Regular Member velton33 Posted March 13, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted March 13, 2018 At the beginning of this thread I cannot stress what an invaluable resource this forum has proved on my hairless journey, not to mention the comfort provided by knowing of and following the journeys of others in similar situations. So before going any further, to all of you who have shared your stories and regularly post and contribute to this forum: Thank you! Like many, I have been a long time lurker and avid follower, a daily visitor in fact, but I have never ventured as far as actually posting anything on here. That is until now! I felt compelled to create this little thread for a few different reasons. Firstly, I wanted to pay it forward. The countless stories and threads I have read on this forum helped me so much and I felt such a hunger and thirst for stories, descriptions and pictures of experiences and results while doing my research that I felt it would be unfair of me to keep own journey entirely to myself. Secondly, I felt that such a thread would be an ideal and handy way to keep track of my own progress, on a monthly basis, a view which was supported and greatly encouraged by Dr Bloxham. Lastly, I think it is very worth while to occupy your time in whatever way you can while waiting patiently for the results of your HT and managing a thread such as this one is certainly one of the ways to do that. Now some background info. I’m 29 years old, about to turn 30 this summer. I first noticed some minor recession in my hairline just over 10 years ago. At first I was in partial denial about the whole thing, but gradually the evidence became too great to ignore. For as long as I can remember I have always looked slightly older than I am, a situation aided by me having very mature mannerisms, even as a child. But with my hairloss progressing it became worse and worse and I started despairing over the state of things. Looking middle aged before even turning 30, seemed so grossly unfair. To make matters even worse I have a large head, the shape of which I feel is not aesthetically suited to being shaved, so simply shaving it off was not an option for me. Not a good one at any rate. When I was about 24 I went to see a local doctor and sought his advice about what I should do regarding my hair. He suggested I give minoxidil a try but strongly advised against Finasteride. As a result I gave the former a go for some time, but felt it had little or no effect on me, other than making my scalp an oily mess. So after several months of using it, I gave it up and have not tried any medication since. A couple of years later I visited the Belgravia Centre in London, but was put off by what I experienced as rampant commercialism and lack of professionalism, peddling pseudo-science and promising results I knew they could not deliver on. In terms of family history, my father is bald, having started to lose his hair in his mid 30’s and finally opting to shave it off when approaching 50. I’m not entirely certain, but by the looks of it he is either a Norwood V or VI. His father, by contrast, retained his full head of curly/wavy hair until his death at almost 90. My brother, who is a year younger than me, has also started receding, although his hairloss is not nearly as aggressive as mine. Over the last few years I started toying with the idea of going through with a transplant, but also researched other things, such as hair systems, but ultimately decided that having to maintain such a system and making sure it was always glued on would prove too stressful and that a transplant was the only viable long term solution to my problem. After a few years of casual research, where I was still on the fence on whether to actually take the plunge or not, I decided to finally go through with it. After a few consultations, mostly online, what eventually won me over was Dr Bloxham and his matter of fact, no nonsense, down to earth but very clever way of planning a strategy, utilising my curly/wavy hair characteristics to maximize the results and aiming for two surgeries, leaving the crown and back of the scalp for now and addressing them further down the road. I consulted with him in August and by October I had confirmed a surgery date in February. I flew in the night before surgery and heeded the instructions to say local to the clinic, opting for the Inn at Great Neck, just over a 10 minute walk away from the clinic.I showed up bright and early (07:30) the next morning where I was greeted by a chirpy Dr Bloxham, who immediately made me feel very welcome and relaxed. I waited in the waiting room a short while and filled out some forms before being called into the Doctor’s office where he took a lot of pictures and then proceeded to draw the plan for the new hairline. We both agreed that an appropriately mature hairline would be the right course of action in my case. After that I waited a few more minutes before being prepared for surgery. The staff were all so lovely and accommodating. Everyone was extremely professional and the whole thing literally flew by. The only real pain or discomfort was when I was being numbed at the beginning, but having read so many descriptions of ht’s on this forum, I was prepared for that. Afterwards Dr Bloxham took the immediate post op photos and we went over the post op care routine one more time. Dr Bloxham gave me a cap to wear and taught me how to place it on my head without harming the grafts. Before I knew it I was in a cab on my way to Manhattan, where I intended to stay for the next 11 days, turning the whole thing into a mini vacation. The first few days were tricky, mainly due to having to sleep upright. I also found it difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position in regard to the sutures, as they were very tender to the touch and the slightest pressure caused me to wince. That gradually became much more manageable and within a few days everything became much easier. I was very worried when I started cleaning and massaging the recipient area, but following the cleaning instructions became gradually easier too. By day 4 I became less paranoid about the grafts falling out by accident or mistake. The swelling came, as was to be expected, on day 3, but only took about two days to slide down my face (although looking in the mirror was quite strange during that time). On day 5 I started going out more, casually strolling around Manhattan and doing a spot of shopping. By day 7 I started washing the recipient area a bit more rigorously and the scabs started coming off in the following days. On day 10 I took the train from Penn Station up to Great Neck to have the sutures removed and have the doctor examine the results. Apart from the numbing before the procedure, the only proper pain or outright suffering I experienced through this whole process was when the sutures came out. This is, I think, mainly due to the scabbing that occurs underneath and between the sutures and also the inevitable hair tugging that occurs to the surrounding hair. After the sutures were out I met up with Dr Bloxham who took some more pictures and answered any questions that might linger. The next day I was on a plane across the Atlantic, on my way home. I cannot say enough good things about Dr Bloxham, who is a consummate professional, extremely caring, kind and a true artist. I was at ease from the get go and had I had an inkling that my whole HT surgery experience would play out the way it did, I would have taken the leap much sooner. I’m extremely grateful to him and the whole wonderful team at Feller/Bloxham. And now it’s a matter of playing the waiting game, which is both daunting and exciting. Since arriving back home the dreaded shed has somewhat started. Also, I started going back to the gym on day 14 to do some light cardio, and have been going back almost daily, remaining aware not to overdo anything and avoiding heavy lifting. So far, so good as they say. Just wanted to include that as that was one of my major concerns pre-op. Apologies for this turning into an essay but thank you for reading this far ? If there are any questions or comments, please post them below. I will try to update this thread as often as I can. And again, thank you all for this forum that provides such a comfort in the lonely pursuit of reclaiming one's hair. 2,589 total; 813 singles; 1,776 multis (2s and 3s) The pictures below are pre and post op photos, followed by one from day 2, one from day day 5, and the last two (including the one of the scar) are from day 10. More to come soon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member hitherehair Posted March 16, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted March 16, 2018 Awesome post Velton! I had a 3500 graft Fut with Dr Bloxham at the end November. Strap in for the shed because it's coming whether you want it to or not! I was in the ugly duckling phase til about three months then I started noticing serious growth Check out my thread if you want to get a relative preview of things to come. Good luck my friend! http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/189042-dr-bloxham-3500-graft-fut-nov-27-2017-a.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted March 16, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 16, 2018 Thanks so much, hitherehair. I love following your progress. I'm trying to brace myself for the dreaded and inevitable shed, but you always hope that you will be one in a million and that it doesn't happen to you. It's comforting to know that it is only a stage that, hopefully, passes quite quickly. I'm going to post my one month photos later today. Same to you my friend, happy growing and looking forward to following your further progress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted March 16, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 16, 2018 Just keeping the photos coming, as promised. Below we have pictures from week 3 and the last one taken just after the one month mark. It is abundantly clear to me that the dreaded shed has started with a vengeance. This is especially noticeable in the new hairline. Have others experienced the hairline going first? I don't recall reading anything to that effect on other threads. It probably just depends on the person. That being said the lighting is rather harsh, so it does look a tiny bit better in real life. A small comfort I know, but I guess we have to take what we can get in the ugly ducking stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historyman5 Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Thanks for sharing your valuable information.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Midwesterner Posted March 27, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted March 27, 2018 Congrats! Looks very similar to my surgery. I had almost the same graft number with Dr Bloxham 5 months ago. You are going into the hardest part pretty soon, but it really gets better. That is nice you were able to stay in Ny long enough to have the staples out. I will follow your blog here! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted July 15, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 15, 2018 (edited) Hello everyone and apologies for not updating you on my progress sooner. Tomorrow I will cross the 5 month mark and so I present my current situation. Things are really starting to happen now, after nothing (I know this is not the case, it just felt like it) happening for the longest time. Very much looking forward to seeing what happens in the coming weeks! What do you think, so far guys? Hope the pictures are good enough Edited July 16, 2018 by velton33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairlossPA Posted July 16, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted July 16, 2018 looks to be right on schedule. will most likely dense up over the next couple of months. keep us updated for sure! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member hitherehair Posted July 23, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted July 23, 2018 Looks awesome! definitely right on track 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Midwesterner Posted August 13, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted August 13, 2018 Very nice start!!! You look better than I did at the end of 4 months. I just put 9 month pictures up. You should be at 6 months now? I hope you will post these up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted August 23, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted August 23, 2018 Hello all and thanks for the kind words and encouragement! This is, as ever, a waiting game and patience is most certainly a virtue. Last week I passed the 6 month mark and here are some pictures to mark the occasion. Having the before pictures alongside really puts it into perspective how far I've come. It is still quite thin in places, with occasional patches behind the hairline only starting or still waiting to come through (but as I understand it, that is completely normal and nothing to worry about yet). Yet overall, I'm enormously happy with the improvement so far. Can't wait to see what the next months have in store! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted October 16, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2018 Just passed the 8 month mark. Very happy so far. According to Dr Bloxham I should expect it to keep densing up and thickening until at least the 12 month mark. One side is still slightly less dense than the other and the hairs behind the hairline seem to take longer to grow, but other than that I'm amazed at the transformation. I will post more detailed photographs soon. These were taken tonight, shortly after a shower and I also decided to include one before and after shot, just for comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted October 16, 2018 Administrators Share Posted October 16, 2018 Great results, I am happy for you, big improvement from your last update. Can't wait to see what 12 months looks like, this is already a really good result. 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...
Regular Member hanginginthewire Posted October 16, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2018 Why only 2500 grafts to start with? Seems like a small number for your level of baldness and for FUT? Would have thought around 3500 to 4000... Looking good though, just thought it might have even more WOW with more grafts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted October 16, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2018 9 hours ago, Melvin-Moderator said: Great results, I am happy for you, big improvement from your last update. Can't wait to see what 12 months looks like, this is already a really good result. Thank you very much, Melvin. I too am very excited to see how things will evolve over the coming months. I will keep you all posted 6 hours ago, hanginginthewire said: Why only 2500 grafts to start with? Seems like a small number for your level of baldness and for FUT? Would have thought around 3500 to 4000... Looking good though, just thought it might have even more WOW with more grafts. Thanks for the comment hanginginthewire. I agree with you, initially my instinct was to go with a megasession of some sorts, but after having consulted with Dr. Bloxham, I agreed that doing two FUTs would be the best course of action. This first one to address the hairline and front to mid areas, and then another one, hopefully next year at some point, to address mid - back and crown areas. This strategy would then allow for FUE down the road, if anything more was necessary to add density or address any concerns. This seemed sensible to me. Also, Dr. Bloxham explained how my hair characteristics (wavy/curly hair) yield better coverage with lower number of grafts than other hair types. I think there is some truth in that as well! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mick50 Posted October 16, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted October 16, 2018 Just having that hair-line has totally changed your look for the better ,once fully matured you will be even more pleased 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member hanginginthewire Posted October 16, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2018 31 minutes ago, velton33 said: Thank you very much, Melvin. I too am very excited to see how things will evolve over the coming months. I will keep you all posted Thanks for the comment hanginginthewire. I agree with you, initially my instinct was to go with a megasession of some sorts, but after having consulted with Dr. Bloxham, I agreed that doing two FUTs would be the best course of action. This first one to address the hairline and front to mid areas, and then another one, hopefully next year at some point, to address mid - back and crown areas. This strategy would then allow for FUE down the road, if anything more was necessary to add density or address any concerns. This seemed sensible to me. Also, Dr. Bloxham explained how my hair characteristics (wavy/curly hair) yield better coverage with lower number of grafts than other hair types. I think there is some truth in that as well! What was your original Norwood pattern? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Midwesterner Posted October 16, 2018 Regular Member Share Posted October 16, 2018 Wow!! Looking great! I love how the hairline looks in the first picture. I just put up a 12 month picture and I am going to put some more up soon. Congrats!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted October 17, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 17, 2018 11 hours ago, Mick50 said: Just having that hair-line has totally changed your look for the better ,once fully matured you will be even more pleased Thanks Mick50. You are right. The hair-line makes all the difference in the world. I´m excited to see how things develop from here! 11 hours ago, hanginginthewire said: What was your original Norwood pattern? I believe I was headed for a Norwood V or possibly VI - somewhere in that area. Not entirely sure. Someone more knowledgeable than me on this forum might be abel to deduce that more accurately from the before pictures, but that is my estimate. 6 hours ago, Midwesterner said: Wow!! Looking great! I love how the hairline looks in the first picture. I just put up a 12 month picture and I am going to put some more up soon. Congrats!! Thanks so much Midwesterner. Just had a look at your 12 month picture. Phenomenal result - congratulations!. Can't wait to see the upcoming pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Sean Posted October 17, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted October 17, 2018 With only 2589 grafts, this is wow. Some folks do not even get this woth 4000 grafts. amazin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted October 19, 2018 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 19, 2018 On 10/17/2018 at 5:20 AM, Sean said: With only 2589 grafts, this is wow. Some folks do not even get this woth 4000 grafts. amazin Thanks so much Sean. I'm very happy and look forward to seeing how things develop from here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Louisjams Posted October 20, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted October 20, 2018 A nice result. A real transformation! Enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amit Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Very nice results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Kiwi Guy Posted October 25, 2018 Senior Member Share Posted October 25, 2018 looking good so far with just that many grafts mate, keep the photos coming, also can you include a photo of the donor area scar? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member velton33 Posted February 15, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 15, 2019 Time certainly flies! Goodness me - It's been a year since my surgery with Dr Bloxham. I could not be happier with the result. I feel that with only 2589 grafts Dr Bloxham has completely changed my appearance for the better. The scar is virtually undetectable (I will try to post a photo of that very soon). I will also be posting a more detailed post discussing the journey so far (I still have to address the mid section and back of my head, which is the course of action Dr Bloxham and I agreed on). In the meantime, here are some photos taken at the one year mark. Please tell me what you think and do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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