Tag Archives: scar

Second Procedure: 7 Month Update (213 Days Post-Op)

If you would like to learn more about my story and how a hair transplant procedure can regrow your hair, feel free to email me or contact my patient educator Steve Cook at 305.416.8418 as well at steve@mcgrathmedical.com.

Hello everyone,

Today is June 11, 2016 and I am now 7 months post-op from my second hair transplant procedure.

After the 4 month mark when you start seeing initial growth, the 7 month mark is another exciting time in the hair transplant process. Last time at 7 months I got my first haircut that blended the newly developing hairline with my natural hair and I couldn’t have been happier.

This time around I see a lot of new growth and density, especially in the weak areas of my temples. I haven’t had a haircut since April 30th so I’m a little cautious about how short I can get the back and sides done without a small crease line showing up. As I mentioned in last month’s update, my scar has stretched a little bit but that has more to do with my scalp’s flexibility and weight training habits than the surgeon’s work.

In other news, one of my followers Aaron had his first procedure a month ago on May 12 and has written his own hair transplant blog called Follow My Hair. If you get a chance, definitely check out his blog.

Check back next month in July at the 8 month mark.

All my best,
-Lance

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Second Procedure: 6 Month Update (182 Days Post-Op)

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Hello everyone,

Today is Wednesday, May 11, 2016 and I am now 6 months post-op from my second hair transplant procedure.

At 6 months post-op more hair is gradually filling in the temporal peaks and temples where my recession used to be and I’m pretty happy with how things look and there’s only 6 more months of growth to go.

I got another haircut on Saturday, April 30 and the barber used a No.5 guard on the back and sides and then lightly trimmed it with a comb and clippers to go a little shorter.

Last month when I visited my friend Steve Cook in Austin, Texas, I had Dr. Daniel McGrath examine my scalp and he had a lot of great things to say about work done on me.

One thing he brought to my attention was that my scalp’s natural flexibility and weight training habits can lend my scar to stretching some but if it is something that really bothers me I can either have the scar cut out and I could be stitched together again via trichophytic closure or I can have my linear scar filled in via FUE. At this point it is a little too early to tell if I’ll need that but it’s good to know that if it really does bother me it can be corrected.

If you’d like to get in touch with Steve, the best way to reach him is steve@mcgrathmedical.com or at 305.416.8418.

Check back next month in June at the 7 month mark.

All my best,

-Lance

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Second Procedure: 5 Month Update (152 Days Post-Op)

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Hello everyone,

Today is Monday, April 11, 2016 and I am now 5 months post-op from my second hair transplant procedure.

More hair is gradually growing in behind the grafts from my first procedure so a lot of the thin areas like in my right temple are filling in. From months 4 to 6 the hair finally starts coming in but it comes in very patchy like the hair on your forearms so if it’s your first procedure you won’t be able to style your hair from the new hairline until about 7 months post-op.

As you can tell from my pictures and video I’m not home in Washington, DC as this week I am on vacation in Austin, Texas where I visited my friend and patient educator Steve Cook who now works for Dr. Dan McGrath. The best way to reach Steve is steve@mcgrathmedical.com or at 305.416.8418

As I’ve said before, Steve is a fantastic resource for hair transplants and is a wonderful advocate for patients and Dr. McGrath is a wonderful and talented surgeon who performs the multiple follicular unit procedure.

Unfortunately it’s more common to get a bad result in this industry than a good one so knowing which surgeons can give you an undetectable and fantastic result can put you on the right path.

Check back next month in May at the 6 month mark.

All my best,

-Lance

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Second Procedure: 4 Month Update (121 Days Post-Op)

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Hello everyone,

Today is Friday, March 11, 2016 and I am now 4 months post-op from my second hair transplant procedure.

Last month I mentioned that the 3 month mark is the most frustrating part of a hair transplant because after 90 days not much is happening. However after the most frustrating part of a hair transplant is, in my opinion, one of the most exciting parts because at 4 months you finally start to see some initial growth.

New hairs are growing in the weak areas in my temples and frontal hairline and what’s great is that the grafts from my first procedure disguise the new hairs from my second procedure so my progress will be subtle yet dramatic.

Following my first procedure it was a little strange having two hairlines up until the 7 month mark so this time around it’s nice to have one hairline and not have it so obvious.

My scar is looking great as I got a haircut right before this post with a No.4 guard on the back and sides and you could not see any noticeable crease line from the suture line. At this point I am back in the gym, the dojo, and the field and am not limited to any physical activity.

Check back next month at the 5 month mark as my new hair continues to grow.

All my best,

-Lance

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Second Procedure: 3 Month Update (93 Days Post-Op)

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Hello everyone,

Today is February 12, 2016 and I am now 3 months post-op from my second procedure.

At the three month mark, I’m still waiting for the new hairs to sprout up but have been getting a lot of ingrown hairs and pimples. This is a good sign as the newly transplanted hairs are starting to wake up and I can see a few more little spuds starting to poke their heads through.

When I was at the 3 month mark after my first procedure, I didn’t bother doing a video because there wasn’t a whole lot to talk about and in my opinion the three month mark is the most frustrating part of a hair transplant. You would think after 90 days there would be something to show for it but, alas, the hairs really don’t start growing until the 4-month mark.

I got a haircut the last week of January to clean up the back and sides of my head and my suture line has healed beautifully. I got a 4-guard and there was no crease line like how I had to be aware of after my first procedure. In fact, I think it healed so well that I could have probably done a 3.5- or even a 3-guard and you still wouldn’t see it.

Check back next month at 4 months post-op when the transplanted hairs finally begin to grow.

All my best,

-Lance

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Second Procedure: 2 Month Update (61 days post-op)

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Hello everyone,

Today is Monday, January 11, 2016 and I am now two months post-op from my second hair transplant procedure.

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.

At the two month mark, my natural hair and grafts from my first procedure are finally growing out and I have a few little spuds from my second procedure that are just starting to grow. My hair in the back is now long enough to cover my suture line and it healed really well due to my prolonged absence from lifting weights and working out.

I also resumed lifting weights today for the first time in 2 months and overall I felt really well moving around and lifting again. I still have some residual numbness on my left and left-middle parts of the back of my head so it’s only a matter of time before I regain feeling there. I lost about 12 pounds of muscle over the past two months and I am following Mark Rippetoe’s Starting Strength program to help me get back to my baseline strength and gain some of that weight back.

Looking ahead, this year I will turn 30 years old and like I said last year at this time, I don’t ever have to worry about going bald or losing any more hair for the rest of my life.

It’s a new year, a new me, and we’re off to a great start.

Check back next month at 3 months post-op.

All my best,

-Lance

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Second Procedure: 1 Month Update (30 Days Post-Op)

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Hello everyone,

Today is Friday, December 11, 2015 and I am now one month post-op from my second hair transplant procedure.

After one month, not a whole lot is happening. I have some initial growth in the frontal hairline but not much else is growing from my second procedure. My regular hair and grafts from my first procedure are still growing out since my buzzcut on November 23 and the suture line has healed beautifully. For the past three weeks, I’ve worn a baseball cap at work and ever so slowly the hair around my suture line is growing out to eventually cover it up.

As I’ve said before, you must refrain from any heavy lifting or rigorous exercise for at least a month after your procedure so that the suture line can properly heal. I’ve been more conservative in my recovery in that I will resume lifting weights a month after my suture removal, so in the meantime I walk about 20,000 steps a day (about 10 miles) to stay in some level of shape.

In my extended absence from the gym I’ve lost about 11 pounds of muscle from just not working out.

Check back next month at 2 months post-op after we ring in the new year.

Happy holidays and all my best,

-Lance

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Second Procedure: Day 1 Post-Op

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Hello everyone,

Today is Thursday, November 12, 2015 and I had my second procedure yesterday afternoon.

The procedure took about 5 hours to complete and it was overall a very comfortable and relaxing experience and I was the only patient yesterday.

The first night after the surgery is always the roughest part as I slept at a 45-degree angle and took some Hydrocodone to help me sleep.

Overall I am happy that I did this again and I can’t wait to share my progress with you all as I recover.

See you all tomorrow.

All my best,

-Lance

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Second Procedure: Surgery Day November 11, 2015

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Hello everyone,

Today is November 11, 2015 and I am immediately post-op from my second hair transplant procedure.

The procedure took about 5 hours to complete and lowered my hairline again, built out the temporal peaks, and removed the old scar that didn’t heal well. Overall I got 36.675 square centimeters of tissue and if you consider the scar tissue from my first suture line, I got about 6,500 total hairs in my second procedure.

I’ll later share with you all some of my pre-operative pics that show my old suture line as well as the marker line that mapped out the new hairline.

Starting tomorrow I will post pics and videos of each day of my recovery, so check out tomorrow’s update at Day 1 post-op.

All my best,

-Lance

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One Year Update and Final Result (365 Days Post-Op)

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Hello everyone,

Today is July 14, 2015 and I am now one year post-op from my hair transplant procedure.

To give you all an idea of how much hair I have grown over the past year, below are my before, after, and today’s one year post-op pics.

Overall I’m really happy with the result I have and I think my pictures really speak for themselves. When you compare what I Iooked like a year ago to where I am now with a thicker, fuller head of hair it’s unbelievably believable.

For full disclosure, I think one part of the scar on the middle-right side of my head did not properly heal because even with a 4.5 around the scar, the right side still looks like a crease if I wore a baseball cap. I got a haircut on June 25 where the barber used a 4.5 around the scar and then he blended the hair below the scar with a 2 and then blended the top and front with scissors, and that one side showed a crease instead of my left.

It’s entirely possible that one side of a scar could heal better than the other so as far as I know, I didn’t do anything wrong during the healing process.

The next question is whether or not I will have a second procedure and I probably will. I was told coming into this that one procedure can get you 30 to 40 percent more density and realistically you might need a second procedure to have what many hair transplant doctors consider a finished product. I have some areas in my left and right temples that had no hair a year ago that could stand to be more filled in, but like I’ve said before, from months 12 to 15 there is even a 5 percent push, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

But overall, I’m am so happy with what I see in the mirror and how it makes me feel every day.

To all of my visitors and followers of this blog it has been my pleasure sharing my experience with you all and I hope that this blog will help anyone looking to embark on their own follicular journey, wherever it may take you.

It has been a pleasure serving you all.

All my best,

-Lance

Check out my one year post-op video on my YouTube channel.

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Before (7-14-14)