My horrid experience and help wanted

[azza786]

20 minutes ago, JDEE0 said:

I remember reading this when you first posted it last year, I'm glad to see you've been able to find a solution and move on!

Looks good mate.

Thanks pal, 

I'm hoping that my experience can also help someone in my situation out... I'm content with the way it is though I'm still trying to fully get used to it or shall I say the new look 😁

[asterix0]

1 hour ago, azza786 said:

Hi Asterix, 

That was immediately after 5th session so was very red. I am all healed up so it looks very natural. I will share some recent pictures very soon. The post was just to inform of update. There wasn't a speck of blue anywhere. 

Looking much better, sorry I jumped to conclusions too soon!

[Al - Moderator]

It looks good. I'm not a big fan of SMP, but I imagine it works pretty good on you because you do have some hair scattered all over your scalp from the hair transplants which should give it the 3-D effect when light is shining on it along with a stubble feel if someone touches it. It certainly looks better than it did. You mentioned possibly some further FUE at some point. If you are going to do that, I suggest spending some time looking over your entire head and figure out what areas could use a bit more hair to get a better 3-D / stubble effect and concentrate on touching up those areas with a small amount of FUE. The combination of some buzzed hair with the added SMP for a full coverage look can work very well.

 

 

 

[azza786]

5 minutes ago, BeHappy said:

It looks good. I'm not a big fan of SMP, but I imagine it works pretty good on you because you do have some hair scattered all over your scalp from the hair transplants which should give it the 3-D effect when light is shining on it along with a stubble feel if someone touches it. It certainly looks better than it did. You mentioned possibly some further FUE at some point. If you are going to do that, I suggest spending some time looking over your entire head and figure out what areas could use a bit more hair to get a better 3-D / stubble effect and concentrate on touching up those areas with a small amount of FUE. The combination of some buzzed hair with the added SMP for a full coverage look can work very well.

 

 

 

You are spot on. Yes luckily I have scattering in the frontal third and some in the crown hence that is an added advantage. Just like with HT, you want quality and someone trustable. It took me a year to really get to grips with the clinic I went with and they are great. Just to give you some idea, it does look very natural.. basically a nw1 or 2 hairline or head but buzzed down so aesthetically a big difference. Ofcourse there are the must dos to get maximal benefit such as keeping the hair buzzed down and keep scalp out of sun as much as possible. 

And your suggestion about FUE is exactly my thought. The SMP has given a base to play with so with the limited donor supply that I have as well as body hair, I will think about this strategically and see what is realistic. 

 

[HelpfulFriend]

Smp looks fantastic mate!

[hairman22]

it looks brillant

[azza786]

Thanks everyone,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your inputs and advise that helped me decide this route. A big thank to @Gatsby for his input which also helped. Ofcourse I have been and will be a continual part of this forum. Hopefully, my experience can help someone else.

[BLE123]

I love how soft the hairline looks, makes me want to touch it 😄

[pkipling]

WoW! @azza786 Looking at your latest photos compared with the ones on the first page of this thread, and this is definitely a home run. I'm so glad you were able to get this sorted - and the others are right in that the SMP really suits you. Congrats! 

[HairNTear]

Looks amazing @azza786!

[azza786]

Thank you guys...appreciate it. 

I have done a few consults for FUE to see what my options are and it seems they all saying I don't have sufficient donor for any further ops which really sucks... Guess BHT is the only way... I only want to do small fill-in surgery's to accompany the SMPs. 

[salsasakke]

How is life with SMP? Looks good

[FUT4000]

On 9/20/2020 at 8:31 AM, azza786 said:

Hi everyone,

Logging back into this forum after soo long. For those who don't know me I go by the name of azza786...you can see my journey on my blog.

I am now 33 and had my first HT at age 20 in Ottawa, Canada..long time ago I know!

Between then and now, I have had a total of 4 HT surgery's including FUE, BHT and Strip surgery amassing to over 8500 grafts.

With that amount of extraction, one would expect a half decent result at the very least.

After persevering and persevering, rolling with the punches, being optimistic, I can easily say I have lost the battle. You can see my situation today...very disheartening and the effect its taken on me on a day to day basis over the last 13 years has been devastating...I struggle to talk about its impacts on me to anyone as it was something I had wanted to tackle and get out my way and move on in life. Ofcourse, I have moved on in life but the impact my experience has left with me has made it all the more worse. 

Over the past 13 years as you can see I have tried all the recommended pills and lotions but I don't know what will help me now. I am depending on a hair system to get me by for the last 10 years but that hasn't been easy to fathom till this day. 

What rubs it in for me is not just my investment into this in the attempt to counterattack it and not seeing a result but seeing others who have been successful in their surgery's and I'm sure have moved on with life. Don't get me wrong, there is no jealousy- no need for it but more a relative disappointment for myself as to this is not what I wanted.

I'm sure alot of people would say shave off the hair. How would that be possible with a scar that is there on the back of my head?

There is not a single day that passes where I think of what I can do. I am and have always been a risk taker with positive hopes but this has been devastating to say the least. Surely, there must be a way.

Sorry if I have cribbed too much...just sharing my pain which I find tough to share with people. 

Any help, advice or suggestions would be great. I really need to find a solution as I don't want to rely on hair systems for the rest of my life.

What makes it more unfortunate is despite the troubles it has given me, somehow I have managed to keep my youthful appearance. I wouldn't say it's just the system but it's the way I am. So having the loss that I have just makes it worse.

Thanks guys!

Azza

I just looked at your blog and after your first and second transplant everything looked decent. What happened after that? why did you get additional HT procedures? Looking at the quality of your hair I believe you have something metabolically going on possibly. Have you had blood work done?  

[Gatsby]

@azza786 this is a home run and it totally suits you! How does the back donor area look? It's incredibly liberating isn't it to just buzz your hair and forget about it. I'm incredibly happy for you and you went to an excellent clinic at Brandwood.

[azza786]

On 11/3/2021 at 6:00 PM, salsasakke said:

How is life with SMP? Looks good

Its good....certainly more freedom for sure....would say im not 100% used to it yet...maybe around the 95% mark but not too bad otherwise.

[azza786]

6 hours ago, rambunctious said:

I just looked at your blog and after your first and second transplant everything looked decent. What happened after that? why did you get additional HT procedures? Looking at the quality of your hair I believe you have something metabolically going on possibly. Have you had blood work done?  

Given that I had strong hair loss genes from both mum and dads side, that is what made it worse. I had to get additional because the hair loss was peaking at the same time i was getting the HT so I never got density at all....always the strong see through look which was frustrating. I did have blood work done before every HT and it came back fine. I did go through stress often resulting in insomnia but then again everyone goes through stress and worries but that doesnt mean they lose their hair.

[azza786]

4 hours ago, Gatsby said:

@azza786 this is a home run and it totally suits you! How does the back donor area look? It's incredibly liberating isn't it to just buzz your hair and forget about it. I'm incredibly happy for you and you went to an excellent clinic at Brandwood.

Thank you so much- the donor is okok...it needs a bit more work on which I will address in December...but yes, it has been good so far

[Gatsby]

I look at my donor scars with SMP now and I always remind myself how it looks ‘now compared to before SMP.’ When we remind ourselves of our pre SMP baseline it’s really night and day. Never forget this @azza786! You’ve won! I too had to do a bit of ‘tweaking’ on the scars on the back initially and my hairline scar is still noticeable up close. However not many people like you and I get that second chance! I’m delighted for you as much as I was for myself at the time and I’m so glad you took that leap and did it! 🙏

[AJ_HT]

4 hours ago, azza786 said:

Its good....certainly more freedom for sure....would say im not 100% used to it yet...maybe around the 95% mark but not too bad otherwise.

I read this entire thread. It took me about 2 hours, but I really hoped that at the end of it, you would have got a solution. 

And it was a delight to see that you did! Your SMP looks fantastic! I know you're playing with the idea of another FUE/BHT etc, but I really don't think you need any HT sessions now.

I've had 2 HT sessions with not so great results myself, and I'm considering SMP too going forward, looking at your and @Gatsby's results.

Congratulations to you man! Really happy for you!

[azza786]

8 minutes ago, AJ_HT said:

I read this entire thread. It took me about 2 hours, but I really hoped that at the end of it, you would have got a solution. 

And it was a delight to see that you did! Your SMP looks fantastic! I know you're playing with the idea of another FUE/BHT etc, but I really don't think you need any HT sessions now.

I've had 2 HT sessions with not so great results myself, and I'm considering SMP too going forward, looking at your and @Gatsby's results.

Congratulations to you man! Really happy for you!

Wow 2 hours?? Appreciate it my friend. 

Yes the SMP is good... don't get me wrong... you go to the right person, it can be worthwhile. 

In terms of my HT, I really am looking for small small sessions to better the overall look.... why not lol? What is there to lose and having come so far in this journey, if there is any potential then why not... The more the SMP and grafts can work together, the better the overall outcome. 

Good luck to you. 

[Rocketman1]

I would say: problem solved 😉

[azza786]

On 10/3/2021 at 10:49 PM, JDEE0 said:

I remember reading this when you first posted it last year, I'm glad to see you've been able to find a solution and move on!

Looks good mate.

Thanks so much... Appreciate it! 

[Z--]

Was looking through some older threads, and stumbled on this gem. 

Not sure if you're still around azza, but I'm really happy things worked out for you. You look 10000x better with SMP. I hope younger guys get visibility into this thread because it's so important. Hairloss in the 20s is super unpredictable, unfortunately.

When I'm feeling down, I look at threads like this and am reminded how others handled these types of situations with grace, and if need be, alternative solutions. Hair transplants aren't a one size fits all. Shame on the doctor for not turning you away at 19! Anyways, on a positive note, you're looking better than ever with the SMP. Please keep us updated and let us know where you're going from here (e.g. hair pieces, more SMP, additional transplants, etc.).

Cheers.

[azza786]

2 minutes ago, Z-- said:

Was looking through some older threads, and stumbled on this gem. 

Not sure if you're still around azza, but I'm really happy things worked out for you. You look 10000x better with SMP. I hope younger guys get visibility into this thread because it's so important. Hairloss in the 20s is super unpredictable, unfortunately.

When I'm feeling down, I look at threads like this and am reminded how others handled these types of situations with grace, and if need be, alternative solutions. Hair transplants aren't a one size fits all. Shame on the doctor for not turning you away at 19! Anyways, on a positive note, you're looking better than ever with the SMP. Please keep us updated and let us know where you're going from here (e.g. hair pieces, more SMP, additional transplants, etc.).

Cheers.

Hey man, 

Thank you for the words appreciate it. I am around ofcourse. 

The SMP if anything is an opportunity for me to get my life back a bit and to basically breathe. 

Prior to this, it was tough... Really tough. Not all young hair loss sufferers necessarily need to have the same traits as me. For me, I had every single hair related aspect against me genetically and it really bit me hard. 

But heyho, I have taken this as a battle. 

So what next?? Watch out for this space.... 😉

[THE GAME]

Azaa i just read through your entire thread. I am sorry you had to go through hair loss at such a young age . I am 46 and just got an HT , your thread convinced me that no matter what happens with my ht results  ill be ok cause i can always fall back on smp. It look fantastic on you . 
 

i want to wish you the best going forward my advice is dont sweat the little things life is short . Find happiness in the futur and dont worry about the past ….

 

cheers

Edited June 30, 2022 by THE GAME