2800 grafts with Dr Villnow after below par first op in Turkey

[MorganPD]

My first procedure was in May 2015 and was 3900 grafts (however Dr Villnow and another doctor I consulted with both told me that nowhere near 3900 grafts grew)

 

It was in Turkey.

 

I was happy with the reconstruction of my hairline but the density was below par and did not meet my realistic expectations.

 

Photos beore the Turkey operation:

 

 

 

 

 

I do not take hair loss medication. I do not smoke. I do an average amount of cardio vascular excercise. However after 1 month post op I’m planning to do high intensity interval training 4 times a week as I was doing this for a while recently and my body’s reacting really well to it. I had my operation with Dr Villnow at the Villnow Clinic this year. Please read my notes below for my journal. I want to keep it very detailed to help other patients who read the forum.

 

Photos before the operation with Dr Villnow:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Postop 1 week

 

My procedure with Dr Villnow went very well on the day. The clinic itself is really nice and makes you feel comfortable as it's so relaxed and calm. I stayed in The Breidenbacher Hof hotel which is next to the clinic and has its own entrance into the clinic which was really handy.

 

We started extractions bright and early and the technicians extracting them at Dr Villnow's clinic were very focused on what they were doing and ensured I was comfortable. The lady who appeared to be the lead had been doing this job for 20 years which gave me confidence that the grafts were going to be extracted without any issues.

 

Dr Villnow had a close look at my existing hair. I'd already stated that density was my main concern due to an underwhelming hair transplant back in 2015 and Dr Villnow could see that my previous hair transplant wasn't too much of a success. He could see the areas that hadn't grown well and we discussed working from the front of the head and working back adding density. I was happy with my existing hairline so we agreed to not make any major changes to it and focus on adding density.

 

I was then ready for Dr Villnow to begin the incisions. I was surprised that my head wasn't shaven before the incisions but when I asked why we weren't shaving it I was told that Dr Villnow prefers to have the hair longer as he can see how it grows etc. He didn’t mind either way. He used a comb to separate hairs as he was creating the incisions.

 

Once the incisions were complete I opted to have my head shaved as i thought I'd look silly having just the donor area shaved. Once that was done I was ready for the graft placement. This was the most relaxing part.

 

Once we were all done I had a look in the mirror and I was really happy with everything. The grafts looked nice and compact and the work looked very clean. The only downside was that we didn't have enough grafts to add coverage to the crown however I am prepared to have another procedure in the future to cover the crown. My priority was the frontal half of which I think we achieved excellent coverage.

 

1 week progress

 

Things are healing up very nicely and most of the pain has subsided. I have been applying chamomile tea to help alleviate the redness. I'm washing my hair very gently by just dabbing on an organic shampoo. I'm doing this every other day. So far so good!

 

 

 

 

 

[MorganPD]

My 1 month progress.

 

The shedding continues and day by day I notice hairs shedding. I imagine the shedding phase will be complete in a few weeks and then the waiting game will begin.

 

 

 

 

 

[MorganPD]

Here's my photos for 2 months progress:

 

It looks like I’ve come to the end of the shedding phase and it seems like I’m back to exactly how I was pre-op.

 

I’m hoping for some growth to kick in around months 3 to 4 however I know it will only be the start so I’m still trying to be patient. Some doubt creeps in but I have to remind myself that I’ve been in this situation before and that two months is way too early to expect any growth.

 

For the last month I have been exercising regularly as the clinic have noticed better results in those that do regular cardio and also I want to be in the best shape possible for when my hair does start to grow.

 

These photos were taken in very unforgiving light but show quite accurately my progress so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bill - Seemiller]

It looks like the redness is going away and things are healing very nicely. I imagine in a month or two you will start seeing signs of growth :-). Hang in there, growth is coming :-)

 

Bill

[MorganPD]

3 months update. I’m still looking much like I did pre op. It’s very difficult to tell at this moment if I have new growth as it’s practically impossible to tell the difference between my native hair and any new hair. What I have noticed is it feels like I have some very tiny hairs popping through when I touch my head, kind of like stubble but not as thick. The best way for me to see is just compare my monthly photos. I’m hoping the growth is about to begin and fingers crossed I’ll see some changes soon.

 

 

 

 

 

[MorganPD]

4 month update and photos.

 

Some improvement is noticeable from months 3 to 4 and although still minor improvements I know that only now is the growth really meant to begin.

 

My left side at the hairline seems to be the first place the hair has started to come through. My right side appears to have hairs now breaking through the surface. The mid scalp hasn’t had many come through yet but for 4 months I imagine all is on track.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 20, 2018 by MorganPD
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Happy growing!

[MorganPD]

5 months

 

 

Progress since last month has been good. I’ve had a lot of comments from friends and colleagues saying that it’s improving and looking good.*

 

It’s still early days so things are looking positive for the upcoming months. When I had my first procedure the bulk of my growth was between months 6-9 so it’s positive that I’m experiencing growth earlier this time around.*

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MorganPD]

Here’s my 6 month update.

 

Definitely further improvement since last month. The hairline is starting to thicken up and I can now style my hair. My left side is looking really good however my right side is still a little behind but it does appear to be growing. Hopefully it will catch up and everything will even out. I’m satisfied so far with everything and as it is only 6 months into the process I am hoping for further improvement over the next few months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MorganPD]

Please see my 7 month update.

 

My hairs appear to have thickened up a touch more compared to last month. For 7 months I’m very happy as the coverage is looking very good for 7 months.

 

I’m hoping for some further thickening up to 12 months. Let’s see how things go until then but for now it all looks to be going as planned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MorganPD]

Here is my update for 8 months.

 

Some continued thickening although no drastic changes from last month. I think the main cosmetic changes are apparent and now hopefully some more maturing and thickening over the next few months until it reaches a year. These photos are in a different lighting to where I usually take them but you can still see quite accurately my progress.