The Affair of the Hair

Second Procedure, April 2009 Update

2009-04-25T06:34:00.000-04:00

Some randomly selected "live" shots, taken while on vacation in London. At this point (roughly 8 months after my second procedure), all of the hair that had been shaved had grown to the length at which I normally keep it, and as the photos show, the hair that Dr. Feller had transplanted last August had grown to entirely comb-able length.

Some

Second Procedure, March 2009 Update

2009-03-25T05:17:00.002-04:00

I've been a bit delinquent in my updates. Below are photos taken in March 2009, just after a particularly short haircut that ideally shows the regrowth and healing of the donor area, in the side shots.

Immediately below is a hairline shot, taken with the hair slightly damp (the only means of getting it to stay back that way). Compared to much earlier hairline photos, this to me shows the progress particularly well.

Second Procedure, January 2009 Update

2009-01-29T05:51:00.000-05:00

Second Procedure: Four-Month Update

2008-12-25T05:40:00.000-05:00

Second Procedure, Three-Plus-Month Update

2008-11-25T08:22:00.000-05:00

Second Procedure: Two-Month Update

2008-10-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

Second Procedure: One-Month Update

2008-09-28T19:59:00.005-04:00

Hola from Spain! With no ado whatsoever, my one-month progress shots. Having been at this stage before, I am glad, this time around, to have more hair growing in immediately, from my previous transplant, plus the extra forelock thing.

The growth has been by-the-book, and has thus far followed the same pattern as my earlier procedure. Most of the transplanted hairs have, as of the time of these photos, shed, and the recipient area is healing quickly. There is still some residual sensitivity and, to an extent, numbness above the donor area; this was the case with my first procedure, and was a condition that gradually faded over the course of the first several months.

I took all of these photos without flash.

Second Procedure!

2008-08-25T19:30:00.011-04:00

Today was the day! Dr. Feller and his talented team transplanted approximately 3100 grafts, via strip, to the top, crown, and somewhat lowered and straightened hairline. Below are photos from this evening.

Ever the innovator, Dr. Feller had these cutting-edge experimental instruments shipped for the occasion.

3100 (slightly more) grafts were used to add density to the previously transplanted area, fill in the thin area toward the crown, and lower the hairline at the temples Because I comb my hair to the right, and part it on the left, Dr. Feller used 2-hair grafts on the left; 1-hair grafts on the right. The small roughly rectangular region hear the crown was left un-transplanted, given that there was original hair left in the region.

The crown, and back.

Left side. Again, here is where Dr. Feller went with 2-hair grafts.

...and, the right side, where 1-hair grafts were used.

A shot of the front and top.

As with my previous procedure, there was some minor bleeding, which stopped later on the night of the procedure.

A shot of the back from a moderate distance, just after removing the bandage. With my hair matted down, the scar is just barely visible; one who knew what to look for may catch a glint of staple...

A close-up of the incision, from the back.

Top O' The Head To Ye

2008-07-23T15:43:00.017-04:00

A very simple comparison...purely for the hell of it. I wanted to take a look at the top view, as it has progressed from the hour just before my procedure until this past month.

Overall, the difference is considerable, to me, in the sense that the "before" short looks unquestionably balding, where the after looks merely "thin." This is what I expected, given the size of my head, the texture and color of my hair (fine and relatively light), and the number of grafts used in the area shown in the photos (3700 of the total of 4200).

My goal, moving forward, is added density on top; I am keenly interested in what Dr. Feller can do!

Before: June 16, 2006

After: July 10, 2008

July 2008

2008-07-11T00:01:00.006-04:00

These are my newest photos; this is the shortest my hair has been in a while, hence my including what I hope are decent back and side shots.

The photos also show where I am aiming for added density on top with Transplant II: The Sequel, in addition to "un-receding" the hairline to the best extent possible.

Welcome

2008-07-07T11:38:00.000-04:00

I will be adding photos soon to fill in certain chronological gaps, but overall this should cover the procedure well. The posts are listed here in reverse-chronological order, but the navigation bar on the lower-right is not.

Nearly all of the photos posted here are considerably larger than what appears in the blog entries; click anywhere within any given photo to show its expanded view.

I've used Picasa to post several of the photos that appear here; hence the small icon that appears below them. Picasa is actually a highly usable and helpful -- and free -- means of organizing and, to an extent, editing your photos; it also allows efficient posting to a blog that is hosted on Blogger, as this one is.

As always, you are welcome to email me via the blog with any questions. Happy viewing!

Benjamin

June 2008: An Update, and Looking Forward

2008-06-07T14:51:00.002-04:00

Below are my newest photos, which I have taken largely in preparation for my planned next procedure on August 25, also with Dr. Feller! I have crudely drawn in the planned hairline; the overall goal is both creating that hairline, and adding density to certain areas of the top.

As always, I welcome questions, input, and free beer.

January 2008: Some Live Shots From Spain

2008-01-26T21:14:00.000-05:00

I visited my fiancee in Madrid, Spain, in January...

November 2007: One Year, Five Month Update

2007-11-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

These are from yet another trip to Spain. I have a large number of additional ones, all "posed" (front-side, left-side, top-view format) that I will add reasonably soon, but these are hopefully a decent overview.

October 2007: One Year, Four Month Update

2007-10-19T21:11:00.000-04:00

An assortment of live shots, all taken while on vacation in Spain!

September 2007: One Year, Three Month Update

2007-09-16T21:10:00.000-04:00

Not much here, aside from an overall impression. In general, due in part to my hair being longer than usual in this shot, it looks overall "fuller," and given the restored and (somewhat) lowered hairline, de-emphasizes the hairline's height.

Since the transplant, I've found myself not combing it back as often as I had in the past; now that there is enough up front to almost fall over my forehead in bangs, I've been finding that I've enjoyed the change...!

August 2007: One Year, Two Month Update

2007-08-06T21:10:00.000-04:00

July 2007: One Year, One Month Update

2007-07-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

On a family vacation in Vermont, a fantastic summer for reasons far above and beyond improved hair!

June 2007: One-Year Update

2007-06-06T21:06:00.000-04:00

A variety of live shots, mostly outdoor. A few provide a decent perspective of the top, in bright sunlight.

February 2007: Eight-Month Update

2007-02-16T21:03:00.000-05:00

December 2006: Six-Month Update

2006-12-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

November 2006: Five-Month Update

2006-11-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

October 2006: Four-Month Update

2006-10-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

August 2006: Two-Month Update

2006-08-16T21:09:00.000-04:00

@#$%!! Yes, you can smack your head into a too-low door frame, two months into growth, with no effects beyond a cut head and wounded pride... The cut looks nasty, but healed quickly with no damage to the grafts whatsoever.

The "just-out-of-shower" shots may be of limited use, given that I do not have any equivalent "before" shots, but if anything may show that, even in as unstyled a form as possible, the trsnaplanted region at this stage looks completely natural.

July 2006: One Month Update

2006-07-16T20:58:00.000-04:00

Not much at this point...the recipient area is healed, and to my eye at least looks as if I simply buzzed the top of my head for some reason. The grafts are beginning to shed, most noticeably at the temples, and as they do the outline of the new hairline is becoming fainter.

June 2006: The Evening After the Procedure

2006-06-16T22:49:00.000-04:00

Taken at the hotel the evening after the procedure. No particular swelling at this point (it would begin several days later), and although there was some pain an hour or two after this photo was taken, it was due to me not taking quite enough Vicodin :) Once the drug kicked in, I was able to wolf down a pizza and salad, and watched most of Inside Man -- a great film regardless of your level of consciousness!

A word of advice to those planning to stay in a hotel the night after their procedure: bring an extra pillow, if possible, or at least a blanket bulky enough to use to prop yourself up for the night. I wound up using the cushions from the couch :)

June 2006: First Procedure

2006-06-16T15:00:00.001-04:00

Below are progress photos of my first procedure. Given the size (4200 grafts), it took a while; I was at Dr. Feller's office by 7:30 AM, and out by 6:00 P.M..

Below, a close-up as Dr. Feller's crack team places grafts. I believe I was halfway into the movie "Kill Bill" at this point, although I wasn't exactly riveted on the plot.

Somewhat later, we were done!

June 2006: The Pre-Procedure Consultation

2006-06-16T10:26:00.000-04:00

One of the pictures that Dr. Feller took the morning of my procedure. He pointed out that the shots from the top are the most revelatory of one's real level of baldness -- and, looking at this photo, I cannot disagree!

May 2006: Consultation Photos

2006-05-05T20:46:00.000-04:00

I took these in preparation for my in-person consultation with Dr. Feller. They were taken in the same format, and in the same location (house) as the updates for June 2006 through September 2006, so, ideally, they will show the scope of the change.

October 2005

2005-10-26T20:44:00.000-04:00

Outside at Rockefeller PLaza in New York. As I recall, this was taken with a disposable old-school camera, hence the poor quality, but it may give you a general idea...

January 2005, Another Outdoor Shot

2005-07-06T16:43:00.000-04:00

January 2005: An Outdoor "Before" Shot

2005-01-10T16:43:00.000-05:00