Forrest Gump

hairwaiting, as others have pointed out, people grow at different rates. While I have seen some patients who had some noticeable growth at the 5 month period, many patients did not experience such visibly noticeable growth till later. If at the 9-month mark or so, you still don't see any visible changes starting to happen, you should talk to your doctor.

Very natural looking results! Nice job doctor!

Nice results!

Looks nice! Good job doctor!

John Malloy, sorry to hear that you're still struggling with your HT outcomes. Regarding your question on shrinking pic size, there are some options available on the web. I think irfanview is one of them. Do a google search to see other options.

Jojo, can you please post some before HT pictures? That way, we can more clearly evaluate the degree of progress you've made. Also, how many grafts did you transplant? Thanks!

Sleepingphantom, it is perfectly normal for a decent doctor to have a month's (or several months') waiting period. Also, there's nothing wrong with the doctor having an attitude of "Take It or Leave It, it dont really matter to me." Believe me, you should prefer a doctor with this kind of an attitude rather than a desperate "sales-pressure" one. IMO, you should focus more on the results achieved by the doctor. Ask for detailed pictures of his patients' before/after pictures. Also, ask him if you can meet any of his patients in person. It is also a good idea to shop around and compare doctors. So it's good you're talking to this other doctor. Do a thorough research, and then decide as to which doctor is most likely to help you reach your goals. Good luck!

I am about 35, and I had dense packing. I have about 60 per cm2 in my frontal hairline, and my doctor and I both agreed upon it.

My doctor's office told me that I could use hair styling products/gels 30 days post op.

Yep, even after 2 months post HT, I have some swelling/lumps in the donor area. I am assuming it's normal. It hasn't bothered me, in terms of pain or anything, so far.

Fingerscrossed, if your doctor doesn't shave off the recipient area, then you'll be fine. If your recipient area is shaved, plan on wearing a hat for several weeks, if you want to conceal the area. Depending on the relationship you have with your boss, you can frankly tell him that you're having a HT. It is not a big deal, especially for someone in the healthcare industry.

Yes, most transplants do look see-through under harsh lighting. Of course, if you were low NW to start off with, and you got very densely packed transplant, and you have the right color contrasts for hair and scalp, then you'll be fine. However, most HT patients do not fulfill all these criteria.

How old are you? From your picture, it seems your hair is fine as it is right now. Unless you're over 35, I would hold on for the time being regarding a HT.

According to Toppik's brochure, a 10 gm Toppik is supposed to last 30 days. So do the math for a 25 gm pack. I bought a 2.5 gm travel container from Toppik. I have used it 4 times so far, and I think I can use it another 3 or 4 times before it gets over. It depends on how much area you want to cover. I just sprinkled a little in my hairline, while I am waiting for my transplated hair to grow.

From the documentation on this forum, it seems that Dr Feller is the most reputed one in the NYC area, but there might be other good ones too. Basically, go through the before/after photos of patients of each clinic and see which type of work/style you like the most. I did research for a while, and I went to the doctor who I felt did the best hairline, in terms of the style that I wanted. You can try out a similar approach.

Soporty, it's very natural to feel discomfort when you're trying to lie on the back of your head. The discomfort will linger for a few days, but it gets better over time. If I remember correctly, things got much better by the third week. I am almost 2 months post HT and I don't feel a thing when I am sleeping now.

Am 0986, Is it mostly shock loss around the donor area or has your scar stretched out a bit. From the picture, it seems like a little of both. Anyway, if it's shock loss, then the native hair will return in a month or so. If it's scar stretching then you'll have to keep your hair long around the donor area.

Saifudheen, if it has been 20 days since your HT, you can safely rub shampoo into your transplanted area. After 2+ weeks, your grafts are securely in place, and rubbing shampoo won't dislodge or hurt them in any way. I used baby shampoo for exactly 30 days post HT. Many doctors prescribe using baby shampoo for that period of time, although some doctors prescribe it for a lesser period.

Assuming the pictures are untouched, the results look pretty impressive just 6 months post-op. I am wondering if there are other factors at play here, like recent medication regimen, as MajmX mentions.

Saint John, from what I have seen on this forum, a lot of patients from the UK take the short flight across the pond, and do their HT surgery in North America. That's mainly because there are so many reputed HT doctors to choose from in the US and Canada. Search around this forum, and you'll see the doctors who get a lot of patients from the UK.

That sounds about right. This is what I have been told: From the bottom of your face to the tip of your nose would be one-third, from the tip of the nose to the eyebrow an equidistant one-third, and from the eyebrow to the hairline another equidistant one-third. Someone told me about the rule of "four fingers." The width of the 4 fingers (excluding the thumb) lined together would give the ideal distance for each of the points (from hairline to eyebrow, etc.). Perhaps a doctor or someone more knowledgeable can weigh in on this.

Looks very nice! Good job doc!

Deepthought, Good Luck with the outcomes! I am sure you'll finally get to enjoy the outcome of what you have been planning for a while!

Jenson, sorry to hear about your bad experience with HT. Yes, in almost all cases, no amount of HT even from the best doctors in the world can give someone their original head of hair. So it's important to have realistic expectations and be aware of the limitations of HT. I am glad that you finally found some solution (and potential closure) to your problem.

A doctor or a doctor's representative would be able to give a more definitive answer. However, as far as I know, none of the doctors based in the US ask for any info regarding your private medical insurance. I have had 2 HT surgeries, and neither of the doctors asked me anything about my personal medical insurance. So to answer your question, NO, there won't be any issues related to your health insurance.