loooking at your pictures I realized that you're lucky you didn't need any temple point work. A few I have seen so far do not seem natural at all to me: they're too linear and a wall of hair just pops up.

Falceros,

Congrats on the HT with Hasson. Couple of questions.

1. What is your post op care?
-What are you putting on/not putting on your scalp?
-What are you putting on/not putting on the scar?
-Are you icing your forehead to bring down the swelling?
-What are H&W's instructions for you?

2. How was the flight home? What kind of cap/hat did you wear?

3. How are you keeping from rubbing your head when you sleep?

I think I will continue to pester everyone who has had a HT with questions, so I apologize if you have answered them earlier.

Again congrats and we all look forward to tracking your progress...and hopefully you are enjoying your time away from work!!

Hey John_in_NC,

Are you saying that some of my pictures don't look natural or that some of the temple work you've seen in the past didn't look natural? I'm just looking for clarification. But yes, I'm glad I didn't need temple work done.

Eman,

Wow...good questions...let me see if I can answer them:

1. Post Op care is relatively general...let me answer your questions specifically to see if that will help:
- I'm using the shampoo they gave me to wash my hair, both recipient and donor which doesn't contain a lot of chemicals most shampools and conditioners have...supposed to be gentler on the scalp. The only other thing I'm using on top of my head and the scar is Aloe for a cool soothing affect. It has significantly reduced itch and irritation.
- See above for scar question
- Nope...no ice. Hasson and Wong suggests that you do NOT ice your forehead because it's a waste of time. The swelling comes from the fluid being injected into your scalp...so ice won't help. Ironically, I have had more grafts than any other surgery so far, and am swelling less than my last surgery. There is still some swelling, but not as bad. I DID ice on the previous surgery...and they also injected me with more anesthetic last time
- Well, instructions are kind of drawn out...but basically...for post op....wash your hair every day (specific instructions I'll leave out here for now unless you want them) and do NOT bump your head. And take your meds as instructed basically...which I've been out of meds since Day 3 or 4 post op.

2. Flight home was fine...it was a long flight so it made me a bit irritable especially when my last flight was delayed. However, it wasn't delayed long and arrived earlier than expected...so that is good . I was given a plain blue light fitting hat and a bandana from Hasson and Wong. I chose the hat on the way home...but the last couple times I went out, I wore the bandana because air still gets through whereas the hat seems more restrictive.

3. I'm not sure honestly...if I'm sleeping I guess I can't guarantee I'm not rubbing my head...but every morning I wake up and there hasn't been a problem. In other words, no bleeding in recipient or donor area and all grafts in tact. I sleep on my stomach with my pillow in a little bit of a ball not to high up so that the top of my head isn't being touched by the pillow. Seems to be working for me. I guess I'm an expert now after doing this 2 more times.

Don't worry man...it's not a pester. One reason I'm here is to share my experience and help others seeking answers. If you have any more questions, let me know.

Thanks,

Falc

Thanks for the response Falceros--I appreciate it!!

Hope you are feeling great...continue healing and again look forward to tracking your progress.

eman

Oh and I also wanted to point out....that I am taking Propecia and have been for 2 years, but have started taking MSM also. I will only take this for the first 5 months or so...but I'm doing it because it might speed up hair growth. Dr. Hasson said if I was going to try anything, that this would be worth the try...but everything else for post op stuff is just a waste of money...because everything will heal naturally anyway.

Falc

>> Are you saying that some of my pictures don't look natural or that some of the temple work you've seen in the past didn't look natural? I'm just looking for clarification. But yes, I'm glad I didn't need temple work done.

NOT you. I saw a few fully grown ones on another site, and didn't strike to me as natural at all. Maybe because I knew they had HT, maybe because they weren't natural...who knows. And I don't mean the temples as in those by the hairline, I mean the part that's usually an inch or so above the eyebrows; I think they are called temple points.
I was considering a few grafts thee, but now I'll leave them as they are since you can't hide them if they are satisfactory.

Hey John_in_Nc,

Thanks for the clarification. Yes, you are right, they are called temple points. I haven't seen the unnatural ones you are talking about...but I have seen work from Dr. Hasson among other docs doing temple work and it turned out very nicely I thought. Do some more research on it...if you need the work done, it might be worth comparing a number of results before you decide if it looks natural enough.

Falc

Added more pictures and a Day 9 Update: Here is the update copied from the main section. Go to the album to see the photos:

Day 9 Update:

Not much new to report. I think I'll be taking out the staples on Sunday or Monday...but we'll see. Things seem to be healing nicely. Recipient area is experiencing some dry skin which all has been coming off when massaging in circle on the top of my head in the shower. I've been adding Aloe to my recipient and donor area (only occasionally on the donor) to soothe the skin....which has been working tremendously. Reshaved the sides and back to a 1 clip...top has yet to catch up. I don't think I'll go any shorter than a 1 clip though. Other than that, still taking Propecia and MSM. The last few days I've actually showered twice a day trying to gently remove the remaining scabs. Seems to be working. No blood though some hair shafts have been in the dead skin...and as I've been told, this is perfectly normal! This is truly the best I've looked 9 days post op!

Falc

Falc:
Thanks for your updates...man, am I jealous--your hairline & crown look tremendous...you're definitely going to have a great head of hair in a few short months...it's impressive to me at this stage, believe it or not...the effort your putting forth, with your posts/pictures, are a great help to everyone & it's much appreciated...best of luck & continued good healing!

Mike

Mike,

Thank you for the compliments my friend. I'm glad my pictures and posting of my experience is helping people...that's what I want to do. I've been around the block a few times at this point, so I feel I can use my experience and expertise to help others in their journey. If I can help people make a wiser decision, I want to do it. I'm pretty impressed so far with this particular experience. I hope and pray that the results 6-12 months from now are pretty amazing!

Falc

Day 11 Update:

93 Staples removed! That's GOT to be some kind of record!!! Let's be honest...removing staples isn't a walk in the park. Some were ok...some hurt like a b#$%^. Some didn't bleed at all...some bled more than I thought it should. Either way...it's over, and my scar feels GREAT. It doesn't itch anymore like it was the last 3 or 4 days. See the pictures in the album section of the scar and the staples. I grouped the staples in groups of 10. That's a lot of staples!

Other than that, still experiencing some dry skin flaking off on the top of my head....most of which I get off after I get out of the shower. The water and shampoo loosens the skin and while my hair/head is still wet, I'll use my fingers and run them in circles over my head and watch the dead skin flake off. So far, only a few of the hairs have fallen out...most are still holding on strong...but I will expect them to go bye bye over the next few weeks. That's the depressing part of the HT and then into the doldrums I go, most likely expecting shock loss to happen like it did the last 2 surgeries. Eesh! If all goes as the last 2, by about 5-8 weeks I'll start experiencing nasty shockloss, and by about week 10-12 I'll start to experience ever so slight growth.

Falc,

Judging by your shaved look that's going to look nice-n-thick when it comes in. I'll be anxious to see your results.

Just to show how things vary, my staples were probably the easiest part of the process with little pain and only 1 bleeder...........course I only had in the 70's somewhere, 93........sheesh!!

Your scar looks nice and will likely heal well. Best of luck to you for fast growth. At least you know the drill and what you can count on.

Keep posting the updates! I'm planning to post my 9 month update here in a couple of weeks so let me know what you think!

Hairbank,

Thanks man for your encouragement. I can't wait to see what I look like in 8 months. I'm actually back to work right now, back in the office and have only shared with my boss what I did. Everyone else has seen me with a hat so far, but I may begin to take it off slowly so they can see my shaved head look. The only problem right now is the scar is very obvious, especially with the staple holes. I think I'll wait a few days and then expose the world to my shaved head. Ha!

Yes, I do know what to expect...I'm not looking forward to the next few weeks and then few months after that when shockloss will most likely hit me. But I'm hoping to stick witih the trend that I've been in...that about 3 months my hair will start to grow and by about 5-6 months, things are typically looking pretty good.

I look forward to seeing your pics in the next couple weeks hairbank! Keep me posted!

Falc

Falc:
Glad your over the staple removal--that can't be a pleasant experience...the last group of pictures really shows the great density that your going to have...you buzz cut appearance is not indicative of someone who has a thinning scalp--it's truly an amazing job--congrats!

Mike

Thanks Mike,

I think the top view of the buzz cut shows I'm still thin up there....but it should yield good results when all is said and done. I'm still experiencing some tenderness in the donor area...there is a part of me concerned that I removed the staples too soon (on the 10th day). But again, sporting a 1 clip shortly after an HT with a red scar, some donor loss, and staple marks do tend to exaggerate the scar. Right now it just looks wider than I think it should be. But I've also never had a tricho scar before...so all I can really do is give it time.

Also...a question for anyone. If you look at the full top pictures, you'll see there are a number of black dots on top of my head where the hairs have not grown. I'm guessing these are existing hairs that were shaved down before the HT and because of the trauma to the scalp, simply didn't grow back? If anyone knows or has experience there, I'd appreciate it. I have never shaved the recipient area before for an HT so I'm not sure. Thanks.

Falc

looks great do you have more doner

Stumper,

Well, once this HT grows in....I should have 7550 grafts on my head. I'm hoping that's enough to satisfy me! But anyone who's been through this knows all about hair greed! That being said...when I talked to Dr. Hasson, he said I have more donor...it's just in hard to reach places. So...I won't rule out that sometime in the future that I MIGHT get a 4th HT...but I'm going to be done after this for awhile I think. But I think I found and am sticking to my doc. Any future work will be from Dr. Hasson.

Falc

Hey falc,

Keep giving us the day by day. I want to be able to go back to work after 14 days or so, and nobody notice. So, if you have day 12, 13, 14....and on pics that would be great. I know you shaved down by the scar, but feel at day 9 your front half looked really good.

eman

Hey Eman,

Yes I've sort of slacked off on the day by day recently, but that's because there hasn't been much change. Some of the hairs have definately started to shed and I'm still experiencing some redness and some itchiness which I don't scratch at all. Occasionally I rub my hair and scalp gently with my palm to help with the itchiness, but it normally just irritates the skin and makes the itch come on stronger. So generally, I don't touch it.

In regards to your situation...I don't know that anyone can guarantee that nobody will notice something in 14 days post op, though you wil find that people don't tend to say anything. People might look but generally, they don't say anything. The good news is, it's only temporary. Bu