Painful decade long journey. 34 yo | 3x HT

[Melvin- Admin]

@track_rat

I’m planning almost the EXACT same procedure. Here’s a reality, removing hair permanently from the beard will result in less beard hair. Your beard will never look the same. The moment you accept that, the easier it will be. You’ve made a conscious decision to distribute some of that hair to the crown. 

Now, do I think it’ll improve? Yea, but it will always look visibly less dense, perhaps a little patchy. Honestly, few men possess thick stubble beards. Most men have this:

 

Look does it look great right now? No, but it’s barely the beginning, growth doesn’t even start until a minimum of 3 months, you’re a week shy. It’s not as if 3 curly beard hairs are going to stay on your scalp. It’s gonna fill in, and remember you can always straighten the beard hair with a comb and a hot blow dryer, if it’s a little curly.

Brotha, we’re all in this together, I know you’ve been wronged before, but this time is different. You chose an excellent clinic, and believe me Dr. Sethi would do anything possible to make you happy I know that for a fact, but look put a hat on for the next month, try not obsess. Believe me, before you know it, you’ll be growing in and you’ll look back at these posts and laugh. I think you look back to baseline. Not better, not worse. About the same. 

[kirkland]

I have to agree with a couple of members on here. You, like many of us, are obsessed with our looks and we can spend lots of wasted time criticizing imperfections in the mirror.

I can't grow a beard that doesn't resemble the backyard of a crack shack. If you've seen my recent trip to Eugenix, I didn't shave for a week before my trip plus my whole trip there because I thought they might want to use some beard hair and so I didn't bother bringing a razor. When I came back to Toronto, my wife looked at my pathetic facial hair and laughed. My point is that you're beard is still great. I would love to have a great shape and growth like yours. No woman that I know would think that your beard is anything less than robust - only you see the imperfections and are obsessing about them.

Your crown looks fine. Way too early to judge how the beard grafts have integrated into the area. Give yourself some space to understand that you have imperfections, like all of us, but they are not outstanding or deformative. You can feel good about yourself and your hair will turn out fine.

 

[track_rat]

37 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

@track_rat

I’m planning almost the EXACT same procedure. Here’s a reality, removing hair permanently from the beard will result in less beard hair. Your beard will never look the same. The moment you accept that, the easier it will be. You’ve made a conscious decision to distribute some of that hair to the crown. 

Now, do I think it’ll improve? Yea, but it will always look visibly less dense, perhaps a little patchy. Honestly, few men possess thick stubble beards. Most men have this:

 

Look does it look great right now? No, but it’s barely the beginning, growth doesn’t even start until a minimum of 3 months, you’re a week shy. It’s not as if 3 curly beard hairs are going to stay on your scalp. It’s gonna fill in, and remember you can always straighten the beard hair with a comb and a hot blow dryer, if it’s a little curly.

Brotha, we’re all in this together, I know you’ve been wronged before, but this time is different. You chose an excellent clinic, and believe me Dr. Sethi would do anything possible to make you happy I know that for a fact, but look put a hat on for the next month, try not obsess. Believe me, before you know it, you’ll be growing in and you’ll look back at these posts and laugh. I think you look back to baseline. Not better, not worse. About the same. 

Thank you Melvin! F*ck, you guys are great and I feel at ease a little. Working from home in my apartment and not socializing much has probably gotten to me and I’m clearly obsessing. 
 

I can’t thank you guys enough. And Melvin, appreciate you bro. 

[track_rat]

37 minutes ago, kirkland said:

I have to agree with a couple of members on here. You, like many of us, are obsessed with our looks and we can spend lots of wasted time criticizing imperfections in the mirror.

I can't grow a beard that doesn't resemble the backyard of a crack shack. If you've seen my recent trip to Eugenix, I didn't shave for a week before my trip plus my whole trip there because I thought they might want to use some beard hair and so I didn't bother bringing a razor. When I came back to Toronto, my wife looked at my pathetic facial hair and laughed. My point is that you're beard is still great. I would love to have a great shape and growth like yours. No woman that I know would think that your beard is anything less than robust - only you see the imperfections and are obsessing about them.

Your crown looks fine. Way too early to judge how the beard grafts have integrated into the area. Give yourself some space to understand that you have imperfections, like all of us, but they are not outstanding or deformative. You can feel good about yourself and your hair will turn out fine.

 

Thanks Kirkland. I will certainly look for your thread. And thanks for the comedic relief about your wife laughing at your beard hah. You’re right that I’m overly criticizing and need to dial it back several notches. 
 

Truthfully, quite a bit of my anxiety is coming from the looming wedding date of one of my best friends where I am a groomsman. It’s in just shy of 30 days.

[Zoomster]

Sit tight bro...this is 8 weeks after my second HT...slick bald crown starting point ...lots of beard mixed in there ..ZERO folks would spot scalp v beard hair  ..me included ...beard softens out over the 12 to 18 month process ...

put away the mirror ...

easier said than done I know ...

wish you all the best in what I know will be a great outcome 

 

[follically challenged]

10 hours ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Most men have this:

.....I wish 

[track_rat]

Hi gentlemen, I’ve done my best to put away the mirror and not post on here but I wanted to ask for feedback on the hairline at 3.5 months. I’m worried about zero growth so far and that some existing hairs have been knocked out and have yet to return. All around significantly thinner than pre surgery.
 

Drs have said it’s fine, but I haven’t been treated the best by the hair community and have serious trust issues. 
 

 

This temple area wasn’t really cleaned up as I’d requested.

 

Thanks in advance. I’m having a really hard time and am consumed with regret. Not much change to crown. Still looks quite horrible. I’ll post at 4,5,6 months etc.

[track_rat]

For reference, prior to surgery. Styled and a happy boy.
 

 

[Melvin- Admin]

3.5 months is hardly enough time to cast any judgment. You’re still leaving the ugly duckling phase. Things will improve and the fun lies ahead. Trust in the process.

[track_rat]

4.5 months. Not much going on in hairline. Worse than preop.

 

I wish I could remove the beard hairs from my crown. Looks and feels awful. A complete mismatch in texture and aesthetics. I was so much better off before, with a clean male pattern baldness look.

[Gatsby]

I have to be honest @track_rat. And this comes from an 'equally anxious post hair transplant butchered patient.' You are judging a 4.5 month ugly duckling post op procedure through the eyes of an 18 month post op patient's set of eyes. Can you see why your emotions are being so skewed incorrectly? I identify with you 100% as I had two punch graft operations from the age of only 18 when I had the hair of a rock star at the time. Lately my anxiety has been all over the shop over the past month due to my upcoming surgery with Eugenix. Is it because of Eugenix or the future results? No. Of course not because the surgery hasn't even happened yet and I was feeling as if I was looking back at this 'imaginary' surgery from a 12 month post op set of eyes myself. At some point we have to let any previous butchered results that have physically (and psychologically) scarred us behind us. Otherwise it's like trying to drive a car at 100 MPH looking only at the rear view mirrors. It's going to make us feel incredibly anxious and regretful for getting in the car in the first place. We need to alter our vision and look through the windscreen instead and sit back and enjoy the ride. After I had the two punch graft surgeries I began to see a therapist to deal with it all at 19. At the same time I was spending the next few years having small strip surgeries in my hairline to remove the plugs about every 6 months to a year. Today it's just a memory. Nothing more. Nothing less. In my mind I've forgiven the surgeon who did the plugs a long time ago, but more importantly, I've forgiven myself as well. I've gone through your post from start to finish and I really feel that you may find some peace with some therapy (just like you found some peace telling your best mate about it before you had to go to the wedding party in Mexico). You don't deserve to be constantly going through this pain that you are feeling which really began back with Dr Unger. You have to remember that the average person on the street would have no idea that you have had anything done at all. I apologize if I am coming across in anyway dismissive about your situation. I'm not because it is real. You may not feel that you require it but perhaps if you saw someone about your hair (like I did for sometime in my late teens/early twenties and which was what got me out of a deep depression) for the next 6-12 months you may come out feeling less focused on your hair in a negative perception and see your hair for which it will become in time (as 4.5 months is too soon to make any call about it). I'm really coming from a place of love brother because this is what this forum is about. It's a place where we can 'psychologically drop our dacks completely' knowing we are amongst brothers who all share the same concerns. This year will be your year (if only you will give it at least a year 😉 ). 🙏

[MachoVato]

4.5 months is way too early for judgement. You are just now entering the growth stage. Really, you have to wait a couple more months. No two patients are the same. You're creating your own anxiety when you need to trust the process.

[Berba11]

11 hours ago, track_rat said:

4.5 months. Not much going on in hairline. Worse than preop.

 

I wish I could remove the beard hairs from my crown. Looks and feels awful. A complete mismatch in texture and aesthetics. I was so much better off before, with a clean male pattern baldness look.

Everything looks pretty good to me. Your growth is starting to kick off now. Plus, because you've got loads of native hair in that area, as I've said before, it looks totally normal. If I met you on the street tomorrow I'd not have the first clue you'd had any surgeries at all. I'm 5 weeks post-op today/tomorrow and I'd trade places in a heartbeat! 

You said you'd saved some posts on your notes to refer back to remember... Have a re-read!

Also, now that you're 4.5 months on, who knows about your HT(s) in real life apart from your mate during/before the Mexico trip?

[Etownone]

Wow.  

What a journey.   I think the front Hairline is going to start coming in real good within a couple months.   And they really repaired your sides.   

But your beard..   You really don't seem happy with the results.  

I got a procedure coming up end of this month with Dr MWamba...   I was super excited....   (1000 scalp + 500 beard)  But now I'm nervous about the beard fue.    

[Melvin- Admin]

I can understand your frustrations, but 4.5 months is too early to call anything a failure. Give it time, easier said than done I know. Your case was always gonna be difficult from both a physical and mental perspective. I would love to see some additional photos. If you want to chat, I’m free. Just finished my procedure yesterday I’ll be creating a full thread soon.

[Etownone]

7 minutes ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

I can understand your frustrations, but 4.5 months is too early to call anything a failure. Give it time, easier said than done I know. Your case was always gonna be difficult from both a physical and mental perspective. I would love to see some additional photos. If you want to chat, I’m free. Just finished my procedure yesterday I’ll be creating a full thread soon.

Definitely looking forward to reading your new thread on your latest procedure, as I know you used scalp and beard this time.      

Curious if you got beard extracted from your whole face or stuck with what you wanted,  and used neck area only. 

Edited January 3, 2022 by Etownone

[MazAB]

@track_rat the mismatched density, texture and even direction of the hairs is totally normal this early bro. Trust me when I tell you that every week and every month will look better than the one before. It'll all fall into place👍💪

[track_rat]

Hi everyone. I’m dropping some photos at 5 months. Would you please let me know what you think? Thank you guys for your support. 

 

Not styled:

Styled with a good amount of product and hard holding hairspray to get the beard hairs to sit:

 

Hairline, not styled:

 

Before for reference:

 

Thanks for your feedback. The doctors are in close contact with me and are being supportive as we see what the final result will look like.

 

 

[digi23]

17 minutes ago, track_rat said:

Hi everyone. I’m dropping some photos at 5 months. Would you please let me know what you think? Thank you guys for your support. 

 

Not styled:

Styled with a good amount of product and hard holding hairspray to get the beard hairs to sit:

 

Hairline, not styled:

 

Before for reference:

 

Thanks for your feedback. The doctors are in close contact with me and are being supportive as we see what the final result will look like.

 

 

Hairline growth is coming in!

The crown you will need to wait atleast 12 months before evaulating anything, the growth has started there aswell, but takes longer so try to have patience.

[Zoomster]

@track_rat..I can see improvements for sure ...you’re right on track ..5 months still very early ...

Continued good  growing mate 

[Dillpickle123]

Use hair fibers you have enough hair to pull off a full look with a little hair fibers 

[Gatsby]

It's looking good and a long way off yet from the final result. It's not even at the half way point in fact. Happy growing!

[SLA]

Good progress 

[MazAB]

Looking good bro! 5 months is just the beginning! Happy growing😎!

[track_rat]

Hi, 6 months today. I would really love and appreciate completely honest and candid feedback.

Couple months before procedure: