My HT experience - 1600 grafts via strip with Dr Feller

[Badhairdo]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum, but thought it would be helpful to other fellow hairloss suffers to share my HT experience and monitor my progress as I intend to keep you posted over the coming weeks and months. My HT was carried out by Dr Feller at his Great Neck clinic, and I had arranged this via Spex, his consultant in the UK. Spex has been a very kind and supportive figure throughout the last 2 years, and both he and Dr Feller were very forthcoming and helpful when i had to reschedule the surgery on 2 previous occasions (due to unforseen circumstances).

 

I took Virgin to JFK which is the best airport to get to the Andrews hotel from and the taxi trip cost <$40. The hotel was reasonable and room was pretty good with decent bed and facilities; highly recommended for anyone travelling from the UK. I flew out on friday March 26th, and had the surgery following monday and returned Wednesday. This worked out pretty well as I got to see New York over the weekend and had one whole day of rest which is a must ahead of the return home flight, and before swelling had a chance to settle in.

 

On the day of surgery I arrived early and Dr Feller was already there to greet me. I found him as I expected, a pleasant softly spoken and a focused individual. He examined my hairline, which was the subject of the day and he initially suggested the temples to be filled out, but as i was more concerned about my high forehead he offered a compromise to both lower the hairline and the temples slightly and we agreed that it was a conservative and sensible approach. After this it all went pretty quickly really. i received the jabs and the incision followed after numbness kicked in. Whilst the nurses were separating the FUs Dr Feller proceeded to make the holes in the recipient area. We did not speak at this point as he needed to focus to ensure good angle and spacing between the holes which is vital for a natural hairline. When he finished, 2 nurses took over and filled the grafts in. It all went very smoothly and the whole ordeal was over by lunch time. I even had a lovely sandwitch and drinks waiting for me when it was all over. Dr feller used 1600 grafts and gave me some pain killers and antibios and i took a cab back to the hotel. I slept for a couple of hours and woke up to a splitting headache. Luckily the pills did the job and by the next day i had come off the painkillers and it was all fine after that. I decided to keep the bandage until I got back home which turned out to be a smart move, as not only it cushioned my head from the seat pressing against the staples, it also helped the swelling from travelling down to my face until i was safely back home.

 

Anyway, most of the grafts are still intact, but are slowly falling off as expected. I was reluctant to take the staples out after the 12 days had lapsed (yes i took them out myself !!) becuase i was worried about scar stretching, but got a prompt email from Dr Feller and so they were quickly out after that. I have been keeping a close eye on the scar and have been using silicone gel with Dr Feller's consent as I discovered it can do wonders for scar healing - if anyone needs info on scar management etc, i did a lot of research on this topic, so please let me know and i will provide details.

 

I would like to say a special thanks to Spex for making this possible and sticking with me during the last 2 years and exercising patience and providing help throughout this difficult journey.

 

Spex, Any chance you can obtain my before / after pics from the clinic pls? Thanks.

[Blake Bloxham]

Badhairdo,

 

Thank you so much for sharing your story. You did an excellent job detailing your experience, and I think this post will be a big help for others traveling from Europe to New York to see Dr. Feller. It seems like you're healing well, and taking all appropriate precautions to ensure the best result possible. Make sure to keep us updated.

 

Good luck!

[The Cure]

Hi Badhairdo, thanks for your account with Dr Feller. He is my number 1 choice and I will be seeing him in July. Can you expand further on the scar healing information you have please?

 

Ju

[Sparky]

Did it work out quite a bit cheaper to have strip rather than fue?

[..]

1600 grafts for strip surgery is a small session for todays standerds , wasnt fue an option !?

 

Grow well.

[Sparky]

Was thinking a similar thing as I've just had 1544 via fue, but maybe the cost could be a considering factor here as 1600 fue with Dr Feller would be $16k.

[Sparky]

Strip would of cost less than half that.

[The Cure]

Sparky, didn't you just answer your own question?!

[Sparky]

yeah?

[Badhairdo]

Hey guys, sorry I've had tons to do lately. In relation to strip v FUE, i did a lot of research and also spoke to HDc and Feller consultants, and the general vedict was that unless you want the option of shaving (which i don't any more as i look silly with shaved head) then Fue should not be the first choice due mainly to unpredictable results and lower % yield, and I wanted to ensure good result since i was having my hairline repaired. Also, HT is a lifetime commitment and from what i have been advised, the strip route should always be the first choice until no more grafts can be harverted this way due to scalp laxity and then switch to FUE for crown and scar coverage and touch up work. Of course it all depends on hairloss pattern as well. Also if you go down the fue route first, then you end up with a lot of voids in strips taken later + you no longer have FUE for touch ups and scar repair. 3rd reason was time, Dr Feller never mentioned it as an option as i think he only conducts FUE in small sessions (less than 1000??). Cost was also a factor and since tricho closure is supposed to give excellent results, I felt it was the way to go. I just hope the scar does not stretch as otherwise it would have definitely been the wrong choice. Dr Feller assured me that since this was my first HT and a fairly small session the scar shouldn't stretch. Only time will tell I guess.

 

Hey Cure, i will open up another post specific to scar as it is a big subject. Also, i wonder if the moderators are willing to create a separate section for scar results, as I believe this is just as important for those undergoing HT and it is a subjet in its own right...just a thought.

[ultimate]

Hey Cure, i will open up another post specific to scar as it is a big subject. Also, i wonder if the moderators are willing to create a separate section for scar results, as I believe this is just as important for those undergoing HT and it is a subjet in its own right...just a thought.

 

Im five weeks out now and before surgery i was ever so worried about the scar! So much that i spent many many days researching just on scars. However, I have to say Dr Path has done a great job because my scar is healing very well. In fact its hard to see now.

 

That said, i think scar is a huge subject in itself and everybody intending to have surgery should do enough research to learn about the consequenses of scar stretching, losing more hair, sides dropping, thinning donor, long term planning etc. etc.....specially NW4 plus patients.

[Sparky]

you wont know until 3 months whether or not the scar will stretch, but its a lot less likely on your first strip.

[Badhairdo]

Originally posted by Sparky:

you wont know until 3 months whether or not the scar will stretch, but its a lot less likely on your first strip.

 

Aparently scars are at greatest risk of stretching in the first 3 weeks, but can stretch up to 100% in the first 3 months, and up to 50% from 3-6 mnths after surgery, thereafter streching very little. There is some research material on this I will try to post in relation to studies carried out. this is why many surgeons can leave the staples in for 21 days, and Dr Feller told me when he reworks a scar he keep it stapled for 6 months (of course these have to be replaced from time to time). Be warned though, prolonged retainment of staples can leave permanent "train tracks".

[Sparky]

It was Dr Feller who said that you can think your safe at 3 months and then the scar starts to stretch. I know about the staple experiment that he did, that reduced a very big scar down to 8mm.

[Badhairdo]

I'm concerned that my scar on one side is begining to widen. Also, the wound had just closed on this side when the staples came out, so it has left a deep groove in the scar. Is there a risk that as this fills up with scar tissue it will become more widespread or even hypertrophic?! It's currently 4mm wide and 45mm long already.

[Sparky]

dont think it would become hypertrophic, thats fairly rare, did you ask Dr Feller about this groove?

[Sparky]

It probably wont fill with scar tissue either, it will more likely become flat over time.

[Badhairdo]

I sent the clinic an email over the weekend but not heard back. Not sure what can be done about it at this point anyhow

[TheEmperor]

That looks normal. The red line will turn white over time. Looks about 2-3mm.

 

The hair that was shocked or shaved around the incision will regrow and help to hide the scar. The area will be ultimately be thinner than before the surgery, but will thicken up over the next 6 months.

[Badhairdo]

thanx for feedback guys. Post op anxiety is always hard to deal with and its nice to get some reassurance.

 

I've read good stuff about massaging scars (blood flow, increased vascularity, improved collagen restructuring, reduced sensitivity etc) from some studies, but it's inconclusive - same with ultrasound. It certainly has been well documented for scar management of muscle tissue after injury. Anyone knows more about this stuff? should the scar be massaged or left well alone? If so, when should one begin?

[Slaps]

You can understand why clinics promote strip, firstly it's very easy money for the Dr, secondly, it keeps techs in work.

 

Heres the thing, either FUE works or it does'nt.. if it does'nt nobody should perform it, if it does nobody should advocate strip, 'tricophytic' (b/s) or otherwise. Having a giant smiley face on the back of your head is not a good look.

[Sparky]

course fue works, although some docs shouldnt do it, and those docs shouldnt be doing any type of surgery.