Gemini2

We asked about this--depends upon if/when/how much our scalps relax, and if there's enough laxity there eventually (we would do scalp exercises, wait a year or so, etc.) to be able to harvest enough grafts to make it worth doing another procedure--We certainly would like to hope "another pass" might give us the "full result" we had hoped for going in, but wouldn't want to risk any danger of permanently tight scalp, nerve damage, etc...but yes, it's a possibility... We'll just have to see where we are when we return for our 1-year+ follow up...! Will keep you posted...!

Hey, "HairDew," Thanks for your question... Yes, we had both definitely hoped for temple-closure as well on our procedures... Very unfortunately for us, because of our unusually tight scalps/lack of laxity, the doc was only able to get a little over half of the grafts (2800 for Paul, 3200 for me, instead of the 4000-5000+) we were hoping for in this first-pass... We had to make a call in the moment whether we wanted more coverage (i.e. lower, temple angles) but with less density overall, or less coverage (i.e. higher hairline, much-higher temples) but considerably more density... We opted for the latter--it was just kind of a judgement call in the moment... But yes, this lack of enough to close at the temples is definitely where we have a bit of regret/disappointment, but of course all of that was essentially out of the docs hands, and every month we are increasingly excited about our results...! Hope this helps...!

Hey There, Forum Readers-- This is Peter ("Gemini2") checking in again, on behalf of myself and my twin brother, Paul ("Gemini1")... Pretty exciting news this month! We are now at the 11-Month Mark, and we have to say that, as we start to approach the one-year-anniversary of our procedures, we have new evidence that makes us ever-increasingly optimistic that our ultimate-results will be quite, quite good! In just in the past two-weeks, we have both begun to experience a slightly more evident, and definitely noticeable increase in health and density of the transplanted hairs, as well as our overall hair as a whole...While I have returned to 5% minoxidil use, (in addition to our daily finesteride), and this could also certainly be a factor, Paul has NOT yet, and yet he is seeing a similar slight, but noticeable increase, too...! This is the really some of the first truly noticeable increase in density in some time, and is so, so encouraging-especially this "late" in the game... As you know from our previous posts, we BOTH had our procedures done on the same day with Dr. Hasson, and because of incredibly tight scalp-laxity in both of us, we weren't able to get the higher yield of grafts either one of us had hoped for with a mega-session (Paul got about 2800 and I got about 3200). This, along with a couple of stubbornly troublesome "patchy" areas, have really been concerning us the past few months, and though we have remained optimistic, we were concerned that ultimately the final results might not be what we had hoped originally going into our procedures. While the lower-yields have certainly made us have to re-adjust our expectations, we have been trusting that Dr. H's expertise and artistry would provide us with the best results that we could possibly have hoped for with the numbers we had... The ever-increasing health/density (even from 10.5 months to 11 months!) that we are seeing is hopeful evidence that our ongoing Trust and Faith in Dr. Hasson is WELL-placed! If we continue to experience the maturation of density and fullness over the next 6 months that we have in the past two weeks, AND the lighter and "patchier" areas continue to fill in as it seems they FINALLY may have begun to, we expect to be very satisfied patients indeed! As always, for pics of our progress, as well as more specific details of our individual experiences, please visit our Personal Hair Blogs ("Gemini1" and "Gemini2" respectively...!) Stay Tuned...!

Forum Update on Twin Brothers "Gemini 1" and "Gemini 2" 10 1/2 Months Dr. Hasson Hey, Forum Readers, It's Peter ("Gemini 2") checking in on behalf of myself and my twin brother Paul ("Gemini 1") at the 10 1/2 Month mark...! We are quickly closing in on the One-Year Anniversary of our hair Transplants with Dr. Hasson (Sept '09), and we both remain very grateful we chose Hasson and Wong for our procedures...! This month, we both saw continued slight but steady increase in density, and, by extension, coverage--especially in the areas that have been growing steadily all along... Encouraging and Exciting... We continue to be a tad concerned with the small patchy areas near the tops of the temples (on opposing sides--my left, Paul's right) and the outline/edges of the hairline on the sides... But we still have faith and hope for the next 2-6 months for increased density, naturalness and coverage in those areas as well... We've also both noticed a peculiar consistent disparity between our "good" and "bad" hair days... One day the hair seems to be coming in, full, dense and encouraging... Other days, we can't seem to do anything with it, or get the look or coverage we'd like at all... The good news is that the "good" days seem to equal or outnumber the "bad," and we are hopeful it continues to just be "part of the process" on our way to complete satisfaction...! As usual, please see our individual "Gemini1" and "Gemini2" blogs/topics/posts for pics and individual results...!

"Gemini Twins" 6-Months Post-Op Hi, Everyone! This is Peter ("Gemini2") checking in on behalf of myself and my twin brother, Paul ("Gemini1") at the 6-Month Mark, and it's definitely STARTING to get EXCITING...! Paul and I continue to have very similar ongoing experiences in our results, and have taken heart in the fact that we both seem to be advancing at the same pace...We feel lucky to have each other for a frame-of-reference, and hope we can continue to provide the same for all of you...! We are both enjoying what seems to be ever-increasing coverage and growth--especially on the top--and have both remarked how exciting it is to catch glimpses of ourselves in the mirror with an ever-darkening hairline...! The hairs started out very fine and light, and the progress is always slower than one would like, but DEFINITELY steady... As the momentum grows, so do our hopes...As seems to be the case every month, the more that comes in, and the thicker and stronger the hair grows, the faster we WANT it to grow--but ultimately there is no doubt that it IS coming in! We have always heard that the 7 and 8 month marks are where you begin to get a stronger picture of what you might expect longer-term, so we are hoping that the trend continues and increases! On a slight "down-side," we have also both noticed a slight increase in sensitivity and mild discomfort returning to mostly the donor area, but also a bit in the recipient areas... At first we were individually concerned, but again, when we realized that we were both experiencing the same thing, we relaxed a bit, and theorize that perhaps with the healing that is happening, the nerves and sensation are returning to the area, and this is actually ultimately a good thing! We will check in with Dr. H. on this to be sure, but until then we continue to be increasingly impressed and excited by his amazing work, and SO thankful that we chose H&W for our procedures...! Eagerly anticipating the 7-8 month growth! Stay Tuned...

Hey, Everyone! Though I just posted a lengthy reply to a specific question from Labrat, I also wanted to check in with the Forum as a whole on behalf of Paul and I (the "Gemini Twins"). We have just reached the 4-month mark, and continue to have (pardon the pun) virtually "identical" progress/results...! We are both (THANKFULLY!) seeing the first signs of REAL growth--especially in the front and at the hairline. And while it is truly JUST the FIRST signs (hopefully there is MUCH more to come!), it is a good deal more encouraging, as for the first time EVER, we are actually watching our hair grow THICKER rather than THINNER in front and on top! What last month were just wisps and very fine single hairs here and there, are actually thickening, lengthening, and providing at least the START of some actual "frontal coverage" for us... Pain and itching continue to lessen greatly with every month, and now it really is much more often a question of "tenderness-to-the-touch" than anything else, and only very occasional itching... We both continue to have some minor sensitivity, numbness and tenderness in our "problem area" (on the back left side of the donor area), but it gets better by the day, and we are hopeful in another month or so it will subside altogether...). The "pinkness" of the recipient area has improved greatly as well, and is now a very light-pink: almost unnoticeable for both of us, unless you were actually looking for it. The biggest evidence of the improvement between last month and this month is the fact that we both are routinely going out in public without our baseball caps now, and we have both returned to auditioning for the first time since our procedures as well--(albeit with the help of a bit of Dermmatch to help "fill in the blanks" still there...!) This was a huge step for us... We remain in touch with the office of Hasson and Wong, and they continue to provide much needed and appreciated help, guidance and encouragement--they are so committed to the long-term support and care of their patients, it NEVER goes unnoticed or unappreciated! They are the Best! As always, please check our individual blogs/sites for more detail of our specific experiences, and thanks for your continuing questions and support! We'll keep on keeping you posted!! Best, --Peter and Paul ("Gemini 2 and Gemini 1")

Hey, There, Labrat! Thanks so much for the comment! Yes, you are correct on the donor-density issue: we did not get nearly the grafts we had hoped for going in--(only about 2800 for Gemini1 and about 3200 for Gemini2) but please understand this was not really due to any fault of H&W... One of the biggest reasons we chose Hasson & Wong was because of their excellent reputation for high-density mega-sessions (you can see many examples of these results in their high-def videos posted on their home site). As you can imagine, as actors, unlike a regular office or desk-job, the change in appearance during the extended 5-12 month recovery process GREATLY affects our casting and employment options, and we really only wanted to go through this process ONCE if we could help it. Hasson and Wong have been the pioneers in 4000-5000+ mega-sessions for many years now--They have consistently achieved these (and even higher!) numbers in single sessions, and we were of course hopeful for those kinds of results in our procedures... BUT as you have very rightly pointed out, MUCH depends upon the donor himself, and every donor is different, the yield of grafts depending upon a number of factors, including scalp laxity, donor density and area, as well as quality of hair, etc... For Gemini1 and I, the lower-yield was indeed a combination of slightly lower-than-average donor density, and, you put it perfectly--"less-than-optimal" scalp-laxity. Indeed, even though we BOTH were RELIGIOUS about doing our scalp-laxity exercises for months leading up to our procedures, Dr. H reported to us when the surgery was complete that he would put us in the top 5-10% of "tightest scalps" he had EVER worked on, which severely limited our donor-yields... What I want to ADD to this, is that for any "average" surgeon out there, 2800-3200 grafts would probably be on the higher end of what could be expected in a single session, and we both feel that due to Dr. Hasson's expertise and mastery, he WAS able to get MORE grafts than any other doctor would have been able to, and UTILIZED them better than any other doctor would have as well! While we were certainly disappointed with the smaller-than-hoped-for-yields, we know our numbers are the exception that proves the rule, and that most "average-scalped-guys" could likely expect even better numbers...We are also confident that Dr. H got a better result FROM those yields than any other surgeon would have been able to--and for this we are exceedingly thankful! We are eagerly awaiting our results as we really do believe that even 2800-3200 from Dr. H is going to make a HUGE difference, and we'll certainly post those results as they come in! Also, Dr. Hasson has assured us that, depending on our satisfaction with this first-procedure outcome, there is always the option/possibility of a second-procedure (as scalp laxity returns after healing, more donor hair is able to be harvested) to achieve the hoped for 4000-5000 target numbers, and BELIEVE ME, if we chose to do this, we would NEVER go with a doctor OTHER than Dr. H! Thanks again for your kind-words, encouragement, and question: hope our answer helped clarify some things. And by the way, congratulations on finding Hasson and Wong for your upcoming procedure--both my brother and I are so thankful we went with H&W for ours, and our only real regret is that we didn't do it sooner! As the Nike commercial says, "Just Do It..." I'm telling you--ESPECIALLY AS A PERFORMER--you WON'T regret it! Best To You, and Keep US Posted! ---"Gemini 1 and Gemini 2"

Hey, Everyone! This is Peter ("Gemini2"), and Paul and I are very happy to report that our Journey with Hasson and Wong was absolutely a joy from the moment we walked in the doors of the clinic! Please read our individual blogs to get a more "in-depth" Moment-by-Moment/Month-by-Month account of our procedures (see "Gemini1" and "Gemini2" in the blog areas...), with pictures and dated entries to document the journey; but suffice to say that even just 6 weeks post-op, we are certain that choosing Hasson and Wong for our procedures was one of the single best personal AND PROFESSIONAL decisions we've ever made... If you're thinking about a transplant with H & W, you've found the very, VERY BEST! More to Come as the Journey Continues...! ---Peter and Paul ("Gemini2" and "Gemini1")