mklDK

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/178526-fut-dr-marwan-saifi-am-med-2043-grafts-feb-16th-2015-a.html

Chess, have a look at my report and pictures, if you are considering Saifi. Problem with good surgeons is that ppl don't go back on forum, as they are fulfilled.

Hey All - new photos in my album. @optimist: Sorry for the late response, I have been focusing on other things than this forum for a while (held a wedding). I would not know about short hair - how short is that? I think I could pull off a 2 cm cut right now, but it is still a bit thin in the transplanted areas. If you like your hair very short, you should definetely check out FUE, but I have no experience with that. For me Saifis FUT procedure did the trick and I am overly happy with the results as far.

very happy! Hair Restoration Social Network ? Community for and by Hair Loss Patients

Congratulations Jimmy! I see you had exactly the same experience as I did and I am very happy for you. Now comes the hardest part, so when the crust has come off and the stitches are out just try to take your mind off it until month 4-6. I just posted new 4 mth pictures and as you can see, this is when the magic happens. Though not done, I am very happy with Saifi's work. Happy growing!

New photos @ http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/user_album_update.php?album_id=4050 4 months post op - 121 days

There is still some numbness in the area above the scar and around the crown. Recipient area is back to normal. Tightness is difficult to estimate, but is is more or less back to normal.

I also stopped hitting the gym after the transplant and started running every 3-4th day in stead after 1 month post op. You can see the current state of my scar in my pictures. I think it is wider than it was when I had stitches removed (the area of redness is wider), but I do not know if this is normal. I also have a tendency to run fingers through my hair and gently rub the scar, but now that all dry skin is gone, I do not do it as often. I cannot answer the question, but I stopped lifting and you can see my scar in my pics. Just a small contribution - I hope this thread evolves.

Hay all, new photos http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/user_album_update.php?album_id=3982 Steady growth, not too progressive, but I am hoping for that 3-4 month growht to kick in now. @paddy, watermans is ok, but i doubt it had an effect. it is puchased online only. I think one would be good with any shampoo like watermans with no sufates. It is a good shampoo and I like the smell of it, but next I will try the Taoist Soap, it sounds so cool... Saifi has recommended neither. He has recommended some italian stuff, but it is too damn expensive.

I have read about many people getting acne breakouts from biotin. I did not get it, but flared up like teenager when I upped the dosage of MSM. However, the breakouts are temporary and you do not need to stop totally. Try adjusting the dosage and gradually increase until reaching the dosage you set for. I would not say that I have had great results with the stuff, but it does speed up the process. It is all about taking what you can get though.

Nice to see your fue by Saifi. I will be following, jacek.congrats

NEw photos in my albums 2 moths post up http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/user_album_update.php?album_id=3932

I did not really remember anything about the temperature, so I guess it was perfect . No, no TV Paddy, but no game on either on a Tuesday... Anyway, just observe while we get that second place in the league and it probably is ill advised to get as excited as I would, during an operation.

Yeah Paddy, I dove into a great pool of information and eventually came out with choosing FUT. Read A LOT on the internet; I remember transection rates bothering me about FUE, but there are numerous pro's and con's. Ultimately, I just believe that FUT is the safest way to achieve the best result. Saifi told me it was ultimately up to me whether I wanted FUE or FUT, but he just mentioned that I might need to come back for a touch up with FUE. (please note that he had only seen pictures at this time) At that time I just wanted it fixed in a single session. He did not really speak up the yield, he just had that small notion and I did not want to take the chance. Maybe it means that the is not on par with his FUE, maybe he was just being realistic from what he saw in the pictures I sent him or maybe he takes extraordinary measures to protect your donor area - I dont know. Anyway, yes, I guess you can say he might "very very slightly" be in favour of FUT and I understand him when thinking about what I have read. Maybe you should make a list of pro's and con's, then ask him about points where you have doubts. In the end it is a personal choice.

I asked into the hair count and he answered with some rough numbers. From what I figure, I received an average of 2.5 hairs per graft, but nobody knows. He also pointed out the exact same thing you end up concluding - it is all about the doctors skill in placing the grafts that counts. Not the numbers. Aesthetics, not math. For now I agree, let's see at the end of the road!

Thanks for commenting guys. Regarding the forelock, it was the doctors assessment that it would stay put. He did however put a few grafts in there (I think) and if you look at my pictures you will see that the new hairline is placed higher than the line of my forelock.

I have heard the concerns of density from other patients of his, but I have nothing on the hairline. The hairline is something you can discuss with him beforehand and personally speaking I would not want a unnatural looking low hairline. For me, he designed the hairline with a naturally receeded person of my age and descent in mind. I do not think you can generally blame a doc for the placement of the hairline after you have had the operation. Regarding the density, one story comes to mind of a guy in here that had two op's with Saifi and then chose a more agressive doctor just to have his donor almost depleted and regretting not going back. You can find him if you want or pm me. However, I cannot speak for density myself yet, but I did do some calculations for fun. I arrived at a density of 36 transplanted hairs per cm2 on average into the area I already had some thinning hair in (if every follicle survives). It was just rough calculations, but if you say that i already had 20 hairs per cm2 on average in the area, which I think is a low but fair estimate (see my pictures), that would mean a density of 56 hairs per cm2. This is not DENSE-dense, but should be enough for a dense look, but that also depends on your skintone and whatnot... I am pretty sure other doctors can pack a lot denser, but at what cost and risk? I took the safe bet and I am aware of that. I do understand why some would go for more density also. Regarding the shaving, I told Saifi that he could shave off what he wanted to. Did not care about looking rediculous (see pictures again...) little did I know that my looks would be borderline retarded... Nevertheless, I managed and I think my hair will be back to normal at about 2,5 months post op. He also took off more hair at the donor to make it easier to remove the stitches - I would be able to wear it shorter than I do now if he had not.

Not to mention any football results I will instead inform you that I have uploaded some photoes from the operation day. Saifi just sent them this weekend. Hair Restoration Social Network - Hair Loss and Transplant Photos

Haha, Paddy great story! But it is really sad for alle those people that do not know better. Regarding the paperwork; the first part in the lobby was a lot of pages regarding my medical condition. I do not see why you would need copies of these, but I guess you could take some pictures with your phone. Saifi also orally asked you of some of the important points you had already answered in the sheet. Like smoking etc. The second part was a one-page disclaimer with very few words on it. See, Saifi is about trust and making you feel comfortable. None of the two things are achieved with a 10 page long disclaimer. Now, even though I am at the end of my law studies I did not ask for a copy like any good lawyer would. Saifi had already shown me the confidence needed to convince me that he will do his best. In the end it might not matter if the disclaimer was 1 or 10 pages, as we do not have the same need to put everything on paper here in Europe as the U.S. citizens do. I hope this calmed you a bit. You will not be signing your soul or first born to Saifi, do not worry. In general I think that it is a good idea to get a copy of the disclaimer, absolutely. In my case, the paper just did not state anything other than the obvious; I had fully informed him and he would do his best. Regarding other clinics statements about the scar; Saifi gave the most information about this, but really after researching fut vs fue I convinced my self that fut is better for me. I did not really discuss it with the other clinics, as they were fut only and the fue clinics I did contact were very slow in returning back to me.

I also went to Saifi. His instructions are to wait 3-4 weeks. His written instructions say 4 weeks. I guess you did get a white folder with a few pieces of paper? I am almost 5 weeks post op and started applying minox last week.

@Paddy Thanks for your comments. I am looking very much forward to month 2-4 to see if I get some of that early growth I need.. But I am also keeping in mind that this might not come out the way I want it to - everything has worked out sofar, but I won't get my hopes up too far. If it fails it would set me back totally and that is not an option. I will take it one day at a time and remember I can only vouch for Saifi as far as the procedure and client care goes, not for the results - yet! Regarding shock loss, I did mention it to him, as BHR clinique told me to not have an op before my hairloss had settled, because it might not give me more hair (I think the representative referred to shock loss, but I really do not know). I also do not know where they got the impression, as my hairloss has been stable and they got the same pictures as everybody else. But see, that is what you get from online consultations with representatives. The contact with Saifi is directly to him, the doc, and I really liked that. Anyway, I told him what BHR told me and he did not really understand it either. I do not remember what he answered, but thereafter I have not been worried about shock loss. I have also read that it is very uncommon for the hair not to grow back. When looking at the pictures, I think I might have had some consequential loss in the recipient area, but the donor is just fine.

Hey guys - 1 month update for the log. Sensation is returning to the donor area each day and I barely feel any discomfort from the scar any more. It is becoming harder and harder to detect without wet hair, but I will be cutting it tomorrow. Recipient area is good. itches a bit sometimes, but nothing serious. Still quite pinkish. I would like for that to go away, but my skin colour is not really in favour of that happening right away. All pictures are wet hair, except one from top. I figure you can see which one.

Hey Paddy I did discuss the "forelock" with the doctor. While he examined my hair, he told me that I probably will not loose the hair and I believe him - that part has always been full, even when i was thinning a lot. I have attached some photos from upclose and an older photo of the forelock. As you can see from the pictures, he has put a small amount of hair into the forelock to continue the hairline (I think he did that personally, but it is hard to feel the exact point they are setting the follicles - techs did the other areas). At the end of the session he also personally put some hairs in the center of the forelock - maybe 3-4 grafts. He also did not make the new hairline go all the way down to the hairline of the forelock to account for futur loss in the forelock hairline. I also noted that he seemed to account for ones ethnicity in the hairline design. Please do not hold back any questions Paddy. You are also welcome to send me a message personally. Hope you find your guy soon!

@jacek I understand your concern. I wanted no one to know as well - especially not workmates. However, I have told my old mates from college, because I had to spend a whole weekend with them. Their reaction was highfives and a lot of questions. Also I think it depends on your approach - be straight forward with your choice. For me, it was something I did for myself and nobody else. I think people are more open minded to plastic surgery now than they were just 5 years ago. Whether you will be able to hide it or not really depends on the procedure you are having. I grew my hair long, so no one can really notice it when i wear a cap. I'd say 12 days is not enough if you want to hide it without a cap, but I have no experience with concealers like toppik or nanogen, which may be able to help you. I also have a job with no dresscode, so I just put a cap on. @paddy Thank you for your response I was totally on FUE before I really started to find a doc - no scar for me! so a lot of thought and research went into my decision to do FUT. I made the decision after talking with Saifi and looking at Hasson & Wong - they only do FUT, with documented great results. When talking to Saifi he did say I was a good candidate for both treatments, but FUT does has a better succes rate and I might need a second round with FUE. And he made it clear that even with FUE you will have scarring - though not as obvious. Then there is the price - I could have easily gone for FUE with Saifi within my budget, but I picked the more bang for the buck. I remember reading that surgeons should do either one of the techniques and to be honest I thought FUT is what Saifi does best (after meeting him, I am not sure that my thought is justified - Saifi has strong ethics and he would not do FUE badly. He can probably do FUE just as good, but it does not change the fact that FUT generally produces better results with lower grafts). So all in all I picked FUT because I would get the lowest risk of a bad result and the best result possible for a lesser amount of money. Regarding Saifis daily max I do not know, but I would think 2000-2500 grafts, but ask him, he is good at answering. He said that the haircomb might do for me what the meds are doing now. If so, I could loose the meds and stick with the comb. I am definetely going to try it out, as I would love to stop eating those prostate-cancer-pills. I do not have any sides, but you never really know, do you... Good luck with finding your doc! If you are interested just send Saifi a mail and give him a call - he will not pressure you into anything. Also please do contact other surgeons and if you can meet with them or a representative do that. Ask to talk to previous patiens as well. Do not feel bad for rejecting to set an appointment - it is your head. @Forest Some of the answers I have given above, so for the remainder; I am counting on a guard 2-3 being able to cover my scar, but I have always had my hair long at the back. Maybe I will even try to get a much longer haircut next year. So I do not really bother that I can't buzz it down - I only did that 2 times in my life. I had absolutely no bleeding from anywhere. Slept on white towels the first nights - no spots. The first night I was told to lie on my back straight, but I first fell asleep after elevating my pillow. Slept ok, but not like before surgery. And as I wrote, no issues walking around for the next day. The week after it is best to sleep more or less upright and I had no issues with that. When you are allowed to sleep on your stomach you will want to do so, but sleep is surely different for each person. Now I lie on my stomach because it is wierd sleeping on a numb backhead, not because it hurts. When account is given to the fact that we are playing like s***, we definetely need the luck. That being said, I think we will have it back after that unlucky Arsenal game... Good luck to you as well

Hey forest and jacek Thanks! If you have any questions, do not hesistate to ask. You have definetely chosen a dr that cares for your well being and not your wallet. Can't say anything about the results yet, but up untill now my experience have been nothing out of the ordinary (of what you can read in the forum). One note though; I did not really have that many blood scabs on my head after surgery - when you look at some post ops there are a lot of red dried blood, but I really had only 3-4 of them. I do not know if it displays the precision work he did, but it feels like it. I also had no swelling issues. As I wrote, I spent the day after surgery at the Zoo - no problems. Right now I am feeling improvement in the sensitivity of my scalp every day. When the donor is removed, a lot of nerves are cut. This makes your head numb from the scar and upwards. It has also given me some very tender areas (hurts a bit when you touch them) on the top of my scalp, but I am confident that they will subcede when the nerves are healed. It is really not an issue, just a small part of the experience. I have not have any shockloss yet, but the transplanted hairs are shedding now. I don't know why, but the shed is mainly hitting my right hairline, whereas the left has a lot of the transplanted hair still in. However I am looking foreward to my original hair in the recipient area growing to lenght that makes me able to cut the rest to a more uniform length. Just look at the pictures - I look totally retarded and the uncut hair is just uncontrollable. The recipient area is still a bit pinkish and so is the scar, so I might have to wait a week or two with cutting it. Apart from the surgery-issues, I have started biotin and MSM (biotin 5 mg in the morning and MSM 1000 mg in morning and before bed). Biotin has been fine, but MSM made be break out with red pimples all over my face and body, so I stopped. Next weekend I will probably start again with a lower dosage. I will also start minox tonight (stopped some months before surgery). I am applying 1 ml to the crown every night, but the stuff is too sticky to use in the morning. In the shower I use Watermans Grow Me shampoo, but I cannot say anything about its effectiveness and I will probably not be able to do so at any point, due to the other products I am using. Lastly, I use the hairmax lasercomb three times a week. I probably won't be able to say if that works either, but I really do not care as long as the look of my hair improves. I will post more pictures next week at my 1 month mark.