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  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    2

    Default Asian; 34; 3000 Graft Fue; 11 December; My journey starts here

    Disclaimer: Everyone has his or her opinions. These are mine. Peace. It's easier to upload pictures using my phone so there are on my Real Self review here: https://www.realself.com/review/fue-...journey-starts.

    Before taking the plunge, I spent at least a year researching on FUE. Pictures, blogs, forums, reviews, videos, pros and cons lists - you name
    it, I’ve seen it. I am not claiming to be an expert, but I'd say I'm a fairly informed layman.

    However, my research was quite frustrating because not many people were focused on the procedure/experience itself. Some reviews even looked like "subtle ads" for some docs. Hence, I’ve decided to provide an “as objective as possible” account of my HT journey. By objective, I mean focusing on the experience itself. Additionally, I feel that having some support may make the coming recovery year easier.

    Background:
    Asian; 34; Norwood 4-5 (heading towards 5)
    Been experiencing hair loss since my early twenties (first noticed it at about 22). I’ve always managed to hide it by keeping it longer and combing it a certain way, but recently it’s gotten so bad that I could no longer hide it. Been using minoxidil for the last 2-3 years. Did well initially but I think it was unable to keep up with the hair loss.

    I attribute my hair loss to poor care in my younger years (dyeing my hair too often, using too much product and leaving them on when I got to bed) and genetics (dad and his brothers are all suffering from it.

    Decision-making
    1. To get or not to get a hair transplant:
    I’ve read almost every argument out there on the WWW (e.g. scarring, possible future loss, taking outside of the safe zone). Ultimately I came to the conclusion that I personally feel that I look silly bald (Hey don’t get me wrong, the look suits some people, but just not me). Also, I think it’ll be easier to just get a HT than to shave off the horseshoe every day if/when I become a Norwood 6. Lastly, I did think about the possibility of a failed procedure but decided that it’ll be better to take that shot (look no one is gonna go “hey look at that silly badly, at least he doesn’t have white spots on his head - in my opinion, there is no ‘decent looking fool’).

    2. Dollars and sense:
    Where I am from, HTs are relatively costly. I paid about USD 15000 for my 3000 graft procedure. I did consider flying abroad to Turkey or Cyprus but after doing my math, I realised it would cost be about USD 10000 (incl of flights) to get it done with top names. I’m not having a go at the practitioners in other countries, but I just wanted to avoid becoming another horror story. So, once I booked my HT date I saved up. Told my self that a few thousand more isn’t a small sum, but money in a sense is somewhat infinite in the world (could always get a second job) but my donor grafts are very very finite. Also, the clinic is only a 15-minute drive away, so it'll be easy if anything goes wrong.

    3. Picking a doctor: Spoke to two doctors. I have rather fine straight hair (as you can see from my pre-op picture below). The other doctor (the one I didn’t choose) offered me a lower rate, but would only do a max of 2200 grafts. The one I selected told me he was looking at 2500 to 3000 depending on my budget. I went with him because he seemed more confident and somehow I felt more comfortable w him. Another thought that ran through my mind was, this has to be a calculated risk - if I’m going for it, let’s try to get the best possible result I can afford without endangering myself (i.e. not resorting to some ridiculous megasession). MOST importantly, my doc told me that (I) he would extract all the grafts from the donor, (2) he would make all the incisions and (3) even though the team would be implanting the grafts (more of a logistical reason as it’s better to have the grafts out of the body for the least amount of time), he would be there to help out.

    Personally, I think that if Docs are going to market themselves as HT experts, they should be doing most of it and not leaving it to technicians. Would you book a top gynaecologist for your missus, only to have assistants conduct the delivery after the gynae draws a few lines? That just didn’t make sense to me.

    4. Personal expectations:
    I told my chosen Doc that I know have fine hair and my loss has been quite progressive. Therefore, I don’t expect to have Robert Downey JR’s hairline. All I wish is to have something presentable where I can comb my hair and well basically - feel good about myself. I used Stephen Fletcher (the footballer) as a benchmark.

    Before the Op:
    Did a blood test about 3 months before my op date. The results showed that I had low iron count, so the doc suggested taking iron, along w vit D, supplements. Took them daily and stopped a week before the op.

    Before the Op:
    Did a blood test about 3 months before my op date. The results showed that I had low iron count, so the doc suggested taking iron, along w vit D, supplements. Took them daily and stopped a week before the op.

    Op day Monday (let’s call it Day 0):
    930 am
    I was really jittery, but calmed down after the pills. Had my hair buzzed down, short. Next was the local anaesthetic. It was brutal for me (note: for me). The doc and the team did their best to comfort me (patting my shoulder while I was being injected). Apparently, I have a very low threshold to pain - according to the doc, it had something to do w my nerves.

    Extraction soon began. I can still remember the sensation - try pressing your electric toothbrush against your skin. It was oddly, rather soothing. I soon fell asleep. Woke up every now and then but didn’t really stay awake. Couldn’t see much anyway as I was faced down.

    2pm
    I woke up when the extraction phase was over. The Doc suggested for me to be sedated for the next round of LA injections for the recipient sites. The plan was to mildly sedate me, inject the LA and wake me up an hour later for lunch. I agreed in a heartbeat. They stuck the big needle IV thingy into my hand and I was out like a light. When I woke up, I said “when is lunch?” One of the nurses giggled and told me that it was already 6:15pm.

    6:15pm
    Apparently, the implantation process had been happening. They gave me a 15 min break for me to head to the gents and wolf down my “lunch”. After that, it was back to implanting - only this time I was seated. It lasted till about 9pm. I was once again slipping in and out of consciousness, I remember my doc working on the hairline.

    9pm
    My entire head was wrapped up and I was sent home. There was a little pain, so I decided to just take the pain killers to be safe. Got home at about 10 and I was asleep by 11. I was up the next day at about noon.

    Sleep:
    Decided not to sleep on my bed because it has a head board. Just didn’t want to risk dislodging my grafts. Hence I slept on the couch by propping two pillow up against one arm rest, which ensured that my recipient site was in “midair” and my head was kinda 90%.

    Tuesday Day 1 Post-op
    Went back to the clinic, had my bandages removed and the nurse wash my head. She told me that none of the grafts came off and showed me the bandages. This meant that my sleeping posture worked! My doc came in for a final check and decided to shift a few grafts. So, another excruciating LA jab, a few relocations and done. I sat under the infra-red thingy (Revage I think) for about 30 minutes before a nurse briefed me on post op care.
    I was given saline solution (to be sprayed sparingly every 2hours when I’m awake) and some baby shampoo (to wash my head once daily).

    Donor site and recipient were quite red. Spent most of the day intermittently sleeping and watching TV. Read somewhere online that it takes 72 hours for the grafts to be “fairly firmly planted” and up to 10 days for them to be “safely planted”. So I decided to wash my hair the next day since the nurse had done so today.

    Pain-wise, the donor area didn’t really hurt. At times there was a slight burning sensation but mostly it felt swollen (the same feeling of a sprained ankle just a few days before its 100%; a little annoying but bearable). It did feel like I had a ring around my head (I guess it was the LA).

    Popped my pills and slept the same way at night.

    Wednesday Day 2 Post-Op Evening (Today)
    Washed my hair today. Used a cup to gently pour the shampoo over my head and rinse it with water. It was frightening, I was so afraid of doing something wrong. But, I think it all went well.

    The swelling has gone down a little, but my scalp still feels a little tight. Still the same “recovering sprained ankle” feeling. Got my wife to take pictures of my donor and my recipient sites. I was very surprised that the donor site has healed considerably and when I rubbed it cos it was a little itchy, some dried yellow skin came off (similar to a hardened black head). The holes are also a lot less visible. The recipient site looks largely the same, but it seems like scabs are forming.

    Well that’s about it. I’m supposed to see my doctor next Wednesday for a 1 Week post op check up. Hope all goes well till then.

  2. #2
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2018
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Day 4
    Decided to take photos with and without Flash cos they seem to look different.

    More background info:
    I am not on Propecia. I made the decision not to take it because I just don’t like the odds. If it were a six-month course with the risks, sure I’d go for it. I just couldn’t handle the fact that I’d be playing Russian Roulette for life. There are just too many possibilities.

    I’ve started oral minoxidil. I can’t comment about its efficacy yet but I find it an easier routine. Pop one in the morning and I’m done.

    Current management:
    Antibiotics - 1day left
    Anti-inflammation - 1 day left
    Tramadol - 1 nightly
    Saline spray - sparingly every 2 hours (sometimes when I feel it’s dry I’ll just spray it cos I read somewhere that its best to keep the recipient moist).
    Baby shampoo from Doc - once a day in the evening (using a cup to just pour it over my head)

    Pain:
    I believe the LA has worn off more. The “ring of numbness” feels smaller and higher. My guess is that it’s because the recipient site was numbed up later. Yesterday night was a little uncomfortable around the donor area because the numbness had worn off so there was a burning sensation. I managed it by taking my nightly painkiller (Tramadol) and by applying pressure on it. That burning sensation is now gone and the donor area is “largely” normal.
    There’s no pain whatsoever around the recipient site.

    Observations:
    1. Donor area - the holes that were once my grafts have filled up with “yellow crusts” (aka the blackhead look a likes I was talking about). I scratched my donor a little and they came off without any pain. Think I’ll just leave them alone for now. I also think it’s a sign of healing. I mean things could be worse considering how I’ve seen some really gory donor sites.

    2. Recipient site - the scabs have formed. I can see hair sticking out of them. I’m unsure if this is good or bad. But, as long as they are there then at the very least they haven’t been dislodged. So I’m taking it as a plus.

    State of mind:
    A part of me is constantly worried about all sorts of things with the mind entering some form of steam of consciousness.
    1. Is recipient site dense enough? Being human, I must admit that I wish it were a lot denser. But I constantly remind myself that there’s some “locals” there along with the “immigrants” so it should be ok. Anyway, I never had thick hair/donors to begin with so I tell myself - hey as long as you look presentable at the end of the journey it’s a win.

    2. Would people know I’ve had a HT? I come from a fairly conservative society but looking at my donor pics, I think there won’t be any noticeable traces.

    3. Am I doing everything right? To be honest I think I’m doing all that I can to ensure it’ll be ok. There is less paranoia/fear now; replaced with a “come what may” view of things. Ironic isn’t it, how I couldn’t feel this way about my
    hairloss. Perhaps, it’s cos I’ve actually done something about it and so if it doesn’t work out, I can live with myself.

    Comments, questions and basically just saying Hi would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

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