Norwood 6/7 : FUT with Dr Radha Rani - 3400 Grafts

[BlackPanther]

Dear all,

 

First and foremost, I would like to thank the forum members who helped me make an informed decision about the surgeon I chose for hair transplant. Without knowing a lot of real life people close to me who have had hair transplants, it was a difficult decision to make and I hope my choice wouldn't prove to be a ba(l)d one 12 months down the line.

 

A bit of back ground about myself, I started losing hair when i was 20 years of age starting with receding frontal hairline. I knew it was my fate since both my dad and my uncles from mother's side are all bald ( Norwood-7). I initially had to put up with a lot of misery but 5 years ago I shaved my head completely and sported a full bald look with french beard and got lot of complements for the look. I was so glad that I made that decision. Post that, I have traveled around my country (India) and across Europe due to business needs and I never felt confidence level going low whenever I interact with my clients or colleagues. I was proud of my full clean shaven bald look I sported.

 

However, due to cultural reasons in my country, bald people find it difficult to get a proper bride in arranged marriage customs irrespective of how well settled in life you are. Plus, you always have your relatives talking about your hair loss in every function you meet them. Again, cultural differences !

 

So i decided to go with the most recent and proven hair restoration techniques and was led to believe that FUT hair transplant will be the one for me. After some research i came across this site, went through the list of recommended surgeons in India and chose Dr Radha Rani since I never found a negative feedback about her work or the results. After few phone calls and email conversations, I got my surgery booked on March 21st, 2015. She did clearly tell me that my hair loss is extensive ( Norwood 6 almost approaching Norwood 7 ) and i would need 4000 to 5000 grafts to cover just the top of the head and i would need second session for complete coverage. What i did not realize however was that the success of the complete coverage look is heavily dependent on the number of donor grafts, surgeon could extract which means there is a possibility i could not get my crown covered at all even if i opt for a second/third hair transplant.

 

I arrived at the clinic 8:15 in the morning on the 21st March. It was regional new year and everyone seemed to be so happy in the clinic. After some blood/BP tests and an hour wait, i met Dr Radha. We talked for 30 minutes or so where we discussed about what my expectations are. She then told me couple of hard hitting facts.

 

i) I will not be able to go back to my clean shaven look even if i wanted to because of the scar at my donor site.

ii) Because of my extensive hair loss, she might not be able to cover my crown even i wanted to go for second/third transplants.

 

It was hard to digest but i decided to go ahead with the transplantation but have realistic expectations. Firstly, i told her i don't want a very low hairline and i will be content with a matured looking hairline. She was glad to hear that and then told me she might be able to extract 2800 grafts in first session and might be able to cover the front and half of the top. I was then taken to the surgery room. No complaints about the surgery room. I was given local anesthesia and first two hours went with no pain or discomfort when they extracted the strip from my donor site.I think i slept for an hour or so during this period. I was later told that they were able to extract 3400 grafts.

 

We then had a short lunch break and then went back in for the incision and planting of grafts. I was given local anesthesia again and I think slept for an hour or so again when pain started kicking in. There was a lot of pain at the donor site mostly because i was resting on the back which means pressure at the donor. She asked me to take 5 minutes break to relax my neck. The surgery started again and they gave me another dose of anesthesia. I slept for another 2 hours and pain started again. Doctor told me that generally anesthesia generally holds good for 2 hours but it was wearing off quickly due to slightly excess loss of blood. Another dose of anesthesia was given ( i think ) but i could not sleep this time. I could feel the needles drilling at the top of my head. I am not trying to scare people off but this was my experience but again doctor said i bled more than others.

 

I was given a couple of tablets and slept peacefully that night. Next day i went to the clinic for checkup and washing my head. Doctor found no issues except for minor bleeding at one or two donor stitches. I was then given a set of post operative instructions which I am now following religiously.

 

It has now been 1 week after my surgery. I have attached photos taken couple of hours back. I am scheduled to meet my local doctor tomorrow for having the sutures (nylon ones) removed. I am slightly worried because there was minor bleeding at one of the donor sutures yesterday which i think is because i hurt it during my sleep.I am planning to talk to the doctor tomorrow to see if it is going to be a problem.

 

 

I would appreciate feedback on the photos and your advice on my future hair transplant procedures.

 

Thanks in advance.

[KO]

Good luck, it is a difficult case. I agree that the shaved bald look suited you well especially given your darker skin tone. India sucks for bald men to be sure.

[BlackPanther]

That is a bit disappointing. If I end up having not enough donor hairs for crown coverage in the next FUT, like Radha seem to believe, can I think about FUE or BHT ? I do have comparatively larger head size but lot of body hairs. I noticed that there are few Indian surgeons, Bhatti for eg, recommended by this forum who do BHT. What i don't want is end up looking worse with hair than i did without hair.

[Khali]

I went to Dr Radha for my first transplant. My issue is my donor density is really low. In my hair transplant I only got a little above 2600 grafts extracted. I asked Dr Radha about BHT, and she said she doesn't specialize in that area. The other problem is I live in a windy country like Canada. So the wind always tends to mess up my hair, and as a result it further exposes the little hair I have. Therefore, I decided for my next transplant I am going to leave the crown area and focus on the density of the frontal zone and mid scalp. My issue right now is due to low density I always get people staring and my see through scalp. This prevents me from communicating. Sadly, its the Desis who do this the most. Anyway I have contacted Dr Suneet Soni and he says he can also do BHT. This means he will be able to remove hair from the beard and chest area for more density and coverage.

 

By the way did Dr Radha tell you about how much density you got from the transplantation ?

[sutureless]

I see plenty of nape of neck hair, I do not see a problem in harvesting for future procedures for covering the crown!. But I do nt know if this is a good DHT resistant area. I myself being a newbie too.

 

I think you will get decent results with this procedure. The crown can be covered using BHT (beard hairs or chest hairs), so I think in 8-10 months time when the hairs fully grow out you will be in good shape.

 

Tejinder Bhatti does BHT and there must be many other surgeons in India doing BHT. Though I have no idea of the quality of their work though Dr. Bhatti is recommended by this forum.

[fortune11]

BlackPanther -- I understand you are nervous after your very first HT but give it time to grow and you may find it could turn out to be a good decision after all. I have been through 2HTs myself and currently in the growth phase of the 3rd one . One thing which helped me personally was changing my hair style . i used to comb the hair forward in caesar style - what that ended up doing was reducing coverage in the mid scalp area and also decreasing the "height " of my hair cover above the head. Now I am growing my hair long and combing it back . This style gives me more coverage , less see-through, and also increases this "height" , framing my face better and giving it a more professional (compared to what was before) and taller appearance .

 

Over time , you will find that your conservative hairline will actually look better and more suited to your age . If you still feel the need to buzz your head close , there are options available in terms of FUE into scar and SMP . Nonetheless , fully shaving it down will not be an option just as your doctor said . WHile being able to shave your head may be a big thing when you are young and no doubt given your built and complexion , you will look very good in it for now --- it does get more difficult to pull off as you head into middle age and find it harder to maintain the same slick / cut physique . This is obviously my personal opinion.

[KO]

BlackPanther -- I understand you are nervous after your very first HT but give it time to grow and you may find it could turn out to be a good decision after all. I have been through 2HTs myself and currently in the growth phase of the 3rd one . One thing which helped me personally was changing my hair style . i used to comb the hair forward in caesar style - what that ended up doing was reducing coverage in the mid scalp area and also decreasing the "height " of my hair cover above the head. Now I am growing my hair long and combing it back . This style gives me more coverage , less see-through, and also increases this "height" , framing my face better and giving it a more professional (compared to what was before) and taller appearance .

 

 

 

Interesting idea. I've always done the caesar style thing even before hair loss. Any pics?

[sutureless]

BlackPanther -- I understand you are nervous after your very first HT but give it time to grow and you may find it could turn out to be a good decision after all. I have been through 2HTs myself and currently in the growth phase of the 3rd one . One thing which helped me personally was changing my hair style . i used to comb the hair forward in caesar style - what that ended up doing was reducing coverage in the mid scalp area and also decreasing the "height " of my hair cover above the head. Now I am growing my hair long and combing it back . This style gives me more coverage , less see-through, and also increases this "height" , framing my face better and giving it a more professional (compared to what was before) and taller appearance .

 

Over time , you will find that your conservative hairline will actually look better and more suited to your age . If you still feel the need to buzz your head close , there are options available in terms of FUE into scar and SMP . Nonetheless , fully shaving it down will not be an option just as your doctor said . WHile being able to shave your head may be a big thing when you are young and no doubt given your built and complexion , you will look very good in it for now --- it does get more difficult to pull off as you head into middle age and find it harder to maintain the same slick / cut physique . This is obviously my personal opinion.

 

 

Yes, very interesting. Also for your second and third procedures, were they for adding thickness to the already grafted areas?, or were there problems with transplanted hairs from before?.

[BlackPanther]

Thanks for the responses so far. To be honest, I never really have any thoughts about how i want to style my hair. I wanted to visit a hair stylist after i see full growth of my first hair transplant procedure and then see what suits me better. That might also influence my decision on future HT. What i am more worried about is if i will run out of donor hairs for complete coverage and end with a big bald spot on my crown region especially when there is no going back to full head shave.

 

I also don't want to get stuck with multiple hair transplantation procedures year after year. I want to move on with my life not worrying too much about hair.

Edited March 30, 2015 by BlackPanther

[Kootrapali]

Hello Every one

 

This is my first post

 

@black panther :

 

1) Hard hitting facts are damn hard to digest

2) Talking about indian society .... hair is one important factor for marriage ( I am realizing it now .... ) ... this mentality suxxxxxx

 

One Question

 

1) I wanted to know how are you hiding that raw scar at this point of time?

 

Just want to wish you best of luck .... i pray everything turns out well

[BlackPanther]

Hello Every one

 

This is my first post

 

@black panther :

 

1) Hard hitting facts are damn hard to digest

2) Talking about indian society .... hair is one important factor for marriage ( I am realizing it now .... ) ... this mentality suxxxxxx

 

One Question

 

1) I wanted to know how are you hiding that raw scar at this point of time?

 

Just want to wish you best of luck .... i pray everything turns out well

 

I have been working from home for 8 days now after the surgery and getting the nylon stitches removed later today. I will be back to office as usual from tomorrow and i don't mind showing off the scar. Sure it will look less scary after the nylon sutures are removed.

 

Thank you for the wishes. I hope it all turns out well.I will keep the forum updated on the progress

[fortune11]

Interesting idea. I've always done the caesar style thing even before hair loss. Any pics?

 

Here is pic, pre op HT # 3 . The hair you see in the front is all from HT #1 and HT #2 -- while I wasn't a full on NW 5+ when I embarked on the HT journey, I know this since the HT hair is lot thicker than the miniaturized native hair , of which I have very few left in the frontal tuft area .

 

The "height " I referred to is this visual effect . If I had combed the same hair flat down caesar style, it would probably be 1/3 of the height you see right now . donor hair is generally coarser than native hair (for diffuse thinners like me) and hence is able to stay " in definition " a lot longer throughout the day, whereas before , my native hair would quickly get messed up whenever a draft of wind would hit my head .

[fortune11]

Yes, very interesting. Also for your second and third procedures, were they for adding thickness to the already grafted areas?, or were there problems with transplanted hairs from before?.

 

My first HT was purely focused on hairline . Second was focused on frontal third and some hairline and this third HT is focused purely on mid scalp . I have not addressed the crown area yet . There were no problems from previous transplants (all FUTs), just that I have a big scalp (sigh) and a lot of area that needs coverage . Big scalp is also the reason i absolutely cannot shave my head as it looks kinda awkward .

 

I will go for one last HT , whenever I can find 5-6 weeks of downtime --- that will be FUE to touch up the crown . I have some donor left in the back , but not much in the sides.

[BlackPanther]

My first HT was purely focused on hairline . Second was focused on frontal third and some hairline and this third HT is focused purely on mid scalp . I have not addressed the crown area yet . There were no problems from previous transplants (all FUTs), just that I have a big scalp (sigh) and a lot of area that needs coverage . Big scalp is also the reason i absolutely cannot shave my head as it looks kinda awkward .

 

I will go for one last HT , whenever I can find 5-6 weeks of downtime --- that will be FUE to touch up the crown . I have some donor left in the back , but not much in the sides.

Thanks fortune11. This post gives me an insight on what I could expect for my future HT plans. I might just travel down the same road as yours since you too seem to have a bigger scalp. Can you please tell me the number of grafts transplanted during each of your 3 HT sessions and how much grafts you expect to get your crown filled ? Have you not thought about BHT ?

[Khali]

Blackpanther did you know how many grafts per cm Dr Radha implanted ?

[BlackPanther]

Blackpanther did you know how many grafts per cm Dr Radha implanted ?

I think its 30 grafts per cm. Not too sure. Is that the standard ? Does the density look OK ?

[BlackPanther]

These pics are taken after removing the nylon sutures. Some of the grafts have started to fall out and I believe its normal.

[Khali]

I think its 30 grafts per cm. Not too sure. Is that the standard ? Does the density look OK ?

 

That's what I got. Good density is usually around 45 grafts per cm. With my low density hair transplant, I still got a change. People are now able to guess my age. Before the hair transplant when I was 27 and I used to tell people my age, and they used to tell me I look much older. However, after the transplant when I was 29, and I used to tell people I am 29 they used to say you look younger.

The problem with a low density hair transplant is that most Desi people still stare through your low density hair transplant. On top of that they don't even feel any shame or any guilt about it. So you can have a conversation, and it will be difficult to finish your sentence because of the discomfort that some people who have no manners cause.

 

Now under shaded areas, and if the light is in front of you, it will look like you have a lot of hair. However, if the light comes from behind then, this is when you will look bald again.

 

Here is an example of a famous cricket player.

Light coming from the back

 

Shaded area.

 

 

This why I would just try to focus on the front and the mid scalp.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Khali

[harin]

These pics are taken after removing the nylon sutures. Some of the grafts have started to fall out and I believe its normal.

 

Yes, from what I have read on this forum it is normal for grafts to fall out.

[BlackPanther]

Thanks Khali. I will wait to see the results and carefully plan the next procedures. At the moment, i cannot visualize how i will look 10 months down the line especially the density in the front. I know for sure that Radha planted a lot of grafts near the hairline. You never know, 1 year down the line I might have more confidence on BHT and could go with that if i don't feel great after my FUT results. OR I could go back to full bald look depending on how worse the scar looks !

Edited April 4, 2015 by BlackPanther

[Khali]

FUT actually gives better results then FUE. The hair is much thicker in FUT and grows longer. However, for BHT you need FUE. Try to look for doctors who specialize in both and BHT.

[chetiansunny]

How do you feel now. Do you have numbness or pain on the scalp,

[chetiansunny]

How do you feel now. Is there numbness or pain in the scalp.

[HairNetworker00]

updates please...wanna see pic of scar development... thanks

[BlackPanther]

updates please...wanna see pic of scar development... thanks

Here you go. Almost all of the transplanted hairs have fallen. So not posting any pic. You could get a glimpse in the same pic in mirror