I think that it looks great for a 1st HT, covered the area really well. Looks like one more to the back and midscalp and you will have good overall coverage, congrats! I agree on the 2000 or less HT as far as scars go. In my own experience I had a bad HT a few years back where they only took 500 grafts but the scar was non existent afterwards, too bad the doc didn't take out my previous HT scar therefore was left with two scars! Last year when got my last HT my doc removed both old scars which were a pretty good distance away leaving me right now with a scar that is a little wide because of the area my doctor had to cut out to get rid of the previous two HT's. I still think it is better than two scars but when I go back for my next and hopefully last HT he said my scar should be much smaller as he won't have to cut out nearly as big of a donor area to get the same 200 grafts. I understand that some people have great laxicity in their scalp and can get some huge sessions and still have a small scar but I know in my case that wouldn't be possible and I have good laxicity

B-Spot,

Congrats and you look great. It is erik here from Chicago. I spoke with you by phone a while back just as I was jumping in on the research process for HTs. I am so thankful that I did speak with you early on as I may have fallen into the hands of the marketing glitzed sub-par HT mills.

I am amazed at your transformation and look forward to seeing your continued process. Thank you once again for spending the time talking with me and sharing your pictures. You have helped myself and so many others with your posts, experiences, and research.

Talk to you soon,
erik

Thanks T!!!!

Hey Erik, glad to see you again. Glad to be of service anytime!!!! Thanks for checking out my update. Talk to you soon!!!!

Oh, BTW, I still can't wait for #2, fella's!

OK Folk's!!!!!!! Due to the overwhelming response from members of this forum, I have taken the Pepsi challenge. I shaved down to a #2 over my entire head to show my incision closure, and how it stacks up. The first thing that should jump out at you is the fact that you cannot see a "blank" spot where the scar itself actually is. On the left side, under intense light, the skin is slightly lighter above the ear and then disappears around the back of my head. On the right side, you will see a spot right above my ear where I ripped out some hair removing the staples after surgery and a little shockloss as well. Overall, I would say 3 days after buzzing down, my scar is mostly invisible. With a #3 you would not be able to see it at all. Overall, I am categorically impressed, and I cannot believe that I can cut shave down this far at 7 months. After HT #2 I will be loathe to wear my hair this short, but I think it is important to show the quality of the closure.
I will growing my hair out over the next few months in preparation for HT #2, so perhaps I will be able to see even more gains.
That's all for now!!!!

B,

That is what I like seeing!! Shaved down to a #2 and the scar not visible.

I currently shave down to a #2 and have wanted to see what others look like after surgery. With Joe's post and now yours it is giving me more confidence each day.

Again, great results.

b, any new updates pics, comments?

Hey Troy, no new pictures right now!!!! I have been keeping my hair at a #2 all over for now until I get ready for HT #2. What I will promise is that before I do the second one, I will grow it out as far as possible and take before pics. I will tell you that my hairline and transplanted hair have softened and lightened and looks fantastic. It is awesome and I think after #2 I hope to join the likes of Bobman and Jotronics with my results. At this point my girlfriend is getting worried I might turn back into a sexy beast, so she's a little worried =)=) Anyway thanks for dropping me a line and I'll be updating soon!!!!!

Have you decided on which doc for number 2?

Dr. Shapiro, of course! Why would I change after the great results I have had? I have not contacted Matt lately about a time, but soon enough, once work slows down a bit.

you have gotten some great results and have found a doctor that is making your dream a reality, congrats!

Thanks for the mini-update B. I'll look forward to following your progress before and after HT #2. Best of luck following the footsteps of Bobman and Jotronic..........the ultimate hair restoration mentors!

BTW....I sent you a PM.

I was guessing you would go back to Shapiro, but just thought I would ask. You mentioned your HT softened. I have read a little bit about that on here, could you expand on that? Does the hair come in thicker, then later adapt to a softer finer hair? does that take away from density?

Hey Guys,

Well it is time I join my fellow brothers such as Falceros and Hairbank for MY second HT.

(Trumpets Blare--Dah ta da Daaaah)

On Jan 3rd, 2007 Dr. Ron Shapiro will be taking my bald head to the next level, permanently!!!!!!!!

In talking to Matt and Dr. Ron, it is going to be a large session and we will be taking a large amount of tissue out, so I expect a fairly large graft total. I would imagine that 3500 to 4500 would be a good target, and I am hopeful that I can get that much.

I have been struggling with what to do with placement, etc... if indeed my graft totals are 4000 or greater (everyone cross your fingers for me!) because I have areas that MUST be targeted first.

I have to have a build up of my lateral's and a tie-in from the 1st HT to incorporate the existing native hair that is on the side of my head with the transplanted hair from the 1st surgery.
I would estimate that I will need 500 to 700 grafts each side to "beef" up these thin points.

I am also struggling with the idea of re-transplanting my frontal zone heavily, because every graft I put in the front, takes away from what I can do in the crown. In looking at literally thousands of photos, speaking with quite a few patients, and meeting many HT patients, I think it takes about 4500 to 5500 grafts to truly rebuild the frontal zone and core (front 100 to 130cm's) for those of us who have no hair in these zones whatsoever. Of course this is for those of us who have excessive balding.

The sad part of all this is that I still have about 90cm of bald crown to cover, which is really irritating to be sure. I have resigned myself to having a very thin crown, unless I end up with extra donor than originally estimated (again CROSS FINGERS!!!)

So after having 3000 grafts to my frontal zone Oct. 05, here is what I hope happens on the 3rd of Jan............

Doc is able to remove 1.6 to 2 cm (width) tissue 29 cm long and I yield 4000+ grafts.

I will need 1300 grafts to build the lateral zones
4000-1300 = 2700 grafts left

I then need to decide just how dense I want my frontal zone
I think 2000 grafts will make my frontal zone virtually non-see through, but here is where things get a bit tricky.

IF I get right at 4000 I think I will only put 1500 into the frontal zone, (gives me 4500 into the first 100-120 cm's)

2700-1500= 1200 grafts left.

At this point, I basically would like Doc to take my HT back into the crown as far as possible. I think a 1200 graft shot into the top of the crown region only will improve the overall look, even if I have to take away 500 grafts from the front.

Of course, this is based on 4000 grafts----If I were to get anything over 4000, I think I will split them between frontal zone and crown.

So say I get 4400. I would think 1700 in the front and 1400 into the top of the crown. 4500, 4600...........you guys get the point!!!

Anyway, some thoughts about this HT thing as it applies to me personally.

1. Really pay attention to what it takes to transplant an area of bald scalp. Never underestimate what the BEST docs in world can do, and never overestimate your ability to accept thin or bald spots AFTER you use all of your donor.

2. Plan CAREFULLY! Don't lower that hairline right now or over transplant the frontal zone!! Wait and see what will make you happy. I did 3000+ for #1 and I now know what density will make me look absolutely awesome again, and it is not as high as I thought originally. If you transplant at 65-75, you will never know if 45-55 will make you happy, trust me the difference in graft totals is huge over a 100-120cm portion of the scalp (could be 1400-1600 grafts) and these grafts can be used to transplant other need areas.

3. If you are 28-40 and you are a NW4,5, or 6, do at least 3000-3500 grafts on your first HT. Trust me, you will be much happier.
By the same token, don't go crazy for HT #1, because you will probably need 2 HT's anyway and it allows easier closures, less demanding on the Doc and staff, and it allows doc's to go back over the same areas twice, which is always better in the long run.
2-3000 graft surgeries are better than 1 6000 graft session. IMO ONLY. (Or 4000 and 2000, whatever, your still doing 2 HT's)

Anyway, I am going to have Matt take some really high-resolution photos BEFORE the next session in order to show my areas of need and why I am breaking things down the way I am.

I am hopeful of many during and after HT photos as well.

I appreciate the support of this community and of several particular members, (you know who you are), because together we are making a difference. I see it here and I see it in other forums as well.

Thanks Again, and PLEASE-----------CROSS THOSE FINGERS!!!!!!!

There has no doubt been a lot of thought going into things and that is exactly the way it should be. You look awesome!. I have conversed with you on a couple of occasions but somehow never saw photos until today.
Obviously it is always a matter of personal opinion but I always believe in having the strong and more dense hairline and fill in the the crown as you can. Typically it is the hairline and frontal area that most people see and what you yourself see looking in the mirror. You can always have a natural hairstyle that is combed back to add some cover even if you keep hair short. Either way things look good now and will only get better. Thanks for posting and being a great source of knowledge on this forum.

Hey B Spot, Good luck with the next one. Those are some tough decisions you have to make. I understand how difficult that can be. I look forward to watching your progress. I know Dr. Shapiro will do a great job on you.

B,

Good luck!! Round 2 is less stressful since you know what to expect. Neverless, it is still a long day of surgery and recovery days which suck, but it is absolutely worth it.

You obviously, are in great hands with Shapiro. You are wise to strengthen the lateral humps and frontal area, but I would leave some for a start in the crown. You don't want the "Monk" look!

If you ever grow your hair longer and comb it back, the hair in the crown, although thin, will help serve to "tack" the hair from the front so it lays/holds better. I also have that big spot to cover but I am waiting to see what my regimen will do for that area for a year before I attack it.

I know some like to dense pack the front, which is fine. If, however, you are NW6, that may look funny IMO if you have a bird nest in front and slick in the crown, it draws too much attention, just my opinion.

If you have any donor (and money!) left, you can spread it around again in different areas in round 3 if you wish.

I believe if you are going to restore your hair, why not go all the way and max out the donor?

You will be looking awesome this Summer! Keep us updated.

B Spot,

Welcome to the next round of HTs my brother! You look great with 3100 grafts put in the frontal section. I struggled with some of the same thought when I was going in for my third HT...as in, where should I focus the majority of my grafts. I believe it's a personal choice that you will have to make...there is no right or wrong. Keep in mind (as I'm sure you know already having the experience and wisdom you do with HTs), that there is no need to try to do the frontal zone with 100 FU/sq cm...even if you can get it to 50, you'll have a nice illusion of density in the frontal area. If I were you (and this is only me speaking personally for what I would do..this doesn't mean it's what you should do), and this also depends on how many grafts you get, I'd at least put some of the grafts in the frontal third to give a greater appearance of density (keeping the position of the hairline the same), and then go back as far as you can into the crown. For me, I feel that most people will see me from the front and I want to feel more confident looking at them in the eyes than worrying if they are looking at the back of my head. BUT, I'm not underestimating good crown work either...after all, I did opt to put a good number of grafts in my crown which was what Dr. Hasson asked me....did I want to focus on the remaining 2200 grafts in the middle or hit the crown. I decided to hit some in the middle section so not to neglect it (to keep in natural) and more in the crown with hopes to make it close to even in density with the middle, etc. It's all a matter of how you want to play it...coverage vs density etc. I think overall coverage is better with some exceptions. IMO, it's better to have overall coverage, but with a denser frontal third since certain lights will give you a thinner head of hair.

Btw B Spot...do you have any recent pictures to share with us too? It appears that latest pics on your site are 7 months, which is still considered relatively early in the HT process.

I wish you luck and will be here to support you through your second HT my friend. You are in great hands! Start doing those scalp excercises!

Btw...thanks for also sharing your experience and wisdom in this post as well as every other post. Your advice is well founded!

Falc

B, good luck man! I know it's going to work out well for you.

Thanks Guys!!!!

You know, it has been a great journey thus far, and it will continue into the future.....

I think I will just have to wait until Doc actually gets me under the knife to see what and where everything goes.

I really hope to make a big splash on this one, but it's cool if I don't get everything I want--- I'll just wait a year and get another one LOL!!!!!

Falc-- I am going to have Matt take some good photos of where I am right now, before HT #2, in order to illustrate why I am doing what I am doing, (subject to Grandmaster Shapiro's approval, of course!) I will post those ASA I get back.

NN, Gorpy-- Thanks Fella's!!!!!

Buzz-- Oh, I hope to have 1500-2000 left after this one (cross fingers =) If indeed I hit 4000 that will put me right at 7000 grafts with (hopefully) 1000-2000 left. I guess it will just depend on how I look after #2 before I decide how to spread out what I have left.

D---- thanks my man!!! Hope you are doing OK? Listen, please use protection now that your fully ripped and back to "pimp status"
LOL!!!!!!!

Take'er easy boys!!!

Hey B-Spot, looks like the time for number two finally came around. Go luck brother, you have been a very valuable resource for me on this forum I remember searching and nearly reading all your post before my HT#1…. and continue to enjoy your post to this day(you bring it like Da Bears D-intelligence combined with talent coming from all angles). Sincerely from me to you I hope your second procedure with Dr.Shapiro takes you too where you desire to go (I imagine is a very hairy place).


Bay