forum), there is no way I could sport the front quarter only shaved look!

The textbook answer is everday with Propecia being it is 1mg a tab and its given half-life as mentioned. Proscar you chop into quarters which roughly gives you 1.25mg a quarter. The cuts wont be perfect obviously and the amount will differ from each quarter. I take a quarter everyday as I dont have any sides present to make me look to split it up. Some people do 4on1off with proscar feeling the 1.25mg in each quarter will equate to 5mg in 4days hence the 5th day off. This isnt a bad idea if you have sides your not to fond of.

Like maxxy said, it must be so tough to hear, "I think you should wait". Your safe bet would be to use fin everyday for a year. Along with minox...thats even better. But the fin will not only help slow down your loss and (cross your fingers) possibly help some regrowth, it will importantly help strengthen your follicles for a possible upcoming HT which may greatly reduce shockloss. My take on your pictures...you circled your hairline temple area which I assume is which youd like to improve. What if you spend the money needed, get that area taken care of and because of the trauma to the surrounding areas, whats in between your newly transplanted area may take on dramatic shockloss and or continue to fall out. Then what are you left with? What do you do from there? Are you ready to jump back into the seat again? Will you have the funds to do so? If not, will you be comfortable with what your left with? These are alot of questions you have to ask yourself.

As others may of mentioned, hair color, length and thickness will most likely play a roll in how visible your scar is. As well how much donor area hair you have to cover it up. But to answer your question, Ive never once gotten paranoid about my scar. I even get my sides and back down to a 1 with it longer on top. Even at that, not the slightest bit worried nor was it ever detected (to my knowledge...<eeks&gt. Maybe I just have chosen a doc thats realy good at sealing me up Only thing I was ever paranoid about was causing any type of trauma to that area (which Im am very careful not to of course) and never happened.