Hi, all. I’ve been a lurker here for years and I won’t go into great detail at the moment. I wanted to post a brief account of my recent hair transplant with Dr. Jerry Cooley in Charlotte, North Carolina.
I had 2500 grafts placed on 4/5/2012 with Dr. Cooley. I’m only 90 minutes away from his clinic, which made my decision to go with Dr. Cooley easy, plus the fact that over the last few years (6, I think) debating whether or not to proceed with a hair transplant two other well- respected dermatologists I see in my home town enthusiastically recommended his work. Of course, it’s been only 3 weeks and I have quite a wait ahead of me before I’ll see the results, but at this stage I just wanted to say what a wonderful experience it was and to heartily recommend Dr. Cooley and the Hair Center to anybody still in the shopping phase for this kind of surgery.
I don’t know that I can add a whole lot to member 18934’s account of his day with Dr. Cooley posted last April. I will say that even though I had already decided well before I read his detailed review to have my procedure done by Dr. Cooley, his comments certainly reinforced my confidence in the decision I had made. As he said, the day begins early—7AM!—and, depending I imagine on how much work you’re having done, lasts well into the early evening. I was surprised by how many people are involved throughout the procedure—I believe I counted 8 or 9 techs working away behind microscopes most of the time while Dr. Cooley or his assistant placed the grafts. I wasn’t sure what to expect regarding any pain or discomfort. The drugs they give you must be really good because the only pain I experienced the whole day was just for a couple of seconds from what I suppose was the numbing injection at the start. In fact, I didn’t have any pain that night, either, which is really remarkable considering the extent of my particular donor incision. As I say, it’s a long day, but with a lunch break (while you’re still seated in the chair, of course) and several movies you can watch throughout the day, plus that mental fog from the medications which are part of any surgery, it really doesn’t seem that long. And while everyone is extremely focused on the procedure at hand, at the same time they all are very helpful and solicitous of your needs. As they will tell you there, the day is all about You.
I’m lucky to live close enough to have returned the following week for the post-op follow-up, in which one of the techs, Stephanie, gently shampooed my hair and scalp to dislodge many of the residual scabs from the transplant. Also this was a good time to ask any questions I had about post-op care. Then I returned again after two and a half weeks for suture removal from the donor incision. It’s a weird sensation but again, no pain. Everyone really does a wonderful job at each step of this whole process from the initial consultation with Ailene or Lollie to suture removal. The hotel which they use is very close by and there’s plenty of food and shopping nearby. The airport, if you’re flying in, is conveniently close.
I hope to have photos later in the year. That’s about all I need to say for now. I’m fortunate to be so close to Dr. Cooley’s clinic, but I don’t hesitate in recommending him to you no matter where you live. A big thanks to him and to all the staff at the Hair Center.
For a minute I was afraid you were gonna say, instead of Comcast, Billy Bob.