Regular Member wtrailer Posted September 16, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2019 (edited) Hello everyone. I am a 42 year-old male. I would classify myself between a Norway 4 and 5. I underwent my very first procedure w/ Dr. Panine in Chicago last month to rebuild the front 1/3 of my scalp and hairline. I am currently a little over week 2 post-op and feeling well. There are tiny hairs all over my scalp that were not there prior to surgery and I also have a hairline again which is quite gratifying to see. It's now the waiting game for me. I began experience hairloss in my late 20s. At least this is when I started to take notice. I could tell my hairline was receding and I also began to notice a decrease in density. Hairloss continued throughout my 30s becoming far more noticeable around age 35. My hair could no longer cover bald spots on my scalp w/o constant adjustment. I finally got on Rogaine at age 40 which seemed to help slow the process down. I began to accept my fate and started using fibers to help conceal the thin areas. For whatever reason I stumbled across the idea of getting a hair tansplant again and decided to look into it more. After watching hours of FUE procedures on YouTube I did some research and decided to make the call. I scheduled a consultation with Dr. Panine in Chicago after researching his credentials and looking through before and after videos. His experience in the field and results were astounding. I met with both he and his assistant Stuart and felt incredibly comfortable with everything they had to offer me. Stuart has been and continues to be extremely supportive both pre and post op. If ever I had or have a question he is more than happy to answer it for me. The procedure took around 12 hours to complete and it went just as I was told. Dr. Panine has an amazing staff. Pain was at a minimum and was always taken care of as soon as I made a comment about it. Dr. Panine did all of the extractions and incisions himself, which was something that was very important to me and a major reason why I chose him. He had an assistant help him insert the grafts which I was aware would be the case and they both worked together during the implantation stage, one on each side of my head. The assistant was immensely professional and always did whatever she could to make me feel comfortable throughout the procedure. His entire staff was like this. When the procedure was complete I was amazed on how well the recipient site appeared. Outside of some redness it almost looked as if nothing happened. I'm used to seeing bumps and blood all over the scalp in other patient's photos. However, Panine's work was amazingly clean. I'll let the photos do the talking and you can see for yourself. Photos are pre and post op. Edited September 16, 2019 by wtrailer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member hanginginthewire Posted September 26, 2019 Regular Member Share Posted September 26, 2019 Do you have a good donor supply? Did you pay in full or on a payment plan? What is the doctor saying about future loss? Are you planning another surgery? Are you being open about the surgery or are you hiding it from coworkers? If so, what was your strategy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted September 26, 2019 Administrators Share Posted September 26, 2019 Everything looks clean thanks for the write-up. Please consider creating a patient website as well https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/ I’ll be following your progress closely happy growing 🥳 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 wtrailer Posted September 27, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 27, 2019 I was told that I had a good donor supply. I may consider another surgery down the road for the crown but it won't be for a few years. I paid up front however there were other options. The Dr. suggested Propecia to maintain what I have. My immediate family are the only ones who know because they live w/ me. I took 10 days off work to recover. When I returned to work no one really asked anything. I've used a light dusting of fibers to conceal some areas on top and the scars on the back of my head are now covered w/ hair. I just hit the 4 week mark today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted September 27, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 27, 2019 On 9/26/2019 at 11:42 AM, Melvin-Moderator said: Everything looks clean thanks for the write-up. Please consider creating a patient website as well https://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/ I’ll be following your progress closely happy growing 🥳 Sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted September 27, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 27, 2019 (edited) You can see in the photo of my donor area that my left ear seemed to droop. That was a weird side-effect I experienced post op. However, it returned to normal after a few days passed and all of the swelling went down. Edited September 27, 2019 by wtrailer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted October 7, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 7, 2019 I'm approaching 6 weeks post-op and it seems to me that I have a little bit of growth. It looks like a few small black hairs are popping through my scalp. I'm pretty sure these weren't there before. I'll try and post some pics later. Will these hairs shed too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted November 28, 2019 Author Regular Member Share Posted November 28, 2019 Today I hit the 3 month mark. It's difficult to fully appreciate in the photo but there are a lot of hairs growing on my scalp in areas that have been bald for years. The hairs are very thin and don't show up well in bright lights. I do believe I suffered some shock loss, especially after comparing this photo to the pre-op photos, mainly on my mid scalp and donor area. However, everything has healed up nicely in back and I've been able to cut down to a 2 guard w/o any noticeable scarring. I love being able to see my new hairline when I look in the mirror. Looking forward to the next few months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted January 16, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 16, 2020 I've reached the 4.5 month mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abi28 Posted January 16, 2020 Share Posted January 16, 2020 Looks good, it will only get better from here, best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted January 16, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 16, 2020 54 minutes ago, Abi28 said: Looks good, it will only get better from here, best of luck. Thank you! The waiting is definitely hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted March 4, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 4, 2020 6 month update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted April 6, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 6, 2020 7 month update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted April 6, 2020 Administrators Share Posted April 6, 2020 Thanks for keeping us updated, you have some time for things to improve and thicken. Please keep us updated. 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 wtrailer Posted April 6, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 6, 2020 I will. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted April 6, 2020 Moderators Share Posted April 6, 2020 How many grafts did they transplant? Al Forum Moderator (formerly BeHappy) I am a forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted April 6, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 6, 2020 7 months in lighting that is a little less harsh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted April 6, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted April 6, 2020 2 hours ago, BeHappy said: How many grafts did they transplant? around 2700 I believe, focusing on the front 1/3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted July 23, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 23, 2020 1 week away from 11 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted July 23, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted July 23, 2020 Hi I can see some improvement. But are you happy with your results? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted July 23, 2020 Administrators Share Posted July 23, 2020 Definite improvement, but you will need another procedure to ads more density. You have a solid base now. 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 wtrailer Posted July 23, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 23, 2020 Overall, yes I am happy w/ the results. I knew going in that I would need more than one procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member wtrailer Posted July 24, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted July 24, 2020 Question for everyone. How many grafts would be needed for more density? I'm not much concerned about the crown at this time. Moreso the front and mid scalp. Would 1000 be reasonable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Mycroft Posted July 24, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted July 24, 2020 5 hours ago, wtrailer said: Question for everyone. How many grafts would be needed for more density? I'm not much concerned about the crown at this time. Moreso the front and mid scalp. Would 1000 be reasonable? Your best bet would be to explain your goal to Dr. Panine and have him tell you how many he would recommend based on remaining donor, prediction of future loss, and your hair characteristics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted July 24, 2020 Administrators Share Posted July 24, 2020 I would say the front needs another 1,500. 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...
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