Some very good posts in this thread, thanks for sharing. I see that you are not restricted to one style only with your hair, your hair looks good combing forward and it looks equally natural brushing back even when the hairline is exposed. At first I thought you had to comb your hair forward in order to hide the plugs from previous surgeries, but you actually have a very natural hairline.
So far iv been very harsh with my some of my pics, i feel this is really important so that people can get a better understand of HT and also the type hair HT will give you. You can see a lot of thining in some of the pics, this is not how it looks under standard lighting in real life. The difference between being indoors and sitting under direct sunlight is worlds apart
Turned out much better than I imagined it would. Very nice result!
wow, 3 years in the making, I think the real story here is that once you started on the wrong path with hair transplants,it can really consume many years of your life. Consider yourself fortunate you have a happy ending.
PLEASE NOTE THIS POST WAS WRITTEN IN DECEMBER 2010. I HAD TROUBLE EDITING MY PICS BACK THEN, AND WELL ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER AND I NEVER ENDED UP POSTING. With the help of the forum administrator I have finally been able to post all my pics – thank you
I don’t really know what to say about my post up journey if I’m honest. There is so much to say that I don’t really know where to begin and if I’m not careful, I could easily end up writing a book. I will divide my post op journey to date, in to 2 parts 1) the surgery itself and 2) the results.
Surgery:
Mentally I was pretty far gone by the time I got to Australia. Life was so bad back then that I remember thoughts of suicide even starting to enter my head. Everyone on the other end of the phone thought I was somewhere enjoying myself ‘yet again’.
I got to Australia a day before my surgery and went to meet Dr Woods on the same evening and meeting him did put my mind at rest a little bit. I think all Doctors should give you some ‘before surgery time’ rather than just meeting you on the morning of the surgery.
On the morning of the surgery, Dr woods shaved of parts of my hair. Though he definitely is no hair stylist and for the life of me I couldn’t understand why he didn’t shave a lot more of it off. I think he said he wanted to see the natural direction of the hair he was implanting next to, but I don’t understand why he left the rest of it so long because I was left looking like a freak. Anyway he started surgery, talked to me while he was working and he took his time working on me rather than rushing me. On the first day we only worked on the right side of my head which had a bit more loss than the left. It was really comforting knowing how much time and care he took while he was working on me. From memory after we shaved my head we probably got started around 12pm and finished around 7-8pm (it may have even been longer so all in all quite a full on day)
I would say this surgery was probably one of the most painful ones out of the 4 I have had, there was a lot more bleeding than I remember as well, but overall I did feel I was in good hands so it didn’t worry me too much. Anyway at the end of day 1 he ordered me a cab and told me to come back in the morning to finish off.
I woke up the next morning and I had a phone call from him that totally freaked me out. He asked me if I wanted to come back for surgery today or if I thought the 500 grafts he put on my right side was enough? Till today, I can’t understand why he did this - how weird would I have looked with 50% of my frontal head being much thicker than the other side? Anyway I told him that I of course wanted to come in and he told me to be there 2 hours later than we had originally agreed. Having been messed around so much over the years by doctors this really did worry me a lot. When I did get to his clinic I started to feel better again. Dr woods is so careful with the way he works you just have to ask yourself how anything can go wrong. I think he spent almost the same amount of time on the 250 grafts he did on the second day as he did on day 1 and yet he charged me half the price for it as there was 50% less grafts. At the end of the night we sat down and relaxed for 30 mins and he asked me if I wanted a beer which I didn’t want to do right after surgery and we called it a night. I was going to stay in Australia for another week so we agreed to meet before I left
Results:
Wow I am going to find this part really difficult to answer. These days everyday is different, I have my good days, my amazing hair days and then I have my horrific hair days as well. Anyway after about 10 days I was able to go to a barber and have a proper head shave. This immediately made me feel and look better. I also started to realise how much damage had been done to my donor from all the previous surgeries which was soul destroying. When I went back to Dr woods office on day 10 to quickly say hello and a final goodbye he looked at me and said he wished he had refined my hair line and added another 200 odd grafts to close my temples properly. I remember thinking the same thing as well so I was reallllyyyyy gutted he didn’t do this during surgery rather than pointing it out when it was too late… totally gutted…Anyway major lesson learned, you should always have a good idea as to exactly what you want, before going in for surgery rather than just leaving it to the doc and have a good discussion before starting.
To be honest month 1.5-2.5 I was really worried. My donor area looked quite thin and to this day I don’t understand it. Doctor woods actually said to me I have around 3000 grafts left when he worked on me. I can only hope it was shock loss but I will not now until the next time i shave the sides. Also I had crazy amounts of shock loss at the top of my head as well and during month 2.5 I thought id been messed up again. Im pretty sure Dr woods website says NO shock loss or minimum shock loss, and if it does, I think this should be removed because when working on a area as tight as mine there will always be some shock loss and this Is something I have learned from years of following the forums and from past surgeries. Mentally I was so low at this point in my life, that there was one night where the apartment I was staying (until I looked normal and could re-join society) got broken into, and I actually remember waking up in the middle of the night hearing noises and saying to myself ‘well if I am getting broken into then maybe they will just kill me and finish me off’. I cant remember the feeling but despite being a professional martial art expert I didn’t do anything to stop it. The whole feeling was weird its not something I even know how to explain to you guys or myself but I was at the lowest point in my life iv ever been. I had a job which practically involved working in front of a computer 12-15 hours a day and if it wasn’t for this, I don’t know how I would of got through those months.
Anyway I took each day as it comes, these forums and past surgeries have made me realise that results take time and you have to sometimes go through an ugly duckly phase at the start. And by month 3.5, one day when I least expected it things just started to look normal. My hair was long enough to cover the thin ‘transplanted’ patches and those thin patches around the same time also started to get thicker and from month 3.5-4.5 the daily changes were amazing. I looked like I had a full head of hair after a wash and a blow dry and I definitely looked better than before 
Its probably difficult to relate to that feeling of going out without a cap after so many months unless you have done it before but it’s the best feeling ever. I was quite excited at this time and thought well if my hair is looking so good at month 4 then by month 8 it will look amazing. To be honest there was no major changes from month 5 onwards but it did still continue to improve and this is the growth pattern my hair has normally followed from previous surgeries.
I would say I have been really really lucky with propecia, this has also played a massive part in my results, some people may say this is not possible but it actually feels like its also thickened up my donor area as well and also changed the texture of my hair so its more wavy (which is good for transplanted hair) Although propecia has worked well on me I must say I hate the fact that I am on it and it scares me. At the end of the day what will I do if ever it stops working? I think its fairly clear from my pics above that I am probably heading for a norwood 6 one day. I would really like any experienced forum members input on this. So what will I do if it ever stops doing its job? I cannot even shave it all off as I have a lot of bad scarring in my donor area. Again would love peoples’ input since there is not a single day that goes by that I don’t ask myself this. What will I do when I try for a family since you have to be off propecia before trying for kids? These days it can take even 1 or 2 years for a woman to get pregnant?
Anyway back to my results. I tend to keep my hair very long these days it looks very good indoors. I’ve actually had people say wow you have such thick luscious hair, but the same people tell me to go and get a proper hairstyle done (I am rocking this almost ‘boyband I don’t care about my hair style’ look). I avoid the outdoors and have given up everything I once loved, martial arts, dancing, a game of football, etc etc. I cannot even walk from my car to my office door as my hair is really weak and it flies all over the place. I have not been on holiday for for 4 years because my HT hair looks like sh*t in humid weather. You hear girls complaining about their hair playing up in humid weather. Well that’s nothing compared to a man who uses what hair he has to hide the areas of hair loss. Humidity just makes my hair texture so bad that I can’t do anything with my hair and it just highlights my problem really badly. Well at least my hair style just doesn’t allow any options. I’m not able to use wax or gel as it totally makes my hair look thin. I have a styling regime which is probably a bit like a woman’s as it takes the best part of 45 mins to an hour to sort out each morning if I don’t want to wear a cap (which I can’t do at work), and although it makes it look really thick in the wind its not manageable at all. I will say one thing about ht hair and that is that for most people there is an ideal length where it looks totally brilliant. My hair dresser and I are trying to figure out how to get this each time I go for a hair cut because at the moment I come out looking good sometimes and at other times when she has taken too much off it looks to thin. By the way she cannot tell I have had work done and just thinks I am thinning/receding. Im not sure if I will ever be able to get this with ht surgery, I would need so many more grafts and to me it looks like my donor area is quite depleted already. Again I would welcome any comments or input here. Last week I was supposed to be meeting with a really nice girl in a bar. She phoned me and told the bouncer wouldn’t let her in with her puppy or small dog or whatever it was, and asked me if I wanted to wait an extra 5 mins for her to drop the dog home or if I wanted to come with her, I told her I would just stay in the bar and reply to some important emails (I was afraid of the wind outside) I felt pretty pathetic and god only knows what she thought of me. So I’m pretty much ducking and diving all the time and do wish it was a bit more manageable. Also one other feeling I cant describe is that feeling of when you just are sitting there and want to scratch your head or run your fingers through it. I cant do this as it will reveal my receding hair line and it makes me wish even more that I had those extra 200 grafts to refine the hair line a bit. I guess I will have to go back to do this at some point
I think I’ve already gone on too much and don’t really know what else to say. For anyone considering HT PLEASE please do your research very carefully, especially if your loss has started out at young age like me. For anyone considering Dr woods I would recommend him and have actually spoken to 2 separate people from Australia, one of whom went to see Dr woods and one who went to see his sister. One of them has posted under another forum under the name of Gemini and also achieved good growth.
Good luck and I welcome any questions
Newstart, did you experience swelling with Dr. Woods? Also do you know why it was more painful this time?
Operations such as these are among the hardest.
He is young , future loss is uncertain and the donor has already been heavily harvested with limited alternative options such as body hair
The reciepient area is thin, not bald, and operating in these areas is incredibly hard if PERMANENT scalp shock is to be avoided, making the end result worse. Temporary shedding of pre existing hair can occur, and did here, but regrowth did occur.
And the end result cannot be full density.
With 750 grafts, an improvement was achieved and damage avoided, which in this case was the greatest concern.
When this patient left, I was satisfied that every thing possible that could be done safely was done. If I wondered if a few more grafts here or there could be put in , I was probably thinking out aloud, but decided against it as scalp shock was just too great a risk. Or I wondered if the hairline could be lowered ever so slightly. But, if it had to be done, I would have done it.
I get a little obsessive compulsive and I didn’t mean to upset him with my ruminations.
All in all, I am just happy such a difficult project came out ok, because there was an extremely fine line between that , and another poor result.
Dr Ray Woods
Great information and look good so far
Impressive story and yea of course your hair’s look’s good so far
Very use full post
Hey Man this is a really great and informative post. I found your story really touching and just reading it has made me consider so many things i wouldnt have considered before. Seems like you really went through a lot but the end result seems like it was worth it
I can see you started this post more than five years ago. I would really love to know how your getting on in life now? If your hair is still holding out
Would you suggest Dr Woods as a doctor? I live in Spain so it will be quite a long distance if i use this doc. He also seems like the most expensive doctor. Any input would be appreciated. I need temple work done and i am a norwood 2-3
Sorry I’m not on the forums much but very surprised to see people are still reading this in 2015.
In answer to your questions I would never say my hair transplant journey was a worthwhile one. I should have been a man about it and just shaved it off. The fact of the matter is propecia has worked well on me and is holding everything together. It scares me to think what will happen if it stops working or if I am forced to come of it when trying for a family etc etc.
I was out with my best friend this weekend (the only person in the world who knows about this) and the sun was shining so I asked her to take some pics to show me how it looks in the sun. The below pics should show you how it looks today. I’d go as far as saying even better than last year for the following reasons:
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I am very good at blow drying it and have a style that works for me, I do however have friends make fun of me asking me if I need a donation towards a hair cut. But if I cut it shorter, it gets patchy yet when it’s long my hair gets wavy and some how it just works for me and as a hair transplant patient i cant ask for much more. So I’d rather live with a hair style that people make fun of me for then have them know the truth, or see any fue scars etc etc
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I have a great hair dresser who understands that the loss bothers me and knows how to hide it
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I cannot use any hair gel or wax or anything like that. My hair just looks thin when i apply this, but without any product it looks ok and thicker
Here’s a situation you won’t be able to relate to but about 6 years ago I lived in a gorgeous apartment block. I had to move out of the apartment block because the walk from my top floor penthouse to the ground floor was 4 floors down and then im out in the fresh air where I need to walk to my car. This would really start my day of badly because by the time Id got to the car it was a complete mess. I remember once in 2012 I went back in to wash it and blow dry it again and then walked to my car only having to go back and wash my hair all over again to get it looking right. I remember one time i did this 3 times. The whole situation really got to me and In the end I moved out of the block into a house with a driveway where the car is just outside my door. On very good hair days I often go back to the apartment block and reminisce of what my life used to be like back then. But hey i guess things could still be a lot worse
I still avoid the outdoors like the plague. If i can meet someone at night rather than in the day ill make a excuse to do that because in the day my hair moves around as its longer but it’s also thin so when it moves you can see patches of scalp underneath where as someone with normal hair the same length would just end up with a messy look from the wind and nothing worse. When the hairline is exposed it looks very thin At night I guess the loss is not so obvious.
I used to be a great dancer, one of the best and have been on TV for it in the past. I haven’t danced in public now for 7 years. My hair won’t allow it , a lot of sweat or hair movement has just makes
People say ‘oh my god I had no idea you have lost so much hair’
I’ve talked about Dr woods not refining my hair line above. I kind of think this was the missing link and I am planning on getting it sorted this year. Basically in the wind my hair just turns into a mess but I reckon if the hair line was a bit more refined Id be able to pull it off and get a lot more of my life back. Im lucky it looks natural but its very thin around the hair line area and needs to bit more volume so the fringe area looks better when hanging down
Im blabbering on, I’m sorry. I just dont want anyone go into this without thinking about all the consequences because hair transplant pictures dont always paint a true picture if you know what i mean. After Dr woods procedure I got a lot of my life back, I can meet up with people and look good but i do a lot of ducking and diving and sneak indoors to meet people rather than walk into somewhere with someone if i can avoid it. The number of relationship potentials I have avoided because they are into the ‘great outdoors’ and hiking etc etc is crazy. Having a hair transplant is something you can never erase and you have to live with it and all that it entails versus simply shaving your head and telling the world ‘I’m here, I’m bald, get over it.’
As for recommending Dr woods - if you really must have a transplant then I would go and see him for sure. He will look after you and get you a good result for sure but please dont expect to look like you were when you were younger. Whichever doc you see please make sure you know what you want, had I known myself exactly what I needed in 2009 I would have asked for the hairline to be refined but instead we concentrated on fixing all the patchy areas (please see pics from 2009) and I think Dr woods did a AMAZING job at doing this.
Oh and in regards to him being expensive, I disagree. Dr woods’s day rate is probably the same as anyone else but the only thing is he will only implant 500 grafts a day for that money because he is extra extra careful. I’d much rather a doc takes his time even if it means I can’t afford more grafts and that they all grow. Dr woods is not charging extra for a days works but per graft he is more expensive, its a case of quality over quantity but if you can afford it you can do extra days and get the quantity you require.
Good luck with whatever you decide and feel free to ask me anymore questions here or even pm me in private, i am happy to help.
How do you know that Propecia is working for you? Have you tried stopping and seen a massive amount of hair loss? I have been on Propecia for years now and I am hoping to be able to stop using it for my hair.
I would strongly suggest you look at my older past pics. You can see how thick my hair has become even in areas where the doctor didn’t transplant i.e near the crown. Also i have not gone back for work for 5 years. if you read my history when i started down this path in 2007 i went back 3 times because i kept losing more in just 18 months
i guess you can stop using it if you have not had a HT but you will lose your hair if its the propecia that grew it back and maintained it. Myself on the other hand, i will look like a freak because i have some scarring from seeing doctors who didnt care about anything else but earning a quick buck