Many of you remember my feelings about the first procedure that I underwent a year ago. It wasn't a terrible job but there were some issues; average yield, slight cobble-stoning, 2's in the hairline, and very low density. I couldn't go out in public without caking the dermmatch and toppik on.

Well, this past Wednesday I underwent my second procedure with Dr. Paul Shapiro for 2,348 grafts and I could not be more pleased. Here's the story.

At about 7:30 AM, I met with Dr. Paul to discuss a strategy for the procedure. There were a few things to address. One was how to deal with the bumps / cobblestoning in my recipient region. Dr. Paul grabbed Dr. Ron to get a look and they both agreed it'd be best to do a number of punch-outs, especially removing the 2 haired grafts in my hairline. They also thought that the added density from this procedure should disguise the rest of the bumps. One interesting thing is that Dr. Paul noticed a few bumps in my recipient region that were not producing any hair.

The next issue was what to do with the scar from my first surgery. I have been happy with how the scar turned out, but apparently it was taken fairly high. The Shapiro Bro's agreed that it would be better to leave the original scar alone for now and extract a new one below it. My first strip was taken so high that it might've had a negative effect on the net yield. So the bad news of the day was that I'd be left with two scars. If my crown continues to bald further where my first scar begins to show, I'll have to undergo a FUE procedure to disguise it. But it was certainly reassuring to have two world class docs agree on what would be the best approach for me.

Now onto the surgery. It lasted from about 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. I know many surgeons leave the graft placement to many of the techs and I have no problem with that. But Dr. Paul didn't just say 'see ya' after the donor removal. He was there for much of the graft placement, placing many of the grafts himself. The technicians at SMG were outstanding, friendly, and professional throughout the entire day, even with a tornado watch going on! The guy on the weather channel actually said, 'We are just really happy that no one is ok.' LOL

I did shave for the procedure and I look pretty damn funny right now. I'm hoping for a quick recovery as I'm starting a new job in about 20 days and I can't wear a hat. But after a disappointing first procedure, I was willing to do whatever necessary to make it easier on the SMG crew to do what they do best.

I'll be posting some pictures and hair counts from the surgery for you once I receive them. Much thanks to everyone at SMG with special shout outs to Jason (B-Spot), Janna, Matt, Pam, Dr. Ron and especially Dr. Paul. This looks to be a first-rate job and I can't wait to see the results. You all were more accommodating than I can say and I won't forget it.

Now the let the growing begin.

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2008 Dr. G – presumably 1,000 grafts / 2,142 hairs
2009 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 2,348 grafts / 4,258 hairs
2011 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 1,999 grafts / 3,624 hairs

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

Good luck man!! I hope things work out for you - everything looks good in the pictures so I bet you will be very pleased come 12 months from now.

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My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Keene

aaron1234 ??“

I agree with mrkneed. It looks very good. And, of course, we have seen excellent results from SMG. I think you will be very pleased when all is said and done. I hope the best for you. And best of luck with your new job. Remember, no one looks as close as we do at our hair as we go through the transition.

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My Hair Loss Weblog - Hair Transplant with Dr. Bernstein

Best of luck Aaron. I reckon your on the way to a top result thanks to SMG. What happened your old blog entries though?

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My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Feller

Thanks for the kind words guys. Lastchance, I just took them all down. Fresh start. Don't worry though, you'll see my pre-op pics soon. I had quite a nice photo session against the famous blue wall before the surgery went down. I'll post as soon as I get 'em.

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2008 Dr. G – presumably 1,000 grafts / 2,142 hairs
2009 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 2,348 grafts / 4,258 hairs
2011 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 1,999 grafts / 3,624 hairs

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

Just for a quick reference... here's the link to the thread of my previous procedure.

http://hair-restoration-info.c...=835107792#835107792

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2008 Dr. G – presumably 1,000 grafts / 2,142 hairs
2009 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 2,348 grafts / 4,258 hairs
2011 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 1,999 grafts / 3,624 hairs

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

I've only seen excellent results posted by SMG on here! I met with Dr. Ron Shapiro on his vacation and he is as friendly as they come! I'm happy that you went to them for a second chance! It will work out!

For sure Rachmunas4life..... Ron and Paul are both class acts.

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2008 Dr. G – presumably 1,000 grafts / 2,142 hairs
2009 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 2,348 grafts / 4,258 hairs
2011 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 1,999 grafts / 3,624 hairs

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

You picked the right clinic. The work looks solid. I too had a similiar experience with SMG. They repaired some previous botched work I had done. I also had a number old micro/mini grafts punched out at the hairline. Just be patient. The waiting is the hardest part. The first three to four months are tough. I actually grew a beard for the first time to take some of the focus off my buzzed head. I found at about month 5 onward, the positive changes really accelerated. I shaved the beard at about 5.5 months. By month 6 and 7, I was getting lots of positive compliments. People couldn't quite put their finger on what I'd changed. Everyone told me I looked a lot younger and better without the beard or that they thought I'd lost weight. Good luck.

Thanks TooThin. I know the waiting stage sucks but I'm hoping I look presentable in three weeks for my new gig. I might need to come up with a story for why my head is shaved. For the next few days, I'll just be a hermit. Lord willing, I won't go insane.

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2008 Dr. G – presumably 1,000 grafts / 2,142 hairs
2009 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 2,348 grafts / 4,258 hairs
2011 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 1,999 grafts / 3,624 hairs

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group