Follow my major repair

[topcat]

Here is my 3 month update. My skin is a little red around the chin area as I was applying benzoyl peroxide to help alleviate the in grown hairs. They have gone away and once I start applying some moisturizer I’m certain the redness will also be gone. I’m sure most would not agree with the remedy for the ingrown hairs including the clinic but it worked very well for me where the moisturizers seemed to make it worse.

Outside of that everything has healed up very well.

[topcat]

Here are the pictures I promised 2 weeks after I stopped using benzoyl peroxide as the ingrown hairs that I was experiencing were really making me crazy. As I have written it probably had more to do with the thinner skin under the chin but that is just a guess. As I have also written I take full responsibility for my healing process and in no way has the clinic recommended that I apply benzoyl peroxide to those ingrown hairs. In a few more weeks I fully expect the area to be pristine once again and I have had approximately 750 beard hair grafts from that small area. Although sometimes I don’t show it this has made such a huge difference for me that I can’t even begin to tell you.

[drybone]

Did the beard hairs grow in the recipient area?

[topcat]

Not only does beard hair grow in the recipient area it has really changed my life. I have never really let any of this get me down and have always strived to go out of my way to live a full life but my improvement so far has really driven me to do even better. It’s amazing how if you look hard enough there are good people out there. You can be in business do the right thing and still do very well, that is a better philosophy in my book.

[topcat]

I needed new batteries for my camera so this picture was taken after I applied some concealer. This is at 5 months after my 3rd procedure of approximately 500 grafts. The goal was to place them in the frontal 1/3 in hopes that I could use zero concealer in that area and use it only about halfway back on my head. At this point I am ecstatic as I have reached that goal, no more Justin Bieber style for this 50 year old.

Another reason I wanted to eliminate the use of concealer on the front half of my head is that without it the look is much more natural and exactly why although I always have the reflex expectation of someone looking at my hairline during a conversation it just does not happen anymore…….lol……….that is a really great feeling.

I also had an incident that happened several years ago with a female co-worker. She went to wipe my forehead with a tissue because she saw what she thought was dirt………..lol……………talk about being stressed out, but I can laugh about it now. Without having to use concealer in the front half that is no longer an issue.

I will update without concealer in the next few days. It’s still very early but so far I’m very happy.

[Stevie R]

Looking good topcat!

[topcat]

Below are a set of pictures showing my progression with the bottom picture being 5 months after my 3 procedure using a combination of scalp, beard and chest hair. BTW if you look closely at that first picture you will see what appears to be an open sore. Those were the smaller ones and I had one much larger slightly back. Those open sores I along with many others that had certain procedures were there for over 10 years. Of course they were worrisome but one just puts it towards the back of there mind and tries to forget about it. Ever since I had fue's planted in that area it has all completely disappeared.

[Stevie R]

Hey Topcat, thanks for point those sores out as they were similar to your bigger sore, it is noce your getting fixed as you have helped so many to get fixed, take it easy man.

[jetfan11]

Topcat,

Just read your posts and I really appreciate your thoughts. I am in need of repair due to my last transplant. Again thanks for sharing and being so straight forward.

My question is why did you decide to do transplants to top of your head with FUE?

Why not do it to the sides and backs cover up scars etc...

This way you would still be bald but shoot you could cover it up and be normal bald guy with hair on sides and backs.

[topcat]

Hi Jetfan,

Fairly easy question for me to answer here. What most don’t seem to understand when it comes to hair transplantation is that one is altering their face in the majority of cases. We have all seen those that are very well known who have had cosmetic surgery that looks odd, Michael Jackson, Mickey Rourke, Carrot Top, Joan Rivers the list is endless. If any of these people were to stand before you, you would be pleasant but your eyes would be transfixed upon their face and your mind would be saying WTF. With bad hair work they are saying the same thing in their mind WTF but what makes it even worse is you know it because as you are having that conversation with them their eyes are constantly darting towards you hairline, over and over and over again with each and every person you encounter in your life for years on end.

Is this worse than the initial hair loss, yes by a factor of at least 1000. So the most important part of the repair is fixing your face and getting it back to looking normal and for any of you guys that think it’s not your face we are talking about here consider yourself not knowing jack shit about hair transplantation.

I can cover my scars with existing hair and concealer and no one is examining the back of my head so at this point it is not important. I don’t believe anyone should waste hair on scars if they are going to need it to fix their face that is a very poor long term plan.

I’m going to quote something Jotronic has said in the past and I fully agree with him. Once you can live with bad hair work and get past it and remember we are talking about a disfigured face that people see here. Once you can get past it and have that aspect repaired you are now 1000 times stronger as a person and that is the positive out of all this. No one looks at my hairline when I have a close conversation even though I always still expect it, it just doesn’t happen and that is why I wanted the hairline and frontal area to look as natural as possible and I continue to make slow and steady progress. This has all given me the ability to take my own personal goals to the next level and of course I am very grateful to BHR and the skilled hands of Dr. Bisanga because that is in fact what they are skilled hands and not just another guy doing hair transplants, hope this helps.

Many people on the forums think I'm angry for some reason when that's hardly the case. Being truthful and helping others just to help others is paying it forward in my book. If I see bullsh*t I call it like I see it no one has to agree but many might like to know.

[jetfan11]

repair

Thanks for your response. Def wishing you the best and appreciate your sharing. But have to disagree with you. Being bald on top does not mean your face is ****ed up like mikey rourke or joan rivers. Half of America is bald. Just because you don't have hair to frame your face doesn't mean you are disfigured or different. Most of us here can't go bald with dignity because of the scars on the back. Most of us at the end of the road with HT would give anything to have a buzz cut or go straight bald. I hate to break it to you but having no hair on sides and back with scars everywhere and spending 2 3 4 years to get some body hair poking out of the top of your head is way worse. I did get your post and you can cover it with concealer. So to each his own and we all have to do what makes us feel right in our own skin. We each have our own version of that and I sincerely wish you the best. I have a repair road ahead of me to fix my mistakes so I kinda feel like all of us are on this site are in it together.

But make no mistake about it you are way way off with your post. People are not trying to "alter their face" they are trying to get their hair back. To compare not having hair and being a regular bald dude to Michael Jackson or Joan Rivers is a million miles off and someone needs to tell you that.

To say "no 1 should wate money on concealing scars" is crazy.

I hate to say this because it sound harsh but having body hair poking out of your scalp and scars/no hair on sides and back is 1000 times worse than having some hair on sides and back with none on top.

[jetfan11]

Sorry I know this sounds aggresive and its not meant to be. I just re- read your post. You said "no one should waste hair on their scars when it could be used to fix their face"

Not having hair is not the same as having a disfigured face by any stretch. Its a really scary statement you made. A scar is unnatural and disfiguring being bald isn't.

The lesson that all HT people realize when they hit end of the road is I shoulda just went bald! Bald=normal

Spending several years trying to get chest and beard hair to grow out of top=abnormal.

Using body hair to conceal a scar and be normal bald guy=totally normal!

Sorry but true!

[topcat]

Hey Jetfan not a problem I appreciate complete honesty. I think if you ask most repair patients they will tell you the ridging, cobblestoning and pitting of previous procedure presents a problem for most. Some have gone down that road and opted for extensive laser type treatments to try and get the skin back to normal, sometimes it works but never 100%.

If you think that hair is not part of the face than I would suggest talking to more repair patients that have very bad hairline work, maybe some would disagree but I believe most would acknowledge this to be true. All I can say from my own fue experience is that this has completely changed my life for the better and there is more improvement coming down the road.

Maybe I wasn’t clear, what I meant to say is that I believe if you need hair for area that comes into direct contact with another person’s eyes when having a conversation it is probably better to save it for that area if the supply is limited and worry about the scars at the back of your head lastly. Once again I think if you ask most repair patients that are in this exact situation they would agree.

[topcat]

With the way I have been styling my hair I think eventually I can get to the point where I can grow it all long tie it into a pony tail, not use any concealer as the length will cover the scars in back and look completely normal. So of course I’m excited when I see this otherwise for the most part I don’t really pay attention and just let it happen. I’m living more normal now than I have in a long time. Before I had to push myself so this would not get me down now I don’t have to push.

If someone wants to have the old grafts removed and resurface their skin with laser than that’s good too. It really comes down to what the patient will be happy with in the end.

[topcat]

I wanted to share this picture mostly with anyone who is a repair patient or just has a bad hair transplant. I got up very early this morning having to do some outside work and was caught in a very heavy downpour. Normally I would have to stop working and take cover or put on a hat as many ht patients know sometimes this procedure can completely alter your life and most don’t understand until it happens to them.

Anyway I was able to continue to work and not worry for me that’s incredible progress.