Dr. Konior, December 2020, FUT 2,380 Grafts

[uklex0608]

I began losing my hair in my teens.  By the time I finally got to go in for surgery, I had receding temples, and thinning from front to vertex.  Thankfully, I had a pretty good donor area to work with, and was referred to Dr. Konior by a relative of mine who found out I was going to go to a "hair mill" and wind up with plugs and intervened, and pointed me to these forums to learn more before undergoing such a major decision.  Here are some progress photos for those considering the same.

Pre-Transplant front and then styled photos of the crown and front.  Styling was key for me for many years, the wax style made such a difference in my hair at least in the frontal areas.

Day Zero (Surgery):  I received 2,380 grafts about 25% were 3's, 60% were 2's and the rest were singles.  All in all, nearly 5,000 hairs.  This was in December 2020, the year of the dumpster fire, but something good would come from it, in finally getting this procedure.

Day One:  Felt pretty good from surgery, my least favorite thing was the dreaded horseshoe from shaving the recipient site.  The longer side hair around the donor area was greasy and clumpy from Neosporin, so it not only looked awful, but felt bad too.  Aside from this, we were happy with the initial results.  Recipient Site, Donor Site (AKA Greasy Horseshoe)

Day Four:  This was the day I got to fly home from Chicago, they did one final cleaning of me that day and they were nice enough on day three to buzz the rest of the hair and rid me of the Greasy Horseshoe. 10/10 recommend this, your recipient shaved area is going to take a while to grow back so might as well be comfortable as you go and you are way less depressed when looking in the mirror.  I actually didn't even wear my loose hat in the airport even though I'd been cleared to, off chance I would be seen by anyone I knew in an airport in another city, more off chance they'd recognize me given the cut and COVID mask, and I had become a little de-sensitized over the five days in Chicago.  I actually only wore a hat during the first two weeks for Christmas photos.  People really don't care or give much of a look these days.

Day Twelve:  This is the day I got my stitches removed.  Dr. K said that they could have been removed two days prior, and the removing doctor of course agreed and was thankful I didn't wait for my Day 15 appt I had scheduled.  However you know Christmas happened and everywhere was closed.  Day Twelve was the best I could do.  Doctor stated that I had some build up but would go away once I started regular washing rather than being extra careful and probably not doing as good of a job.  This day was AMAZING, I came home and showered a little more regularly with the stitches gone, still using gentle touches and lukewarm water temperature.  Getting out of this shower felt like a new man.  These pictures came the next day as I wanted to wait to let the aggravation from removal go away, as well as get to buzzing the area a little more evenly where it was longer around the stitch site previously.  As you can see I still have some crusty scabs in the front taking their time coming off, but they're on their way out and have improved GREATLY.  I've been putting aloe on the area since day six and that's really when the scabs started coming off.  I've avoided picking at them, mostly I just wipe gently post shower with a dry soft rag, and whatever clumps to it is what comes off for the day, here is the view from the top.  Third is a picture that shows the scar as well as no mans land that wasn't cleaned well, between the scar which got good careful shower attention, and the graft zone which got good careful attention, be careful not to neglect this area as I did, as it now gets to get in on the healing party too.  Finally we have a closer shot of the bottom of the scar, and one of the more sensitive side terminal of the scar.  I will say that day thirteen of these photos is the first day I really reduced the Advil intake from every 4-6 hours to about twice a day.

To be continued.

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by uklex0608
Continuation

[Britanium]

Thanks for posting such a detailed account of your Ht. work looks impeccable as can be expected by your Dr. 👏👏

[makehairgreatagain]

Glad to hear you had someone to give you guidance and not become another hair mill statistic. Looking forward to seeing your results.

[stephcurry30]

Posting to keep track of your progress! Happy Growing!

[uklex0608]

Posted an update to original post with some additional pictures from nearly two weeks in, they’re linked as the underlined text.

Edited December 27, 2020 by uklex0608

[anotherhairlosssufferer]

13 hours ago, uklex0608 said:

Posted an update to original post with some additional pictures from nearly two weeks in, they’re linked as the underlined text.

The pics are not shown when you open the links: Access Denied. I find it better to just post the pictures here without the links - much easier to follow than having to open a link in a new tab.

[uklex0608]

11 hours ago, anotherhairlosssufferer said:

The pics are not shown when you open the links: Access Denied. I find it better to just post the pictures here without the links - much easier to follow than having to open a link in a new tab.

Had no idea, reposted all the photos into the post.  I was wondering why people did it the other way and figured it was just because it was easier not to link.

Edited December 28, 2020 by uklex0608

[champybaby]

You have fantastic hair — both color and texture — for a HT. You did right by going with Dr. K. I can already tell this is going to be a home run grand slam.

Aside, we're both in about the same spot. I also saw Dr. K (Nov. 4, 2020) for a 2,400 graft procedure. Also got my stitches removed on Day 12. It was about a 60/40 split, with the majority of grafts going toward the crown; I previously had a procedure with Dr. K in 2012 for about 4,400 grafts, all of which went toward the front half. Changed my life.

This was me after 12 days. Did FUT twice. Intend to fill the scar later this spring with beard hair. fwiw.

[uklex0608]

24 minutes ago, champybaby said:

You have fantastic hair — both color and texture — for a HT. You did right by going with Dr. K. I can already tell this is going to be a home run grand slam.

Aside, we're both in about the same spot. I also saw Dr. K (Nov. 4, 2020) for a 2,400 graft procedure. Also got my stitches removed on Day 12. It was about a 60/40 split, with the majority of grafts going toward the crown; I previously had a procedure with Dr. K in 2012 for about 4,400 grafts, all of which went toward the front half. Changed my life.

This was me after 12 days. Did FUT twice. Intend to fill the scar later this spring with beard hair. fwiw.

Looks like a pretty small scar to me, but I also have the gameplan that my final procedure, whether or not the hair gods decide I need a second FUT or not is TBD, will be to fill in the scar via FUE.  Thankfully I was told that I had a great donor area both in terms of hair and laxity, and that I should be able to get another FUT out pretty easily should I choose to do so.  Looking at your original procedure, how does it feel to look a decade younger one day in the mirror? I keep looking at mine in the mirror and am shocked by how much better it even looks buzzed, especially since the top was shaved, so I'm only seeing the transplanted hair and none of the native hair in the surgical area.

[champybaby]

1 hour ago, uklex0608 said:

  Looking at your original procedure, how does it feel to look a decade younger one day in the mirror?

When I was 26, people legitimately thought I was 36. Today, I'm 38, but if I have a clean shave, people think I'm in my late 20s or very early 30s. I really take care of myself, but growing hair isn't something that can be gained by lifting weights, eating right or by finding a better job, for example. A HT is the only way. And to that end, I believe you must go to the best.

Getting my procedure done w/ Dr. K was objectively a life changing moment.

[uklex0608]

Hey there HT network.  I thought I would give a update of where I'm at so I took some roughly three month pictures.  Looking forward to continued growth and for it to get to my normal length again post shave.

Edited March 24, 2021 by uklex0608

[makehairgreatagain]

Great progress! Coming in very nicely!

[Melvin- Admin]

Looks right on track 👍🏼

[Britanium]

Calm before the oncoming hair storm 👌

[uklex0608]

Four months in and my first normal haircut.  A cropped photo at a distance (what normal people see) vs the up close bright light photo (what we all see as we inspect super closely) is a huge difference.  Also, looks like I can pull off a three guard pretty well, as I can't see any hint of my scar line.  Very excited to see what the next four and then a full year get me.

Edited April 24, 2021 by uklex0608

[Britanium]

Donor area looks excellent. And the growth is already kicking off nicely ! Happy days 🤩

[stephcurry30]

tHIS IS GONNA BE A 10/10 RESULT

[anotherhairlosssufferer]

That donor looks flawless, awesome!

[Gatsby]

Looking right on track. Now the fun begins!

[xabi86]

Looking great. 

[Otar Norwood]

Looks amazing. Please keep the updates coming.

[Britanium]

Actually yes 👍🏽 we are due a update @uklex0608thanks 🙏

[uklex0608]

Asketh and receiveth 🤣.  Approx 6.5 months post op!

I am thrilled with the progress!  I got a haircut this week and my stylist mentioned that I still had a good bit of shorter hairs that are still filling out and may look even better once they’re the length of everything else.

 @JohnAC71 & @Otar Norwood

Edited June 25, 2021 by uklex0608

[Britanium]

Wow 🤩 glad we asked 😂🤣 love the progress ! It’s really taken off since the last time you checked in... thanks for the update 🙏

[uklex0608]

8 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said:

Wow 🤩 glad we asked 😂🤣 love the progress ! It’s really taken off since the last time you checked in... thanks for the update 🙏

Of course!  I haven’t thought about it as much lately as I’ve been having a very active summer (and because it’s gone so well).  But if I slip again, I have alerts set on this post, so just call me out!