Satisfied Patient

In response to Jon2345, I picked dr Josephitis by virtue of having FUE. Dr Shapiro focuses on FUT.

57 when I had it done. Wish I had done it in my 40s

Thx…one and done

14 months …

I did a phone consult, mainly due to COVID. For anyone considering this practice, admin issues aside (and I had none), SMG is a fantastic practice. Regarding wait and timing, I was given a date almost a year out. I was ready to roll and asked to get on a cancellation waiting list. I was forewarned that I needed to be prepared to drop everything at a moments notice, which I was, and sure enough, less than two months later the phone rang. I bring this up for those who want to go with SMG but don’t want to wait.

Adding profile shots. Forgot to mention daily use of rogaine for 30 years and finasteride for 15 years. No adverse effects from finasteride. One thing to consider for all you young guys is the slightly different graying as you get older from the back and sides to the top. Not a big deal for me, and you can always dye it, but thought I would mention. Very pleased w Dr Joe. Consider myself a “one and done.”

Photos show pre-op, immediate post op, 10 day post op and 9 month post op. Full results won’t be achieved until months 12-15, though I am already pleased.

Working pics …

One telling observation I made when looking at SMG was that the bulk of the staff has been there for 20 plus years. This is of course not common anymore, particularly in an industry that appears to have a fairly significant amount of turnover. SMG is special in this regard, and consistent patient satisfaction is the result. SMG has also consistently had the best rated staff and the best rated practice that I have seen out there. From the Front office staff to the consultant (Matt Z), to the surgeons, Dr Ron Shapiro and Dr Josephitis, and the very professional nurses/technicians, this place runs like a well oiled machine. The entire process, in my experience, was seamless and very well executed every step of the way. I admittedly conducted exhaustive research and did consults with a number of other practices before making a decision, both in person (3 HT surgeons) and via phone consults (mainly due to COVID). Consults were with the practices that are considered on HT forums to be “the best in the industry.” Most of you looking at a HT and reading this review are probably very familiar with the names and likely have already read reviews on these practices. Incidentally, in my experience, ratings for SMG were very consistent with what I personally experienced during my consultation and procedure. There were no surprises; each element of care met or exceeded my expectations. Ultimately, once I resolved to carrying this procedure out, my “who to go with” was based on three things. The first was online ratings (Google, Yelp, Realself, healthline, YouTube, forum reviews/testimonies, and others). My research was admittedly very time consuming and pretty extensive. While I found that no practice is without detractors, SMG was by far the highest rated (probably by 98-99% of patients). The second reason in choosing SMG was the type/size of the procedure I desired/was suited for. I am retired military and desired FUE to maintain the sides cut at a 2. I was told by most practices that I needed approximately 2500 grafts. Some practices are set up nicely for this (ie about 2500 grafts with the ability to go with short hair on the sides), but many are not. SMG has the advantage of having 2 top surgeons, one who specializes in FUT (Dr Shapiro) and the other in FUE (Dr Josephitis). Some practices, while claiming to do both, gravitate to FUT or exclusively do only FUE. For many practices, FUE is a lower percentage of patients and in those practices, there is a limit to the number of grafts a Dr will comfortably do in a session with FUE. I wanted a practice completely familiar with and well practiced at FUE at my desired level. Lastly, but certainly not least, my decision was based on comfort level and rapport during the consult, something you can’t really measure but intuitively know when you get there. Yes, I spent much time researching and traveled around the country to do consults, but IMO, when you are talking about doing something that essentially alters your appearance, it is worth every minute, every dollar spent and every mile traveled. Incidentally, one tie breaker for SMG above and beyond the consult was Matt Z’s procedure result and accompanying photos. Here was a guy working in the industry doing a procedure very similar to what I desired mine to be and was doing it at his employer. The results were outstanding, and it was another positive indicator for me. You will notice I did not discuss cost as a primary consideration ... while certainly a factor, I personally don’t believe it should be the primary driver, again because you are altering your appearance. A couple of thousand dollars more or less will not be remembered in a decade. Looking in the mirror daily will be remembered for a lifetime. Having said that, SMG pricing was competitive with the rest of the US industry. I did choose to rule out international options, mostly due to complicated logistics, especially with COVID. I did some research on one practice in Canada and one in Mx, but in the end due to logistics, COVID, and God forbid, malpractice laws, I stayed domestic. Another thing to note...SMG has constantly been scheduled out for at least 6 months. There is a reason for that, even though they don’t advertise like others do. There was no “glitzy” social media push or advertising “hype” with SMG. I don’t believe they need to do any of that. They appeared to have a very steady stream of patients because of their abilities and reputation in the industry. FUE at my level, in the end 2605 grafts, was a day and a half. Day one consisted of an afternoon show (1 PM) with admin tasks (review of financials, ordering lunch for the next day, photos), then a Dr Joe final consult including the drawing of the proposed hairline, a haircut, and the prepping of the recipient site, which for me was the frontal third and some minor temporal work. I had previous scarring from two skin cancer procedures in the recipient area, which we also discussed in detail (wasn’t an issue). Dr Joe carefully explained everything, the hairline was drawn out and thoroughly discussed (I sent photos of two “options” to my wife, and he was most patient!), then we went next door for a haircut (by Dr Joe), followed by a move to the next door down that led to a nicely staffed OR, where nurses/techs were all patiently waiting to go to work. The numbing process was relatively painless, a movie selection was resolved, then the recipient sites were prepared. Prior to recipient sites being prepared, Dr Joe took several donor samples, with techs then looking at the samples under a microscope to ensure all was well before proceeding with preparing all the recipient sites. This was likely his final “go/no-go” step before starting the procedure. All was well. Those samples were placed in a few of the initial recipient sites so as to not be wasted, then remaining recipient site incisions were completed, and I was sent home for the evening. The next morning the donor area was the focus. Dr Joe asked again whether I liked “the look” of the recipient area based on the incisions the day previous before he proceeded. Following numbing, Dr Joe did all removals while two techs with microscopes patiently waited for their roles: analyzing and dividing the grafts. This part I found to be more proof in my mind that all the research I did was now paying off. This was being run like a hospital OR would be run for major surgery; by a coordinated and seamless team, and it was quite evident (even under the influence of pain medication) that all of these people were professionals in their specialties who knew exactly what they were doing. While I admittedly slept through much of the rest of the procedure, I do recall nurses or techs assisting with placements, as I recall having one on each side making placements that Dr Joe had made incisions for the previous evening and having Dr Joe inspect/direct this process from the middle. Again, I sensed I was in great hands and that this practice was living up to its reviews and expectations. The grafts were out of my body for a minimum time, they were well handled under microscopes, and they were being placed in the prepared incisions, all under the direction of the surgeon who had made the recipient site incisions (direction, depth, natural flow, and all the things that matter) the afternoon prior. After the procedure was completed, I was able to place a loose baseball cap on my head and caught an Uber to the hotel. I elected to stay in town for three additional days, letting SMG wash the grafts the day after surgery and one more additional day before I was comfortable doing it myself. My recovery was better than expected. The guidance was clear, I slept decently and I applied the saline spray as instructed. My flight home, again with a loose baseball cap on, was uneventful and undetectable. My main concerns at this point were bumping my head and damaging/losing grafts, as well as experiencing months of redness due to having a light complexion. Damage risk was no big deal. Reasonable care ensured I didn’t lose grafts. I took two weeks off from work, although I likely could have returned earlier. Scabbing was gone by day 9. With each day, the redness faded. After three weeks, the redness was almost completely gone. After 4 weeks, it was completely gone. Throughout this time period, I kept the rest of my hair buzzed short to try to match or at least resemble graft stubble. I had a couple of questions along the way during my first couple of weeks, which were answered promptly by Dr Joe through Matt. On one of the occasions I made contact, Dr Joe called back directly to clarify, and he answered my questions on the spot. Again, every step of the way, SMG operated like a surgical practice and not a marginally staffed “transplant business.” By week 4-5 (even with a light complexion and having had blond hair growing up), my appearance was completely the same as before I had the procedure done. I will note that we have two teenagers at home, and though I wore a ball cap around the house for the first 2-3 weeks, after that I did not, and neither of them ever said anything….they never noticed I even had the procedure. Life had suddenly returned to normal to what it had been pre-op. It was comforting to me, in that I knew at this point that even if the procedure failed, I would not look different to what I did going into the procedure, albeit with a lighter wallet. The graft hairs did fall out at about the 1-month mark, as had been explained to me. I was admittedly a little disappointed, but it was all normal and to be expected. By 2 months 3 weeks, wispy hair subtly began to appear. I had expected a look like the grafts looked those first few days, ie “pop, pop, pop” stubble, but it instead began to appear as very fine “see through” baby hair. It was subtle and hardly noticeable even under my close scrutiny. I only noticed a difference by comparing it to my “before” photos that I had kept on my phone. Sure enough, it was beginning to come in, although it was essentially “peach fuzz” at this point. At the 3 month point, more whispy hair appeared. Sure enough, it was coming in. Under bright light it was see through and hardly looked like hair, but in a darker light setting I could begin to see a no kidding profile of a head of hair. By month 4, I was honestly startled (in a good way!) looking in the mirror each morning. Though not as thick as the rest of my hair, I had no-kidding hair on the head. My barber had real hair to cut, and my profile was one of a person with hair on their head. The look, though still more sparse than the rest of my hair, was completely natural looking. I could also feel smaller hairs coming in and knew at this point that density would continue to increase. Months 5 and 6 resulted in more growth. I could still see and feel younger hair coming in, and a general subtle thickening had continued. Though not yet thick, I had an honest to goodness head of hair. It was remarkable! I was pleasantly surprised every morning looking in the mirror. Though anticipated, the experience was still surprising somehow and the transformation, I believe remarkable. Month 6-7 showed a gradual increase in thickness. When wet, it was still apparent (to me at least), that I had “work done,” but when dry the look was natural. I now suspected that as density increased, the wet look would appear natural as well, and sure enough, by about 8 months, that was the case. Month 9 and I expect through months 12-15 will only serve to strengthen the appearance of fullness as the hair, now mostly in, matures and thickens. Though it has been a journey, for me it was well worth it. Things I didn’t fully anticipate: Slightly decreased density on the back and sides, though undetectable by the rest of the world, was noticeable to me, especially after a hair cut when the familiar “bristle” feel on the sides and back was “less bristly.” At this point I resolved myself to limiting to one procedure, successful or otherwise. Appearance did not differ. Numbness on top was also a player through the 4th month. It led to having to be careful to prevent bumping my head (though I did several times after the grafts were fully placed weeks and months later). It also felt strange running a comb or brush across my scalp. The numbness wasn’t a constant companion; it came and went, but consistently felt strange to the touch those first several months. Though I was prepared for pimples in the recipient area beginning at the 3-4 month point (which I actually never got), I did not anticipate having them in the donor area. They occurred in my scalp months 1-4. I took this as a good sign, believing that stem cells still remaining were regrowing hair follicles that were previously removed. I’m not positive that was the case, but I think it probably was. Conclusion: I had admittedly obsessed (which really doesn’t fit my personality) over post op appearances and perceptions. What I ultimately found was that this procedure was really no big deal. Yes, you look “a little goofy” for a week to 10 days, but it was not the big deal I was concerned it would be. We went about our lives as a family and at about the 4-5 week point, it was largely forgotten I ever had the procedure. I didn’t obsess over it and it wasn’t at all a factor in my day. The huge difference, I would note, was that in looking in the mirror briefly each morning and seeing wispy hair, knowing that my hair was thickening and not thinning gave me a whole new perspective. It was a really nice feeling, and it just got better and better with each week. After wrestling for YEARS over this decision, and then once made, who to go with, my ONLY regret is that I didn’t do this 10 years ago. Throughout this experience, and especially now in seeing the results, I personally believe that SMG is one of the best practices in the industry, if not the best. I would absolutely do this again and would absolutely choose Dr Josephitis from SMG to do it.