Neptune

Updated for three months. The beginning of "change" is starting to present itself, though nothing big. A few obvious new hairs that held from the beginning are growing out, and I can see some other changes though it's hard to know exactly what at this point cause nothing obvious is going on yet. My wife (aka, the EXPERT) has predicted from the beginning that July would be the time of obvous change for me and I think she's going to be right. Damn the expert!

Congratulations on your procedure. Glad you liked Dr. E. and his staff. Good group of people and a great surgeon. Now comes the hardest part - waiting. I'm three months out from my procedure (2100 grafts) from Dr. E., and I can now see some limited growth activity starting. That is exciting as you expect it will become more and more from this point. Good luck!

Looks great rjvw! Keep it up and keep us posted!

Jeff Epstein, M.D. in Miami is good and should be considered. His prices are reasonable, but not what you would call discount. I personally would save up and avoid discount providers with this kind of procedure.

Thanks RJVW. Yes, this is the hard part indeed. Nothing going on, and back to my old thinning ways if not worse. But in following you and others, I know better days are ahead and I can't wait. I'm hoping the late summer, early fall will be a great time! Back with pics at 3 months.

I flew home the day after surgery and had a big piece of tape across my forehead which was an obvious giveway when I took the hat off going through security. You know what? It was like 30 seconds while I waited for my hat to come out the other side. The security guy just kinda looked at me and then I was gone. I never had to take the hat off again so I was good to go. All that worrying turned out to be for nothing. If I didn't have the tape on, I'm not sure he would have even noticed but looking back, I could care less. If I go through another one of these this will be the last of my concerns. Hope that helps.

Thanks hair2stay! Bill: I know you are right and I can't wait for that part to begin! its752: 1st procedure of 2100 and very thick hair in back. Should have lots of donor left and I'm prepared to do this another time or two for more density after I've had a year or two to see how I develop. Thanks for the comments guys. I'll post after I clear 3 months and we'll see how things go.

Few pics at 2 months. Def. some thinning from shock loss and loss of grafts. Kind of in that miserable "nothing going on but loss" phase, but I know what's coming so I can handle it. Interestingly, I feel like my hairline is lower even though it is thinner. Absolutely is a mirage, but who cares? I'm happy as I wait for growth and it's kinda fun knowing that people who see me now as I am will be seeing something new in a few months. I'll post more pics at 3 months, though I suspect there won't be much new to report.

I do owe everyone some pics, don't I? I have some I'll post this coming weekend. Kind of quiet right now but I've started to get the pimples so I know something is happening or about to. Can't wait till I start to see some of the results you have posted on your photo album RJVW. Keep it up!

Outstanding! Great to see this kind of growth so early and, as Bill said, you have so much left to see happen you gotta be thrilled! I have a feeling the pics over the Summer are going to be exciting. Keep us posted!

Jeff Epstein, M.D. in Miami performs this surgery. Worth checking with as well. This link will guide you: http://www.foundhair.com/pages/EyebrowHairTransplant.shtml Hope that helps.

Agree with Nobuzz. I mixed up some saline and epson salt mixture in the graphcyte bottle provided by Dr. E's office and sprayed it every 30 minutes or so. Both recipient site and donor. I also mixed up the same thing and put it in a mixing bowl big enough to allow me to rest my head in it (with a pillow supporting my neck). This really seemed to help. Finally, I soaked a wash cloth in the same and let it just rest on the recipient site for about 30 minutes. Between these three, most of my scabs were gone in 8 days. Couple of stragglers took a few more, but 7-8 was when most started falling off. Try the soaking and wash cloth. Just don't scratch them off as has been mentioned.

Ralph: Glad you had a great experience. You'll do nicely I'm sure. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Agree with Bill - Follow the pre and post op directions to the letter. Dr. E. posts these on his web site, so you can just print them off and review. It's nice having the instructions there with you so you can look at them from time to time as you get nervous in the next week leading up to your procedure. You should be laying off any blood thinners from here on out (if you aren't already). Hope you get a chance to enjoy a little of Miami while you are there. Post with any questions or email and I'll answer anything I can. Good luck!

Nothing to add. Dr. E. is great. Say hi to the techs for those of us who are past patients. They will take great care of you. You're going to do great! Keep us posted.

Bill: Looks outstanding just like everyone said. I know you are waiting on the fullness to build in, but it already looks great! Thanks for being such a great guy and resource for all those like me who have had the need to ask a bunch of questions and an even greater need to get good answers! Good luck as your growth continues. We are all rooting for you!

Krispykreme: Epstein patient here, and I am delighted to hear you had a good experience. If you are five days out, you should only have a few more before it will be difficult for anyone to know you had any work done. Like Bill said, we'd love to see pics if you can post any. Thanks for sharing and happy healing!

Damn! If you aren't the poster child for why this approach can work, I'm not sure who is! Looks really good Bill. Good luck with the next three/four months which should be exciting. The rest of us are WAY behind you, but seeing your journey gives us hope I assure you.

Well, you know from previous comments that I'm rooting for you and your new growth. Hang in there and get ready for a great Summer! Damn I wish I was a couple months farther along like you.

Good luck and prepare to enjoy some great results from Dr. E! He and his entire staff are top notch.

Many physicians are still not totally comfortable with what MSM's side effects really are. Some are. Most aren't. I researched this prior to my procedure and this is what I found. You can check under my recent posts about things that can thin blood prior to surgery. http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/146...861/m/9481066492/p/1 or http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/146...761073892#3761073892 Hope this helps. MSM and blood thinning. http://www.arthritis-msm-supplements.com/faq.htm The key paragraph says this: Is safe to mix MSM with other prescribed medications? MSM has been observed in clinical settings some indications that it may have a blood-thinning, aspirin like effect on platelet aggregation. Therefore, you should consult your doctor if you are taking high doses of aspirin, or blood-thinning medication such as heparin or dicumarol. Would indicate that MSM should be discontinued like asprin prior to transplants.

Thanks Dr. E. You helped me with my long term plan as well and I'm glad you have mapped out one for Ralph as well. He will do very well under your care I'm sure!

Ralph: I would call Dr. E and tell him what you are thinking. With only two weeks to go, you certainly want to get this straight. The number of grafts you ultimately need will be whatever it is. If you need more than 2700, you can always go for number two later. But, if you think you'll need more and you want it all at once, I'd discuss with Dr. E and you two can decide which way to go. One thing that is great about him is he'll talk to you about it willingly. Good luck!

Yep. You said it would and it did. Looking forward to seeing your three month pics as we are almost there!

Ralph: Are you on Finesteride or Proscar? How about Rogaine? If not, I hope you get started on one or both right away to help try to stop the loss so that whatever you have implanted gets the most impact.