Borromeo1517

Hi, everyone. Below are my photos taken early this week at approximately 4.75 months after my FUT transplant with Dr. Dorin in New York on August 12, 2015. I am sorry for the quality; I know they are not nearly as clear and nice as the photos True and Dorin's office took in my previous post. I was hoping to meet with Dr. True, Dr. Dorin's associate, in Boston, closer to where I live, for my four-month follow up; but my teaching schedule made that impossible. I therefore had these new photos taken so I could e-mail them to Dr. Dorin. What have I noticed since the surgery in August? I saw definite new growth as soon as the three-month period. It was right along the hairline, and principally in the right temple area, where my hair loss is worse. I have continued to see growth up to the present, but nothing spectacular. I understand that I am still early in the game, so I am trying (rather unsuccessfully!) to keep calm and carry one with a positive attitude. (This is especially hard after my previous two traumatic hair transplant experiences.) Dr. Dorin believes I am right where I should be at this point post-op. I wanted to comment on some of the products I am using these days. First off, I have been taking Proscar (non-generic) for the last two months or so. I am noticing less hair shedding these days, and am really pleased. Dr. Dorin urged me to get off the generic I had been taking, and I think I am seeing why. I use Dr. Dorin's "Scientific Essentials" shampoo and conditioner, and love both products. I also use Lipogaine Big 3 shampoo twice a week. I am using my Capillus 272 three times a week - not sure if it is doing anything! I use Toppik daily in the frontal third of my head, and make sure to wash it out each morning when I shower. I also use hairspray to keep my ravaged bangs (that's how I perceive them) off my forehead, and use it at a minimum. I have not been in the habit of washing the products out at night as I have not noticed any serious irritation, black heads, etc. I am assuming they have not blocked any growth thus far, as I have been observing growth. I hope everyone is doing well. I always appreciate words of wisdom and encouragement; so feel free to be in touch.

Hi, everyone. Thanks for reading. This post is really overdue. I had an FUT surgery of 2,144 grafts with Dr. Dorin in New York City back in August - on Wednesday, August 12, 2015. I left a post in my blog, but never here, where there is more traffic. Right after surgery, I was swept away by an incredible teaching course load at the local university, where I teach, which prevented me from maintaining contact here. Better late than never with posting my review and experience. I have been suffering with hair loss in the frontal third of my head since 2008, when I was twenty-four years old. I think you can consider me Norwood 3A. I am one of those people who did not think traveling was necessary in order to get a hair transplant, so I stuck around in Massachusetts, and got two smaller, definitely sub-par transplants. The first was with Dr. Robert Leonard of Newton Centre. He never revealed the number of grafts, and the results were pluggy and disappointing, as I had "sprinkles" of hair rather than something significant. This doctor had no bedside personality, even raised his voice at me one during the procedure, and frequently made me feel rushed while I was visiting with him. The second procedure was with Dr. Mark DiStefano of Worcester. While DiStefano is a friendlier and more generous man, the FUE of 1,100 grafts produced barely any yield - and I mean barely - after more than 10 months. The majority of both procedures was entrusted primarily to technicians. After the second procedure, I was emotionally devastated, and have not felt right emotionally for a looong time. Let my story be an example to all of you thinking about "settling" on a non-coalition doctor: DO NOT DO IT. I repeat: DO NOT DO IT. Do your research (I did not do the proper research), and be prepared to travel, whether that is to Vancouver, Ottawa, New York City, or wherever. Never let distance you back. New York City is where I went to seek the assistance of Dr. Robert Dorin. After consulting with coalition doctors in the States and in Canada, I decided Dr. Dorin was the one I wanted to entrust with my hair. I was impressed with his published results and his clear knowledge of the latest developments in hair restoration. I felt like I had a good rapport with him on the phone, and definitely did in person. He expected 1,800 to 2,000 grafts would greatly improve the condition of my hairline and behind it. He and his amazing staff removed the old scar left by Dr. Leonard, and were able to extract 2,144 grafts from it! He decided that the best course of action for the multi-grafts hairs moved into the immediate hairline was to camouflage them rather than remove them and place them elsewhere. You can see in the photographs what my hair condition looked like at that point, and what Dr. Dorin did with it. Peter at True and Dorin informed me that they removed the following numbers of grafts: 786 singles 1,328 doubles 30 threes Dr. Dorin and his staff were amazing. Dr. Dorin was intimately involved in pretty much each and every step of the transplant process. He must have spent an hour or so making the 2,000+ incisions; the other doctors took maybe ten minutes at most doing that. He was very careful with the scar, and able to remove most of the old one. He was letting a doctor-in-training shadow him, and I remember how he was explaining to this young man how imperative it was while making the incisions that they be made in certain ways so that the hair could grow just so. Dr. Dorin is clearly an artist and scientist all in one. He struck the perfect balance of friendliness and professionalism. His staff was extra-supportive and caring. I purchased the ATP spray, and used it when I was supposed to. Dr. Dorin and the others urged me to come the morning after the surgery for the scalp cleansing (something great do do post-op), which removed a lot of the bloody guck from the scalp, and readied me for my long bus ride home. I was very impressed with True and Dorin. You can see my photographs. I'll be posting my 4+-month photos ASAP.

Hi, everyone. Thanks for reading. I am excited to share with you about my recent hair transplant surgery with Dr. Robert Dorin (in New York City) on Wednesday, August 12, 2015. I have been suffering with hair loss in the frontal third of my head since 2008, when I was twenty-four years old. I think you can consider me Norwood 3A. I am one of those people who did not think traveling was necessary in order to get a hair transplant; so I stuck around in Massachusetts, and got too smaller, definitely sub-par transplants. The first was with Dr. Robert Leonard of Newton Centre. He never revealed the number of grafts, and the results were pluggy and disappointing, as I had "sprinkles" of hair rather than something significant. This doctor has no bedside personality, even raised his voice at me one during the procedure, and frequently made me feel rushed while I was visiting with him. The second procedure was with Dr. Mark DiStefano of Worcester, Massachusetts. While DiStefano is a friendlier and more generous man, the FUE of 1,100 grafts produced barely any yield - and I mean barely - after more then 10 months. The procedure was a bust, presumably due to poor technique. The majority of both procedures was entrusted primarily to technicians. After the second procedure, I was emotionally devastated, and have not felt right for months. I cannot and will not recommend either of these practices. Let my story be an example to all of you thinking about "settling" on a non-coalition doctor: DO NOT DO IT. I repeat: DO NOT DO IT. Do your research (I did not do the proper research), and be prepared to travel, whether that is to Vancouver, Ottawa, New York City, or wherever. Never let distance you back. New York City is where I went to seek the assistance of Dr. Robert Dorin. After consulting with coalition doctors in the States and in Canada, I decided Dr. Dorin was the one I wanted to entrust with my hair. I was impressed with his published results and his clear knowledge of the latest developments in hair restoration. I felt like I had a good rapport with him on the phone, and definitely did in person. He expected 1,800 to 2,000 grafts would greatly improve the condition of my hairline and behind it. He and his amazing staff removed the old, ugly, way-too-large scar left by Dr. Leonard, and were able to extract 2,144 grafts from it! (Thankfully I have above-average donor density.) He decided that the best course of action for the multi-grafts hairs moved into the immediate hairline was to camouflage them rather than remove them and place them elsewhere. You can see in the photographs what my hair condition has looked like for the last year or so, and what Dr. Dorin did with it. Peter at True and Dorin informed me that they removed the following numbers of grafts: 786 singles 1,328 doubles 30 threes Dr. Dorin and his staff were amazing. Dr. Dorin was intimately involved with pretty much each and every step of the transplant process. He must have spent an hour or so making the 2,000+ incisions; the other doctors took maybe ten minutes at most doing that. He was very careful with the scar, and able to remove most of the old one. He was letting a doctor-in-training shadow him, and I remember how he was explaining to this young man how imperative it was while making the incisions that they be made in certain ways so that the hair could grow just so. Dr. Dorin is clearly an artist and scientist all in one. He struck the perfect balance of friendliness and professionalism. His staff, and especially Gloria and Lisa, the two nurses/technicians who spent the most time with me, were extra-supportive and caring. I purchased the ATP spray, and have been spraying pretty much every hour, eagerly awaiting the good results that I am confident will finally come. They urged me to come the morning after the surgery for the scalp cleansing (something great do do post-op), which removed a lot of the bloody guck from the scalp, and readied me for my long bus ride home. Folks, I still cannot get over how impressed I am with Dr. Dorin and his and Dr. True's practice. I rate my experience as an A+. I enjoyed being with these people so much that I am considering making the journey all the way from Boston back to New York just so they can remove the sutures. (Perhaps that sounds crazy!) Now I am just going to town applying my ointments, taking my medications, and followign the post-op instructions to ensure an optimal result. Unfortunately, I think one of the grafts becoming dislodged while showering last night (at the front of the hairline too), but I guess that kind of thing happens.I lost a few on the way back to my hotel room after the surgery, but the doctor advised me how to keep them preserved, and they were able to get them back in where they belonged during the cleansing. I have said enough, I think. I could write an essay about my hair-loss experience and treatments thus far, but will let you ask me if you have any questions you want me to answer. To all of you considering hair restoration, think about contacting True and Dorin in New York City.

PupDaddy, thanks for the response. I appreciate your kind words and sage advice. You are right - I am frantic. I am just so devastated about how I have gone through two hair surgeries and still have all this thinness up front, which I am able to hide better one some days than others. I have felt frantic and even consumed with all that has happened. I am still keeping my appointment with Dr. True, and plan to also return to see my present surgeon to see what his take is on the poor growth thus far. He told me last time that sometimes he sees patients whose growth is amazing by six months, while there are others who have to wait twelve to fourteen months before the hair shows up. To be truthful, I don't know what to believe anymore.

Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for the responses. I felt better, for a little while anyway, after reading them. Part of my problem is I have to spend a good deal of time positioning my hair so it hides and covers just how thin it is toward the front. Unfortunately, I do not have any pre-op photos of my own, though my present doctor took photographs before the surgery in October 2014. I had never really thought of taking pre-op photos of my own, and did not realize that people even did this until visiting this website a few months back. As some of you have noted, while I do have a defined hairline (that is a development post-surgery), it is still quite thin behind it, with that thinness extending into the 2 area, and perhaps a little behind there. (Dr. Rahal identified me as a Norwood 2 based on my photographs, but I am concerned it may be a little worse than that.) But the doctor did transplanting behind the hairline too - but the results thus far are, in my opinion, subpar. And to note, I am on Proscar, which I take every day, use Lipgaine Big 3 shampoo twice a week, and have been using the Capillus 272 for a year. THANKFULLY, the hair loss seems to have stabilized, though I have not detected a great deal of growth where the doctor and his team placed the grafts from surgery 2, the FUE. I am 31 years old; one of you was asking me about that. One thing that I can say is that I continue to feel to this day what I would identify as ingrown hairs in the recipient area. They have pretty much never burst through the surface of the skin, though I can still feel them - and the soreness I feel feels like ingrown hairs. Just no whiteheads coming through. Might this be a good sign, that more growth is on the way? Could it be the growth is taking longer because it is surgery 2, covering the same area that my first doctor had no intention of filling completely during the first procedure? Or could it be that, 8.5 months post surgery 2, this is as good as it is going to get? And I mentioned previously, I have a consultation scheduled with Dr. True of New York next month. Any thoughts? Thanks, everyone!