My 2nd hair transplant explained

StellaBoost

Hello everyone,

I would like to tell you all about my second hair transplant procedure that i have just gotten done.

Backgound
My age: 35

When I was 33, I was balding fairly badly and decided to get a HT. I wrote about this here on boards 2 years ago describing the procedure and my thoughts about it all.
The first procedure I had was in Poland at a very reasonable price.
2800 grafts, FUT.

All grafts were placed in the front part of my head. None were placed in the crown as I had reasonable hair still there.
I was very happy with the results and have showed my pics to many people. I have also recommend <MODSNIP> to many people, friends and even family members.

2 months ago(3 years after 1st procedure) I got my second HT procedure done. The reason why I chose a second procedure is to increase density in the front of my head and to fill out the balding crown. Also, because I recommended <MODSNIP> to so many people, he gave me a discount.

FUT explained:

FUT is where the doctor will remove a (large) section of tissue from the back of your head. From this piece of tissue, they chop it up into the individual grafts. Each graft can contain between 1-4 actual hairs.

Then , for the second half of the procedure , they first punch tiny holes in the balding area of your head and then painstakingly insert all the grafts into these tiny holes.
Total procedure time : ~8 hours
This was a completely painless procedure, although there may be mild discomfort and boredom at times.

Recovery takes a fews days. You will be off the meds(mild painkillers, deflametery pills etc..after a week). After a month you can remove your hat and nobody will notice anything at all.

FUE explained:

Fue is a bit different, They have a special tiny extraction punch tool that is used to extract the grafts. I got 2000 grafts extracted in this way. As there is no need to cut a section of tissue out, recovery is quicker. (Less swelling etc..)

The second part of the procedure is the same as FUT above. They spend about 4 hours inserting all the grafts into the selected balding areas. In my case we decided to further densify the front area and also fill out my crown, which had started to thin.

My seconded procedure was FUE.

The full FUE procedure lasted about 8 hours. Recovery this time was quicker compared to FUT. And it felt less of a big deal..After a week,, the cap came off.

I would recommend FUE if you can afford it. The only difference in the final outcome between the two is that with FUT you will have a very thin scar/line on the back of your head. This is covered by your hair and is not visible unless you have a skinhead haircut.
In fact this scar is so difficult that my local barber had to really search for it after I told him about it..

thats it. Hope this helps anybody considering getting this done.
PS. I do not take any medication at all.

Please do not recommend doctors and clinics on thread. This should be done via PM.

ongarboy

Very detailed technical post which no doubt will greatly help explain the process for those considering similar.

I'd also be interested in finding out why you did it in the first place and/or how you can definitively quantify how it has since enhanced your life, your self esteem, your confidence, your success with attracting other women (or men) or if attached, changed the way your partner now feels about you. Maybe none of the above were motivating reasons but would be interested to hear if you care to share?

StellaBoost

These are very good question asked by Ongarboy above.

Q)Why I did it.
A)Firstly, a friend showed my his own HT at a party. This was my first introduction to the idea of a HT at all. Before this, I never even considered it as an option. My opinion of Ht's were negative due to images in the media of badly done jobs in the past. But my friends hair was not like that. It was good, really good. So that got me thinking...
I was 32, balding in the front..badly. And I was single too. It annoyed me for sure, It wasn't causing me depression, but it was a constant reminder of my ageing. Anyway , I had cash to spare, I loved the idea of rejuvenating myself, so feic it! why not, I went for it..

Q) Has my life been enhanced
A) Yes, it has shed years off my appearance. I no longer think about my hair. Its a non issue. My confidence has also been increased. I know, its incredibly superficial , but that's just the way it is.
With regards to women, I am definitely more confident around women. But I cannot give my hair all the credit here. There are other factors:
-My age (as in my brain getting older), and I know more about life then the girls I am talking to.
-More financially secure, this has made me more confident...again In know, superficial..

I have no parter, but I have told lots of people about my HT.(if the operation had not been such a success, I would not be so open about it). They are all amazed by how good the job is, and I love seeing their reaction....Some people don't believe me and I have to show them some before and after pics to prove it:)

Final thought:
Its amazing that we now live in an age where balding is no longer an issue, I am grateful that it came along in just the nick of time when I really needed it. Balding and in my 30's looking for a partner..

Which option you choose comes down to money:

Option 1: I don't care about money.
If money is not an issue, I recommend FUE, and get a top up procedure after a few years..this is the gold treatment. (10K max)

Option 2: I'll spend max 4-5K and don't want to think about it again.
I recommend going FUT on this one and getting as many grafts as you can in one session.

Option 3: I have no money.
I recommend taking meds. Boards do not allow me to mention what meds, but you can quickly find out on-line about this. You can buy the meds very cheaply AND over the counter in Spain(at least the last time I was there anyway). Meds will not restore your hair but in most cases, are very effective at stopping further hair loss. Due to expense, avoid Ireland for this procedure and also buying meds.

speedboatchase

Congrats, OP. I have an FUE hair transplant scheduled for Friday in Turkey. I plan to start a thread after 10 days, once the new grafts are locked in, and will update it with pics as it progresses.

I have a question though. Did you lose any grafts following the first few days of the FUE transplant, through sleeping badly or banging your head by accident? The only worry I have is that I might displace grafts while I'm asleep.

RodVelvet

Hey pumperthruster, glad to hear you are happy to date with your transplants.

I'm interested to hear do you follow a maintenance regime? Do you use Minoxdil or
any of the other drugs to prevent further loss?

lizzyman

Fair play OP, very well written post. We should probably have something like this or even a more comprehensive guide to options for hair loss stickied at the top of the forum. I'm a few years behind you but if genetics are anything to go by I probably only have a couple of years before I'll have to start thinking about this.

StellaBoost

I don't take any hair prescription drugs...no need

DoYouEvenLift

pumperthruster wrote: »

I don't take any hair prescription drugs...no need

...until you bald/recede further and need another transplant. I thought everyone who did a transplant was given finasteride?

Spencer Winterbotham

Do the meds not make you impotent?

speedboatchase

Spencer Winterbotham wrote: »

Do the meds not make you impotent?

There are two FDA-approved forms of medication, and one is pills of finasteride. It has a low rate of lowering sex drive or erectile dysfunction, and symptoms disappear if the user stops taking the pills.

DoYouEvenLift

speedboatchase wrote: »

There are two FDA-approved forms of medication, and one is pills of finasteride. It has a low rate of lowering sex drive or erectile dysfunction, and symptoms disappear if the user stops taking the pills.

Not always, there are some absolutely depressing horror stories online of guys who've basically had their lives ruined because the side effects never went away even years later, I remember reading before about some guys committing suicide as a result (it wasn't as simple as not being able to get erections, they also had lost absolutely all motivation, became depressed, terrible brain fog that made them not be able to concentrate on anything etc.). That said, more often than not it gives positive results, it's still just a risk that the individual has to decide to take or not and the unlucky few can be really fuking unlucky.

Spencer Winterbotham

DoYouEvenLift wrote: »

Not always, there are some absolutely depressing horror stories online of guys who've basically had their lives ruined because the side effects never went away even years later, I remember reading before about some guys committing suicide as a result (it wasn't as simple as not being able to get erections, they also had lost absolutely all motivation, became depressed, terrible brain fog that made them not be able to concentrate on anything etc.). That said, more often than not it gives positive results, it's still just a risk that the individual has to decide to take or not and the unlucky few can be really fuking unlucky.

Yes.... This is what I also heard. I wouldn't take the risk of taking these Meds.... I hear they're not always effective..

Imagine losing your hair then your ability to play hide the sausage.... probably better to let nature take its course.

Easy for me to say though... I still have wonder dense flowing locks....

johndaman66

pumperthruster congrats to you on biting the bullet, getting the procedures done and taking the time to write up the informative piece. All too often on boards you will typically see a balding guy pose the question of how to stop, reverse, treat male pattern hair baldness etc. The typical responses you will get from the "know it alls" include:-

• nothing you can do about it;
• just embrace the bald;
• start going to gym;
• shave it all off - chicks love the bald look.

bla bla bla bla etc etc.


Each to their own but the way I see it I would rather invest a few grand on myself in restoring my hair than the likes of spending €15k on an Audi A4 and it only worth €7k or less 2 years later.


A few points though.


Hair transplant procedures are still extremly expensive in Ireland and the british Isles full stop for that matter but in many foreign countries while they aren't exactly cheap these procedures are very much affodable for the average man on the street here. There is a vast number of highly reputable and affordable clinics out there. Without providing names of surgeons here as its against the rules Turkey and Poland would seem to be the go to place for these procedures at the moment with highly accredited and internationally recognised surgeons who have a good name and don't cost an arm and a leg.


No doubt there are bad/ chancer surgeons in these countries too so research, reasearch and more research is needed. On the subject of research the two below sites would prove invaluable to anyone who wishes to learn more on male pattern baldness; the treatments available and the various reputable surgeons out there and their unique individual approaches and results are docummented.


http://www.thebaldtruth.com/


http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/home.php




The powers that be on boards do not allow the specifics of the medication used to prevent/ curtail male pattern baldness to be discussed but I will say without using them or the topical treatment you can be pretty certain that further hair transplants will be required in the future to maintain your head of hair if the genetics you are pre-disposed to play their part and take their course. Just beacuse you are happy with the results immediately after the procedure(s) you've had pumperthruster don't assume thats it...unfortunately without taking medication to stabilise your hair loss you will most likely need additonal procedures sooner rather than later. Sorry to sound harsh on this but I'm sure in your heart you already know that. I say that on the basis of neither endorsing or renouncing medicated hair loss treatments....such cannot be done here and it is a whole area of discussion and contention in itself anyway. Plenty of further reading on it on the above forums I provided links for.