Sooty86 Posted March 20 Share Posted March 20 Hi all - first time poster here - I'm currently due to have a FUE procedure with Dr Hasson at H&W next month, so thought I'd document my experience here, in case it is of benefit to others. Very briefly - I noticed some slight thinning in my crown around my early 30s. I've always had a naturally high hairline, hence I didn't really notice any noticeable recession in my hairline until over the last year or two. It was at this point that I looked into getting a hair transplant. Initially I was intending to have the procedure done locally (in Australia / NSW), though after reading some of the postings here, I reconsidered and chose to go with Dr Hasson in Vancouver. I've been advised by H&W that the approximate number of grafts will be around 3,000, though I suspect the actual amount may be under or over depending on where exactly the hairline gets rebuilt. My hair currently is (I suspect) a NW3, progressing to a NW3 Vertex. H&W have advised it is likely too soon for surgical work to be done in the crown, instead suggesting medication for that area. I've never used any medication to date, so the photos attached are the natural trajectory of hair loss (the men on my mother's side of the family have a healthy head of hair, whereas my Dad is around a NW5 at 65. In terms of medication - I'm still undecided on this. My initial thoughts were to try and ascertain the minimal amount needed to restore and maintain my hair, perhaps by starting with minoxidil only, and then if this doesn't sufficiently regrow / restore my hair, to add in topical finasteride as a possible alternative to oral finasteride as a "Plan B". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Chrisno Posted March 20 Senior Member Share Posted March 20 (edited) Get on oral finasteride asap. You first start with oral. If you get sides, stick with it for at least 2 months, it usually resolves itself as your body adapts. Still sides after 2 months? Taper down to 3 times per week. Still sides? Reduce dosage to 0.5mg 3x a week. Still sides? Swap with topical. Best of luck with Dr. Hasson. You are in the very best of hands I am extremely happy with my own surgery with him. Edited March 20 by Chrisno 3 2500 FUE by Dr. Victor Hasson, June 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member BaldDude Posted March 20 Senior Member Share Posted March 20 Topical gave me sides too 😓 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooty86 Posted April 28 Author Share Posted April 28 Hi All - well the big milestone came for me on Wednesday 24th just gone. Based on where the hairline was drawn and the wider area to cover / fortify, there was a slight upward revision to the number of grafts required - 3,400 rather than 3,000. The day itself was long - arrived at 7am though didn't leave until just gone midnight. In common with other posters - I found the only painful bits to be the initial needles to numb the area. The planting took around 12 hours - I'd say the most labour-intensive element of the whole procedure. I asked Dr Hasson what my donor hair looked like - he said the donor hair itself is of good quality and estimated the number of grafts at 7,000. Although I'm not planning on having further surgery, I thought it was useful to know in case. In terms of medications - I've actually got Proscar (Finasteride 5mg) - which I'm to take a quarter of a tablet a day (so a 1.25mg daily dose), plus oral minoxidil. I was almost expecting topical Minoxidil (i.e. Rogaine), so this came as a surprise, though I believe this may have greater efficacy across the whole scalp. I'll be looking to start the meds later this week - just deferring for a few days, as I'm intending to measure my DHT levels as they are now, to establish a baseline going forward. The one thing I did notice was the swelling - it got that bad, I struggled to see at certain points. Unfortunately not the ideal time to experience it when flying Vancouver - Sydney, but times like these require sacrifices to be made I guess! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Chrisno Posted April 28 Senior Member Share Posted April 28 Looking very nice! Dense packed, matching your native density behind. I am sure this will yield an excellent outcome for you 1 2500 FUE by Dr. Victor Hasson, June 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooty86 Posted April 29 Author Share Posted April 29 Cheers Chris! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooty86 Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 Just a quick update - recovery seems to be going well. Definitely some moderate discomfort / tingling in my head & scalp, which is likely part of the healing process, but nothing that can't be suppressed with Tylenol/Paracetamol & Ibuprofen. The below photo is at Day 5... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooty86 Posted May 3 Author Share Posted May 3 ...and the latest photo today is Day 8. The crusts have now largely fallen off - just waiting now for the inevitable shock loss to occur in the next few weeks! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Melvin- Admin Posted May 3 Administrators Share Posted May 3 7 hours ago, Sooty86 said: ...and the latest photo today is Day 8. The crusts have now largely fallen off - just waiting now for the inevitable shock loss to occur in the next few weeks! Now that looks amazing and clean. Love Dr. Hasson’s hairline design. 1 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...
Sooty86 Posted May 12 Author Share Posted May 12 Quick update at Day 18. All seems to be progressing well. There's mild itchiness which isn't too bad - the key that I've found is to try and resist the urge to itch, as it tends to make it ten times worse! Annoyingly, this morning I spotted a single pimple that has sprung up right on the hairline - I've emailed H&W to seek their advice on whether to leave it as-is, or whether to sterilise and pop it. I did notice that a few hairs are coming out in the shower - so it looks like the early signs of shock loss are starting. The post-operative instructions suggest the concealer Toppik as an option that can be used - I'd very much welcome people's opinions on this, as to whether it's an effective concealer during the shock loss period? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted May 12 Moderators Share Posted May 12 4 hours ago, Sooty86 said: The post-operative instructions suggest the concealer Toppik as an option that can be used - I'd very much welcome people's opinions on this, as to whether it's an effective concealer during the shock loss period? I'd say this is going to depend on how much shock loss you get. You had some hair in the center before the transplant, so you may be able to get away with using concealer if you can hang onto most of that pre-existing hair you had. You may have to get a bit fancy with combing to cover the redness in the area where you didn't have hair though. 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...
Sooty86 Posted Sunday at 05:32 AM Author Share Posted Sunday at 05:32 AM Thanks @Al - Moderator - I'm around 3.5 weeks in, and although I've got moderate shock loss around the temples, the central area seems to be largely OK, so I think I'll give it a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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