Regular Member ratt57 Posted January 31, 2013 Regular Member Share Posted January 31, 2013 (edited) I had my procedure with Dr. Diep on September 9, 2012, consisting of 4,200 grafts using FUT. As he and his staff can attest to, I was considerably anxious waiting for the results, mainly due to some confusion re: the early use of minoxidil and concerns that I had, as a result, killed grafts using it. At almost exactly the three month mark I started showing some fairly impressive hair growth, and today, at 6 months, I'm a little incredulous at how realistic and well-done my hairline looks. I am continually being told by friends and co-workers that they can't believe how different I look and how impressive the work is. It looks completely natural. Due to my hair being very thin, it's still lacking real thickness, but at 22 weeks now, I'm expecting to see more in the next few months, as I continue to see a slow increase in the density every day. Unfortunately, I've not been taking pictures each month to chart progress, but I do have a "before" shot I can use to compare to today, and will post them in the next day or so. IIf I have any regrets whatsoever re: having a hair transplant - and it's a small issue compared to the great results I feel I feel like I'm having - it's the scar and having to wear my hair longer or use a concealer to hide it. I'm hoping FUE grafts will be able to reduce or hide it in the future, as I can't seem to buzz my hair any shorter than a 3.5 guard right now. In any case, without sounding like a spokesperson for the doc, if you're considering a transplant and you're in Northern California (or even if you're not), I can't recommend him highly enough. The procedure took 12 hours, but as of now at only six months the results are amazing and much more than I'd ever expected. This man definitely knows what he's doing re: hair transplant surgery.. And I'm hoping he added "no use of minoxidil for at least two weeks" on to his post-op instructions. I will post photos later. Right now I need to get a decent picture of the current growth. Edited February 2, 2013 by ratt57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ratt57 Posted February 1, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 1, 2013 These are some pretty poor resolution/goofy pictures, but will give you an idea of the growth so far. The first picture is, obviously, a "before." I was pretty much a Norwood 6 (expression is a little sinister, sorry, didn't have a big selection of pictures). The others are current. Looking straight ahead, I'm really liking the results; looking down, it's still fairly sparse, and I'm wondering at week 22 realistically how much more growth other members might think I can expect? I'll try and continue to post photos during the next few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Mallyboy Posted February 1, 2013 Regular Member Share Posted February 1, 2013 who did yr procedure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Blake Bloxham Posted February 1, 2013 Senior Member Share Posted February 1, 2013 Ratt, 22 weeks would put you at a little under 6 months. Knowing this, I would say you have approximately 30 weeks to achieve an estimated 60% increase in maturation. In other words: you've got plenty of time left to grow and mature "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 ratt57 Posted February 1, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 1, 2013 If I could grow 60% more, that would be awesome... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - Seemiller Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 ratt57, Thanks for sharing your experience with Dr. Diep. Given the lower quality of the photos, it's difficult to really give an opinion on your growth to date. However, I'm glad you are happy and like the way it looks in person. On average, patients see about 60% growth/maturation at 6 months. Thus, I expect you will continue to see new hairs and much thickening in the coming months. I encourage you to see what you can do about taking and presenting better photos so we can further appreciate the result. I look forward to seeing your progress in the coming months. So keep on sharing :-). Best wishes and happy growing, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ratt57 Posted February 1, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 1, 2013 Thanks for your input, Bill. The "before" picture is pretty low-res, but I took the recent pictures yesterday with a fairly high resolution camera and reduced them about 50% in order to lower the upload times; they seem pretty clear to me when I click on the thumbnails. (???) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member dingdong12 Posted February 1, 2013 Senior Member Share Posted February 1, 2013 pictures are fine mate. you are on schedule for a great reault .congrats- is going to take years of you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill - Seemiller Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Ratt, On my computer, some appear to be coming up a little blurry. If everyone else is seeing them fine, maybe it's my computer? You do already look years younger. I expect you'll be very happy with the end result. Best wishes, Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member ratt57 Posted February 4, 2013 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 4, 2013 Thanks very much for the input... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now