Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 14, 2016 Administrators Share Posted October 14, 2016 Well guys, yesterday was my third FUE procedure 2nd with Dr. Diep, so in total i've had around 5,300-5,400 grafts all via FUE. I stayed at the Bristol Hotel literally 1 mile away from Dr. Diep's office, surgery was at 7:30 AM, I woke up had breakfast which was complimentary of the hotel, I arrived at Dr. Diep's around 7:38, they handed me the lunch menu, a variety of different places, being the American I am I chose a burger place lol. Once Dr. Diep came in we went in to his office he asked me what my plan was for this procedure, he also did advise me that due to my previous surgeries my donor was limited so we would have to be smart in our strategy, we both agreed that 500 grafts in the midscalp behind the forelock and the rest in the upper portion of the crown with my density on the left to comb from left to right and on the right to comb right downward would be best for me. It's important to be realistic and understand the limitations of supply and demand. So he drew the areas that we were going to work on that day. I have to say my experience with Dr. Diep was very pleasant, the previous procedure I was pretty much knocked out the whole time, this time I was awake for quite a bit, I was awake for the extractions which I can assure are done by Dr.Diep, the recipient sites as well, I nodded off once the grafts were placed. I made a FATAL mistake when my GF was driving me home I was still kinda drugged up, I live in LA so its a 5 hour drive from the Bay area, she braked hard and I hit my head on the dashboard, some blood came out coincidentally Dr. Diep had texted me to see if everything was okay, i told him what happened and texted him the pictures he said unfortunately some of those grafts may have been lost, the good thing is that it was only a small portion, he said not to touch the recipient area and keep the surgical cap on. I'm really kicking myself for not being careful out of three surgeries this was the first time this happened . Oh well if anything it was only maybe 3-4 grafts that were damaged but still when you're a Norwood 6 grafts are weighted in gold. Anyways now I'm sitting at home and as promised I will be documenting my procedure, here are some pics taken pre-op and post op along with my donor area at the moment. Pre-Op crown photo, the top portion where the circles are marked are the areas that would receive the most density Pre-OP midscalp the circle just above my frontal forelock, this area when grown out will maximize the layering effect when I comb from left to right or if I decide to slick my hair back The damaged grafts of when I hit my head :mad: Crown post op, Dr. Diep was surprised he was able to cover that much Mid Scalp the red bloody spots were from yesterday preying that they can survive by some miracle Back donor area Left side view Right side view I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Kpat131 Posted October 14, 2016 Regular Member Share Posted October 14, 2016 Hey, sorry to hear about your little guys. I'm sure they'll be OK. They may have gotten just tossed around a bit. Yes he did do a lot. It's going to be a great result. I'm glad your experience with Dr. Diep went well as I am a 25 day post op with Dr. D. Thanks for posting, keep us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 14, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted October 14, 2016 Thanks dude, I really hope hope they survive, I will make sure this thread is updated every month, to show the good the bad and the ugly, i'm sure around 1 month its going to be ugly, once the ugly duckling stage hits, looking forward to your updates as well happy growing;) I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member E39 Posted October 14, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 14, 2016 Congrats on your procedure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 14, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted October 14, 2016 Congrats on your procedure! So did you go in yesterday to Dr. Diep's? How long was the wait? I think when I asked him he said around 6 months:eek: I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member mosd Posted October 14, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 14, 2016 one of your pictures shows how important right strategy with good styling is important. When you style it looks like full head of hair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 14, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted October 14, 2016 one of your pictures shows how important right strategy with good styling is important. When you style it looks like full head of hair. Absolutely, full disclosure is necessary, I try to be as honest as possible, different things come in to play with a successful hair transplant, head size, hair caliber, hair density and styling. If all of those things are checked, you can seemingly have a full head of hair, but its important to remember it's only an illusion, but hey i'll take what I can get I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member n00b Posted October 14, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 14, 2016 Absolutely, full disclosure is necessary, I try to be as honest as possible, different things come in to play with a successful hair transplant, head size, hair caliber, hair density and styling. If all of those things are checked, you can seemingly have a full head of hair, but its important to remember it's only an illusion, but hey i'll take what I can get Congrats on your procedure HTsoon Looking forward for your updates... I agree the HTs are an illusion and not true density. Do you happen to know your numbers on head size, hair caliber, etc... I was wondering if its possible to calculate your coverage value discussed by Dr.Lorenzo in his recent post in this forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member spyk777 Posted October 14, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 14, 2016 congrats HTs. looking forward to the updates. Wish you the very best of growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ontop Posted October 14, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 14, 2016 Congratulations sit back & chill, you know the drill especially this next 7 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 14, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted October 14, 2016 Congrats on your procedure HTsoon Looking forward for your updates... I agree the HTs are an illusion and not true density. Do you happen to know your numbers on head size, hair caliber, etc... I was wondering if its possible to calculate your coverage value discussed by Dr.Lorenzo in his recent post in this forum Hey n00b unfortunately Dr. Diep does not posses a tool to measure microns, I did however measure the area of which I was balding which is about 100cm2, I believe the general measurement for a Norwood 6 is around 120 cm2. When I wear fitted hats I always get a small which is around 21 5/8 in inches. I really hated having such a small head, impossible to find hats, but I guess there is a silver lining. I will try and find out the micron of my hair, I don't think its as high as you may think, I would measure it at medium coarse just by my guess. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hsrp10 Posted October 15, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 15, 2016 Congrats and good healing to you! Looks like clean work. Dr Diep has gotten my attention recently and I could see myself going to him for minor mid-scalp work if I decide to permanently stay off Fin (it kills my sleep). go dense or go home Unbiased advice and opinions based on 25 plus years of researching and actual experience with hair loss, hair restoration via both FUT & FUE, SMP, scalp issues including scalp eczema & seborrheic dermatitis and many others HSRP10's favorite FUT surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr Hasson, Dr. Rahal HSRP10's favorite FUE surgeons: *Dr. Konior, *Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Erdogan, Dr. Couto (*indicates actual experience with doctor) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member E39 Posted October 15, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 15, 2016 So did you go in yesterday to Dr. Diep's? How long was the wait? I think when I asked him he said around 6 months:eek: Yes I did! He told me 5-6 months. My vids should be on YouTube soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 15, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted October 15, 2016 Yes I did! He told me 5-6 months. My vids should be on YouTube soon. Awesome dude let me know when it comes out. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member E39 Posted October 15, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 15, 2016 Awesome dude let me know when it comes out. For sure! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member n00b Posted October 15, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 15, 2016 Hey n00b unfortunately Dr. Diep does not posses a tool to measure microns, I did however measure the area of which I was balding which is about 100cm2, I believe the general measurement for a Norwood 6 is around 120 cm2. When I wear fitted hats I always get a small which is around 21 5/8 in inches. I really hated having such a small head, impossible to find hats, but I guess there is a silver lining. I will try and find out the micron of my hair, I don't think its as high as you may think, I would measure it at medium coarse just by my guess. Thanks for the response HTsoon... May I ask how you measured the balding area? I was under the impression that general norwood 6 area is about 180-200cm2. Take rest & happy growing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mick50 Posted October 15, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 15, 2016 Best of luck HTsoon , I wouldn't worry too much about hitting your head I did the same getting into a taxi , maybe lost 3-4 grafts ,you'll soon forget about it once your hair grows in. I agree about the illusion of density ,I never really liked that description, but for us high NW'S t's true ,even for someone like you who has had successful growth, but I have to say in most lighting situations as I'm sure you agree the illusion is pretty convincing . Look forward to seeing your progress especially in the crown as mine is pretty similar to yours ,best of luck again, although I don't think luck is going to play much of a part, 3rd HT is going to make a huge difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 15, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted October 15, 2016 Thanks for the response HTsoon... May I ask how you measured the balding area? I was under the impression that general norwood 6 area is about 180-200cm2. Take rest & happy growing... I just measured my head length and width and inches and converted online to cm2 but now I see i wasn't using square inches lol so it's probably wrong. Not sure how else I'd measure in cm2. Best of luck HTsoon , I wouldn't worry too much about hitting your head I did the same getting into a taxi ,maybe lost 3-4 grafts ,you'll soon forget about it once your hair grows in. I agree about the illusion of density ,I never really liked that description, but for us high NW'S t's true ,even for someone like you who has had successful growth, but I have to say in most lighting situations as I'm sure you agree the illusion is pretty convincing . Look forward to seeing your progress especially in the crown as mine is pretty similar to yours ,best of luck again, although I don't think luck is going to play much of a part, 3rd HT is going to make a huge difference. Thanks mick, yea I agree with my day to day styling even under direct sunlight it's convincing. The crown is really the thing that gets me, I'll be happy with being able to style my crown and make it look convincing not looking for true density just to be crafty. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member jkm3 Posted October 15, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 15, 2016 Congratulations on the third transplant! It should thicken your hair up quite a bit. I saw that you and Mick50 mentioned hair transplants create an illusion of density. That statement is absoltely true for those on the higher end of the Norwood scale. But i'm now certain that with the right Doctor, most Norwood 3s and below (with proper donor hair) can achieve natural density that will look full and dense with any hair style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 16, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted October 16, 2016 Alright guys I need opinions, originally I thought I was going to be able to get away with combing over the shaved areas of my head, now that i'm looking at the pictures it's looking rather ridiculous and I think I may just have to shave my head . I return to work on November 2nd, so i still got about 17 days before I go back. What do you guys think? here is a photo of it damp and somewhat combed over. I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ontop Posted October 16, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 16, 2016 (edited) I'm surprised you didn't buzz it prior surgery with your solid hairline now. To me it will look less noticeable than chunks taken from different part of your scalp & surely it be much easyer to maintain especially now. My opinion would buzz it down, I kinda wished you did that say a wk before you took off from work then people would of get used to it & then no biggy when you returned back . Your call buddy, but I think it would look pretty good buzzed at this stage of the game. Edited October 16, 2016 by ontop . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member spyk777 Posted October 16, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 16, 2016 Buzzed. Would draw less attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 16, 2016 Author Administrators Share Posted October 16, 2016 Thanks Guys, yea im gonna buzz my head around the 2 week mark, damn I wish I would have buzzed my head before I went on vacation from work, I really thought I was going to be able to disguise it. I've made some mistakes this third procedure lol, hopefully anyone reading this thread doesn't make the same mistakes I made. 1 I’m a paid admin for Hair Transplant Network. I do not receive any compensation from any clinic. My comments are not medical advice. Check out my final hair transplant and topical dutasteride journey: View my thread Topical dutasteride journey Melvin- Managing Publisher and Forum Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog. Follow our Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, and YouTube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ontop Posted October 16, 2016 Senior Member Share Posted October 16, 2016 (edited) Yep we all do HT You got a killer hairline now bud & if I remember your hair grows quite fast & if not just the maintenance alone be worth while. Do you think you can buzz it to a number 1 or even 2 in 2wks? Maybe experiment with some concealer after you buzz it, as you still got native hair in them parts, that may work huh? Edited October 16, 2016 by ontop . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamlevin Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 I'm curious. I'm leaving for my surgery in 10 days. I told the doctor I don't want to shave my head because I have pretty thick hair. But I don't want him to shave the crown in order to work on it. Was it impossible to work in the crown with hair there? Every doctor I have talked to in the US says it won't be a problem to leave the recipient area untouched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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