NoMoreHats111

2 hours ago, harry_potter1 said:

Neat and clean result, not extraordinary one but few are. As long as you are happy I think it was good option for you.

And loved the dating app comment  

That's actually exactly how I feel.  Not extraordinary but better than before so I'm OK.  Thanks for the comment!

OK so about 14 mths in and some of the hairs from the shedding have grown back, feels like this is as thick as it will get.  Before and after.

So the year is here.  Here are the before and afters:

Facts and observations in no particular order:

1. I no longer wear hats.  Like, almost never, which is inconceivable to me... my username has been fulfilled!
2. I think I experienced a pretty moderate case of shedding between 9mths and 12mths.. I still think I may have had more/thicker hair at 6-7mths than now.  There are alot of baby hairs still growing back as we speak though, can't tell from the pics obviously.
3. If I grow my hair out to longer lengths the front hairs do jut out at a slightly unnatural angle, I like to keep my hair this length anyway so not really an issue
4. I do wonder what would've been different if I'd gone FUT vs FUE?
5. I am going to get SMP on my temples to give the side hairline of my face a little bit more definition
6. Crown transplant will probably be 3+ years down the road
7. On the dating apps front, I am definitely getting better looking matches than before, this is a no brainer but just thought I'd throw it out there

All in all, I feel much better confidence-wise now and I don't really worry much about my hair in public anymore.  Hope my journey will help some people in the future!!

6 hours ago, bman3082 said:

Hey man how u feeling about it at 6 months? Fellow rahal patient and almost 7 months FUT and looking about the same! Hang in there! I know its hard having a see through hairline

I think I feel anxious.  Happy with the improvement over where I came from obviously and just trying to keep expectations in check for the final product... 

Thanks all for your support it means alot!

Six month update.. 

11 hours ago, Curious said:

You had two days of surgery with Dr. Rahal?

Nope just one session for hairline restoration.  Maybe crown down the line..

13 hours ago, GrowNewHair said:

Are you on finasteride?

I'd love to get procedure done with Dr. Rahal. The only thing is (as with HT in general), finasteride gives me bad side effect.

I felt extremely dizzy for three days after taking it (1.25 mg) and that was enough to convince me to stay away from it.

Just wondering if you were on med.

 

Nope just Rogaine.  No intention of taking other medicine.

Three months in... a bunch of the transplanted hair did not fall out and grew instead.  Some tiny hairs starting to poke out (hard to tell from the pics), nothing to get excited about yet.  Sorry I suck as a photographer.

So just over a month now, not much to report but thought I'd give an update.  Donor area a little sore still but seems to be healing ok.  Recipient area still red and still has a bunch of transplanted hair left, haven't gone back to work yet.  Sorry for the low quality pic.

On 9/3/2018 at 8:46 PM, Lochtide7 said:

I am wondering why you say more bang for the buck with FUT, thanks!

Some people say less shock loss, more density, saves donor hair, and is way cheaper.  I'm happy so far with my FUE decision.

Hi guys.  So its done, went with the full shave.  Dr. Rahal and team were excellent, I felt well taken care of during the entire experience, and boy what an experience.  Some swelling as expected in the face, most intrusive part of post-op is the sleeping at 45 degrees and the weird hats but definitely not a big deal for a week or two.  Missing the gym the most.  I requested 4-6 weeks to work from home so by the time I get back I should mostly look the way I did when they last saw me, I've been pretty open with this anyway.

Sorry I didn't get to update during Day 0 and 1 but here are some Pre-op & Day 2 pics.  Lighting is a bit weird/yellow in the bathroom so take that into consideration.  2800 FUE grafts on the nose, conservative hairline restoration only.. crown later sometime down the road maybe.  Doesn't seem like there's going to be any noticeable scarring at all and I plan to buzz the back and sides to a 2 guard.  Pretty pleased so far just tempering my expectations and joy for when I actually see results!

Does someone need to move this thread into a different section?

Hey guys.  My FUE surgery will be this Friday, just need some last minute advice.  I would really like your opinion as to whether or not to completely shave my head.  I would like to avoid this if at all possible but would not want to sacrifice quality on the end result.

Can I get your input on pros and cons and reasoning please?

Thanks

Hmmmm...so what’s the $$$$ difference in FUT vs FUE?? I know that I’ve ALWAYS heard Dr Rahal has way better FUT results. I have zero doubt about the mans skills ( ill be getting my second one from him sometime very soon)!!!

Just wondering about price. Dr Rahal is great. You made a great decision. !!!

I don't recall exactly, 3-4k maybe for my situation. Just ask them they'll tell you the standard pricing.

Good decision! Keep us posted on the outcome.

OK so just got back from my meet and greet with Dr. Rahal himself. Spent 20 minutes to measure my head, talk to me about my concerns, and gave me a recommendation, all while people were rushing him to get to his next appointment. Instead of rushing he was calm and stayed with me as long as I needed, which I respect greatly (maybe because I owe him 5 digits and the next guy didnt? lol). We confirmed the ~5000 graft donor availability, that 2800-3000 grafts could easily be done, and that 45ish follicles per square cm was achievable with that amount.

He checked my scalp elasticity and to my surprise said it was fine for FUT. Donor density also fine for FUT. However, he did notice that my skin scars with pigment, and also looked at an old booster shot scar on my shoulder which has grown in weird ways. There is also apparently an Asian predisposition to bad body skin healing leading to larger and more colored scars which he informed me of. So based on all that, he felt confident that the original FUE recommendation would suit me better. He also explained that in the last 2 years his practice has made great improvements on FUE technique (implanters, dull punch?, etc) and he sees zero difference now in terms of yield, density, shock loss etc between his FUT and FUE procedures. I'm not sure I buy this 100% but at least he said the words and seemed sincere.

Long story short I walked out mostly reassured and on track for my end of Aug surgery.

Funny aside, I also just had my eyes lasered, and I am that one guy you never hear about.. can't see properly and have to go back. So not feeling great with surgery odds at the moment.. if something is going to go wrong its going to go wrong with me. Fingers crossed guys.

Funny aside #2, the receptionist there is dressed like a club girl, reason to choose Rahal on its own.

OK you guys win lol, managed to get an appt with Rahal in two weeks for a final consult.

Too late lol. He doesn't do FUT in Toronto yet and apparently my scalp would need some serious massaging to handle it.

OK thanks!

Well thats scary. Can you elaborate please, I will only see Dr. Rahal the day before the surgery and I'm assuming I will have had to pay the entire balance by then.

Yes, I can't remember how many days in Toronto but its not alot. And FUE only. I ended up going with Rahal, will turn this into an update thread.

I forgot to mention that in the Rahal consult they did assess my scalp stretchiness and deemed that I would need some serious stretching for FUT. Not sure if that changes things?

Thanks for the reply. Are you suggesting strip due to my specific hairloss situation or based on the doctors histories/competencies?

Comments anyone?

Don't know what happened to the pictures, here they are

Hi folks. So I'm finally ready to take the plunge, live in Toronto Canada and have narrowed my short list to Dr. Nadimi in Chicago (of Konior fame), H&W in Vancouver, and Dr. Rahal in Toronto. My consults with each of them went like this:

Dr. Nadimi:

• FaceTime consult
  
• Surgery in Chicago
  
• 1500-2000 FUE grafts recommended, could be all the way up to 2400
  
• Shes not entirely sure she can get 2400 FUE grafts from my donor area based on photos and not-so-great FaceTime connection
  
• She will perform all extracts and most implants, will be there the entire time
  
• Does not feel comfortable doing more than 2400 FUE in a session due to scalp blood supply and time that grafts need to be implanted by (~8 hours)
  
• Uses latest tech, hybrid dull/sharp punch, learned everything from Konoir
  
• Potentially a discount for future hair transplants
  
• No official growth guarantee
  
• Recommended to stay in Chicago for a week to get looked after by the clinic
  
• Seems like a high end operation
  

Dr. Rahal (Aaron and Tara did the consult):

• Aaron started the consult and was decent, called in Tara in the middle who blew me away
  
• In person consult
  
• Surgery in Toronto
  
• Measured a total of approx 5000 FUE grafts available in donor area
  
• 2500-3000 FUE grafts recommended for 1st transplant of hairline, will likely need another 2500 down the road for crown and touch up, aiming for 45-50 follicles per square cm
  
• Estimated Norwood 4-5 in the future
  
• No issues doing 3000 FUE in 8 hours, they have done 4200 in a day before
  
• Also uses latest hybrid dull/sharp punch tech
  
• Rahal and Mike will perform the extractions, Rahal will make the incisions and someone other than Rahal will implant
  
• Growth guarantee and free touch ups (not sure what the fine print is around this)
  
• Discounted graft rate for future transplants
  
• Patient care team access for a year
  
• Suggested pairing with PRP
  

Hasson & Wong (James did the consult):

• In person consult
  
• Surgery in Vancouver
  
• 3000 FUE grafts recommended, possibly have 5000-6000 FUE grafts in donor area
  
• 3000 FUE done over two days, they limit surgeries to about 2000 FUE per day
  
• Recommended Dr. Hasson due to hairline objective (Wong more for crown work)
  
• Each doctor has performed 10,000+ surgeries
  
• Also uses latest hybrid dull/sharp punch tech, 0.85 punch size
  
• Techs do the extraction and implantation, Hasson performs incisions
  
• Estimated Norwood 5A future recession
  
• Informal growth guarantee and free touch ups
  
• Discounted future transplants
  
• For out of town patients they offer free lodging (3 days), taxis to and from the airport, and a partial flight credit
  

I have to say, Rahal's team did the best sell job and I'm leaning that way.. but is 2500-3000 FUE too ambitious for one day? Am I risking hairs due to them rushing? I don't want to bias your opinion any more than that, but based on your experience on this forum, knowledge, what was said above and my pictures, what would you do? Any other insight or commentary you could offer before I make the plunge? Are there any other GTA doctors that I must absolutely check out? Hoping to finalize a decision in the next few days.

REALLY appreciate all the help and support you guys can give.

Thanks.