Arnold's Story

[arnold]

Hi Guys. I'm 44 years old and will be going in for approx. 1500 strip tomorrow morning. It will be for my hairline area. As you can see by the photos, I have thinning at the crown and some in between. The Dr. didn;t think that I need much more than what he suggested. Maybe my hair was covering the spots that day or maybe he figured I'd have to come back a second time in the future to address the other areas. Anyway, tomorrow morning these questions will be answered in real time. My hopes of this procedure are to have back a hairline that gives me that youthful appearence. It has been quite sometime since I have had it......probably since my 20's. I have pics at the address below.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/arnoldstallone/

 

[Hans Gruber]

hey arnold ,good luck with your procedure

from your pictures id say 1500 grafts would be an excellent start,then maybe a second procedure to give some real density

keep everyone updated ,its a real help being able to follow peoples progress

all the best :hairy:

 

[arnold]

My Story

Feel free to check out new picture on site. from day of procedure. What do you guys think?

 

[tchehov]

Yeh, looks very promising. Hope it clears up and grows out OK for you. That's a good head of hair for your age if you're predisposed to male pattern baldness.

 

[arnold]

Saga Continues

Check out the new photo with the drawings on the photo. The swelling that was in the forehead region has moved down between my eyes and on the sides of my eyes/temples. I look like I'm transforming into a warewolf.

CLick on the first post's address to see.

 

[dirtrider67]

hey arnold, i went through the same thing with approx 1500 grafts. i am 2 moths post op now and i'd say that about half of my hairs are growing in already. i didn't get the swelling though. my doctor gave me anti-swelling medice and i just kept iceing my forehead. also, what type of incisions for the grafts did your doctor use? anyway, looks good so far. i think you'll be happy with your new hairline in a year.

 

[arnold]

swelling

I have always been very sodium sensitive and I imagine that he Dr. injected some saline along with the lidocaine in my farhead for the procedure. I believe it's a combination of 3 things. 1) Fluid injected in scalp that needs a place to go 2) Water retention due to sodium in injections 3) trauma to the tissue in the recip. area causes lymph etc.. to be produced along with some minor internal bleeding...bodies natural defenses. In any event, I look like Ron Howard's brother a lot more now than ever.

 

[arnold]

Arnolds Story

Hi guys. It has been 1 month. Anticipaation is making me wait. Does anyone have a Rip Van Winkle pill I could take that would put me to sleep for 6 months? How about 3 months? Anyway. I'm sure everyone who has had a hair transplant operation knows what I'm going through. When the staples were taken out, I went immediately to the Barber and had her buzz my hair all over to closely match my recip. area. Of course 3-4 weeks later, my recip area's transplanted hairs have mostly fallen out so the front of my scalp doesn't match the rest anymore. There is hair growth in the area albeit sparse. I believe that most of it is my native hair trying to make a comeback through the pink swollen tissue. I have many little black dots and a bunch of small whisker-like hairs that seem to be either growing very slowly or not at all. It's very hard to tell at this stage. It just looks sparse and sloppy. I never keep my hair this short so I've newly learned how round my head is. I started growing a mustache and gotee to complete the new look.........I'm not thrilled with my current look but understand that this is the waiting game. I will try to post a picture on the site from my first post although not much can be seen yet.

 

[arnold]

Story continued

I'm at a little over 6 weeks now and have seen many of the hair from the hair transplant falling out....mostly in the shower. I also am seeing some growth of what I think are many of my native hairs regrowing. I also see in certain spots some fine wispy hairs which I believe to be the first of the transplanted batch. There's really nothing amazing to show in picture form yet. I will tell you guys something though. It's probably not the first time you will hear this but....the waiting period can be a very self conscious time. Everyone will have different feelings about this period depending on their unique situation. I dont usually wear a crew cut so...after the front center of my scalp was shaved down for the hair transplant, I wanted to restore some uniformity to my hair. The hair behind the hair transplant and on the sides were a lot longer and looked very strange. Let's just say I felt like I became instantly bald and lost 20 years. Like i said everyone's situation is unique. Now, my hair that was cut crew style on Nov. 11th is growing back a little at a time. My buddy at work felt the need to say ch ch ch chia at my table at the holiday party this past Sunday. Ha Ha Ha is all i can say. He of course has a a fuller head of hair than your average teenager and he's nearing 50. Enough for now......Please wish me G-dspeed for my hairs to grow back.....and Same to you. Happy Holidays all!!

 

[arnold]

My new 2 month photos are up. Just click on the first post's Http address.
Some wispy hairs are not showing up in the photo. I'm in the "Doldrums Stage" now..... waiting for some explosive growth to come.

 

[Nick4441]

Looks good. At lease your patience will be rewarded for sure so good nights sleep every night knowing you will look better each day.

I am looking at around the same number of grafts if I go ahead. I'm just a bit younger than you yet I have rapid hairloss for some reason this year so gone on big 3 to try and stop loss before considering hair transplant. Will be good to see how it grows in now as it should really get going...you will be really set for the Summer.

 

[arnold]

My Story

Hi Nick. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I 'll take whatever I can get. I had an experience with propecia...a few years ago. It affected my libido and firmness to some degree....didn't like that feeling so I went off. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Axon]

As requested.

 

[dirtrider67]

hey arnold, the hardest part of the hair transplant is the waiting. it almost kills you sometimes. but be patient my friend. it will come soon. i guess i am a lucky responder because mine are growing like weeds at 4 months and everyone notices a big difference in me. so don't be discouraged and try to ignore it for now and one day, you will look in the mirror and say "WOW" i'm not bald anymore! thanks for the updates and looking forward to seeing results as they unfold.

 

[thylax]

nice job arnold.
yes, waiting sucks. I hope I'll not lose 2007's summer too...

my procedure: 09/dec/2006

 

[Guest]

Arnold,

I think guys at our age range will be happy with a result of 1500 grafts to start with because at our age, we don't feel compelled to have mamouth denisty. Many of us are elated to have a hairline back!

You appear to have good hair quality too.

Waiting is the hardest part now that surgery is over. Can't wait to see how you look in a year from now! :hairy:

 

[arnold]

Arnolds

Guys....I do appreciate all the responses. I'm realizing how weak I am when it comes to how I look. Has this society made me overly self-conscious? Anyway the doldrums stage is upon me and I just need a bit of time and growth to keep my spirits up.
My hair is starting to grow in back of the transplanted region and find myself combing my hairs forward , hoping they will cover the scalpy, wispy area. I'm even trying that toppik stuff. I do think that when a guy with some hair sits down with a transplant Dr. , this doldrums stage should be fully explained. I heard of a few Drs on these boards who leave your natural hair alone and work in between so that you may properly cover up. I do understand both sides of the coin though. Any and all comments will help keep me positively distracted from this stage. Thanks guys! Best to all and growthful wishes to those who want it.

 

[LookingGood!]

who did the surgery?

thanks

 

[arnold]

Arnolds

When I'm feeling positive about my results, I may mention the Dr. I went to. Don't get me wrong....It's not that I'm unhappy with my Dr, it's just that I'm a tad sensitve now because I'm in the doldrums stage. I hope that by stepping backwards I will eventually move further than I was at the beginning.

 

[dirtrider67]

hey arnold, i am 4 months post op with a very similar procedure. i had 1471 grafts and i started to question wheather or not i did the right thing. now, with all the compliments i get, i know i did the right thing. i am very happy with my results and i didn't even use a big name surgeon that everyone on these sites talk about. i can already tell from your pics that you are going to be very happy with your results. just have patients and do know that you have tons of growth comming your way and it's gonna shock the sh*t out of you when it does. so hang tough and try to put it out of your mind for awhile.