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Fifth FUT procedure in the books


7Shel

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Thanks, guys. You’re definitely right about combing over the crown, Melvin. The photos I posted from my last visit purposefully exposed the crown because we wanted to get a better idea of how things were progressing. Normally, I comb it over and you really can’t see the hair loss. I’ll take some photos in the next few days with my normal style, which will give you a better idea of the coverage I can get.

Spanker, would you leave the crown alone because future loss is to be expected? I’m kind of torn right now. I want to wait a full year or more to see where I’m at and then add more grafts if I’m not happy, but I also know that it’s a moving target and I don’t want to chase loss in that area when, as I just mentioned, I can cover it for now.

Curious what your thoughts are on temple points too. I don’t want to get too greedy, but I do think a little more framing would be nice. 

Edited by 7Shel
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Posted a few more photos. These were taken under overhead bathroom light, but I think you can see what I meant about being able to cover my crown fairly easily. I also tried to get a few shots of my temple points. Aside from my initial procedure, temple points have been untouched while we focused on front and mid-scalp. I really think I'm going to go for it over the summer and add some grafts there.

 

AB: I would definitely consider using beard donor to fill in the crown. 

PlzRespond: I believe about 500 grafts and I'm 36.IMG_6487.thumb.JPG.44d408897ce60e081fbb77c48d183a32.JPG

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Edited by 7Shel
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Your journey is really inspiring. Dr. Dorin has done an amazing job. 

How short are you able to cut your hair around your donor scar? It looks pretty incredible after 5 surgeries!

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22 hours ago, Steeeve said:

Your journey is really inspiring. Dr. Dorin has done an amazing job. 

How short are you able to cut your hair around your donor scar? It looks pretty incredible after 5 surgeries!

Thanks, I appreciate it! I generally keep the hair at maybe the equivalent of a 3 guard and the scar isn't visible. My barber usually trims with scissors (just preference), so the 3 guard length seems about right. My guess is I could pull off a 2 guard without drawing attention to it. Full transparency, I wouldn't be able to go any shorter than that and the scar is wider than many people might be willing to deal with, but that was inevitable. Five surgeries is five surgeries. I was comfortable taking the chance and wanted to get as many grafts as I could via FUT. Even though I don't necessarily know if I would want to wear my hair shorter, I may still fill in the scar with some FUE grafts just to give myself the option.  

Edited by 7Shel
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Looks great man your hairline is so natural, theres no way I’d no that was a transplant 🙌🏼


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Wow this is such an awesome result, you took the long term route and it has worked out fantastic, Melvin always talks about something called 'hair greed', I think at this point any more surgeries on you for awhile would be just that lol, what an awesome issue to have hahaha, congrats bro and hats off to your doc!

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Your hair really does look amazing, and as demonstrated, with the right style/product, the minimal loss in your crown isn't even noticeable. As someone mentioned before, be mindful of hair greed. ;) At the very least I would wait a few more years before considering another procedure (if at all). 

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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Really nice natural result, and you look unrecognisable from your post op pics. You certainly appear to have great hair characteristics, and with the beard donor available if needed, I'd say you're in a great position for years to come. Sensible planning by yourself and the doc.

I am an online representative for Farjo Hair Institute

 

Dr. Bessam Farjo is an esteemed member of the Coalition of Independent Hair Restoration Physicians

 

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions shared are my own.

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  • 1 month later...
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Wanted to post a few 10 month photos (hit the 10 month mark about a week ago). Not a huge amount of change, but wasn’t really expecting it. However, I’m curious to see if the hairline continues to mature through month 12 and a little past that. I find it tough to see a difference between pre-op and today, but it was such a subtle amount of work that it’s probably difficult for me to see. Crown has filled in slightly more. No photos of the donor scar, but this is what my donor region looks like after a haircut a few days ago. 

I am a little concerned about shedding. Whether it was a seasonal thing or something stress related (I’ve been working a ton of hours in a very high stress environment), I felt like there was an increase in shedding over the last month or so. I’m probably going to head in for a check in the next few weeks to see if anything else is going on. I also think I’m at the point where my native hair may be thinning in the mid-scalp. There’s a small spot between the frontal and crown work that has no transplanted hairs, so I’m guessing the native hairs are miniaturizing. I know the subject of hair greed has come up, but these small areas of concern still impact me. I think most of us who have experienced hair loss and then had successful transplants can relate to still having some degree of insecurity. 

 

 

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Edited by 7Shel
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  • 4 weeks later...
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On 5/4/2019 at 4:15 PM, 7Shel said:

I know the subject of hair greed has come up, but these small areas of concern still impact me. I think most of us who have experienced hair loss and then had successful transplants can relate to still having some degree of insecurity. 

I hear you - and it's particularly tricky to see things differently when you're in it. When we find ourselves chasing perfection, it can get really slippery and messy real quick, so be mindful. I'm not saying to never consider another HT, but for what it's worth, your hair really does look incredible. Have you tried throwing a little Topik in the crown to add a tad more density? Would that be enough to make you satisfied?

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My views/opinions are my own and don't necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

Check out my hair loss website for photos

FUE surgery by Dr. Mohebi on 7/31/14
2,001 grafts - Ones: 607; Twos: 925; Threes: 413; Fours: 56

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I’ve not been a huge fan of hair fibers. Used them from time to time, but I always found the application to be messy. 

 I went in for what was effectively my 12 month check, and the doc agreed that it was reasonable to add 600-800 FUE grafts to the thin spots behind my hairline and I’m the mid-scalp. He estimates I can get 2000 FUE scalp FUE total without really depleting the donor area. I’d like to proceed with adding 600-800 to the areas mentioned, but also additional grafts to the temple points. This would potentially be risky. If my crown loss became very significant, I’d have to rely on maybe 500 or so FUE grafts from the scalp and the remaining from beard hair. Not the worst scenario, but I’m conscious of getting to a point of diminishing returns. I’ve obviously spent a lot of time and money on procedures, and you’re right that the results are overall very good, especially considering my starting point. 

I had email conversations with two other well-known docs, and there were differences of opinion. One suggested 1000 grafts in the crown and then 500 as a spot treatment to the thin areas. The other doctor’s recommendation was very surprising: 1000 grafts to the hairline and immediately behind it and then assess the crown later on. Both indicated they’d want to do a full shave FUE, which is potentially a problem for me because I have a very forward facing job and can’t realistically return to work after a 2 week vacation with a buzz cut, redness, residual scabs, etc. I’d be looking at no shave FUE, but I know that’s less than optimal. I do wonder if a stick and place approach could work?

Edited by 7Shel
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can you tell us anything about your scalp laxity before any procedure? I would assume you had a ton of movement when testing your laxity. any idea how wide of a strip he took each time? 5 FUT is unheard of (atleast to me)

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  • 1 month later...
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Wanted to provide a check-in. I’ve decided it’s necessary to move forward with my first FUE procedure to address some weak areas. I’ve attached a few photos which show further loss behind previously transplanted areas (photos 3 and 4). This area in the mid-scalp has created sort of an island effect. It’s not noticeable when my hair is styled, so some may wonder why I feel like I need to address it, but I feel that it’s enough of a problem when my hair is wet, unstyled, etc. Additionally, I’ve attached photos (1 and 2) that show the gaps behind my hairline that I’m concerned about. My plan is to address the gaps and mid-scalp with ~800-1000 grafts. That should hopefully leave me with another ~1000 to fill in any further crown loss (or address any other weak spots that may develop). As mentioned previously, I also have beard grafts available for the crown. 

I have a consult scheduled in August with Dr. Wesley and have discussed the situation with Dr. K. While all of my procedures have been performed by the same surgeon, I’m thinking I may need a “closer” for the remaining work. I’m at the stage where I need to ensure there are no more wasted grafts. Would welcome any other suggestions or thoughts. 

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