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Showing results for 'Dr. Jerry Wong'.
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Hi all, I have had two excellent FUT hair transplants with Dr. Cooley. It has been 11 months since the second transplant, so I am finally posting a comprehensive review. This forum was immensely helpful for me when I was first considering a transplant. In fact, this is where I found Dr. Cooley. So I hope that my review is helpful to all of you. 1st Transplant (2018) - Age: 26 - Grafts: 2,643 Background Info My hairline began receding around age 18. By my mid twenties, I was a Norwood 3. I started taking Finasteride at age 24, but I knew that the hair I had lost was gone permanently. While my father and paternal grandfather have no hair loss, my maternal grandfather is totally bald. So I figured my early and substantial hair loss was not a good sign. I was able to hide my bald temples by styling my hair a certain way, but I was very self-conscious. I was constantly worried about my hair moving out of place such that my hairline would be visible. So I decided to get a hair transplant, and I found Dr. Cooley here. I chose Dr. Cooley because he is one of the most elite hair transplant surgeons in the US and he was within driving distance of my city. After learning that the procedure would cost at least $10k, I decided to save up the money. This was a challenge in itself and took quite a while, but I was determined to pay cash. After speaking with Lollie (Dr. Cooley's Patient Coordinator), I went in for a consultation with Dr. Cooley. He recommended an FUT rather than FUE procedure because it would maximize graft yield. I was concerned about scarring, but Dr. Cooley is very experienced with FUTs, so I was willing to take the risk. The Procedure The night before the procedure, I checked in to the Hilton Garden Inn where Dr. Cooley's patients stay (near his surgery center). It was very comfortable, and they provided free breakfast plus a shuttle to the surgery center. The morning of the procedure, I woke up early (around 5:45am) to scrub myself down in the shower with Hibiclens (per Dr. Cooley's prep instructions). At the clinic, I was asked to pick out several movies to watch during the course of the procedure. Then, I took the medications they provided for the procedure: valium, prednisone, and antibiotics. Dr. Cooley shaved the area on the line along the back of my head where he would cut the donor strip. The valium made me very relaxed and sleepy, so I ended up dozing off for most of the procedure. The team woke me up for lunch, after which the procedure continued. Once the procedure was over, I went back to the hotel. I meticulously followed Dr. Cooley's post-op care instructions (spraying grafts, keeping them covered, taking required meds, etc.). Post-Procedure The day after the procedure, I went in for a post-up, where they checked my grafts and carefully washed my hair (felt great!). Having taken the week off from work, I then drove home to rest. I continued following Dr. Cooley's post-op care instructions meticulously. I had purchased a bag of the Help Hair protein shake that he recommended, so I also began drinking that daily. 3 weeks post-op, I began to experience shock loss along donor site where the stitches were. The hair there fell out in chunks over a period of days. It was quite terrifying, but Dr. Cooley's team reassured me that this happens sometimes and it would grow back. Thankfully, I had grown my hair out longer prior to the procedure, so I was able to cover it up. And ultimately, the hair there did indeed grow back within about 4-5 months. 3 months post-op, thin wisps of hair began to start growing on my temples. 4 months post-op, wisps of hair began growing more densely. 6 months post-op, my hair was back on my temples in full force. 2nd Transplant (2020) - Age: 28 - Grafts: 2,101 Background I was very satisfied with the results from my first procedure. I was no longer worried about hiding my deeply receded temples, and I could style my hair in ways that I liked. However, because I had gotten an FUT, I now had a new worry: haircuts. I liked to get a fade-style haircut, but the short length would make my scar visible. This was not a surprise (I knew there would be a scar), and I would tell barbers to be mindful of making the scar visible, but this was a constant issue. To hide the scar, I tried using Toppik (hair fiber) to cover it, but that did not work well. I ended up buying a women's eyebrow pencil that matched my hair color and used that to color in the scar area. This was a far more effective solution, but the scar was still visible to anyone who looked directly at the back of my head. I reached out to Ailene (Dr. Cooley's Clinical Supervisor) to ask for their recommendations regarding scalp micropigmentation—where tiny tattoo dots that match your hair color are used to fill in an FUT scar. Ailene said they advised against this remedy. Instead, she said they could do FUE of about 200-300 grafts and place them in the scar site. I went to Dr. Cooley's office for a consultation. I explained the scar issue, and I expressed an interest in bringing my hairline down a bit more. He told me that I could do another FUT for my hairline, and that they would do a follow up FUE into the scar for free. I thought this was a fantastic offer, so I got a surgery date and paid my deposit. The Procedure The procedure itself was just as smooth as the first. However, this time, I was more awake and able to chat with Dr. Cooley and Ailene during the procedure. They were quite enjoyable to talk with on a personal level! Post-Procedure I meticulously followed Dr. Cooley's post-op care instructions. Thankfully, I had no shock loss this time—possibly because Dr. Cooley used a different kind of stitches. Present & Future 9 months post-op, I went in for a visit with Dr. Cooley. He took pictures and video of my fantastic new hairline. He took a look at my scar, and I reiterated that I would like to have it filled in via FUE. Dr. Cooley agreed, and I am now waiting to see when the FUE procedure will happen. Bottom Line Dr. Cooley's skilled hands have given me a permanent self-esteem boost that has allowed me to really enjoy my twenties. I highly recommend Dr. Cooley to anyone considering a hair transplant, and I am forever thankful to him and his team.- 1 reply
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Hi everyone, This forum has been a tremendous help! On 8/10 I had 2756 FUE grafts done by SMG. As @hybonix and other recent reviews have stated, this is a first class clinic! Dr. Shapiro, Jo and the team are fantastic and I had all the confidence in the world with them. I was pretty torn between going with Dr. Wong or SMG and also starting with FUE first with my advanced balding pattern. I actually flew out to Minneapolis on my own dime to consult with Dr. Jo in person and felt really good about Fue and SMG after this meeting! The breakdown is 2756 grafts totaling 5529 hairs. 1’s-601, 2’s-1537, 3’s-618. I will be starting the topical Finasteride/Minox combo from Farmacia Parariti in one month. I’ve struggled with minor sides so I’m hopeful this works well. Things seem to be healing very well 10 days post op! The only real concern I have at this point is regarding the hairline. I love the shape and height but it turned out to make a slight lowest point over my right eye. Looks a little off but I definitely won’t judge anything until it’s grown out. I may end up loving it and think it looks even more natural that way. Time will tell! -
So far so good. I have a lot of itchiness in the back but I know that is to be expected. Dr. Wong provided me with a device to remove the staples at home. My fiancée is going to remove them on day 14 post-op
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Background: Date of Procedure: 9-18-2020 Procedure: FUT Grafts: 2,500 Doctor: Dr. Arocha, Houston, Texas Age: 35 Current Preventative Measures: Propecia, Minoxidil, Laser Cap, and Micro Needling First, I want to say that my goal here is not to bash the doctor. He has been receptive to my concerns and presented some possible solutions. My hope here is to tap into the community for guidance. Issue: Unfortunately, the procedure left me with a very wide FUT scar. The scar is largest above the ears, but it is fairly prominent throughout. Prior to surgery, the doctor notified me that scars can be unpredictable, but I was also told that a reasonable expectation is to be able to be able to cut your hair with a guard 3 without the scar showing. Currently, if I cut my hair with anything less than a guard 7, the scar is very visible. Even with longer hair, multiple people have commented on seeing the scar when my hair falls to the side, and this has been a source of frustration and embarrassment. Objective: Repair the scar to the extent possible, while also leaving open the door for future procedures. I am planning on getting another procedure (FUT or FUE to further fill in the frontal hairline, temples, and crown). Combining both the scar correction and this second procedure is ideal. The next procedure will likely be 2,000 to 2,500 grafts. Conversation with the Doctor & Proposed Solutions: The doctor suggested that my wide scar may be due to the high elasticity of my skin. He also suggested that merely sleeping wrong can result in a widened scar. Further, he pointed out that, though I do not have keloids (thankfully) the scar is slightly thickened. The doctor proposed the following solutions: FUE Procedure to fill in the scar area, which would require about 300 grafts. Another FUT procedure in hopes of cutting out the scar and using additional staples to help minimize stretching. Combination of an FUT and FUE. The FUT would be near my neck, which has the least amount of stretching and the FUT would be used to fill in the point most prone to stretching, which is above the ear. Option 1: FUE Procedure My concern here is the loss of grafts for future procedures, as well as the fact that so many grafts will be spent just to conceal the scar (300+). I will likely need a third procedure as my hair continues to thin, and so I would like to maximize my available donor area to the extent possible. Option 2: FUT If the procedure successfully cuts out the scar and can result in a smaller linier scar, then that would be ideal (especially considering that 80 grafts would be enough to conceal a small scar). The doctor suggested a special tempur pedic pillow that may help reduce head movement (and thus the chance of scar stretching). The issue is that I have evidence that my skin stretches, and I am also fearful of a keloid (though I do not have a history of this). In regard to my prior FUT, I was studying for a major exam for a few months after the surgery. My head was tilted downward while reading, which may have contributed to the scar? This is just a thought regarding one factor that won't come into play on my second procedure. Option 3: FUT/FUE Here, the number of grafts in the wide areas around the ears would be around 100, while the remainder of the scar (near the neck area) would just be excised and more closely monitored. I am open to this option, but the optimist in me wants me to go with the second option (a complete FUT with scar revision) in hopes of attempting to excise the scar and remain extra vigilant. What do you think? Your thoughts are appreciated. In your experience, how bad is the scar? Was there something that I or the doctor could have done to avoid this issue? Is there an option that I am missing? Should I consider another doctor for the procedure? Note: I live in Houston, which makes Dr. Arocha especially appealing (particularly in regard to follow-up visits). I have heard fantastic things about Hasson & Wong, but the distance is a concern. This has been a source of stress, and any guidance the community can offer is really appreciated. Thank you, everyone. -
It certainly looks better with longer hair. It's hard to make opinions over a few photos but the density could still use improvement. Frankly, I think 2600 grafts is too few for the area covered. I would expect 4000 is needed for that area. Are you planning for a second transplant? I think Dr. Wong would be a great option for you. Maybe 1,000 grafts... or 2,000 if you go into your crown.- 90 replies
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Why I'm Not Taking Finasteride *My Current Hair Loss Regimen
JDEE0 replied to Melvin- Moderator's topic in Hair Loss Drugs
Haha, no worries. For the record though, I don't particularly disagree as I say and actually am with you on your general point. I just don't know if someone who has their donor zone checked as a NW6 at 30 years old for example and it shows no signs at all of progressing to a NW7 will be the same story at 60 years old. I'm aware top clinics check this thoroughly and can predict pretty fairly accurately, I'm just not convinced that what they see will stay the same and hold true in the long term. I believe it was Dr. Wong (could be wrong, can't remember now) who essentially confirmed this in a live on here once and said that they get it right most of the time, but sometimes not, and 20 years down the line the patient has gone full on bald which they did not expect (and I assume did not plan for). Life is indeed a matter of risk vs reward, I'm with you there, but ironically, I think we just see different sides of the coin here as I see this applying oppositely in that the risks of fin are essentially negligible and the rewards are great, and as such the positives heavily outweigh the negatives. Similarly to you though, I'm certainly not for it in all cases or extremely 'pro-finasteride' or anything, and I fully agree side effects are a legitimate risk. I just don't particularly believe that it's anything more than a case of if they do happen, stop and you'll be absolutely fine, so why not at least find out and then all of this becomes a moot point at the end of the day if everything is fine. Either way, I fully see your point and I get not wanting to take a drug for ever, even though fin gives me no issues at all, I would rather not take it, but in reality it's no issue and it's the best insurance policy against hair loss that we have. -
@JDEE0 Dr. Ron Shapiro and Dr. Wong also recently stated that transplants can thin over time. Dr. Shapiro said we shouldn't refer to the donor region as the permanent zone anymore. Dr. Wong even wondered out loud if there might be something in the bald area of the scalp that attacks transplanted follicles. It appears there's been a shift in the conventional wisdom, and the speculation coming from reputable/ethical docs of late definitely got my attention. Regarding the OP, we would need to see pictures of his results from 10 years ago and know the number of grafts he received to determine if his transplant thinned or if it was more native hair loss (or both). If it did thin then he might want to get a scalp biopsy done to see if he has any scarring alopecia condition that might effect the transplant. -
Not necessarily. Dr. Bisanga did recently say that if your transplant remains good for 10 years you should be happy. @BJ47 Was your first procedure FUT or FUE? Depending on your laxity you might be able to have another strip megasession (2-4k grafts). The more grafts you can harvest the more likely you can address both the frontal third and crown with your next procedure. I would take a serious look at Hasson & Wong for round 2.
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I finally took the plunge this week and spent a long overdue 16 hour day at the Hasson and Wong clinic in beautiful Vancouver. I've been on minoxidil for over 10 years and finasteride for over seven years (on and off with both - not consistently). Switched to dutasteride about 14 months ago. I had planned a 4,000 FUT but that changed when Dr. Hasson got his first in person look at my donor area and my temple recession. We decided on FUE instead and he showed me where the sweet spot would be for my hairline. An unexpected advantage of FUE that I wasn't aware of is that the extraction technician can target single and multi hair grafts and around 3,200 FUE grafts can give the same appearance of density of 4,000 FUE because once 300 single hair grafts were taken for the hairline, the rest of the grafts could be multis. Dr. Hasson said that FUT can also be done later without compromising much in the strip from the prior FUE. I'm also one of those people who suspects that an inelastic scalp will cause more loss over time, and I'm pleased that I won't have to worry about a scar. At least not yet in my hair journey. While the hairline was higher than I had in mind, I decided to put my faith in the expert surgeon who hails from my part of the world. He's from Zimbabwe and I'm from South Africa. The two displaced African brothers spent some time discussing my options, we decided to leave my weak crown area alone this time and reassess a year from now. The team at H&W were so professional and reallly work as a TEAM. They took shifts on my head placing the grafts into the incisions, I slept for a good part of it too so the time passed quite easily. Great pain management too, it helps that it was all FUE in this department too. Very caring and careful people all around. Dealing with the saline draining down behind my face after the surgery was more hairy than I'd expected. I had to regularly massage bubbles of saline away from my eyes, managed to avoid the bruising and shut eyes that some people get talk about. The two women who did my daily washes for me four days in a row were wonderful and I'm glad I stayed in town for these extra days as they had to switch me to stronger anti biotics and give a solid clean into a minor surface infection that appeared on day 2 post op. Flying back home tomorrow with my face looking almost normal and my head very scabby but very glad I've finally done something about my hair. I'm in my early 40s and so it's over a decade of disliking how my hair looks. Now I'm looking forward to a year of watching a good portion of it look progressively better. -
Hi All, **This is a cross-post with Hairlosstalk.com, I'm not familiar with either forum so I wasn't sure where would be best to put it** Finally took the plunge about 2 weeks ago after lots of research and a 6 month Covid delay. I had a trouble finding similar cases to mine, so I thought it would be helpful for folks in the future if I made a timeline. This way I can also force myself to keep better track as well. I'll follow this post up with a couple of others, giving a rough timeline and my thoughts on the process at each stage.- Previous Hairline: My family has a history of prominent foreheads with high temporal recessions. I had roughly the same hairline from the age of 18 onwards, with only a minor amount of backwards drift until the age of 23; am currently 32. My hair is very fine and very straight, more blonde on top, progressing to a sandy brown on the sides.- Consultation: I met with Dr. Hasson and Chis at the Hasson & Wong office towards the end of January 2020. We discussed my goals of advancing my hairline and filling in my temporal recessions. Dr. Hasson mentioned I had some thinning in the front and crown. Looking back at photos shows this had started roughly two years prior. He recommended I start taking finasteride to halt and reverse this, which I did roughly 3 weeks after our meeting. Both of them recommended 4000 FUE would be necessary to achieve my goals, and that would be split into two 2000 graft session back to back. I ended up booking for March 2020, however 1 week ahead of my surgery date Covid hit and I had to reschedule. It would have been perfect to ride out the ugly duckling phase in quarantine, but c'est la vie.- Surgery Day 1: I arrived at 7 AM and was introduced to the surgery team, I can't remember anyone's names but they were all friendly and accommodating. We did the whole photo shoot thing, and then Dr. Hasson came in and we started discussing the new hairline. He mentioned that while my crown had recovered the frontal zone had not and he also noticed some thinning in my temple points. At that time he told me we could stick with the original plan of 4000, but I would most likely be back for a second pass and if I wanted it done in one go I should increase slightly to 5000. I liked the 5000 hairline much better and agreed that I'd like it done in one go, rather than a follow up down the road. Looking back that was a wise choice as I was in for a ride, and am quite glad I am unlikely to need another surgery in my lifetime, or so I've been told. I want to preface by saying this was no fault of the surgical team or clinic, it simply came down to my own biology.Day 1 was to be spent on the front hairline and day two would be working on the temporal recessions and temple points. They took the first 2500 from my left side, I was given a zopiclone as I would be there for a while, and there was only minor pain from the anaesthetic injections. The extractions were performed by a technician, the doctor returned to make the incisions, and lastly the grafts were installed by a rotating team of technicians, lovely ladies all. In general day 1 was a fairly easy, I was there for about 12 hours, was fed twice and had a pretty chill day.Surgery day 2 - Day two started largely the same as day one, with a zopiclone and then the right side extractions; I believe I slept through most of this stage. The zopiclone started to wear off roughly halfway through the incision stage, and that was when the road got a little rougher.I have had problems with general anaesthetic in the past, and usually require extra injections to be completely numb. I also tend to metabolize the anaesthetic quickly and require frequent top ups. Towards the end of the implantation stage I was requiring injections on a steady basis, roughly every 10-15 minutes. For the last 2 hours or so my body was metabolizing the anaesthetic so quickly as to render it nearly ineffective. The team did all they could to accommodate, but at one point we had to take a break because I was shaking so badly that I was making their job difficult, and they were concerned I would pass out.Over all day 2 was a slog. I've heard no pain, no gain, but it wasn't a lot of fun. Maybe I have a low pain tolerance, who knows...I returned for 2 consecutive days to have them wash and inspect the sites.- General Thoughts:- Dr Hasson's bedside manner is excellent. He noticed immediately how nervous I was on the morning of day 1 and was calming and reassuring. He was obviously quite busy, but took his time and made himself available to answer my questions- The office has a fairly laid back vibe, everyone is very friendly and were a pleasure to be around- I was surprised at how little direct involvement Dr. Hasson had with the process, he popped in and out throughout the day. However, the results speak for themselves as you'll see in the follow posts- The team actually ended up extracting an extra 200 grafts, but as Dr. Hasson only made 5000 incisions these additional grafts were cut into singles and added into existing groups. I was not charged for this, and can assume it was because of a low transection rate? - The number of grafts sounded high to me, but I trusted the Doctor's recommendation and the density looks as though it directly matches that of my native hair. - Graft Breakdown: Day 1 : 2512 FUE extracted . 300 single hair grafts – 1714 2 hair grafts and 498 3 to 4 hair bundle grafts. Total number of hairs 5222. Day 2 : 2650 FUE extracted . 150 single hair grafts – 1867 2 hair grafts and 624 3 to 4 hair bundle grafts. Total number of hairs 5774. Combined number of grafts 5162. Combined number of hairs 10,996. -
Hello to Everyone Let me Introduce my self my name is Remy Herda, I have been involve in Hair transplant for a while I have started Back in UK working Under Ziering Medical : learn developed and train other Technician's. Worked with many Talented and well know Doctors and Team members over those years. Then my wife and I moved to Canada Vancouver BC where I started work for Hasson & Wong and helping Dr Wong Team. Then I moved to try something completely different in my life. But guess what Ladies and Gentlemen's Hair loss ewentualny catch up with me to.What I love about this type of work its the getting a satisfaction when you see patient coming First In and returning after a year completely change and happy different. It is special and unique where i know deep in me I was a part of the Team that change some one Life ! I never was worry at the begging of my own hair loss so much anyway Plus I knew im working in the industry as a comfort. My Lose its minimal, I would not compare my self to anyone else as everyone had different situation and there own story. In my Family Out of my Dad side my dad has full head of hairs both his brothers and his father are norwood VII. And my mum side her dad had high hairline and temple peaks, I'am 35 years old Now : I was waiting to see how my hair loss progress over the years ( as my young 20s I had no problems )main accelerating factor that speed up this proces was abuse of Hormones while I was doing some Bodybuilding competition back in those years. I have started Finasteride only when I was 30 years old I have contacted Dr Wong and Scheduled Surgery for 26.03.2021 Last Friday I chose FUE as I like keep changing my hairstyle and keep me side very short. Knowing exactly what is waiting for me It was very excited and ready. Now to be able see what the Patient is going trough while on surgery and after, its is Fascinating that teach me even more and gave me a better knowledge and understanding - ( well its till ongoing so hold on I'am only on Day 4 of my recovery I will keep Posting more as I have my daily update on my new Instagram account. (I want to educate and share my experience with others) So if you have any questions please ask im happy to help. There is a bit of technical details : Walked in 6am - out by 5pm Type FUE 2004G 1s-151 2s- 1195 3's- 658 Punch size 0.85mm Pic Before the Party: The last 4 Pictures Are Next day Hair wash this is only few pictures I got saved on my phone. -
First post ever. I was all set to finally start getting serious about booking an appointment for my first transplant after 13+ years of hair loss hell. Research over the last 6 months was wild. I'm a NW4/5 with a highly recessed hairline (hello huge forehead!), badly receded temples and thinning throughout the rest. I've tried basically every medication there is except for Fin(Would rather not get into why, just know it's a decision I came to a long time ago). Currently using Minox and dermarolling. If my Father's family history is any indication I'll be a NW6 later on in life. Naturally my brother has every speck of hair left having been blessed with my Mom's side's amazing hair genetics! The one thing that always kept me going towards the transplant route and somewhat "happy" was that I always had decent sides that were very "squared up" leaving only the traditional rectangular oval thinning shape in the middle which would be ready for the transplant. That was until recently. When to my absolute horror I began noticing something funny everytime I'd come out of the shower with my hair wet. As you'll see in the photos with my hair now dry, it appears 100% that my sides are now "dropping" a bit at what I would assume is called the very often unspoken about "lateral hump" upside down U area. I was horrified and devastated. Forget about my transplant plans I thought. Now I wouldn't even be able to pull off a hair system!!! Not to mention based on all my knowledge of hair loss it seems as if these lateral hump areas only seem to become a problem much later in life for men. There was a good horror story on these boards about a guy who got a transplant young and was then left with an awkward island of transplanted hair as the humps went and there was no longer any connecting hair. I am almost certain it was @Dr. Jerry Cooleywho did the repair which came out amazing. Maybe if he's out there he can provide insight on my situation... I am most wondering and concerned just how difficult of any area this would be to even perform a transplant on. Anyway, I'm now lost, deflated, and feeling as depressed about my hair loss as I did when I first discovered it at 23. For so many years it didn't bother me much anymore, and when the time came to start getting serious about a transplant I was more than comfortable looking into some of these top clinics overseas. I live in New York btw, and don't even want to tell you about some of the prices in Manhattan. ($4,000 for 500 grafts anyone?? Insanity.) As a side note - the doc DID say I had amazing quality donor hair, though it is a very narrow area of about 4500 grafts max in his opinion. So now what I wonder. My ultimate original plan was this: Transplant #1 in 2022 - Restore the hairline and temples with a rather high/conservative hairline to simply reframe my face and get me my confidence back. Estimate of 2,000 densely packed grafts to create a lifelong nice frame. Transplant #2 years down the road - after the rest of the forelock and front scalp goes, get another 2,000 grafts into that area for what would end up being a final result of a good frontal region of transplanted hair and face framing. As far as the crown goes I have no problem not caring about that. Fibers and dermatch have been a very good friend to me and would continue to be. Also I'm just not up for anything more than two surgeries/two trips overseas for this. I would be over the moon to have something that Rolandas has right now for example. Zero hair greed here. But now with this disaster that looks like lateral hump thinning, EVERYTHING is off the table and I don't even know where to start. What I DO know is that even if I ever wanted to try a hair system, I would have to get a surgery to even repair the HUMPS so they could connect to a hair system's hairline. That alone could be 1,000 grafts at least. Bottom line is I am not in a good place right now, at all, with my hair. I feel stuck, and almost hopeless. I've never seen a guy my age dealing with lateral hump hair loss. Any advice or thoughts are very appreciated. Also, before anyone thinks I have so much hair still on my head please understand I absolutely do not. What you are seeing is a combover of terribly thin hair with a few fiber still in it. My hair is shot and on top of that, the hairline and temples of course are completely gone. No medication could ever bring them back as we all know.
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Would I be a good FUE candidate?
WhatComesNext replied to WhatComesNext's topic in Follicular Unit Extraction (FUE)
Hi John - I am looking at Hasson and Wong, Eugenix, and Dr. Rahal. -
Have you considered Hasson & Wong in Vancouver, or Dr. Rahal in Ottawa?
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Hello Mdc2021, Portugal25 gave you table of really good doctors with very important informations about them. Before my repair HT I spoke with almost all these clinics and doctors (except Dr. Demirsoy, Dr. Bicem, Dr. Maras, Dr. Nedimi and Feller&Bloxham). For me first league are Dr. Couto, Dr. De Freitas, Dr. Lorenzo, Dr. Konior, Dr. Feriduni, Dr. Bisanga, Hasson&Wong and HLC. Best newcomers are Dr. Ferreira and Dra. Vila. It depends how much money do you want to spend and how far do you want to travel. But remember. You (and everyone) have limited donor area. More important than money are grafts. Also estimated number of grafts in your case (3000+) are too many. Rather choose more expensive doctor who needs less number of grafts to achieve optimal result than cheaper who needs more grafts. If I went to the first operation and considered the money, I would choose Dr. De Freitas in Valencia (also Barcelona), Spain. I suppose you have good flight connection from Denmark to Spain. 3,50 eur for first 1000 grafts, 2,50 eur for every next graft, hotel included. If you want to the best, then Dr. Couto. But he doesn´t take new patients now. And if you consider Asmed, please check my story: -
Hey All, After rescheduling three different times due to the Canadian border closing over COVID, more than a year after scheduling, I'm finally preparing to get 4,000 FUE grafts from Dr. Wong of Hasson & Wong the second week in October. This forum has been a huge help in deciding to get a HT and which doctor to go with. I had several consultations including Dr. Nadimi who is often mentioned as one of the better doctors for hairline work, but ultimately decided on Dr. Wong who said he can do 4,000 grafts over two days. I am really excited and cannot wait to see the results. I'm 39, started using monoxidil daily around age 30 and taking 1mg/daily finasteride at about age 32. I probably started these a little later than I should have in retrospect. After my consult with Dr. Wong in September of 2020, he suggested I move to brand name Proscar 1mg/day instead of finasteride which I've switched to since then. (he said he sees better results than generics.) I also did 4 sessions of PRP in 2018 but not sure if it really did anything. My hair loss wasn't very noticeable through most of my 20's until I think some stressful life events in my early 30's started to really accelerate the process. My dad has been NW7 since his early 20s whereas my mom's father died with a full head of thick white hair at 81. I've definitely spent a lot of time reading the threads on this forum and really appreciate all the support and commentary that the community provides. I'll be documenting and sharing my experience and progress on here after the surgery, but wanted to post here before going in to see if there was any thoughts or advice anyone has to share. Here are a few photos taken in different lighting and with different length haircuts over the past months so you can get an idea of what I'm working with. Thanks guys. -
Are you looking only in the US/Canada? Personally, I'm no fan of Diep at all. For FUT, the best are Konior and Wong, again in my opinion. I believe Dr. Cooley and Dr. Bloxham would be excellent choices, too. If open to Europe, Bisanga and Lorenzo would be on my short list.
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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. -
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Patient in his early 30’s from Calgary choose Hasson and Wong after doing extensive research. His decision was also influenced by a friend that recommended he see Dr. Hasson. Starting to lose his hair at the age of 18, it was roughly 15 years later when he decided to do something about it. The plan was for Dr. Hasson and team to rebuild the hairline and frontal zone working back into the mid-scalp as necessary. 4228 grafts via FUE were harvested. Day 1 consisted of 200 single hair grafts, 1972 doubles and 28 triples for a total of 2200 grafts. On Day 2, 2028 doubles were extracted. Due to limited options on the busy schedule, day 1 was separated from day 2 by 6 days instead of the customary back to back day approach. You can see in the placement photos there was a fair amount of crusting left over from the previous day 1 session 6 days prior. For the extraction sites as seen in the photo, left side harvest on day 1, right side on day 2. These result photos were sent in by the patient about 1 year post-op. Some comments he also added with the photos: “It was around 6 months it really started to thicken up. I got a haircut a couple days ago, so the sides are pretty short. There is no visible scaring in the donor area and you can’t tell there are have been any hairs extracted. Overall I would say that I am super happy with the results (was a great last minute decision to go with FUE vs. the originally planned FUT too).” -
Hair transplant suggestions
JDEE0 replied to Rick_'s topic in Hair Transplant Experiences and Surgeon Reviews
Yeah, your donor and hair characteristics are really good from what I can see. Crown is on its way out though. To be completely honest, I don't think it will have much if any hair left in it by the time you reach your mid 30's. Unless you take meds that is, then you will potentially be able to re-grow it back to a normal thickness and keep it that way for decades. You really should consider it. Read the actual studies, sides are rare, but do exist and go away upon discontinuation according to every placebo controlled study ever carried out on the drug, and according to all medical literature published on the subject. There's really no reason to be scared to at least give it a go in reality. Dr. Lorenzo's website has some good concise information on scientific data relating to finasteride side effects, good place to start and then broaden your understanding by studying other credible sources of info and reading the actual studies in depth - just find the finasteride section here: https://injertocapilar.com/faqs/?lang=en Good attitude budget wise. I'll put it this way, Europe and North America are the two hubs of quality hair transplantation. Both have a small number of doctors who are all very good and offer similar levels of skill and quality, but in general European Dr's are going to be around half the price for the same level of skill. So, whilst it's perfectly reasonable to stay in the U.S., you can get the same level of results for half the cost in Europe. My favourite European Dr's: Dr. Bisanga, Dr. Feriduni, Dr. Lupanzula, Dr. Bruno Pinto, Dr. Rafael De Freitas, Dr. Ximena Vila, Dr. Juan Couto and Dr. Bruno Ferreira. U.S./Canada: Dr. Konior, Hasson and Wong, Dr. Cooley, Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Rahal, True and Dorin (there are more but I'm in the UK so I don't keep too much track of them, others will be of more help for additional options). Do some research and take a look into them. -
From Dr. Wong's IG live Q&A, he mentioned that they can generally fairly reliably predict a patients future loss and that maybe only a couple patients progressed to a NW7 contrary to their predictions. I don't remember his exact phrasing though but it seemed like for the most part, it doesn't get super unpredictable -
Hello everyone - I've been on this site with an account for almost 3 years now, and I honestly can't believe I actually pulled the trigger haha. It still hasn't hit me yet. Some of you might be aware of the amazing results I have received from finasteride alone (here), but over time, those results haven't really held up, so I decided to get a hair transplant to rebuild my frontal third. I was originally planning to see Hasson and Wong in Canada earlier this year, but due to COVID and travel restrictions, that was no longer a possibility and I was losing valuable recovery time as each month passed. I am still working from home, and laying low as we get ready for the winter months is just too perfect of a time to get a transplant for me to pass up. I already had an in-person consultation with Dr. Bloxham last year, so he had already seen me, and I was comfortable going with him. Luckily he was able to get me in on such short notice. I won't bore everyone with the regular details, but overall the procedure was pretty smooth. Here are some quick notes: Procedure Date: 11/4/2020 Total Grafts: 2561. Singles: 1051. Multi (2s and 3s): 1510. I was kind of disappointed to learn I had so many singles, but oh well... When I asked him how my laxity was he responded "very good". A tech said I have "beautiful grafts". Fingers crossed that means a good result The numbing injections hurt much more than I thought they would. I would say 7/10 on the first pass, and then 3/10 on the later passes. The years of experience of all the techs working on me ranged from 20 years, 10 years, 10 years, 6 years and 3 years. So that was comforting that they had been with the clinic that long. They were all very nice. In the hotel after the HT: In the bathroom at the clinic. Last pic pre-HT😅
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