KeithJagger

That is what I did re: only looking at docs that came from recommendations. Not even the ones that were simply recommended listed on this site, but ones that actual patients recommended. I think it took a few days for Cooley's office to get back to me as well. I'm at the office, but will send you some photos of the scar in the back. It is honestly minimal. I can still feel it, but has gone down a tremendous amount over the last two weeks. It is still a little red, but pencil thin. You can't event see it with the sutures still in when my hair is wet. One of my biggest fears (aside disfigurement) was that my coworkers, friends, family would notice I had something done. However, after about four days it was totally undetectable with my hair length. I mean, if you really inspected my hair you would be able to tell, but it would require you to be a few inches from my head and playing with my hair. And not to cross into the realm of TMI, but I actually met a girl a eight days out from my procedure and she never said anything, so I assume she did not notice.

NueFueGuy, Man, if you only listen to one thing on this entire forum, listen to this: time and money should absolutely not factor into your decision whatsoever. I don't say this because I am blessed with a trust fund and come from a family tree where people live to be 100. Dr. Cooley had a pretty significant wait time. I waited four months to see him. You know why? Because he is an artist and people go to him for that reason. Four months vs. the rest of my life? No-brainer. As far as a consultation, I did one with Lollie. She is awesome. I would recommend doing it. Dr. Cooley will come in for the consultation and you can work out a long-term plan and talk about your goals directly with him. I think they can probably also do one over the phone/computer. I would call them. I know there is a lot of debate on here regarding the two (FUE vs. FUT) and I am certainly no expert, so I'll just tell you what led to my decision. I am sure some self-proclaimed hair guru is going to say I am wrong, but whatever. From my understanding, FUT provides a much better yield and is better for larger sessions. I had 2,800 graphs done. Plus, I work in an office and I can't shave my head for the FUE punches. I would certainly consider FUE for touch-ups, but for my first session I went the FUT route. I am glad I did. I can tell you my scarring is absolutely minimal at this point. Dr. Cooley does this closure where the hair grows through the scar. Plus, I have a lot of hair in the back of my head that provides good coverage. I spoke with Dr. Cooley at length about FUT/FUE, but since I was A) on valium and therefore don't have the most lucid memories and B) I don't know 1/1,000 of what he knows, I would suggest talking with him about it in person. I will say that I told him I was willing to go with/pay for either option and he suggested FUT. Hope that helps. And seriously, if some surgeon tells you he can fit you in next week, run for the hills my friend.

Yeah that looks about where I was at on day 8. I literally only had like 12 scabs. How do I know this? Because I freaking counted them. Yes, SHACKED after spending thousands of dollars, having a chunk of your flesh cut out and putting your cosmetic future in the hands of some guy you probably have spent less than an hour with before the cutting of the flesh, you get pretty freaking paranoid. I remember one time in college I fell off my fraternity house, sliced open my leg and was cool with one my friends that was pre-med creating a bandage out of a shoe lace and my golf towel so I could make it to the bar. I never thought twice about my scab, scar or possible exposure to tetanus. But after my HT, you can bet your ass I sat there in front of the mirror everyday in my hotel room counting scabs and worrying that I slept in some strange way that might have possibly dislodged a single graph. Fortunately, my surgeon is freaking awesome, I'm all healed up and hopefully good to go. Newbie, you look great. Congrats. Shacked, best of luck with your HT. Shoot me a message if you want me to check out any pictures of your scabs.

Thanks man! I feel good about it. Now comes the waiting game. I have reserved myself to the fact that it is going to take a year for results to come in. Patience is a virtue. At least that is what I have been told. In the spirit of self improvement, for the next year I am going to try to spend a little more time at the gym and a little less time in the bars.

Here are some photos from 11-12 days post op. The redness has really faded and being that my hair is quite long, no one has been able to tell at all. There really hasn't been much scabbing or flaking. Although, I suspect the graphs are due to shed here in the next few days. I will say that after 11 days the only real side effect that I have noticed is that my original hair sort of just feel unhealthy. It is limp, dry, no bounce. It is like it is just pissed off at me for putting it through this. However, part of my problem might be that I haven't really been brushing it like I normally do because while the graphs are anchored, I still don't want to disturb them. Also, there has definitely been some shedding. Not of the transplanted hairs, but the ones I already had. They are not miniaturized though, so I think they will grow back. All and all, so far so good. The donor area is still a little tender, but even that is going away. Let me know your thoughts.

I am 4 days (5 nights) post-op. The donor area is a little sore but the recipient area is doing just fine. I probably had less than a dozen tiny scabs, which are undetectable for the most part. The redness is also almost completely gone. Everything seems to be healing fine. I'm still being very careful not to disturb the graphs until they are totally anchored in, but so far so good. I'll post some pics in the next few days.

I am now two days post-op from my 2,800 graphs with Dr. Cooley. These past few days have been pretty uneventful, which is a good thing! I had Dr. Cooley's office wash my hair the first day post-op. Today, I washed it myself using the shampoo they gave me. I mixed it around in a cup and gently poured it over the graphs. I have also been spraying my hair with the solution they gave me like crazy. At least once every hour. I haven't really needed any of the pain medication and have just taken a few Tylenol. Sleeping is no problem except for the fact that I need to wake up every few hours to spray the graphs. The redness (there wasn't much to begin with) has really subsided and I have experienced minimal swelling and very few scabs. Also, the donor area feels just fine. There is no pain or tightness. I have to go back to work in 10 days so I hope I am all healed up by then. I think I should be. I'll post some pics in the next day or two. You know, I have been on this site and others reading hair transplant comments and experiences for years. Those that have been researching hair transplants will know what I am talking about when I say that I would see hundreds of positive comments about hair transplants, but would focus like crazy on the few negative ones. After going through the experience with a talented surgeon though I can say that the risks, at least in my humble opinion, are really minimal. It is hard to imagine that at this point I'm going to be disfigured or left with an unnatural look. I hope I am not being too optimistic, but so far everything has exceeded all my expectations. Actually, I am quite glad I came across those negative stories. They kept me from jumping into a HT in my mid-twenties with one of those HT factories like Bosley.

Here are some pics from the next morning. I just got back from getting my hair washed at Dr. Cooley's. They said everything looked great. So far there has been no swelling although the recipient area is a little sore, but not anything that Tylenol hasn't been able to take care of. Sorry for the quality of the photos. I am using the camera on my Macbook as that is all that I have available right now. I included a picture of the back of my head. Due to my long hair, you can't see the scar whatsoever.

That is right, I must have be undergoing my procedure. I was really so impressed with Dr. Cooley and his staff. I'm going in tomorrow for my follow up. I am amazed that I am sitting in my hotel right now and I feel absolutely fine. No pain whatsoever. Best of luck to you! I am sure it will turn out great.

I literally just got back to my hotel after spending 11 hours with Dr. Cooley and his staff. I'll just get straight to the point: Dr. Cooley is absolutely incredible and so is his staff. I realize I am a long way from seeing results, so I can't comment how well the final product will look, but I wanted to provide an overview of how my day went with Team Cooley. I got to Dr. Cooley's office around 7:00 a.m. It is important to note his office will arrange transportation from the airport to the hotel, pay of two nights at a pretty decent hotel and get you a ride to his office that morning. After an initial meeting with one of his assistants where I signed forms and downed some pain meds, Dr. Cooley came in and we discussed what my goals were for the procedure. A bit of background: I have a ton of donor hair and a pretty strong mid-scalp. However I have experienced bad recession at the temples (NW 3). Further, I am only 32 years old so there is always a possibility of future hair loss. I am trying to prevent that with Propecia. All of these factors led Dr. Cooley and me to decide on a pretty conservative hairline with 2,500 graphs. Those graphs would be very dense though and would back up some of my existing hair. He drew my hairline, took a few photos and then we stepped into the room where the procedure would take place. I have a pretty high threshold for pain, but the idea of having a chunk of your scalp cut out is going to give anyone the willies. However, I literally felt nothing; absolutely nothing. I sort of drifted in and out of sleep and it was over before I knew it. Dr. Cooley said that he was very impressed with how well my scar closed and as long as I follow the recommended procedures I should be left with a very undetectable scar. Even now, after the medication has worn off, I feel little if any pain or tightness. I should add that Dr. Cooley used Acell for my scar and graphs. He said at this point I did not need PRP as I did not have a lot of miniaturized hairs. After sewing me up, Dr. Cooley and one of his assistants began transplanting the graphs. Here is what is amazing! Dr. Cooley was working on me 90% of the time. I would fully trust his assistants, but just having him there almost the entire time was extremely comforting. Dr. Cooley managed to get an extra 300 graphs so I ended up with more than 2,800. No extra charge. It certainly took a long time to get all those graphs in but the pain was absolutely minimal. Oh, and did I mention it was Dr. Cooley's birthday! He stayed late making sure everything was perfect. Total dedication to his craft. As I sit in my hotel room looking at the graphs, they appear to be done very cleanly. I know there will be scabbing tomorrow, but the area is barely even red right now. Like I said, the proof will come in about a year, but today's experience is definitely leaving me feeling optimistic. I know there are other hair transplant doctors out there. And I know there are some really good ones. But I would never trust my head around any other doctor than Dr. Cooley. My biggest advice is to do your research. I know that is repeated often on here but it is true. And before you get a transplant done, I would highly recommend at least talking with Dr. Cooley. He is one of kind. Here are some pics. The photos make the recipient area look WAY more red than it really is. I'll try to post updates regularly.

Excellent result Dr. Cooley. Looking forward to my procedure with you in March.

Great work Dr. Cooley. Looking forward to my procedure with you in March.

Hello, I have seen/heard that transplanted hairs are often not the same quality as the surrounding hairs. I have actually seen hair transplants where the hairs look extremely thin and rather kinky. Of course I am sure I have also seen hair transplants that also look completely natural and I was just not aware a transplant done. Can anyone provide any feedback/share their personal experience? I just don't want a bunch of fine, kinky hairs that look like weeds growing out of my head. From what I have read, even the best hair transplant surgeons can't prevent the hairs from growing in at a different quality than the surrounding hairs. I hope what I have read it wrong! Thank you, KJ

Raymond, your results look awesome. That is a hell of a head of hair. If you are single guy, I hope you are out there taking advantage of it! I'm scheduled for a H/T with Dr. Cooley in March. I'd be happy if mine turns out at least half as good as yours!

Looking good man. Can't wait to see your updates in a few months.

Thanks for the reply. Good luck! I hope everything works out. Keep me posted!

Money really isn't a factor, but at the same time I don't just want to throw it away! I have heard the exact same thing you said, i.e., that it makes the scar softer. If that is true, I think it is money well spent. The only concern I have is this: Dr. Cooley has a great reputation among the HT community. When I met him I was very impressed. But I am perhaps a bit -- concerned isn't really the word -- but puzzled that he would put such confidence in a procedure that many reputable doctors claim is not effective. He does not strike me as the kind of doctor that would push something if he wasn't confident it would work. There are just so many snake oil salesman pitching things to guys with thinning hair. I would think that sort of thing would be beneath the caliber of surgeon that Dr. Cooley is purported to be. But if Dr. Cooley has had positive experiences with it, then I suppose I am just going to trust him. Who knows, it may be the best decision that I have made during this process.

Spanker, Thanks man. That is really what I am most worried about. I think I should have enough to cover it. Was your scar detectable at all? I am pretty confident I have enough hair to cover it up.

Hello, I have seen a few other posts in this forum regarding PRP/ACELL. Some say that it provides a substantial benefit, some say the jury is still out. I am scheduled for 2,500 graphs with Dr. Cooley in March. I elected to get the PRP/ACELL for an additional $1,500, which isn't that much in the grand scheme of things. I wanted to know if anyone has actually undergone PRP/ACELL and can share their thoughts/opinions on it? I am not so much hoping to grow any new hair out of it (although it would of course be nice) but rather to help minimize any scarring and prevent shockloss. Dr. Cooley is a big proponent of the procedure, but a lot of other well respected doctor's say it is not effective. I don't mind spending the money, but perhaps the money would better be spent on some more graphs. Although, that of course gets into the issue of not doing too many graphs and depleting my donor hair in case I need it in the future. Pictures of my hair in its current state can be found on my profile page. Thank you!

PCM. How long was the recovery time? I am taking 10 days off, do you think that is enough? Also, did you get the PRP/ACELL?

Thanks! Once thing I was curious about is PRP/ACELL. I have heard mixed reviews on it. Dr. Cooley said he has seen success, but other reputable surgeons say that the jury is still out. I am not really expecting the PRP/ACELL to induce any new growth (although it would certainly be nice if it did) but rather to minimize any scarring and prevent shockloss. Just curious if you had any insight. It really isn't that much more (I think 1,500) to add to the procedure but perhaps that money would be better spent on a few more graphs?

Growing up, I was blessed with a great head of blonde hair. In high school and college it was especially awesome. The girls loved it. My friends would tease me because I would wear it shaggy and would say that I was trying out for parts in shampoo commercials. But all good things must come to an end. Around 23-24 my hair started to recede around the temples. I always had a high hairline, but I had a lot of hair so it never mattered. Now at 32, the temples have receded far enough that it is noticeable. Although if I comb my hair forward it is a little harder to tell. I am not too self concious about my hairline but would certainly like to fill in the temple regions. I am not trying to get back to high school or college, but maybe close! Fortunately, I still have a lot of hair in the midsection and back so donor hair shouldn't be a problem. I figure life is too short to worry about hair so after years of research, I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Cooley. I had a chance to meet with him and he seems like a realy professional. I believe that I have chosen a top surgeon but am still a bit nervous. I just want to make sure I am not getting into anything that I am going to regret later on down the road. I has seen some REALLY bad transplants (recent ones!) and I can't help but wonder if they followed the same path that I am currently on. I'll do my best to keep this up to date so hopefully others can learn from my experience. On the flip side, any advice would be hugely appreciated. Thanks, Mick