Coalition Surgeons

reversethecurse · #1 **Top** 11-14-2006, 11:40 AM

The Procedure

Needed multiple local anesthetic injections as I metabolized the medication quite quickly and it was a lengthy procedure. Also needed a few "nerve block" injections above the eye sockets to achieve lasting numbness. This proved effective.

Strip removal was pretty straightforward and uneventful, although my BP was high for a while, so they waited till it came down to do the surgery to prevent excess bleeding. Took another valium around lunch time because i was feeling a bit nauseous (maybe the prednisone, maybe hearing the slits being cut in my head).

More anesthetic after lunch, and slight nauseousness returned. Vicodin seemed to releive this and relax me completely. After the afternon vicodin, the remaining evening hours went much smoother with more incisions and placing of grafts.

Impressions

Dr. and staff made the procedure as comfortable as possible, and after getting through it, i can tell that a future procedure will go much more smoothly as my pre op jitters proved to be unfounded (my BP was high).

It was a long day for everyone - could have gone quicker if i didn't need to take several breaks to stretch and to get more anesthetic.

Very happy with results, although some recipient sites developed evidence of staff infection the following day. Probably should have worn a brand new hat instead of the same one i was wearing for months prior.

Recovery

Came to clinic the next day where Dr. identified staff infection and prescribed 10 day course of antibiotics.

Returned 4 days after surgery and inspection indicated that the antibiotic was taking care of staff, although still visible.

Returned 10 days after for suture removal - went smoothly, gave me another wash and took the "after" shots on my weblog - scabs and any signs of infection are completely gone.

Also - have had more than usual swelling and bruising around the eyes due to the nerve block injections above the eye sockets. Not a big deal - just a bit longer recovering and wearing sunglasses in public like a rock star.

FU Breakdown

FU # Grafts # Hairs
1 448 448
2 1592 3184
3 680 2040
4 133 532
6 207 1242

Total: 3060 7446

Any feedback would be welcome - my specific question right now is:

When can i expect to shed the grafts? I'm not sure if i should shave the remaining so it doesn't looks so dorky, or if i will definitely shed or not. Is there a time after which you can say that the shedding period is over so you can be sure that they're going to stay and grow?

Also - I've been on Propecia since the end of September. (& multi-vitamins each day)

Thanks -

scape

hairbank · #2 **Top** 11-14-2006, 12:42 PM

rtc-

Welcome to HTN's forum. I enjoyed viewing your blog as I hadn't seen much from Dr. Paul...........the work looks great. Since you had some native hair to blend with I'll bet you'll be pleased with your results.

I detected in your post the hint of another pass in the future? If you lose more in the future (and likely will) you may want another pass to add density but maybe not, who knows??

I noticed in your blog you were kind of maybe/maybe not on meds or other preventatives. I would strongly encourage you to consider Finasteride and/or Minoxidil along with a good scalp and hair care regimen like Nioxin/Nizoral. I opted not to use Minox because of the messy regimen but have been taking Finasteride since HT # 2 and have noticed a small amount of regrowth so I believe it may help me hang on to the native hair I have left and maybe stop the sides and back from receeding further downward. Something to think about anyway!!

Congrats to you on your procedure with Dr. Shapiro. Please keep posting your updates............great to see other's progress.

Bill - Managing Publisher · #3 **Top** 11-14-2006, 03:48 PM

Reversethecurse...welcome to the forums. I had a double take at the name because there is another member (who hasn't posted for awhile) with that name...so it took me off guard for a minute and then I realize...oh, a different guy. Well, the name definately applies though doesn't it? We all want to "reverse the curse" after all.

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

I do have some concerns though...and maybe I'm misreading this...but I notice you have some 6 hair grafts? Hairs normally grow in ones, twos, threes, and rarely fours, but I never heard of hairs growing in sixes, unless this doctor is using minigrafts which has me a bit concerned. Are you sure you have this correct?

Regarding your question, everybody is a little different when it comes to the timeline of when things occur, but typically most start around 2 weeks and finish around 1 month post op.

I hope this helps.

Bill

reversethecurse · #4 **Top** 11-14-2006, 04:32 PM

Yeah - i seemed to remember that there was someone else with that name too, i actually tried to change my screen name in my profile but i can't seem to do it.

Yeah - he said that would raise some eyebrows. They were "DFUs" (double folicular units) - these were used on the crown towards the back where thicknesss was the main concern. Instead of cutting the FU into a 2 and a 4, it was used as a DFU unit of 6 - some of them may have been 5's - it's not exact. As you can see there were only 207 of those - basically those are on the crown near the bald spot with 2's and 3's mixed in between them.

The hairline is of course, mainly 1's and then 2's and 3's behind them etc....

Thanks for your feedback and concern!

Also - per the previous post, i am continuing Propecia.

Anyone use MSM with any success to speed hair growth?

Thanks again.

scape

hairbank · #5 **Top** 11-15-2006, 06:18 AM

rtc-

I used MSM for the first 7 or so months after HT #2 and I do believe it will help your hair grow faster......................what it will NOT do is speed up growth of your newly planted grafts. They will start sprouting when they start.....no sooner.

If nothing else........MSM is good for the joints so take it anyway. You can pick up a 2 months supply (maybe 1 month, don't remember for sure) at Walmart for around $7. I was taking 3000mg per day.

Bill - Managing Publisher · #6 **Top** 11-15-2006, 07:46 AM

RTC2,

I figured I'd add a "2" on your name so I can differentiate in my head

.

I have never heard of DFUs before and I'm not sure what his basis for creating them were/are. Perhaps he thinks this would add density while minimizing trauma to the scalp? Personally, I think anything outside of the natural 1-4 follicular unit grafts might cause the appearance of plugginess...especially if the number of these grafts were greater. Did he give you a reason for doing this? He could have just made more incisions and inserted the 3 unit follicular unit grafts in more incisions. I'm sure bigger incisions had to be made to accomodate such a large double unit graft.

I've been using MSM since day 1 post op...only about 4 weeks post op now. I used it for my second surgery also...truth be told, I don't know if it did anything for me or not...but I figured it can't hurt...so I'm doing it again anyway...especially since the second HT started to grow in about 2.5 months. Of course, the first started around the same time and I didn't use MSM. Either way...it's worth a try. I actually got a 4 month supply for about $7.49 from GNC because they were having a sale. Normally it would have been about $20 or so.

Bill

reversethecurse · #7 **Top** 11-15-2006, 08:01 AM

Cool - i'll pick up some MSM - couldn't hurt.

As for the DFUs - I added a close up on my weblog of the crown area - it doesn't look pluggy to me - Dr. Paul said that if anyone has questions about this, they should ask him about it - he figured that it would raise some questions.

Take a look at the close up - I can't tell the FUs from the DFUs. There is one spot where the hairs appear to be growing into each other in a little cluster - i'm a bit concerned about that, but other than that, i'm happy with the results so far.

hairbank · #8 **Top** 11-15-2006, 08:28 AM

rtc-

I hadn't heard of DFU's before your post either but if Dr. Paul was okay with doing what he did I would think it'll be fine. Given the Shaprio Clinic's reputation, I'm sure they wouldn't place the grafts anywhere if there was a chance for a less-than-solid result.

I'll look forward to seeing your updates.

Happy growin'!

Bill - Managing Publisher · #9 **Top** 11-15-2006, 08:50 AM

rtc2,

I agree, I don't see anything that looks pluggy. That is interesting about the one smaller cluster of hairs...but wait it out with time too and see what the end result looks like. It could be that the slightly red scalp underneath the cluster is exaggerating it. Of course, maybe it's due to DFUs or hair grouped closer together...but I'm not sure.

I'd love to hear Dr. Paul Shapiro's comment on why he used DFUs, perhaps he's be willing to post here? I think it would benefit more than just easing my curiosity...I'm sure other eyebrows will be raised if not already...not necessarily badly...but raised nonetheless.

Bill

reversethecurse · #10 **Top** 11-15-2006, 09:06 AM

I did a search and Dr. Paul Rose (from Tampa) mentioned using them in one of his posts about getting high density. I think he used to work with SMG - maybe it's something they've pioneered. I agree that SMG has a great rep and that's why i'm not too worried. Will keep everyone updated with my progress.

thanks!

rtc2

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