YodaHead

I have read that some clinics do this, but I don’t really understand the rationale. Why can’t they do extracting and transplanting of 50% grafts on day 1 and rest on day 2? What’s the benefit of making all incisions on day one and all extracting/transplanting on day 2.

@Kacan This is normal and expected. You are going through what’s known as the “ugly duckling” phase of the hair transplant. The transplanted hair will go into resting phase and shed (however the root under the skin is still intact). At about month 4 they should slowly start to sprout again. I don’t mean to be rude, but did you not read about this process before surgery and did your doctor not inform you about this?

Thank you @Gatsby! I am counting on that! Always great to get your feedback! Cheers.

@JD34 - Oh Nice!!. Congrats and good luck to you. Looking forward to reading your journey!! Keep us posted. Cheers.

They booked/paid the hotel for 4 nights as a part of the package, and they separately booked 3 additional nights that I requested, which I paid for when i arrived at the hotel. They also paid for transport from airport to/from hotel and also for all my visits to the clinic during my stay. They did very good job with coordination so I didn’t really have to struggle to find a cab or anything. You will know in advance who will pick you up and when. I was provided with the hotel booking confirmation about 5 days prior to my arrival. It was Sheraton and only 5 min drive from clinic. I did not wear anything on my head during my journey. Because I stayed there for 3 additional days, my scalp had chance to heal and it wasn’t even obvious that i had a surgery. People are so busy at airports—nobody cared. I did have some swelling but most of it was towards the back of my head. This is because I slept in sitting position with head slightly tilted backwards for 3 nights after surgery. Definitely carry a travel neck pillow.

Thank you! All the very best to you as well. I had a 10hr layover in Rio for my flight to Vitoria. So had to wait 10hrs for a flight that was only 1hr. Vitoria does not see much tourism, but the place is very safe. Stay at the hotel they book you in. The areas are well kept and I did not see any indication of danger during my stay of 7 days. I went to the beach once/twice and board walk—which is just 5 mins walk from hotel and it was beautiful.

1) To be as precise as I can: - May 29, 2023 - I made the first contact with his team. - May 30, 2023 - I was sent forms to fill by his pre-consultation team. - June 6, 2023 - They sent me pre-surgical plan pdf (generic pdf about his packages etc.) and offered to put me on a priority list for video consultation and said they will let me know the next available date soon. - June 13, 2023 - I followed up. - June 14, 2023 - They gave me the video consultation date of July 10, 2023. - They asked for photos from certain angles to be submitted prior to the meeting. - July 10, 2023 - Video consultation (approx 40 days after i first made contact). - I was very happy with video call so I contacted his team same day about surgery dates booking. If you are traveling from outside Brazil, i think it helps to let them know. - July 11, 2023 - They informed me that they are currently booking for June 2024 (one year away!). I told them I want to do it in december 2023 if possible. They said, they will note it and see if earlier date is possible. - July 27, 2023 - I followed up, asking them to block whatever date they have available in 2024, and to put me on a waiting list if earlier dates become available (preferably Dec 2023). - July 31, 2023 - They informed me that Jan 2024 dates have become available if I was interested. I said yes. 2) So basically 6 months after video consultation, I was in Brazil for HT. Tip: He has a solid team but some of them rely on google translate to communicate, so if you are texting, try to keep the language simple—just to avoid any miscommunications due to translation errors. Wish you the best. Feel free to reach out in case of any questions.

I am curious about this as well. The way it worked with me was that I was asked to pre-pay for aroubd 8.5k grafts. The estimate based on Dr. Pittella’s software was 11.5k grafts, hence, i was told that i would need to pay the remaining after surgery (i.e after day 2). At the end of day one, I was told the count of total grafts (6k) and dr. Said another around 6k can be done the next day. I was asked if i am okay with that plan. I was fine, so we moved ahead and i paid the remaining balance when i went for a wash on day 3.

So what dosage of fin are you taking daily? Not 5mg i assume.

Post day 10 it’s fine.

Could you provide more details on your HT and current donor situation? It will also help to see pictures of the actual situation. In general, review the surgeons reccommended by this forum.

I have recently got the HT but haven’t done any PRP. My doctor hasn’t mentioned it and it is not necessary.

Shedding is so common that it is rare when it does not occur.

The mid-scalp and the crown has started to fill up nicely! I am having a very positive feeling about this one. I think you will be pleasantly surprised in next few months! Cheers!

@Frosted Flaked - I believe we had met at Philly during Dr. Sethi’s visit last year. We had a good few minutes of talk. Dr. Sethi had introduced you as a “Dr. Nick”, which I took seriously and started asking you about your specialty 😀 Happy to read your journey brother. 5k grafts+SMP definitely works on you, especially with buzz cut. Considering you had lots of beard grafts—which could take a bit longer to grow, I think you will see more growth in next few months for sure! Happy growing! Keep us posted! Cheers.

Everyone heals differently. If your post-op pictures were not normal then i would have blamed the doc but to be honest the post-op looks normal so probably not the punch size issue. May be look into SMP to camouflage the scars?

That concern is legitimate. I think the punch size, surgeon skill, and your body’s healing abilities all play a part. Dr. Pittella himself did the beard extraction and he used smaller punch size for it. My brother did not believe anything was extracted from my cheeks/neck as there was not a single mark when i shaved a couple days back. I also did not have much option here considering poor donor availability and density requirements. I just had to take the chance and no regrets at this point.

He really is skilled surgeon, no doubt. I did discuss with him the density I wanted and his estimate was around 11k+ based on the software he uses for estimates/density etc. At the end of HT day 1 he gave me the breakdown and took my permission on utilizing more beard hair and reaching 12k. Whether or not i needed that many? I know sooner or later I am going to lose the remaining native hair and did not want to go back 2-3 times to finish the job (at least not in near future). I don’t know if i will/will not need another HT in future, but in case i do, Dr. Pittella said, we still have some in the bank (including chest hair).

Dr. Pittella’s approach with high NW cases is that he assumes there is nothing at the top (even if there are some hair). Because he does not prescribe Finasteride, he fills the entire top with high density with an assumption that the person is going to lose the native/miniaturized hair in near future and so the implanted grafts should provide enough density for long term. So with that said, I don’t think he would be able to work around every single native hair—especially with 12.5k grafts (on a small head such as mine).

It’s only day 14 and honestly, i don’t even see a single mark on my cheeks or neck. Also, it still looks like i can grow beard if i really wanted to. The density seems pretty good too. Of course, all this will start shedding soon…

You have already breached the ethics and patient privacy by saying what you just said above.

I would definitely not change your existing hairline. It looks fine. If you are going to bring it lower, you will have to densly pack it. Why waste the grafts just to make it look bad? If the few hair that you have below the existing hairline are bothering you, may be look into removing those grafts and place them to your existing hairline.

Looking right on track. You can expect excellent results with such good progress at month 4. Wish you the best.

Going out shouldn’t be a problem as long as you are careful. 1. You mentioned going to a “bar”. I hope you are not planning to consume alcohol soon after the procedure. You should wait a few days at least before drinking any alcohol. 2. Be careful getting in/out of car so you don’t bang your head. Also, carry umbrella…if rain is expected. 3. If you are going to be around too many people, just keep distance. I have some really stupid friends who like to just grab anything they find weird…lol. I am 10 days post-op as of today and I decided not to take any chance whatsoever and stayed put unless I really really had to get out. Spent too much money and efforts to get the damn thing done and I ain’t gonna mess it up. 😃

Fyi, Dr. Pittella posted my case on his instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2lS_36uVDA/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==