Gorpy

Day 11 update. This is interesting because most of the grafted hair has not shed which gives me a good idea of what it will look like when it grows in fully later.

For those of you wondering about redness. I'm one of those guys with sensitive skin, plus I had alot of grafts put up there. So the redness is slowly fading. I think it's going to take a while for it to fully go away.

Originally posted by Forum Moderator and Satisfied Patient:

Mark, your recipient area looks absolutely great for 6 days post-op. The redness has already subsided substantially.

 

Pardon me if you have already stated, but I was wondering how old you are. This is just for my own curiosity because I am thinking of doing some in-depth research concerning age and healing characteristics and the effect of truly ultra-refined follicular-unit hair restoration surgery has on patients of all ages.

 

Happy growing!

 

-Robert

This would be interesting Robert. However, and I'm sure you've thought of this, there are many factors which could complicate the outcome. Densitiy is one. The more dense the grafts are placed the more trauma which results in a longer healing time. Skin type is another factor. Light colored skin can retain or show redness longer, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is taking longer to heal. It could just be that the visual effects linger more.

Sorleyboy, looks like I'm following the same pattern as you. I'm not shedding. I'm only 10 days out, and most of the small scabs have fallen off, but the hairs have remained. Not only that, they are growing! Really, I'm not kidding. Both my wife and I can see it.

Have you seen any shedding yet?

Yes, I have always been a high metabolism guy.

Harve, you remind me of myself. I too noticed the exact same thing shortly after starting finasteride. I also noticed a few new hairs sprout near my hairline (those are the easiest to see) after only a couple of months. If that is true, then naturally it could also have a strengthening effect on your hair in general in that amount of time. Some people don't believe me on this, but oh well, it sure seemed to be the case for me.

That's cool PB. The point is, there is still a lot of forehead there. It's not too low and not too high.

Yes, very personable, friendly, but at the same time very professional (She's not going to sit around and chit-chat with you). I think most people would get a good feeling about her after a consultation.

I was kind of waiting for someone to bring that up. It's an interesting topic. I was initially going to go for a more conservative hairline. However, Dr. Keene actually convinced me after my first consultation to go for a hairline that would frame my face better. With her substantial experience, it was her opinion that it would be worthwhile to consider and would look better and more youthful. Other factors, I'm sure, included the fact that I'm 49, which makes my future hair loss much more predictable. I have a reasonably good donar supply in case I would need another procedure and I'm on Finasteride. I'm sure my facial and head structure was also taken into consideration. So, after thinking about it for several months, I decided to follow her advice and go with it. Believe me, I've spent a lot of time looking in the mirror between our initial consultation and the procedure. I've also noticed every male on TV and analyzed their hairlines.

The common thought is that everyone needs a mature hairline that will look "natural" as you age, as if having a reasonably youthful hairline is going to look "funny" or "weird" at age 70. Let me quickly name a few names of actors or famous people who are older than me (except George Clooney) who have absolutely great youthful hairlines (if some of these guys are wearing hair pieces I don't really care, because I can't tell and it still looks very good)

Kurt Russel

Micheal Douglas

Richard Gere

Harrison Ford (this guy is in his 60's. I don't hear anyone saying he looks weird)

Ronald Reagan

Bill Clinton

George Clooney

Pierce Brosnan

Don Johnson

90% of every elderly male actor on any soap opera

There are some other Doctors that obviously are in favor of a more youthful hairline if determining factors allow. One I've noticed is Dr. Alan Bauman of Florida. Look at his patient photos. I think they look great.

I think the bottom line is that it is not a hard and fast rule that one would always receive an "age appropriate" hairline. My advise would be to not get sucked immediately into that train of thought. A prospective patient should consult with the top Doctors and use their substantial experience to assist them in making that decision.

I'm not a doctor, so I made the decision to rely heavily on the experience of my doctor who has performed over a thousand transplants with great results and who has probably seen thousands more.

Thanks Kat. I am very pleased with the way it looks. It is day 6 now and the redness is significantly fading. The transplant is still very visible (there's no hiding it), because all of the little hairs are still there. It looks like a 5 o'clock shadow on my head.

I know what you mean Sorleyboy. It's still early but my grafts appear to be happy in their new home and it looks like they have taken up permanent residence. We'll see.

Hi Kg, I posted a 2 day post op top view. This procedure was calculated based on 30 per Cm2, but I think that can vary a little over various parts of the head. Confidence is good. I am pleased with the results so far. Dr. Keene said I had a good amount of 3 and 4 hair follicles available that she placed on top so I should get some good coverage there.

I'm 49 and have an absolutely lovely wife and we have a VERY active sex life. I have seen no side effects from Finasteride after 4.5 months.

The pain in the donar area has subsided today (day 3). So I stopped taking any pain medication. Before that it was a little sore, but not too bad. I would take a pain pill before going to bed which would eventually wear off around 2 or 3 am and wake me up. There's very little tightness. I almost don't notice any. It's more itchy than anything.

Day 3 post op and I noticed that the redness is just starting to fade a bit. I washed my hair for the first time last night (day 2) following the lather and dab and rinse with cup technique. It worked well. Don't think I've lost any follicles. Hurrah! The residual pain has subsided. I don't think I'll use any more pain pills, even though I still have plenty remaining. I have a little swelling in the forehead area. Nothing serious, but I'm icing regularly to help control that.

You seem to have a little more thickness in the middle than I did. Mine kind of thinned back all together instead of in the side recession areas like yours. I don't mind if you watch. That's what this forum is for. Glad to help.

I've added a 2 day post op front view. I think it looks dang good! I can't wait for it to grow out.

Thanks Sorleyboy. It was a positive experience. I've updated my photo album with a two day post op picture

http://hair-restoration-info.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f...6060861/m/8491088831

I just got back from my HT yesterday with Dr. Keene. I received 2700 grafts, all in the front half of my head. It was a long tedious day, but overall it was comfortable and pleasant. I think I was actually asleep during parts of the procedure.

The recipient area looks good. It looks densely packed. I think I'll get some good coverage from it. The hairline also looks like it's going to turn out great. Others have said it before, but I will repeat it ??“ Dr. Keene is extremely "hands on". She is there from start to finish. She makes the incisions, places most of the grafts and is very diligent. The day was long. It started at 8:30am with an anticeptic shampoo and pictures and by 9am Dr. Keene was drawing out my new hairline. After we both agreed on the hairline, we got started. By 6pm we were still going. Dr. Keene was meticulously placing more grafts in my hairline. She finished up around 6:30pm.

I now have to wait a while to see the results, but I honestly believe that to get a great hairline, a skilled Doctor must create it from start to finish, not the assistants. This is probably the most important part of the procedure. I swear Dr. Keene must have worked for at least 3 hours just on my hairline!

What's also a little surprising to me is that I wear my hair in the donar area fairly short. It's probably about 1 inch long back there ( kind of a standard man's haircut). This is the first day after my procedure and I literally cannot see any indication of it while looking at it from the rear. There are no gaps or undulations or any indication of it. I thought I would have to let my hair grow out a little more to hide it as it heals. I got home and told my son that there is a long incision in the back where they took the donar hair and he could not see it. This is a pleasant surprise.

I had the normal "jitters" before the procedure. I could hardly sleep the night before. Now that's is done with I am extremely happy that I went through with it.

I just got back from my HT yesterday with Dr. Keene. I received 2700 grafts, all in the front half of my head. It was a long tedious day, but overall it was comfortable and pleasant. I think I was actually asleep during parts of the procedure.

The recipient area looks good. It looks densely packed. I think I'll get some good coverage from it. The hairline also looks like it's going to turn out great. Others have said it before, but I will repeat it ??“ Dr. Keene is extremely "hands on". She is there from start to finish. She makes the incisions, places most of the grafts and is very diligent. The day was long. It started at 8:30am with an anticeptic shampoo and pictures and by 9am Dr. Keene was drawing out my new hairline. After we both agreed on the hairline, we got started. By 6pm we were still going. Dr. Keene was meticulously placing more grafts in my hairline. She finished up around 6:30pm.

I now have to wait a while to see the results, but I honestly believe that to get a great hairline, a skilled Doctor must create it from start to finish, not the assistants. This is probably the most important part of the procedure. I swear Dr. Keene must have worked for at least 3 hours just on my hairline!

What's also a little surprising to me is that I wear my hair in the donar area fairly short. It's probably about 1 inch long back there ( kind of a standard man's haircut). This is the first day after my procedure and I literally cannot see any indication of it while looking at it from the rear. There are no gaps or undulations or any indication of it. I thought I would have to let my hair grow out a little more to hide it as it heals. I got home and told my son that there is a long incision in the back where they took the donar hair and he could not see it. This is a pleasant surprise.

I had the normal "jitters" before the procedure. I could hardly sleep the night before. Now that's is done with I am extremely happy that I went through with it.

Some docs will cut the recipient area hair very short for the procedure. I don't think it would have much time to grow out in one month. Just check with the doctor on their methods.

Shock loss is variable and you could experience it for quite some time before it grows back in and/or the transplanted hair fills in.

Redness also varies from person to person. In most cases I think it is pretty much gone within a month, but there are exceptions.

Yes, PB, I'll let you know how it goes.

I've added a new picture of my front. My HT by Dr. Keene is 4 days away.

OK, I'll bite. Why would you not start taking Propecia at 40?

I would start Propecia. From what I've seen it does help stop hairloss, even in the front hairline area. Also, if you look carefully, your crown is starting to thin a little. It's good to stop it where it is right now. So get on the Finasteride (ingredient in Propecia).

Wow, that looks great. That's approximately the same area I will be receiving 2700 grafts soon.