LosAngelesTransplant

Here are my pics at 1 Month. Most notably, I have to point out the unexpected loss of hair and poor healing in the right side of my donor area. Otherwise, I have started Rogaine foam, and I have noticed more and more hair falling from the recipient area. Will keep posting..

My surgery invloved about 4350 grafts. The first 24 hours are definitely the worst in terms of pain. Definitely have to take the pain meds they give you. The real bad part is the donor scar area...not only did mine hurt, it was entirely uncomfrotable leaning back on in a recliner. And so it made for a somewhat sleepless first night! Day 2 was easier in terms of pain. It was also when the swelling started. Again, there's meds for that.. In the end, I did get some sleep on the second night, but the pain meds came in handy for that. The pics below are from day 1 to 3. I am at 1.5 weeks as I'm writing this, and I am still uncomfortable with the donor area, as it still hurts to sleep on. Can't wait to get the stitches uot, as I'm told this will help ease the pain. I will try to put updates at every 1 month interval.

A quick word about the fantastic guesthouse that Dr. Rahal has set up.. I strongly recommend staying here as it is a spectacular set up for patients, and its only a 4-5 minute walk to the clinic. The house has the recliners you're going to need to sleep in. It also has a great living room for chatting wit other patients and watching movies on a big screen. It has a great kitchen with great breakfast foods and snacks (free), as well as all the utensils you need to cook or microwave foods you buy from the market. We even ordered a hot dinner from a dinner menu the family running the house have set up.

I happened to have a short 20 minute consultation with Dr. Rahal the day before the surgery. This was important to me, and it turns out for the right reasons. Dr. Rahal's evaluation of what could be done for me turned out to be a bit different from my original consultation 4 months earlier. i'm sure this is probably the norm...I think your doctor's gotta see you before you know your final treatment plan. The biggest kick for me was being told I couldn't fully cover my crown and that I may need another surgery in the future....Oh well..Not a deal breaker because I was still confident in my choice with Dr. Rahal. On the day of surgery, I had a second consultation with Dr. Rahal, where he mapped everything out and answered my final questions. Dr. Rahal and his staff are very courteous and the entire process that day was as pleasant as could be. Before the surgery begins, a second set of pics are taken. As others have said, show up with comfortable pants and a button down shirt. The surgery process involves of course shaving the appropriate areas and bandaging the rest of the hair to get ready for the strip extraction. For those that are wondering, the shots and the numbing process are not exactly painless. But the squeeze-ball they give you beforehand really helps and you get through it. My surgery provided about 4350 grafts and the whole process lasted from 8 AM to 3:45 pm; you get a break to have a lunch they provide, and I got to pick two movies to watch on a big screen in front of me. Dr. Rahal and his team were great in making sure I was comfortable the whole time.

These are pics taken at my consultation September 2012. My hairline had reached a point that I could not tolerate anymore. i'm sure the hair loss would have continued at a slow pace, but this amount of loss came around within 2 years of stopping Propecia.