azn_guy

Hey Everyone, I found a photo of my hairline (miniaturized) and just took a photo of that same hairline after 14 months (8 months after HT) I tried to be meticulous about it and you can definitely see a difference in hairline July 2009 photo depicts miniaturized hairline, from a distance it was noticeable (it's a bit blurry, hard to focus when you're taking your own hairline photo) September 2010 photo depicts a transformed hairline, from a distance it looks pretty damn good Just comparing with about a year ago, you can really see a difference Note I circled a stranded hair as reference (circled in black) I thought some of you might want to see this for your own reference. It's sometimes difficult to get a good photo comparison of this. So did one for you guys.

I've been on this site for a while now and never seen this question asked. Does anyone know if Lateral Slit Technique produces better yield than Sagittal Slit Technique? I know some Coalition HT surgeons have transitioned to Lateral because you can dense pack better, while other Coalition HT surgeons continue to use Sagittal Slit Technique because you can fit grafts in between existing native hairs. Has there been any studies on this? There are only 3 answers here 1. LST produces better Yield 2. LST and SST should yield the same results 3. Sagittal Technique produces better yield than Lateral Slit Technique I know people will say it all depends on the doctor, but let's assume Coalitions doctors since they are the best of the best.

I have a question about these types of HT's, not to be rude because I am simply staying the obvious Doesn't this look un-natural? The very first photo is what is killing me when I see this. I want to say this is a success, but while I would be comfortable having people look at me while I'm facing them, I would be really conscious about people look at the back of my head. He should get a 2nd transplant in the mid scalp, throw another 3000 grafts there so when he does come his hair back, it's more natural looking This type of hair loss progression worries me because I wonder if I'm going to have to do a combover like that in the future... Anyone think the same thing? or are my expectations too high?

Agreed! Last February I would always worry about my receding hairline... I don't have to think about that anymore, I guess now all I need to worry about is overall thinning :-p

Hey Mega, The right temple area wasn't necessarily lowered, there were miniaturized hairs there. I had 3 choices during the consultation 1. higher hairline 2. build on existing hairline ==> this is what I chose 3. low hairline As far as the results, everything is looking good, the density of my hairline seems pretty adequate, I wouldn't mind placing maybe another 200 grafts throughout my hairline to thicken it up, but overall I'm 90% happy. When it comes to overall density, what you observed is dead on. If I were to compare my pre-op pics with 7 month pics, it looks about the same, I was hoping to see something more drastic. I am still optimistic that in another month or 2 things should thicken up, this is the double edge sword of still having existing native hair, my existing hair is so thick that it takes "more" or "longer" for the new grafts to "shine" I opted to post every other month starting at 6 months, but I realize that the next few months are quite critical/important to document as this is where I truly see the benefits of the HT. I decided to continue to document EVERY month to see the progress

Mega, looking good. I noticed you and I are in the same situation as we both feel that month 7, there wasnt much of a change. I am still anticipating in 1-2 months that a log will change. all my grafted hair are about half the length of my native hair, I am hoping eventually the newly placed hair will outgrow my native hair and that is where I'll see the difference Keep the updates going, I like that you're consistent like me. I know some folks get content and lazy and forget to post...

pvtpoint, no ACELL was not used Sean, I already had FUT, and due to certain circumstances I cannot use a clipper #4 right now that is why I am going in for scar revision. After the scar revision, I expect I will be able to buzz down to a clipper #4

Thanks hair_me_out, much appreciated.

It's that time of the month again for some updates, Here are my 7th Month update Hair Restoration Journal -7 Months Everything appears to be on track. Just like the 6th month mark my comments will be to a minimum because it's difficult to observe. I would like to see a bit more density as right now nothing appears to be dramatic except the hairline. Month 7 Observations - Hairline continues to get better - Donor Strip Scar is the same - Donor Strip Redness is fading Month 8 Expectations - Density increase in overall hair

Hey Mega, the temporal regions shouldn't be a density issue, Since all the hair in that area is only 6 months old, it just needs to mature, I am strongly convinced that in 2-3 more months it'll be pretty thick. If it's not, I already have a scheduled appointment so I will bring it up We'll just have to wait and see

Today is officially my 6th month anniversary, wow how time flies! Everything is looking good. Right now I'm in the waiting stages, everything looks to be normal and I'm not seeing a dramatic difference between Month 5 and Month 6. This is mostly due to my existing hair taking the spotlight with the new grown hair. I probably wont see any dramatic changes until the 8-10 month mark. I did speak with Dr. Cooley and will be getting a Scar Revision in a few months to fix the Donor Scar (see my previous journal entry) Month 6 Results - Hairline is definitely apparent - Donor Scar is about 5mm - Donor Scar Color is fading - Donor Scar Pain is 0/10 - Now Just waiting Month 7 Expectations - Recipient Area Thickening

mega! you're a day early I saw the photos and it's looking good. Glad to see things progressing. Continue Growing and good luck!

Hey Guys, the tried and tested is related to Dr. Cooley's method, I guess he won't tell his secrets? :-p Regarding the differences, see the images below no donor scar issue (tried and tested suture method used) http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/Photos/1584/DSC03690.jpg donor scar issue http://www.hairtransplantnetwork.com/blog/Photos/1584/DSC03688.jpg

Dr. Lindsay, chinese folks tend to have thicker diameter hair. Isn't that true in general? I don't want to scare off Asians!

simple answer, yes....

Everyone, I had a phone call with Dr. Cooley and he fully understands the situation and reiterated that this is not something he's happy with nor acceptable. The fact that he's humble enough to understand the circumstances show's why he's one of the better surgeons available. With that said, I felt 200% comfortable with the scar revision update. I'll be going in for a "fix" in 2-3 months. Please note that grafts will be removed as part of the process. He's going to take those precious grafts and place them in the recipient area since he doesn't want to waste them. I commend Dr. Cooley's professionalism and dedication for perfection. Everyone, please stay tuned. Slight little bump on the road, but easily fixed

He was pretty confident and fully aware of the high tendency of scarring for asians. As clarification for those reading up on my situation. He transitioned into a new suture technique that many HT doctors are starting to do. I explicitly asked him what he would do differently, and he said "I'm going back to my tried and tested technique"

@Megatron, he was disappointed with the results, thus he really really wanting to fix it. I told him it was okay, but he was not happy. @RCWest, make sure to ask Dr. Cooley on the type of sutures he is using, the type he used on me had poor results

Hey Everyone, As you may know (for those following my web blog) I will need to go in for a 2nd procedure with Dr. Cooley to get a Scar Revision. What are the risk involved with this procedure? A few questions come in mind that I'd like your help with 1. When you do a scar revision, will hairs be transected? 2. How invasive is the procedure, Is less than a true strip removal during a HT? 3. How long will it take to heal? 4. How long will the sutures need to be in place? 10 days? 2 weeks? 3 weeks? 5. Will internal sutures be used for a Scar Revision? 6. Scar Revision is essentially a 2nd HT, does anyone here recommend just waiting to get a real 2nd HT instead? 7. What drugs will be used? I've gone already 6 months and everything is perfect except for this scar that didn't heal correctly. I really don't feel like dealing with this right now... haha, if I sound annoyed, I apologize, I hate it when things don't go as planned. Now I'm going to have to go another 2-3 months of non-physical activity post procedure.

wow, he had 3449 grafts and that resulted in 5422 hairs, interesting. great result, lucky he has wavy hair

I have to agree with TC17 here, Even with a first pass and expecting a second. His first HT looks very unnatural, I personally would be conscious about appearing in public and people would look at me and wonder what the heck happened. Again, we'll just have to wait for HT#2 to see if that resolves the unnatural issue

hey mega, yup! I had 2 strips taken, the original "big" one, then after Dr Cooley noticed he couldn't get enough grafts, he took a second strip on the side of my head (left side to be exact) during the same procedure. So if you take a look at my photos on my web blog, you'll notice on the left side of my head, right above my side burns a small 4 inch strip was taken in addition to the original 30in strip 2nd procedure is only for scar revision, no grafts will be placed in the recipient area... I sent Dr. Cooley 10 questions, so he'll go over the details when he replies back to me via email. Jacksonbrowne, Dr. Cooley did go over issues with keloid and he 110% takes this into consideration before doing the surgery, he pretty much was confident that I wouldn't have keloids since I didn't have these problems in the past with previous scars. Hypertrophic scarring is minimal, I do have a small ridge on the right side, but it's minimal and nothing to be concerned about.

I went to visit Dr. Cooley for him to take a look at my Donor Scar. It appears I will be getting a scar revision in the near future due to the type of sutures that were used Dr. Cooley was not happy with the results and is adamant about fixing it

I would like to give everyone an update on my situation with my "scar stretching" I went to visit Dr. Cooley for an evaluation and he was disappointed with the way the donor scar has progressed. He took a look and he does not believe this was scar stretching. He believes it's due to the type of sutures that were used. I am getting clarification, but it could be that some of my hair was transected (again, this is my guess) There were two types of sutures that were used. A thick one that was used on the main strip, and a thin one that was used on a second strip to get more grafts. The strip that had the thin sutures healed well and is fine The strip that had the thick sutures did not heal as planned and I have a 3mm section of no hair. Dr. Cooley believes that a scar revision will fix this and he's pretty adamant about doing this since he was not happy with the results. Funny thing is, shouldn't it be the other way around? I should be the one not happy! Stay tuned on this guys, It looks like I'll be going in for another procedure

yup, I can only use the hairline as a reference since it's the easiest to recognize. Everything else looks the same to me. I'm going to have a followup consultation with Dr. Cooley in the near future so he'll be able to take a more detailed look and see how things are going. I'm going to ask him about the Donor Scar which he had emailed me and actually gave me a written guarantee that if the donor scar is not up to par, he will fix it. What a classy doctor...