corvettester

I had my procedure with Dr. Dorin too. I have very fair skin and dirty blonde hair. By 10 days post-op, you couldn't really tell any difference unless you really concentrated. Thus, I'd say 8 days to play it safe. However, the darker your skin, the less it will show. Either way, it doesn't look like anything more than a minor rash or acne. It really was a nonissue for me. Check out my profile or hair loss blog to see how I looked 10 days post-op. Good luck wiht your procedure. Corvettester

To whom it may concern: I did a consultation with Dr. Wesley and I was very impressed with the man. I found him to be very professional, knowledgeable and extremely thorough. In fact, I found him to be the most thoughtful of all the physicians with whom I have met. He gave me his undivided attention. There was no patient advisor to meet with first, no interruptions, no ringing phones and he saw me promptly at our scheduled time—not thirty minutes late, which tends to be the industry standard. He spent well over an hour with me answering in detail all my questions and thoroughly considering all the variables involved. He left no stone unturned. One thing I particularly liked about him was that he didn’t shy away from competing views and philosophies. He acknowledged that each doctor does things their own way, yet emphasized that philosophical difference do not necessarily equate with qualitative differences—in short, he refused to denigrate the competitor. If anything, he showed an awful lot of respect to efforts and contributions of his colleagues in the hair restoration field. I’ve come across many doctors who seem to think themselves infallible. I’m naturally suspicious of anyone in any profession who thinks this way. This is not the impression I got form Dr. Wesley. He respects the science, the artistry, the craft, and the various contributions others make to the advancement of HT. He seemed very passionate and intrigued by the science behind it all. He’s very cerebral, like a scientist with a personal stake in his research, which comes off as passion. Clearly, he’s a man of ideas. He understands that each patient requires a completely different approach. He discussed at length the importance of personalizing every procedure because of the individual variables such as ethnicity, age, family history, hair characteristics, etc... It was a relief to learn that he only does one procedure a day. I’ve heard of physicians that run their clinics like automated factories. He emphasized to me that HTs require an enormous amount of concentration and detail in graft placement, the angle of recipient incision, design, etc... needless to say, I was impressed. My consultation with him was the most in-depth and thorough of any of the consultations that I’ve had. He spent well over an hour with me in his office and went through my hair several times with a fine-tooth comb. He certainly taught me a thing or two as well. I learned a lot. Clearly, he’s in the conservative camp. The way I see it, either you’re conservative or you’re not. That’s all there really is to it. Conservative doctors produce excellent results. Aggressive doctors produce excellent results. I don’t see the point in debating it any further. To suggest that there is only one path of performing URFUT would negate all the fine results from either side of the conservative/aggressive camps. I learned more in my consultation with him than I did in all my other consultations. He taught me a few things about HT that I had never come across on the forums. If anything, he impressed upon me that inexactness of the science of HT, however, what we do know is encouraging. As for his results, I like what I have seen, however, I have only seen those posted in this thread and those in his B&A book during our consultation. He is relatively unheard of on the HTN, but that really does not mean anything. Thus, I encourage Dr. Wesley to contribute more high definition photos to the HTN so that the community can come to a well-informed opinion of his work… you’ll never hear us complaining that clinics are posting too many results on the forums! Lastly, at no point did he try to sell me or assume the sale. He gave me his analysis and explained how he came to it and why. Very professional, patient, no hard selling, no urgency to make a decision, yet genuinely passionate about his work. Long story short: Dr. Wesley has my recommendation. Corvettester

Sweeeeeet! Corvettester

Can you really blame me? Corvettester

That's putting it lightly! I love it that you're so hardcore and have such high standards! I would be ecstatic with your result... one of my top ten favorites on the HTN for several reasons... very natural, very dense, great frame, exceptinal hairline, among other benefits. What I like most about your HT though, is that it makes you look so much younger. In your "before" pics, you look well over your real age, but in your "after" pics, you look well under your actual age. You naturally have youthful face and skin (lucky bastard), but not having the head of hair to match it detracted from your naturally youthful appearance. Now that you have the hair, I'd guess your age to be early to mid thirties. I bet your lady is just loving her new handsome, young man! Again, what an amazing transformation! Corvettester

Blake, I have my doubts about the accuracy of the graft calculator. Each time I enter the same data it gives me different estimates! It typically varies from 350-550 grafts each time. Neo, For your case, I entered in zone #1,2,3 and 6 at a Apearance of Fullness density... It estimated 4,250 grafts. When I did the same thing without zone #3, it estimated 2,400 grafts. Regardless, I still think you'll need at least 3,000! When I used the graft calculator to estimate what I would need for myself, it still says that I need 1,300-1,500 to get the Appearance of Fullness. However, I already did 1,700 in my first HT and I'm going to have to go back for another 1,700 to get anything close to an appearance of fullness. Thus, please consider that the graft calculator is extremely conservative. Corvettester

Am I missing something here? You said that you're 3 months post-op and dissappointed that you're not seeing any growth, right? Did you NOT do any research at all before undergoing your HT? Because if you had done even the minimal amount of requsite research, then you would not have created this thread. Your profile states that you've been a member of the HTN since 2008 and that you've made 36 posts. So what gives? No offense, but all these "Two or three months post-op...no growth... is my HT a failure... please help!" threads are getting a little annoying. You should not have any growth at all yet. Anything before 4 months is considered early growth. Do your homework and stop panicking! Corvettester

I'd say 3,000-4,000 grafts to address the frontal third, hairline, and crown. Get a lot of opinions, consider medication and do a lot of research. Good luck bro. Corvettester

Hairthere, Right, right! I hope my argument is not misconstrued as an charge against conservative doctors, but rather as a defense for the more aggressive doctors. Clearly, I took the conservative route with my HT, and I’m glad I did. However, it was a tough decision. I’m jealous of some of these dense packing home runs I see on HTN! Nobody is going to argue against your reasoning of playing it safe, especially when you’re so happy with your results! I totally agree with you just as much as I agree with Gattaca. The two are not mutually exclusive, in my opinion. For example, in my case I have a limited family history of MPB, good donor supply, NW3 stabilized, etc… Hence, I feel like it is reasonable to conclude that going heavy in the frontal third, hairline and temples poses little risk, especially considering that I’ll still have 4,000-5,000 grafts left should my balding progress! Thus, in the final analysis of predicting future hair loss, I think it’s a matter of brinkmanship in which several variables dictate a prudent course of action. In my case, I think adding another 1,300 grafts into my hairline and temples, thereby bringing it to a total of 3,000 grafts FUT, may be considered aggressive, but nothing reckless. Corvettester

Hey bro, looking good for 5 months post-op. I see definite growth and improvement. However, correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears that your hair is wet or has some type of product in it in these photos. If possible, post some photos of your hair dry, freshly washed, without any type of product in it. Remember, that with only 2,500 grafts for a NW4, you took the conservative route. So don't expect to have hair like Elvis your first time around. However, based on the growth cycles that I have seen, I'd say you're right on track and should be looking completely different by 10 months post-op. Your growth is definitely steady. It must seem like an eternity for you, but hang in there... I'm right there with you buddy. Corvettester

I agree with Gattaca’s view. I always wonder why posters are so adamant about not using too much of the donor supply in the frontal third, temples and hairline. I mean, it looks just great when you close the temples and then lower and augment the hairline. In my opinion, it is the single most significant cosmetic improvement that you can give a man. Correct me if I’m wrong, but here is my reasoning: I know that I have a donor supply of 8,000 grafts (slightly above average). So what’s the big deal if I use 3,000-4,000 in the hairline and temples? I’ll still have at least 4,000 left. I see so many NW4/5/6s who get 3,000-4,000 graft HTs and come out looking fantastic! Keep in mind that those 4,000 grafts are also used to restore the hairline, temples and frontal third of these NW4/5/6 patients. So doesn’t it stand to reason that once your hairline and temples are well established, most men will do fine with only 3,000-4,000 more grafts to cover the rest of their head in a worst-case scenario that they go on to become NW5/6? I’m going with Gattaca on this one. I want to look my best in my twenties, thirties and even forties. I’ll still have plenty of hair if I progress to NW4/5/6. Once I get the hairline and temples taken care of, then I’ll worry about the illusion of density for the rest. Of course, going to a NW6/7 would present more problems but who can really predict that… and even then, you’ll still have most of the coverage that you’ll need. At that point you can start to consider toppik, concealers, hair systems, etc… Corvettester

Hey buddy, I have to agree with Hairthere. You have a definite improvement. A casual glance at your before photos confirms this. If anything, you're right on track to having an excellent result. When you posted your last set of photos, I was a little concerned for you. However, after seeing these photos, I honestly think you're in a very good position. I don't understand how you can't see the difference either??? I think you should be feeling very optimistic right now. Things are definitely looking good for you! Corvettester

Good point RCWest. You're always full of good points... I really appreciate all your contributions to the forums. Keep up the good fight. Spex, Yes and no... General and specific question. Corvettester

I recently heard of this. What happened? Corvettester

The outermost row and /or first two or three rows of hair. Corvettester

Definitely Dr. Rahal. Here's why: Amazing Hairlines. Industry Leader of Mega-Sessions. Industry Leader of Dense Packing. I haven't seen any complaints against him on the forums either. Don't ever let location determine your choice. Also, Dr. Rahal offers a 10% discount on all out of country clients. It's only a 90 minute flight from NYC. Corvettester

Awesome! I bet it's especially gratifying to know that you did not have to tap so far into your donor reserves. Achieving such an outstanding result with with 1,400 less grafts than you originally anticipated must be such a huge relief... not to mention the fact that you're only five months out so you really do have more growing and maturing to look forward to! I'm so happy for you. Congratulations! Corvettester

Hey buddy, I think RCWest makes a good point. Your case is unique in that you have had about three times as much trauma as most people. That amount of trauma is not comparable to what others and I have endured and should definitely be weighed into your growth cycle. Thus, I think it’s reasonable to expect a slower growth cycle for your case. Although I understand your concerns at this point, I honestly think you really do have a good chance at a great result! Your scalp is probably still recovering from the HT and now that I think about it more, I really think you have a serious chance to see a lot more growth, not to mention maturity. I too have been following growth cycles for a long time. However, I forgot to take into consideration what a massive procedure you had. How many posters have you seen undergo a 6,000 graft mega-session? You’re the first that I’ve seen! So let’s add some perspective your situation. Yes, I feel your pain regarding the monetary costs involved. It was a huge financial expense for me too. I had to save for over two years. Originally, I had been saving the money to make a yearlong backpacking trip through your country, Nepal and Southeast Asia. It’s always been a dream of mine to eat real Indian food and travel leisurely throughout India and Asia! However, I decided to put it off because I wanted to get this hair thing out of the way once and for all… I didn’t want all the Indian babes to see me as a NW3, ouch! So dude, just think about how silly you’re going to feel when you have a whole head of hair, you’re surrounded by hot Indian babes wanting Kama Sutra day and night, and you go back and read some of the posts where you’re panicking! You have to stay calm now bro… don’t worry yourself bald! I’ve already started saving again for my trip to Asia. Once we get our hair sorted out, I’ll come visit you in your country. We’ll have a beer together and, in between beautiful women dancing before us, we’ll laugh about how silly we were for worrying so much… Corvettester

Dude, You gotta hang in there bro… the journey isn’t over yet! Judging from your before photos, I’d say that you definitely have experienced some new growth, though clearly not anything on par with what one would expect from a procedure of your magnitude. Remember, though it is less likely, you still have some time to expect new growth. I think maturity is going to play an important role for you. At only 6 months post-op, you’re not even half way through the maturing process. Once those hairs start to thicken, you’ll have much better coverage. Right now you have to stay positive and hope for the best. Getting down in the doldrums won’t help anything. Plus, you have the added assurance of doctors with a proven track record of standing behind their work. However, don’t think that I’m trying to minimize your situation. I think you should definitely be concerned at this point. You should have more growth by now. I can totally understand where you’re coming from, especially considering all the early growers and outstanding results you see daily from H&W and other clinics by posters here on the HTN. I’ve been following your case from the beginning as you and I had our procedures just 10 days apart. If it’s any consolation, I’m right there with you buddy. My situation is looking dim as well as I am experiencing very serious concerns with my HT too. However, all we can do right now is wait it out. You got the entire HTN community as well as your doc standing behind you bro. Hang in there. Corvettester

Hells yeah! Way to be man... way to be! Corvettester

Does dense packing increase the risk of pitting and dimpling? Also, does dense packing negate the need for single grafts only in the hairline? Corvettester

Is it ever acceptable to put multiple grafts into the hairline? If so, why? I always see warnings on the HTN about transplanting multiple grafts into hairlines, however, I also know of instances that it is done. Usually, it's when someone is referring to shoddy work by an HT physician. So when is it acceptable to incorporate multiple grafts into the hairline? Corvettester

Is pitting and dimpling inevitable, even if it's only minor pitting? If an HT patient ends up with pitting, does it necessarily indicate a poorly executed HT? Can pitting even be due to physiological reasons? I'm basically trying to figure out how common pitting really is and if it's realistic to expect zero pitting and dimpling? Corvettester

Bigdawgfoxx, I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I think you're at least a NW4A en route to becoming a NW5A, if not worse. Plus, the fact that you're only 22 means that your pattern is highly likely to progress further. I'm not usually one to suggest medication, but in your case I think it's an absolute must. This should be done for at least a year before you even consider an HT. As for how you will look 10-15 days post-op, check out my hair loss website (link below) to see how I looked, because you and I have similar fair skin and blonde hair. After 10 days, my scalp was still pink, but nothing outrageous. I felt fine in public, but then again, I had more hair to cover it up. I think after two weeks you'll be fine in public. It will look like a minor rash at worst. As for FUE, I hope you have done your homework on the pros and cons. It looks like you're going to need at least 4,000 grafts (probably closer to 5,000 in my opinion) to get any semblance of coverage. That comes out to be about a $30,000 procedure for FUE, or $15,000 for FUT. Remember that you'll need to do a lot of research in the coming months so as to have realistic expectations in regard to your result. Then you'll have to select a quality physician, which is a task in itself. There is a lot to learn and then it takes a lot of time to weigh your options. Good luck on your decision. Corvettester

Anouar, That is exactly what it means to stand behind their work: repair or refund... though I don't know if I'd take the repair route. I love it that you're so hardcore! Corvettester