Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 23 Regular Member Share Posted February 23 (edited) Hello forum, In the same way that you helped me, I'm writing this testimonial for those who might be in the same situation as me. As a reminder, I'm 25 years old, and I have very, very aggressive and diffuse hair loss, with thinning all over my head. I had a first operation with 2,500 grafts (maybe less, in which case they would have lied to me) in a clinic 2 years ago, but the result was bad. Contrasting density, pluggy frontal line, and grafts oriented at 90 degrees. I couldn't stay like that, so I decided to go for a repair with Dr Bisanga at BHR Clinic. Everything went really well, thanks to Lina for her support, and to the Doctor and his team for the repair. Now I just have to wait for the results. I had no pain either during or on the night of the operation, apart from the local anaesthetic, but nothing serious. 457 grafts were removed from the hairline and placed on my left temple (I don't know why they're not placed evenly across my middle, but I trust the doctor. Anyway, I'll be redensifying in 6 months or 1 year). On the other hand, i find that i have a huge forehead now, since the hair behind is also oriented vertically, what do you think ? I need to redensify as quickly as possible because it's really not pretty Here's my plan: - Extract 457 grafts from the hairline (which was done yesterday, photos attached). - If necessary, re-extract more grafts, or use a laser. - Densify the middle + hairline with 1500-2000 grafts. I know that with an aggressive loss it's risky, but what can you do? I am engaged in the process, and according to the doctor, I would have a donor area of 5000-6000 grafts left, I have a big beard, and a lot of body hair. I have also been on oral minoxidil 2.5mg per day, and finasteride 0.5mg per day for 1 year, but I have no effect. I still have a lot of hair that is getting smaller every day and the loss is not stopping. I will probably switch to dutasteride once a week, and move to 5 mg of minoxodil, 2.5 in the morning, and 2.5 in the evening. If anyone is in the same situation as me, I would appreciate your advice. I will post the progress of the healing on this thread, stay tuned. Edited February 23 by DavidFrancis 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member baddecisions Posted February 23 Regular Member Share Posted February 23 Really interested in your case, I hope that everything heals well. Definitely dr. Bisanga is the best for this kind of repairs. Could you post closer pictures? What percentatge of grafts from your hairline has the dr punched out? Regarding medication, moving to dutasteride and 5mg minoxidil is the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valued Contributor Berba11 Posted February 23 Valued Contributor Share Posted February 23 Do you have any photos of the original hairline work/result so we can see what the issues where that required the punch outs? Couple of things: 1. You don't have a huge forehead. It's frustrating how many guys think they have a huge forehead. If everyone thinks this, it rather indicates that everyone has normal sized foreheads! 2. You hairline now looks good again (and will be better when you have your next round of extractions to fine-tune things further) and shouldn't really be lowered or touched beyond remaining repair work. You're young with aggressive hair loss and your hairline at the moment will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life. You also have enough of a strong hairline to frame your face, which is all that matters really. 3. Filling in that circle behind the hairline will re-connect the frontal third and the midscalp, which would be a better use of grafts than doing anything further with the hairline. It will also mean that if you lose more hair in the midscalp and crown then at least the balding pattern will look more natural. So for now if I were you I'd continue with the hairline refinement work with Dr Bisanga and then when that's back to looking as natural as it can be again, fill in the hole behind with as few grafts as possible and then just keep up with the finasteride+minoxidil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 23 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 23 (edited) 13 minutes ago, baddecisions said: Really interested in your case, I hope that everything heals well. Definitely dr. Bisanga is the best for this kind of repairs. Could you post closer pictures? What percentatge of grafts from your hairline has the dr punched out? Regarding medication, moving to dutasteride and 5mg minoxidil is the way. Yes I know he is excellent, it was after a lot of research that I chose him. Yes I'll put some closer photos after the cream leaves, we'll see nothing otherwise Edited February 23 by DavidFrancis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 23 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 23 14 minutes ago, Berba11 said: Do you have any photos of the original hairline work/result so we can see what the issues where that required the punch outs? Couple of things: 1. You don't have a huge forehead. It's frustrating how many guys think they have a huge forehead. If everyone thinks this, it rather indicates that everyone has normal sized foreheads! 2. You hairline now looks good again (and will be better when you have your next round of extractions to fine-tune things further) and shouldn't really be lowered or touched beyond remaining repair work. You're young with aggressive hair loss and your hairline at the moment will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life. You also have enough of a strong hairline to frame your face, which is all that matters really. 3. Filling in that circle behind the hairline will re-connect the frontal third and the midscalp, which would be a better use of grafts than doing anything further with the hairline. It will also mean that if you lose more hair in the midscalp and crown then at least the balding pattern will look more natural. So for now if I were you I'd continue with the hairline refinement work with Dr Bisanga and then when that's back to looking as natural as it can be again, fill in the hole behind with as few grafts as possible and then just keep up with the finasteride+minoxidil. Thank you for your advice! I added the photo of the frontal line before the intervention in my post, I had forgotten. The removed grafts were replaced on the area with the blue circle in the image, and very, very few at the hole. I think I need a densification intervention anyway, because I have lost too much since then, and in any case I need to rebuild the frontal line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member RTC Posted February 23 Senior Member Share Posted February 23 1 hour ago, DavidFrancis said: Hello forum, In the same way that you helped me, I'm writing this testimonial for those who might be in the same situation as me. As a reminder, I'm 25 years old, and I have very, very aggressive and diffuse hair loss, with thinning all over my head. I had a first operation with 2,500 grafts (maybe less, in which case they would have lied to me) in a clinic 2 years ago, but the result was bad. Contrasting density, pluggy frontal line, and grafts oriented at 90 degrees. I couldn't stay like that, so I decided to go for a repair with Dr Bisanga at BHR Clinic. Everything went really well, thanks to Lina for her support, and to the Doctor and his team for the repair. Now I just have to wait for the results. I had no pain either during or on the night of the operation, apart from the local anaesthetic, but nothing serious. 457 grafts were removed from the hairline and placed on my left temple (I don't know why they're not placed evenly across my middle, but I trust the doctor. Anyway, I'll be redensifying in 6 months or 1 year). On the other hand, i find that i have a huge forehead now, since the hair behind is also oriented vertically, what do you think ? I need to redensify as quickly as possible because it's really not pretty Here's my plan: - Extract 457 grafts from the hairline (which was done yesterday, photos attached). - If necessary, re-extract more grafts, or use a laser. - Densify the middle + hairline with 1500-2000 grafts. I know that with an aggressive loss it's risky, but what can you do? I am engaged in the process, and according to the doctor, I would have a donor area of 5000-6000 grafts left, I have a big beard, and a lot of body hair. I have also been on oral minoxidil 2.5mg per day, and finasteride 0.5mg per day for 1 year, but I have no effect. I still have a lot of hair that is getting smaller every day and the loss is not stopping. I will probably switch to dutasteride once a week, and move to 5 mg of minoxodil, 2.5 in the morning, and 2.5 in the evening. If anyone is in the same situation as me, I would appreciate your advice. I will post the progress of the healing on this thread, stay tuned. I'm confused, where in the timeline is the last photo from? Hattingen September 2023 - Punchouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member RTC Posted February 23 Senior Member Share Posted February 23 Good luck with this, this is the right way to go. You will have to be patient though as it will be a long and bumpy ride. But your hairline will look 1000x better. 1 Hattingen September 2023 - Punchouts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 23 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 23 28 minutes ago, RTC said: I'm confused, where in the timeline is the last photo from? It’s before hairline removal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BaldReaper Posted February 23 Senior Member Share Posted February 23 how high was your hairline before the removal and how high is it after the removal?? I think the best strategy is to increase the finasteride dosage to 1mg/day and make a plan to fill the bald area behind the hairline with around 1500g. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 23 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 23 1 hour ago, BaldV said: how high was your hairline before the removal and how high is it after the removal?? I think the best strategy is to increase the finasteride dosage to 1mg/day and make a plan to fill the bald area behind the hairline with around 1500g. Hairline was little lower, but with hairline repair, it will be better. yes im agree with 1500g, i think it’s enough. Finasteride really dont work on me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BaldReaper Posted February 23 Senior Member Share Posted February 23 13 minutes ago, DavidFrancis said: Hairline was little lower, but with hairline repair, it will be better. Yeah obviously, I am referring to distance in cm, can you measure it? 13 minutes ago, DavidFrancis said: yes im agree with 1500g, i think it’s enough. Finasteride really dont work on me How do you know it doesnt work if you are using 0,5mg per day? The FDA recommended dosage is 1mg per day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Silent123 Posted February 23 Senior Member Share Posted February 23 Hey man, shame you’re having to go through this. Keep us posted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 24 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 24 On 2/23/2024 at 5:12 PM, BaldV said: Yeah obviously, I am referring to distance in cm, can you measure it? How do you know it doesnt work if you are using 0,5mg per day? The FDA recommended dosage is 1mg per day I will measure it after 1 week i think, but i will densify the hairline after. So it’s just for few months. about finasteride, i saw that 0,5 and 1mg is the same for results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 24 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 24 On 2/23/2024 at 6:54 PM, Silent123 said: Hey man, shame you’re having to go through this. Keep us posted Thanks Yes of course ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BaldReaper Posted February 24 Senior Member Share Posted February 24 21 minutes ago, DavidFrancis said: I will measure it after 1 week i think, but i will densify the hairline after. So it’s just for few months. about finasteride, i saw that 0,5 and 1mg is the same for results Its really not, I suggest you try 1mg/day for a year and revaluate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted February 24 Moderators Share Posted February 24 On 2/23/2024 at 7:08 AM, DavidFrancis said: 457 grafts were removed from the hairline and placed on my left temple (I don't know why they're not placed evenly across my middle, but I trust the doctor. Anyway, I'll be redensifying in 6 months or 1 year). I just wanted to comment on this part of your post. I would take a guess that if the Dr knows you're planning on coming back as soon as possible then he may have felt it best to cover a single area rather than spread them out because at 6 months it will be hard to tell where additional grafts are needed since the area would still be growing in. If he puts grafts in just one area right now then he can consider that spot completed and he won't have to worry about if hair he is placing is in an area that is still growing in. He would just stay away from the area he already transplanted. 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 DavidFrancis Posted February 25 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 25 On 2/24/2024 at 7:49 PM, BaldV said: Its really not, I suggest you try 1mg/day for a year and revaluate Thanks i can try yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 25 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 25 23 hours ago, Al - formerly BeHappy said: I just wanted to comment on this part of your post. I would take a guess that if the Dr knows you're planning on coming back as soon as possible then he may have felt it best to cover a single area rather than spread them out because at 6 months it will be hard to tell where additional grafts are needed since the area would still be growing in. If he puts grafts in just one area right now then he can consider that spot completed and he won't have to worry about if hair he is placing is in an area that is still growing in. He would just stay away from the area he already transplanted. Yes it’s possible ! I hope i did the good choice with this repair, because my new hairline is still missoriented ( old hair transplant ), and i have a very bad face now. The next step is removal or densification Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted February 26 Moderators Share Posted February 26 7 hours ago, DavidFrancis said: Yes it’s possible ! I hope i did the good choice with this repair, because my new hairline is still missoriented ( old hair transplant ), and i have a very bad face now. The next step is removal or densification when you have gone in the wrong direction, you need to go backwards in order to take the right path to go forward in the right direction. 1 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 DavidFrancis Posted February 27 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 27 On 2/26/2024 at 6:32 AM, Al - formerly BeHappy said: when you have gone in the wrong direction, you need to go backwards in order to take the right path to go forward in the right direction. Yes i hope my case is possible to repair… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted February 27 Author Regular Member Share Posted February 27 Hi ! J+5 since my removal hairline. Here is some pic, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DavidFrancis Posted March 7 Author Regular Member Share Posted March 7 (edited) Updates of J+14 of my removal procedure Edited March 7 by DavidFrancis 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now