Chewy

Congrats!!!

1) I went to Cooley last year. I would be surprised if you have any issues with the procedure itself.

2) Tough call on going back to work and how your going to handle it. I have heard stories of people going back the next day without issue, so 5 or 6 days seems quite doable, but you will still have scabs and redness and depending upon your skin tone, where the graphs are, the amount of your existing hair, etc.... impossible to give you input.

3) Working out - yeah you are going to go nuts. Dr. Cooley is very good at giving you literature on what to do and not to do. He is going to suggest you not "work out" for a month. Yeah, you can do light stuff after 10 to 14 days, but I would suggest you go nuts for 30 days, and then slowly start back into it.

Overall, Dr. Cooley and his staff are top notch, and they can answer your questions and concerns at any point before or after.

My hair loss started when I was 17. I'm 32 now. I can remember coming out of the showers after gym and after sports in high school and having friends bust on me about my thinning hair. I've fought a long, hard fight and only progressed to about an NW3V mostly because of guidance I've found online through these forums. Cost-affordable treatments like Nizoral, finasteride, and minoxidil were a blessing when I was a broke student and buying products with whatever spare cash I could scrounge together.

 

But I'm older now and have a good career and stable finances. I decided about two months ago that it's time to take the plunge with an HT. I called Dr. Cooley's office and had a phone consult, liked what I heard, and scheduled an FUT for 3,000 grafts and PRP. My procedure is in two weeks.

 

I'm looking forward to it. Though, I have to admit, I'm somewhat nervous about three things. First, I'm just generally nervous about the procedure. I have a high pain tolerance, but I don't like needles, and I have fainted from giving blood before. Second, I have to return to work five days after the procedure. I'm worried there will be visible signs from the procedure - e.g. an "indent" where the scar is, shockloss, scabs, etc. I absolutely have to be back at work six days later, so I may need to come up with a cover story for why my hair is patchy or a scar is visible. (i.e. had to get stitches because of a sports injury or something along those lines). My third concern is that I am a very active person. I play sports, lift weights, etc. I absolutely cannot take more than one week off from being active. I will go nuts.

 

Can anyone help assuage some of these concerns and give me some mollification?

 

Other than that, I am looking forward to it. I have realistic expectations about timelines for regrowth and coverage given my pattern of balding. I will try to update this post and/or my web log with pictures.

Wow, great start!

Looking very natural, and great progress.

Sam, first want to say I am very sorry that you are going through this horrible ordeal. You are not only dealing with the mental side of it, but you are dealing with the physical as well. That sucks!!! Hopefully the physical pain and discomfort lessens with possible alternatives and time with the body slowly adapting. With respect to 'repair work', I would hope you have alternatives. I finally did repair work after 30+ years which included 'debulking' of my original plugs. This is very time consuming and difficult, but this process also allows the relocation of hair. Also, my surgeon used Acell Matristem which to my understanding helped significantly with my cobblestone effect, scarring and healing. I have to belive you have alternatives. I would strongly suggest to you not to 'recoil' and make a rash decision. Consider your alternatives, talk to some highly qualified 'cream of the crop' surgeons, especially those that specialize in dermatology and might immediately understand your situation. I know that when one is in pain, the thinking is often more emotional than logical. I believe and hope things will improve for you, but to put the odds in your favor, try to stay logical and talk to some highly qualified individuals and consider your alternatives. I wish you the very best moving forward.... Best of luck to you.

First curious Ernie what you did....

A couple points:

1) I consulted with Dr. Varona, and although he seemed reasonably capable, the information specified in previous postings about Zierring are correct. I was concerned with the quality of the support staff, and Dr. Varona is fairly young and his experience levels and track record do not compare to some others.

2) If you have not made a decision, I would suggest consulting with Marc Dauer... he is in L.A.

As my pal Scooby Doo would say:

PartnerFue... where are you??????!!!!!!

yep, there you go.... hold on to that for the next 2 - 3 months... and try to be patient...

I am only 2 weeks ahead of you.

I'm a little over 3 weeks and have a question. I don't think I have shed anything yet. Don't you typically shed within the first few weeks? Does it just hit all at once or is it a gradual shed?

A couple things:

1) Soon as you think you might be one of the few that keeps some of the hair, it falls out. Will start any day now.

2) Cool that you get to see 3 weeks of the initial growth. You might take a pic while you still have it.

Congrats! I was in there with Dr. Cooley recently also. Actually, trying to figure out the best place to get my sutures out. Right now, looking at CVS. Any suggestions in the Atlanta area?

Great success story here! Thanks for sharing.

I am curious how your chest looks these days. Any current pics?

uhhh, be very careful shaving it... I would think that you could make it worse.

Wylie, do you mind sharing surgeon(s) that did your Beard FUE to your scarred area?

Thanks

Brutus, you look like you will be at least a 6A. You have more your going to lose IMO. It is good, if you are willing to have a bald crown, and if a very conservative approach was taken, then you might find yourself happy.

Brutus I personally believe you need to make very sure you want to go this route. IMO, it will be at least 2 procedures over the next 10 years. This means your initial result will degrade as you lose more hair which I think will occur. You would probably be consumed with this for quite some time.

We all are different, and so no way to tell you what will make you happy, but if you want to pursue the HT route, make sure you get multiple consults from ethical and well qualified surgeons. Good Luck.

I agree with your post completely!

looking good!

I would suggest a person have multiple consults, and I think at least one in person. Don't come to a forum (even a good one like this) and say I am going with 'X' surgeon. Get at least a few opinions, think about it over a reasonable amount of time. Trust me when I say there are so many questions that you need to ask yourself and the surgeons before making a commitment. IMO

Hi JR, I recently had my repair procedure with Dr. Cooley and his staff. Just a great experience. The detail, the precision, the professionalism. All top notch!!! I too was nervous and filled with 2nd guessing for the 2 - 3 weeks before. Although I have to wait to see the final results, as hair transplant surgeons and staff goes, I really feel good about my choice. The recovery has been a breeze, no pain medication needed, and I went through much more than you will be. Best of Luck to you, but I don't think you will need it.

Okay Kevin, please do not rush into any decisions, and trust someone... your parents, sibling. Talk to them about your thoughts on this subject, and get honest feedback and perspectives from someone who knows you well. In any case, the best of luck to you.

Kevin, avoid the Hair Transplant as long as you can, and maybe forever. Think about your father, how would he would look today with a hair piece and some transplants? Given your statement about your father, I tend to think you might not be a good candidate. You are young, and the time you will spend in your life thinking and worrying about this if you go the transplant route will be enormous. I had my first hair transplant at the age of 20 and I wish I had just gone through the experience of going bald for more reasons than I can list. The fact your girlfriend did not even know you were wearing a hairpiece means your kind of in hiding. I would suggest to you that you do not want to live your life "in hiding". Today a lot of people are shaving their head.

Everybody has to make up their own decisions, but I would strongly suggest to you to avoid any hair transplant at this point in your life. Think about 30 years down the road, not 5.

Although the staff at the clinic is important, you should go based on the doctor that did this work. You should specify the clinic's name, and the doctor to get better feedback. Also recognize that some websites post pictures of doctors patients that are no longer at the clinic or maybe never were. Be careful.

Its been 5 years since these posts. Any updates on this technique?

Hi, does any one know details of "Beard Plucking" and how it differs from a Beard FUE?

What are the advantages and disadvantages, etc?

Thanks

I live real close to you and have talked with Griffin and Cooley.

I have also consulted with many other surgeons over the years.

I was deciding between Ron Shapiro and Cooley.

What Cooley said really struck home with me and so finally after all these years I have decided to go back for repair work.

From a hair result perspective, I really believe FUT is the better alternative, but depending on your baldness pattern, and your desires FUE might be a good choice for you.

Make sure this is something you really want, because once you enter this realm your committed. There are a lot of great looking bald headed men out there, you could be one of them.

Good Luck in you decision.

mikeey, a question for you....

What exactly is the ART in a HT? I always thought it was the population of the recipient area, but I have read over and over again on this board where surgeons do NOT do the recipient population themselves which is shocking to me.