somedaycame

I am ordinarily a very private person but I feel compelled to post this thread for two reasons. The first is the wealth of knowledge and confidence I gained from all of you who have shared your experiences with me. I spent hours and hours combing through the forums and blogs on this site, and learned so much about modern hair restoration and the many outstanding doctors performing these life-changing procedures. The second, and more compelling reason I'm writing, is to express the enormous gratitude I have for Dr. Carlos Wesley and his amazing staff. Approximately 15 years ago, when I was in my early 20's, I had hair restoration surgery with Dr. Leon Waller. At that time, my hairline started to recede and thin, and Dr. Waller performed 2 sessions to thicken it up. (Roughly 1500 grafts in total over 3 years). I was very happy with Dr. Waller and the results. As my hair continued to thin, however, I couldn't afford to keep up with needed procedures, and I was left with just the grafts that Dr. Waller transplanted. It looked ok, I guess, but as the years went by I always said to myself, "someday I will go back and finish what I started." Needless to say, the years went by and I never went back. My confidence worsened and I started to feel helpless. The problem wasn't money! It was the fact that I had waited too long, and my job did not afford me the option to cover-up the effects of the surgery. I felt my colleagues and friends would notice, and I didn't have the courage to go for it. One day this past fall, I sat down at my computer and started researching what the latest procedures were and what doctors were recommended. That's when I found HRN. I spent three hours reading and looking at pictures. Wow...I just might be able to do this! I made a list of the doctors that I wanted to see and immediately made appointments for consultations. I met with Dr. Bernstein first and it did not go as well as I had hoped. Dr. Bernstein told me he couldn't work around my existing grafts and wanted to transplant the majority of them to the crown area first. This was not an option for me. I was concerned about the fact that I would first have to lose my entire hairline before going back months later so he could create a new one. When I expressed my concerns, and aksed if there were other options, he flatly stated, "No." I then called Dr. Feller's office. I was intrigued by what I had read about his "mega-sessions." His staff was very nice and helpful over the phone, but I learned in that conversation that his proceedures all require the patient to shave the entire recepient area. Again this was not an option for me. I couldn't go to work with my head shaved. I went back to the drawing board (i.e. HRN) and conducted more research on which doctors would not require you to shave your head. HRN led me to 2 more physicians, and I immediately made appointments with both - Dr. Robert Dorin and Dr. Carlos Wesley. I made the appointments for the same day, and I met Dr. Wesley first. The consultation went great! Dr. Wesley was an absolute gentleman, and spent a lot of time with me discussing his proceedures and showing me photos to illustrate what he could do to help me. All the confidence I lost when I left Dr. Bernstein was restored and then some! Dr. Wesley felt strongly that he could work with my existing grafts and believed it provided a stong "scaffolding" to work around. He was as excited as I was about the process, and was confident that he could transplant approx. 2000 units in and around my hairline and crown area. I have to say, I was so excited and impressed with Dr. Wesley, I almost didn't even go to see Dr. Dorin. When I left the office, I thought about how important this was to me and how much time I put into my research, so I headed downtown to see Dr. Dorin. Dr. Dorin and his staff were great. They spent a lot of time with me and answered all my questions as well. Dr. Dorin was equally confident that he could work with my existing grafts and shaving would not be necessary. In the end, I decided to go with Dr. Wesley. Anyone who has seen Dr. Wesley's work knows that he is extremely talented and a true professional. But thankfully, that can be said for a number of other doctors recommended here by HRN. I chose Dr. Wesley because he simply made me the most comfortable as a patient. He respected how important this process was to me and he knew that I was consulting other doctors. In fact, he encouraged it! I had a lot of questions and he took the time in person, over the telephone, and through emails to answer all of them. Frankly, he made making my decision very easy. This past February, I had the proceedure done with Dr. Wesley and it went FANTASTIC. When you meet Dr. Wesley, the first thing he will tell you is how lucky he is to work with his talented staff. Well...he's right. Dr. Wesley's assistants made me feel comfortable throughout the day and I was clear to me how well they all work together. The hairline Dr. Wesley created looked amazing and it was easy to see how natural it's going to look in just a few more months. In the weeks that followed, Dr. Wesley and I stayed in touch over the phone and by email, and he continued his phenominal "bedside manner." I'm now a little more than two months out and my hair has already started to grow. I'm happy to say that the healing time went as fast as Dr. Wesley said it would, and more importantly to me, no one could tell that I had anything done. I'm now in my early 40's and have more confidence than I've ever had in my appearance. Dr. Wesley and his staff have changed my life. There is no other way to put it. For those of you who may read this post, and are trying to decide if hair transplant surgery is right for you, do yourself a favor and go see Dr. Wesley. You will never regret it. I just can't tell you how thankful I am to Dr. Wesley and how happy I am to be able to say that "someday," finally came. _____________________________________________________________ Here is the break down of folicular units transplanted: 1s = 303 2s = 1146 F2s = 95 3s = 288 F3s = 165 FFs = 82 -------------- Total 2079 FU