HT w/ Dr. Wong in the morning

[ckc527]

In about 7 more hours, I'll be at H&W for my 1st HT. I should be sleeping now but I'm getting a bit nervous and excited at the same time. Thought I kill some time and share my experience so far.

 

I've been considering HT for the past couple years but never had the courage to take that first step until few months ago when I submitted my photos to several coalition doctors from this site to get online consultations. Initially I wanted to go with FUE but due to financial consideration and graft counts required, I decided to go with FUT. The recommended grafts ranged from 1800 to 4000.

 

I want to thank everyone that have contributed to this forum. It has been very informative in helping me make that first step and selecting H&W. I truly enjoyed reading the HT journals, especially ones that documented their entire HT journey. To give back to this community and to help future HT candidates, I'll be keeping a blog of my journey.

 

Thanks,

ckc

[Sean]

In about 7 more hours, I'll be at H&W for my 1st HT. I should be sleeping now but I'm getting a bit nervous and excited at the same time. Thought I kill some time and share my experience so far.

 

I've been considering HT for the past couple years but never had the courage to take that first step until few months ago when I submitted my photos to several coalition doctors from this site to get online consultations. Initially I wanted to go with FUE but due to financial consideration and graft counts required, I decided to go with FUT. The recommended grafts ranged from 1800 to 4000.

 

I want to thank everyone that have contributed to this forum. It has been very informative in helping me make that first step and selecting H&W. I truly enjoyed reading the HT journals, especially ones that documented their entire HT journey. To give back to this community and to help future HT candidates, I'll be keeping a blog of my journey.

 

Thanks,

ckc

 

 

CKC, congrats. You have just a couple more hours before you get surgery. How many grafts you getting from the 1800-4000 graft range?

 

Try not to be too nervous and get some rest. I was nervous too when I started the hair restoration journey and that cost me some precious sleep lol. I had little sleep, was so tired after the procedure, had to eat but didn't feel like it because I wanted to go to sleep, but at the same time, I had to eat first so I can take my antibiotics with the food. So, it's good to get that rest.

 

Can't wait to see your hair restoration journey on here. Next few months and then no more stress of hair worries.

[orlhair1]

Congratulations! You chose a great clinic. Everyone is nervous and it turns out to be easier than you think it will. Heal well and keep us posted.

[ckc527]

How many grafts you getting from the 1800-4000 graft range?

 

 

H&W suggested 4000. Hopefully my donor supply/laxity is good enough. We'll find out soon enough Going to get ready and head over there soon. I'll report the stats later today.

 

Thanks,

ckc

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Good luck! You are in great hands with Dr Wong!

[wildflowerwildflower]

Best of luck. I'll be later in the week!

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

H&W suggested 4000. Hopefully my donor supply/laxity is good enough. We'll find out soon enough Going to get ready and head over there soon. I'll report the stats later today.

 

Thanks,

ckc

 

I will bet they can hit the 4000 graft mark! Should be no worries.

[lukeyb1687]

Good luck man! Happy for you! Keep us all updated!

[ckc527]

Just updated my blog with some poor quality photos. Sorry I didn't bring my HD camera and the lighting in this hotel room is not ideal. Anyone know why the first photo in the journal entries are not getting loaded? I just see a "question" mark, I'm using Safari. With Firefox, the first picture doesn't load as well but it's there on the edit page. Can a website admin help me out?

 

My HT appointment started at 6:15am and I walked out at 4:00pm. Besides looking like a chinese megamind with mickey mouse ears, I feel alright. My head feels tight and the back donor area has some slight pain. I just took the antibiotics and 1 tylenol #3. Hopefully that'll do the trick.

 

Today we ended up getting 3052 grafts. I don't have the break downs. Dr. Wong said my scalp was tight but the donor density was good for an asian. I was hoping to get 4000 grafts so my hairline could be lowered by at least 1cm. Oh well, we'll have to see how this grows then i'll decide if I need a 2nd HT. I was a little bit surprised when Dr. Wong suggested to work on my temple points. He said my sides were receded quite a bit and I would benefit from rebuilding them along with the frontal work so I went with his suggestion.

 

The donor strip extraction was the easiest part of all I think. I barely felt anything. On the first pass of the numbing shots, I only felt a couple of small pricks towards the back center of the head. The numbing shots for the front and side of face wasn't too bad either, just small pricks. The worst part of the HT was graft insertion since this took a very long time. I past time by texting with my wife and watching Shooter and part of Untraceable. Everyone I met at H&W was very nice and professional. The office and surgical areas were very clean. The decor was contemporary and made me felt comfortable. I wasn't nervous at all. I think I'm more nervous going to my regular doctor office.

 

The only thing I would suggest for others looking to get an HT is to start on those scalp exercises early! I only did them for 3 - 4 weeks. Wish I had done them for like 3 - 4 months in order to get the most out of the 1st HT.

 

Hopefully tomorrow for my post-op follow up I can get some better pictures.

 

That's all for now.

 

ckc

Edited January 21, 2012 by ckc527

[TakingThePlunge]

ckc527,

 

Congratulations! I just checked out your hair loss website and commented on your pics. The work looks just a beautiful as one would expect.

 

Which photo are you referring to not displaying? Do you mean the primary thumbnail? I can ask our webmaster to take a look at it.

 

All the best,

[ckc527]

Which photo are you referring to not displaying? Do you mean the primary thumbnail? I can ask our webmaster to take a look at it.

 

Yea, the very first picture for each journal entry won't show up besides in edit mode.

 

Thanks,

ckc

Edited December 13, 2011 by ckc527

[Sean]

CKC, I left you a comment on your blog buddy. It's lookin good. You got a lot of coverage for the amount of grafts you got and the work looks clean. Congrats again.

[orlhair1]

CKC, that is going to look great! I really think the temple point work will make a huge difference for you. Heal well!

[ckc527]

Just updated my website with new photos taken at 2 weeks post op. Getting the staples pulled out today wasn't so fun but glad that part is over. Also got my hair trimmed down which I've been looking forward to so I don't look so ridiculous. I'm hoping the redness in the recipient area will reduce some more this week as I need to return back to work next Monday. Unfortunately our dress code at work does not allow hats. Any tips out there on getting the redness to go away faster?

 

Thanks,

ckc

[orlhair1]

Looks like things are healing really well. Getting those staples out makes a big difference........you should find it much more comfortable to sleep!

[StaggerLee123]

Congrats the new hairline and temples frame out your face very nicely. Grow well and I look forward to following your progress.

[ILikeMyHair]

You are still getting pimples at 6 months so i guess you still getting a lot of new hair at 6 months. I can't tell from your pictures but can you see lot of new hair that are shorter than the rest of your hair?

[ckc527]

You are still getting pimples at 6 months so i guess you still getting a lot of new hair at 6 months. I can't tell from your pictures but can you see lot of new hair that are shorter than the rest of your hair?

 

Not much and very sparse which is why I'm not too thrill at the moment. Hopefully things will pick up in the next couple of months.

 

ckc

Edited June 19, 2012 by ckc527

[ILikeMyHair]

you got any 7 month updates?

[ckc527]

you got any 7 month updates?

 

Decided to pass up on 7 month photo. I'll post some at 8 or 9 month mark. Thanks for checking.

 

ckc

[ckc527]

Got a question for those that have gone through HT...

 

about two weeks ago i felt a little bump on my scalp and popped out this graft (see attached photos). it's roughly 1 cm long. the 2nd photo is after i remove the "stuff" off the bottom of the graft. notice the "J" or hook?

 

Does this look like a graft that never grew and just stayed in my scalp until i popped it out? I've had many grafts like this come out up until 6 months or so then this last one from two weeks ago. can anyone explain the hook at the bottom? is this normal?

 

i'm about 8.5 months post op now. i'll post new photos when i hit 9 month.

 

ckc

[ckc527]

Just uploaded 9 months photos. Looking for some feedback.

 

Thanks,

ckc

[Raphael84]

Hey ckc,

Hows things?

Your 9 months pics look much better than you 6 months, there is definite improvemnet but it still seems that you are on the slow grower side. How are you feeling about your results at this stage? Have you spoken to H&W regarding any feedback? It would be interesting to see what their thoughts at this stage are.

[ckc527]

Hi Raphael,

 

I'm still crossing my fingers hoping I'm in fact a super slow grower but based on what I read here, most sprouts should occur by 8 - 9 month mark, after that it's just maturing of the new hairs.

 

In the beginning I was hoping I can report back a "home run" case but I know not everyone is that lucky so it is what it is. There's no doubt that I'll need a 2nd pass based on what I see right now unless some magic happens over the next few months.

 

I'm currently not mentally and physically prepared for a 2nd round yet. It has been a long journey thus far, especially due to how long my scalp stayed red/pink which I had to cover w/ a hat when going out for more than 6 months. My scalp is still tight so I'll need at least 3 - 4 months of scalp exercise before the next HT.

 

I've been in communication with H&W throughout my journey. Joe has been very helpful and supportive. If the result at the end is not where it should be, Joe said Dr. Wong will gladly touch it up.

 

Thanks,

ckc

[Raphael84]

CKC,

 

I understand that you are not mentally ready to undergo another procedure right now. I think that applies to many patients who have recently undergone a HT and would like to just move past it for a while. Plus, it doesn't seem like you have had such an easy ride of it. As you mentioned, it does appear that your scalp stayed red for longer than the norm, and the current growth is not quite the "home run" that you would have liked. Do you have any photos of the top mid scalp area. It would be good to see how that part of the surgery has grown out.

 

You choice of surgeon cannot be questioned, and the fact that they stand by you and are there for you is a great option. You may not be ready for another session quite yet, but I wouldn't have though initially that a 2nd HT would be necessary. Perhaps however, the touch up mentioned by Jotronic could prove to be a great improvement.