Azn_Guy's experience with Dr. Cooley: 3007 grafts

[azn_guy]

Hey Mega,

 

The right temple area wasn't necessarily lowered, there were miniaturized hairs there. I had 3 choices during the consultation

1. higher hairline

2. build on existing hairline ==> this is what I chose

3. low hairline

 

As far as the results, everything is looking good, the density of my hairline seems pretty adequate, I wouldn't mind placing maybe another 200 grafts throughout my hairline to thicken it up, but overall I'm 90% happy.

 

When it comes to overall density, what you observed is dead on.

 

If I were to compare my pre-op pics with 7 month pics, it looks about the same, I was hoping to see something more drastic. I am still optimistic that in another month or 2 things should thicken up, this is the double edge sword of still having existing native hair, my existing hair is so thick that it takes "more" or "longer" for the new grafts to "shine"

 

I opted to post every other month starting at 6 months, but I realize that the next few months are quite critical/important to document as this is where I truly see the benefits of the HT. I decided to continue to document EVERY month to see the progress

[RCWest]

Whether you think your 7 month density is as good as your preop or not, you don't ever have to worry about this hair falling out

[azn_guy]

Whether you think your 7 month density is as good as your preop or not, you don't ever have to worry about this hair falling out

 

Agreed! Last February I would always worry about my receding hairline...

 

I don't have to think about that anymore, I guess now all I need to worry about is overall thinning :-p

[azn_guy]

This marks my 8th month since the HT and the everything appears to be on schedule. I am most happy with the hairline since that is pretty much the only thing I can use as reference. The density of my hair right now is not where I want it to be but again, it's a waiting game and hopefully in 2 more months things will look "thicker" The donor area looks good but is not relevant since I am going to get a scar revision in 2 months. Disregarding the Donor Scar, I am 70% happy at the moment. I anticipate that the 70% will go up to 80%, and hopefully 90% if I'm lucky

[TakingThePlunge]

azn_guy,

 

I hope the next few months bring the added density you are hoping for. Best of luck on your upcoming scar revision!

[Megatron]

Hey aznguy,

 

Tnx for the 8month update. pictures can be very deceiving, but your 8m pics look noiticeably thicker than your 7m and prior pics. I see a significant improvement in density along the hairline vs your 5m and prior pic.

[savehair]

good luck man!!! im in a very similar situation (overall thinning with receding hairline, but my hair is thick enough to disguise some of it)

 

will probably go for a HT when times right too, can't wait to see your results, i m sure they will turn out awesome for you!

[azn_guy]

This is my 9th month and I think everything is going as planned. I can't really tell if there are any changes anymore, because everything is so gradual. A few things that I would nit-pick about is the top of my head, right in front of the crown is a bit thin. While I did not ask Dr. Cooley to do anything in this area (Zone 4 I believe) I personally am not a fan of this spot. Another thing I would probably nit-pick about is the left temple, the hairline is not aligned with the right temple, this is actually quite obvious and when I go in for my Scar Revision, I will ask Dr. Cooley to place grafts here. Lastly would be the scar above my left ear (my HT consisted of 2 strip scars, the main scar and an extra strip above the ear to get additional grafts) the donor scar itself looks okay BUT because of my hair characteristics (asian hair), even at a clipper #4, you'll notice that the hair above the left ear is not as thick as the right ear

 

these are my concerns

 

In December I am scheduled to visit Dr. Cooley for a Scar Revision, I will be asking for ACELL when I get this done since Dr. Cooley recommended it. Too bad it cost additional $$$, but I think it is worth it.

[Megatron]

are you paying for the scar revision or for extra work? if the former, that doesn't seem right. what's ACELL?

 

let me ask you something. in those pics where it looks like you have thin patches, are those really thin patches or is it an illusion from the light shining off the scalp?

 

I think I might switch to using my cell camera, because my high res camera doesn't make things appear as they do to the naken eye. I wonder if you can relate.

[azn_guy]

Hey Mega,

 

The Scar Revision is free of charge, but because I'm choosing to have ACELL used, it's an additional fee

 

Which pictures are you referring to when you notice the "thin patches" Let me know specifically and I will tell you

 

If you're wondering what ACELL is, check out the following link

 

(Promotional link removed. Please link to Jerry Cooley's presentation on Acell on our community at http://www.regrowhair.com)

[multiplier]

Hey Mega,

 

The Scar Revision is free of charge, but because I'm choosing to have ACELL used, it's an additional fee

 

Which pictures are you referring to when you notice the "thin patches" Let me know specifically and I will tell you

 

If you're wondering what ACELL is, check out the following link

 

(Promotional link removed. Please link to Jerry Cooley's presentation on Acell on our community at Hair Loss Q&A)

 

Can you clarify why you're getting scar revision and what went wrong with it? Couldn't find it in this discussion, thanks!

[Megatron]

I'm comparing your 1st and 2nd photos in your 9 month thread. I realize photo 2 has wet hair, but still the contrast in hair thickness looks significant. Do you think photo 2 is representative of what your scalp looks like to the naked eye?

 

I ask because I'm trying to get a handle on how to judge and compare people's results so I can better understand my own.

[azn_guy]

Can you clarify why you're getting scar revision and what went wrong with it? Couldn't find it in this discussion, thanks!

 

Hey Multiplier, take a look at the following link

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/156578-donor-scar-photos-clipper-4-a.html

 

Basically I started to notice that I couldn't cut my hair at a clipper #4 because my donor scar was wide, which was an interesting phenomenon.

 

What had happened was the sutures used were combined with a solution and Dr. Cooley used a new technique/method. And it caused the donor scar to stretch, interestingly enough the scar itself never stretched, the skin below stretched.

 

I spoke with Dr. Cooley about it and he wanted to do a scar revision and was confident it will be fixed so I took his offer

[azn_guy]

I'm comparing your 1st and 2nd photos in your 9 month thread. I realize photo 2 has wet hair, but still the contrast in hair thickness looks significant. Do you think photo 2 is representative of what your scalp looks like to the naked eye?

 

I ask because I'm trying to get a handle on how to judge and compare people's results so I can better understand my own.

 

Hey Mega, yes Photo #1 was with Dry Hair, Photo #2 was with Wet Hair that was slightly towel dried after showering.

 

Regarding Photo #1, in an hour, my hair will dry and that is what it will look like

 

Photo #2, I didn't do any styling at all, so what you see is what you get, this is what people will see if I don't do anything. Camera didn't do anything to enhance or decrease the photo. The Flash on the camera does slightly make my scalp "white" so it's somewhat of a big contrast.

[multiplier]

@azn_guy: can I ask how you noticed? Did you get a haircut and just notice the scar was visible? Or had you gotten previous haircuts where it looked fine and then later one noticed it had worsened?

[azn_guy]

Hey Mulitplier,

 

the reason I noticed this is because in general I keep my hair short and I generally use a clipper #4.

if I couldn't do this, I would have not chosen to get a HT in the first place.

 

Most information from the Top HT Clinics mention that if a HT was good, you should potentially buzz down with a clipper #3 and the Donor Scar would be undetectable. This is probably an ideal situation.

But most mention that clipper #4 is doable.

 

I got a haircut and asked the barber to use a clipper #4 and low and behold I was very disappointed because the donor scar was noticeable

 

That is how I know. You can see the photos in my blog

[azn_guy]

Today is my 10 month anniversary. It's been a journey to reach 10 months. Now that I look back, the hardest months were the first three months, after that, things go by quite quickly. I believe I have reached a point where growth has finally reached it's peak (who knows maybe in another month or two, I'll see a little more and be surprised), but my expectations is what I see is what I get. A few things to note right now is that the dono strip will be revised on the 16th of December, so I will be going under the knife very soon to correct the issue.

[RCWest]

Azn_guy, are you going to be happy with the density for now? Where are you going to put the grafts from the scar strip?

[Megatron]

good luck with your strip revision tomorrow!

[azn_guy]

Hey Guys,

 

I had my Scar Revision today with Dr. Cooley and it was quite pleasant and everything went as planned. I got to the office at 10am and had to sign some consent papers. Dr. Cooley went over the procedure one last time then took some reference photos. Himself and Brandi Burgess were in the room the whole time.

 

I mentioned to him that i had two concerns such as the left hairline not being as low my right hairline, and the secondary strip on the left side above my ear is noticeable even at clipper #5. Dr. Cooley's plan was to fill in all the hairline as well as work on the filling in the secondary strip. We also decided to use ACELL which should compliment the scar revision procedure.

 

I went into the surgery room and they drugged me and had me lie down so they could start working on revising the strip. I then had lunch at 12pm

 

We started again around 12:30ish and they worked on the recipient area (It was Dr. Cooley and Brandi Burgess) They had 1-2 technicians working on the slivering.

 

The whole procedure lasted until 3:00pm and I was off back to the hotel

 

Everything went as planned and I asked how many grafts they were able to excise, to my surprise, they were able to get 420+ grafts (I will get details later)

 

I'll be updating my weblog right after this.

[azn_guy]

RCWEST, yeah I'm decently happy, the additional grafts that came from the Scar Revision were placed in two areas

 

1. Hairline 1-4mm (front to back)

2. Secondary Strip

 

Megatron, Thanks I'll keep you all updated on how the things heal/grow

[LadyNeedsHair]

Hope you are doing well Azn Guy. I am sure Dr. Cooley and Brandi treated you well! Take care of yourself

[TakingThePlunge]

azn_guy,

 

Congratulations! I'm happy to hear that your long anticipated scar revision is now completed. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you and wish you the best of luck.

 

I know you'll keep us well informed of your progress. I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I say that I'm very curious to see how the ACell will affect the healing of your scar.

 

All the best,

[azn_guy]

Hey everyone, here are some updates from my scar revision procedure with Dr. Cooley

 

You'll see my 10 month results taken by him, in addition to seeing a few photos of my scar that widened up to 5mm!!!

 

I had a total of 429 grafts (618 hairs)

 

This brings me up to a total of

 

3436 grafts (6119 hairs)

 

I also had my sutures removed 2 weeks after the procedure

Scar Revision: December 16, 2010

Suture Removal: December 30, 2010

[YouOnlyLiveOnce]

The results are looking good at 10 months but I agree, that scar was rough. Happy healing/growing.