21 wks after 2950 grafts (FUE) Dr. Katona

[ecarlino]

Dr. Katona (Illinois, USA) and his staff were extremely professional and I was comfortable and at ease over the 2 day procedure.

 

After the procedure, I hid out in my house for a week then flew to Austria to hang out in the Alps with a hat for 2 more weeks. By the time I returned, my donor area had grown back enough that it just looked like a very close cut and my recipient area looked like it did before the procedure.

 

It's insane that I waited this long to get this done!

 

Not even 6 months yet and I'm already very happy.

My understanding is that the 'big' growth will occur in months 6-10.

 

Here are 5 before photos and 5 taken today, 148 days post-op.

Edited December 11, 2017 by ecarlino

[JohnCasper]

I’m glad your very happy with the results so far. I can’t imagine that your recipient area looked the same after two weeks but if that’s your recollection....good for you and congrats to your doctor. I’m sure you will see continued growth and thickening in the coming weeks/months. After including your travel expenses, what was the final cost per graft in Austria?

[ecarlino]

I can’t imagine that your recipient area looked the same after two weeks but if that’s your recollection....

 

After including your travel expenses, what was the final cost per graft in Austria?

 

John,

I've attached 2 screenshots from my ipad that show the dates of the photos at top:

the first is July 14 (my procedure was July 13 & 14)

the second is Aug 7.

aprox 3 wks apart (the photo of me from Austria without a hat was 2 wks post-op).

 

I'd say both photos (2 wks and 3 wks post op) show zero sign of any "work" having been done on my scalp.

 

as far as Austria (not sure where the confusion came from) - my procedure was done by Dr. Katona in the suburbs of Chicago, where i live. After the procedure, I stayed at home for a week and then traveled in Austria/Germany for 2 weeks wearing a hat (in fact, i was comfortable enough at certain times to go without the hat). attached 2 photos from trip. upon returning home, i felt comfortable enough not even wearing a hat (except when i was going to be in the sun for an extended period) and continuing my daily routines.

Edited December 13, 2017 by ecarlino

[ecarlino]

This is awesome series of result. How you are feeling, your results is very nice.

 

i have to say that with the exception of the first 2 or 3 days, i have felt 100%. and in those first couple of days, it was just mild discomfort, mostly from having to sleep on my back in an elevated position (i am normally a side-sleeper). that was really the worst of it for me.

 

i turned 45 in July and this procedure was part of an overall just getting myself put back together. i lost 50 pounds this year (last Christmas i weighed in at 230 and today am 180 - went from a 39+ inch waist to a 33- waist), had fillers to deal with the bags under my eyes, kybella for the fat under my chin/neck and finally took care of my acne/facial blemishes.

 

here are 3 candids from the ~3 wks ago (rather than 'in the mirror', although they are still rather low quality smart phone photos - so to my eye, there seems to be some 'smoothing' in the 2 close-ups resulting from the low resolution - but you get the general impression of how my hair has improved - i pretty much had nearly nothing up front in July) .

 

one thing i discussed with Dr Katona was hairline location and of course i had wanted to go lower. he convinced me that where he set it was right b/c i was already getting 3000 and to lower it would be a compromise between doing more grafts (which probably wasn't going to happen this time around) or thinning out donating to other areas that needed it; and, given i'm already 45, a higher hairline is natural -- but i think in a year or two i'll still go back for more given how easy this was, i'd love to lower the hairline 3/4 of an inch.....we shall see

Edited December 11, 2017 by ecarlino

[henryg]

Hello

fue or fut ? what do you think which is better choosen ?

[ecarlino]

Hello

fue or fut ? what do you think which is better choosen ?

 

i couldn't answer that question for you.

i can only tell you that my experience with FUE was great and if one of the claims of it being "better" is quicker recovery with little noticeable afterwards from the donor area, i can confirm that was my experience.

[JohnCasper]

Congratulations on your weight loss and great recovery from your surgery. I apologize for not reading your initial post carefully. You clearly stated that you had the procedure in Illinois. And wow...your donor area healed quickly. You have so much to look forward to. Just wait until you start running into folks who haven’t seen you in a long time. They will see the weight loss and the additional hair growth will only add to their amazement in your transformation.

 

I too had FUE in 2012 and again in 2015 (over 7,000 grafts in total). Our degree of baldness was similar and we’re about the same size. Not that it matters but I’m about 175 lbs and a 33 waist as well. I’m about 10 years older than you. You can see my hair growth documented with many pictures since 2012 on my personal web site.. MyFUEhairtransplant.com. Please keep us posted on this website with updates and more pictures down the road. Happy growing and best of luck. You have so much to look forward to. Congrats again to you and Dr. Katona.

[ecarlino]

just a quick update - from this weekend,

204 days = 29 weeks ~ 6.8 months since surgery

 

THANK YOU DR. KATONA!!

[BrightIdea]

Excellent progress. Big difference overall. Congrats on the weight loss and the hair gain!

[ecarlino]

perhaps i should have showered and combed my hair first, but i had a haircut last night and it's now been 9 months - so here's a quick set of selfies

[JohnCasper]

So glad you’re happy with your results. Thanks for sharing with all of us. Hope you also get some thickening in the next several months.