12 months - 2,348 grafts - Dr. Paul Shapiro

[aaron1234]

It has been almost 12 months since I’ve had my transplant of 2,348 grafts/4,258 hairs with Dr. Paul Shapiro at SMG. This procedure was somewhat of a repair job as I had a below average transplant one year prior and was left with cobblestone-like bumps and 2/3 haired grafts in the hairline. It was only passable when I caked on the dermmatch and combed my hair forward to cover the hairline. Fortunately, constructing hairlines with concealers is a thing of the past as I am very pleased with the results. I’ll will attempt to describe my situation in detail.

 

Hairline

My hairline is far more natural now. As you can see in the immediate post-ops, Dr. Paul punched out a few 2/3 haired grafts from my hairline. Now I only have 1 hair grafts in the hairline which gives it a much softer appearance. The new hairs from this transplant do not have the bumps (cobblestoning, pitting, hyperactive oil glands?) that I got with my previous surgeon. The hairs exiting the scalp look very natural. SMG is well known for their hairline work and I can see why.

 

Density

The density is much improved overall as you can clearly see from my top down shots. I do not have to apply any concealers in the frontal third anymore, which is a HUGE relief. Once in awhile I’ll dab some Nanogen in the front but only for important occasions (weddings, nights out, etc). The appearance of density depends a bit on lighting. The comments I’ve gotten range from “you have a full head of hair” to “your hair looks a little thin”. Funny thing is they are both kind of right! I still keep out an eye for fluorescent lights and the sun on a clear day. My frontal tuft holds up very well in extreme lighting but the temples not as much. This will be addressed in my next surgery.

 

Donor

With my first procedure by another surgeon, the donor was taken pretty high, probably outside the safe zone. Dr. Paul took a much lower strip out for my second procedure. It has healed to my liking. I could shave down to a 5 guard and no one would notice it. Dr. Paul feels that the scar is a little too wide and he was a perplexed as my trichophytic closure was normal. I did fight off an infection in the first couple weeks of recovery but this could just boil down my physiology. I still have scars from hernia surgeries I had from years ago (10 years and 20 years), so I just might be the scarring type. Either way, the donor scar doesn’t bother me now one bit and doesn’t really affect the way I cut my hair.

 

Future

Dr. Paul and I discussed the strategy for my next procedure in June 2011. He will aim for 2,000 grafts, transplanting the temple region going behind the frontal tuft (sort of a U shape), and also the crown. I do use a lot of dermmatch and nanogen for the crown right now and it is somewhat of a flat spot.

 

Dr. Paul said I have approximately 4,000 grafts left for strip procedures and that I still have good donor laxity. We might do a double-layer closure next time around instead of a trichophytic closure to see if it heals better. Unfortunately, my scar situation is a little complex because of my poor first procedure. We could try to take out one of my scars with the next procedure but then my graft total would be limited. Janna did mention that we could shoot for a larger graft total and then do a scar revision if I need it down the road.

 

With all of the knowns and unknowns of hair transplantation, it sure is a good feeling to be connected with a clinic that I completely trust. They are straight shooters at SMG and that’s why I appreciate them. Of course, great results don’t hurt either.

Edited August 7, 2010 by aaron1234

[Dr. Glenn Charles]

Very nice results Dr. Paul Shapiro. This patients new hairline is natural and should still look appropriate as the patients ages. Two layer closures are often a good idea in patients who have had prior procedures. It does reduce the tension at the wound margins which can often be the cause of wider scars.

[Megatron]

I think you have a great looking mature hairline and personally if I were you I'd wait probably 10 years and just consider doing the crown if you lost a lot more there. I wouldn't touch the top or front anymore, but that's just me.

 

The more I study people's blogs and the more I look at my own progress I think I'm coming to understand what transplanted hair looks like. It seems as though it's always going to be a bit see-through under different lighting conditions.

[TakingThePlunge]

aaron1234,

 

Wow! I think your hair looks fantastic as is. Thanks for posting a detailed account of your excellent experience with world class hair restoration physician and Coalition member Dr. Paul Shapiro.

 

Best of luck!

[aaron1234]

Thanks Dr. Charles, Megatron, Plunge! I am indeed excited about where I sit now from one year ago.

 

Megatron, you are right about HT hair changing under different lighting. I have also noticed this with people's native hair as well. If you stuck a flashlight over a person with a full head of hair you would probably still see scalp. It really all depends on the texture of your hair. If you have thin and straight hair like me then harsh lighting will effect you more than if you have coarse and curly hair. It's just the nature of the business, everyone is different.

 

Plunge! Thanks co-moderator! Thanks to Dr. Paul and SMG my hair does look great as is! .... just one more...

[Tao]

You look great, aaron! Congratulations. You should be very pleased with that result. I know I would!

[Megatron]

Megatron, you are right about HT hair changing under different lighting. I have also noticed this with people's native hair as well. If you stuck a flashlight over a person with a full head of hair you would probably still see scalp. It really all depends on the texture of your hair. If you have thin and straight hair like me then harsh lighting will effect you more than if you have coarse and curly hair. It's just the nature of the business, everyone is different.

 

ya, but I think there's a difference between HT hair and native hair in that the HT hair is uniformly thick, but not dense where as native hair is more dense and has a lot of miniturization. don't get me wrong, I still much prefer HT hair then no hair, but I don't think it can ever match the look of guys that are fortunate enough to not have the MPB gene.

[stamos]

looks great

[the B spot]

Hey Aaron...glad to see your results my man!!! Wow you look great!! What a change right?

 

Anyway, hope things are going well...give me a ring anytime.

 

Jason

[aaron1234]

Thanks Jason! Hard to believe it's been a year, right? Huge difference. Dr. Paul really did well for me and I'm more than happy to go back next year. Really appreciate your help. Will talk soon.

[Fingers Crossed]

Your results look great Aaron. Very natural looking...

[Johnny_B]

Hey great results, you must be happy. Very natural looking. I kinda agree with the lighting issue but then surely with the coverage you get from a HT, we have to expect this. As good as a HT is, limitations are there. some are lucky with their characteristics etc but as they say hair is better than none and yours looks one fine outcome

 

Good to see fair haired patient with such a good outcome.

 

Kinda agree that maybe you should leave it a there for now as you know there's a fair bit of donor for the future should you need it but hey, its your call and perfection is such a temptation.

 

Enjoy your new hair

[mgem]

Looks great

[CopaSurfer]

Hi Johnny B, I read your hair loss story - pretty impressive and reminds me of myself. How is it going with your hair? Do you have any pics of your current situation? You are about five months post-op, right? EDIT: Sorry, just saw your hair restoration site. Looks really good only 4 months after surgery! Happy growing!

Edited August 25, 2010 by CopaSurfer

[aaron1234]

Hey guys! Thanks for the kind words. Johnny B, you are right that the texture of my hair doesn't make things any easier for me. On top of that, my donor density is below average. But if I got 4K left in the bank via strip, I figure that the next 2K should set me straight. If the Fin starts to wear off then the final 2K should be able to do the rest. And if not, there is always FUE.

[Mike26]

wow man, you've come a long way! Congrats!!!

[JustTheFax]

Really good results! I wish you the best of luck on your next procedure.

 

 

Fax

[aaron1234]

Thanks for the props guys. We'll see where I'm sitting in a few months.

[ziggy00]

Great seeing such a rebound after a mediocre procedure. Congrats!

[aaron1234]

Thanks Ziggy. Dr. Paul put me back on track for sure. No doubt about it.

[Profoam]

Thanks Ziggy. Dr. Paul put me back on track for sure. No doubt about it.

 

I am very familiar with SMG. I have been taking pics and tlaking to Matt for years as someday I will get a hairline touchup of ~1000 grafts.

 

Anyway I was wondering why you chose Paul over Ron ? I know Paul does excellent work and maybe it's because Paul was just starting out around the time I first went SMG in 2007 but I am using Ron when I get it done.

 

I know Paul used to 50 cents a graft cheaper, was that part of the reason ?

 

You results look great , now that you added another 2k I'm sure you will be even happier

[aaron1234]

Thanks for the kind words Profoam. Appreciate 'em!

 

I wouldn't say I choose Paul over Ron. It was a matter of timing - i.e. schedules lining up. I had a very small window to work within at the time. But I also studied countless results from both of them and still could not tell a bit of difference between their work. They were both consistently outstanding and I felt comfortable with either one.

 

The other nice thing about SMG was that I also had Dr. Ron's second opinion right there. It was cool to have them both looking at my hair/donor/etc. and discussing a plan of attack. So I'm glad I went with Dr. Paul but would have been just as happy with Dr. Ron. You'll be in good hands either way.

[Rachmunas4life]

This is such a natural result! I am impressed!

[Profoam]

Thanks for the kind words Profoam. Appreciate 'em!

 

I wouldn't say I choose Paul over Ron. It was a matter of timing - i.e. schedules lining up. I had a very small window to work within at the time. But I also studied countless results from both of them and still could not tell a bit of difference between their work. They were both consistently outstanding and I felt comfortable with either one.

 

The other nice thing about SMG was that I also had Dr. Ron's second opinion right there. It was cool to have them both looking at my hair/donor/etc. and discussing a plan of attack. So I'm glad I went with Dr. Paul but would have been just as happy with Dr. Ron. You'll be in good hands either way.

 

 

I guess it makes sense as Paul has been doing it for years now and I'm guessing they use the same techs and it's the techs who plant the grafts. I'm locked in at $4.50 graft with Ron, is that about what you paid for Paul ? Also did you get any extra grafts over what you paid for ?

[aaron1234]

Thanks Rachmunas4life!

 

@ profoam... That seems to be the going rate for Dr. Ron. I'm not completely sure but I believe Dr. Paul is slightly cheaper. I got an extra 300 hundred grafts from my first procedure with them at no extra charge. The most recent procedure we fell one graft short of the goal of 2,000. Dr. Paul joked he should have split the two haired graft to reach the magic number.