Hi, everyone. Thanks for reading.

I am excited to share with you about my recent hair transplant surgery with Dr. Robert Dorin (in New York City) on Wednesday, August 12, 2015.

I have been suffering with hair loss in the frontal third of my head since 2008, when I was twenty-four years old. I think you can consider me Norwood 3A. I am one of those people who did not think traveling was necessary in order to get a hair transplant; so I stuck around in Massachusetts, and got too smaller, definitely sub-par transplants. The first was with Dr. Robert Leonard of Newton Centre. He never revealed the number of grafts, and the results were pluggy and disappointing, as I had "sprinkles" of hair rather than something significant. This doctor has no bedside personality, even raised his voice at me one during the procedure, and frequently made me feel rushed while I was visiting with him. The second procedure was with Dr. Mark DiStefano of Worcester, Massachusetts. While DiStefano is a friendlier and more generous man, the FUE of 1,100 grafts produced barely any yield - and I mean barely - after more then 10 months. The procedure was a bust, presumably due to poor technique. The majority of both procedures was entrusted primarily to technicians. After the second procedure, I was emotionally devastated, and have not felt right for months. I cannot and will not recommend either of these practices. Let my story be an example to all of you thinking about "settling" on a non-coalition doctor: DO NOT DO IT. I repeat: DO NOT DO IT. Do your research (I did not do the proper research), and be prepared to travel, whether that is to Vancouver, Ottawa, New York City, or wherever. Never let distance you back.

New York City is where I went to seek the assistance of Dr. Robert Dorin. After consulting with coalition doctors in the States and in Canada, I decided Dr. Dorin was the one I wanted to entrust with my hair. I was impressed with his published results and his clear knowledge of the latest developments in hair restoration. I felt like I had a good rapport with him on the phone, and definitely did in person. He expected 1,800 to 2,000 grafts would greatly improve the condition of my hairline and behind it. He and his amazing staff removed the old, ugly, way-too-large scar left by Dr. Leonard, and were able to extract 2,144 grafts from it! (Thankfully I have above-average donor density.) He decided that the best course of action for the multi-grafts hairs moved into the immediate hairline was to camouflage them rather than remove them and place them elsewhere. You can see in the photographs what my hair condition has looked like for the last year or so, and what Dr. Dorin did with it. Peter at True and Dorin informed me that they removed the following numbers of grafts:

786 singles

1,328 doubles

30 threes

Dr. Dorin and his staff were amazing. Dr. Dorin was intimately involved with pretty much each and every step of the transplant process. He must have spent an hour or so making the 2,000+ incisions; the other doctors took maybe ten minutes at most doing that. He was very careful with the scar, and able to remove most of the old one. He was letting a doctor-in-training shadow him, and I remember how he was explaining to this young man how imperative it was while making the incisions that they be made in certain ways so that the hair could grow just so. Dr. Dorin is clearly an artist and scientist all in one. He struck the perfect balance of friendliness and professionalism. His staff, and especially Gloria and Lisa, the two nurses/technicians who spent the most time with me, were extra-supportive and caring. I purchased the ATP spray, and have been spraying pretty much every hour, eagerly awaiting the good results that I am confident will finally come. They urged me to come the morning after the surgery for the scalp cleansing (something great do do post-op), which removed a lot of the bloody guck from the scalp, and readied me for my long bus ride home.

Folks, I still cannot get over how impressed I am with Dr. Dorin and his and Dr. True's practice. I rate my experience as an A+. I enjoyed being with these people so much that I am considering making the journey all the way from Boston back to New York just so they can remove the sutures. (Perhaps that sounds crazy!)

Now I am just going to town applying my ointments, taking my medications, and followign the post-op instructions to ensure an optimal result. Unfortunately, I think one of the grafts becoming dislodged while showering last night (at the front of the hairline too), but I guess that kind of thing happens.I lost a few on the way back to my hotel room after the surgery, but the doctor advised me how to keep them preserved, and they were able to get them back in where they belonged during the cleansing.

I have said enough, I think. I could write an essay about my hair-loss experience and treatments thus far, but will let you ask me if you have any questions you want me to answer. To all of you considering hair restoration, think about contacting True and Dorin in New York City.