Senior Member jkm3 Posted November 17, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 17, 2014 that looks great!! Thanks m0d! Hey, after most of your grafts grew out, did you have any thin areas that eventually became as dense (visually, from the top angle) as the rest of your hair? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted November 17, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 17, 2014 Now I see what you mean. It's thinner than the native hair behind it and may not ever reach the feeling of density equalling that native hair, but it should reach the cosmetic appearance of that hair behind it. My Dr. kept telling me that what we are working to achieve is "cosmetic density". Now, I was Norwood 5 before my surgery, so anything will feel and look more dense for me. You may want to ask your Dr. what the density of the placed grafts in the recipient area was (per square cm), and then ask him what the density was in your donor area pre-op. This may give you a better idea of the difference between the recipient maximum potential vs. your natural density. I see what you're saying. I guess I'll just have to wait and see because my doctor doesn't provide density information. Thank you for your advice, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted November 17, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted November 17, 2014 Your hair is looking good! So much more time for thickening left that I"m sure you'll see ain improvement in density. 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...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted November 19, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 19, 2014 Your hair is looking good! So much more time for thickening left that I"m sure you'll see ain improvement in density. Good luck! Thanks, David! I hope you're right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aWidowsPeek Posted November 20, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted November 20, 2014 Jkm3 RELAX DUDE your not even at 5 months lol It looks fine. Give it past a year sheesh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted November 26, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted November 26, 2014 Jkm3 RELAX DUDE your not even at 5 months lol It looks fine. Give it past a year sheesh Haha. It's hard not to be worried after spending so much money and having to wait so long to see what you paid for. I got you, though. 5 months is still early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted December 13, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) I've definitely seen some improvement this past month. I recently went through a shed, which stopped about two weeks ago and now I'm seeing hair surface (could be because I switched to Rogaine Foam). The transplanted hair still has a wiry texture so it doesn't "lay" like my native hair, which makes my recipient area look thinner than the native area. The left side of my hairline is thicker than the right. There is a pretty bad scar in that area from a past accident that required about 10 stitches. I'm thinking that blood circulation isn't as good in that area and so transplanted hairs are taking longer to sprout there. Who knows, though. I'm pretty sure that not all of my grafts have penetrated the scalp yet. When my hair is wet, the area behind the transplanted hairline is significantly thinner and it's clear that there are gaps between the grafts. Anyway, It's still really early so I'm confident that my hair will thicken up. I've posted more pre-op pictures this time. I wanted to give everyone a better idea of how significant my hair loss was. The first two pictures show my hair combed back (to show the balding area) & the next three are pictures of how I styled my hair prior to the hair transplant with Dr. Diep (took forever to hide my thinning frontal area). The photos after the dividing line show what my hair looks like now, 5 months and 1 week post op (all taken under harsh bathroom light, with flash). I no longer have to worry about the wind messing up my strategic grooming and I no longer spend forever doing my hair before school and work. I'm pleased with my current progress and excited to see additional changes in the coming months! pic upload upload image online capture screen upload _____________________________________________________________ image upload no limit free image host free image hosting image hosting no sign up Edited December 13, 2014 by jkm3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Blake Bloxham Posted December 14, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted December 14, 2014 Wow! Huge improvement! Congratulations. "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...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted December 17, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 17, 2014 Wow! Huge improvement! Congratulations. Thanks, Blake. Do you know approximately when the transplanted hair will become more like my native hair? I'm mainly concerned with the wiry texture and the way the hair sits when I style it (pops up, instead of laying freely). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Blake Bloxham Posted December 18, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted December 18, 2014 Jkm, The transplanted hairs appear thin and "wispy" during months 3-6, "wiry" during months 6-9, and eventually resemble the characteristics of your native hair between months 9-12. This is just a general "rule of thumb," but hopefully it helps. "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...
Senior Member PupDaddy Posted December 18, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted December 18, 2014 Holy cow, dude. You're coming along great! For just a tad over 5 months, this is incredible. Congrats to you and to Dr. Diep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member m0dthispny Posted December 19, 2014 Senior Member Share Posted December 19, 2014 looks good! and the hair characteristics seem fine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted December 24, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 24, 2014 Jkm, The transplanted hairs appear thin and "wispy" during months 3-6, "wiry" during months 6-9, and eventually resemble the characteristics of your native hair between months 9-12. This is just a general "rule of thumb," but hopefully it helps. Thanks for the info, Blake. Very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted December 24, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 24, 2014 Holy cow, dude. You're coming along great! For just a tad over 5 months, this is incredible. Congrats to you and to Dr. Diep. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted December 24, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 24, 2014 looks good! and the hair characteristics seem fine... The last two pictures show what I mean by the hair texture. It might be difficult to see, but the transplanted hair is not soft like my native hair yet. As I said before, the wiry texture makes it stubborn and difficult to style. Im not saying that I'm not happy with my progress, it's just an observation I made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Anon345 Posted December 24, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted December 24, 2014 (edited) Congradulations on the hair transplant. You can see the differences in a couple of the pictures between your thicker hair in the back and the newly implanted hair in the front. However just like everyone else commented; you have to give it some time perhaps, so far it is way better then the way your hair was before. Even if you would have to live with the progress thus far I personally believe that it is way better then what your looked like before, your head looks completely different in the front. Maybe you should ask Dr. Diep if this normal and if your new hair will eventually become as thick and close to the same texture as your hair towards the back. Anyway you look like you have come a long way and your hair is looking great man. I am considering Dr. Diep as well and have already made my initial visit to him to just go over how many grafts I will need. It has been almost 6 months now and I think that I want to move forward and get this done because it has been bothering me really bad for a while now (almost 2 years). I am looking at 5000 grafts via FUT. I know that you did the FUE procedure and wanted to know your thoughts along with the thoughts of everyone else on the forum on the pain level I may experience. I am a little scared but want to get it done. I have read and carried some extensive research myself amd most people have come to the conclusion that it will not hurt as bad as I think it will. I am afraid of the cutting part and what it will be like during and after the procedure, etc... All answers are appreciated... Lastly I just want to say congradulations and thank you for your up to date and current post. Your hair looks wonderful I am happy for you and I hope that I grow the balls really quick to go in and get my hair done too. Oh and also if anyone knows will it be ok to wear a hat for a few months after the procedure during the day I would like to cover my head perhaps.. Thanks everyone! P.S. I did a lot of research on many of the doctors listed here on this forum and for me he is the closest to me and probably one of the good ones around and I would hate to have to travel across the world to get my hair transplant done but is there anyone else that might be recommended for FUT or would it be safe to just go ahead and get it done here..I don't know if this will be answered or should be answered on the board but just wanted to throw it out there since I will be spending some big bucks here. Thanks Edited December 24, 2014 by Anon345 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted December 25, 2014 Author Senior Member Share Posted December 25, 2014 Congradulations on the hair transplant. You can see the differences in a couple of the pictures between your thicker hair in the back and the newly implanted hair in the front. However just like everyone else commented; you have to give it some time perhaps, so far it is way better then the way your hair was before. Even if you would have to live with the progress thus far I personally believe that it is way better then what your looked like before, your head looks completely different in the front. Maybe you should ask Dr. Diep if this normal and if your new hair will eventually become as thick and close to the same texture as your hair towards the back. Anyway you look like you have come a long way and your hair is looking great man. I am considering Dr. Diep as well and have already made my initial visit to him to just go over how many grafts I will need. It has been almost 6 months now and I think that I want to move forward and get this done because it has been bothering me really bad for a while now (almost 2 years). I am looking at 5000 grafts via FUT. I know that you did the FUE procedure and wanted to know your thoughts along with the thoughts of everyone else on the forum on the pain level I may experience. I am a little scared but want to get it done. I have read and carried some extensive research myself amd most people have come to the conclusion that it will not hurt as bad as I think it will. I am afraid of the cutting part and what it will be like during and after the procedure, etc... All answers are appreciated... Lastly I just want to say congradulations and thank you for your up to date and current post. Your hair looks wonderful I am happy for you and I hope that I grow the balls really quick to go in and get my hair done too. Oh and also if anyone knows will it be ok to wear a hat for a few months after the procedure during the day I would like to cover my head perhaps.. Thanks everyone! P.S. I did a lot of research on many of the doctors listed here on this forum and for me he is the closest to me and probably one of the good ones around and I would hate to have to travel across the world to get my hair transplant done but is there anyone else that might be recommended for FUT or would it be safe to just go ahead and get it done here..I don't know if this will be answered or should be answered on the board but just wanted to throw it out there since I will be spending some big bucks here. Thanks Hey Anon, thanks for your feedback. I agree, there's still over 6 months left for my hair to mature. I don't know much about FUT, other than it's usually recommended for larger transplant sessions like the one you're looking to get. I know Dr. Diep performs both FUE and FUT. His YouTube page shows that he's capable of achieving home run results with FUT as well as FUE. I wore a hat after my surgery for the first 3-4 months! I wore it really loose for the first month. The most important time frame in terms of protecting your grafts is the first couple weeks. As for the pain, well, that's just the price we pay to beat baldness. Dr. Diep prescribes Vicodin and Valium, which helped me a lot. The donor area takes months to fully heal, but the pain is not an issue after a few weeks. I thought about getting a transplant for about two years before finally getting one. I spent over a year following the progress of various Dr. Diep patients. His YouTube videos are what really sold me. There are other doctors out there that have great reputations, but I feel that very few of them can achieve the same density with the number of grafts he works with. Let me know if you have any other questions. Like I said, I don't know much about FUT, but there are probably several threads on this forum that can answer any questions you still have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Anon345 Posted December 25, 2014 Regular Member Share Posted December 25, 2014 Jkm3, I have done pretty much the same thing you have. I have watched the majority of his videos and it looks like he's really good at this and he is one of the few that shows his work on YouTube. So how bad is the pain you did fue which is supposed to be less painful then fut since I will be getting a cut. Was your pain really bad and unbearable? Also what would you rate the pain in the recipient area over the course of the first week. Also after reading your post I checked out some other videos and wanted to let you know that I seen a client who had the front 70% of their scalp done. After a year it looked like front of their hair was similar to what you are concerned about in regards to your hair not matching the back of your hair. After looking really close I wanted to let you know that the new donor hair the patient had matched and looked very close to the thick textured hair he had towards the back 30%. So your hair should be fine once you hit the one year mark hope this helps you not worry too much anymore. Now talk to me about the pain I might experience even though you didn't get a FUT what do you think the pain might be like will I be ok can I bear it, how bad are the shots on a scale of 1-10. Did you recieve shots in the donor area for FUE also? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted May 6, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 6, 2015 Here are some photos I took in between my 8-10 month post op period. There wasn't any noticeable difference in between that time. I just lost the entire detailed post I prepared, including the html enlarged photos (which took me a while to collect) so this post will be simple. I've included attachments below. I will most likely undergo another surgery with Dr. Diep this Fall. The area directly behind my hairline is still quite thin and this limits my styling options. I would like to have uniform density throughout my whole scalp and I feel that I will need around 1500 more grafts to achieve this outcome. Let me know what you guys think about the progress so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Anon345 Posted May 6, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted May 6, 2015 Jkm3, Thank you for the contjnued updates. I can see what you are talking about in regards to the thinning behind your hairline. It's really not bad first of all just to let you know but I would probably feel the same as you after getting this far. In pictures 4, 5, and 6 you can clearly see what is of concern to you. In the majority of the other pictures your hair is dry and you really cannot recognize it but it looks like when you put some gel or wet your hair a little as you said to style it you can notice that it is slightly thinner right behind your hairline. Doing another 1500 if you wish will really make your hair a complete work of art! So far your hair looks great compared to the pre op pictures and reinforces my decision to go with this doc so I want to thank you again for starting this thread. I will be going in pretty soon to get my hair transplant! Thanks and hope your hair grows longer then Rapunzel's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member VegetasWidowsPeak Posted May 6, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted May 6, 2015 You look incredible, I was even more surprised when I read the title and it says 8-10 months. Wow! If I get a result anywhere near close to yours at 10 months with my 2.5k FUE I will be ecstatic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted May 13, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2015 Thanks Anon! Yeah, it's definitly a huge improvement. I appreciate your feedback. Good luck with your surgery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted May 13, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2015 Thanks Vegetas! Good luck with your FUE. Remember, stay out of the sun, eat healthy, and try not to examine your hair every minute. I'll try to update this thread regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Anon345 Posted May 13, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted May 13, 2015 M3 Did you ever wear a hat? My question how long after the procedure can I wear a hat and go out and do things? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Dolph1969 Posted May 13, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted May 13, 2015 That is a fantastic result. Are you on meds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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