49thStater

If you're in the southeast U.S., Ray Diaz at Top Scalp Micro is great. He just did my scar. I am really pleased with the results. I'm getting down to a 2.5 guard. https://www.topscalpmicro.com/

I'll consider posting some pictures. My opinion of the procedure is changing. I'm becoming impressed with the results. Coverage is really improving, even if some of the hairs are "sprouty" and frizzy. Will those hairs lay down over time and become better blended?

Thanks. That's good advice. I am considering editing my last post. There are only 5-10 hairs that are shooting straight out and around 20-30 that just sort of have a "fluffly" appearance if my hair is drying from being wet or if I'm sweaty. That's not bad out of 1600 grafts. gillenator, is the fourth month the high growth period for beard hair transplants the same way it is for regular HTs? Will the hairs' angulation fall over as time goes on? Thanks!

It's been about four months, and while I think I have some improved density, I am officially concerned. It seems like a lot of the hairs are growing at awkward trajectories - like they are growing out and up and away from my scalp rather than along the flow of my natural hair. In some spots, I think it's really bad. I'm concerned this guy had no idea what he was doing and he didn't implant the beard hairs to grow naturally. I'm still trying to reserve judgment though. Anyone have any thoughts or experiences with this sort of a procedure?

That's a fair point both you guys make about it potentially being concerning that the surgeon has offered a "highly discounted rate." However, I'm not really concerned about his competency. I know he performs the procedure on a fairly regular basis. He offered the discount because I was underwhelmed by the results from the FUT, and I get the impression that he has liked me as a patient. I was more just looking for others' experiences and opinions about the beard to crown procedure (especially high-graft operations). The doctor has shown me some BHT results he's performed. They all look good. I was wondering if there were any testimonials or any posters here who have had high-yield BHTs who could share their experiences.

Hey folks, Anyone here have any experiences with large grafting sessions of BHT into the crown area? The backstory: I had a 3,000 graft FUT about two years ago. The result gave me some improved density but was overall pretty mediocre. It wasn't the fault of the surgeon. I just had poor graft density in my donor region - I had almost all 1s and 2s, only 400 grafts were 3s and 4s. I was depressed about it for several months but eventually learned to accept it and move on with life. There's a certain amount of risk in these procedures that even the best surgeons can't mitigate. I just ended up being a poor candidate for a crown procedure. The surgeon who performed it is a great dude and one of the most well-reputed on this forum. He's offered to perform a BHT on me at a highly discounted rate. He's recommended 1,500 grafts from my beard into my crown. I've researched the forum. I haven't found much fidelity on high-yield BHT procedures (into a scar or onto the crown). I read EJ's thread - his offered the most insight. However, that thread had very little discussion about beard grafts into crown. The surgeon has looked at my beard hair and told me I am a great candidate for this procedure. He's pretty confident I'll get a good result from this. I believe him. I just wanted to get you guys' opinions. Does anyone have any experiences with BHT into crown? Any thoughts about harvesting such a large amount of grafts from the beard in one session? Does beard hair generally grow at the same pace as harvested scalp hair? Thanks!

I'm 4.5 months from my op with Cooley. He was a nice guy and has been super-responsive to my emails. I had the opposite experience as you: everyone was nice, friendly, welcoming, courteous, and professional. I'm not in healthcare, but I am in a line of work where I deal with clients and customer service all day. I treat my clients just as he and his staff treated me. I'm not on the Cooley payroll and granted I haven't seen my results yet (only minor improvement). But I have nothing but good things to say about his customer service. Just to keep it real, the only issue I have is that I felt like during the client consult there was some puffery going on - i.e. telling me that I could get down to a 2 or 3 guard at some point. Probably not - I'm having issues with even a 5 guard now. But who knows, maybe I will get there?

I hit one month post-op tomorrow. Predictably, my hair looks like crap. I am as bald as I have ever been due to the shockloss. My hair is coming out in clumps. I'm just trying to get through it one day at a time. Do I have about two more months of the doldrums? Since the procedure, I have been noticing signs of hair transplants on guys. I saw a guy today who came into my office whose hair transplant was so obvious I could do nothing except gawk. He looked maybe a week or two post-op. Probably had his head shaved with a 2 clipper. He was a Norwood 5 maybe. You could see the stitches so clearly. But then I started convincing myself that maybe it wasn't actually a hair transplant, and that he just got an awful haircut and/or had a laceration. It made me realize how I never would have noticed his hair or thought about this a year ago before I began researching HTs. All of this paranoia that people realize we've had a hair transplant because there is a tiny slit in our haircut is probably in our heads. I have some pictures. I am debating whether to share them. I may at the one year mark. I'm trying to keep from staring at it too much / obsessing.

Well... Got my first post-op haircut today. Barber went too short. However, he couldn't see the scar. He just kept remarking that the last person who cut my hair did a terrible job because there was a "stacking line" where the stylist did a terrible job layering my hair. He didn't notice the scar or anything weird about the recipient area. He just kept saying the last barber must have been terrible. I guess I am healing really well. It feels sore, but isn't noticeable. I think I may be a good healer.

I have been horrible about keeping this thread updated, but I made a decision to try not to dwell too much on my procedure. The first 1.5 weeks were pretty bad. I am a very active person and I like to get out and do things with friends.I really hated being holed up in my house, trying to stay out of the sun and avoiding exercise. I had to cancel plans a few times with a girl I am seeing because my scar was showing pretty bad. The Dermatch has been a godsend though. It has concealed the scar very well. Only a slight line is visible on the right side of my head. It just looks like a bad haircut. Dr Cooley cleared me for full exercise (but no gym). That has really helped lift my spirits, as well. I got my stitches out over the weekend at an Urgent Care. The provider was in awe of the procedure. He was balding himself. He said it was probably the best hair transplant he's ever seen. He asked me for Dr. Cooley's info. He also said the wound is healing well. If I had to do this again, I would have taken more time off of work and grew my hair out a little longer than I had it at the time of the procedure. I was at about a 3-guard length pre-op. The scar was very visible afterword, especially with wet hair. I also think returning to work five days post-op was a little aggressive. These are all lessons learned. Maybe someone reading this benefits from them someday. I will try to post some of the pics I have taken at some point.

Alright, well I think that crisis has been averted. I had a temporary panic this weekend about the suture being too visible with a return to work scheduled for tomorrow. But a concoction of powder root concealer, topik, and hairspray appears to be concealing the suture well enough (or at least to the extent that it just looks like I've had a bad haircut). Still may just casually mention that I took a spill last week and had to get some stitches in the back of my head. The plan now is to let my hair grow and pick a new barber the next time I get a haircut. I'll keep my story updated with pictures and graft count. Thanks again for the advice.

I had the procedure this week. I echo the sentiments of every other Cooley who has posted on here. It was a great experience. Dr. Cooley was a cool guy and his staff was very helpful and accommodating. For the first time in my life, I actually feel like I actually have control over my hair loss. I will post pictures and statistics on grafts when I get them from Dr. Cooley. My only issue is that my barber cut my hair a little short the last time he cut it. My scar is visible. I have to return to work on Monday. Any suggestions on how I can conceal it if my hair doesn't grow enough before then? I was thinking about rubbing some Toppik or concealer on there.

Thanks for the input Chewy. The procedure is coming up. Looking forward to it, but still nervous. I will keep this thread updated.

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.