DV8

No, I'm not on any drugs. I purposely got a HT because I didn't want to be on them for the rest of my life.

I stand corrected. $7500 then. ;-)

I have no immediate plan because it takes so many months before you don't need a hat and . However, should I find myself in a position where I can work from home for a few months and I get another $10,000 to spend, I wouldn't be adverse to the idea. I'd like to get the top filled in as you see it's a bit thin looking.

From what I've been told you should have a very very high percentage of transplants holding since it's your own hair there is no rejection. The things that will effect it are going to be the quality of the doctor and technicians and if s/he/they butchers the follicles being sliced from the donor area, the incisions to not damage existing hair, and the insertion of them, etc. This is also why you want to go with the best. You may experience shock loss where the trauma to your head causes other hair to fall out sooner than it would have, but as I understand this, it's temporary and should grow back eventually (may take up to a year)

For what it's worth, the first time I met with Hasson was about 1/2 hour before my procedure. I met with Ferko locally in Seattle, and as mentioned in the blog, when he told me about our mutual friend (and my best friend's husband), I was sold. Then when I had two other friends I've known for 8+ years tell me they had gone to H&W (after I was telling them I was going to go), I knew without a doubt I had made the right decision.

Like I said, I'm sure you can meet with Ferko locally in CA. You should call him and talk. Read my blog post about him and that experience so you're prepared for him -- he's a lot to take in at once, but one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

Seriously though, just save yourself a lot of head-ache (see what I did there!) and go with the best. Don't even waste any more time worrying on WHO to get. Do your due diligence -- poke around the board for H&W posts and you'll quickly see. Then just pick a day and hang on for the slowest and longest ride of your life. LOL.

If you look at my profile (not the blog) you can see photos. Here is a direct link.

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/DV8/albums/2270

For comparison, I am a Norwood 2 and had 3,262 grafts. If you're a 5A, IMHO 3500 seems low. Also, I paid $12,000 for mine all together. Details of that breakdown are in the blog.

I personally would highly avoid any of the Bosley/Hair Club places. They're way over-priced and from my consultations cared more about "when can you start" and pricing than my hair. That was a real turn-off and made me feel like a dollar sign.

Honestly, with the number of horror stories out there. I would spend the money, research, and go to the highest rated doctor you can find/afford. I'm telling you though Hasson & Wong are the best in the world -- just google them or search this forum and you'll quickly realize that. They'll pay up to $400 for your flight and put you in a very nice hotel for 2 nights, so really it makes finding a "local" doctor in CA incidental. I'm pretty sure Mike Ferko (the liason) goes there regularly so you can have a consultation with him and he can also remove your staples probably. Email him at mike@hassonandwong.com or call him 206-274-5166. BTW, I get nothing out of this, I just know how stressful it can be being in your shoes (where I was 5 months ago) and knowing what I know now, I want to help other guys chillax and have confidence in their decision.

Another thing to consider is density. From what I've been told, most doctors can only get about 30 hairs per square inch. H&W pioneered a technique to get almost 80 !! A normal head has about 100. That's also probably why they told you 3500 to cover your NW5A -- that's about as much as those doctors are capable of.

Keep in mind that the recovery is a very long process. If you can avoid doing a second procedure, that's in your best interest. I never want to do this again -- it's not painful, it's just socially crippling and mentally agonizing with all the WAITING. Seriously. Just jump in and do it right the first time even if it costs you more initially. You'll be thankful you don't have to start all over again in a couple years -- at least that's my opinion. When I met with Hasson, that's exactly what I told him too. I said, YOU are the master -- you do whatever many grafts you need to in this procedure because I don't want to come back.

I don't think coloring your hair had any effect. I used to dye it black for years. Then I'd bleach the shit out of it for about the past 18 years (until this surgery in April). All HT doctors I went to said that has no effect. Hair is like nails -- it's dead keratin basically. It only grows under the scalp and pushes out, like nails under the cuticle.

As for a doctor. I researched the shit out of this and went with Hasson & Wong who are pretty much regarded as one of, if not THE best in the world. They're in VAN and pay for flight and hotel. You can read my blog as I'm at the 5 month mark today actually...

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/DV8/blog/3169/

WOW nice! Well best of luck to you! Looks great so far.

How is it that your donor area is invisible after only 7 days? Where are the sutures or staples or scar or any indication there was a donor area?