eddiemunster

thanks much for the help here Dr. Blake and everyone; it is much appreciated! and sorry for delay, the response notifications apparently went to my junk mail. FYI, I waited an extra 6 days, and took my first swim this morning (20 days after surgery), so am comfortable that it is all good. thanks again!

Hi all, I had about 800 grafts FUE with Dr. Diep 12 days ago. I'm an avid swimmer, and Dr. Diep has advised that it is safe to resume swimming after 2 weeks. I've researched this and have come across some claims that chlorine kills grafts. some doctors advise patients to wait a month or even longer. I'd like to get back to the pool ASAP, but obviously don't want to risk any harm. My question - has anyone had a negative experience with swimming/chlorine after 2 weeks? Can anyone substantiate any real risks associated with swimming after 2 weeks? thanks in advance! -Eddie

17 days post-op strip and I'm itching to get back to the gym. planning to do some spinning (stationary cycling) later today. there won't be much head/neck movement, but does the sweat/increased blood pressure pose a risk to either the grafts or donor site at this point? My doctor has a very conservative "no activity for 30 days stance", which I'm feeling is a bit overly cautious. Would appreciate hearing anyone's input. thanks!

for hairline work with dark hair - Dr. Rahal's work on patient danny noonan: (promotional link removed - sorry, we don't allow link backs to that website)

Hariri, what's going with the bottom cm of your hairline? it looks like rahal did not plant in that area? did he punch out grafts there?

looks great. now off to the dentist and get some floss;)

I certainly wouldn't call Dr. Rahal a "low hairline doctor", but I do consider him to be the absolute best at providing dense, natural, age-appropriate hairlines. do the consults

I understand that, even after 30 days post-op, you should still avoid any exercises that stretch the neck, especially a chin-into-chest stretch. Other than situps, what other specific exercises should be avoided? It seems to me that virtually everything else (including bench, upright rows) should be OK. Thoughts?

Rich, I disagree with most here - I don't think the photoshop is too aggressive. It looks like you're not bringing the center of the hairline down, just filling in the recession and closing the temples - correct? If that's the case, and assuming that your family history and current hair strength is good, then I think the photoshop design is reasonable. It's difficult to tell, but perhaps my only comments would be that its a little too flat. maybe/maybe not, but a great surgeon will guide you on the correct hairline slope. I was in a similar situation to you pre-op, and believe me, I can appreciate the difference between your current pics and what you want. Having a strong hairline frames the face and can change your whole look. Many here are worse off that you, so you'll hear some "you already look great" posts - but if its important to you (as it was me) get er done. As far as docs, those are two good ones, but I truly feel that Dr. Rahal is in his own class at providing dense, natural, hairlines - particularly in cases such as yours in which the rest of your hair is pretty strong. If you haven't had a consult with him, I would recommend it. Lastly, as Aaron pointed out, your graft estimate is a little low - you will probably need about 2000 grafts to accomplish what you want. Best of luck.

that's a great response, Dr. Charles - it's honest, reasonable and, in my opinion, it will resonate well with the community. It's unfortunate that some doctors feel the need to respond aggressively to any critiques.

agree with Spanker. While the work looks refined, I would expect more out of 3300 grafts in the frontal third.

Go with Rahal. The general consensus is that he is one of the top 5 surgeons in the world. In my opinion, if your goal is to obtain a dense, natural hairline, then he is the absolute best in the world. I've never heard of Dr. Akin. Personally, I would never consider going to a doctor without being able to research substantial patient reviews. why risk it? I sure wouldn't. As Capelli pointed out, don't let price be a determinative factor. Not to mention, Rahal's prices are very reasonable. Bottom line, regardless of whether you go with FUE or FUT (Rahal does both), my advice is to go with Rahal. meet with him and trust whichever he recommends for your situation. good luck.

I tend to disagree with the general consensus that there is no "best" or top 2-3 surgeons, however, it all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. I certainly feel that there are 2-3 top surgeons in terms of accomplishing specific goals. For example, the best doctor at maximizing donor for crown coverage may not be the best doctor for dense, natural hairlines. I would try to specify your goals as narrow as possible, and then ask who is the best doctor (or best 2-3) to accomplish that goal.

Jessie, thanks for posting, and sorry to hear about this ordeal. it unfortunately confirms my impression that Dr. Feller and his staff choose to respond to their frequent criticism in a boorish, bullying and arrogant manner. although he positions himself as an "elite" surgeon, it is becoming quite clear, in my opinion, that he is a step (if not several steps) below that tier. I'd love to see his attorney's letter. bottom line, if you told the truth, you did nothing wrong, and there is no claim against you (btw, libel is a civil, not criminal, claim). your response shows that you're a reasonable, thoughtful, guy, and for good reason you just want to move on from this. in my opinion, you're being overly kind to Dr. Feller and his staff. kudos to you for being the better person, but again, if you did just tell the truth, there's nothing wrong with that. glad to hear that you went with Rahal for your latest. he's the man. best of luck.

another great result, Matt. any post-op pics?

one of the best hairline results I've seen. truly exceptional work doc.

"A perfectionist achieves his dream"? This kind of overselling serves only to undermine Dr. Rassman's credibility, especially when the results are far off from what a "perfectionist" would consider a dream. Try posting a neutral title (e.g. "4500 grafts 1 year result Dr. Rassman") to let the results speak for themselves, instead of trying to sell them. unfortunately, I agree with the posters above that this appears to be a poor result based on the number of grafts.

from the 49ers? who made "the catch"?

Ron Shapiro. The highest level of talent and patient care. He genuinely works in your best interest.

welcome back corv! you are a great value-add to the board. congrats on HT2, the work looks super clean and I really like the design. keep us posted.

To me, the red flag is that apparently nothing was done with the forelock/frontal tuft. that area is clearly very thin pre-op. If you were getting work done on the frontal third, it should have been a no-brainer to fill that area up. Post-op, I would have expected to see the forelock shaved with the entire frontal third worked on. I'm very surprised that the doctor implanted only around the tuft. that makes little sense. what is the upside? even if he planted enough grafts around the tuft for good density, you would still have a tuft area that looked thin compared to the surrounding hair. perhaps the goal was to achieve only the level of density that is currently in the tuft? if that was the case, the surgeon should have made that clear. I would strongly urge you to consult other docs for your 2nd HT. I would stick with one of the "elite" doctors - SMG and Rahal are tops IMO.

rich, as an alternative to surgery (blepharoplasty), and depending on what exactly is happening with your eyelid, you may want to investigate getting an upper eyelid filler. If appropriate for your condition, its is a much less drastic (and in my opinion, effective)procedure. In the US, on the west coast, Dr. Gal Aharanov has an excellent description and photos of using fillers as an alternative to bleph. www.draharonov.com. On the East coast, in NY, Dr. Yang has been doing this practice even longer, but his website is not as informative. http://georgeyangmd.com/ Both doctors would be a good consult for you.

great, thanks Matt

Michael, it's an interesting "off-topic", but we'll agree to disagree. Artistic creativity and originality, as possessed by composers and artists, are more akin to intellectual capacity than physical. see dictionary.com's definition of genius - "an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and original work in science, art, music, etc.: the genius of Mozart." I don't really see the genius connection b/t federer and van gogh. In my opinion, Federer's dominance is due largely to his superior athletic skills, as opposed to his cognitive ability. again, to each his own.

clearly. I interpret the word as referring to exceptional intellect, much less athletic ability. to each his own...