8/29/08 HT by Dr. Ken Siporin

[HK500]

On August 29, 2008 I received my third HT and my second with Dr. Siporin.

If you are familiar with my blog and past experiences you'll know that I have been looking for more density rather than coverage and I'll be the first to admit that I am picky!! Dr. Siporin has been very understanding and supportive and 19 months after my 2nd HT we decided to do it again.

In summary I had my first HT with Dr. Straub on 8/27/03 with 849 FU, my second HT with Dr. Siporin on 1/25/07 with 1,305 FU and my third and I hope final HT again with Dr. Siporin on 8/29/08 with 1022 FU.

Next week I will have the breakdown of the follicular units, more details and pictures since this is Labor Day weekend.

Multiple factors contributed to my desire for more density after the second HT, which I was hoping to be the final stint. I did get some noticeable shock loss after the second HT in spite of having been on Finasteride for a few years I had a bit of miniaturization all over and it did not like the relative shock of the second HT, in spite of Dr. Siporin great skill and ultra refined techniques, finally I'll add that the "Hair Greed" bug influenced me...

So here I am, the day after my third HT, feeling great after a restful night, no need for any pain pills whatsoever, not a bit of staining on my head pillow, just taking easy and writing about my experience. Tomorrow I'll wash my hair per the post op instructions and I'll get back in the office next Friday for the removal of the stitches.

Yesterday everything went as planned, this was not a large session by any means. After discussing the location of the donor strip we agreed it would be in the same place as the last one so as not to create a third scar. Dr. Siporin impressed me by reaching a count very close to our target of 1,000 by slicing around my almost invisible last scar and got 1,022 FU in spite of the relative loss resulting from the trychophitic scar. His new trychophitic closure was also more challenging due the underlying scar tissue but it looked great in the end.

Three techs were present, Leonor gave me all the shots and she is just as good as Ishmael who could not make it this time, she has a soft touch and I barely felt the injections and her graft placement was very gentle as well, she was also on the table with the microscope with Raquel and Jay for the strip dissection into the FU. Raquel was great as usual as was Jay who left early but this not being a large session the manpower was most needed at the time of the dissection. Toward the end Dr. Siporin came in to create a few more recipient sites for the remaining few FU left to implant.

 

Update of September 14, 2008

 

- I just uploaded better pictures.

- I will also update my Hair Web log accordingly.

- To create the recipient sites Dr Siporin used 0.75mm blades and very small (0.7mm) 20 gauge solid core needles, he was wearing magnifying lenses throughout.

- Roughly in the middle of the HT I received a shot in the arm of Dexamethasone (sp?), which resulted in having absolutely no forehead swelling, I recommend it.

- My donor strip was 19cm x 1.1cm. It was sliced around the previous closure, it ends on the right side touching my very first scar from August 2003, this way I still only have 2 closures for 3 HT's.

- They harvested 1,022 FU's. 36 triples, 493 doubles and 493 singles (what a coincidence)

- Some doubles were dissected into singles under the microscope because most of this HT was near the hairline, it was important to obtain as many single FU's as possible.

 

Dr. Siporin took out most of the closure stitches on day 10 after the HT, he asked me to come back 2 days later to take out the remaining few (4 I believe). This was a technically complicated closure since it took place on top of a previously harvested strip and also connected with the first HT donor scar.

 

About six days after the HT all the recipient area scabs were gone, no pain ever in the donor or recipient sites. The main difference with the previous HT is this time around I felt slightly more tension in the donor area because of the more complicated placement of the closure and this being harvest #3. All my natural sensations are now returning in the donor area, it started getting back to normal 15 days after the HT or 3 days after the last few stitches were removed. This time I let my scalp heal by keeping it mostly dry, the scabs hang on longer but it seems to work better with my lifestyle.

 

Now the wait, which is the hardest part.

 

Update of 10/13/2008

 

A quick update, it seems the shock loss I experienced has now stabilized to the pace of the normal hair cycle shedding, my hair feels and actually is fuller than at the same time in my HT #2. I feel very relieved, I believe the in office laser, regular exercise and Revita together are making this difference, my theory anyway. The shock loss I just experienced occurred between week 3 and 5 after the HT. My donor scar is pencil thin now and almost invisible, amazing!!

 

 

 

[Bill - Seemiller]

HK500,

 

Ah to be back in the surgical chair again. As strange as it may sound, after three surgeries, I kind of miss it!

 

Dr. Siporin has already given you a great head of hair, and I trust that an additional 1000 grafts will help increase your hair density slightly.

 

Thanks for posting your photos and sharing your experience with us. I hope you'll keep us updated regularly and as always, we are here to offer any support, encouragement, and advice we can - anything to help.

 

Best wishes and happy growth to come!

 

Bill

[thanatopsis_awry]

Looks good; as said, this should boost your overall density in a modest but impactful manner and give you the look you want! Keep us posted, and I hope this 3rd op finishes off your lust for hair.

[HK500]

Thank you guys. I just posted an update with better pictures and the rest of the HT missing details. Feeling great as if nothing happened. Now we wait.

[Anon123456]

I like the clean job, do you not have to shave your head when getting a HT ? or the area around ? Im thinking of getting one but nervous about shaving that part of my head. I hear if you dont there is greater chance for shock loss

[HK500]

I never shaved for any of my HT's, Dr. Siporin uses magnifying lenses while working on the recipient area to achieve truly ultra refined work eliminating the risk of transection.

[HK500]

It is now about 4 weeks after the HT and although I have some shock loss it is minimal especially if I compare it with the shock loss I experienced in my HT #2. I am not sure I know why but I have a theory, this time I made sure to maintain my regular exercise regimen as close as I could before the HT and resume (carefully) as soon as possible after, I have been using Revita shampoo for over one year, I continued the in office laser sessions once a week right after the HT. These are the things I did differently and I can tell that in spite of the small shock loss (I think some could be mechanical loss because of the tapes and bandages on the head during the HT) I seem to already have much more fullness than at the same time after my HT#2, I have a gut feeling that I'll get the density I am looking for. I will report here and on my blog next time I have something relevant to add.

[HK500]

A quick update, it seems the shock loss I experienced has now stabilized to the pace of the normal hair cycle shedding, my hair feels and actually is fuller than at the same time in my HT #2. I feel very relieved, I believe the in office laser, regular exercise and Revita together are making this difference, my theory anyway.

[tommyf]

hi there,

 

the work looks excellent, can't believe it looks so good. I am three weeks post op. Just wondering you noted you kept the incision mostly dry as you said on the caption on your pic, just wondering why you did this, I have been showering twice daily, wondering what you know that I may benefit from. Thanks

 

tommy

[HK500]

Hello Tommy,

I just looked at your Hair Loss Weblog, congratulations! You picked a first rate specialist and you will be very happy, so far it looks excellent. In my first HT I kept the donor closure dry not knowing any better, that was before I even knew about this Forum, it healed fine. For my second HT I tried to go both ways, keeping it wet half the time and it healed just fine as well. This time, for my third HT I went with what was most convenient, dry most of the time, even delaying the first shower by 2 days to give my skin time to heal after the trauma. From experience I seem to heal really well this way and today I could not really see the donor scar at all although the hair is still shorter in this area, so I think it might work slightly better in my personal case but I remember reading here that most Dr.'s recommend keeping the donor site covered with the antibiotic ointment and the recipient site wet with copper peptides sprays and so forth, I just never did any of this.

[tommyf]

hey there,

 

thanks man for the look at my weblog, my first HT so a little nervous. I have never heard of Siporin, but his work on you looks fantastic. I will probably want a 2nd go in a year or so, like the idea that you didn't have to shave down and intersted in what you say about minimizing the shedding. You didn't look like you had anything down after 10 days, thats amazing, where is Siporin located?

 

I am posting my 3 week photos tomorrow, no shedding or any amount up to this point. I did start rogaine early and increased my propecia regime, so hoping that may help minimize the shed. Rahal also never suggested anything on the donor scar, just showering twice daily and it healed very early, there is no scabbing and clean scar after about ten days, so I agree with you on keeping it dry. We all hope for great and quick healing etc, growth, just would love to be in your boat, again looks excellent, hope all continues to go well, thanks for the prompt response and we'll be in touch,

 

tommy

[HK500]

We all know that the hardest part is the wait... That said, Dr. Siporin is located in LA, he does not require shaving the recipient site. I don't think increasing the intake of Finasteride (Propecia/Proscar) will help. Happy growing.

[HK500]

Bill/Bill thank you for your recent comment in my Hair Loss Weblog, I did not add new pictures because things do not really look different from the previous pictures, yet! I was thinking to post new pictures when I reach 3 months, around early December, to show the donor scar healing well and maybe some new sprouts coming in.

All the best,

HK500