Regular Member trachound Posted December 28, 2005 Regular Member Share Posted December 28, 2005 Being nervous as could be, I entered Dr. Charles' office today for my HT. Right from the get go, Dr. Charles and his staff put me at ease. We went over our game plan again just to make sure we were on the same page, and then Dr. Charles gave me valium to ease my tension. He would only begin the process when I was ready, and the valium did calm me down quite a bit. Then came the shots to numb the donor and recipient areas. Not a lot of pain, mainly just a tad of discomfort for a few minutes, then it subsided. Before I knew it, my donor area was cut and I was sutured up. Sweeeeet! Not an ounce of pain, which totally surprised me! Then Dr. Charles began doing the slits for the recipient area and I felt nothing. Over 1,500 slits in my hairline/temple area and I felt absolutely nothing! It was amazingly comfortable. Then I just sat back and watched a couple of movies while the grafts were being placed in the recipient area. Lunch was provided and then back to work. I am still amazed that the entire procedure was so painless. For the past month I have been worried about the pain involved as my appointment drew near, and like I have read by so many of you, I got all worked up for nothing. It was a breeze!! All I have to say, is anyone interested in a HT should at least visit Dr. Charles for a consult. He really does take a personal interest in his clients, and is a perfectionist with regard to his work. My cousin in Ct. has been tossing around having a HT, and without a doubt, Dr. Charles will be the one he will be going to. I have to thank all of you on here for your support and information. It is a great forum where we all can share our experiences to better aid those less informed as I was. Now comes the fun part, waiting for my mop to grow in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member trachound Posted December 28, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 28, 2005 Being nervous as could be, I entered Dr. Charles' office today for my HT. Right from the get go, Dr. Charles and his staff put me at ease. We went over our game plan again just to make sure we were on the same page, and then Dr. Charles gave me valium to ease my tension. He would only begin the process when I was ready, and the valium did calm me down quite a bit. Then came the shots to numb the donor and recipient areas. Not a lot of pain, mainly just a tad of discomfort for a few minutes, then it subsided. Before I knew it, my donor area was cut and I was sutured up. Sweeeeet! Not an ounce of pain, which totally surprised me! Then Dr. Charles began doing the slits for the recipient area and I felt nothing. Over 1,500 slits in my hairline/temple area and I felt absolutely nothing! It was amazingly comfortable. Then I just sat back and watched a couple of movies while the grafts were being placed in the recipient area. Lunch was provided and then back to work. I am still amazed that the entire procedure was so painless. For the past month I have been worried about the pain involved as my appointment drew near, and like I have read by so many of you, I got all worked up for nothing. It was a breeze!! All I have to say, is anyone interested in a HT should at least visit Dr. Charles for a consult. He really does take a personal interest in his clients, and is a perfectionist with regard to his work. My cousin in Ct. has been tossing around having a HT, and without a doubt, Dr. Charles will be the one he will be going to. I have to thank all of you on here for your support and information. It is a great forum where we all can share our experiences to better aid those less informed as I was. Now comes the fun part, waiting for my mop to grow in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Robert_ Posted December 28, 2005 Senior Member Share Posted December 28, 2005 Great to hear that you had such a positive experience with Dr. Charles. Have a great recovery. If you would like to post photos, the Hair Restoration Research Forum photo album feature is a great way to do it. If you need a hand in setting up your own photo album, let me know. -Robert ------------------------------ Check out the results of my surgical hair restoration performed by Dr. Jerry Cooley by visiting my Hair Loss Weblog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 Trachound, Your experience with Dr. Charles mirrored mine. Yes, Dr. Charles and his entire staff also made me feel like I was in very capable hands during the procedure. If, down the road, I decide I want another HT, I know where I'll be going. Really for me, the worse part was sitting in the chair for six hours. Other than the Graftcyte spray he gives you, have you tried using ocean water? I'm not completely sure why I healed so fast. But, I believe the ocean water had something to do with it. A friend who knew I was having a HT showed up at my house eight days post op. The first thing he said was "what, you chickened out." I just said I was having it done next month. This was standing in my kitchen, under florescent lights. Later that day, after I confessed that I did indeed have a HT, he still didn't believe me. His exact words were "man, I need to see a receipt, or some paperwork". Of course after a closer inspection ( mainly the donor site ) he finally believed me. I'd like to hear how your doing 8-10 days post op. I'm only 22 days ahead of you, so we'll be going through what I now believe is the hardest part. The waiting game. Good luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member trachound Posted December 30, 2005 Author Regular Member Share Posted December 30, 2005 That's a funny story Slade. Hey, if I can heal as fast as you did, I'll be totally stoked!!! I saw Dr. Charles today and he said I'm looking real good so far. Yes, I am using ocean water as well as the spray. Actually, I think I used half The Atlantic just today. Same here, if I ever needed to do it again it's a "no-brainer." Dr. Charles is awesome!! I'm going in to get my sutures removed next Friday, and he said if I still have scabs he'll tell me what to do. I think he's going to tell me to use baby oil...I hear that helps with the scabs. If I heal like you, I'll be undetectable by Thursday. I have to go back to teaching Monday, so I'll be trippin' if I'm still scabbing over the weekend. Best of luck to you too Slade, and keep me posted on your progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member trachound Posted January 4, 2006 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 4, 2006 Well, it's day 6 post op and amazingly all my scabs are history. Just a tad of redness, which I'm hoping will be gone in a couple of days. It doesn't seem like I've lost many of my transplanted hairs and they actually seem to be growing a tiny, tiny bit. Maybe it's my imagination, or just wishful thinking. Is it normal to still have the transplanted hairs at this stage? I don't know what to expect at this point. Any comments would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Yes TH, this is normal. Most, if not all, will shed in the next few weeks. At least that's what happened to me. I'm glad to hear your scabs are gone. I'm not surprised seeing how you poured most of the Atlantic on your head. lol Some redness can linger for awhile though. For me, its like a very mild sunburn. Try using some Aloe Vera, it seems to help reduce the redness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairworthy Posted January 5, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 5, 2006 Question: does Dr Charles do FUE? His Coalition profile says it does. On his website, there's no mention of it. Anybody? 3045 FUs with Dr Victor Hasson on 8 June 2004 1836 FUs with Dr Jeffrey Epstein on 2 March 2006 Regimen: 1.25mg Proscar every other day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member trachound Posted January 5, 2006 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 5, 2006 Hairworthy, I'm going to see him tomorrow to get my sutures removed, so I'll ask him. If I see nobody responded to your question I'll let you know tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairworthy Posted January 5, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 5, 2006 Thanks, much appreciated. Maybe he's got a good reason for not mentioning it in his website. It is the same for Dr Rose: nothing on FUE on his website. Also, Dr Keene states that she prefers the strip method and rarely offers FUE, though her "Coalition profile" makes no mention of that. Generally speaking, I think some clarification would be beneficial on these profiles, to distinguish between those who do FUE on a daily basis like Dr Epstein and Dr Feller, and those who don't. 3045 FUs with Dr Victor Hasson on 8 June 2004 1836 FUs with Dr Jeffrey Epstein on 2 March 2006 Regimen: 1.25mg Proscar every other day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member trachound Posted January 6, 2006 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 6, 2006 Hairworthy, I just got back from seeing Dr. Charles and yes, he does FUE's. Just for my two cents worth, I have been very pleased from beginning to present with Dr. Charles and his staff. I highly recommend him as do several others on here. Best of luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairworthy Posted January 6, 2006 Senior Member Share Posted January 6, 2006 Thanks for your help. Good to know there are several quality surgeons doing FUE in our Sunshine State 3045 FUs with Dr Victor Hasson on 8 June 2004 1836 FUs with Dr Jeffrey Epstein on 2 March 2006 Regimen: 1.25mg Proscar every other day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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