Sean

[quote=jgreyorl "Sorry OP, I swear I am not trying to hijack this thread. Sean, yes they are very recent. I have some more recent ones with my hair grown out and those are the ones that Chad/Dr. Rahal used to give me the worst case scenario balding pattern. Everyone tells me it's not bad and my girlfriend and friends all tell me that don't think I am balding, but I have definitely had some significant recession since my early 20s (I will post some photos from then as well to compare)." It's all good. Well it's good to be informed of worst case scenario. I guess if he suggests it then plan the transplant according to that. Can't wait to see your photos from early 20s to compare it. Right now though, you might not need many grafts depending on the type of hairline you choose. The photos you posted, your hair looks better then most at the level of norwood you mentioned.

I agree with alexdelarge. Jgreyorl, it doesn't seem to be that high of a norwood when looking at your photos? Are those your current photos?

I concur with most of what Aaron said. Now, you were estimating around 20,000 grafts, HairToday72 I think had 7500Grafts with the mix. At this point I do not think you are that level of Norwood. AND there does seem to be lots of stubble on top of your scalp, do you have pics of it grown out? so, if you were to get the number of grafts you were quoted, that might make a big difference. Depending on the texture of your hairs, who knows, but wish you all the best.

I agree with what everyone has to say. They make their points valid as well and that's what makes the forum a great place to get help. I think the bottom line is that this person wants hair. If someone has lost a substantial amount of hair at a young age, that should not be a disqualification for a transplant. It just depends on what surgeons would be willing to do or able to do to help patients and to find ways to help them. Granted hair quality can differ depending on the hair characteristics of the body/beard/scalp hair from each different person to another, for some the combination may work, for some it might not work as well. I would not advise strip though on those at young age with extensive hairloss because you just don't know how far you can bald, and later on some people may just end up keeping their hair short (i'm talking about vin diesal type hair, jamie fox type hair, etc). However, if you are young and face extensive hair loss & you do strip, then continue to lose hair and ran out of donor, then want to keep your hair short later because you can't deal with the continuation of hair loss, you really have to watch out for the linear scar. Granted some doctors can keep the scar at very minimal levels, some say hardly detectable, however, that scar will show one way or another with lower number of clips if you plant to give yourself a really short hair look later with close skin fades. It is true as well, that if you give yourself a michael jordan like waxed head look, tiny fue dots may be visible around your donor area if you get FUE. However, depending on the size of the punch used, you might be able to get away with it better then others that have had FUE with higher punch sizes. That is to say, if a 1mm punch or higher is used, or a .07mm punch etc. That can make a big difference. Technology has changed from what it once was, and most doctors now can successfully use tools using smaller sizes. At the end of the day, it is up to you if you want the hair transplant or not. If you want to take the risk at getting hair back or not and what option you take. To have hair or not to have hair, that is the question. To what extent you are willing to go and what you are willing to do is ultimately up to you. Granted your age is around the same age group as me, I just can't deal with waiting to get a transplant later. It has been bothering me for the past 10 years. I'd like to at least move on with my life with some peace, rather then thinking about it all the time. So, I decided to go with FUE with Dr. Rahal. I'm relying on technological advances in surgical methods and medications for the future, but trying to make the best out of what is available right now to get a control of the condition. I am not even too concerned about my crown area right now, as I would like to make the front of my scalp stand out. I'd like to establish that frontal area, and then worry about the crown later if I have to depending on medications. Do you have any more photos of your current hair loss? Are you in a barber's chair in that photo you have up by any chance? It seems like you are since there is a yellow cover around you. Were they shaving your head by any chance?

Was it Dr. Brian O. Goertz from Seattle, Washington that performed your surgery?

Are you on anything? Like Rogaine or Finasteride? Your crown looks pretty decent. If anything, the hairloss seems to be in the frontal region, temporal. Looks more like a Norwood 3A, not sure. I would focus on restablishing the hairline, temporal work. How do you plan on styling your hair? Considering you are around 30, i'd think you'd want a less conservative hair line and more with density up front? What's the pattern in your family like? That may also make a difference on how much you want to use now or how far you want to take the hairline, but I think with the crown you are lucky. Getting a crown touched up takes a lot of grafts.

That's a big session. Was it a one day procedure? Good luck to you. I think it'll grow well, just follow the post op instructions and whatever the doctor says. A year from now when your results have grown, you'll have a new style.

Yup, a whole year has gone by. Thanks for all your help with discussing fue/communication with Adrian/Dr. Rahal's clinic. Surgery is set for the end of August. I have spoken and been in touch with Tara. I'll definitely be giving a detailed report of my experience, a lot of people have messaged me about it since last year, when I mentioned i'll be getting FUE with Dr. Rahal. They really want to see how everything is and my case being a large FUE procedure, I guess it will help them decide. Thank you. I hope my upcoming review / results help you. Stay tuned. Thank you. Just a few more days. Would like to hear your feedback once I post the pics. You are like the same age as me. For me, I haven't started taking Rogaine Foam yet. I have been taking Finasteride. I know what you mean with the side effects. I have heard some people may have them. I probably had the very minor side-effects with Finasteride. I don't really notice them any more. I have been taking numerous health supplements (you can see this list at my hair loss website) and I am not sure if that is helping re-grow hair, but it has helped improve my overall health and I can't say this for certain, but may have done something to improve my hair. It's a pretty debated topic if health supplements help with the hair or not, but it makes sense if you take care of your health it may help with hairloss due to nutrition deficiencies. I do not want a super thin result either, as my goal is to stick my hair up from the front and to be able to drive a car with the top down and not worry about the wind affecting my hair. Rainy days an windy days are hell for thin hair. Definitely check out my progress and tell me what you think. I'll be looking forward to hearing what you think. About your last question, I would probably still do surgery if I was unable to take meds, but I would go with the FUE route. This is because you can really buzz your hair down without worrying about a linear scar if you want a vin diesal like look later on or kind of like a buzz crew cut look with lower number clips. If you don't have enough hair and continue to thin, then you can still get other things done in combination. There is a lot of combination possibilities, beard hair, body hair, even special scalp tattoos as filler hair illlusion of density later on. It just depends on how bad you want hair. However, I think with scalp FUE combinations, these other things may work well with, I do not think they work good as stand alone procedures. They just don't look right getting them alone. Now, with me being around 30, I wanted to get a transplant because I consider it time I do not want to waste. I said to myself I can either get a transplant now and try to re-establish my hair now, or I can worry about it when I am older at 60+ to wait and see how much I bald to decide. I decided to get it now, because I don't want to really wait for 60+ to see because by then, I probably wont really care as much as I do for it now or I would question myself why I didn't get it done sooner. This is my own opinion, but I am trying anything and everything to get a hold of this hair loss, so I can stop worrying about it. The only reason I am on these forums is because I am worrying about my hair, the only reason I am getting FUE is because I am worrying about my hair, it all adds up to me needing a transplant to satisfy my worries. The more you worry the more you end up wasting your time thinking about hair most of your life, so I decided to put an end to that. My hair loss worries started around age 20-21 and it's been like 10+ years of worries and after all this research I had to take the leap towards FUE. Thanks again. That sound good. Let's hope you do not need all 2500 and can get away with it with less to reach your desired look.

Thanks Sparky, Hope everything is going great for you.

Thank you. I have been monitoring your progress. How is everything coming along? Hope everything is going great.

It's a tough choice. They are all good doctors. Did they each quote the same number of grafts for your procedure? Are you looking at price to make a choice? Or Location? You are right, you'll be in great hands whoever you choose.

Thank you. That's great, about 4 months to go. How many grafts are you getting for your procedure? Definitely check my updates in a few days on this thread I created. I'll keep everyone posted with as much as I can. Good luck with your procedure.

Thank you. I will definitely keep you posted and do let me know what you think when I post photos up/results. Check out my updates August 30th to September 2nd. Really looking forward to hearing your opinion. Never had any procedure before, so this is a first procedure and involving FUE. You can see my level of hair loss on my hair loss web site link at the bottom of my post. Good luck to you as well.

*CLICK MY HAIRLOSS WEBSITE TO SEE MY UPDATES* Hello Everyone, I have been in touch with quite a few people on these forums, people I work with, relatives, etc., and I know you all want to see more and more of Dr. Rahal's FUE work. I am starting this thread to inform those that are interested in FUE or those seeking large FUE sessions with Dr. Rahal and want to see the quality of his work with FUE. I am finally going to have my first hair restoration procedure at the end of August. I have been reading these forums for a while and after lots of research and sleepless nights reading, I have decided to go with Dr. Rahal as my doctor. I did have a list of doctors to choose from for FUE (from California, to other parts of U.S., Europe/Turkey), but ultimately came to choose Dr. Rahal due to the very high quality of his hairlines shown on these forums and the fact he was offering FUE. I did consider him a while ago when he was only known to do strip, but that was when I was thinking about strip. Times have changed and I keep my hair on the sides short (a fade with a clip one or near skin fade), so strip was no longer of interest. When I found out he started offering FUE, I decided to book a procedure with him. The procedure is estimated to be 3000 grafts to re-establish my hairline, frame the face, temple work, etc. The focus is not going to be on the crown as I will be continuing to take Finasteride and will start to take Rogaine after a month post op OR as the doctor suggests. This is a FUE procedure and it is estimated to be a two day procedure. Correct me if I am wrong, but I might be the first 3000 graft FUE patient from Dr. Rahal you will be seeing postings and updates from on this particular forum. He has had many FUE patients, even those over 3000 grafts for FUE, but I am a patient that is actually DOCUMENTING my procedure to show others/get feedback/opinions. Procedure is set for the end of August. I will be staying at the Foxbar guesthouse and will give a very detailed written experience of my stay, the procedure, everything related to my hair loss experience at all levels. If you think you need me to answer anything else, let me know now so I can make a note to answer that question/category. Let me know if I am missing anything. I'll even try to give live updates when I am in the doctor's chair. Be ready to see my updates in a few days. Initial Booking For FUE Experience: I took interest in FUE when I first heard Dr. Rahal was performing it at a larger scale, I believe this information of introductory FUE by Dr. Rahal was available through MattJ's postings a year ago. I contacted Matt through these forums and we negotiated with Adrian and the clinic for booking. I then spoke with Adrian on the phone at the time, and in order to lock the price of my procedure he needed a deposit, so I gave him a 2,000 Canadian Dollar deposit back around sometime in September 2010 for my surgery coming up August 2011. I have to say one thing though, that MattJ was very good at answering all my emails/questions/concerns and good at replying to all of my questions and I found him very professional. Important Payment Information For Patients In U.S. Etc. I think this is very important that people understand this, especially, those that are not familiar with making transfers or purchases in countries other then their own. This is particularly important to understand because what your cost of procedure is quoted at can possibly end up costing more due to these very important factors. Paying Through Banks: If you wire money, you will incur wiring fees of $45 (more or less depending on what your bank designates it to be). That is obviously a cost that you will face no matter what. However, there may be something that you are not aware of that might get you no matter what. That is that most banks charge a "hidden premium" on money that you will wire. Here is an in depth explanation as to why or how this occurs. The exchange rate you see in the market, is not the rate you will necessarily get. For example, say the exchange rate according XE Currency Rate online quotes 1 CAD = 1.01875 USD, it does not necessarily mean you will get that rate when that is the actual market rate. If you type in "1 cad to usd" exactly the way I wrote it in the google search box, that is the live market rate and you will not get that rate depending on the organization you use. So, in my case I saw live rates using various currency exchange websites all over the place being quoted for 1 CAD = 1.018 USD, however, my bank even though I showed them all these rates, charged me around 1 CAD= 1.046 rate. Now, that can make a big difference when you are transferring thousands of dollars to pay for your procedure. For example, hypothetically, say if you are paying $20,000 for a procedure and you used the actual rate of 1 CAD=1.01875 USD, it cost you $20,375 + the banks wiring fees. However, that will not be what you pay as you are assuming, it will end up being 1CAD=1.046 which will be your banks rate, making your cost $20,920 + the banks wiring fees. This will depend on the current market exchange rate, as well as, what financial institution you are using. So, there is a hidden premium you will face and you can't really do anything about it. This is because banks and other organizations can pick a rate of their choosing. They are given exchange rates by the settling institutions and then add on a certain % to that rate to earn a small profit or negate the risk of the rate moving out of their favor in a loss on the transaction. It could be more or less, but that depends on the organization/financial institution you use to transfer your funds. My advice is to stay away from Wells Fargo and their so called "competitive" exchange rates. Paying Through Credit Cards: Here is another way to pay or make deposits. They also charge a premium. Every credit card varies, it can be 3% or 5% or etc, depending on the card. This is their transaction "fees". On top of that, be careful of the exchange rate they use, as that will also make a difference. People have spent thousands more using credit cards because of their crazy rates when paying for foreign services or transactions. What I learned about Paying for Foreign Transactions: I had trouble getting an answer out of credit companies on exchange rates. They seem to lie, they told me they will match the rate according to the market rate, but I too have found out some of those guys lie. I know if you have a Capital One credit card, they may not charge any transaction fees so look into that. Call Capital One to confirm this. I have read about it all over the web. On another note, talk to a couple of banks, not the tellers, but the people sitting inside the bank helping new customers etc (experienced agents with college degrees). Ask them how their exchange rate system works and if they are able to send money to any bank in Canada. That is because some banks may not directly transfer money to a Canadian bank. Take a look at TD BANK, and a couple of others. Like I said before, Wells Fargo is anything but competitive. They do not give you the live rate, yet give a higher rate but don't tell you it's a hidden premium, they just tell you that's what the computer and their system is telling them and that they do not know how their rates are calculated. Yes, that was the answer given to me by them. I had no choice but to use them as I had to pay 2 weeks prior to my surgery date as that is when the money was due and couldn't transfer my funds to another bank or another cheaper service, so I got screwed. Now, there was an online service that transfers FUNDS at the LIVE MARKET rate, that may save you TONS of money, but they said it takes them anywhere between 2-3 days to 2 weeks to transfer the funds directly to the receiving bank. That service is called OANDA. They are probably your best bet you might want to call them. I wanted to use them, but like I said, my payment was due 2 weeks prior to surgery, and at the risk of them taking 2-3 days to 2 weeks to transfer, it would have collided with my surgery date or after. I found out about them the same day I was getting ready to transfer money. Was too late, unfortunately. So, take a look. Give them a call. Here is their website link. I am not promoting them, but rather helping you out by using them to save money possibly. Here is the link: Money Transfer | Send Money Online | OANDA FXGlobalTransfer You can calculate the LIVE market rate and the amount you will pay right now at the link I posted above. You are going to convert USD to send Canadian. I think their services are only available for American and Canadian consumers. So, foreign customers may have to find their own service to transfer large sums of money. Call and ask them all questions regarding the bank you will transfer to, how long will it take, your total costs, how it works, and etc. If you want to book surgery in Canada, i'd use a credit card to pay for deposit and then pay the rest using the service that gives you the BEST rate of transfer. Again, stay away from Wells Fargo, I say this from experience. Good Luck. I think people should be aware of these things when doing business anywhere outside their own country. Do your research on exchange rates and picking the best financial institutions offering the best rates. It can save you lots of money on top of an expensive hair restoration process. I really want forum members to be aware of this when it comes to foreign transactions. Whether you do your procedure in the U.S., Canada, Turkey, Europe, Etc., you need to be aware. For some, price may not be a factor, but for most of the public it is. My Arrival Experience: I chose to drive to Canada. It was a smart move considering most flights were either cancelled or the prices were inflated due to the hurricane "Irene". I did see some downed trees or very minor flooding during my drive past northern New York. It was a long drive to Ottawa. Took around 7-8 hours. The guards at the border asked why I was going to Ottawa. I had to show them some papers about surgery and the clinic address. They asked me what kind of surgery and I told them hair restoration/hair transplant. I drove straight to Dr. Rahal's clinic, started filling and looking through consent forms, met Dr. Rahal and asked questions, got an idea of hairline design for tomorrow, met the owner of Foxbar, and now currently typing from Foxbar. Surgery is on August 31st & September 1st. Any Issues: Just slight traffic. No problems at the border. Consent forms: These will scare you as they will reveal new things about the hair restoration process that you weren't really aware of before nor openly discussed or mentioned on these forums to a greater degree or at all. I'll explain what I mean later in depth or not. One example that you initial and understand that 10% of the patients could lose their transplanted donor hair. This is probably under certain circumstances though. Hairline design: My initial concern/restoration goal is related to the frontal hairline/temple areas. I want a hairline to reduce the look of a larger/wider forehead before I booked this procedure up until now. Before I started receding, my hair would cover up the look of my large forehead but now my forehead looks larger due to recession. Hair recession caused it to look larger/wider. My temple area was more defined at age 21 and since it isn't anymore at age 29, hair restoration is my only hope to re-construct/re-establish those areas as well. I feel a better constructed hairline/temple area/lower hairline is key to that. After my initial pre-op/meeting upon my initial arrival to Ottawa/Dr. Rahal's clinic (Aug 30, 2011), Dr. Rahal did create an example hairline on me the day before my procedure. I did tell him of my interest in re-establishing my widows peak and he said we could work that area as well. I did bring some photos of patients from his website that I thought the quality of work done was ideal to my goals, as well as some indian actor's photo to explain what I was looking for. He drew the hairline design on the temple area of the indian actor's photo he suggested would suit me. He did not want the temple area to be the same as the indian actor's as he explained it may look more like a feminine temple design. This area I am kind of unsure about because my goal was to have a similar temple design I had since my original temple design at age 21 reduced the look of a wider forehead. That wider/larger forhead issue was such a concern that I even contemplated a serious procedure such as forehead reduction once before. My concern now is depending on the transplantation/angulation of my temple area, if I will be confident enough to stick my hair up in the front, (this will depend on how wide my forehead will look in conjunction to the temple design, will it look less or more or in between to my goals, I don't know yet). This will be based on the temple design and hairline design Dr. Rahal is suggesting. I will show what I mean about the temple design by uploading that actor's photo and an in depth explanation of the design Dr. Rahal drew on that photo in depth. However, Dr. Rahal will create an official/exact hairline today before my procedure (7:00AM Aug 31,2011), so I will update you all again if any changes were made. Procedure estimation completion time: At the pre-op on August 30, 2011. Dr. Rahal told me that this procedure can take one day or two days. I believe im the only patient booked for the 31st. Depending on certain factors 3000 grafts can be done in a day or will be broken into two days. We are shooting for the full 3000 grafts, I really dont't want less but he will reimburse for grafts not used. My concern is if lesser amount of grafts are used, will it reach my goals or will I have to come back in a short time period to get a touch up. I'd like to wait a couple of years with peace of mind before returning for future procedures when I am busy focusing on my career. So, I want the foundation of my hair restoration procedure established well the first time around. If I need more grafts then so be it, but I want a stress free foundation to grow with. I don't want to return to focus on the same zones in the future, but rather move on to a different unworked zone for any possible future sessions. Pre-Op On FUE Session Day 1 Before Procedure: Dr. Rahal again discussed hairline, temple areas, and answered my other questions/concerns. Procedure FUE Day 1: I spoke with Dr. Rahal once more to design hairline and get pictures taken before I was headed for my procedure. Immediate Post-Op FUE Session/Checkup Day 1 August 31st Duration: Estimated procedure time from 7:20AM to 7:40PM Experience: At the beginning of the procedure, during the freezing of the scalp, I felt the shots were painful, towards the middle of the procedure I didn't feel much but as we got closer to the end, the freezing wore off on and off. I tried to be like rambo and absorb some of the pain, but when I couldn't id request some pain relief. This was a very long procedure. It felt like it was never going to end. Even when it did end, it wasn't over yet. Dr. Rahal is a perfectionist, he felt that something did not look how he wanted, he sat me back in the chair and did what he had to do until he was satisfied he did a great job. So, he tweaked a few FUE hairs to a location on the scalp he found they would look best placed in. I got some pictures taken and was given a kit to use when I go back home that had everything I needed to care for my grafts. Discomfort Level (Scale 1-10): Freezing shots 8 discomfort, Middle of procedure 4 discomfort, End of procedure 6 discomfort. When I got back to the guest house, I was in mild to severe pain throughout the night. Pain killers did work to some extent, but that severe pain was mostly gone the next day, the sides were still sensitive though. Some people can manage with the pain, but I think it being a very long procedure, and me being tired, that could of played a role to my pain level. I barely had any sleep the night before my procedure thinking about it all night about what to expect in the next couple of hours. Post-Op FUE Check Up Day 2 September 1st Experience: Was in for a daily cleaning and check up. Everything looked good with the grafts and donor area. I got some swelling going on. Discomfort Level (Scale 1-10): Between 6-7 , there was discomfort in the front, sides, back, all around it seemed a day after my procedure when I went for my initial cleaning Post-Op FUE Check Up Day 3 September 2nd Experience: Was in for a daily cleaning and check up. Everything looked good with the grafts and donor area. I got some serious swelling going on. Discomfort Level (Scale 1-10): Between 3-4 , sensitive in the back of my head and , especially, the sides Post-Op FUE Check Up Day 4 September 3rd Experience: Was in for a daily cleaning and check up. Everything looked good with the grafts and donor area. I got swelling still, especially on my lower eyelids. I can see better then I was able to the day before though. The swelling on the upper eyelid has reduced. Discomfort Level (Scale 1-10): Between 1-2, this was especially when I was getting the sides of my head cleaned. Departure September 3rd 7:20AM Experience: Left the clinic after my last cleaning/checkup and then left Ottawa, the roads were clear, no trouble at the border, got home by 2:20pm. I actually got home quicker then I did when I drove to Canada. I stopped along the way around two times to spray my grafts to keep them moist with the solution given to me. I did have swelling still, primarily on my forehead and underneath my eyes. The top of my eyelids were not swollen as they were the day before, that day I could not have drove back home, so I had to stay an extra day at the Foxbar guesthouse. Total Graft Breakdown: A total of 3016 grafts were implanted. 1091 singles, 1439 doubles, 407 threes, 79 fours, is the graft breakdown. Density consists of 65cm on hairline, behind hairline it is 55cm, sides are 50 cm, overall it is 58cm density. Dr. Rahal's clinic Experience: The clinic itself looks great. The waiting area and the surgical rooms are all well designed and super clean. Parking can be full as it was when I got there, but I found a space. Not really a big issue. The place looked as it should be and how it should be for such procedures. The operating room was nice and open area, it wasn't small or cluttered, gave me a comfortable feel for my surgery. There was a lcd tv in front of me, that was turned on when the grafts were being implanted. There was a decent size list to pick movies to watch from. Overall, I was impressed. Dr. Rahal's Staff Experience: The staff is absolutely amazing. They definitely try to keep you comfortable and show great concern. They were worried about me when I was dizzy/helped me resolve that issue. That sometimes happens when your in a certain position for a long time. They wanted to make sure I was comfortable during the process, provided me movies to watch. Were very concerned if I had adequate food after the procedure as well and etc. I was served plenty of fluids throughout the procedure, given food for lunch. Blood pressure and pulse were checked often. Everything seemed so precise. Everyone treated me well and I felt very comfortable with everyone. Dr. Rahal was great at answering all my concerns, he was making sure I was comfortable throughout the process, we even talked throughout the procedure. There were multiple techs working alongside with Dr. Rahal. That made me feel even more comfortable as there are many eyes watching, analyzing, and working during my procedure. I am very pleased with the quality of service and care provided by Dr. Rahal and his entire staff throughout my entire stay. I want to especially thank Dr. Rahal, Mike & other techs, as well as Tara and MattJ who answered my questions regarding bookings and etc. Foxbar Guesthouse Experience: This is very important for anyone coming in for surgery with Dr. Rahal. This has got to be the best place to stay for Dr. Rahal's patients. It beats hotels, the prices are fair (way cheaper then hotel prices), you got a self serve breakfast, you can walk outside, in the backyard, you have room to roam around, there are plenty of places to eat around the area, best of all it's right by Dr. Rahal's clinic ( you just have to walk like 2-3 blocks). It is so convenient. I think it is the ideal place if you are going to get a hair transplant with Dr. Rahal. The owner is a nice guy and he goes out of his way to make sure you are satisfied and happy. The rooms are clean, they got the right recliners in the house to sleep at a 45 degree angle, the place has wifi, I mean I can just keep going on and on. They even have a supply of medical covers for pillows and all that good stuff after your procedure. You got everything it seems. You can check out the pictures of the place on its website. You get to meet and talk to people that are in the same shoes as you. They either have gone through surgery or about to and you sit and talk with them and it's very comforting. Everyone I met there, were great people and we each shared our experiences, feelings about the procedure etc.. I was the only FUE procedure there at that time, everyone else got strip, but this made the whole hair restoration process easier. Getting to know the people and making friends to compare your results later with as well. You can't find that at any other hotel or place. It eases your mind about the whole process. So, if you are to get a procedure in the future with Dr. Rahal, definitely try to find out if the Foxbar Guesthouse is booked or not, it will make your life easier throughout the whole process. Try to book it around your procedure or book your procedure around the days it is available for reservations. I highly recommend you book it for at least like 4-5 days though, due to possible swelling and other issues with the transplant healing process. Don't just think you need to book a day and your good to go the next day, there are several factors that may prolong your stay. Keep in mind you can get daily cleanings at the clinic during your stay. So, I went everyday after my surgery for a morning cleaning, so I didn't have to do the cleaning myself. The clinic did it for me. So, that's why it may be worthwhile to get a 4-5 days booking at least. So, you can just walk to your daily cleanings instead of having to take a taxi or drive there. This place made a lot of things easy on me when I got there and after my procedure. If I ever have to go again for a procedure in the future, i'll be staying here again for sure. Any Other Tips: Remember to bring very comfy clothes to sit through your procedure, have a couple of button up shirts ready as you can easily get in and out of them, unlike tshirts which can harm your grafts when you take them off. Remember to bring sufficient amount of Canadian currency for your stay if you are coming from out of the country. Using Canadian currency will help you reduce the crazy transaction fees on credit cards. It will help you with the local restaurants and other things. You will be ordering food for delivery most likely in the days after your procedure as some of you might not feel comfortable going out with the medical cap that makes you look like a patient or doctor in public. I maybe went out twice and had delivery done for the rest of my stay. Post Op 9/4/2011 I still have some swelling, but am following the post operative instructions carefully. Taking the medications as prescribed, cleaning as I should be, everything. Sleeping at a 45 degree angle still. Post Op 9/5/2011 Swelling has gone down considerably, but I still have some. Still following all post operative instructions and taking the antibiotics as described. Cleaning as directed and everything. I don't really feel any pain or discomfort anymore. It's looking good. Still sleeping at a 45 degree angle. Post Op 9/6/2011 Swelling is pretty much gone. Still following all instructions and taking antibiotics as described. Cleaning as directed and everything. Don't really feel pain, but rather slight very slight irritation in the donor area when I clean though. But I guess with time, that will go away. No longer sleeping at 45 degree angle and finally had a chance to sleep on the bed rather then the recliner. Post Op 9/7/2011 Swelling is gone now. Following all post of instructions. No pain. Rarely any irritation in the donor area. Scabs in recipient zone seem like they are about to fall. Post Op 9/8/2011 Scabs are falling. No irritation at all now and no pain whatsoever. Following post op instructions still. Hills and valleys formed well on recipient zone. Post Op 9/9/2011 Just following all post op instructions. Everything is looking good. Scabs are falling. Post Op 9/10/2011 through 9/14/2011 Still have scabs, some have fallen some areas still have scabs in the front. Everything else is looking good. Still following all post op instructions. I did post photos in this thread around 9/12/2011 showing the scabbing for you all to see. Post Op 9/15/2011 Scabs still around, took a shower today but let the water hit the scabbed area hoping to loosen them up and let them fall. This is the first time I have done it this way after I was told to do so by patient care. I will do this probably until 9/17/2011. I will do this twice a day to loosen them up. Key is not to touch the recipient area yet and to let them fall on their own as I was told. After that, I will get contact patient care to get further instructions. Other then that, everything is looking good. *As of 8/25/11, I do not work for anyone on this forum, all opinions expressed are my own. I am posting this experience out of my own free will for those going through hair loss. I am not being compensated for this nor am I told to post this by anyone at Dr. Rahal's clinic. This is my own way of helping my fellow forum members that are interested in FUE & interested in seeing Dr. Rahal's FUE work because I have had numerous messages between a lot of people regarding that. Now, I feel it is ethical of me to inform and give an honest account with as much detail as possible for those interested. I do have a poll that indicates various options. That poll is my own poll because I work in the business field and I would like to know if such reviews have an impact on consumers, kind of like my own business research study. In the end, this review can either be positive or negative, this will depend on the outcome on my scalp when my results are fully grown. I will be documenting everything. Granted Dr. Rahal has created impressive hairlines on his patients based on his patient photos, however, I will be basing this review on my own scalp. So, this is to assure everyone that there is no bias here and I will carefully analyze my own results, but ask other forum members if they can also give me their total honest opinion each and every step of the process. I don't care if it is with high praise or critical etc., just as long as your honest about it, that's what matters to me the most and that is what helps others. I chose Dr. Rahal because I feel he can achieve what I want, based on research and results. These photos and any photos I post can't be used without my permission, since they show the work Dr. Rahal did on my scalp. Only he has the right to show these as I gave him permission to do so. Dr. Rahal is the only one given my consent to show these photos. It is copyrighted material. There are clinics that take photos and pass them as their own or other hair loss companies that do so. No one else has permission to use these unless I say so. So, if found elsewhere on other websites, companies, etc, other then where I have posted, I will pursue those involved to the highest extent of the law. These photos and any photos I post here, are being shown here by me for opinions/advice/feedback and to help forum members get an idea of how my FUE was. Thanks.*

Well, my guess is that survival rate may be better than head hair. This is from my own observation. When I was younger, I did not have any hairs on my shoulder or my upper back, but as I got older, they just sprouted out of no where. Same goes for older men, they seem to have an increase in body hair as they age. People who's backs were not covered are covered and you can witness this on sunny days at the beaches. From shoulders to back to front, it seems as you age, more body hair sprout up. So, the survival is pretty good I think. Hell, you can even see ear hair on older folks sprout up and even wild eyebrow hair. There is an issue with resting phases I have read about, but not all body hair rests at the same time from what I have read. I don't think body hair alone is such a mainstream focus as it does appear different in texture. Some studies do suggest it grows longer on the scalp in length but the texture is still different. But in combination with beard hair and as filler hair it can be used successfully. I think Umar performs it since he is a licensed dermatologist as well. He knows all about skin issues as well as hair and is able to extract body hairs successfully from areas where some people might be hesitant due to scarring or may not be experienced to do so. But being an expert in dermatology, he might be able to reduce scarring through is own extraction process from the body and beard area. This could be a reason I just don't know. It's a time consuming process but Umar can extract tons of grafts in one sitting, He basically can implant like 3500+ grafts a day or something. I don't know what he is doing or how he is doing it but it is working and you can see it on his patients. He hasn't really spoken about his process and what he researched to do what he is able to do today, but it is working. I think if more and more people found out his technique they will be able to do the same, until then, he is pretty much the only one that I have seen successfully do it, and openly do it. There are guys on here that have done over 5000 grafts with him that achieved a thicker fuller look with his combo methods.

Glad to hear everything went well and you got things sorted out with the miscommunication thing. Definitely give a shot with meds and see how much your hair grows, then get that procedure they are willing to give you on the house. Wish you the best. Good Luck.

I'd say that is a NOTICEABLE improvement. Nice, and that's only just 10 weeks? Usually takes 6 months for some people to show anything significant. But you seem to respond to this medication well.

How many grafts is that? Do you have a graft breakdown? Did the doc say how much you have available for future use? Try not to worry too much about it right now. Yes, it does look uneven. But lets wait and see when it grows out to see how it will look. Maybe it wont be such a big deal? But if you need to, you can do a revision when it's fully grown out. Worst thing to do is to put yourself under even more stress. Remember, stress can cause your hair to thin or fall according to some studies. So, try to focus on following up on your post op care and keep your grafts healthy. Rogaine, propecia in the future etc. Good Luck and keep us posted on the progress. I definitely want to see how it grows out in the months to come, especially, being a FUE procedure. I am getting FUE as well.

I got a big surgery(3000 grafts) coming up with Dr. Rahal for FUE in a few days. I'll tell you how it goes and be on the look out for my write up and etc.

I definitely think it is possible. I have seen Dr. Umar's results with body hair, beard hair, and head hair combinations. He can make a Norwood 6 to Norwood 0 basically. I think he is capable. Just look at his results on major cases and or cases with disfigurement by other surgeons (repair case). Whatever the case may be, 20,000 grafts can do the job and probably "in some cases" surpass the quality and look of some patients who get 4000-5000 grafts (on similar norwood scale) using just head hair depending on their level of baldness. This method of beard, body, and head hair combo is deadly and it's shown to be effective in helping people get their hair back. Whether Ryan123 decides to go with Umar or not, I think with that 20,000 graft goal including body hair and beard hair would make a significant change on his scalp. Obviously putting body hairs and beard hairs in just one region ALONE may make the transplant look funky. However, if Umar is mixing the scalp hairs amongst body hairs and beard hairs and scalp hairs which he usually does, I think he pulls it off well. He uses these other hairs as filler hairs to add density and etc, while the scalp hairs are used as the foundation of the hairline and etc. Thus, it helps those who lack enough donor supply or those who are higher on the norwood scale. They are able to pull off dense looks.

I think with body hair, not everyone has the right characteristics for it to be extracted and implanted. If you have the right characteristics, then I have seen it used as filler hair or mix/match with beard hairs. Body hair is mostly done one hair at a time ( single hairs ). I've seen results where it was used to as an enhancement towards the hairline and temples, like to soften the hairline. Using it stand-alone where there is no hair at all, might not look right. Since, the caliber, consistency, and etc is different. But if the right surgeon can mix and match body hair with beard hairs, and using very little hair from the scalp to preserve as much donor as possible, then I think it is a very valuable way to save some crucial donor supply for those needing high graft surgeries or repair cases. You know another thing to think about is, that body hair and beard hair has different resting phase then scalp hair and different growth cycles from what I have read. So say if you do get a transplant by utilizing only body hair, what if shedding, resting is at different phases then your scalp hairs, what would happen? Would the result look off even if you shave? I have also read, that body hair may fall out or thin with the use of propecia or with rogaine for some reason, I do not know if I am accurate on that, but I could have sworn I read that somewhere. But hey, if it's possible for a short hair look with shaved head, and if there are no issues using it, then I think it's a great idea. But I guess it's great if you intend to have the shave look forever, because once you let it grow, it would look different. I hope some surgeons that used body hair and/or beard hair can chime in on this and explain if they have had any success or what they think about the idea overall. I know I have seen Dr. Umar's results with it and he seems to have had a great amount of success with it according to the results he has shown and what his patients have stated.

Amazing Results! I can't wait to be in Ottawa in August.

Im going in August as well for FUE with Dr. Rahal, can't wait to get it all over with. I am really looking forward to everything. Good luck to you.

very nice work Dr. Konior

wowwwww not even a year and it's looking great. congrats.