Scheduled for 2000+ w/Dr. Ron Shapiro

[SLAPSHOT]

Greetings all,

 

First off, I'd like to say this is a top notch forum. Everyone is great about sharing their stories, insights and ideas in a candid way -I've gotten a lot of rich insight to what I've signed up to do this April 10. I'm scheduled with Dr. Ron Shapiro to get "2000+" (~2000-2500) grafts to get my hairline back that has been gone since I was 25. I'm 36 now and have been socking money away for this proceedure. I have a hairline almost exactly like "Muddpuppy's" - receeding, but still have a pretty good crop on the very top. My crown is a little thin, but at this point, my main focus is getting that hairline back. As you can imagine, I'm definately fired up. However, I want to make sure I'm all squared away before I hit the chair - and after I get up for that matter. Do you have any advice for me? You know, things you would have done or done diferently going in to and after your first surgery? Also, the 10th is a Monday. I plan to take that week off and need to return to work the following Monday. My coworkers don't know I'm doing this and would like to be sly about it when I return - I can't pull the hat thing off either. Do you guys have any tips on pulling this off? I'm not shy of the clippers - I've gone for periods of time with a shaved head... Thanks a lot for any replies.

 

Cheers!

[SLAPSHOT]

Greetings all,

 

First off, I'd like to say this is a top notch forum. Everyone is great about sharing their stories, insights and ideas in a candid way -I've gotten a lot of rich insight to what I've signed up to do this April 10. I'm scheduled with Dr. Ron Shapiro to get "2000+" (~2000-2500) grafts to get my hairline back that has been gone since I was 25. I'm 36 now and have been socking money away for this proceedure. I have a hairline almost exactly like "Muddpuppy's" - receeding, but still have a pretty good crop on the very top. My crown is a little thin, but at this point, my main focus is getting that hairline back. As you can imagine, I'm definately fired up. However, I want to make sure I'm all squared away before I hit the chair - and after I get up for that matter. Do you have any advice for me? You know, things you would have done or done diferently going in to and after your first surgery? Also, the 10th is a Monday. I plan to take that week off and need to return to work the following Monday. My coworkers don't know I'm doing this and would like to be sly about it when I return - I can't pull the hat thing off either. Do you guys have any tips on pulling this off? I'm not shy of the clippers - I've gone for periods of time with a shaved head... Thanks a lot for any replies.

 

Cheers!

[stillhere]

Try to sleep during the procedure that way you won't be so tired after the procedure. Also ice your forehead with an ice-pack for 10-15 minutes every hour for the first three days post-op to reduce or prevent swelling.

[wesley949]

Good luck Slapshot:

I returned to work after 12 days and everyone thought I had simply gotten my hair cut really short on top. I also had some repairs done and no one knew. My scalp was still red but anyone who noticed thought I had a sunburn and I live in the northeast and had the procedure done in January, 2006. Go figure----It really confirmed to me that most people are not really that perceptive or interested in you to keep track of your haircount. To keep bleeding to a minimum don't take aspirin and other things such a vitamin E for two weeks prior to the surgery. You should have a checklist of before and after recomendations from your doctor. My doctor had me wash my hair four times on the day following the procedure---then twice a day after that for another two weeks. He gave me some grafcyte shampoo, but not the spary which some folks on this site swear by. I started using some emu oil at night to get rid of the redness after about three weeks. I am now about 10 weeks out and still have some redness. This varies by person, but no one really has noticed it and my kids and wife from the beginning thought that the tranplants looked good. The repairs were the problem for me. I had about 20 old plugs removed from my crown and the red spot that were there when the sutures came out at 10 days are just about gone. To go back to work I put just a very small amount of my wife's make-up on the spots to tone down the redness. I did this for about a week. Now I am patiently waiting for the growth to start.

[troy]

I went to shapiro and loved the staff!!! One thing I would have done different is taken that second valium. I drove myself and drove home, if there is a next time I would take a cab. Sitting in that chair for so long is the hard part and I know that second valium would have helped me relax.

[Guest]

Hello Slapshot, i had a long detailed post about to submit and my computer locked up so i am getting to the point on this one.

 

2500 graphs is not going to cover much, my expectations were too high and i was dissapointed, you MUST have realistic expectations before going in, my 1st surgery was at Shapiro Clinic exactly 1 year ago today, i had another procedure at Hasson & wong 10 months after my 1st because i wasnt happy with 2500 graphs.

 

If i knew then what i know now i would have done things WAYYYYYY different, i would have 1 big procedure instead of letting someone convince me that 2500 graphs would be fine, i would also have a conultation with another clinic to see what they think.

 

As far as healing goes some guys tell you that 1 week is enough, no friggin way, if you want to keep it a secret you better be able to wear a hat for a long time, unless you have plenty of hair already to hide it.

 

If you want to see my pictures from my 2nd operation and see my scar from Shapiro and my 10 months growth from 2500 graphs go to hairlosshelp.com, click on hair restoration surgery, type in "my shapiro pics are updated" in the search feild and click on the post, then under my avatar click on my website and its all there, judge for yourself if 2500 graphs is enough.

 

Good luck in what you decide to do, if you need more info from me PM me

[Gorpy]

On the other hand, I had 2700 done and would do the same thing if I did it again. The problem is that my strip scar is already ear to ear and really could not go any farther. So how would you get 5000 grafts in one session with me? You would have to go with one of those REALLY wide strips. I'm not willing to risk that. I'd rather do it in two sessions. Despite the new closure techniques, I've seen some ugly looking scars from some of the mega mega session docs. BTW - my scar is ultra thin and a non-factor now. That's just my opinion. Each person must understand the risk/reward for the various options. In the end, Muddpuppy is correct - you must go in with realistic expectations. 2500 will probably be a little thin for you and you might want another session later. But nevertheless, you'll look better than before and with Shapiro you'll get a great hairline.

[hairbank]

Slapshot,

 

Congrats to you on your appointment. It's hard for me to give advice on coverage and grafts not having seen your situation first-hand. I viewed Mud's pics once but don't remember that well and everyone's a little different. Most for the hairline/top will get 3000 or more for what is considered dense coverage. Depends on the area, have they broken it down on cm2 for you? As long as you're getting grafts around 45-50 cm2 it "should" give you decent coverage.

 

Healing time is a matter of opinion. I can tell you...........I went to H&W and had to shave down for the session, I went back to work after 12 days strategically clipping the back and sides to match and I'll guarantee you the only thing anyone suspected was that I suck at cutting my hair (Look at my Hair Loss Weblog for the 1 week post-op photo). I don't think Shapiro shaves the recipient site, if it's completely bare and you have no hair to aid in covering, you might want to wait 10 days for all scabs to be gone (mine were gone in 7 but I still had a minor pinkish tint to the skin). As for the donor, your existing hair should cover it.

 

Wesley949 made a good point............we're our worst critics. No one will be concerned for any length of time about your hair or maybe a pinkish tint on the scalp. Brush off any comments with a "got my summer haircut a little early this year"

 

Mudpuppy and Gorpy each made valid points.............it comes down to personal preference and what you want to achieve. It is good to go in with a realistic idea of what you're going to get. Since this is your first HT, it may behoove you to get one more HT Doc opinion on number of grafts. I only received 1200 grafts first HT and was HUGELY disappointed I did not get more the first time.........but I did have existing hair to blend with and am hoping Propecia kicks in to keep and thicken any remaining native hair. Anyhow, as important and costly as HT's are, it won't hurt to get another opinion as to whether or not you want to get more in one pass.

 

No matter how you proceed, keep us posted. Do you have any current pics you can share?

[Jotronic]

Gorpy,

 

Do you know the dimensions of your strip? I ask because your statement about going for "one of those REALLY wide strips" shows that either you don't understand the dynamics of the bigger strip surgeries or you are easily led into believing the negative propaganda distributed by docs that simply do not have the ability to improve themselves regarding session size and density.

 

Assuming you have average density of maybe 85 grafts per cm2 in your donor area your strip would need to be roughly 32 cm long x 1 cm wide. Just half a centimeter more in width would have yielded 4000 grafts. .5 cm is hardly "wide" when considering that 1cm is the standard for most clinics.

 

Your are happy with your work from Dr. Keene and that is what is important however do not criticize techniques that are being done on a daily basis with great success because you had a smaller procedure and have been told otherwise.

 

You said you've seen ugly looking scars from the "mega mega session docs". I'm curious to know what you call ugly because I have a rather plentiful database of 1cm wide scars from "good docs" on procedures your size and smaller.

[Gorpy]

Well, ugly is a relative term isn't it. The simple fact is that once you reach the length limit of a stip, you must go wider to get more grafts. Are you saying that I don't understand and that is not true?

[Jotronic]

Gorpy,

 

Not at all.

 

I've seen some ugly looking scars from some of the mega mega session docs.

 

You said it, not me. I only called you on it.

 

You then said...

 

"You would have to go with one of those REALLY wide strips."

 

 

There was a bit O' embellishment with your post. I wanted to bring things back into perspective.

[Gorpy]

Ok, point taken. I apologize if I embellished.

 

Let me restate my point. A wider strip introduces more inherent risk. I don't think that is disputable. You can attempt to circumvent that risk by certain techniques and developed skills, but it still exists to some extent.

 

I don't just pull my opinions out of a hat. I formulate them base on many many hours of research. I have seen some very recent scars from mega session docs that I would not be happy with. One reputable doc commented on one case, "it looked pretty standard for such a large session".

 

I would also contend that mega session docs routinely push the envelope as far as strip width goes. You can argue that based on the skill and experience of the surgeon the risk is minimized. That might be a valid argument. It is all something to consider in a seemingly simple procedure.

[SLAPSHOT]

Thanks a lot for the advice! I will keep you all posted with pics and words.

[Jasjeet]

Slapshot,

 

Congrats for going ahead with your HT. Iam still in the process of research, and would like to get an HT done myself as soon as I can. Cost is one factor which is putting me at hold. Could you please let me know how much approximately this is going to cost you? Did you ever consider going for an FUE instead of an FUT? Does Dr. Shapiro also have procedures for FUE? Your reply would be greatly appreciated.

 

Originally posted by SLAPSHOT:

Greetings all,

 

First off, I'd like to say this is a top notch forum. Everyone is great about sharing their stories, insights and ideas in a candid way -I've gotten a lot of rich insight to what I've signed up to do this April 10. I'm scheduled with Dr. Ron Shapiro to get "2000+" (~2000-2500) grafts to get my hairline back that has been gone since I was 25. I'm 36 now and have been socking money away for this proceedure. I have a hairline almost exactly like "Muddpuppy's" - receeding, but still have a pretty good crop on the very top. My crown is a little thin, but at this point, my main focus is getting that hairline back. As you can imagine, I'm definately fired up. However, I want to make sure I'm all squared away before I hit the chair - and after I get up for that matter. Do you have any advice for me? You know, things you would have done or done diferently going in to and after your first surgery? Also, the 10th is a Monday. I plan to take that week off and need to return to work the following Monday. My coworkers don't know I'm doing this and would like to be sly about it when I return - I can't pull the hat thing off either. Do you guys have any tips on pulling this off? I'm not shy of the clippers - I've gone for periods of time with a shaved head... Thanks a lot for any replies.

 

Cheers!

[SLAPSHOT]

Jasjeet,

 

It is a spendy thing to do. I would contact the Shapiro group for all the details - they can explain everything ten times better than I can. They are very impressive and friendly. Good luck!

[SLAPSHOT]

By the way, I set up a weblog with some pics.