Dr Jeffrey S Epstein

[Neil Nelson]

I thought you might be interested to see my own pre and post-op images.

 

The one month pre-op were the right and left sides of my hairline with none of the usual additives in my hair (hairspray, gel etc).

 

Image 1

 

Image 2

 

Image 3

 

Image 4

 

The following three images were taken at 12 days post-op. Hopefully they convey the speed of healing, residual grafted hair and already a more natural appearance to the hairline. (In fact, the 12-day appearance was exactly the same at 8-9 days.) These have a small amount of gel lightly pasted on top of my original hair in order to comb it back, but there are no additives in the hairline itself.

 

Image 5

 

Image 6

 

Image 7

 

I would estimate that around 15-20% of the newly-grafted hair remained when these images were taken at 12 days.

 

At the time of posting this message, I would estimate 10% or less of the new hair remains in place. However even this has softened my hairline from its pre-op "grafty" look. Or so my wife insists.

[Phillyhair]

Hey Neil

Happy healing. Great to see a good progress. Did you shed all teh transplanted hair and maintained only 10%?

I would say in my situation, The pic posted above looks at 12 days was the same as 9 days...with the exception that I did not shed much. I still retained about 80% of the transplanted hair. The ones remained are already growing in and getting longer.

Very weird, I will have to check teh previous posts to see until when is there a risk of shedding. Currently, I am 16 days post op, sutures were removed, can't even tell where the scar is, got a hair cut, and things are looking good.

Happy healing to you and I am sure once your hair starts growing, you will see a noticeable difference from the pluggy look. Please keep us updated

[Neil Nelson]

Hey Neil

Happy healing. Great to see a good progress. Did you shed all teh transplanted hair and maintained only 10%?

 

Hi there Philly, Happy New Year to you.

 

Yeah, it looks as though all my new hair will be coming out - I'm down to less than 10% right now (probably 5% tops), having robustly washed my scalp today (day 16 like yourself).

 

Maybe you are being more gentle with your washing? I've been fairly vigorous because I still have some deep crusting and tenderness in my scar, which I think was deeper than yours due to Dr E's revision work on previous scarring, which was very extensive.

 

I was advised to remove my "deep stitches" at 14-16 days, but I think I will leave them in for another week until the crusting and tenderness has worn off further.

 

I'm fairly relaxed about the graft hair loss, having been there before, although I have to say it's tough to look in a mirror right now and see my hairline looking pretty much the same as it did before I came over to Miami!

 

I'm just focusing on Spring time, which will hopefully bring the new hair back as the growing season kick in!

 

Keep in touch my friend.

 

Neil

[Phillyhair]

Hang in there, it will only get better.

As far as myself, I still look prettu much the same as the picture above. Very minimal loss so far at 17 days, in fact to everyone's surprise, they are growing. Stitches are out so that is a big relief.

Keep us updated with your pictures

Take care for now

[paris_caine]

hi Neil and Phillyhair,

happy new year to both of you.

how is the healing Philly?

Neil, your pre-op pics looks pretty good. If i remember correctly, you went to Dr. E for repair. who was your original doc, and do you have any pics before your first procedure. If you ask me, your pre-op pics look very nice. what exactly was the problem?

 

thanks

[Neil Nelson]

hi Neil and Phillyhair,

happy new year to both of you.

how is the healing Philly?

Neil, your pre-op pics looks pretty good. If i remember correctly, you went to Dr. E for repair. who was your original doc, and do you have any pics before your first procedure. If you ask me, your pre-op pics look very nice. what exactly was the problem?

 

thanks

 

Happy New Year, Paris.

 

Bit of a long story in answer to your questions, so I'll try to keep it brief.

 

Prior to consulting with Dr E I had at least four transplants over a period between around 18 and 10 years ago. I'm vague on the specifics simply because of the length of elapsed time since then, and I'm afraid I don't have any pictures going back that far.

 

I started with surgery before my hair receded too far, and have since used Minoxidil and Finasteride to arrest further loss, so I have always benefited from original hair to complement and disguise my surgery. The first two procedures were for plug grafting, the second two for sectioned grafts. I used a high-profile clinic in the North West of England for the first two procedures and a private surgeon working out of West Yorkshire for the second two. In total I had around 2000 grafts, which Dr E told me would have required the equivalent donor hair for around 6000 FU grafts today.

 

Perhaps what the pre-op pics do not convey very clearly is that even with a good number of the smaller sectioned grafts in the frontal areas, my hairline undoubtably has a "grafty" look. It simply does not look natural in a face-to-face situation, and people's eyes are constantly drawn to my hairline rather than making eye contact with me. In addition, four "old tech" procedures had left me with very severe donor scarring which means I have to have my hair cut very carefully at the back, with very limited style options.

 

The goals Dr E set with me were to rebuild my front hairline (which Dr E noticed wasn't even level on either side when we consulted in person) with a softer more natural line, disguise the original plug grafts behind my hairline and remove as much as possible of the original donor scarring by "going in" on these scars for the FU donor hair.

 

I have high hopes, even though virtually all the newly grafted hair from my procedure with Dr E 18 days ago has now fallen out. While it was in place, up to 9-10 days post op, the aesthetic improvement in my hairline was dramatic, and if it grows back to that extent I will be delighted and 100% more confident in my hairline's natural appearance. Equally, the new scarring in the donor area is still very "angry" (red and crusty), but from what I can inspect thus far, most (although I suspect not quite all) of the original scarring has been removed. However it will be some months before I'll feel comfortable to attempt a shorter hairstyle in the donor area.

 

Regards,

 

Neil

[Phillyhair]

Thanks Paris, happy new year to you.

ok, Neil, same to you. Hope you had a good celebration.

Paris, As far as my healing, I probably healed a little better than Neil given that I had virgin scalp (First HT. So far 18 days, I have kept most of the grafts (shed very little after rubbing the scab, and I was pretty aggressive (all scabs were off by day 6)

So far the hair is growing to my surprise, and from what I know from research, hair lentgh is where it should be at 10-12 weeks (Weird, that is not the norm).

I have gone back to work after 2 weeks, and NO ONE was able to tell a thing, not even the people I work with on a daily basis (NOT even my cousin that saw me on New Year's eve. The scar is very concealed, you have to basically lift my hair to tell it is there (Just because it is still a little red). As far as discomfort, all of it went away with teh stitch removal. I will wait couple more weeks to see if there will be any shedding, take more pictures and post them. Dr. E sent me the Pre-op pictures and at 18 days post op, there is tremendous improvement.

[paris_caine]

Neil, i think i know what you mean, now that i look at your pics again.

Hope it works out great. you have a very good of hair to begin with and with some fine work, it would look awesome.

Philly, i do have a question. since you had your hair buzzed pre op, and you said no one is able to tell you had anything done. I guess, i would think that if you have some hair on your top now, especially hairline, you would wanna see a difference. i would. Or, is it that most of the transplanted hair haven't started growing, and there is no sign of it where it was transplanted. i hope i am being clear, cuz i think i just confused myself, haha.

 

talk to you later guys.

[Phillyhair]

Paris,

i did not buzz before the hair transplant. The buzzed pictures were taken about a month before that. Although I am looking to cut as short as possible (whatever I can get away with without visible scar)in about 2 weeks time so that it will all grow together. So far I have not shed, however from the posts I read, it seems that people are still at risk of shedding for a month and a half (So it might happen to me). As far as your question is concerned, Prior to the surgery, I had a little bit of hair (NOT much) right behind the hairline, so after the surgery, I let the grow and after the suregy, I combed them forward. dr. E also gave me Toppik, which I use a little of to give the appearance fo fullness (However, NONE, of the pictures I posted had any Toppik).

I guess and As you can see from the pictures, I still look like I am thinning now, just it looks more dense. The hairline I belive is the most direct impact, although when i apply Toppik, I try not to put it on the hairline so that I do not draw attention. So far it is working Great

[Wantitback]

Philly,

 

You sound alomst like myself,

I had the HT done on Nov. 23 which was 6 weeks this past Tuesday.

I never got any redness or swelling. The scare area was just a little tender for a week.

Now it is only tender in a few areas when I touch it with pressure. The work was done on my hairline to about 1/3 the way back on the top of my head.

I did have hair but it was thinning, I did go through shock loss, about 2 1/2 weeks after the HT it lasted about 2 to 3 weeks or so.

I do still see a few hair but not like it was.

 

I had 2120 grafts on the front 1/3 of my head, I just can not wait to see the results in 4 months. pictures of guys that had 2100 on the whole head look good from DR. E.

I told DR. E I would be back for more if this works out the way it should.

 

Ron

Erie, PA

[paris_caine]

Hi philly, i understand now. would love to see some more pics.

 

hi Ron, good luck to you. Dr. E has done consistently good work.

Any pics?

Also, when you say shock loss, are you talking about the transplanted hair or the existing hair?

 

Paris.

[Wantitback]

Like I said, I had hair in the transplant area, even though it was thining I had good hair in the way that you could not tell it was thin unless the wind really blew it around, then you could see my scalp. Shock loss was with both, the existing hair was falling, but not all of it. I beleive that part has stopped. I can understand why it happens, they really did put alot of grafts in that area.

The transplanted hairs did fall out, but not all of it, Roxy and DR.E said that would happen.

 

For me I think within the next month and a half it should pop up. my hair always grows fast.

I take proscar cut in quarters(one a day), and take something called Healthy Hair Skin and Nails. I get it from HSN.com

[Phillyhair]

paris

Here is a 19 day pic. I still retained a lot of hair, although 2 days ago, in the shower, I had some shedding. Picture was post shedding

[Phillyhair]

and a scar picture

[Neil Nelson]

Philly, Ron,

 

One question I'd like to ask you guys, which I've not been able to discuss specifically with Dr E, is how short you feel you'll be able to cut your hair in the donor area when the scar heals, and how long you expect to have to wait before cutting the length down in that area?

 

I think because of Dr E's repair work on my earlier scarring, my new scar is still very red, sore and crusting at 20 days (significantly more so than yours, Philly, from what I gather from your most recent photo). It certainly would not bear razor cutting at this stage.

 

I wondered if Dr E had set any expectations with you as to how closely you can "buzz" your hair (is that the correct American expression?) when the scar has fully healed and the surrounding shock loss has grown back in, and when that would be?

[paris_caine]

Hi Philly, it looks very good and i am sure it's going to get better and better.

 

Ron, i was wondering if you could post some before/after pics. i am very interested in seeing as much of Dr. Epstein's work as possible, and i would appreciate it.

 

thanks.

[Phillyhair]

Paris,

You can contact Roxy and she can probably send you pictures not posted on their website. But the best thing is finding people like us, who underwent the procedure.

Neil,

As far as "Buzzing" and I believe that is the correct American word, , this weekend, i will probably go down to #4, which is 1/2 inch in the back of my head, I did not discuss that with dr. E at the time, I was very nervous with scars (from all the pictures of old scars i have seen) but now I feel pretty comfortable, I Even have a hard time locating it, so when it heals, it will probably be more so.

On his literature, Dr. Epstein said that you can go down to a #2 or #3 (but I am assuming that is for a Virgin Scalp) but you can send him an email and he will be able to answer your question. I will probably post pictures after the haircut

[Neil Nelson]

Neil,

As far as "Buzzing" and I believe that is the correct American word, , this weekend, i will probably go down to #4, which is 1/2 inch in the back of my head, I did not discuss that with dr. E at the time, I was very nervous with scars (from all the pictures of old scars i have seen) but now I feel pretty comfortable, I Even have a hard time locating it, so when it heals, it will probably be more so.

On his literature, Dr. Epstein said that you can go down to a #2 or #3 (but I am assuming that is for a Virgin Scalp) but you can send him an email and he will be able to answer your question. I will probably post pictures after the haircut

 

Okay Philly, thanks. I'll be interested to see your photos after the buzz. You're correct though, that my problem might be what is left of the original scarring. Intriguingly I asked Dr E in person and in an email post op, but it's the one question he's been somewhat "surgeon-like" in answering. I guess maybe he's gently encouraging me to wait and see after the scar healing process has run its course, which I suppose is fair enough. But like you I'm curious to know what length I can get away with at the back (and therefore the front of course). Your results will give me a pointer, but I'm a good way behind you at the moment in scar healing.

[paris_caine]

Philly, you are absolutely right. I am very thrilled to have tracked you guys down. Its exciting and informative to watch you guys' progress. I will ask Roxy for Ron's pics as long as i have his permission.

 

Ciao

[Phillyhair]

Glad we can be of a help.

In HT, one can easily do mistakes and end up regretting. You are doing fine though, you are doing the right research. It took me about 7 years of actual research and meeting HT doctors, until I finally was comfortable with the advancement in the industry, to pull the trigger.

Neil,

I understand where Dr. E is coming from. As a HT surgeon, he cannot give guarantees as to what a transplant would look like, as people heal differently. As far as buzzing in the front, I belive we can short, there, as the scalp looks very indistinguishable from regular scalp. Hopefully we can go down as low as #2 in the back, and for you, I hope that the scar repair would have taken care of the old ones.

I am not interested in the future of cutting my hair so short, like a #2, because I believe that beats the purpose of the HT, I will probably do it right now, to allow all the hair to grow at the same rate.

[Wantitback]

I never realy took any pics.

when the transplanted hairs grows in all the way in about 6 - 8 months I will post a pic and maybe get one from D. E.

 

Like Philly, I was looking into this for a few years. Decided last year but blew it off.

 

Healing will depend on you. I never got pink or red. never really had any bleeding after I left the office. It felt tight for about a week and a little touchy here and there but that's it.

My wife says my scare looks really good.

 

All I can hope for is that everything grows out nice. like in all the great before and after pics I see on the web. The ones I saw in Dr. E's office were great.

[notsohairy]

Just my two cents. I had my HT with

Doc E in July and the results are fantastic. Completely undetectable, fantastic results. Very happy so far and the hair is still growing in. There is no better feeling than waking up, lookng in the mirror and seeing more hair than the previous day. It is just fantastic.

[Neil Nelson]

Just my two cents. I had my HT with

Doc E in July and the results are fantastic. Completely undetectable, fantastic results. Very happy so far and the hair is still growing in. There is no better feeling than waking up, lookng in the mirror and seeing more hair than the previous day. It is just fantastic.

Notsohairy,

 

Thanks for your input to my thread. When you're three weeks post op as Phillyhair and I are, and I'm asking "did I dream it?" knowing it'll be at least two more months before any grow-in begins, it's great to hear such positive feedback on Dr E's work! I have 100% faith in Dr E, but still it's a good time right now to hear the great experience of people like yourself who are six months further ahead.

 

Regards,

 

Neil N

[paris_caine]

Hi neil, very happy to hear you are feeling good about the HT.

 

Hi Notsohairy, good to hear about your positive results. I tried contacting you a while ago. i guess we spoke on one of the forums. Anyway, i am curious to see your before/after pics, since you are almost at the six months post-op.

 

i have been looking into Dr. E for a while and any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

thanks.

[Phillyhair]

Hello Neil, Paris

Did I tell you guys I had my first haircut. I told the lady I had a hair transplant and she was very impressed with the scar (Although she was rough in combing to locate it)

I decided not to go down to a #3 or #4 at this time, just to be on the safe side. I belive she used a #5 (a nice short hair look).

You cannot see the scar, although there is a little had head, UNDER THE SCAR, and that is due to the longer hair from the top covering the donor area shaved by Dr. E. I was able to notice it, but my wife said you cannot even tell, except you are looking carefully and know the HT procedure.

So far I have shed much more than in the first 18 days (I must have shed half of what was transplanted, but the remaining hair still frames my face, so I am using Toppik to portray to the look of dense hair (That stuff is good, if you do not put too much, otherwise, it looks powdery, but if you sprinkle a little, it looks denser. (So far, no one at work mentioned a thing and my extended family (they all know)have said that you cannot even tell.

So Paris, i know you were worried on how you would look 3 weeks post op (well now and after 3 weeks post op, there is nothing on my head that shows I had a HT.