Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted August 14, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted August 14, 2019 7 hours ago, LeonSlack said: @Steeeve I’ve sorta hijacked your thread. I hope you don’t mind too much. It’s been a week. Donor pain is a lot better. Pings and pangs like you described in your post. The suture line is turning into crust though. I see some brown crust coming off. Did you start scrubbing this off or just let it come off naturally? Whenever I apply the zinc, I see a bit of brown crust. Also, I still haven’t used a shower directly on my my head. I’ve been using the cup method. The grafts are still sitting on my head lol... I’m kinda nervous to just get in the shower and shower normally and scrub my head... Don’t apologize @LeonSlack. I don’t mind answering questions at all. When I got in the shower I let the water hit my scalp very lightly. I didn’t turn it up very high at all. It wasn’t until day 9 or so that I turned up the pressure only a little more. It still wasn’t very high and I was still only massaging those grafts very lightly. Dr Arocha said that they were safe in there by day 9 and to really start working on them as the longer the scabs stay on there the more potential for grafts to not grow. My recipient was still a little sensitive, though, so I didn’t put a lot of pressure on it. On day 10 or 11 I was spending more time in there massaging those grafts as my scalp felt a little better. As far as my sutures/scar went I was keeping bacitracin on it all the time and that really helped to keep everything moist and helped to get the crust off of it when I got in the shower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LeonSlack Posted August 15, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted August 15, 2019 @Steeeve Fianally let the shower water hit my head today and washed my hair with shampoo. I was freaking out the whole time since I have quite a bit of native hair. Afterward, I went and combed and some scabs started to come off. But I mean, not that many. I didn’t want to scrub in the shower overly hard to the point it caused pain... I think it’ll take definitely a few showers for them to all come off. I’m just at day 9. How long did it take for all your scabs to come off? But boy. I have oily skin and it felt amazing to shampoo that hair all over and rinse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted August 15, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted August 15, 2019 53 minutes ago, LeonSlack said: I think it’ll take definitely a few showers for them to all come off. I’m just at day 9. How long did it take for all your scabs to come off? I was almost totally free and clear of scabs by the two week mark. I wouldn’t say I scrubbed them off, though. I was more...massaging them firmly. 🙂👍🏻 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted August 19, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted August 19, 2019 Month 4! I’m seeing some nice progress. What’s interesting to note is that the pics I’m going to share are in harsh lighting that I’m creating myself. In softer light my current results look stellar already which is cool because most places I go (and work) have softer light. It’s interesting how from day to day I’m looking at my hair and then one day I look in the mirror and go, “oh...that’s better than yesterday.” Like it happened over night. My right side is still considerably thinner but I went in to the clinic that way. I also still have a ton of stubble that hasn’t taken off yet. The middle of my hairline still has some catching up to do. All in good time, I guess. I have to call Dr. Arocha’s office to schedule my four month check up and when I do I’m going to ask for something to help with the pimples. I still get them like crazy and they are a total pain!! i don’t really have any pictures under softer lighting but I’ll see if I can get any until then: here’s my 4 month progress pictures. The first pictures are post minoxidil, 6 hours earlier but still I hadn’t washed it yet. I wanted to show what it looks like all pushed back. The next 3 pics are after a cleaning. These next pics are how I generally style it although I have been going out with my hair pushed back similar to the pics at the top lately. It’s a little more controlled but I think it looks better than how I’m styling it here. So, some improvement for sure but still months and months to go. As always, I’ll be here. 🙂✌🏻 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted August 19, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted August 19, 2019 My Scar!! I almost forgot!!! I got my wife to help me out in getting some pictures to share. I feel like it looks pretty good although my right side my right side is still considerably wide. I don’t know if it’s due to shockloss or what. We’ll see how it turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted August 19, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted August 19, 2019 (edited) New frame is definitely starting to take shape, particularly in the corners. Not bad at all for four months. Scar doesn't look too rough on the right. I think your shock loss theory is a good one though because the hair below the scar looks like it doesn't fill in until a bit lower. I think it's entirely possible that it's just lagging behind a bit. Thanks for the close shots. Edited August 19, 2019 by Mycroft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted August 19, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted August 19, 2019 Thanks @Mycroft! Yeah it really seems to be the right side of the scar that’s still lagging. The left side is already going back to a more fleshy color so 🤞🏻🤞🏻 fingers crossed that the right catches up! I really don’t mind keeping my hair this long for the time being. Like I said, there’s plenty of time for catch up so we’ll see how things go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LeonSlack Posted August 22, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted August 22, 2019 @Steeeve Looking good man! I’m envious you are further along. I had dissolvable sutures put in since I’m out of town. (Even though I may just have them removed now since it’s been 2 weeks.) Anyway, one of the ends of the sutures (the knot) gave away this morning. Now, I feel a noticeable indent in that area. It was so flat before. I guess that’s because of the sutures holding everything together? Did you feel a noticeable indent once the sutures were removed? Thanks as always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted August 22, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted August 22, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, LeonSlack said: @Steeeve Looking good man! I’m envious you are further along. I had dissolvable sutures put in since I’m out of town. (Even though I may just have them removed now since it’s been 2 weeks.) Anyway, one of the ends of the sutures (the knot) gave away this morning. Now, I feel a noticeable indent in that area. It was so flat before. I guess that’s because of the sutures holding everything together? Did you feel a noticeable indent once the sutures were removed? Thanks as always. I didn’t notice an indent in the back of my scalp but if it’s been two weeks your scar should be good to go and the sutures could come out. Are you in the area to go see Dr. Arocha to get them removed? If not a general practitioner can remove them. I would definitely get them removed. While they aren’t hurting anything being in there once you hit that two week mark your scar is secure. The relief of them being out is really truly wonderful. Lol I had dissolvable sutures as well. I had knots starting to loosen around the 10 day mark but they didn’t cause any discernible difference in how my scar felt. Try sending Eduardo some pics to show the doctor if you are able to. If it really bothers you. Peace of mind is extremely important in these early days. I had a small infection early on so I had some bumps but the doc just gave me some antibiotics and they cleared up in a week. I’m only a few hours away from him, though. Edited August 22, 2019 by Steeeve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted September 12, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted September 12, 2019 (edited) Hey everybody! I wanted to hop in here and post some pics that I took at about the 4 and a half month mark ahead of my 5 month update. I felt like I had made some interesting progress halfway through the month and I wanted to share. I’ll have a somewhat more comprehensive post in the 5 month update. These pics are all under normal lighting conditions. There is no concealer or product in my hair. For comparison: Pre-op 4 and a half months wet. I took these next 2 pics with @made2care in mind. In a post on his progress thread we spoke about how Dr Arocha does an excellent job of seeing which way your hair grows naturally and places the grafts at their natural angle within the hair. I’m aware that quite a few top docs do this but there are quite a few docs that are considered to be aces on the forums that don’t and place the grafts in a somewhat “manufactured” way. I’m not trying to take anything away from that, ultimately, as their results still tend to come in strong. I just want to highlight the care and patience that was taken by the doctor and techs during my procedure. The middle of my hairline has always grown in a wavelike cowlick and that’s what I’m trying to show with these next two pics. This last picture was taken by my mother at a family gathering. At that point no one had really taken note of my hair. My mom has begun to suspect something is up 🙂 although she hasn’t been able to put her finger on it yet... This isn’t the best angle but it shows off my hairline to a degree and I believe this is how most people see me. I do plan to come clean with my family but I wanted to wait until I could show them something that was really transforming. Something to really compare. Cheers everyone. As I said I’ll be back in a few days with a 5 month update. ✌🏻 Edited September 12, 2019 by Steeeve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted September 12, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted September 12, 2019 This is looking very strong in the recipient area at only the 4.5 month mark. Already a very nice improvement from your starting point, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted September 12, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted September 12, 2019 @Mycroft, thank you! I believe the PRP has helped to bulk up both my recipient grafts and my native hair. I’m very very pleased so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted September 13, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2019 I would agree just based on my own experience. Looks like the quality of a number of your native hairs is already improving. I kept seeing residual improvements for quite a while after my treatment, so those may continue for you for a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted September 13, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2019 A passing thought: did you notice any shock loss of native hair in the recipient area, or just around the scar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted September 13, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted September 13, 2019 39 minutes ago, Mycroft said: A passing thought: did you notice any shock loss of native hair in the recipient area, or just around the scar? It’s kind of hard to explain. I noticed the tiniest bit of native shed throughout my recipient but it was so insignificant that by the time it had fixed itself the grafts had already started growing and basically by the end of month 3/beginning of the 4th month I didn’t notice it anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted September 13, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted September 13, 2019 (edited) @Mycroft The grafts also helped to add a little coverage. My shed was as a whole was very insignificant actually. I didn’t really experience much. The grafts that we’re placed during the procedure didn’t really fall out and they were very dark and thick, so there was an interesting illusion of coverage from just that while I waited for everything to grow. Where it was most noticeable was in the corners of my hairline but especially the right side. It was really only noticeable under direct light and sunlight. My right side was quite see through during those first months. The PRP really helped to speed up the whole process. I really need to invest in a laser cap. I have read (and spoken to Dr. Arocha) about how it can help to prolong the effects of PRP for longer periods so that you don’t have to go in so often to get a touch up. Edited September 13, 2019 by Steeeve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted September 13, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2019 Interesting. I keep wondering if PRP might contribute to reducing shock loss risk in cases where grafts are implanted into areas where existing hair is present. I know Dr. Arocha specifically seems to specialize in this to an extent, but of course some factors are entirely our of the doctor's control. I don't know if anyone has tried to make a case for this with meaningful evidence, just something I was wondering about given its medicinal use for healing and its ability to boost hair growth. I know there are a few doctors who use it to improve graft survivability, so my idea is that this might apply somewhat to the trauma native hairs sustain during transplant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted September 13, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted September 13, 2019 (edited) I’ve read many times in the past that prolonged use of finasteride is your best defense against shock loss of native hairs after your transplant. I actually believe that I would have experienced much more shock loss had I not had the PRP done, though. That’s speculation, of course. There’s no way for me to tell at this point. Dr. Arocha believes that PRP reduces the risk and I’ve seen Dr. Cooley speak in interviews about how he believes it reduces the risk of shock loss. Like I said, though, my shock loss was so very minimal and I believe the PRP helped everything from falling out. Edited September 13, 2019 by Steeeve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted September 13, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2019 5 minutes ago, Steeeve said: I’ve read many times in the past that prolonged use of finasteride is your best defense against shock loss of native hairs after your transplant. I actually believe that I would have experienced much more shock loss had I not had the PRP done, though. That’s speculation, of course. There’s no way for me to tell at this point. Dr. Arocha believes that PRP reduces the risk and I’ve seen Dr. Cooley speak in interviews about how he believes it reduces the risk of shock loss. Like I said, though, my shock loss was so very minimal and I believe the PRP helped everything from falling out. Yes, I've read about Fin/Dut as preventative methods and I'm a regular user for 3+ years now. I'm already doing PRP of course, but I've got enough hair that if I had a procedure it would have to be into an existing area that is maybe a little weaker, so this topic specifically is of interest. Of course, I haven't talked with Dr. Arocha about the possibility since prior to my first PRP treatment. I'm intending to wait at least a good six months after my second treatment before I consider discussing surgical options again. It's possible time and continues treatment may yield satisfactory results for me because I feel like I'm so close as is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted September 13, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted September 13, 2019 4 hours ago, Mycroft said: Yes, I've read about Fin/Dut as preventative methods and I'm a regular user for 3+ years now. I'm already doing PRP of course, but I've got enough hair that if I had a procedure it would have to be into an existing area that is maybe a little weaker, so this topic specifically is of interest. Of course, I haven't talked with Dr. Arocha about the possibility since prior to my first PRP treatment. I'm intending to wait at least a good six months after my second treatment before I consider discussing surgical options again. It's possible time and continues treatment may yield satisfactory results for me because I feel like I'm so close as is. Your hair is already amazing, man!! LOL I think with your use of finasteride and waiting until your hair is nice and strong from a second round of PRP you would yield a good result. Your hair is already in a good place and while most people deal with shock loss in some manner I wouldn’t worry too much if I were in your shoes. I agree with your statement above, though. It would be cool to see some cases specifically dealing with PRP. Maybe yours could be that case!...🙂👍🏻 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted September 23, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted September 23, 2019 (edited) 5 month update! I actually started this post a few days ago but I was traveling across the country and I accidentally deleted the whole thing by mistake. Not much to report other than these hairs are growing! I’m very happy at this point but I know there’s still improvement to come. I’m not getting pimples like I had been but I still get one now and again. The hair is definitely taking shape. I’m just playing the waiting game at this point. I still have some stubble that has yet to take off but I’m not really worried about it at this point. I’m attaching pictures under different lighting and hair lengths. The lighting really makes a difference with how the hair transplant looks, as has been documented by many. The first set of pictures is under harsh light and the hair is at the same length to compare to my three month update when I cut my hair. They were taken the 16th which would’ve been exactly 5 months post-op. There is no product or concealer in my hair. Take note of the scare now from month 3. Again, my hair is the same length in both photos only 2 months apart. These next few pictures were taken in a park bathroom about a week later as I felt like the light was really working for me. My hair had grown out some so I was styling it a bit differently. Yes, I’m holding a pacifier in my mouth so that I can better steady my hands to take a picture. Yes...I got a funny look from a guy walking in to the bathroom to go pee. These last pics were taken in my hotel room. The lighting was really showing off my current progress. What a difference a week makes after a hair cut now. So yeah. As I said, I’m extremely happy with my progress so far and I’m not even half way done with these hairs growing out. Any questions or comments and I’ll be here. Cheers. Edited September 23, 2019 by Steeeve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted September 23, 2019 Senior Member Share Posted September 23, 2019 That frontal zone really thickened up since the last update. The hair in the temporal areas looks much darker so those are probably going to be coming in strong any day. Big change from your original photos already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Steeeve Posted September 23, 2019 Author Valued Contributor Share Posted September 23, 2019 11 hours ago, Mycroft said: That frontal zone really thickened up since the last update. The hair in the temporal areas looks much darker so those are probably going to be coming in strong any day. Big change from your original photos already. Thanks! It’s really exciting watching it come together. Makes me feel good about future restoration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted September 26, 2019 Administrators Share Posted September 26, 2019 Man things are looking great! Happy for you Steve this has the makings of a home run, please don't forget about us baldies when your hair looks awesome haha 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...
ArochaAngel4247 Posted September 26, 2019 Share Posted September 26, 2019 Steeeeve, sorry to have missed you when you came in for your 5 month follow-up visit, but these photos look awesome. Can't wait to see the result once it's fully grown in! Representative and Patient Educator for: Dr. Bernardino A. Arocha, Coalition Member. I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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