Hello Everyone, a new introduction here

[Middleson]

Hello Everyone,

 

I wanted to introduce myself and share with you that I will be Dr. Cooleys first scheduled HT patient in '07. I'm getting my hair buzzed tomorrow morning and will be driving to Charlotte next week for the big event.

 

I hadn't planned on posting in here but it occurred to me this evening that might be a little selfish of me considering how much you guys helped me by sharing your own experiences, comments, photos, etc..

 

I am feeling a little bit saturated and overwhelmed at the moment...there's so much information here...but I also feel well informed and very confident that I've made the right decision for myself.

 

A little about me:

*46 year old man, somewhere b/w 3V-4V on the Norwood Scale.

*Slightly-Moderately receding hairline since my early 30's and moderate hairloss on my crown since my late 30's.

*No treatments to date, but started Propecia every other day last month.

*I'm scheduled for 2500 grafts in one session to improve hairline and cover crown as much as possible.

 

I know how helpful it was for me to be able to see your photos, so I'll commit to sharing personal photos myself. More than anything else on this forum, I appreciate the honesty, sincerity, humor and respect you guys show in your posts.

 

Thank you Pat, and everyone else. I wish all of you a Happy New Year!

 

[edited post to add avatar]

[Middleson]

Hello Everyone,

 

I wanted to introduce myself and share with you that I will be Dr. Cooleys first scheduled HT patient in '07. I'm getting my hair buzzed tomorrow morning and will be driving to Charlotte next week for the big event.

 

I hadn't planned on posting in here but it occurred to me this evening that might be a little selfish of me considering how much you guys helped me by sharing your own experiences, comments, photos, etc..

 

I am feeling a little bit saturated and overwhelmed at the moment...there's so much information here...but I also feel well informed and very confident that I've made the right decision for myself.

 

A little about me:

*46 year old man, somewhere b/w 3V-4V on the Norwood Scale.

*Slightly-Moderately receding hairline since my early 30's and moderate hairloss on my crown since my late 30's.

*No treatments to date, but started Propecia every other day last month.

*I'm scheduled for 2500 grafts in one session to improve hairline and cover crown as much as possible.

 

I know how helpful it was for me to be able to see your photos, so I'll commit to sharing personal photos myself. More than anything else on this forum, I appreciate the honesty, sincerity, humor and respect you guys show in your posts.

 

Thank you Pat, and everyone else. I wish all of you a Happy New Year!

 

[edited post to add avatar]

[TonyQ]

why did your choose Cooley, there are much better doctors here? Didn't you check out the site?

[the B spot]

Tony, while I am all for open dialogue, I am not sure why you feel Dr. Cooley is such a poor choice.

 

I think he does some fine work and has had many patients post excellent reviews of their experiences with him.

 

Middleson-- welcome and congrats on choosing a fine doctor. I am wondering why you are only doing 2500 grafts as a NW 3V-4V?

At 46, you are almost a certain candidate for a nice large session because you will most certainly fall prey to hair greed after 2500 grafts and want more!!!!!

 

Anyway, my rule of thumb has always been multiply your NW stage by 1000 in order to get a good grasp of what you need for coverage. I think a fellow member named Biscuit recently posted the same, so I am not alone in this, LOL!

 

Just make sure you are accomplishing everything you want for 1 session, instead of a potential of 2 sessions.

 

Welcome again and keep us posted!!!!!

[TonyQ]

Bspot

 

I checked him out on the online consultation, he recommended only 2500 grafts at first, more later. I had my transplant with Wong, he did 4700 at one time. Now I am done instead of going back again and again. IMO, that would be a waste of time,don't u think so?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Hello Middleson and welcome to the forums.

 

I'll echo what B Spot said above as well. Dr. Cooley does some fine work from what I've seen. You are certainly a candidate for an HT at your age and based on how you described your hair, though I agree that a larger session might be better for you. Now I haven't seen your photos, but I agree with what B Spot said about multiplication of your NW X 1000. Makes sense to me, though I might even be bold enough to state multiple by 1200-1500 if you have the donor hair, but many times that depends on the texture, thickness, and color of your hair.

 

Tony,

 

I too am wondering why you don't think Cooley is a good choice. I've seen work done by him and have to say that I disagree with you.

 

Bill

[TonyQ]

see my message above Bill

 

ps, I was only a NW3, he is the best here

[Middleson]

I should clarify the Norwood Scale assessment is my own. In reality, I don't really fit any of the diagrams very well. I'm probably a 2 in the front and a three in back (does that make any sense?).

 

I can tell you that 2500 was a recommendation based upon measurements taken during my consultation, an in depth discussion with Dr. Cooley, and my own personal goals/expectations.

 

I realize there is the possibility I may want more density a year or so down the road, but there's also the possibility I will be perfectly satified and not want more.

[Pat - Community Publisher]

Middleson,

 

It's great to hear that this community has benefited you and that you now intend to share your experience. I hope you consider documenting your experience with a patient weblog.

 

As far as Dr. Cooley goes, you don't have to take my word for him being top notch. Just click on the "Find" button and search for "Cooley" and if you have time read the hundreds of very positive patient posts.

 

He and his staff certainly have the capacity to do more than 2,500 grafts if it is appropriate for you. Given that you are a class 2 to 3 I think his estimate is right on the mark, especially since he and his staff keep the follicular units intact in their naturally occuring 1, 2, 3 and 4 hair groupings and do not sub divide them into sub follicular unit grafts.

 

Thats why my signature reads "count hairs not grafts".

 

I expect you to post some very postive comments and photos in the coming days, weeks and months.

 

Congratulations in advance.

 

Pat

[Bill - Seemiller]

TonyQ,

 

Apparently we both posted at the same time which is why I didn't see your former post. However, keep in mind that just because Dr. Cooley recommended 2500 grafts where Dr. Wong did 4700, doesn't make Dr. Cooley a poor surgeon or a poor choice. He is certainly able and qualified to do larger sessions, perhaps he had reason for only recommending 2500 grafts, and besides, keep in mind that you did your consultation online. Perhaps if he saw you in person, he would have recommended more. Dr. Wong is also an excellent surgeon and I'm glad you are happy with your results.

 

Bill

[Guest Cousin_It]

Middleson...

 

Welcome to our forum.

 

I am glad you made a commitment to having a transplant. Obviously you have researched our forum for a period of time prior to making this decision. Perhaps it would have been in your best interests to have become a member earlier while you were researching. It would have allowed you to post questions and receive feedback on your thoughts. I believe this would have enhanced your ability to making an informed decision.

 

As B spot mentioned, the amounts of grafts may be inadequate for you current Norwood status. Did you express your thoughts to Dr.Cooley about this? Did he feel you were not a good candidate for a larger session. What density will he be trying to achieve? Just trying to understand your decision. Don't take it the wrong way, Dr.Cooley is a respected member of this forum and has provided excellent work to many patients. I am just concerned that you may not be entirely happy with the density you will achieve through this surgery and have to go through it again.

 

Looking forward to hearing your reasoning on the subject.

[the B spot]

Tony--- I think I understand what you are saying. I just think your stating it incorrectly, that's all.

 

Dr. Cooley does fine work, and has on many occasions done sessions of 4000+, and produced some very natural results.

 

I think we have to understand how some clinics market/approach online consults.

Most clinics seem to go slightly more conservative online, and then amend a projected graft count when the patient is physically present.

Others like to quote higher graft counts or be a little more aggressive in assessing donor and scalp laxity on-line.

Both of these strategies are acceptable.

 

More grafts per session does not make results "better"

In fact, while I am a fan of clinics doing large sessions, there is a case to made for 2-3 smaller sessions 1500-2500 producing a slightly better result.

 

I do hope that you change your views on Dr. Cooley. I hold him in high esteem, as do many others.

 

Going back to my opening remark, I think you mean that you feel Dr. Cooley's approach is not as good as Dr. Wong, for your personal needs. I would rate Dr. Cooley almost even with Dr. Wong at this point, with Dr. Wong holding a slight edge in crown work and one-pass density. There really is not a huge difference, to be honest.

 

I am glad that you had a good experience with Dr. Wong and he took care of your wants/needs.

I am also glad that you are sharing your experience with us, as it always feels good to hear someone is happy!!!!

 

Let's not argue about this guys, because there is no real argument. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so lets move on.

[Middleson]

Thanks for the replies and the welcome.

 

TonyQ, you sound very happy with the choice you made. You obviously feel very good about your decision to go with Dr. Wong and it's also obvious you believe that was the best decision for you. I am genuinely pleased for you and wish you all the best. I'll assume your disparaging remarks about Dr. Cooley were not meant the way they sound to me and others who read them, especially considering you've never met with him.

 

from Pat:

As far as Dr. Cooley goes, you don't have to take my word for him being top notch. Just click on the "Find" button and search for "Cooley" and if you have time read the hundreds of very positive patient posts.

Thanks for reassurance Pat. There is no question in my mind whatsoever that Dr. Cooley is indeed a very top-notch doctor with outstanding credentials. I've already read many posts by current and former patients of Dr. Cooley's and they only confirm the very favorable impression I had during my consultation in his office a month or so ago. I will definitely consider documenting my experience through the patient weblog.

 

You guys raise a very good point about the number of grafts and I will certainly explore this further with Dr. Cooley next week. To answer some of your questions: Dr. Cooley did mention the density (in terms of amount of hair per centimeter?) but I am embarassed to say I don't remember what that figure was? He did say that donor hair is not an issue for me at all, now or in the future.

 

While money is not my first concern at this time, 2500 grafts fits nicely into my budget right now. Even so, Dr. Cooley was fully aware that I was willing to spend more for more grafts if in his professional opinion I needed more. So, I would have to at least assume he arrived at the figure of 2500 by professional standards other than a desire to maximize his revenues, which was certainly reassuring to me.

 

If I do eventually find that I want more density, I am sure I won't be dissappointed in what I'm having done next week. In all honesty, if it's a simple matter of having 5000 grafts next week, or 2500 next week/2500 next year, I would still split it up if for no other reason than financial ones. I don't want to finance any of this.

 

Now that you guys have me thinking more about this, I do seem to recall something about "diminishing returns?", or something about a certain density that he felt professionaly comfortable with. In other words, I think he was telling me that it was possible to "over-plant the field"?

 

I probably should have left out my Norwood status in my initial post, because I'm sure I over-stated my classification. I might be able to get some digital photos tomorrow and post them up this weekend. I would be curious to know if you guys might still think I should get more after seeing the pictures.

 

Thank you again, very much, for reading this, and for your replies/opinions. I appreciate it.

[Middleson]

B-Spot

 

I think we were simulposting (that a word?).

 

Thanks again.

 

Middleson

[the B spot]

LOL!!!!

No Prob!!!!!!

 

Congrats and keep us posted!!!!!!

[Middleson]

Gentlemen,

 

I created a photo album and posted 3 pics (side, top, and back). Check it out if you have a chance.

 

I would be curious to know if you might still think I need more than 2500 grafts? I do intend to talk with Dr. Cooley about this next week. (Guess I'll have to bring my Visa just in case )

 

I would also be curious to know if you agree with my self assessment of my Norwood Scale match. (3V or 4V?)