23 yo hair transplant with Dr. Rahal (Strip 4321 grafts - with pics)

[flat_pro]

I'm sure this will turn out terrific!

Thanks, the redness is really starting to get me down! Wearing a hat all the time sucks.

 

[barcafan]

why do people get strips? jesus christ i wouldnt let anyone mar my head like that

The scar is almost invisible now after just one month. The hair will grow through the scar, so you will not be able to see it at all etc...

With strip you can get far more grafts in one session, this is it's main advantage. Also, as you remove an entire section of your scalp you don't have a thinning effect.

Saying that as I need another hair transplant on my crown area I would consider FUE as I would only need about 2000 grafts. But we shall see.

The most important aspect of undertaking strip is to choose a very good surgeon, otherwise you end up with a scar and discomfort. The scar is not something I'm concerned by now at all.

Barca, be a little more sensitive. I would never consider strip either, but this man has taken that route and it's probably not comforting to hear those kinds of statements, especially so soon after surgery.

sorry i didnt mean any disrespect but i just wouldnt want to do it personally. Im sure it's fine like he said it fades and hair grows over it. it just makes me queazy thinking about my head lookin like that.

 

[Boondock]

I'm sure this will turn out terrific!

Thanks, the redness is really starting to get me down! Wearing a hat all the time sucks.

Lookin good so far. Are you on meds as well?

 

[flat_pro]

I'm sure this will turn out terrific!

Thanks, the redness is really starting to get me down! Wearing a hat all the time sucks.

Lookin good so far. Are you on meds as well?

Yes, finasteride MSM Saw placabe etc... and rogain on the back.

The scar was a complete non issue from week three. Once the stitches are out it's fine, and even before it dosen't hurt at all really from day 2. For me I don't see the big deal about strip, it's just VERY important to choose a good surgeon! To get this amount of grafts in one FUE session would be impossible and very expensive to keep going back I think. Most FUE stuff I see is just 1000-2000 grafts on the hair line rather then any large area stuff.

 

[Shma]

Yes, finasteride MSM Saw placabe etc... and rogain on the back.

The scar was a complete non issue from week three. Once the stitches are out it's fine, and even before it dosen't hurt at all really from day 2. For me I don't see the big deal about strip, it's just VERY important to choose a good surgeon! To get this amount of grafts in one FUE session would be impossible and very expensive to keep going back I think. Most FUE stuff I see is just 1000-2000 grafts on the hair line rather then any large area stuff.

I'm not a fan of propecia, but being a Norwood 5 at 23 usually means that your donor will thin out too in the future. This is VERY risky.

EDIT: ARGH, just saw you mentioned "finasteride" as well. Ignore the above.

 

[sandovalusa]

Looks like a great surgery. The scar on the back of the head is just part of it. Its a sacrifice you gotta make. I don't scar well at all but hopefully you are one that does.

You have to do Rogaine and your other regimen for life now! You don't have the option to shave it all off like I do. I stopped using Rogaine and rapidly lost most of what I had left. If you ever go off your regimen and want to do a sly shave you can't!

Looks like you've found a way to stay in the game and fight a winning battle against male pattern baldness. Congratulations!
:bravo:

 

[flat_pro]

Thanks for the encouraging comments everyone

I have to admin I have felt rather down by it all the past few weeks. Wearing a hat all day is really annoying and friends have started to make comments about why I'm still wearing it. I guess I wish I had just been honest about it maybe and ditched the hat a month ago. But I'm not at all confident about it, so I'm not sure if that was ever an option. I wish I had Sandovalusa's confidence!

Progress has been slow recently. I think a fair few of the donar hairs never fell out, maybe only 70%. Some have started to grow but most have not. But at this stage it's too early to tell etc...

My head is still quite red, a line is clearly viable against the new hair line. In the morning it's quite faded but it seems as I start to move about and wash it etc it becomes more red. The hat definitely does not help in this matter.

On a brighter note I have started to use Rogain on my crown area with good results. This was somewhere where I intended to have a transplant (due to the size I needed covering I was unable to do so), hopefully I can avoid this or at least reduce the number of grafts to a FUE level.

Will try to post pictures later in the week.

,

 

[GeminiX]

Don't know how I missed this post for so long

This looks like excellent work, great looking hairline too!

I had my second hair transplant around the same time you had yours (I think) and I still have some redness which is annoying me too.

I think the more density you have over a session, the more the redness will linger; I suspect it's to do with the length of time the between the incisions between being made and allowed to close after the graft is place.

 

[flat_pro]

Have you considered what you are gonna say to people when you remove your hat and have a full head of hair?

I really like Rahals work but did he think it was safe for you to have that many grafts put in the front when you were so bald so young.

I mean lots of bald or receded old men have hair transplants and bearing in mind there hair loss has either slowed right down or complelty stopped and they still don't get such low down hair lines placed despite being good candidates with plenty of donor hair.

Did Rahal talk to you about 20 years, hell 50 years down the line?

Fair play for doing it, I wish I had your guts but have you properly thought about the future. I would be really interested in hearing what Rahal had to say.

Many thanks

I don't think most people will comment about my hair, although I would be very pleased if I did get comments about a full head of hair. I have always had a high forehead so the hairline is not that far down.

To plan for my further hair loss we did two things, consider how the rest of it will fall out and then consider my donar. We didn't just do the hair line but went further back. I wanted to do the crown area aswell but this was not possible, as I was advised by Rahal, that would have taken the density down to around 35 not 45, which is too low for my age. When he told me this I was upset and slightly angry, however I'm glad I didn't have the crown done as I would prefer to have a good hairline then add to the rest later. I'm amazed that most people don't seem to know their density or even the area covered during surgery, this is something I was made very clear of and the reasons for for it being done. I'm almost sure at some point I will need something else done on the back, but hopeful not for a few years.

In regards to 20 years, I'm confident the transplanted hairs will still be there at the front and that I will have had a second transplant for the crown/top. Prob before I'm 30. In regards to 50 years I doubt I will be that bothered when I'm 70. But I would say things like hair cloning will be more around (maybe even 20 years) so you then have more options.

I would actually turn the question on it's head and say why should I wait till I'm 30/40 before I have a hair transplant? It's quite obvious how most of my hair will fall out and I'm prepared to have more done if needed. I would rather be thinning at 35 then 25.

A lot of surgeons just give a few thousand FUE to 25yo with receding hair lines at high density. And I would agree with you that this is silly. However, Rahal would not do that IMO even if you asked him. He's harsh but knows what he is doing, and he does it for the good of his patients. As I think other top surgeons do, H&W etc...

Don't know how I missed this post for so long

This looks like excellent work, great looking hairline too!

I had my second hair transplant around the same time you had yours (I think) and I still have some redness which is annoying me too.

I think the more density you have over a session, the more the redness will linger; I suspect it's to do with the length of time the between the incisions between being made and allowed to close after the graft is place.

Thanks for the comment. Do you put any thing on to reduce the redness? I have been using alovera cream from Holland and Barrets and that does actually help.

 

[flat_pro]

More pictures from 2 months 9 days

 

[flat_pro]

It looks good. Not too low but still used a hell of a lot of grafts. How many does he think you have left?

He said about 2-3K But it all depends on how versatile your scalp is.

 

[GeminiX]

I didn't use anything for the redness as my hair more or less covers the area when I style it (I was fortunate to have a surgeon who does not insist on shaving the area ).

I've noticed today that the redness is really starting to fade; I *think* I'm just starting to see one or two of the transplant hairs growing through, though it seems a little too soon.

 

[flat_pro]

2 months 26 days, lots of growth the last two weeks!

 

[GeminiX]

Looking good

 

[RP3X]

I just have the urge too shout out grow dang it grow !

looking very nice, I think the story of a car accident is a good one and best part is within a few months your gonna look good... very good

 

[s.a.f]

Looking very good, this is just the very start.

 

[deadlocks]

I just have the urge too shout out grow dang it grow !

looking very nice, I think the story of a car accident is a good one and best part is within a few months your gonna look good... very good

Hahah yeah, you could make a joke and say: "Maybe that car incident triggered of some gene into my system that made me regrow my hair." And then of coarse admit you did a hair transplant.

Looking very good so far man. Did the doctor also actually placed hairs in between the already excisting hair? I was always curious if that was possible...

 

[GeminiX]

Looking very good so far man. Did the doctor also actually placed hairs in between the already excisting hair? I was always curious if that was possible...

It's definately possible with the better surgeons (and for a natural hairline, essential); it's a much more delicate and time consuming procedure though.

 

[flat_pro]

I just have the urge too shout out grow dang it grow !

looking very nice, I think the story of a car accident is a good one and best part is within a few months your gonna look good... very good

Hahah yeah, you could make a joke and say: "Maybe that car incident triggered of some gene into my system that made me regrow my hair." And then of coarse admit you did a hair transplant.

Looking very good so far man. Did the doctor also actually placed hairs in between the already excisting hair? I was always curious if that was possible...

Growth is defiantly going well, it's just slow.

I have a feeling no one will say anything about my hair. British people tend to be too polite.

Yes, placing hair inbetween hairs is common with good surgeons. Some doctors do this without shaving your head, other insist on shaving it. I'm in the camp its better to just shave it and be done with the process. Makes it easier to work on and most seem to end up shaving it eventually anyway.

 

[robert west]

lol got the Curly Fine hair when it's all long NBL!
That's a lot of grafts in that area. Should be very thick!