Jump to content

FUTwithCooley

Members
  • Posts

    7
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Basic Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Country
    United States
  • State
    NC

Hair Loss Overview

  • Describe Your Hair Loss Pattern
    Thinning Hair Loss All over the Scalp
    Thinning on Top only (Genetic Baldness)
    Thinning or Bald Spot in the Crown/Vertex
  • How long have you been losing your hair?
    In the last 5 years
  • What Best Describes Your Goals?
    Considering Surgical Hair Restoration

Hair Loss Treatments

  • Have you ever had a hair transplant?
    Yes
  • Hair Transplant Surgeon
    Dr. Jerry Cooley
  • Current Non-Surgical Treatment Regime
    None

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

FUTwithCooley's Achievements

New Real Hair Club Member

New Real Hair Club Member (1/8)

10

Reputation

  1. I am not going to suggest one way or the other but you should definitely research this a lot before signing the dotted line. I first went to Bosley, and it seemed pretty tempting but then stumbled on this forum, read through the reviews and visited Dr. Cooley. I had my procedure last July and am really happy with the result. To me, the following factors were important in choosing Dr. Cooley over Bosley: 1. Bosley is well known because of their marketing. Dr. Cooley is well known because of his work. 2. Bosley gets business through marketing but you don't hear much about their docs or who was in the room doing the actual grafts. In contrast, Dr. Cooley gets all his business through word of mouth, and has more weight on his shoulders. He does most of the grafts himself, and has some technicians who help, but he's always there. To this end, one bad result is more detrimental for Dr. Cooley than for Bosley - so more on the line for him. Also, his technicians performed the HT on him so you know they're good if he trusts them. 3. My comfort level with Dr. Cooley's office was far more than Bosley. It seemed like Bosley was more interested in me having the transplant, than in me making an informed decision. 4. Bosley had dates available within a few days while Dr. Cooley was booked for a couple months out. FWIW, you can use this as a signal for quality, or perhaps this could be pent up demand, though I doubt. Going into it, I didn't know what the outcome would be like, but I was certain I will get more attention, and a better doctor with Dr. Cooley. I wouldn't ever know what Bosley would be like, but am really happy with the outcome with Dr. Cooley and would do the same if I was to get a second HT.
  2. Hi all, I apologize for the delay in posting this but Dr. Cooley advised me to stay away from the website so as not to get worried. Having said this, I am now almost 7 weeks out and am attaching some pictures of now vs just before the procedure. There is already substantial growth and the front profile looks a lot better. The top is also good but the scalp still shows - which I guess is to be expected given the amount of area we were trying to cover. Dr. Cooley said that there will be some more growth and the hair should thicken so the final result will be better. Any how, I'll let you guys judge - please let me know your thoughts on the procedure....
  3. So here are some pics from post one month. I am getting really worried about the shock loss taking it's toll not only on the top of the scalp, but also the hair line (as is evident from the side profile). Is losing this much hair to shock loss normal? I have already reached out to Dr. Cooley to seek his opinion, but would really appreciate your thoughts as well.
  4. Thank you Ailene! I just had my sutures removed so figured will post some pics at the 2 week mark. The first couple of pics are of the scalp (the difference due to brightness is massive!). Barring some itching (for which Dr. Cooley gave me the Clobex spray), everything seems to look good - no scabs or "reddishness" or swelling. The last few pics are of the scar in the donor area right after the sutures were removed. The scar at the back of the head is extremely thin; the one above the ear not so much but this will fade and seems pretty good to begin with. What do you guys think?
  5. Thanks guys! I checked with Dr. Cooley and he mentioned this is most likely due to moisture. I have stopped using the spray/wrap (one week post-op), and it already looks a lot better. On a separate note, given that my hair loss was on the top and center, combing over the front hair makes everything look very normal and usual - absolutely no difference from before.
  6. Thanks Spanker! As for his quote below - what you say might be true. I think he meant that my hair loss pattern is better than the one with receeding hair line and loss of hair on the vertex. Anyhow, attached is a pic one week post op. Overall, everything seems ok but I am not sure about the few white acne type spots in the top half of the scalp - is this normal? Could this be attributed to the fact that I am still spraying every 1-2 hours so there is plenty of moisture? I still have some spray left so not sure if I should stop using that (I am 7 days out) or spray every 4-5 days till it's gone.
  7. Hi All, I have been following this website for a little over a month and read through all possible threads, surgeons, experiences etc. I got 3368 grafts with Dr. Cooley and will try to be succinct in my post. About me I am a 32 year old male who has been losing hair from the vertex going outward. I still have hair in the front, and this according to Dr. Cooley was a preferred hair loss pattern. I tried rogaine (foam and solution) 3 years ago and developed rashes and acne, and am skeptical about propecia so already have that off the table. Thus, my objectives were stated and expectations calibrated keeping these in mind. Which Surgeon? I live in NC so Dr. Vories and Dr. Cooley were obvious options. Additionally, I am originally from India so Dr. Bhatti was in the mix as well. I did not consider docs in Europe due to logistics and possible complications. My first meeting was with Bosley - it was good because they gave me information about hair transplant and better because they seemed like an assembly line which meant I should stay away from them. Dr. Bhatti has very good reviews but having lived in India all my life, I must confess that given an option and less binding monetary constraints, I have a slight preference for the US when it comes to cosmetic procedures for which, the medical guidelines are not as well defined in India. Again, this is purely my personal opinion and in no way reflects the quality of work performed by Dr. Bhatti. I met with Lollie at Dr. Cooley's and felt comfortable enough to go with him without even meeting Dr. Vories. I understand he is extremely good but I had a good feeling about Dr. Cooley, was able to get a date within 2 weeks due to a cancellation, and was willing to take a few weeks of pain and sutures. Finally, I am a bit of a sucker for active researchers - not to say that newly researched methods always work but at least it says something about the doc. We agreed to 3000 grafts and I additionally decided to have the PRP (given my reluctance to get on propecia). During Procedure As has been mentioned time and again, Dr. Cooley is very professional. I was scheduled for 3000 grafts, he told me we could harvest 3500 and cover the crown better but the marginal effect of that may not justify the cost. Given that a surgeon's job is to do surgery, it's always nice to hear one say we don't have to do it, or don't have to do all of it. Thus, we decided to stick to 3000, which resulted in 3368 grafts. Dr. Cooley thought it was best to spread the grafts uniformly throughout the top to provide density, reinforce the hairline, and put some in the crown. Below are some pics from before and right after the procedure. The procedure was painless; we started around 7.45am and finished at 6.15pm. Barring a small window (of 15-30 minutes I think) Dr. Cooley was there the whole day, and worked on the implants along with Brandi. Brandi left late afternoon and Dr. Cooley finished the job himself. Much has been said about docs performing the procedure themselves or having it done by techs. Agreed that Dr. Cooley did not implant all the grafts himself but in response to my question, he mentioned that his HT was done entirely by his techs. This bestows plenty of credibility in the capability of his staff. Here is a break-down of the nos.: 1's - 833 2's - 1640 3's - 239 4's - 20 D's (Doubles) - 327 Dr. Cooley mentioned that the Ds are 1+2 so count as double follicular units, resulting in an equivalent of 3368 grafts. On a separate note, I would like to mention that Dr. Cooley treats the patients well. Apart from putting up in a hotel, the shampoo, condition, spray etc. are provided at no charge. Ailene and Dr. Cooley have been extremely responsive over emails and have promptly addressed my concerns. This may be a standard practice but after shelling out this kind of money, it's good to see that you're not being "nickel and dimed" over petty expenses. Days 2-4 I am now day 4 (counting procedure as day 1) post-op. I have been spraying the solution every 45 min to an hour and 1.5 hours in the night. I reduced the frequency today to once every 2-3 hours. In the follow-up, I asked for more spray and Dr. Cooley was happy to oblige. I have to confess, so far, I am really happy with Dr. Cooley's work. I do not notice any swelling and haven't had to take any pain medication at all. I was able to sleep in the bed with my head on the pillow (with a airline pillow around my neck), and did not experience any pain or discomfort. I'd like to thank everyone for posts and questions. I learned immensely from this site and am happy to address any questions anyone has. Of course, I may not have researched as extensively or met as many docs as some of the other members, but am happy to share my experiences and help in any way I can. More updates will follow as things change. Cheers!
  8. Welcome to our Hair Restoration Social Community and enhanced discussion forum. Feel free to customize your profile by sharing your story, creating blogs, sharing your treatment regimen, presenting your hair restoration photos, and uploading videos. You can also join groups and interact with other members via public chat and instant message those you add to your friends.

    Feel free to ask questions and interact with our members on our new and improved hair loss discussion forum.

    If there's anything I can do to help or make things easier for you, don't hesitate to send me a private message or post on my wall.

    All the Best,

    David (TakingThePlunge) – Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the new Hair Restoration Social Network and Discussion Forum

×
×
  • Create New...