Regular Member Shabs88 Posted October 21, 2012 Regular Member Share Posted October 21, 2012 Hey Guys, This is my first post ever. I've been viewing this site and it has been incredibly helpful in providing me insight into the world of hair transplantation. This community has kind of been my only support structure in making my decision to get a HT. I'm getting my first HT with Dr. Robert True in NYC on Friday, 10/26/12. So just 5 days away! I'm definitely nervous when it comes to the actual procedure, the donor scar, work arrangement, etc. I've only spoken to Dr. True via phone and e-mail, and by sending him countless amount of pictures of my hair. Dr. True decided to go with 2,500+ graft procedure, but he said that once he evaluates my donor area in person on the 26th, he might decrease it down to 2000 since my donor area is not as dense after I sent him pictures of it after a recent haircut I got. I believe I'm a Norwood II approaching Norwood III, and my goal is to obtain a thick (natural, of course) hairline and hopefully add some thickness to the rest (I have diffuse thinning throughout my entire head). Any advice you guys can give me? I'm still a little nervous since I'm going in for a procedure that is essentially going to change my life (for the better, I hope). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted October 21, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 21, 2012 And I use concealers heavily, haha. My concealed look has become my "normal" look to my friends, family, and fiancee. It makes me feel superficial, but hair has always been an important part of my life, and losing it is something I'm not ready to accept! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted October 22, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted October 22, 2012 Shabs88, Congratulations on your decision to take control of you hair loss. Dr. True has an impeccable reputation and I'm sure you can trust his instincts. The only advice I can give is to follow his post-operative care instructions to the letter and to do your best to not think about hair growth for the first four months at least. I also encourage you to share your journey with us by creating a hair restoration website or blog. Good luck! David - Former Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice. View my Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted October 22, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 22, 2012 David, Thank you for your advice!! Because of Dr. True's great reputation within these threads and reading multiple blogs of his patients, it was a very easy choice to go with him. I will definitely consider making a blog since the blogs have always been so useful to me and it would sort be like returning the favor, haha. Anyone else who has experience with Dr. True, or any advice on using concealers post HT will def be helpful! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TommyLucchese Posted October 22, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted October 22, 2012 I can't tell you anything about Dr. True but I can assure you that the procedure itself is very easy, you can't feel a thing! Though the numbing injections aren't fun. I'm 3 months out of my procedure now and my scar is really settling down now, it's given me no problems at all and is easily concealed by the hair around it. The hair that was shave down from the scar has now grown through and covered it too. For work, well, I read on here people should try to take 3 weeks off but even then I still looked 'bad'. I had hairline work so it couldn't be hidden. I wouldn't recommend wearing a hat either as it's so claustrophobic. I told my close friends so I avoided social contact for over 2 months except for going to quiet places with friends where I didn't have to worry about my hair. Now I have some growth and it's still a bit red. It's a long process. You just have to brave it and think of the long term outcome 2,000 grafts FUT Dr. Feller, July 27th 2012. 23 years old at the time. Excellent result. Need crown sorted eventually but concealer works well for now. Propecia and minoxidil since 2010. Fine for 8 years - bad sides after switching to Aindeem in 2018. Switched to topical fin/minox combo from Minoxidil Max in October 2020, along with dermarolling 1x a week. Wrote a book for newbies called Beating Hair Loss, available on Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member rev3 Posted October 22, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted October 22, 2012 please ask for proposed density that they can try to achieve in cm2 at the hairline i only say this because as you say: my goal is to obtain a thick (natural, of course) hairline . and you want to be aware what your doctor considers THICK compared to what you consider thick, so you are not disappointed, waiting for your "THICK" while the dr., with all good intentions, transplanted his THICK just ask for the proposed density per cm2 at the hairline Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted October 22, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 22, 2012 TommyLucchese and rev3, Thank you for your replies! I've heard that this whole thing is one big waiting game, so I have to be mentally prepared for that. And I will definitely ask about the density per cm2 at the hairline. This is the first time I've heard of asking this questions, so thanks rev3 for letting me know about it! TommyLucchese- what did you do about work? Since you avoided social interactions for some time, did you have a special excuse for work that you've been using the last 3 months? I use toppik daily, so I've been told I can use it at least 10 days after the procedure (or once the sutures are removed) as long as I wash it off daily. I'm thinking I can conceal the transplant from work and friends through using that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TommyLucchese Posted October 23, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted October 23, 2012 Well I'm lucky in that I'm in a stage of my life where I can basically take a year out of doing anything. I'm starting to ease back into the real world now (a little sooner than I hoped) and on the whole I look much better than I did recently, but I still don't look quite right. The new growth obviously doesn't match the rest of my hair and my scalp is still a bit red, I've had only two people's eyes drift up to my hairline so it isn't going too bad. The worst is wayyy behind me so it's okay. If I could go to sleep and wake up in 9 months I'd definitely do it though! There is someone, I believe his name on here is Spreadlocks, who concealed his HT from everyone with a combover and hair spray. So yes you could do that if you have the native hair available to cover it up. I think it is really a grit your teeth and bear it, kind of thing. 2,000 grafts FUT Dr. Feller, July 27th 2012. 23 years old at the time. Excellent result. Need crown sorted eventually but concealer works well for now. Propecia and minoxidil since 2010. Fine for 8 years - bad sides after switching to Aindeem in 2018. Switched to topical fin/minox combo from Minoxidil Max in October 2020, along with dermarolling 1x a week. Wrote a book for newbies called Beating Hair Loss, available on Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted October 26, 2012 Senior Member Share Posted October 26, 2012 shabs, I just now read your post and see that you are having your procedure with Dr. True today...congrats! The crusts that form from the grafts should be ready to come off after aproximately 7-10 days post-op, depending how quickly you heal. If you have enough exisitng native hair in the frontal third of your scalp, you should be able to comb/groom your hair to cover your recipient area plus use some concealer if needed. You can even use a little hair spray to hold it in place which is what I did. Obviously you will want to follow Dr. True's post-op care which they will provide you today if they have not already done so. Enjoy your time off and recovery and wish you the best! Gillenator Independent Patient Advocate I am not a physician and not employed by any doctor/clinic. My opinions are not medical advice, but are my own views which you read at your own risk. Supporting Physicians: Dr. Robert Dorin: The Hairloss Doctors in New York, NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted October 27, 2012 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 27, 2012 Guys, Check my blog out: Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss Patient Blogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BrianR Posted February 23, 2013 Senior Member Share Posted February 23, 2013 Its hard to tell with the pic, But from what I see it looks good for 4 months. It should get even better .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Blake Bloxham Posted February 23, 2013 Senior Member Share Posted February 23, 2013 Shab, Thanks for the update! Looks like you're where you should be at 4 months. Congrats! "Doc" Blake Bloxham - formerly "Future_HT_Doc" Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum All opinions are my own and my advice does not constitute as medical advice. All medical questions and concerns should be addressed by a personal physician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted March 3, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 3, 2013 (edited) Post-Op images. I apologize, I understand I'm posting all this a little backwards. The FUT procedure totaled 1704 grafts: 733 singles 875 doubles 96 threes Edited March 3, 2013 by Shabs88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted March 3, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 3, 2013 First 4 pics are before, last 4 are after 4 months. Please comment guys, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member gillenator Posted March 4, 2013 Senior Member Share Posted March 4, 2013 Wow shabs, things are filling in nicely already at 4 months. I can hardly wait to see your 6, 9, and 12 month photos. Your midscalp and frontal zone look really good for such a short time post-op. Congrats on your progress! Gillenator Independent Patient Advocate I am not a physician and not employed by any doctor/clinic. My opinions are not medical advice, but are my own views which you read at your own risk. Supporting Physicians: Dr. Robert Dorin: The Hairloss Doctors in New York, NY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BrianR Posted March 4, 2013 Senior Member Share Posted March 4, 2013 It looks great....Are you using any concealer on the last pic, it looks really thick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted March 5, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 5, 2013 Gillenator- Thank you for the feedback , I definitely appreciate it and will keep the forum updated with my progress! BrianR- Although I'm a huge concealer user, I have not used any in the last pic. I have been on .5mg propecia and been using Nioxin shampoo which might be contributing to that illusion of density (or maybe no so much the Propecia yet). Also it looks like the lighting is a little different in both pics. I'll post more pics soon. Thanks for the feedback though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member TeacherNJ Posted March 5, 2013 Regular Member Share Posted March 5, 2013 wow that is amazing at 4 mon ths - just shared with friend who wants to do his with True or Dorin in nyc. same type of loss that you had Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted March 5, 2013 Senior Member Share Posted March 5, 2013 Shabs, Congratulations on your speedy growth! Things are looking good already with lots more to come. Happy growing! David - Former Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice. View my Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member orlhair1 Posted March 6, 2013 Senior Member Share Posted March 6, 2013 Looking great at 4 months......lots more to come. Always impressed with T & D's work. They are one of the clinics that gets the most out of the number af grafts they use. Surgery - Dr. Ron Shapiro FUT 6/14/11 - 3048 grafts Surgery - Dr. Ron Shapiro FUE 1/28/13 & 1/29/13 - 1513 grafts http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/orlhair1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Eagles2199 Posted March 6, 2013 Regular Member Share Posted March 6, 2013 Hair looks great. How's the scar? How long did u take off from work? I'm considering them . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted March 9, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 9, 2013 Thanks for the feedback guys! I'm glad you all think I'm making great progress, its definitely reassuring since its hard not to keep staring in the mirror haha. Dr. True was aiming for 2000 but my donor zone was not as dense as he thought (only 55 cm^2) so I have a longer but as of now, very thin scar in which he got 1704 grafts. I feel like my left side above my ear has stretched a little, and I do have some shockloss still, but at 4 months only I'm hoping things will get better. The pics attached I took about a a week and a half ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted March 9, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 9, 2013 Additional pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Shabs88 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 7, 2013 Hey Guys, Went to Dr. True last week for a 5month follow up. He says I'm progressing very nicely and is definitely happy with my improvement so far. Please check out the pics and let me know your thoughts. Been on Propecia and MSM supplement for 5 months. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Raymond2013 Posted April 18, 2013 Regular Member Share Posted April 18, 2013 Hey Shab, I can't believe nobody has replied to this. Those are some outstanding results, I bet you're on top the the world bud. Congratulations on your new improved life! How much propecia mg are you taking and how often? 2500 grafts + Acell/PRP progress with Dr.Cooley 4/12/13 http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/170209-my-2500-grafts-hair-transplant-w-prp-acell-treatment-journey-dr-cooley.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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