Epileptic Sceptic's 5 MONTH UPDATE !!!

[EpilepticSceptic]

link to my blog: http://hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/home-page.asp?WebID=1792

Edited October 27, 2010 by EpilepticSceptic

[uselessgomez]

WOW!

 

You must be ecstatic. That's quite an improvement. You look like have a completely full head of hair. Congratulations.

[biscuit]

Great results in such a short time. I like the top view comparison. Did you end up taking intermal meds?

 

Congrats ES.

[corvettester]

Very impressive for only 5 months growth. In fact, that's probably the most growth I've seen on HTN patient hair loss journals 5 months post op. I'm used to seeing that much around month 8! Congratulations!

[Surfarosa]

Wow ! Looks like all your research took you to the right place at the right time ! Bet you wish you had never heard the term FUE Just kidding - Atta boy ! Grow baby grow !

[TakingThePlunge]

ES,

 

I'm thrilled for you! That is a very nice 5 month result. You look great. Keep those updates coming!

 

All the best

[EpilepticSceptic]

Thanks guys !!

 

Wow, I don't really know what to say. I know there's more to come, but at the same time it's hard to imagine that what is happening is real and not a dream. You look in the mirror and realize that you are looking years younger, and you have already forgotten the way you looked before and now you just feel like you look like the "you" in your mind's eye -- a truly liberating feeling!

 

uselessgomez,

 

I wouldn't say "full head of hair" quite yet, but it seems that the way things are progressing that by month 10 I might just be there and look like a Clooney/James Dean hybrid (lol)!

 

Biscuit,

 

Yes, I am on proscar 1.25 mg per day and have been on it consistently for 1.5 years now. I was very inconsistent with it from 1999 until 2009. I've always admired your results BTW, and your blog always helped me to not let the HT haters that troll the forums scare me out of it !

 

corvettester,

 

I did have some native hair on top pre-surgery, though pretty thin in the front third for sure. That top down comparison is a bit misleading because my month 1 photo was after ALOT of shockloss and I was not that bald pre-surgery. So not everything you see grown back is HT hair, but if you look at some of my pre-HT pics I have indeed come a long way from my pre-HT state already. The crown filling in is by far the biggest suprise (1200 grafts were placed there). Also, I think my results pretty well PROVE that with Dr. Hasson patients need not worry about transection (permanent shockloss) of existing native hair. ALL of it has grown back, so please make sure you choose your surgeon wisely if you are going to be planting in between native hair !!!

 

Surfarosa,

 

Amen brother! I'd be nowhere even close to this had I gone FUE, and I'd probably be homeless by now if I had attempted it!

 

TakingThePlunge,

 

Thanks man! I wish everybody else here the best luck and growth as well; but my advice to everybody is to choose your surgeon AND clinic wisely so that you don't have to rely on luck. Pre-surgery I visited a few other clinics and H & W stood light years apart as far as the professionalism of the facility; it was the only place that looked like a real clinic to me, and that was also another big factor in my decision. This is a permanent cosmetic surgery and also happens to be the most difficult one in the world to perform correctly. A well-equipped modern facility with well trained and dedicated staff is a HUGE factor in the chances a patient has for a great outcome! I'm still taken back with how natural it looks and how people on the street have absolutely no clue that anything was done up there. Wind, rain, swimming pools, outdoor light, flourescent light -- it holds up under all these conditions.

 

Keep in mind that NOBODY was more skeptical of HTs than me pre-surgery, hence my screen name is appropriate. I should probably get a trophy for the being the most skeptical patient in the history of HTs who actually had the gonads to go thru with it (lol) !!

Edited October 28, 2010 by EpilepticSceptic

[Danielkiwi]

Congratulations dude..Really looks good to me at the 5 month mark...the way you are going, you might break the world record for the best HT ever..although to be fair, you had fair bit of hair before going to the procedure and fin is also working for you..i am particularly impressed with the crown area growth as you were pretty much empty there before the surgery...i guess being sceptical and doing some more research has paid off for you..and i sincerely hope you dont dump your current girlfriend and flirt around with that new head of hair..just kidding bro and happy growing!!

[Spanker]

WOWOWOWOWOW Really happy for you...

 

I have been following your progress and was a little worried for you (I don't know why) based on your webpage......but WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!

 

 

You go!

 

 

Congrats!

[Anouar]

Es, it's coming in nicely. I also appreciate your documentation but the comparison pic at 5 months can be misleading. When I first saw it, I assumed this was pre ht. You should put up your pre ht pic as a comparison and not the one month were you had what appears as some shock loss and the shedding of your grafts. This would be a more true comparison.

[corvettester]

Good point. I hadn't seen the pre-HT photos. But still, even with your native hair considered, you have one hell of a result! Congratulations, you're cured!

[EpilepticSceptic]

Looking at my 1 month post-op pics, it's pretty easy to see why you were scared for me.

 

Just imagine what was going through my mind at that point ?

 

WOWOWOWOWOW Really happy for you...

 

I have been following your progress and was a little worried for you (I don't know why) based on your webpage......but WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!

 

 

You go!

 

 

Congrats!

[EpilepticSceptic]

Anouar,

 

I appreciate your suggestion, but i see no reason to remove the 1 month photo in the comparison to month 5 as I clearly state what months they are. I have more than enough pre-HT pics posted in my blog, and all somebody has to do is click on those links and they will come up.

 

I feel like since I lived through that terrible time it makes the results I'm seeing now even more sweet. The things that are going through your mind during the ugly duckling stage can be quite terrifying indeed!

 

But when you come through it you feel like you've earned your stripes and it makes you proud you were man enough to take it.

 

 

Es, it's coming in nicely. I also appreciate your documentation but the comparison pic at 5 months can be misleading. When I first saw it, I assumed this was pre ht. You should put up your pre ht pic as a comparison and not the one month were you had what appears as some shock loss and the shedding of your grafts. This would be a more true comparison.

[Garageland]

Thanks for the excellent photos, things are really starting to take off for you.

[wb280]

ES, just to double confirm, u did not use toppik when u took the pics at 5months right? If so, the crown work is seriously seriously good!

[EpilepticSceptic]

ES, just to double confirm, u did not use toppik when u took the pics at 5months right? If so, the crown work is seriously seriously good!

 

No way Jose !! What you see is au natural.

 

The only thing I've been doing to speed up the growth from month 1 is minox 5% (2x daily) and 3000 mg MSM.

 

Also, keep in mind that I had VERY strong hair all around the crown bald spot; and the spot itself was pretty small but just very bald. Because at this length my hair falls forward you will notice a very thick & dense tuft of native hair right behind where the bald spot was (vertical crown section) that also aids in the illusion of crown coverage. If that was long enough to comb backwards then you'd likely still see that the crown HT hair is still in the maturing stage.

 

1200 grafts back there did me right fo su ! And all the HT hairs are still maturing. I CAN'T WAIT until they get longer and thicker so I can style it combed backward.

[wb280]

OMG! No toppik? Congrats sir! Seriously, your growth is top rated. However, i am sure a few would still frown on u ( me included ) getting strip surgery. Am sure u remember that buddy

[EpilepticSceptic]

OMG! No toppik? Congrats sir! Seriously, your growth is top rated. However, i am sure a few would still frown on u ( me included ) getting strip surgery. Am sure u remember that buddy

 

wb280,

 

I saw your 4.5 month shots and things look pretty good for you; you definitely have the outline of the HT going so just be patient.

 

Concerning FUE, I think alot of peeps around here have a misconception of how I feel about it. There are ALOT of armchair philosophers around here who come accross like experts on HT, but most all (if not ALL) of their knowledge comes from internet forums. One guy even called me "epileptic seizure" which was an obvious attempt to cut me down, and he seems to be one of these people who hasn't had a HT and has no real life experience -- yet he tells people that FUE is the way to go. I say if you need maybe 300-700 grafts for some hairline touch-up work then maybe give FUE a try and see how it goes.

 

I've been on these forums for well over 5 years and nothing much has changed in the field. According to the FUE cheerleaders back then by today no one would be doing strip anymore, FUE would be perfected and much cheaper, many more docs would be doing it, and there would be hundreds of successful large grafts count cases to view on the internet. I waited and it never happened. I am a skeptic by nature and a cautious optimist.

 

I think I am going to hit the barber shop soon and get a #2/3 clip just to see what the scar looks like at that length. I'll post shots here when/if I do that. My guess is that people will be just as amazed as they were with my growth at 5 months. I can't even find the scar digging with it for a comb in 95% of the places; only on the very ends can you see a little skin where there is no hair.

 

I get a little heated when people cheerlead for FUE because listening to the armchair philosophers on HTN years back denied me 5 good years that I could have been enjoying the results I am seeing now; so the subject is a little personal for me !!!

[Surfarosa]

ES - would love to see the clipped scar as I'm dying to clip my hair down again but am too chicken shit. Part of the problem is that my scar is still sensitive (some nerve damage) so I feel it's more than it really is. Hasson & Bill Reed have both given my scars the all clear as good but I'm still a baby about the clippers. Of course it's more about what's in my head vs whats on my head as usual !

[wb280]

ES, yes sir, i was there during the discussion and some very weird illogical ideas were insisted on by a few individuals in the forum and they have continued to do so in some other threads. What disturbs me is the strong disapproval against strip surgery which i admit to feeling annoyed. Anyway, u are at a good place buddy thats the most important. However, i hope u can continue looking out and contributing to this forum as i think u would not want potential patients to be derailed and disillusioned by the weird logic put up by some.

[Megatron]

I also think that you're in store for an excellent result. That said, I think people are popping the champagne cork a little early. To me it looks like what I'd expect ~4,500 grafts densely packed to look like after 5 months on a person who seems to have pretty good hair characteristics for a HT.

 

Hair combed forward can be really deceiving. I think your 5 month pics with your hair wet and combed back show a truer picture. You definitely have good growth, but you need it to continue to thicken and become more dense particularly in the temple regions.

 

A HT can be a rollar coaster of emotions and I think it's best to reserve judgement until you achieve the density you sought and certainly deserve after spending the $ you did and using so many amount of grafts. I think you'll probably get there in a few more months, but it doesn't look like you're there yet.

[EpilepticSceptic]

Megatron,

 

My exact feelings bro! Actually my hair was not combed forward; it's just that at this length when it's dry it cannot be styled any other way. The temple regions are probably only about 50% growth at this point IMO. The density still has a good ways to go to catch up to the density of the forelock area that still had a decent amount of native hair, and of course the bridge that wasn't touched at all and is still super dense.

 

But the good news for me is that at least I know 100% now that everything is on schedule and there are no unexpected complications. Also, even at only 50% growth the difference that the facial framing makes is absolutely incredible and it takes YEARS off of your age perception in the general public's eyes.

 

I figure by month 10 or 12 I should really have a BIG smile on my face for sure!

[Megatron]

^ agreed, ES. best of continued luck!

[Surfarosa]

ES - what's happening dude ? You outta here already ? :cool: