Simply Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 Stats: 12,654 grafts (22,783 follicles) taken from the back and side of the head, and beard. Grafts / Follicles Single 1,045 / 1,045 Double 4,560 / 9,120 Triple 2,240 / 6,720 Quad 137 / 548 Beard 4,672 / 5,348 About Me: 33 year-old Caucasian - mixed European and MENA backround Hairloss History: Hair loss began in earnest around 17 and began to really accelerate around 25. Loss and thinning progressed around the scalp and crown, similar to my father's side of the family. Beard is not the most dense, but hairs are thick and there is good growth on the neck. Medications: Been taking topical Minoxidil for a few years, and began Oral Minoxidil in the last year which has actually produced marginal results on the scalp and crown. Overall body hair has increased as well. Not taking finasteride due to short term experiences side effects: HT Decision: I began researching the process in Spring of 2023, speaking with doctors such as Ozlem Bicer, HLC, De Freitas, Pekiner, and Nader. Bicer and HLC both wanted to do two sessions of 4-5k grafts each, roughly a year apart. Pekiner refused due to the graft count required. De Freitas and Nader were both willing to take me on over a couple of sessions, and I was prepared to wait for these options - I actually had Nader reserved at one point. I had ended up passing on Bicer and HLC due to lack of proof of quality for larger sessions. I ended up coming across Dr. Pittella and Zarev later in the process - Zarev's results were very impressive, but wait time and prices both felt too steep for me. I had a consultation with Pittella that went well in the late summer of 2023 and locked in a procedure date for August 2024, for his Prime Package (full service at $4 per graft). Pittella felt confident in being able to achieve a desired result to restore thickness, in one visit over two sessions. I relied heavily on HRN and other forums for discussions and vetting around his quality, understanding the risks involved in undergoing a giga session in terms of survivability and donor area over harvesting. I felt comfortable with his results and elected to move forward with him. Travel: I arrived in Vitoria from Miami (FL, USA) on August 18th ahead of the surgery dates on the 20th and 21st, with the plan to fly back on the 24th. Pittella arranged for a very helpful driver (Fernando) to assist in moving me from the airport, to and from his office and the hotel, and back to the airport for my return) Consultation August 19th - I met with Pittella in the evening, we had an earnest discussion about the requirement for the transplant and my expectations. I measured and 8.6 on his Precise Scale, likely in part due to the actual size of my head and surface area that needed to be filled. Pittella estimated that over 12k grafts would be required. We agreed to begin my hairline slightly higher as it was naturally still low (albeit thin) in order to conserve grafts for use further across the scalp and crown. Procedure August 20th and 21st - Both days were full, from nearly 7am-7pm, roughly, with meals included. Please consult the chart for graft counts per day. Pittella had a very skilled team with him that helped manage the unpleasant parts such as the administration of the local anesthesia. August 22nd - 24th - I returned regularly to Pittella's office for cleanings and administration of topical antibiotics (I had some swelling and bubbles that needed to be lanced due to some oily residue from my skin, which he gave his full attention to. I was given medications with clear instructions to take and instructions to follow for the coming weeks. I slept 1-3 hours each night post surgery, partially because of the general discomfort of sleeping with a neck pillow, and partially so as not to risk any contact with the transplanted area. Writing this on the 23rd as I have some time to kill before flying back to the states. Will keep this group posted and answer any questions that folks have. Pictures: Crown and scalp Surgery Chart Post Pics Immediately after the 2nd Day of Surgery 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Posted August 23 Author Share Posted August 23 Posting pics on the 2nd full day after the final day of surgery (August 23). Imperfect lighting, but you get the idea. Crown Left Side Right Side Scalp Beard Donor, noting that Pittella fully harvested below the neckline and took a few grafts sporadically from the face as well. I appreciated his distribution to keep the facial hair relatively intact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member YodaHead Posted August 23 Regular Member Share Posted August 23 Congratulations!!! This is going to have a solid density all around! Keep us posted. 1 12.5k grafts with Dr. Felipe Pitella in Jan 2024. Link to my journey: https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/topic/71724-12501-grafts-dr-felipe-pittella-jan-2024/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted August 23 Senior Member Share Posted August 23 Great write up, those are some great graft numbers. Dr Pittella routinely putting on those 10k+ cases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Pelange Posted August 23 Regular Member Share Posted August 23 Great work. You will have great results. Keep us posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member A Fue Good Men Posted August 24 Senior Member Share Posted August 24 Am I correct in assuming he extracted roughly 6k grafts from your beard? The white board is a little hard to follow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Big Rome Posted August 24 Senior Member Share Posted August 24 Pittella is doing magical things and has been doing for a while. This should be another home run, you made a great choice 👏🏻 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Posted August 24 Author Share Posted August 24 10 hours ago, A Fue Good Men said: Am I correct in assuming he extracted roughly 6k grafts from your beard? The white board is a little hard to follow Roughly 4.6k grafts from the beard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidoz Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Pitella next level. looking forward to see this result Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted August 29 Moderators Share Posted August 29 That's a lot of beard grafts to take. Hopefully this will end up being yet another excellent result from Dr Pittella. Good luck! Al Forum Moderator (formerly BeHappy) I am a paid forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TheGreatPretender Posted August 29 Senior Member Share Posted August 29 Looks like some really clean work. Looking forward to see your progress, best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member hair_forever Posted August 30 Regular Member Share Posted August 30 Wow! Good luck for the next months! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Posted September 7 Author Share Posted September 7 (edited) September 7, 17 days post surgery. Scabs off with minimal fuss after running under warm water the last few days. Some follicle shedding with the scabs coming off. Still spots of tenderness in the donor area but generally comfortable and pain free. Beard is comfortable, was able to shave using an electric razor a week ago. No discomfort in the neck. Began taking Pantogar and Oral Minoxidil again after finishing post op medications a week in. Preparing to take Topical Minoxidil after scabs are fully removed in the next couple of days. Front, can see where Pittella left the natural hairs and moved the hair line up by a half a CM or so. Top and back, density being maintained prior to serious shedding next few weeks: Sides: Donor with minimal irritation. Beard area, some redness, but no real irritation, can shave with ease: Crown: Edited September 7 by Simply 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted September 8 Moderators Share Posted September 8 Looks good so far Al Forum Moderator (formerly BeHappy) I am a paid forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member hair_forever Posted September 8 Regular Member Share Posted September 8 Wow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Al - Moderator Posted September 8 Moderators Share Posted September 8 The beard area healed beautifully. Al Forum Moderator (formerly BeHappy) I am a paid forum moderator for hairrestorationnetwork.com. I am not a Dr. and I do not work for any particular Dr. My opinions are my own and may not reflect the opinions of other moderators or the owner of this site. I am also a hair transplant patient and repair patient. You can view some of my repair journey here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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