Wow it has been a year and what a year it has been. I know my blog name is patiently waiting and I sure did but it gets tough at times. A hair transplant is a great solution to hairloss especially when you go to a surgeon and team of Dr. Rahal’s caliber. I have experienced highs and lows throughout the year and my expectations were definitely met and exceeded. In my experience this hair transplant has given me my hairline back and framed my face and has provided a nice dense look in the frontal 1/3 rd of my head. My challenges are that I like to wear my hair very short and sometimes in really bright light you can see that my hair is at 50% density and the illusion can be fooled. When I grow it out it looks really thick so it is not a problem. It took me a little while to figure this out as I wasn’t sure if I was to expect more growth. Overall though and the most important point is that I am not generally under a lot of bright lights and everyone that I run into can’t believe what a result I have received from this surgery. The result is so natural and Dr. Rahal really hit a homerun when it came to my hairline. When I do get haircuts my scar can be seen at times but only by people who really look for it (people that know I have had the operation). The pics that I am providing are all with a flash and I think the scar jumps out more then it really does in person. I cut my hair down to a level 2-3 on the sides and my barber knows how to work around the scar. My plan in the future is to have one more FUT surgery to correct my crown ( not sure how many more years…hoping another 5-10) and then one last FUE sugery to fill in my scar with hair and to take care of any last areas of need. Dr. Rahal will be the only surgeon of choice for me because of the level of service and patient care I received along with a fantastic result. I do use Minoxidil but do not and will not take Finastride or Propecia or any medicine that can or will alter my hormones. I feel the safest way for me to correct hair loss if through surgery with Dr. Rahal. I have chosen to do this blog for all the people out there that might be possible HT candidates and to show that this surgery really can be a great solution to hair loss. I also want people to know that Dr. Rahal is a terrific surgeon that can probably do this with his eyes closed, that is how easy they make it seem there at his clinic. Its a no brainer to pick him and his team as your surgeons.

Thanks for following my blog and good luck to everyone that is looking for a good solution to hairloss.

Matt

Sorry I didn’t post 7 months pictures. I feel things have gotten a little stagnant as I might have experienced a shed of some transplanted hairs in the last month, but overall things still look really well. I had a visit with Dr. Rahal in Los Angeles this past weekend and he said it can be typical for some of the hairs to experience a shed due to the cycle of the hair. He thinks that due to where I am at 8 months post op that I am 75-80% complete with maturation, and that I am at 40% density in regards to 50% density in which the restoration goal was set for. My scar has stretched a little on the sides but looks good in the back so I will probably have to keep my hair to a level 3 or 4 if I buzz on the sides. I am trying not judge the results until I get a year under my belt but I hope I can achieve some more density through time. No matter what it is a dramatic difference from where I started and I am happy with the results so far. It is easy to get hair greedy and you have to keep realistic expectations. If anyone has experienced a shed at 7 months post op please contact me. It wasn’t major but I felt like things thinned out a little for me.

Density is picking up and I am sure that I still have more to come. I am going to get a haircut sometime next week so I will post more pictures when I do so. I noticed a big pimple about a week and a half ago so I am not sure if I had a little growth spurt or not. Overall everything feels really well and I am glad that I had the procedure. These pics I am trying to show you how density looks close up. Big improvement from last month!

Things are looking good but waiting for the hair density to come through. The way I style my hair works well and creates a good illusion. I think for 5 months I am looking good and look forward for more growth and maturity to the transplanted hairs. I just received a haircut at low level 3 again. The scar isn’t too visible but hair still needs to grow in so you can’t tell that anything has been done. I feel like I pretty much have all of my feeling back in all parts of my head. Donor area feels great and is a non factor. All pictures were taken with a flash. I am very happy thus far with the procedure and results and I hope for more to come.

Adding some pics with a haircut I just received today. I told my barber i wanted to be a little more aggressive and see how a low #3 would look. As the pics show you can see some areas where hair needs to still grow in and there is still healing that needs to take place. At four months I am happy and I hope things will continue to progess where I can get away with a #3 or hoping even a #2 in time. I guess my barber told all the other barbers about my surgery and they all complimented me. It kinda suprised me but I think that all the pictures aren’t doing justice, things look better in person. I am so happy with my hairline. Dr. Rahal seriously drew it and had it dialed in within 5 minutes or less. I thought he wasn’t agressive enough at first but wow he was right on the money. He is truely a visionary and him and his team know how to execute the plan.

Things are picking up in the hairline  and think everything looks great and I look forward to a lot of new growth and density. Since I have been very open about my surgery people that I don’t normally see that often cant believe how much it has grown since I have last seen them. I haven’t been wearing hats at all anymore so that is a big relief. I know that I still have a long way to go and I just have to hope for the best. I will try and take some more pictures of the donor area after I get a haircut which is needed. The scar feels great and I have little to no tightness at all . It is definitely still healing as I have a very little bit of scabbing left on certian parts, but not much. I was visited by a potential Dr. Rahal candidate a couple of weeks ago that lives in my local area and he was impressed with the results at 3 1/4 months. We have spoken frequently over email and he has come to visit me and feels that he will be getting a procedure done by Dr. Rahal early next year. I am by no means an expert, but I am very open to sharing my experience with my surgery and Dr. Rahal and his staff, so please feel free to contact me.

Growth is definitely kicking in and everyone is getting excited for me. A good majority of the hair is the existing hair that I had but there is a lot of fine hair growing in and behind the hairline that might be a little tough to see in the pictures. Recipient area still has some numbness and the donor area feels great. Almost all of my numbness is gone there. I cut my hair to a level 4 and there was slight visibility of the shockloss of the scar but you could not see the scar at all. Overall very happy so far and I really like the hairline placement by Dr. Rahal and his staff. I am also still receiving follow up calls from Tara which shows the amount of patient care that they display at their clinic. All pictures are taken with a flash and I think these next few months I should see some really good results.

Not too much action right now. There are a few hairs that are starting to pop up in the hairline and in the frontal third. Overall I feel pretty good, most of the numbness is gone but I still have a good amount in the tail end of my scar on the right side of my head. I also still have some redness in the recipient area. I do not feel much tightness in the back of my head. Hopefully in another month or so I will achieve some better growth and it will get things jumpstarted. I am going to be in a wedding in a month. Wondering if it will be ok to use a concealer on the recipient area just for one day for the pictures. Any feedback or experience with using concealers three months after surgery please advise.

Numbness in the crown is almost gone and most of the numbness around the scar is almost gone except for the right side of the head. I haven’t felt any tightness for some time now. Most of my transplanted hairs began to shed once I started my normal shower routine on day 21 along with the application of minoxidil. My recipient area is still very numb but does not bother me at all. Obviously like everyone else this stage is very hard but I have been coping with it well as I am not trying to hide the transplant from anyone. I am in a wedding two months from now so I hope I have a little bit of growth at that time. We will see.