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Dr. Christine Shaver, a board-certified dermatologist with Bernstein Medical Center for Hair Restoration in New York City, speaks with Allure magazine about possible difficulties in hair restoration for women. Read more here: https://www.schweigerderm.com/press/the-future-of-hair-loss-treatments-will-involve-a-lot-more-robots/ -
Hello there folks - long time lurker in this forum. I finally decided to go in for my procedure this week. I chose Dr. Scott Alexander in Phoneix for my procedure. I had consulted with a few other doctors as well, and all of them gave me pretty much the same recommendations (except one): 1. Dr. Blake Bloxham - 2500 - 3000 FUT 2. Dr. Jae Pak - 2000 - 2500 FUT 3. Dr. Sahar Nadimi(Konior) - 2500 - 3000 FUT 4. Dr. Shaver (Bernstein) - 2500 FUT 5. Dr. Hasson - 5000 FUE 6. Dr. Alexaner 3000+FUT I also tried contacting Dr. Gabel a couple of times, but didn't get a response. I decided to go in with Dr. Alexander because of his excellent results that look extremely natural. Also, he was closer to me than the others (I live in NorCal) I am not going to bore you all with the details of my history - but just a quick background - Norwood 5A, Age 28 and been on Fin for past 1.5 years. I initially had a FaceTime consult with Dr. Alexander where he examined my hair and answered any questions I had. He recommended a 3000+ FUT as a first procedure to address the hairline and frontal scalp. And another 3000+ FUT after a year for the crown area. I booked a procedure date with him for Sept 10th. Since he had not physically seen me before, I was asked to come in the day before my procedure. He examined my donor and drew the hairline he thought would look good. I liked the design. I was out in about 20 minutes. The next day I was asked to be in the clinic at 7.30 AM. I was kinda nervous in the beginning. I had to sign some paperwork and they offered me a Xanax (which I refused). I then went in to meet Dr. Alexander. He started by drawing the hairline again. A few changes and we were ready to start. I was numbed at the back and he started to cut out the strip. This took about an hour. I was told I have thick skin. LOL (turns out my Mom was right all these years) Dr. Alexander then started stitching me up. He uses two layers of stitches. This procedure took about 1.5 hours. In the meantime, his techs started dissecting the strip in the next room. I was also asked for my choice of lunch. Next, I was numbed up in the front. Dr. then started making the incisions into which he would place the grafts. He told me he wanted to concentrate and not to talk to him. I selected a movie, and let him do his work. This took about 2-3 hours. I then had a quick lunch and went back into the procedure room. The techs then started placin the grafts into my head. Dr. Alexander only came in to numb me up when needed. The techs took turns working on me (about 4 of them in total, 2 of them planting hairs at one time). This took about 3.5 hours. I finally finished around 5.40 PM. A couple of tips for others looking to have a HT soon: 1. Eat well the morning of your procedure. I usually do not eat breakfast. But since this was a big day, I had a light breakfast (I couldnt eat well because I'm not used to it and I was nervous). Even though you are sitting the whole day, you get exhausted. Also its good to eat well as you will be medicated. So make sure you have a good breakfast. 2. A neck pillow is a lifesaver for the first few nights after the procedure. It prevents your implanted area from rubbing against the bed/pillow and gives you good neck support. Below are pre-op photos: Hairline design: After Incisions before graft implants (during lunch): Immediately post Op: Day 1 Post OP after rinsing the area: Donor area (not the best pic): Day 2 post Op: That's all for now. Will keep this thread updated as often as possible. -
45 yo WM ... stage 4.5-5 (what I thought, but 5-5.5 what the Dr thought) male pattern baldness ... was considering an FUE procedure So I called Dr Wesley's office - not even a meeting until mid-Sept. I saw Dr Stoller (it was a 2 week wait), but kind of on the fence with the experience. Did some digging on Dr Wolfeld and found out he worked for/with Dr Bernstein for a while and, even though wasn't reviewed anywhere, should have the skills necessary. NYC doctors in general, seem to be conservative on number of grafts done in 1 session (not sure if it's because having large assistant teams is more expensive than say in Turkey?). He recommended ~ 2200 grafts to tightly pack hairline and mid-scalp leaving fewer for the crown. Even though my crown is thinning, when it's fully grown out it's not totally bald. The extraction was done robotically with 0.9 punch (but implant-site incisions manually). I've done some digging and there seem to be 4 lines of thought out there: 1. FUT only (Bloxham and Feller) 2. FUT or Manual FUE only (Wesley) 3. Robotic FUE done by true specialists (like Bernstein and Wolfeld) 4. Robotic FUE done by unqualified users (which is what pros are warning against) Having read Bernstein and Wolfeld papers are decided to trust his approach. Voila, just had 2200 done FUE with his team. Some of his staff (which was amazing) also came from Dr Bernstein practice. All-in-all the experience was very good (I am only 1 day post op, so will post an update on the results in the future) P.S. My only concern (for now) is that the drew (and implanted) the hairline almost an inch above where I still have a bunch of my hair. It may not be a problem given that my hair is very straight and grows forward, so the implanted follicles will mix in with the natural hair ... (I hope)
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You said you are in the New York area, so if I were you I would check out Dr Bloxham (Feller and Bloxham) for a possible scar reduction. Dr Bloxham has been doing some excellent FUT work and has been getting some very good, barely noticeable FUT scars. There are also several other Drs in NY who do FUT work and should be able to do FUT scar reductions as well if you want to check them out including Dr Robert Dorin, Dr Carols Wesley, and Dr Robert Bernstein
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Hi there. First time posting, so let me just say that this is such an awesome community. I have learned a lot on this site over the years, so thank you to all of you who answer questions to those of us trying to make an important decision. I live in NYC and have been thinking about a HT for the past 3-4 years. Over that time, I had consultations with 3 doctors near me (Drs. Wesley, Dorin, and Bernstein). I also had a remote consultation with Dr. Rahal in Canada. I am 46 years old and Norwood 3 and am really focused on trying to restore my hairline and get density in the front and top of my head. It's a balance of having my hairline back, but also wanting it to look natural and appropriate for my age. Here is my take on them and would love to know if others agree/disagree with my assessments and if there are other doctors I should also consider: Dr. Bernstein. Nice guy. Met him 3 years ago. Recommended 1500-2000 grafts and to mostly fill in the front hairline and said that if needed, I could do another procedure down the line. The pictures I saw of his hairlines didn't look very natural to me. They looked like they were almost a straight line, like they were drawn with a ruler, and seemed to lack the single hairs that one would expect in the front. On his website, he now has pictures that show better, more natural hairlines. Maybe he has gotten better? Dr. Wesley. Met him in late 2019 right before the pandemic. He was also recommending a similar number of grafts. I liked him a lot, and I thought his hairlines were better than Bernstein's. Some were excellent. But he was pushing FUT and I sometimes wear my hair short. Dr. Dorin. Also met him in 2019. I didn't like his work. Dr. Rahal. I first spoke to his office in 2020 right before the pandemic. It was less personalized service than the other doctors and was really hard to speak with him. In fairness, I don't happen to live in Canada whereas I am local to the other doctors. Maybe if I lived near Dr. Rahal, my experience would be different. Maybe they get a lot of not-so-serious people and so they are careful on having Dr. Rahal speak to everyone? Anyway, I sent photos and talked to the patient coordinator. She sent me his recommendations. I had to ask a few times if I could speak with him, and I eventually did, but it was almost like I had to really convince them that I needed to speak with this person who might be performing a surgical procedure on me. He recommended 2500 grafts which he said would give me a hairline as well as density. He said I might need another procedure down the line if I had more thinning on top or in the crown area. I initially reached out to Dr. Rahal based on positive reviews here and pictures I had seen of his hairlines (which were really amazing). But the reviews are mostly older threads from a few years back. I know others have posted about this recently (why no new Rahal posts?) and some have pointed out a couple of newer threads where people sing Rahal's praises, but I am concerned there aren't more Rahal patients posting here. My thoughts / questions: 1. Of the group above, who would you say is the one who has better results? The best track record / reputation for great results? 2. Is my experience with Dr. Rahal indicative of how it would be if I were a patient? Is it going to be pretty impersonal across the board? Will I just see him for 5 minutes and then techs will do everything? 3. Since I am willing to travel, are there other doctors I should consider who are outside of my geographic area (but still in North America)? Basically, who else should I consult with? Hasson? Baubac? Konior? Shapriro? Parsa Mohebi? Are there others who are really amazing that I haven't spoken with? Who is on top of their game right now, especially when it comes to hairlines? Thanks so much for your advice. It is greatly appreciated. -
This 44-year-old male had significant hair loss on the front and top of his scalp. He had one hair transplant of 1,853 follicular unit grafts, resulting in a fuller and natural-looking hairline. These photos were taken before and two years after his procedure at Bernstein Medical – Center for Hair Restoration. Schedule an online consultation HERE or call 212-826-2400 to schedule a consultation, where you will receive a graft estimate and price quote.
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This patient was a Norwood Class 5 with slightly wavy, medium weight, brown hair. He has a donor density of 2.3 hairs/mm2. He had 1 hair transplant session totaling 2,016 follicular unit grafts. His after photos were taken 18 months following his hair transplant surgery. Before hair transplant 18 months after hair transplant Top view before hair transplant Placement of grafts Top view 18 months after hair transplant Donor area prepped Robotic harvesting of donor area Donor area 10 days after procedure Donor area 18 months after hair transplant
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This patient had thinning at the frontal hairline when she came to Bernstein Medical for hair restoration. To treat her thinning, the patient had one hair transplant of 1,745 follicular unit grafts. Photo results of her hair transplant were taken one year after her procedure. 1 year after procedure Before procedure Before procedure Position of hairline Placement of grafts 1 year after procedure
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Age 26, Norwood ~3V + retrograde + diffuse thinning (including donor) Medication: dutasteride 0.5mg/day, foam minoxidil 1-2mL/night Hair characteristics: high contrast with skin, fine, straight Cost: 2.15 euros/graft which is a discount from 2.25 euros/graft because I agreed to provide them anonymized photo updates for their own use. Posting this thread is my own choice. Though, I wish clinics would offer discounts for patients to post threads from start to finish. I see nothing wrong with that. Also, I think the price has gone up recently. Hair loss timeline: 18 - Looking back at old pictures, I had signs of thinning at the hairline 20 - Barber mentioned uneven nape, now I know it was the beginning of retrograde. Started noticing loss at the hairline/crown, found out about finasteride and tried to get on it but my awful dermatologist wouldn't prescribe it to me saying my loss wasn't bad enough 22 - Went back to the dermatologist, still wouldn't prescribe finasteride to me (I think because of side effects? don't remember). He instead prescribed topical minoxidil (requires a prescription in Canada) but he didn't make it sound like it was worth it (annoying to apply, need to use it for life), so I never went through with it 24 - Hair was looking awful, finally decided to do something about it - did my own research, went to a different doctor who was not a moron, and got a 5mg finasteride prescription. Quartered that for 6 months. Also started 1mL liquid minoxidil at the same time 25 - Didn't notice any changes after 6 months, seemed to have maintained. Switched from finasteride to dutasteride to keep as much hair as possible. Got a microscope and analyzed my donor, saw greater than average thinning 26 - Seem to have continued to maintain. Switched to foam minoxidil because liquid takes forever to dry Moral of the story - Many doctors are crap. Take medical matters into your own hands and leave nothing to chance. I carried those learnings over to my HT research. Choice of surgeon: I sent the following clinics (in no particular order) pictures/videos of my hair/recipient/donor. The main point of contention between their opinions was regarding the microscopic videos/images of my donor. Hasson - "Dr. Hasson felt there was more miniaturization than the typical 10-15% and therefore a procedure would involve a bit more risk." Wong - "Dr. Wong on the other hand did not believe there was any signs of dupa and would have no reservations performing a procedure." Bhatti - He was concerned, felt that my donor density was quite low and wanted me to get evaluated in person Bloxham - Wasn't concerned, was more interested in if I noticed any changes in my hair, and said a proper in person examination would be in order Konior - Not concerned, said my donor area was about average Bisanga - More miniaturization in the donor than they would like to see for someone my age, and suggested an in-person consultation Ferreira - Said my donor isn't great, but that I'm far from DUPA, and that my prognosis is good Lorenzo - Said I didn't have DUPA but didn't go into any more details. I feel like they may not have seen the microscopic videos. Wish they would have at least acknowledged my weak donor. Tried following up multiple times to get clarity, but they never responded Diep - saw him in person since I was nearby, he said I had 10k+ grafts available in my donor. 'nuff said. Rassman/Bernstein - said I have more thinning than average but not yet DUPA, suggested I wait a few years, but said I could get a small HT Hattingen - said they would not operate on me, suggested I send them yearly updates of my hair loss situation to see if their opinion changes HLC - didn't want to say anything regarding my microscopic videos, said I would need an in-person dermascopy evaluation, but didn't seem too concerned Pekiner - noted the miniaturization but said my donor was good enough and that they select the highest quality grafts At some point, I decided I was mostly interested in clinics where the surgeon does most, if not all the work. I understand the benefit of technicians doing parts of the procedure like extracting/implanting grafts, but I just feel more comfortable knowing that the surgeon is doing all the important aspects of the procedure themselves, and that I can hold them fully accountable. This left me with a few options at the time: Konior, Ferreira, HLC, Pekiner. Ferreira - I couldn't travel to Portugal because of COVID and wanted to see more results Konior - I think he is one of the best, but I was disappointed that he didn't acknowledge the miniaturization in my donor. My guess is he did notice it but that he's confident in his skills/work and doesn't want his patients to overthink things. I'll likely still see him in the future for temple point work or if I need any touch up on the hairline HLC - Didn't like not knowing which doctor would work on you, and the fact that you could have multiple throughout your procedure. Also have seen some cases where I felt the graft count was a bit aggressive for the patient's age. Have heard communication is also an issue Pekiner - I liked the technique, the small number of grafts per day (~1000), the fact that he is conservative and honest with his patients. Liked that he had a lot of patient reviews from start to finish (mostly on the Italian forum). Very experienced with hairline work and liked his hairlines and density (especially needed with my fine hair). Communication with his rep Alex has been very good. Aborting was a concern, but they told me that they now inform the patient of any findings but ultimately let them decide whether to proceed. Given he would select the highest quality grafts available, I was not too concerned. Also knowing that the graft count could be adjusted on the day of procedure (say down to 1500), my mind was more or less at ease. In the end, he said my donor was slightly better than expected. Procedure: Each day lasted from around 8am-5pm. On the first day of procedure, I had a discussion with Dr. Pekiner about my hair loss history and goals. We then took the photos, designed the hairline, and shaved the head. Then we moved on to the actual extraction/implantation. The way it works with Dr. Pekiner, similar to HLC, is you have two sessions of extraction/15min break/implantation per day, AM and then PM. In between these sessions, they have a chef who provides a meal for you (bonus points for catering to a vegan diet - the food was delicious). At the end of each day, they wrap your head in a bandage to protect the grafts/donor. On the third morning, they give you a final clean up and provide you with the aftercare kit including saline spray for the recipient and bepanthol lotion for the donor. 1 hair: 249 2 hairs: 682 3 hairs: 710 4 hairs: 164 Average hairs/graft: 2.43 Recovery: Sleeping - I'm normally a side sleeper, and started practicing to sleep on my back a couple months in advance. I don't think this is necessary, I just wanted to learn to sleep on my back anyway. Regardless, you'll need a travel/neck pillow anyway to make sure you don't turn in your sleep, and I think you'll be tired enough to fall asleep on your back even if you're not used to it. Another recommendation I have is to zip your arms inside a sweater, so you don't damage your grafts in your sleep. I've seen this happen enough times on these forums, even over the past few months, that I didn't want to take any risks. At one point I was very tired and fell asleep without zipping up my arms, and I actually caught myself lightly reaching up and tapping my recipient area as I was waking up. Nothing bad happened, but I was much more cautious the next times I went to bed and ensured that I zipped up my arms each time. Swelling - I noticed swelling mostly on days 3-4, but nothing too bad compared to what I saw online. I just let it pass with time. Pain - No pain for the first week really. From days ~6-10 I had some donor pain when I'd lay down on my pillow, so I'd just take paracetamol 20 mins before going to bed. Crusts/scabs - was instructed to start gentle massaging them starting day 6, increasing intensity with each day. By day 9, pretty much all of them were gone. Redness - I started using aloe vera as I've read that it helps. Haven't noticed too much improvement yet by day 30. The donor is still red but it's harder to see as the hair is growing longer. The recipient is still red, and the shedding is making that more visible. Feel free to ask any questions. I can add some recent photos soon. I'll probably update monthly. -
This patient had a Follicular Unit Transplant (FUT) to restore his frontal hairline and add volume to the front part of his scalp. He decided to have an FUT (rather than FUE) procedure to get as much volume in one session as possible. He does not plan on keep his hair very short on the back and sides, so the fine linear scar from FUT will not be an issue. Results after one session of 2,009 follicular unit grafts with a donor density of 2.2. Before hair transplant After hair transplant Before hair transplant - detail of hairline Position of planned hairline Top view of position of planned hairline Placement of grafts Top view one year after hair transplant
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Bernstein Medical - Center for Hair Restoration Patient FVR is an early Norwood Class 6 with slightly wavy, light brown hair. His donor density is 2.0 hairs/mm2. Photos show the result of one hair restoration procedure of 2,941 follicular unit grafts. Click the thumbnails below for a larger view. Before / After: Left: Before Hair Transplant Right: After One Session Detail of Hairline Left: Before Hair Transplant Center: Delineation of Proposed Hairline Right: After Hair Transplant Session Top View Note how the hair transplant extends only to the vertex transition point. If the patient’s hair loss progresses further and he decides not to have additional surgery, this pattern will continue to look natural. First: Before Second: Position of Hairline Third: Recipient Sites Fourth: Results after 1 year * View Hair Transplant Photos of more patients at Bernstein Medical. You can also browse our patient photo sets by Norwood Class * View Patient FVR's photo profile at Bernstein Medical * * Read Letters from Bernstein Medical Patients * Visit the Bernstein Medical YouTube channel
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Patient is an African-American male with Norwood Class 4A hair loss. He has dark-brown/black, textured hair with a donor density of 1.5 hairs/mm2. Results after one hair transplant of 2,275 follicular unit grafts. Before procedure. After procedure. Before transplant. Position of planned hairline. Distribution of 2275 grafts. After one hair transplant session.
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hey there - I'm contemplating getting an FUE surgery with Dr Michael Wolfeld in NYC, but I haven't been able to find any reviews online or seen him on any recommended lists. Ordinarily I'd just go with Bernstein or one of the other reputable doctors in the area but unfortunately I want to do the procedure sooner, as I am in the process of changing jobs. Has anyone had any experience with him? As I understand it he may have used to work for Dr Bernstein, so maybe he has done some surgeries in the past under that name?
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Dr Wolfeld reviews?
nyc_wm45 replied to shadowsauce's topic in Hair Restoration Questions and Answers
I just had 2200 done FUE with Dr Wolfeld. Asked around about him - he did work a lot with Dr Bernstein and some of his staff (which was amazing) also came from Dr Bernstein practice. All-in-all the experience was very good (I am only 1 day post op, so will post an update on the results in the future) -
OP has asked a really good question. I often wondered myself something similar, what if I get a transplant and a few years later a cure for hairloss is invented. Will that destroy the existing follicles. The answer is much pretty much no according to Dr. Bernstein. Even if you were to transplant a graft right into a dormant follicle, that graft will just come out as a double with the native hair according to Bernstein (although he does concede it might come out a bit unnatural, but I dont necesssarily agree with that). Read what he wrote here: https://www.bernsteinmedical.com/answers/timing-of-a-second-hair-transplant/ -
Dr Michael Wolfeld (NYC) review
Melvin- Moderator replied to nyc_wm45's topic in Hair Restoration Questions and Answers
I haven’t heard of this doc, but if he was trained by Bernstein I’m sure he’s been trained well, whats the name of his clinic? -
This patient with salt and pepper hair was a 57-year-old male when he came to Bernstein Medical. To add more density to his hairline, he had one hair transplant consisting of 1,706 follicular unit grafts via FUT. His result photos were taken before and one year after his procedure. Schedule a consultation HERE to request a graft estimate and quote. Also, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The health and safety of our patients and staff is our top priority. For a more detailed look at our safety measures, click here.
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Bloxham has been doing great work and getting some very fine FUT scars from what I've seen, so I would be OK going with him for FUT. I think 4500 grafts that HLC recommended may be a bit too much because you still have a lot of hair in the midscalp and even in the frontal center. You don't want to use up too many grafts now and then run out of donor if/when the rest of your hair falls out and/or the crown widens at some point in the future. Looking at your crown, I personally would want to get at least some grafts into that crown, so I would probably rule out Bernstein if it were me. Don't base your decision too much on specific graft counts. These are all just estimates. You may get more or less grafts during the actual procedure especially with FUT and you can always adjust how many grafts go where. It's not like you have to stop at 500 in the crown just because that's what Dr. Bloxham estimated. You could end up with a few hundred less in the front and a few hundred more in the crown depending on how the operation goes and exactly where the hairline ends up being.
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I noticed that Dr. Bernstein does not come up often in lists of top surgeons here. I have browsed a lot of photos of his patients. It seems to me that he is very good at using a small number of grafts to achieve the desired cosmetic effect. His recipient site creation seems very refined and strategic. Among the surgeons I consulted, he offered the lowest number of grafts. The only downside I see is that he uses the ARTAS robot to do FUE, which is something not recommended here. But other than this, if one wants a FUT with a conservative number of grafts, is there any reason he would not be among the top choices?
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While I didn't create an account on this forum over the last couple of years it was invaluable in my research process and I want to pay it forward, especially since I seem to be seeing fewer patient posts with recent dates, at least for Dr. Cooley. Thus I will try to be thorough here in describing my process. Apologies in advance for the length of the post and the variability of the quality of the photos. I know they aren't the best. I am still only a few days/weeks out and will update this with before photos and after photos from the clinic and exact graft count(s) when I get them and try not to disappear throughout the process. My Past Situation I had an ill-advised FUT procedure when I was 21 to address temple recession. I wasn't on meds, it was premature, and I went to a cheap chop shop. CLASSIC, young guy being really stupid. :sigh The procedure (unknown # of grafts) involved putting grafts on the temples and unfortunately also some around the front of my hairline. It did very little cosmetically unless you count triggering massive loss of existing hair (most of which did grow back in fairness). The only saving grace here is that we were talking about a fairly minor temple area and because of my light hair/skin contrast I've been able to get away with a forward brush hairstyle that hid really poor work. Oh and it wasn't big plugs and the scar wasn't horrendous and avoided being in any disastrous region(s) thankfully. No matter what you do STAY AWAY from Samson Hair Restoration in Los Angeles regardless of what doctor they currently have cycled in. Why now Now, 11 years later at 32 with some additional thinning and some recession the previous work was becoming harder to cover, especially when swimming or my hair was wet. Plus, I just wanted it fixed to open up different hairstyles and to get ahead of managing what I believe will be future loss. Almost a gradual "replace" strategy I guess. In terms of meds, I had been on finasteride w/ no side effects for 4 years but then went off for 5+ years (don't really know why). I went back on 6+ months ahead in prep for a procedure and plan to stick with it this time. Not on finasteride or any other shampoos etc at the moment. Picking the surgeon In terms of research this time around I did a lot more homework using this forum as the basis for creating a smaller list of doctors. Ultimately I narrowed my list and research to consults with Lindsay, Bernstein, Cooley, Bloxham, and Nadimi. I felt these were really great doctors that didn't necessarily require a flight based on my East Coast USA location (I was intrigued by Rahal, Hasson/Wong/Kronior and some of the other staple of well regarded doctors as well but with only so much time felt good with my short list). I did not consider India/Turkey etc., not because I don't believe quality results can't be achieved there, but because I didn't want to take the risk and conduct an extra level of due diligence with respect to many of the practices and I was willing to pay $ for that peace of mind. Notes on my Consults During my consult with Dr. Lindsay I felt like he just didn't think I needed a procedure yet. He cited 1200 grafts and it was all relatively cursory. So not a fit for me Dr. Bernstein was a good consult (worth the cost) where I learned a bit and I felt comfortable with him and his work, but ultimately I wasn't blown away by the results I've seen from him either on his website or on this and other forums My consult with Bloxham was really terrific and I got a great feeling from him. He was ultimately my #2 but I did not choose him mostly because he is just relatively newer with fewer posted results. And right or wrong, some of the (rare/older) negative comments about customer service/interactions from Feller put me off. I did NOT have any of this sense from Dr. Bloxham and have never met Feller but the posts are there nonetheless. I will also say, they need to upgrade their facility. Not the medical side hopefully, but the rest of the place was old and run down feeling. Dr. Nadimi was also great (via Skype) and matter of fact but I got the sense she did more FUE than FUT. Similar to Bloxham there are just fewer patient accounts out there that I could find, but based on what I've seen and this consult I was very comfortable and impressed with her Why Cooley Ultimately, I went with the only doctor I didn't meet/ have a convo with directly in Dr. Cooley. I appreciated the consult with Lollie and a deeper understanding of their procedures and liked what I heard about use of Acell, how he preserved grafts out of body, his hands on approach, the tenure of his techs, and so on. But most importantly Cooley's track record of consistent results and patient experiences tipped me over (including one detailed repair write-up by a Blonde haired individual, of which there are relatively few results). I also literally did not find a single negative review (of outcomes) for Cooley in all my research and I valued that apparent consistency. Procedure - Why FUT I knew I wanted FUT as I (a) already had a scar I felt could be improved, (b) wanted to maximize future grafts and survivability, and (c) wanted to minimize recovery time. I am lucky enough to have a lot of Donor and existing hair that can be used to hide a procedure. Pre-Procedure and Day of All things posted about Cooley experiences were true for me. I followed pre-op instructions for scalp laxity. I think this helped as I could feel the sides definitely loosen up, and while the back still felt tight Cooley said it was great and helped with suturing (+ sutures out at 2 weeks vs. 3 weeks). The hotel they set you up in is excellent, easy, convenient and they already know why you are there and what you need. Shuttle drivers, check-in staff, and others there were helpful and discrete and the breakfast and gym is open early enough for day of eating and a last workout. On the day of the operation we met at 7am, had a calm and not rushed discussion where any other questions I had were answered, and re-affirmed my choice of 2500 FUT + PRP/Acell. In terms of hairline we were on the same page to opt for a conservative/mature hairline though Cooley jumped straight to the need for work on the temples which he said he does not always do. This process of agreeing on this was FAST as a lot of it was bridging existing hair and the past work plus a little bit of pulling temples out/down. In terms of PRP, Cooley was candid that for me he didn't know if PRP would make much of a difference as he didn't see a ton of minituraization but (a) I'm paranoid and think there is more than there is/I have very fine hair already, and (b) I am hopeful that it will help somewhat with avoiding shock loss or speeding up recovery. I know there's no real scientific evidence to back that up, but I was willing to spend the $ on the chance it helps. I will say that to make sure you get what you need before surgery begins you should 100% come prepared with your questions. For example in my consult with Bloxham he indicated that my past FUT scar had a small area branching into the danger zone for donor and advised forking the scar near my ear. I really did NOT want to do this, so asked Cooley about it. He decided to implant 10-15 hairs in the end of the old scar as part of the procedure and end the new scar in a safer location. I do not think we would have ultimately done this if I had not asked. H/T to Bloxham for noticing it in a really thorough, caring consult. I also asked about a few grafts poorly placed in the front of my forehead below the 7CM mark we agreed to for the new hairline. He said if I was OK With it that he would remove those with electrolysis which I agreed to and am relieved about as they were definitely not natural looking. Overall, it was a good conversation. I, like most others, felt comfortable and cared for by Dr. Cooley and all of his other wonderful team members. I do think the clinic could get better about having all their pre and post op documentation organized and sent in a big PDF but that's super minor overall and has nothing to do with the in-person interactions I had. One other area that I felt could be improved is in discussing recovery times. The clinic (not Cooley himself) were fairly aggressive in terms of discussing post HT recovery periods and timeline (no redness 5 days, not visible procedure at 8 days etc). It's not that they are totally off, it's just that they are definitely giving the aggressive, "best-case" scenario in my opinion and shaded this as an absolute vs. discussing the potential ranges of recovery times based on patient characteristics. Still thus far in my case it has proven to not be too far off the mark so far (devil's always in the details though isn't it). Procedure itself From the Cooley consult we moved into the procedure. Numbing/valium etc was painless. Unlike others I don't think I really went fully under for the ENTIRE duration of the procedure, I even heard a nice little "ripping" type sound on removal, but no pain whatsoever. By 11:30 the donor was removed, there were 5-6 technicians on the microscopes, I had had PRP and he had done the few electrolysis removals needed. I stopped for lunch and then we carried on. Cooley performed all of the donor incisions, with Brandi hovering nearby, and was present for probably 90% of the graft placement. I know for sure he was doing all the immediate hairline grafts. I believe he left for a little over an hour in the middle of the procedure (basically the length of a movie), but I'm not 100% on whether he popped his head in a few times during that time or not. While he was not actively working on my head Brandi was performing graft placement and I believe Amy also worked on placing grafts. Cooley returned and was essentially there the rest of the day long after many of the other techs had left post dissecting the grafts (easily 4-5+ more hours). It was clear he reviewed and had ample time to change, correct, or ensure any grafts not placed with him in the room were to his liking. Like others have mentioned it was clear throughout the day that this was a well-oiled machine, with team members that had worked together for years (decades even). Everyone was friendly and taking a dedicated and personalized approach to the operation, and I couldn't imagine going somewhere with a doctor doing multiple ops in a day. Throughout the process Brandi was constantly checking Cooley and making sure anything "controversial" about his approach was discussed (a few graft placements here and there, reminders about how many grafts were left etc). All of this was reassuring. I am sure the reverse also happened. Ultimately for the 2,500 graft procedure Cooley was able to get over 3,000 grafts (I will get exact counts later) and we did not finish the day until a bit after 7pm, meaning I was there for nearly 12 hours. This extra time and attention, plus the grafts that were not something I had to pay extra for, all speak to his long-running record of caring about his patients and working tirelessly to get results. I am obviously grateful for this. Post Op - Healing, Pain, and Experience (Week 1) Donor got painful at the end of the day during the operation so I was numbed up again before I went home. I was obviously a bit red and beat up but it wasn't as bad as I was expecting and they had already done a pretty good job cleaning a lot of the blood off. Plus I was wearing Saran wrap + a hat so able to avoid any weird looks. On night 1 I took some Tylenol but nothing stronger--which is good because I didn't get the prescriptions until day-of for stronger meds. Cooley's post-op care uses an ATP spray + saran wrap to increase moisture and prevent any graft damage and antibiotic ointment on the donor scar. You basically spray every hour you are awake and wake up and spray every 2 hours for the first 2 nights along with taking some preventative Prednisone for swelling. I followed the instructions religiously here and I think it really helped calm redness and speed healing. On night 2 I was falling back asleep pretty quickly so it didn't feel too onerous to keep getting up. For sure it kept the itchiness to a real minimum in the first 6 days. I went back the next morning for a post-op clean and got the all good from Dr. Cooley. During this cleaning Amy took time to answer any questions I had about the next week of care and was patient with what I am sure are the same questions everyone asks. In terms of the documentation they gave me to follow, I actually think it could have been a bit more detailed. It wasn't that it was bad, but I felt like an "FAQ" or just more exhaustive detail would have helped. For example, I asked about caffeine / alcohol / ibuprofen which were not listed (Cooley says moderate amounts of both are fine), and it doesn't give you much about how to sleep (when can you sleep sidweays on the grafts) and so on. To give you a sense of how smooth this was, I drove almost 7 hours home the very next day, which was completely fine and painless. Overall I found the post-op regimen easy to follow, the spray and saran wrap seemingly very effective even if I did probably use it too quickly/aggressively to try to get it through the native hair as I ran out a day or two earlier than I think the clinic expects. One curious thing with post-op care from the clinic is that it seems that Cooley's overall instructions,are more aggressive than many other docs (like the timeline to shampoo (next day) and return to regular shampooing (7 days) . I'm sure this is because Cooley is confident in the healing/quality of the grafts and incisions etc and has refined his approach over time but it does make me just a little nervous when looking at the instructions online from so many other places that are much more conservative. But he's my doc and I'm in his hands and so far so good. On night 3 I slept poorly but not really due to pain, I think I just missed exercise. On night 4 and 5 I had more pain when putting the back of my head on pillows (I slept elevated with an inflatable travel pillow partially inflated these nights to help with any potential swelling) and I did take a valium one night and the other pain killer + tylenol combo prescribed drug the fifth night. It almost felt like the donor was a little more stretched these two nights with whatever position I could find that didnt have too much pressure. If this continues I'll call the office to make sure it's normal. Some posters here have mentioned this as the return of nerve sensation but I'm not sure. Otherwise I have had some very very minor swelling which made me break out some ice on my forehead and eye area a couple of times and take ibuprofen periodically as well. It was never uncomfortable or especially noticeable to anyone else however. Last point, I am using the Hair Shake protein. I don't really think it'll do much but I've used protein powder a lot anyway so I don't mind and if it helps at all with speed of growth or minimization of shock-loss, then it's worth a couple months of it for me. I am not planning on using it long term and no one at the Cooley office actually mentioned it directly despite having it stocked there and having it listed as an optional part of the post-op procedure. Post Op Appearance - First Week The scar in the back is perhaps slightly visible with wet hair (first 3-4 days) but completely hidden with normal dry hair. As mentioned it wasn't giving me much trouble the first 3-4 days, although of course everything felt really "tight" there. At night or with pressure on it day 5-6 it actually has felt a bit worse and I've taken some of the prescribed meds just to make sure I get decent enough sleep. We will see of course on final healing and appearance, it is early days. Redness in the recipient has subsided each day, and now at day 6 is not bad at all. It's probably worse in the pictures than in real life. I am fairly pale skinned but had a deep tan going which some say can help. There is definitely scabbing, it is super mild/light and looks like when I return to regular shampooing and rub the grafts a bit it will easily flake off and be gone within the 7-10 day timeframe that they gave. In any case, it's really mild and not that noticeable. I have used their given shampoo and started leaving the conditioner in a bit longer which I think has helped. I have a couple spots of dried blood left but overall it's pretty clean and I haven't noticed anything remotely like grafts falling out. Really, not even many/any hairs yet. The kicker here for me is that I 100% had to hide from the world during this time because I was (a) spraying every hour and (b) couldn't style my existing hair for fear of touching/disloding existing grafts. So you could see the grafts taking hold and small stubbly hair, plus weird caked native hair that was a bit long already awkwardly plastered to my scalp. So all in all, a real lovely mess. Now had I managed this aggressively with a blow dryer on cool or if I was more comfortable touching and styling my scalp in this period I am sure I could have made it look better but I didn't want to take any risks. On Day 6 I did a bit of finger styling and with my existing hair I can make it look decent (see 1 of the pictures). Decent is not invisible however. The temples are harder to disguise and any close inspection things are definitely still visible so I feel I am very much still in hat land. To be fair, my wife says it's pretty hard to tell unless you get up close and personal already. We will see if my extended family at Day 11 notices anything. Summary of first week So far the difference from my first procedure has been remarkable. Basically instead of an immediate "oh shit what have I done" I felt more like a "I'm already looking better than I expected 12 hours later. and everything is going exactly like they said" It's nice to already feel like I made the right choice. The recovery seems to be text book according to their expectations, but I most certainly don't want to be out and about without a hat yet as it would be noticeable. The things I am worried about are (a) appearance at 10 days and masking it, (b) avoiding shock-loss as no work was done in the middle of the frontal third, and (c) continued management of the donor scar pain. All the rest is of course the standard, hurry up and wait, concerns about linear scar etc that we all have but if I can avoid shock loss I feel comfortable looking like I did for 6+ more months. I hope this is helpful and of course any feedback on the pics and actual quality of the work is welcome as well. Again, apologies on the photo quality I will get better ones from clinic later. I will try to post periodically as I hate the posts where people disappear but I also intend to try to live my life and not obsess over the progress over the next few months. -
Drs recommended here who perform hair transplants without requiring the recipient area to be shaved include: Dr Robert Dorin (True & Dorin) Dr Robert Bernstein (Bernstein Medical) Dr Bernardino Arocha (Arocha Hair Restoration) Dr Carlos Wesley There may be others, but these are the ones I know of.- 15 replies
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Dear Visitors and Forum Members, I will be joining Dr. Christine Shaver of Bernstein Medical for an Instagram live session on (date and time). We will be discussing the pros and cons of FUE and FUT, how to manage your expectations correctly, and her preferred surgical techniques, i.e., DHI, lateral slit, etc. A little bit of background on Dr. Shaver, she completed her Internal Medicine internship at Yale University and dermatology residency at Drexel - Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia, where she served as Chief Resident. She completed her surgical fellowship with Dr. William Rassman, a pioneer in the surgical hair restoration field. She now works with Coalition-approved surgeon, Dr. Robert Bernstein. Dr. Shaver's CV is impressive, but in this industry, we know it is all about results. Below are two before and after photos that showcase Dr. Shaver's surgical skill. Dr. Shaver has an excellent eye for aesthetic detail, which is a great quality to have in a hair restoration physician. Join us on Instagram, and feel free to check out her profile and CV for Bernstein Medical. https://www.bernsteinmedical.com/about-us/dr-shaver/ Dr. Shaver's results below: Top patient received 1,845 follicular unit grafts, he had a donor density of 2.2 hairs per cm2. Bottom patient received 2,275 follicular unit grafts, he had a donor density of 1.5 hairs per cm2.
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Hello - for a large FUT transplant, which Doctor would I be in the best hands of? Any factual differences? Christine Shaver of Bernstein, or Dr. Boden or Dr. Cohen? -
I agree on Bernstein. when I consulted with him, I felt that his hairlines looked like he drew them with a ruler and lacked density. They seem to look better today based on what is on his website, but not near the quality of others. I noticed that Hasson is great on density but I worry it could exhaust my donor area. His hairlines are great in many ways, but he tends not to fill in the temples. Maybe he views it as too aggressive? The problem is that I think you run the risk of it looking less natural. I’d live to speak to Konior, but I’m not sure that will be easy it’s really hard to actually “speak” to the doctors themselves. Many have these reps / nurses / staff that shield them. It’s kind of weird to be looking at spending over $20,000 and all you do is talk to a non-medical person about a surgical procedure, one that is important for every person. Being told I will just meet the doctor for the first time on the morning of the procedure seems weird. And it makes it hard to know what he / she is like and whether you mesh with their philosophy and approach.
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Hey I was totally against doing any type of hair transplant until this month when I started researching it more. Now here I am, almost booked my surgery with Ziering Medical here in NY next week. Somehow I ended up in this forum and it seems that may not be the place to go. I’ve seen a couple surgeons name pop up numerous times who may be better options. Dr Diep - called them but I probably would be able to get surgery with them until next year sometime. Dr Dorin- going to schedule a consult but haven’t seen much about African American hair. Dr Feller- same as Dorin Dr Bernstein - same as above Dr Konoir - seemed to popular on this forum so definitely scheduling a consult. I’d have to fly to Chicago for this one. I’m 31 and ready to have a hairline again. I would’ve done it sooner but I was accepting baldness. But why accept when it’s fixable right. I attached a pic of the top of my head. Any input would be helpful as I really just found out about these surgeons in a short amount of time.
