rev333

I am 9 weeks post a 5000 graft FUE. The hair in the donor area seems to grow well except in this bald patch. I am not sure how i got it, i was scratching crusts off my donor in the first month post op. i was scratching quite a bit since the crusts were easily coming off that way. It felt good removing them manually like that. Maybe this patch is a result of that when i scratched a giant chunk of crust? But now it seems like hair is growing around it but not in it. When I asked my doc he said that more hair was harvested from this part and the remaining hair have fallen out due to shock loss, which will start growing back together with the transplanted hair after 3 months. I asked him why this happened only in this one area of the donor and he said because they extracted more hair from here as it was pretty dense.

Yes he is probably right. Shockloss will com back slowly over the course of the year.

I you had a giant crust, which is not usual, then the removing of it by scratching wasn't the problem. The giant crust formed after the hair was lost to trauma or whatever. So don't worry about thinking you caused this. You didn't.

Just gotta wait it out. Oh and you do have very dense donor hair. Congrats on that!

Happy growing!

I guess there is a new FUE hairline king clinic in town

To be able to style your hair like that at month 5 means a new life experience for you!

CONGRATULATIONS SPIDEY AND H&W

I had my fue with Dr. Wesley in New York, it was a little over 2100 grafts to the frontal third. He did the initial consult with me for close to an hour, he extracted every graft, made all the recipient sites, and helped with the implantation along with 2 other technicians. I just hit the 4 month post op mark and things are looking good.

hey who,

how much was price per FUE graft with Dr. Wesley

thinking about FUE transplant with him

thanks

now we know why transplant patients 1st using fin and minox post op have great results...

it's the minox!

keep going it will get much better and the FIN will make those suckers grow long and thick

congratulations!

total life changer

congratulaitons!

no more bald!

Have you been spraying your head every hour with a saline solution?

I'm sitting in the very nice guest house next to Dr. Rahal's clinic recovering from a 2,123 graft strip procedure (my second) on Thursday, October 9. The entire experience has been as easy and pleasant as surgery can be, and I have nothing but positive things to say about Dr. Rahal and his staff and facility. I'll add more details in the sections below; my previous pictures, both from before and after my first procedure, are in the link below. I'm getting my immediate pre- and post-op pics from Dr. Rahal's office, as well as my graft breakdown count, this coming week. I'll update then.

 

Hair Restoration Websites

 

Background

 

I had a 1,450 FUT procedure in June 2012 with Dr. Robert Niedbalski in Seattle, where I live. I was a NW II prior to the procedure and was not on a DHT inhibitor. My procedure turned out well, especially for a surgeon that's not a member of this community. However, Dr. Niedbalski barely discussed hairline design with me, and implanted a very steep V-shaped hairline that I never cared for (pics in the link above). I wanted a lower and flatter hairline, and after years of research I settled on Dr. Rahal.

 

I also began using Proscar, Nizoral/Regenepure, and Rogaine in September 2012. (Dr. Niedbalski did not mention getting on a DHT inhibitor prior to surgery.) I decided to "upgrade" to Avodart in mid-2013, and I currently take both Proscar and Avodart. That seems redundant, I know, but there's at least one study that suggests that they complement one another and have a greater inhibitory effect when used in tandem. The medications slowed my loss dramatically, if not halted it altogether. I cannot really tell a difference between my hair now and its appearance after full growth from my first surgery. If there has been any loss, it has been extremely minor and virtually undetectable.

 

My Experience with Dr. Rahal

 

I did an online consultation with Dr. Rahal in mid-2014, and we settled on a 2,000 graft procedure. As I explained, I wanted to boost the density a bit from my first procedure and then flatten and reshape the hairline. I dislike the V shape, and the angulation of the grafts from the first procedure was a bit off. The grafts were placed too perpendicular to my scale and stood straight out--I couldn't comb my hair down and have it lay on my forehead. I wanted that corrected.

 

I flew to Ottawa from Seattle two days before my procedure so I could make my pre-op appointment the day before. At my pre-op, Dr. Rahal listened to me explain my goals, then examined my donor and recipient areas. He spent about half and hour drawing and re-drawing the hairline, which I appreciated. I pushed him to work on my right temple a bit more; it has always (since I was a kid) been weaker than the left, so he spent a bit of time combing through that area and outlining where he was going to reinforce it. Once the hairline was finished, I was done for the day.

 

On the day of the surgery, I arrived at 5:30am. Dr. Rahal had to leave that afternoon to travel, so he wanted plenty of time with me to avoid being rushed; I was his only patient for the day. The procedure was extremely straightforward; strip excision took roughly 30 minutes and was completely painless. Even the numbing process was barely a pinch. After the strip was removed, the rest of the staff left to dissect the grafts and Dr. Rahal and I chatted while he made the incisions. He has a pretty reserved demeanor that's very analytical and cautious; he doesn't project any of the arrogance or aloofness that sometimes comes with plastic surgeons. He was pretty candid with his thoughts about the industry and his practice, which I appreciated. (I'll keep those private out of respect for his candor.) I couldn't feel a thing while he made the incisions.

 

Once he wrapped things up, a swarm of techs descended on me on started implantation while I watched a movie and listened to music. His lead tech led the entire process and kept an eagle eye on everything that was happening; she was especially watchful of the front edge of the hairline and was inspecting all the grafts placed. She's been with Dr. Rahal for a long, long time ("I'd need a calculator to tell you how long," she said), and his pickiness has clearly trickled down. I started to regain some sensation after about 90 minutes, so Dr. Rahal re-numbed me.

 

The entire thing wrapped up by about noon. Dr. Rahal sat down with me while I ate lunch and gave me his cell phone number so I could get in touch while he was traveling. His assistants took post-op pics and went over aftercare, then gave me my care package and walked me the whopping 50 feet to the guesthouse. I had a post-op appointment the next day to go over cleaning procedures and make sure everything looked up to par.

 

The Guesthouse

 

Here's the best thing about going to Dr. Rahal, aside from the great work: the guesthouse. The guesthouse sits immediately next door from the clinic, so it's a whopping fifteen second commute back and forth. The house is brand new; the clinic moved last year and both the clinic and guest house were new construction). The house is a large common area (roughly 1,000 square) feet with an open kitchen, living room, and dining nook. There are five guest rooms, each with their own bathroom, that open off the common space. The fridge is stocked with breakfast food--milk, juices, eggs, etc., and there are some other things, like bread, provided. There's a fireplace, an entertainment system with Netflix, and a washer/dryer. I'll upload some pics soon, but suffice to say that it's gorgeous--really nice finishes and furniture all around.

 

The great thing about the guesthouse is the camaraderie. There were four other guys staying there when I arrived, and we hit it off right away. They were all in various post-op stages (two FUT and two FUE), and they let me take a look at their work. They inspected me, too, and looked at my first scar. I had my first procedure locally, so I went right back home and resumed my life. But I can't imagine traveling and recovering in a hotel room in isolation, surrounded by people who'll look at you funny if you poke your head outside the room. At the guesthouse, though, you're all in the same boat, and you can socialize without feeling self conscious. We walked around the house with the grafts exposed, ordered take out together, and took walks to Starbucks to stave off cabin fever. One of the guys even stayed a few extra days because he was having such a good time. I can't recommend the guesthouse highly enough; it's a huge, huge benefit of going to Dr. Rahal. (Doesn't hurt that it's also dirt cheap.)

 

 

All in all, I had a great experience. I'm following the aftercare to a T and feel pretty close to 100%, aside from the tug at the back of my scalp from the scars. I'll update regularly. The attached pics are all 1-3 days post-op.

hey win

congratulations on your HT2

i remember you from a couple of years ago deliberating on the logistics of your next surgery

looks like you have a WINner here

happy growing

Td06, I would say yes. Nothing dramatic but there was some...

Congrats!

That was a HUGE decision to make. Like you, a friend knew his scar was too wide as soon as the stitches were removed.

This one looks like it worked.

It looks fantastic!

Hi, I've had a receding hairline for about 5 years now. 3 years ago I started Dut which has so far completely stopped my hairloss progressing. Lucky the hair I have is still very thick, I just have receded temples.

 

I really want to get a HT to fix my hairline which can be seen from my attached image. Dr Doganay suggested I'd need about 2,200 grafts, however I'm willing to have more if needed for optimal results.

 

What I want is to fill in the comers of my hairline making it straight, while maintaining a density high enough that were I to style it up with gel it would not be obvious that it was a transplanted hairline. From what I've seen of Doganay's previous hairline results they look absolutely perfect, both naturally styled and thick. However, I have seen others from him which look very patchy and wouldn't look good styled up. (I don't think this is his fault necessarily, just the unpredictable nature of HTs)

 

My question is if I got a HT would I visibly be able to get anywhere near my current density at my hairline?

 

Any other advise is also appreciated!

People with great fore locks like you usually have the best results in terms of filling in the temple angles as you want.

I would consults with as many FUE doctors as you can. Nothing to lose. Much info and insight to gain. Better to plan on having two surgeries vs. one. Don't get me wrong, this can probably be done very well with one surgery but just be prepared to have a tweak if you need to get it where you want. You have what looks like a very dense fore lock.

It's going to look great.

What Adonix/Pilar said was true

Friend's repair case had some extractions by dr the rest by techs

Maybe dr did some to see how straight forward or not the extractions would be

Not sure

One tech extracted

Another assisted (checked and stored the grafts, I guess)

Does "techs extracting grafts in FUE" differ from "the amount of dependence put upon techs in not only cutting each graft from a strip but also placing them into recipient area" in FUT?

I don't think so.

I think most FUT clinics are more tech dependent than this model used by Lorenzo.

What do you think?

Looks less dense because some grafts have most likely fell out by day 14

If not, worse case is that you'll need another round of FUE for density

Not a big deal

You have a GREAT FORELOCK WITH WIDOWS PEAK

These are the best HT case situations and produce the most dramatic results

Nothing to worry about here

Congratuations!

while i don't approve of the animal testing, i guess there is no way around that

love the name of the technique mFUE

good luck!

when you go to lorenzo ask him about the shape of the hairline re: naturalness

he'll cherry pick 3's and 4's and place for density and 1's, 2's and thinner hairs along the hairline and possibly the temple angles and points to blend

tell him your concerns, that something is drawing eyes to the hairline

i think you got a great starting point to be able to improve shape and density with a minor adjustment

i hear recovery re: FUE with Lorenzo is a cakewalk

good growing!

Rahal uses a tech-run FUE-Model to much success

techs extracts follicles

doc makes slits

techs implant

Much like every clinic runs a FUT-Model

doc removes strips

techs cut the strip into separate follicles

techs implants

In each case the tech is responsible for the follicle used in implanting

TECHS are very much responsible for the viability of the grafts in both models

whether extracting in FUE or cutting them out of the strip in FUT, in many case making viable 1 and 2 follicle grafts out of the heavy filled 3 and 4 follicle grafts found in the average strip

The techs in the current FUT-Doc based model handle all aspects of getting that graft viable enough for transplant

the doc does not.

This is comparable to the so-called FUE-Tech based model

It's the same:

Techs play an the same important role in both models

Keeping a stable crew of techs will always be an important part of any successful clinic

God save the Techs

Wallet

Wise move,

Don't mention the docs name. It does you no good. People asking for the name of the doc or clinic don't care about you usually. You compromise yourself for no good reason.

Hopefully, only the bad grafts popped and you'll be fine. Your post is very valuable to us just as it is. No names is a smart policy.

 

And watch out for the PMs too.

^^^^^BUMP^^^^^

i love it (sarcastic) when people ask for help and the answering posts only want to find out who did the work!

HEY MALTESE!

your results speak for themselves and have helped many

i am sure the clinic will post her result if they are good...LOL!

i'm sure she will be happy as you

congratulations on your result and thanks for the documentation

my friend had a great experience with Lorenzo and his staff

he runs a tight ship and commands respect from staff and patients alike

never saw a staff as happy to be there and as focused

THIS IS THIRD PARTY INFO BUT THOUGHT IT MIGHT HELP SOMEONE

WOW!

saw your 12 month update

total life changer

congrats

This is extremely puzzling. I hope you're able to get to the bottom of this. Document it with photos and set up an appointment with another HT surgeon asap to get another professional opinion on the books.

 

I really can't imagine how this could've happened - and why the doctor is seemingly acting like this is completely normal is beyond me.

 

Best of luck.

Thomas:

yeah i think you are right.

if it is any consolation, the deign is great.

you can probable get a refund on the difference in the amount of grafts actually placed.

maybe go to one of the recommended docs on here and they have instrument that will be able to count exactly how many were placed. then you can go back to your doc and tell him: THE JIG IS UP!

ASIDE:

WOW! PK

If anyone is a poster child for FUE it is you!

Congrats!

Checked out your b&a's

WOW!

What a transformatiom!

Congratulations!

Sometimes, shock loss occurs to surrounding native hairs but usually grows back.

Do a search on shock loss

Spex has a sticky about it

Hi Blake,

 

Thank you for the input, agreed very happy with the design.

There is not shock loss, I haven't started shedding and I had very little swelling. Only for 2/3days post op.

 

I have contacted the Doctor again, stating that I am unhappy. They think it would take 100-200 hairs to blend it into my existing natural hair. So they definitely do see it as more of an issue than they were originally saying. They say that they can fit me in next week, which will mean travelling to the other side of the country, flights, hotels etc and also they want to charge for the grafts.

 

This seems very unreasonable to me. I have already spent over $9,000 Australian dollars,( $7,000 USD). I feel they have made their money from me, surely they should be doing this work for free? Do you agree?

 

Thanks,

88mph

The design is fantastic so congratulations on that

By shock loss it is not meant the shedding of the transplanted grafts but shedding of native hair sometimes close to the recipient area sometimes in other places.

That said sometimes transplanting close to the borders of native hair is difficult. Don't want to transect existing but also don't want to leave a noticeable gap. Happen to me as well. It could also be shock loss of native hair, which has no guarantee of growing back. Mine didn't. Most do though.

I think you are very smart to book the appt next week and have the additional grafts transplanted Into the gap and even into the native hair a bit to cover all bases.

As for the payment, well, suck it up. Cosmetic surgery is not guaranteed to be perfect and this is one of the complications of HT, esp if this is shock loss of native hair, which it might be.

I'd pay the 2k and call it a day. It looks like a great design and clean job. Good that they are fitting you in so soon too. Take the appt, pay the fee and be done with it.

Happy growing

Laser cap

Can you please explain more about your product Vitrase?

I mean is taken before operation?

Please shed some light doc.

Vitrase is a brand of hyaluronidase, an enzyme that destroys hyaluronic acid

Both naturally occurring in the body and injected, such as restyline and juvederm products.

I can see how a hyaluronidase like Vitrase will deplete the area injected of its natural occurring hyaluronic acid make the skin more loose (dented) but this effect is only temporary and the natural occurring hyaluronic acid will replenish itself in time.

(Naturally occurring hyaluronic acid depletes and replenishes itself every 24 hours )

I guess a high enough dose will create a deep, albeit temporary, depletion and thus a loosening of the skin long enough so a strip can be excised.

Wonder if this works as well as those "balloon extenders" which loosen the skin to be excised? Many find in time that the skin goes back to its original tightness and in the end stretches the incision/scar tissue, anyway.

Very interesting premise though

Has anyone had shingles a month or so before surgery?

On torso not scalp

Do you think it would interfere with the surgery?