If the guy that runs the forum goes with Dr Hasson then thats a big endorsment
Good Luck Buddy!!

After viewing my shaved photos, now you can clearly see why I opted to restore my hair and not simply shave down and go cue ball bald!

Of course, the Mohawk pictures were thrown in there for comic relief, but all and all, I’m really looking forward to growing my hair back - and an even thicker more refined head of hair at that.

For now, I guess I’m just going to have to look like a baseball head and minimize my public appearances :-).

For those who asked about graft dispursement, it was 50% in the frontal third and 50% in the forelock and vertex. Dr. Hasson's goal was to fill in the largest gaps and provide the most optimal density in thinning areas.

I just got out of my second shower today and have started the fun process of removing the scabs through diligent circular motions with my fingertips. They are starting to loosen and I expect they'll be gone in a few short days.

Thanks for your support!

Best wishes,

Bill (Falc)

falc
good luck to you. did dr hasson use tric closure the last time? i don't see any hair growing through scar from ht #3. as far as the mohawk id'd say you look more like Mr HT after all it's your 4th.
rtc
ps
4 weeks of staples ... damn

Bill,
What's your next step? FUE into the scar? Can you even do another strip? Are you at the end of the road, as far as strips are concerned?

Good luck Falc. You went to a top notch doc. Imo

Reverse the Curse,

Yes, Dr. Hasson did use the trichophytic closure even on the third hair transplant. It's obvious there was some stretching however, I attribute that partly due to my own fault of removing the staples on day 10 when he suggested keeping them in at least 2 weeks. I did notice that within a few days after removing the staples that the scar appeared to have stretched a little.

Therefore, I'm going to do the best I can with keeping the staples in as long as possible this time around.

mmhce,

If all goes well, I won't need any grafts placed into the scar. Truthfully, I really wasn't concerned about my last scar since my hair camouflaged it pretty well. It only became very obvious when I shaved my head. Hopefully this procedure will yield a much better scar anway. I guess time will tell :-)

Franklin,

Thanks for your support. And I agree :-)

Bill (Falc)

Day 6 photos has been added to my blog.

The scabs are pretty much gone thanks to Dr. Hasson's minimally invasive blades and my careful scab removal procedures in the shower.

The first two photos came out rather blurry. I've determined that my new 8.1 megapixel camera doesn't take photos as nicely as my 3.1 megapixel one - go figure. Thanks to Joe, he concluded it's probably because the optics are inferior on my new Kodac camera.

I may start taking photos with my old camera again.

Bill (Falc)

Falc - the work looks ultra refined as expected, and i wish you the very best on your follicular restoration journey. Too bad i didn't win on the graft-guessing-game but i'm glad to know that you got more than i had predicted.

This should be the final one, right? Is there any donor left at all now? Do you have a few thousand left for FUE?

Falc.. 4 transplants definitely gonna give you a clear and more thicker hairline and denser... Congratulations and looking forward for your monthly pics..

Are there any plans on covering the scar bu FUE procedure.. ??

falc, how many grafts do you have left in the reserve? good growing to you!

stay away from the gym a little longer this time "for scar's sake"?!?. the gym will still be there (and that comes from a guy that cannot stay away for more than a day!!) and your body needs a little rest anyway.

Thanks again guys. Of course, I'm still waiting for theEmperor to claim is $50 Amazon.com prize. I just sent him a private message to remind him :-).

I'm expecting the result to be tremendous, that is, combined with the results I already had. Of course, like all of you, all I can do is sit back and patiently wait for everything to grow in. I'm only at day 9 now, still with staples in my head and no shedding yet. I expect in a week or so, I'll start to lose my new friends. Hopefully, none of the old guys jump ship (in the donor area also), and I won't have to go through the doldrums. Here's for wishful thinking :-)

MiketheDane,

I thought the last one was going to be my final one, but due to hair greed, I opted for yet another surgery. I expect this to be the last one....for awhile, maybe forever, who knows :-).

lostandgone,

Since the wound is fresh and yet to heal and mature, I will give it the time it needs to heal before determining whether or not I want to try to improve it further. Unless it stretches badly, I have no intentions of adding grafts to the scar. In fact, if it stretches badly, I'd probably opt to get one more small strip procedure, harvest the old scar at one more attempt at a good closure and get some more hair in the process :-). FUE into the scar would be my last hope - only if it's needed.

hairthere,

It's tough to say how many grafts I have left at this point. I'll give you a better idea after the scar matures and some laxity returns :-)

Eman,

I'm trying, but between you and me (and obviously everyone reading this), I already sent to the gym and did very light weight and a lot of reps. I did this on day 7. Now I never recommend this to anyone necessarily, but I guess I have confidence in knowing how to take care of the wound while doing minor exercises properly without increasing risks of scar stretching. I also still have the staples in, which is somewhat of a barrier against causing the wound to stretch at this point :-).

I am smart enough however, to minimize my gym time and intensity significantly to ensure my investment heals properly :-).

Bill (Falc)

Man, once again, the work looks *phenomenal*; really beautiful overhead shots in your latest update!!! You gotta be giddy looking at those babies (I know I'm already imagining your big growth update showing off a veritable lion's mane)! It will be sweet as you document your journey over the course of 09'.

Like you, I couldn't stay away from the gym, either -- day 7 and I started to ease my way back in action. I wonder if there are indeed some positive benefits of adopting relatively early -- but prudent -- exercise, by way of facilitating overall healing through better blood flow and general body functioning.

Btw, give TheEmp another 48hours or ship that prize to...I dunno....whoever....guessed the highest....

falc, so on average if there's 10k grafts available then you're probably close to being tapped out on strip. would you say that the majority of your native hair on top is gone and that the majority is ht hair? if that's the case then i'd say you are a great example of a complete "restoration." congrats!

Thanatopsis,

Yeah man, it's hard to stay away from the gym. I feel that at least by going and doing something, I'm at least not going to lose all my muscle. Besides, after going heavier for awhile, doing some nice light weight with a lot of reps is probably good for me. Of course, there are certain exercises I won't do since I know they'd strain the donor area. I'll just have to gradually work my way into those. :-)

hairthere,

I wouldn't say that there are 10,000 follicular units available on the average - more like 5000 to 7500. I'm lucky enough to be above average.

You're right though, I have no native hair left on top of my head. So anything on top is all transplanted :-).

I'm looking forward to seeing everything grown out - of course, like everyone else, I have to wait and go through the roller coaster ride.

Best wishes,

Bill (Falc)

Looks like a wise plan of attack for your fourth procedure. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Looks fantastic, best of luck - and I think it is time for you to enjoy life with your new hair! Save your money for a new boat or something

Falc-

Wow! Your shaved down head looks so clean and full. You are going to be very happy with the final result. Can't wait to see it in person. We will have to get together soon to do some catching up.

I know how hard it is to stay away from the gym. If I find myself missing a day or two at the gym I tend to get anxious. Take it easy in there, my reccomendation would be to increase the protein intake to keep muscle loss to a minimum and workout hard on the elipical for another week or two before doing any heavy weights. Give it some extra time to heal. Once you hit the weights heavy again you'll be back to where you were before you know it.

Sorry for the delayed response everyne. I appreciate everyone's encouragement.

So I've been back to the gym but am doing light weights.

I'm coming up on 3 weeks and so far, I've managed to keep the staples in. With each passing day now, I'm getting more and more used to them, ironically. Maybe I'll keep them in forever...ok, maybe not. :-P

I contacted "TheEmperor" privately via PM, got his information, and delivered his $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com for being closest to the number of grafts I recieved.

I still have a lot of numbness above the donor incision, but it's improved a lot. I see some signs of donor shock loss on one sign of my head. It's hard to tell with the recipient area at this point since my hair's still very short and growing in.

I'll take some pictures soon and update my blog :-).

All the best,

Bill (Falc)

Be carefull with your exercises. It is not worth to get a stretched scar !