DonnaB

Lisa-Glad that you are happy withyour results also. My chemical peel was done without a patch test and with 50% TCA whereas 30% is more common (other than on cheek bones which tend to have coarser skin and more discoloration from sun exposure). From what they can figure-since the skin on the sides was the most damaged--solution likely to have run into the hairline there also from too liberal application. After all the debridements, hyperbaric chambers, etc-a new doctor was able to remove 1 cm of the 3 cm of scarring ( a mini-face lift but by no means perfect due to limitations with scarring) but the hair loss made the scarring all the more prominentand noticeable. Having had all the negative experiences, I went into the hair transplant more anxious than the average pt. Glad to have everything behind me now. Be aware-being a board ceritified facial plastic surgeon does not require a specific residency/fellowship. Thus an Ear, Nose and throat doctor may submit x number of cases (usually nose jobs or earlobe repairs) to a credentialing committee and they review the operative reports and issue the board certification. Not the same as a board ceritifed plastic surgeon! They sound similar so many are mis-lead. I learned the hard way (although there may be good ones out there). Beware. That is why this forum is so good at providing education on hair topic; so people don't have such bad experiences.

Thank you for your reply and the information on your facility and website for women. I agree that there is a huge market and many potential female patients who would benefit from this. I am a nurse practitioner in a private affluent OBGYN office in Las Vegas and recognize the need for this speciality from the patients I see. Our city of 2 million has little hair transplant experience (I know- as I researched it). So, if you are looking for a West coast location-may I suggest here vs Los Angeles? My hair loss occured after a chemical peel gone bad (a nightmare of a story); then multiple debridements,a mini-facelfit to try to remove some tissue but peristent scarring/hair loss. The new hair gained has done wonders to making me feel whole again.It has been more effective than the min-facelfit that only removed 1.5 cm of the sacr tissue on the side of my face. The plastic surgeon recommended hair transplant and suggested I seek a specialist who does it on a large scale basis. (You never know how vain you are until you go from an attractive person to one with a visible facial deformity). I still have scar tissue but having some hair to help cover it has been such a morale booster. Please feel free to share this with others--even if their results are not 100% in hiding a cosmetic deformity--the coverage gained has made a world of difference!

I will post photos with results as there are so few on there for females-- and they are encouraging!! When people see these, they will do it in a minute (pain is tolerable if you know what to expect and are supported and medicated as needed post-op) :-) Thanks for your response.

I had my original procedure done in April and have excellent results. I didn't post for a long time as found the whole procedure "more than I bargained for", had significant areas of focal scalp pain above the graft site for several weeks afterwards (that the doctor was less than sympathetic about). However, now that we are almost 6 months out with great coverage and all pain long resolved, I am a "happier camper" and consider it worth the ordeal. I am surprised that we don't have more postings by women... My advice is to do more homework than I did ahead of time-I had only a five min phone conversatin with the doctor and probably would have realized in a face to face that we were not the best fit. The office never requested that I report results or called after my complaints of pain to see if pain resolved or what my final outcome was... Realize that your initial contact is in many cases a marketing and PR expert. You may or may not see that person in the office which is what you care about. Find out how long the staff have been working there and their experience. Chat with them-are they cordial and knowledgable? Get lots of patients opinions, experiences and outcomes. If the physician has to pay a fee to be on a "list"-then realize it is not totally an unbiased list. The surgeon may be excellent or just have good marketing skills. In my case, I had less than a desirable experience but excellent hair growth. Many would consider the latter outcome more important than the first... I agree but think that whenever you can find both--go for the full package! Good luck to all women venturing into this male dominated topic!

I had my original procedure done in April and have excellent results. I didn't post for a long time as found the whole procedure "more than I bargained for", had significant areas of focal scalp pain above the graft site for several weeks afterwards (that the doctor was less than sympathetic about). However, now that we are almost 6 months out with great coverage and all pain long resolved, I am a "happier camper" and consider it worth the ordeal. I am surprised that we don't have more postings by women... My advice is to do more homework than I did ahead of time-I had only a five min phone conversatin with the doctor and probably would have realized in a face to face that we were not the best fit. The office never requested that I report results or called after my complaints of pain to see if pain resolved or what my final outcome was... Realize that your initial contact is in many cases a marketing and PR expert. You may or may not see that person in the office which is what you care about. Find out how long the staff have been working there and their experience. Chat with them-are they cordial and knowledgable? Get lots of patients opinions, experiences and outcomes. If the physician has to pay a fee to be on a "list"-then realize it is not totally an unbiased list. The surgeon may be excellent or just have good marketing skills. In my case, I had less than a desirable experience but excellent hair growth. Many would consider the latter outcome more important than the first... I agree but think that whenever you can find both--go for the full package! Good luck to all women venturing into this male dominated topic!

While I was recovering from my transplant (and it has been a process)--I missed this big issue. I have read between the lines and followed the threads and found this entire forum both to have some excellent infromation but also to have what I belive to be some schills. Personal stories have always been one of the best means to influence someone to buy. It is the consumer's responsibility to wisely research what they are buying. Individuals who report problems only to have their post followed with recommendations about their physicians or an immediate NEW post with a "wonderful" experience are obvious to me. I don't believe for a minute that there are not a few "patients" on any network who have benefitted by a physician incentive for their referrals. It should be obvious to participants to anticipate that this occurs. It doesn't mean that all of the information and posts are not valid though. Truth will prevail and the wider this forum the better to ensure this. Read the posts and see if they feel real and make sense. If everyone is rosy about their experience-beware. A GOOD open forum will have a curve of experiences, outcomes and a variety of questions/responses.

Now I know why my day didn't go as well in Alexander's office and why I wasn't as relaxed-- I am not a guy so did not have quite the pleasure of the staff that you did :-) :-) They were all very competent and the technique impeccable though! Only two weeks out from mine also...

I too am a woman who just had hair restoration surgery. The forum generally offers very good advice. I think their recommendations about seeking advice about the reason for your hair loss is of primary importance also. If you are a candidate for hair restoration surgery, then be aware that it poses a few challenges for women that I wasn't aware of going into it. I knew nothing about it except they will take a little strip from the back of your hair and make microscopic incisions in the needed areas to transplant the hair. Sounded simple enough but oh so much more to learn. Do your research and read for content and apply to your situation. I am going to take their advice and search for women's topics since I am only two weeks out. If you decide to go into it, then write back!

Thank you for the encouragement. I am glad if people felt they had a pleasant day and enjoyed the movies during their procedure and had absolutley no pain that they remember afterwards--but I feel it may be the power of positive results working its magic along with a tincture of time! I just wanted to post so that if anyone else is researching the topic-they do not have unreal expectations or feel a performance anxiety like I did (to be like the pain-free casual people on the post). The way they market and package out of town stays-you get the idea that you are going on vacation! Don't plan a big evening out to celebrate--at least not until your hair starts to come in!!! Looking forward to letting everyone know over time how much better I feel and sharing my results.

Your willingness to answer questions in an unbiased manner-who do you work for now? What prompted you to become involved in the network? Have you yourself had any transplantation work done? I also am a medical professional and would caution you to not become involved in anything but generic answers (especially in those pts having potential complications or bad outcomes) or your current employer will share your liability (if any) in your response to questions :-) General information may be helpful but beware getting too specific in pts requests....

I had written pre-procedure with questions and appreciated your encouragement. Unfortunatley-my fears were realized and I found it to be a most unpleasant expereince. I have to hand it to you men-they say that women are the stronger sex and I have even had natural childbirth--but I thought the procedure was very uncomfortable and long! I wanted to post before I wrote something all cheery in a few weeks-I think anybody else reading should realize the potential for a painful/tense experience vs a rosy story written after the fact. The doctor was verbally very kind and encouraging but I could have used a lot more relaxation (medication).I was a tense wreck with a headache even before they started. My local wore off every 30 min or so--all in all a very unpleasant day. We will see if I am any happier in a few weeks!?! The post op pain in the donor site is worse than I expected too. I have significant pain which makes no sense to me. I expected to be pain free within 48-72 hours. I must be the wimp of the hair transplant club. Hats off (no pun intended) to the rest of you!!!!! I will try to get pics figured out on the site--my hair loss situation is a little unusual but there may be another woman someday who will be helped by it.

I had written pre-procedure with questions and appreciated your encouragement. Unfortunatley-my fears were realized and I found it to be a most unpleasant expereince. I have to hand it to you men-they say that women are the stronger sex and I have even had natural childbirth--but I thought the procedure was very uncomfortable and long! I wanted to post before I wrote something all cheery in a few weeks-I think anybody else reading should realize the potential for a painful/tense experience vs a rosy story written after the fact. The doctor was verbally very kind and encouraging but I could have used a lot more relaxation (medication).I was a tense wreck with a headache even before they started. My local wore off every 30 min or so--all in all a very unpleasant day. We will see if I am any happier in a few weeks!?! The post op pain in the donor site is worse than I expected too. I have significant pain which makes no sense to me. I expected to be pain free within 48-72 hours. I must be the wimp of the hair transplant club. Hats off (no pun intended) to the rest of you!!!!! I will try to get pics figured out on the site--my hair loss situation is a little unusual but there may be another woman someday who will be helped by it.

Your reply sounds realistic to me. What about the discomfort of trying to sleep because I will have donor sites from upper temples to ears on both sides and the donor site in the back? That leaves my face? or drying to lie gingerly on the donor site?

Thanks for your reply. However, you are calmer than I,if you drift off watching movies.I can't sit still for an hour -probably cause I have such a fast paced job and life. I hope he doesn't want to shoot me. -lol