Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 2, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 2, 2015 (edited) Looking to go back in during the next couple weeks and get another 600 grafts or so in order to do the temple points....he left two areas untouched from where he took the original FUE so they will be perfect areas to take the temple points from. These are pre-op pics and also 1-2 day post OP. All were done in the hairline (where I was totally bald) and the very thinning frontal forelock-type area. The original plan was to do 3,000 FUT....but on the day of surgery, it was mutually agreed that FUT may not be the best scenario given I have a bit less density on my sides/back and that I do normally wear my hair a bit shorter on the sides/back. It just wasn't worth the risk in the small event the scar widened, etc. Pain....hardly any. A 2 on a scale of 1-10. Hardest part of the surgery was sitting in uncomfortable positions for long periods of time. I took pain pills for one day and probably didn't even need them. Had a bit of swelling yesterday (Clingon style) but really iced it a lot and massaged it last night....swelling is much less today)....have a small bruise right under the hairline as you can probably see....quite normal, will be gone by the weekend probably. Edited January 14, 2016 by David - Moderator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 1978matt Posted April 2, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 2, 2015 Nice! Definitely a good choice to go FUE as you have the facial features to pull off shorter hairstyles. Get ready now for the longest 4-5 months of your life! 4,312 FUT grafts (7,676 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2013 1,145 FUE grafts (3,152 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - August 2018 763 FUE grafts (2,094 hairs) with Ray Konior, MD - January 2020 Proscar 1.25mg every 3rd day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 2, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 2, 2015 Thanks, brother....you were definitely an inspiration throughout this process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member hairisimportant Posted April 2, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted April 2, 2015 Nice buddy I had 2010 grafts Hope you get fantastic results happy growing Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Squatch Posted April 2, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 2, 2015 Nice clean job! Keep us updated. Dr.Gabel 3972 FUT 11/3/14 Progress/Results Below http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/177388-3972-fut-dr-gabel.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 2youngforthis Posted April 2, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 2, 2015 nice.. i like how we ask for FUE from dr K and we get it!!!.. but yeah you are clearly thin so i wouldn't want a bad scar.. not saying dr k would Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 2, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 2, 2015 (edited) Great think about Dr. K is he is honest with you and gives you options. If you want to wear your hair longer, then FUT is cool. If you want to wear it thinner, he obviously says FUE is better. Like he said....hey, you can get FUE now and if you decide later in life you will wear your hair longer, then you can always go back and get a strip taken....versus if you get FUT now and decide you never want to wear your hair long, you kind of already did the damage. VERY clean work on top and on donor area. I see some FUE and there are whiteheads everywhere and it just looks weird initially (even though the results might still be really good). Konior is known for having clean donor and recipient sites, FUE or FUT. Bleeding was next to none (and I'm an oozer....so I probably bleed a bit more than the normal person). I really can't say enough about the procedure....FUE is more like a teeth cleaning than say...a tooth extraction. It's that simple. Like I said, I'm chomping at the bit to get the temples done here in the next week or two.....because I've never really had very strong temples (even as a child), it's just how my mother is and her side of the family. Won't lie....I wouldn't mind moving the hairline down another centimeter....it looks that great. I'm probably a bit hair greedy, though! I'll try to get a pic of the donor site in the next day or two, I just went in an hour ago and they cleaned it/re-bandaged it but they said it looks great, healing very nicely. Edited April 4, 2015 by matt3480 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member NM156 Posted April 3, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted April 3, 2015 Looking to go back in during the next couple weeks and get another 600 grafts or so in order to do the temple points....he left two areas untouched from where he took the original FUE so they will be perfect areas to take the temple points from. These are pre-op pics and also 1-2 day post OP. All were done in the hairline (where I was totally bald) and the very thinning frontal forelock-type area. The original plan was to do 3,000 FUT....but on the day of surgery, it was mutually agreed that FUT may not be the best scenario given I have a bit less density on my sides/back and that I do normally wear my hair a bit shorter on the sides/back. It just wasn't worth the risk in the small event the scar widened, etc. Pain....hardly any. A 2 on a scale of 1-10. Hardest part of the surgery was sitting in uncomfortable positions for long periods of time. I took pain pills for one day and probably didn't even need them. Had a bit of swelling yesterday (Clingon style) but really iced it a lot and massaged it last night....swelling is much less today)....have a small bruise right under the hairline as you can probably see....quite normal, will be gone by the weekend probably. Hi Matt, Congrats on your procedure. Did you both plan on maybe going FUE before surgery day? I'm thinking it would be hard to plan finances with a last minute change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 3, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 3, 2015 NM, believe it or not, FUE never entered into my mind....ever. Luckily I was in a position where the money difference wasn't going to stop me from getting the surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Squatch Posted April 3, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 3, 2015 The real question is...... How in the hell do we wipe that smile off your face? Dr.Gabel 3972 FUT 11/3/14 Progress/Results Below http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/177388-3972-fut-dr-gabel.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 3, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 3, 2015 Also, 2young, yes, that was why it was a hard decision.....because I know Dr. K's scars are almost invisible. If it were any other doctor, I would have picked FUE fast because I wouldn't have trusted anyone else. Also, I know there has been some talk about lack of FUE results by Konior.....but I do believe that a lot of the results you see are people with advanced hair loss....and FUE just isn't the greatest option when your hair loss is that advanced in terms of yield. It's just easier, faster, and cheaper to get FUT if you need a big job....and even if you need a smaller job, FUT is still quicker and cheaper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 3, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 3, 2015 (edited) Donor site pic.....yeah, it's THAT clean (also can see no discharge, no blood, nothing on the gauze). It hasn't even been 48 hours and this is taken directly in the light and out of the light. I imagine by the end of the weekend it will be completely normal again.... Edited January 14, 2016 by David - Moderator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member MAGNUMpi Posted April 3, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 3, 2015 Looks really good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 4, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 4, 2015 (edited) Got the bandage on the back off today....everything looks great still. I feel great...I look great, not much more to say. I haven't been outside without a hat or heavy Dermmatch and careful styling to cover up my balding.....in literally 8-10 years. I'm re-invigorated. I never realized how much this negatively affected my life. Have an appointment April 17 to get the temples done.... By the way, that scar in the pic of my donor obviously isn't from the procedure (was from stitches when I was a kid). Maybe I'll have him FUE it next time, LOL... Edited April 4, 2015 by matt3480 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member aldoury Posted April 4, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted April 4, 2015 wow very nice and net procedure ! I am wondering how much did the doctor charge you per graft? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member thatoldchestnut Posted April 4, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 4, 2015 Dang, that work looks absurdly clean. Really glad this has been such a positive experience for you! Dr. K sounds like a stand-up guy as well as a dynamite surgeon. Happy growing, sir! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 5, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 5, 2015 Day 5...not much new to report. Seems some of the redness has definitely gone away the last day or so on the recipient area. I've been spraying with saline quite a lot up there. Still have scabbing.....mostly right at the hairline. That has gone down the last day or so, too.....I expect to make big progress there in the next 2-3 days according to the normal timelines for scabs coming off. Pretty much no swelling left (was some on my forehead initially). Had the urge to itch a little bit on day 2 and 3 (I obviously didn't itch but instead sprayed it with saline)....but that has completely gone away the last 2 days. Donor area is a bit sore....after all, it hasn't even been 5 full days, yet....but nothing big....maybe a 3 on a scale of 1-10 (I figured I might as well take the hydrocodone which obviously takes care of that). Looks real clean, though....you wouldn't be able to see anything done unless you looked right up close and directly in light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 2youngforthis Posted April 5, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 5, 2015 New pics when you can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 6, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 6, 2015 (edited) OK, some new pics....just taken. A lot of the scabs came off last night while I was sleeping it seems. On the downside, due to this, the urge came back to itch A TON last night (but again, I obviously didn't). Most of the scabs are still right at the hairline where he seems to pack them a bit closer....but that area got a lot better from last night, too. Donor area is just about unnoticeable and it hasn't even been 6 full days....if you knew to look for small red dots and were directly in light and inches away, you would see them. I'm imagine within a couple days they will be undetectable from up close, too (once red goes away and hair grows a tad). I'd definitely going to have him through some grafts into that Nike swoosh scar when I see him again.... Edited January 14, 2016 by David - Moderator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Shadow of the EMpire State Posted April 6, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 6, 2015 Dimensions and angles can be tough to judge from photographs, but I wonder whether the hairline is low enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 6, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 6, 2015 (edited) That pic was taken from above....it wasn't the greatest angle. You have to remember one's juvenile hairline started at the upper most wrinkle (when you wrinkle your forehead). I only have the width of my index finger between where that juvenile hairline was and where the hairline starts now (which is about a half inch). They say normally a mature hairline recedes about 1-2 cm at the lowest point of the hairline (and normally 2-4 cm at the temples) from where the juvenile hairline is. Not sure if I said.....but I'm 35, not exactly a teen anymore. I think it's about 2.5 to 2.75 inches from the top of my eyebrow to my hairline now...and that's pretty normal for guys from what I've read (distance from top of eyebrows to hairline should be 1/3 length of your face....and my face is about 8 1/8 inches from lowest point of hairline to bottom of chin). I think the temple point reconstruction will also help with this perceived distance....it will give a better depth perception to where my hairline is versus my eyebrows, etc. That being said....I wouldn't mind exploring lowering the hairline maybe a centimeter sometime next year after the growth has come in, but I think the hairline was well placed here for the initial pass. Edited April 6, 2015 by matt3480 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member 2youngforthis Posted April 6, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 6, 2015 Looks great so far. Wishing you nothing but the best. Looks as though you will have Hollywood hair soon. With just some receding in the frontal region you will be good. Worst case another 1000 to give you crazy density. Lucky that's all the loss you have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt1164 Posted April 9, 2015 Senior Member Share Posted April 9, 2015 wow that a great result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Croatia44 Posted April 10, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted April 10, 2015 Congrats! looks awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member matt3480 Posted April 10, 2015 Author Senior Member Share Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) Not much new to report. Post-op instructions said it was OK to start gently massaging off the crusts 7 days after. I waited a couple days later just to be safe. I just used a very gentle circular motion (while my hair and the crusts were soaked in the shower) and they all came off within 2 days of showering and doing this (no blood, very few hairs came off, too). Still a bit red as expected...especially at the hairline...but that has improved since the crusts came off. Had a little bit of pain start last Sunday when touching a spot or two in the donor area. I was initially a bit concerned as the outside looked healed up (no scabs, nothing). Was a bit hard to sleep Tuesday and Wednesday nights because the pain is on the back of your head....so really uncomfortable obviously lying down and putting pressure on that exact area. Emailed Dr. K (who was very quick to reply) and he recommended ibuprofen, which has worked great for the pain. Slept pretty good last night! I've done some searching and this can happen (overreactive nerves...plus he had to numb me a second time towards the end)....nothing really to worry about...it seemed to subside within a couple weeks in most people (Dr. K said it still could take up to 6-8 weeks as it's soft tissue). The schedule is to get the temple points done next Friday.... These are pics from today of the donor and recipient....donor looks normal from afar (can still see some of the red dots if you are 2-3 inches away as seen in one very close up/enlarged pic). My hair probably isn't any longer than a 1 guard now (as that childhood scar seen in the pic of my donor is completely invisible when it's a 2 guard length). Edited January 14, 2016 by David - Moderator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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