Matt,
Thank you or your contribution to the forum. When SMG talks - We listen!

Hi

I wrote a long post on another thread regarding this .. First of all judging a HT at a point less than 1 year is foolish.. I just hit 1 year on my second and it looks, and feels 100% different than even 7 months. It's fuller, smoother, and more natural.. Everyone on here is told this by there doctor. I certainly relaize it is quite difficult to wait but it's not fair to the doctor or your psyche..

As far as judging your hairline against Armani's, this is not apples to apples.. Different circumstances ( i.e. hair type, skin, and degree of norwood, and the sugeons philosophy). It's a benchmark but that's all.

Lastly, are the expectations realistic? We would all like a Dense hairline but most procedures require a second or thrid to fill in.. I've had 3000 Ht's and 2 procedures and my hairline is not FULL yet either.. This is why I am going for #3 .. Look at most of the people on here with a total restoration.. Most with the exception of a veiw lucky people have had about 2-3 procedures..

By no means does this mean you might not be just in your feelings but, consider these factors and timeline before passing judgement.
Lastly, a camera picks up every little detail especially close up as you pictured.. I think it looks natural..

quote:

Originally posted by Mrjb:
Hi

I wrote a long post on another thread regarding this .. First of all judging a HT at a point less than 1 year is foolish.. I just hit 1 year on my second and it looks, and feels 100% different than even 7 months. It's fuller, smoother, and more natural.. Everyone on here is told this by there doctor. I certainly relaize it is quite difficult to wait but it's not fair to the doctor or your psyche..

As far as judging your hairline against Armani's, this is not apples to apples.. Different circumstances ( i.e. hair type, skin, and degree of norwood, and the sugeons philosophy). It's a benchmark but that's all.

Lastly, are the expectations realistic? We would all like a Dense hairline but most procedures require a second or thrid to fill in.. I've had 3000 Ht's and 2 procedures and my hairline is not FULL yet either.. This is why I am going for #3 .. Look at most of the people on here with a total restoration.. Most with the exception of a veiw lucky people have had about 2-3 procedures..

By no means does this mean you might not be just in your feelings but, consider these factors and timeline before passing judgement.
Lastly, a camera picks up every little detail especially close up as you pictured.. I think it looks natural..

Hi JOBI,

Good post. Let me do my best to respond to your questions / comments.

I didn't mean to express judgement on my final results, but rather my 9-month results vs. the expectations I had and the results I've seen from others. As even Dr. Shapiro states, I'm likely a late bloomer based on where I am today. I think that alone helps me to better appreciate my status thus far and provides me optimism for further growth going forward.

I also didn't mean to imply that Armani is the optimal doctor for hairline work. He does do great hairline work, yes, but at a cost. Many have commented that there seems to be little regard for future hair loss. This wouldn't be a risk I'd be willing to take, which I admitted to.

I think my expectations were quite realistic, as this is what I discussed with Dr. Shapiro at the time of my surgery. As I've mentioned, he (and his whole staff) are very honest people and I feel confident that they would have advised me if my expectations were out of line. Please know - in case you missed my posts on this - that I'm very pleased with the naturalness of the HT work done by Dr. Shapiro. There is no comparison to what it was like prior!

Jobi, I think I mentioned earlier that upon speaking with Dr. Shapiro directly, I am much more reassured as I know that - as a late bloomer - I have 5+ months of growth and perhaps am only at 65-70% of my final result. So, I will simply document my process and see where I am at 14-months. At that time I will know where I stand, which as Janna said on another post, I'll hopefully look back and 'wonder why I was concerned in the first place'.

So here's to happy growth!

M&M,

Hang in there my friend...as you know and have been told, there is more to come. I look forward to seeing your "final" result in 6-8 months . In the meantime...keep us posted with your progress and pictures.

Falc

I am now at Month 10 and I think the front continues to improve. I think I will definitely fall into the 'late bloomer' category!

I'm noticing that I'm styling my hair ever so slightly differently by feeling more comfortable exposing my hairline to the world - which is a huge vote of confidence for a guy who has hidden the obvious mini/micro Bosley plugs for the past 5+ years. I'm still not quite comfortable with my temples and recession there, but perhaps that is only because I've 'hidden' this recession for so many years that to expose it now might 'alarm' people.

Anyway, I will be taking some photos of my hairline in the next couple of hours but in the meantime, I decided to post some photos of my donor scar.

The photo of my right side scar (photo 23) is a little alarming after seeing some of the results from others and their tricho closure. Now - this side of my head was experiencing some issues after surgery. It got infected and required me to be on antibiotics, and it was numb a fair bit longer than any other part of the donor area, but all is fine now - no soreness or anything. Photo 24 is of my left side - better, but still visible.

It's just that I was so excited about (1) getting rid of my old Bosley pluggy hairline, (2) thickening up the front hairline and (3) getting rid of the horrible Bosley donor scar with the new Tricho closure.

So I must ask: Are tricho closures similar to hair transplants in that I shouldn't judge the final result until after 12-months? Am I a 'late bloomer' in this category also?

Just a quick post as I have updated the photo gallery with some 10-month hairline photos.

I think its looks really good.. Really good!

I would have to think that again you have to be patient and give it some time with the donor area. I would not fully evaluate until at the 15 month mark or so.


What you have to remember is that you have had several prior surgeries so once again as it is a factor in the recipient area it is also a factor in the donor area. It is possible that what you see is what you get because of the prior surgeries. It still is very minimal and difficult to see. Give it a little time, but because of prior work, that might be the best that Dr. Shapiro could do.

M&M, I think the work looks very nice, and will get even nicer over the next 6 months. Congrats!

M&M,

Looking good bro - it's obviously still improving. How are you feeling about your results at this point?

Falc

Jobi, Bushy, Falc,

Thanks guys for the kind words. Yeah, I'm pretty excited at how the hairline is becoming more and more refined over time. I can't believe what a late bloomer I am, but I'm encouraged by the results thus far. I'd love even more thickness... but surely there's a little 'hair greed' there.

NervousNelly,

I'm hanging in there. I've dropped a line with Shapiro Medical and should hear their thoughts by later this week.

I'm nearly at the infamous 1-year mark!

The hairline is continuing to become more and more refined and there are virtually no traces of the Bosley 'plugs' remaining.

Since I realize I'm one of the 'lucky' slow growers, I think I will have to wait to month 14 or so before really realizing the full growth.

In fact, one of the strangest occurrences lately has been the appearance of ingrown hairs in my hairline (thus the scab in the latest photos).

I'm hanging in there hoping for continued thickness over the next few months so the ultimate dream comes true - the ability to style my hair any way I desire!

Congrats! M&M,

Looking very natural, hope you continue to get that late spurt of growth! Just curious about the scar on your right side, you mentioned some issues there, was it damaged from Bosely work making it difficult for Dr. Shapiro?

In any event it is easily concealed, stay well my friend.

Hi M&M,

May not have seen , but what was the "Boz" location and who was the doc?

Bayer

quote:

Originally posted by Bayer:
Hi M&M,

May not have seen , but what was the "Boz" location and who was the doc?

Bayer

Well, the 'where' is easy to answer - Seattle.

However, the 'who' is certainly not. The first Doctor was Dr. Smith (not sure of his first name). He was an older gent and I could tell afterwards that he actually felt bad operating on me at such a young age. I do give him credit for ensuring my hairline was not too low.

I can't remember the other Dr's (4 small procedures - different Dr. each time...). Oh how I wish I had waited!

quote:

Originally posted by nobuzz4me:
Congrats! M&M,

Looking very natural, hope you continue to get that late spurt of growth! Just curious about the scar on your right side, you mentioned some issues there, was it damaged from Bosely work making it difficult for Dr. Shapiro?

In any event it is easily concealed, stay well my friend.

Hi NobBuzz - thanks for the words of encouragement!

I had a pretty nasty scar thanks to Bosley, but Dr. Shapiro removed the old scar with the new procedure and gave me a tricho closure.

I had some trouble on my right side - it got infected for a short while, but I took some antibiotics and applied some prescription ointment to it as well. The scar is a little nasty at this point still, but I'm hoping that it will also improve with time. I've spoken to Dr. Shapiro at length about the scar and it's difficult to pinpoint what happened to this side for me - something caused it to stretch. I'm hoping that some hairs 'pop' through the scar to also hide it further going forward.

If I get another procedure, I'd just make sure that it removed this old scar.

M&M,

Looks good at 11 months bro. By what you state in your blog, it seems that you aren't as satisfied as you could be? From the pictures, I think it looks great, perfectly natural...but I know you keep saying you want more density. At 11 months, you are pretty close to maturity...you may experience some new growth, but not much at all if any. Thickening can occur up to 18 months or so...you could give it until then...but if you feel you need dramatic thickening, I wouldn't expect that at this point. You can always go back for more. Keep us posted bro!

Falc

Hi Falc! Thanks for the comments. I am very pleased with the naturalness of the hair. Just the other day it was very windy and my hair was blowing all over the place and not once was I concerned about someone noticing 'pluggy grafts', which was quite a relief!

The only area where I'm not 100% satisfied is in the thickness of the hair - which likely has a lot to do with personal goals / ambition.

On my blog, I state "I'm quickly realizing that I will either need some dramatic thickening or some more grafts to fully realize my lofty goals of being able to style my hair in any manner possible. Here's hoping for the best!"

I've discussed this with Dr. Shapiro one-on-one where we agreed that I'd give it about 14-15 months before reviewing my options.

Hi all

I'm at 14 months from my 2nd HT and I have seen a significant difference than 10 -12 months. A considerable amount of additional fullness. Just goes to show, it takes more than a year ( at least for me) for a total picture.. Good to know for my third but i'm only at 3.5 weeks post op

Hey JOBI - now that's what I want to hear!

Do you have any photos documenting this late growth 'spurt'?

I've seen a few others who also had late growth in months 10-14, which provides me lots of optimism! Plus, I am having new hairs still coming in at the hairline (go figure!).

I think Dr. Shapiro was right on on his comment that I just need 2-4 months longer than 'average' to see my full results.