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thepauliweb2008

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  1. Four years after the operation and I would like to share my thoughts. My initial post above was 10 months after the procedure. Since then I have realized through research and personal evaluation quite a few different things that I wish to share. I went through with a second operation with a well known surgeon in San Antonio. I was still not satisfied with the procedure afterward. I mentioned above that after my procedure with Dr. McGrath, I could estimate only a few hundred grafts. There were certain areas on my hairline where there were only a few hairs. With my second operation, of the same amount of grafts, my recipient area doubled in density. This has led me to several conclusions and possible explanations to the issues I brought up in my initial review: 1) The second operation garnered the same amount ~ few hundred grafts out of over 1000. 2) McGrath's restoration was equivalent in success to this second, renowned surgeon. 3) Thus, this might point the issue to my own physiology or post-op care rather than McGrath's. Like I said, my own natural hairline is relatively high. I wore my hair very long at the time which perhaps gave the impression that my hairline was receding whenever the wind blew my hair. I think my initial quest for a hair restoration was more in vanity and insecurity caused by my natural hairline than restoring a hairline. In essence, I feel my operation was "lowering" my hairline rather than "restoring" my hairline. Post Op Feedback pertaining to an Asian with naturally thick, dense, black hair. Thickness This being the case, I had a full head of thick, dense, black hair on my crown, perhaps just a few CMs beyond the wrinkles of my forehead. After two operations, my hairline is about 50% (HT Surgeons aim for 50% density to create the illusion of thickness) the thickness of my naturally thick, black hair. While this contrast may not affect blondes, brunettes, or caucasians with thinner hair, on my head, it is absolutely noticeable as when looking from below one can notice the scalp behind my hairline. This is perhaps my gripe with the operations as an Asian male with the aforementioned attributes. This issue is however, unsolvable as most surgeons can at best do 50%, anymore than that and I've been told it may damage existing hair. Scar I was told at both consultations the scar would be tiny, un-noticable. This may well be the case for light complexion or light haired caucasians. However I cannot wear my hair with lower than a #4. Anything below and a linear line running from ear to ear can be seen through my hair. The scar is also a source of discomfort. As there is no hair there, I can certainly feel when the wind blows through my hair and is able to reach that linear scar. I'll admit McGrath did tell me I couldn't wear my hair short, and I assured him I would only wear my hair long. However, I think it was not stressed enough about the permanence of the situation, and also how "short" was short. In my opinion, a #4 cannot be considered that short. McGrath Here I want to mention that my post-op meetings with him were stellar. He really showed his concern and took the time, completely un-hurried to address all of my concerns. With such a major operation, you need a doctor who will be there before, during, and after. I can say McGrath will be there to take care of your concerns. When I mentioned the spots of thin hair on my hairline, and asked whether he could remove those for me, he offered to remove them for free. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What I have come to learn is that McGrath is not any different than the other surgeons. Their approaches are mostly the same. I walked into them expecting something different. I hope the industry can evolve better practices one day: 1) Spending more time coming up with a hairline and projecting what the result may be... after all this is something one will need to live with for the rest of their life. 2) Hiring actual nurses. 3) Employing "consultants" really gives it a business feel, rather than a medical vibe. 4) For younger gentlemen, the aim should be to dissuade, not to persuade. There should be a level of ethic in this line of work. I've read the stories of many young people who went to a hair transplant surgeon after a bout of intense insecurity about their newly receding hair and make rapid, irreversible decisions. If any surgeon had to experience the mental torment I went through the years afterward -- shame at what I had done, unable to tell anyone. regret that I tried to fight the process of nature, and might not even look like what I used to. remorse that I had other options to explore (shaving, propecia, laser, etc). further insecurities, more so than pre-operation, due to results not being as perfect as one would hope to imagine (perhaps at no fault of the surgeons) -- walking down the street wondering if people would look and think this boy just had a hair transplant. I spoke with McGrath on the phone and voiced these concerns to him. That he was able to listen to all this with an open ear is a testament to his dedication to his patients. That is a quality I can attest to. I do trust in him (and trust is the most important aspect when selecting a cosmetic surgeon) after my post-op experiences, and I do plan to see him about removing some hairs from my hairline in the near future. Bottom Line: If you are young: consider taking propecia for a year, or shaving your head. If your hairline is receding, but not bald: consider taking propecia for a year, or shaving your head. If you are bald, and don't want to shave your head: See McGrath. If you are Asian w/ thick, stubborn hair: consider wearing your hair like Mao. or just shave it. But remember, like a tattoo, when you are 70 years old, your scar will show. If you replaced a receding hairline, the hair there will remain but your crown will be bald. You are perhaps delaying your insecurities until a later date.
  2. Yup, I'll be glad to take some pics once I find the battery for my camera ^^. McGrath offered to see me, so let's see what he says..
  3. whoa, just like MRH tactics, McGrath now has a location in Dallas, manned by a "patient coordinator" to scam you into getting an HT done. http://www.mcgrathmedical.com/...ransplantdallas.html
  4. I was 21 (now 22), Asian, when I had my HT done by Daniel McGrath. It was September, 2008, 9 months ago. Boy do I regret it. This was before I became an active member of the HairTransplanetNetwork. I recall browsing this site, but didn't really get into detail. I have a genetically high hairline... and with age it was already receding. It had receded about 1 inch.. so imagine 2 inches over a normal hairline. Now that I've read all the warnings and advice on choosing the right doctor, I realize all the signs McGrath exhibited. He is the epitome of a "marketer" rather than true marketer. To make it short, here's the summary. -------------- First visit. We had a 15 minute talk about hairlines. I asked him what my density was and he simply guessed. (aren't there tools to measure it?) The consultation was fairly brief. He told me the basics: a) minimal scaring b) I won't even notice it c) showed me pictures of a few of his other clients. He didn't appear to have more than several dozen folders of clients in his computer. d) he told me that the day of the surgery we would take all morning to draw up a suitable hairline if need be. e) I told him I'd let him know when I was ready. --------------- A couple weeks later I had expressed interest to push back the date of the surgery we had set. He was fine with it, but also stated that the longer I wait, the longer it would take for my hairline to have a full head of hair again. So I said okay let's do it. We had agreed on 1000 grafts. --------------- Day of the Surgery McGrath drugged me up, and then proceeded to draw a hairline on my face. It took all of 30 seconds. I then asked if he could measure the density of my hair, so we know exactly how much I need. At that point I was slightly hesitant after reading more about HT procedures. He brushed it off and said sure, sure I do. Then, he decided better of it and simply said I've done this for a long time I can tell simply by looking. --------------- Surgery went okay. I recall him telling me a story about how as a kid he did one of those marketing things on the streets (you know where you sell magazines or knives or something like that) and he sold a few thousand dollars worth and got the top marketer award. Something along the lines of that. I found it ironic at the time as I had read HTnetwork's statement about "doctor" vs "marketer". His nurses didn't seem like professional nurses --- merely girls who had been trained briefly by him. Many of them couldn't answer the questions I had such as what the tricomin shampoo really does, how long it would take the scar to heal, what activities can I do etc. They all gave me fairly generic answers or brushed it off. When it came time to remove my sutures, I had to go back twice as they missed a couple the first time. He apparently had placed ~ 1150 grafts to lower my hairline about 1 inch. I was billed for 1000 since that is what we agreed on ($4000) --------------------- Follow ups McGrath didn't follow up too much with me. As a matter of fact later on when I emailed him and asked what kind of baldness he would classify me as, it took him a couple emails to reply. Emails to my questions from him were all very brief. ----------------- Results So what are the results of the hair transplant? ~ 1150 grafts were placed. From my best count, there are about 205 grafts. That's less than a 20% growth rate. If you are shorter than me you can definitely tell the entire HT area is thin due to the low density. There are even a couple places where there is a full 0.75cm gap between one hair and the next. My hair is curly. It curls! I'm Asian! Can someone explain this to me? Were the grafts put in the wrong direction? The left side of my hairline is 1cm higher than my right side. Some areas are thicker than others -- quite uneven. I read asian hairlines should have single hair grafts in the front, and the multi-hair grafts in the back. Well... this wasn't taken into consideration by McGrath. Cobblestones -- is this normal? My scar feels like a huge speed bump on the back of my head. I can't help touching it because it just feels so big -- even after 9 months. I'd say it protrudes out a good half a cm at least. The hair on the back of my neck is very tight, and when I put my head to my chest it feels like i'm slightly pulling on the scar... shouldn't there be enough slack in the skin where I don't feel that? Perhaps he cut off way too big of a strip? It makes me quite uncomfortable and is a constant reminder of my scar/HT. I also have this bump on the back of my ear that I recently discovered. It feels like a bone. I don't know if this has anything to do with the HT. One other warning... I recall someone on here saying he used to work for MHR, perhaps that's where he got his bad practices for. The man sure knows how to market though! and to make you feel safe until you hand over that cash. He also runs a cosmetic surgery enterprise. That should have been a huge no no... but I was too stupid, naive, and insecure to make a rational decision. Out.
  5. I'm Chinese and I had my hairline lowered by mcgrath 7 months ago. Did you end up finding a competent doctor for your procedure?
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