Pearson

Your HT is a stunning success! Congratulations on an amazing transformation! Hat's off to Dr. Hasson.

This is my third hair transplant. My previous two transplants in 1997 were for 500 and 2,000 grafts. So what you're seeing now is a total of 5,000 transplanted grafts.

I am pretty sure that every hair that you see on the top of my head is a transplanted hair. I would be a NW6 without any transplants.

For this latest surgery, 2500 is the most that Dr. Rahal could get because of my scalp laxity, hair density, and previous scars. Although he did say that if I should decide to have another procedure in the future, there remain another approximately 1,000 grafts to work with. I will probably not do anything for at least another 10 years, and see how things progress.

Here are my 11 month "before and after" comparison shots for my 2500 graft transplant by Dr. Rahal. I am quite happy about the results. I'm also getting compliments from friends who know I've had the procedure.

Thanks for the positive comments. I'm quite satisfied with the results thus far, and I look forward to more improvement in the coming months. I can still feel new hairs sprouting when I gently run my fingertip over the sides of my crown.

I took these "before" pictures about 8 months prior to the HT, which is about the same time I started taking Propecia. I have been on Rogaine for the past 6 months.

The worst angle for me is the straight down shot, which was taken with a flash. I find that flash actually makes things look much worse than real life.

At 9 months post-op 2500 grafts, I decided to post come before & after comparisons. Feel free to comment.

The folliculitis is completely gone. The antibiotics took care of them pretty quickly. I think 99% of the redness is gone too.

Bill, you're absolutely right. I've now added that photo to the beginning of the series.

At the 5 month mark, there is clearly an improvement, especially when compared to the 3 month mark. Since most of my grafts were in the crown, I anticipate growth to be slow.

I strongly agree with Chantal about the travel pillow. It allows you to rest your head while sleeping, without putting any pressure on the stitches. I used mine for the first two weeks.

Looks amazing Buba!

His office got back to me the next day with an assessment.

I'm from Toronto too, and Dr. Rahal did my HT back in January. He recommended that I come in the day before the procedure. Because it was a one-hour flight, he also recommended going home the day after the procedure. I don't think it's a good idea to drive 4 hours the day after a HT. You might be on Tylenol 3, or Percoset. Flights from Toronto to Ottawa are only a couple hundred bucks.

It's so predictable. When a person starts talking trash about "Big Pharma", and touting "natural cures", the conversation invariably degenerates into the spewing of conspiracy theories.

Sadly, I've come to realize that no amount of reasoning will ever change the mind of the this type of person. That's because they'll respond that anybody who opposes them is either "in" on the conspiracy, or has been "brainwashed" by the "powers that be". You can never win with these type of people.

Although I resumed working-out at the gym just before the infection started, my biggest risk factor is the fact that I am on immunosuppressant medication, which puts me at increased risk for all sorts of infections. I take this medication to manage my arthritis.

I don't think Dr. Rahal can be blamed for the infection, especially since it started 5 weeks after the HT. Nevertheless, he did prescribe oral and topical antibiotics, and the infection cleared up after about a week of treatment.

Today I asked my wife to try to cover up the scar with make-up. She used a tiny sponge to dab on some foundation make-up, and then followed it with Toppik spray. The results were so impressive that I ventured out in public without a hat for the first time since my hair transplant. The best part was when my 11 year old said "Hey dad, your scar is gone."

Today is Day 19 after a 2500 graft HT with Dr. Rahal, and I just buzzed my hair down to a #5 guard. My donor scar is very red and much more noticeable, especially on my right side. I've always wondered how I'd look with a buzz cut, but have been too scared to try it. I figured now is the time to try it, because I'll be wearing a hat in public for a few months anyway. What do you think? Is this shock loss? Is it normal to be so red after 19 days?

I just came back from a session with Dr. Rahal. It was a great experience all-around.