Not to bore anyone to tears, but I thought I would just mention my journey leading up to the day last week when I visited Dr. Glenn Charles' Office in Boca Raton for my 1st FUT procedure.

It goes back to 1997 when I was a junior in college, having just turned 20 and one of my roommates noticed that my hair had somewhat thinned out. At the time I didn't think much of it, but as time progressed the thinning, especially in the frontal portion of my scalp had progressed, I became a bit more conscious of this issue. So around 2001, I went to see a specialist in NYC and he started me on Propecia, which I have taken ever since, although at times not religiously. I have never taken any other hair loss substance.

Since then my hair loss somewhat stabilized that is up until a few months ago when I (and my wife) noticed some significant thinning. Some pre operation pics are attached. At that time I decided to begin researching the possibility of hair transplants. I had never really delved into the topic and the only thing I remember is seeing those doll-looking grafts of old. So I was definitely stunned with the level as to which the techniques had advanced and the results looked absolutely astonishing. I went to visit four different specialists, including Dr. Charles. Two providers I was less than impressed with, this included a small boutique dermatological laser clinic that used the Neograft machine, but otherwise did not do enough of these procedures to make me comfortable, and the other was Bosley. The people there were friendly enough but the reviews were less than stellar and their prices were simply illogical.

I selected Dr. Charles because of the many positive reviews and results I was able to access through the Net, as well as the feeling I got from meeting him in person. Dr. Charles is just wonderful - extremely down to earth, knowledgable, frank, and patient in answering all of my questions. I had a tough time deciding between Dr. Charles and another provider where I live and for whom I have the utmost respect. Aside from what I just wrote, I selected Dr. Charles because I thought his pricing was fair in comparison to the level of expertise he brings to table, his staff was extremely nice and has worked with him for many years, and he did not expect me to shave the top of my scalp where he was implanting the grafts.

My procedure was on Thursday Jan. 11th. Prior to that, Dr. Charles was kind enough to answer the myriad of questions that came to mind, and certainly as my nerves increased closer to the day of the procedure. He began by giving my something to calm me down and discussed the places in which he intended to implant the grafts. As you can see from the after photos, we selected the frontal third of my scalp.

As for the procedure itself, the staff tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible. There are no two ways around it, the anesthetic shots in the sides and back of the head hurt like hell. It was not a fun 5 minutes and I quickly realized that I would not be a good hostage . The staff was very gracious and made sure to give my plenty of fluids. My recommendation to anyone is that the morning of your procedure you drink some OJ. Once that was over I didn't feel a thing. I just sat there watching Netflix. They ordered me lunch and by 2:30 I was out the door. Dr. Charles makes sure you leave his office with not only post-op instructions, but also antibiotics, painkillers, a bottle of saline spray and a bottle of copper peptide solution. Mind you, I didn't have to pay extra for any of these items. He also gave me his cell phone number and called me that night to make sure I was okay.

The first night is a bit uncomfortable. Its tough to sleep and the stitches pull. But I have to say that its not really painful per se, just annoying. I took one painkiller that first night and, thereafter, I was fine with 2-3 Advil taken at night. At this point, the crusts are falling out and, unfortunately I am also experiencing some shedding of the hair I currently have. I know it was to be expected, but its annoying nonetheless. My hope is that this hair will eventually grow back along with the grafts.

In my opinion, Dr. Charles did an amazing job with creating a densely packed hair line. He was able to get just below 1700 grafts in the session. It truly is an art form and I believe it is key to go to a surgeon who has done these procedures for a long time.

Without an ounce of reservation, I would recommend Dr. Charles to anyone looking to have a hair transplant. Even though the tiny holes where the grafts are located look awkward, coupled with the pain and discomfort of at least the first 5 minutes of the procedure, you really have to look at the longer and bigger picture.

And now the unbearable waiting game. I will try and keep this blog updated from time to time with new pics.

It was also recommended that I start using Rogaine, at least for the first few months. I also decided to take Saw Palmetto and see if that does anything.

Please feel free to contact me should you want to chat about the procedure.

Good luck.