agenteye

Hi thecricketer,

Again, no need to worry at all pal! Seeing thin hairs coming out is perfectly normal...and keep in mind, hair (even healthy hair) goes through growth stages and shedding. The important thing to remember throughout all of this, is to keep the treatment up consistently. As far as your question on "hair oil" goes, I am confused as to what you are asking here? Are you referring to a styling product such as a gel or a hairspray? I don't use any styling products as of now.....but am hoping my recent transplant gives me the hair I need to be able to start!! As far as any side effects with the fin/minox, I have had none. I have been on finasteride going on 4 years now, and Rogaine for at least 3.....maybe longer! So far so good....and side effects with these two drugs don't negatively affect the majority of their users!! It does happen though from time to time....

Keep us posted buddy!

midnightio-

Welcome to the forums! Congratulations on your decision to undergo your 3rd procedure with Dr. B!! From what I've seen of his results, you are in good hands!! 24 hours and counting huh?? That's exciting! 4000+ FUE is a HUGE SESSION!!! Does Dr. B know you want that many grafts done while you're there, and did he say there would be any limitations in doing so? Is that graft count do-able in a one day pass with his clinic, or do you have to go back over the course of a few days to break it up into more manageable stages? Also, do you have any photos of the state of your hair prior to your first two FUT procedures.....just so we know where you started from?!!

I'll be sending good thoughts and vibes your way for your restoration with Dr. B tomorrow! I'm glad you found these forums to document your journey and to keep us all here posted along the way! You'll look like a new man when it's all over, so can't wait to see the end result!

Just curious, whereabouts in the US are you from?

Kind Regards,

Mike

Fuesday,

Welcome to the forums buddy, and congratulations on your upcoming procedure! Dr. Rahal is an amazing surgeon, and you are no doubt in great hands!!! You made an excellent choice, as I'm sure most of us who have had our procedures with his clinic will tell you. I just had my procedure done with him a month ago, only I had strip (I call it FUTRIDAY)!! Okay, yours is a lot more clever! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Anyhow, you must be getting excited.....it's coming up soon! Can you tell us a bit more about yourself? How old are you? Have you started on any of the meds (Minox/Fin), and if so, how long have you been on them? What level of loss is your hair currently on the Norwood scale? Feel free to tell us anything else about yourself as you feel comfortable.....there are a great bunch of people on these forums. You have definitely come to an excellent place for knowledge and support!!

Here is a link recently posted on a compilation of FUE results, all done by Dr. Rahal. As you can see, you have something to be very excited about once your hair starts growing: http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/167798-dr-rahal-fue-compilation.html

As far as looking normal again, FUE is less invasive than strip, but your recipient area will be red and crusty for up to a couple weeks, so it all depends on what you consider "normal enough" to go back into the public eye. I went back to work after just one week and 4700+ grafts, but I definitely looked far from normal with a surf-blue paper cap on my head for two weeks post-op!! I imagine I looked a bit ridiculous, but everyone was really kind and either looked the other way, or pretended they didn't notice! Haha!!

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to seeing your progress along the way....and can't wait to hear about your experience in Ottawa. Please feel free to personally reach out to me if you have any questions before or after your procedure. Happy to lend a helping hand if I can.

Thanks for sharing your upcoming procedure......and safe travels!!

Kind Regards,

Mike

Bill,

I'm glad that you brought this to light, as I was concerned there was potentially some trolling going on here with someone pretending to be a patient just to smear a very ethical surgeons name in a negative way. Although at first I thought it was maybe an innocent mistake by a newbie poster, there are too many things that seem fishy about the post.....including that the "patient" isn't unhappy as of now, but wants to warn other patients before they spend tens of thousands of dollars to have a certain "experience" from the clinic. For someone who has no complaints because his grafts haven't even started growing....it sure does seem like there was an awfully big slam on the physician and the clinic. But it's hard for anyone who didn't see the original post to know exactly what I'm talking about here, as now it has been removed by the poster! For someone who wants to remain anonymous and potentially go back to the physician in question for a future procedure, there sure does seem to be a lot of ill thoughts early on in his recent procedure waiting game!! As a member of this forum, I'm glad you're "appearing to be the bad guy" Bill!! It is something I wanted to mention myself, and think both parties (the patient and the clinic) should have the right to defend themselves from poor results or unwarranted claims!! Since the clinic came forward to address the concern, it is only fair that the patient cooperates in return.....which clearly is not the case here!!

Shame! Really nice catch Spex!! Absolutely ridiculous that unethical practices such as this continue to occur this day and age! These phonies need to be stuffed before they do harm to anyone!!!

At the same time.....and on a somewhat bittersweet note.....what a compliment to H&W, T&D, and Dr. B!!!!! Goes to show you how highly regarded the work done at these clinics is if every fake clinic is chomping at the bits to exploit (previously listed clinics) result photos for false advertisement purposes! I definitely hope some of our forum members in the UK get involved to shed some negative publicity on this "clinic"!

Jayson,

Welcome to the forums! Starting the meds is definitely a great decision, and if used consistently should really minimize further loss! When it does come time to needing a restoration later on down the road, you will be in much better shape!! The two most recent photos you posted look really good....and your loss isn't super obvious! As Spanker mentioned, you do have very favorable hair characteristics to work favorably for you when it does come time for you needing a transplant! Keep us posted buddy, you have come to the right place!

Best,

Mike

Thecricketer,

Welcome to the forums!! This is all very normal. I shed really bad the first two months I started the meds, and had a panic attack. I continued the treatments as advised however, and my hair grew back much stronger than before. Keep on with what you're doing now, and don't get discouraged by the (very normal) shed that is happening! Let us know when the shed and your regrowth begins to stabilize!!

Best,

Mike

redemption-

Welcome to the forums. Although it seems as you are getting "bad news", there is hope for you! The medications to halt and renew some of your hair loss work really well....and as David and Thehairupthere mentioned, future transplantation once you get your hair loss under control may still be an option. At only 21, you have a long time ahead of you to have options made available to treat your hair loss. There are a lot of promising treatments on the horizon as well, so don't get discouraged. These forums are a valuable source of information and support, so reach out to anyone here if you're ever feeling down or need advice!

Keep us posted as to whether or not you meet up with a hair restoration physician to better assess your loss and future options.

Best,

Mike

Barry,

Congratulations on being this weeks "Patient of the Week". I have actually been following your progress throughout your journey. What a difference already, and all only 6 months out. Your 12 month mark is going to look even better....hard to believe! Keep posting photos....Dr. Path does great work, and I can't wait to see how this one turns out!

Best,

Mike

Corvettester-

Going through your photos from the very beginning to now, it's amazing at how far you've come! You must be ecstatic, your hair really looks great! It's especially nice to see such dramatic transformations with hair restoration are possible, as it gives those of us who are just starting out some hope! Thanks for sharing your most recent progress.....I look forward to keeping better tabs on you along the way!

Best,

Mike

Secretasianman-

I would agree with StaggerLee that if it's your first transplant and you are going the FUT route, the sooner you start the better!! I started 6 weeks before my procedure (I wasn't actually scheduled, I took an opening with a clinic somewhat last minute), and wish I would have started sooner. With that said however, the staff at the clinic said 6 weeks was more than MOST started, and I was still able to get 4700+ grafts in my first pass. If this is your 2nd (or more) procedure however (and it sounds like your question is geared towards when you can start laxity exercises after you've previously had a restoration surgery), I think you should consult your physician on when the best time to start again would be.....as there needs to be sufficient amount of healing time for your donor area. Starting the exercises too soon after a prior procedure may cause stretching of your scar, or delayed healing. Therefore, most reputable clinics will have you wait 8 months to a year in between the actual procedure anyway.

Hope that answers your question a little better?

Best,

Mike

Concealers like Toppik, Caboki, Dermatch and Nanogen are all very commonly used to mask thinning after a hair transplant. The important thing when resuming (or beginning) these products, is that you have allowed sufficient time for your donor and recipient areas to heal. Each physician has different recommendations on an acceptable amount of time, so I would follow YOUR surgeon's advice for post-operative care. If there is mention in your post-op packet that it is okay to use concealers once the scabs are gone, then I would certainly trust that your physician is comfortable in that recommendation. I just had my transplant 3 weeks ago, and my surgeon recommends I wait until one month post-op before using concealers. Although most people would say that's a really conservative amount of time, I'm going to follow my post-op packet, because it is unique to MY clinic!

Jman, happy healing to you, and congrats on your recent procedure!

Shabs, how do you like Caboki by the way? I just ordered my first bottle of Toppik this morning, and have never used concealers before in my hair......but a lot of people like Caboki and I almost ordered it instead! Curious as to your own thoughts on the product!

Jman-

Congrats on your hair restoration buddy! I'm glad you had such a great experience! You were in great hands at True and Dorin's clinic, so you can be certain you will see a nice result when your grafts mature over the next year. In the meantime, I know how tough it is not to look in the mirror.....but definitely try to relax and remember the order of events to come =) I am only one month post-op this weekend myself, and it is an excruciating wait to get to the growth phase, as right now I look worse than I did before my procedure. But I focus on one day at a time, and realize that I just need to keep my eye on the prize!! Watching your scalp shed the follicles is definitely depressing, but just remember that growth will be coming shortly after! I look forward to following your results. Keep us all posted, and welcome to the forums!

Best,

Mike

Welcome to the forums goatz!

Looks like very clean work, and right where you should be for 11 days post-op. Shedding of the follicle at this point is very normal, and after 9 days you can be pretty certain that the graft is secure! I think when your grafts start growing in, it will make a huge difference to your hairline, and you will be very pleased with the results. Who is the physician who did your restoration, and how was your experience overall? Keep us posted as you continue your journey over the next year. Looking forward to seeing how your case progresses and matures!

Best,

Mike

Awesome....really glad to see these videos, as I think BHT is very fascinating! Thanks for sharing with the community!!

Holy smokes, your hair looks TERRIFIC!!! I can't believe you are the same person as your pre-op photos!!! You must be thrilled.....and month 7-12 is just going to continue to give you density with follicular maturation! Congratulations anony! I can't wait to see your next update, as you really do look dynamite!!

Best,

Mike

Hopefully Bill, for the sake of Dr. Mohebi's reputation, there won't be any potentially controversial cases PERIOD!!!! I think most of us here would agree that this was extremely unacceptable!

Should be a subtle, but rewarding improvement!! Nice work Dr. Carman. Thanks for sharing the results. Looking forward to seeing photo updates as the transplanted grafts mature!!

I personally think 2000 grafts should be more than enough to accomplish the lines you drew in your photos. May be able to even get away with between 1700 and 1800!! You're in good hands with Dr. Path! Keep us posted on your journey buddy!!!

Best,

Mike

Daksh,

Congrats on your transplant buddy! I think it is going to look great when it all grows in as scheduled! Don't worry too much about anything at this stage.....your right on schedule to see things take off very soon. Then you won't be able to stop it if you tried! Keep us posted.....and thanks for the update!

Best,

Mike

Altdot,

Thanks for sharing your photos with the members of these forums! I think you're going to get a knockout result....the work looks very clean, and it's nice to have your ore-op photos for reference as a "starting point" for you as well!!

Don't pay any attention to TruthOnly above. I'm sorry he hijacked your thread to express his own concerns (to which I don't understand why he chose the surgeon for his own procedure if he didn't trust the physician or the clinic??). Instead focus on all the positive things being said by all the other members who posted on your thread, and realize that you went to one of the best surgeons in the industry. Chad and the rest of the staff are terrific, so just remember you had your work done at a top-notch establishment!! Anyway, I can't wait to see your progress, and to follow your journey over the next year! Keep all of us posted with updates along the way!!

Best,

Mike

Steve2468,

No doubt you're going to get excellent results from either of the surgeons you mentioned. Obviously if you opt for FUE, your decision is already made for you. If you opt for FUT....again, you have 2 excellent doctors to choose from! If you need 3000+ grafts, I definitely think you should go the FUT route myself. It is still the "gold standard" for restoration, and with either of the above surgeons performing the procedure, you can be certain you are going to get an amazingly fine scar that is barely visible.....even at shorter hair lengths!!

Whatever you decide to do....keep us posted on the forums here.....and I look forward to following you on your journey!

Best,

Mike

What about future loss though? Aren't there too many grafts used for the front?

Doesn't really look to me like the patient is likely to need many more grafts anytime soon.....and with 3200+ grafts, the patient most likely has that same amount or more still left in the bank just for strip!! I imagine he doesn't have too much to worry about....lucky for him! =)

Another outstanding result from Dr. Rahal (no big surprise), thanks for posting Matt!! I can't wait for my hair to start growing.....but I'm fresh out of the operating chair and have a long ways to go still.....

Jenkins-

Welcome to the forums! At 17 years old, it is my personal opinion that you are too young to be obsessing over your hairline!! You should be out hanging out with friends and enjoying your youth!!!

There are a lot of "what ifs" with the hairloss thing, so worrying about whether or not your hair is getting finer isn't going to do much to help even if it is. If you are seriously concerned about it, schedule an appointment with a physician for a consultation to help you determine the current (and potentially future) state of your hair. You are too young just yet (again in my opinion) to start taking any of the medications to help halt the loss.....yet until you determine that you are in fact experiencing loss....well, then you don't need them anyway.

In the meantime, continue to keep an eye on things....just not as closely as you seem to be doing. You will have a lot of time (and a lot of information) to help you make a decision for treatment when and if you should need it later on down the line.

In the meantime, you have come to a great place for advice and support. The guys here are great, and feel free to reach out for help along the way!

Best of luck buddy....and keep us posted!

Mike

Congratulations on becoming a coalition member Dr. Wesley! I always look forward to seeing your patient results. Keep up the great work!!!

Best,

Mike