24 yrs in the industry with Shapiro Medical, I just did my 1st H.T with FUE

[Zup]

Spanker,

 

I used dermatch for a while, but then a make-up artist from NY, that we worked on, told me about a similar product he used on his clients called Fill-in Powder for Men. The product went on smoother and virtually waterproof, it is a great little product. I never liked the fibers that one shakes on, even though they're more widely used.

 

I've been on Propecia for 16yrs. first at 35....I am 51 today, minimal side effects possibly a slight film on the libido but nothing else from what I can tell. It is an effective med, in fact I have never seen someone NOT respond to it. One should use it not to grow back hair, but to maintain and thicken miniaturized hairs, especially in the crown. If anything can grow back hair Propecia can, but one should use it more to keep and improve quality of hair, regrowth is bonus.

[Zup]

17 days post-op. Hair has grown a bit and not much shedding

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!!!

[haircut]

Thank you for sharing your progress.

 

Merry Christmas!

[wings]

looks great Matt.

 

You are going to have some head of hair on you in 12 months. Can't wait to see the results.

[dsm2894]

Nice job.

 

How many grafts were removed each day and what type of FUE technique did they use?

[Zup]

DMS2894

 

We did approximately 1700fus the 1st day and close to 500fus the 2nd day to blend and fine tune.

 

These days we are using a motorized drill called Aseptico, which allows us to use either a dull or sharp punch. On me they used a .9 diameter sharp punch. Most of our work is done with .8 and .9 punch size.

 

Merry Christmas to all

[Zup]

Here is a layout of my first month and the progress.

 

 

Showing how I could create an appearance of, more or less, a full head of hair using a concealer and the use of a lite application to help through intermediate transition period.

[Squatch]

What are you using Zup?

[haircut]

Wow Matt. That looks great!

 

Just a matter of patience now. Every day after a month will look better.

[Zup]

Haircut.....Thanks again, I appreciate the support.

 

 

Squatch......I have used a concealer that a patient of ours told me about who is a make up artist from NY. It is similar to Dermatch but I feel better, it is called Fill-in powder for Men. The product is softer and applies easier then Dermatch and more waterproof. It is like a shoe polish for the head, it does an awesome job to make thin areas appear full, it is easy to apply, and I have no lack of freedom. I can be as active as I'd like with no fear it will run.....swim, workout, rain, saunas no issue. I've never been a fan of the shake on products.

[Squatch]

Thanks for the reply. Has a great effect.

[Zup]

Squatch.....thanks.

 

The right concealer, applied properly can do wonders.

 

I believe being in this industry for 25 yrs. Many patients in order to get their goals meet will need everything.....transplants to add hair, meds to keep hair and concealers to enhance.

 

Ultimately at SMG, I encourage patients to rely as much as possible on meds and concealers for the crown. WHY? Because they work best there and secondly we don't want to use any more hair in the crown than needed, in that we are dealing with a limited donor source, and want to make sure we always have enough to get the front where the patient wants it.

[Spanker]

I'm not a big fan of concealer for the front. It can also become a crutch to where people aren't happy without them and that's an anchor I don't want tied around my leg. I already take 2 meds daily. I think the ultimate goal through transplantation is not to need them, especially in the hairline. That said, you are really good at application. The post op with concealer is a great pic. Good luck.

[Zup]

Spanker

 

In general, I understand completely and agree.

 

I fell into using it one summer when I went too short with my hair on top. I had pale skin and the front third was broken up and patchy. To eliminate contrast and make it look more uniform I started using Dermatch. Initially, I had plenty of hair and the concealer just blocked the visibility of the scalp and if you don't see scalp you look full. Eventually, as one gets thinner one starts to need more of the product and there comes the chance others start to see it, especially in the front. But for some, done right the concealer can walk one right up to the prefect time to do a transplant.

 

You don't color in bald spots with these products they're used for thin areas and preferably not the hairline. In many cases they're great for patients who are pre-mature for a transplant, they're thinner then they want to be but not thin enough to do surgery. The patient sees scalp, but the space may be more due to the hair being miniaturized then actual loss and by doing surgery we may cause more harm then good by knocking out weak hair or decrease the level of improvement where the patient does not see much change.

 

It is not surprising, if one hasn't considered a concealer or are aware of them.....the patient will generally want nothing to do with them because they never thought about them. I was the same. Nearly every patient that has shrugged his head and said I just wouldn't do that. I've changed most of their opinions by showing them what they can do.

 

 

Ideally, I do feel it is best for the mid and back third of the top of the head or patients who are pre-mature and need to wait a bit longer before doing a transplant. The great thing is it can generally satisfy ones needs in the immediate stages when they're not a great candidate and walk them right up to the point in which they are.

 

 

If one goals are realistic and they only end up having minor to moderate hair loss they should be able to meet their goals with transplantation, only.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Zup

[Zup]

2.5 months out......sitting in the limbo period.

 

Getting by with a little concealer to darken things a bit (but you can't use too much when it is thin) and make things look more uniform.

 

The transition period was my biggest concern going into surgery. It isn't easy plus you are anxious but there are little tricks that can help.

 

It is best to take your mind off the transplant after doing it, until 4 mths because you are just not going to see much.

 

Coping.

 

Here are my 2.5 photos using a concealer.

[Squatch]

Thanks for the update Zup!

[home1212]

looking great! continued success in your healing & growth ..

[aaron1234]

Haven't been on the forums for years but had to come back to say congrats Zup! Looking great and I hope you are pleased with the results in the coming months. Be patient, you know the drill. Hope you're doing well.

[Zup]

Thanks

 

Thanks

 

Thanks

 

Nice to bring you out of the woodwork, Aaron.

[haircut]

I must say, at 2.5 months, this looks great! Every day from now is a bonus

 

The concealer does a great job!

 

At 2.5 months, you could do a round of SMP to get you over the hump.

 

IMHO, this looks great Zup!

[Spanker]

What color and brand are you using?

[Loki]

Zup I am not sure you remember me I was there to see Dr. Ron early feb. Look great man and I had no idea you used any concealer. Look great!!!

[Gram]

The claims of that concealer about "procapil" have me disliking it immediately but I have to admit he looks great

[Zup]

Gram: I definitely do not use it for any claims made on "Procapil". I use it for the cosmetic benefit, easy to apply, not messy and waterproof.

 

Spanker:Product is fill-in Powder for men and I use black. My hair is no where near black, but a perfect match is not necessary, I believe it is best to go darker.

[Pcrudance2006]

Looking good Zup. I've just posted my 6 month update, very happy.