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10.4.2010 27/M 2900+ Stip Surgery With Dr. Hasson in Canada


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  • Senior Member

Quick facts:

27 year old male

Losing hair since late teens sitting somewhere between nw2 and 3 on the scale. Naturally high forehead.

2500-3000 was the recommendation after the online and in person consultation. 2962, I believe, is what was harvested.

Just started finasteride to hopefully maintain existing hair.

 

Yikes! I just re-read this and its suuuuper long.

 

Well guys, I did it! I finally took the plunge! I'm currently 27 and hair loss has bothered me for 7-8 years now. I've been able to manage my original hair style, but it was deff. becoming more difficult to pull it off. I knew I didn't want to have a transplant too young but @ 27 I felt like now was an appropriate time based on the progress of my loss and age.

 

I've been on the boards for years, mainly as a lurker reading others diaries. I've always appreciated following a good diary that shared the transplant experience in as much detail as possible, so I figure the least I could do is give that in return to the community.

 

I've done extensive research over the years. Initially I had my mind set on Dr. Armani. This was far back when my hair loss was VERY minimal and I didn't even need a transplant. I had a few online consultations and all of the Dr.'s BUT him suggested holding off for a while as hair loss was too minimal.

Fast forward to earlier this year.

 

I really started looking into a transplant and had my mind set on H&W. Over the years I've seen result after result and knew what they produce. I got in contact with Joe, then Doug to try and set this up. I really wanted to have the procedure april-mayish but with my work schedule and not having a passport, that was pretty impossible. I continued to keep in contact with Doug. I wanted to have the procedure done no later than October/November as that would put the 9 month mark right at the beginning of the summer. Many thanks to Doug; I feel like he really worked with me to get the ball rolling.

 

Luckily I was only about a 5 hour drive away from Canada, so travelling was a breeze. I brought my family up Saturday and we turned the first part of the trip into a mini-vacation. It was also nice having the comfort of my family there with me.

 

Surgery day: As usual I was late! Only about 5 minutes though =] I filled out the standard paperwork and made my payment. One of the technicians brought me back and had me change into my surgery shirt and slippers. She also took my blood pressure and did a quick check on my laxity. She said everything looked good and that the doctor would be with me shortly to have my consultation.

 

Dr Hasson came in a few minutes later. He checked my hair and his first remark was, "oh yeah, we can fix this no problem." I was pretty happy after that. He also checked my laxity and snapped some pre-op pics. I was always concerned with what if: my loss is too bad and he suggest to hold off for now or if my donor availability isn't enough to have a transplant and I'm not a good candidate.

 

We didn't really talk much about expectations. He said he was going to draw the hairline how he thought it should look, give me a mirror, and let me share my thoughts. It took a good 10-15 minutes before he felt confident with the placement. At first I felt it was a little off. He made a small adjustment and even though i still felt it wasn't perfect, I agreed with it. Looking at it now, the placement is perfect, at least in my opinion. Even after checking it out at the hotel I thought "hmm, that looks a little off"...but after looking at my post op pics, I couldn't be happier.

 

For the most part, the entire process was painless. Getting numb was the only discomfort I experienced. I think its partially because you can hear the needle cracking through the thick scalp which makes it seem worse than it is [i wanted to wrap my arm around the technicians leg for comfort..haha]. The strip extraction was completely painless and took around an hour.

 

 

As the technicians were dissecting the strip, the doctor started making his incisions for the graft placement. He gave me one of those metal clicker counter things and asked that on every 100th incision I click it once. On the 27th click we were finished. He said it was physically impossible to insert any more grafts, that they were packed together as close as possible and they would have to double up the remainder of the grafts.

 

At this point it was around 10:30 and I was moved into another room where the graft insertion began. This part was pretty much me sitting in a chair, watching movies, taking a stretch break every hour or so, and a lunch break at noon. Of course on every break I went to the bathroom to check the progress. Around 2:30-3:00 the techs were done inserting all of the grafts. I was given a post op bag with meds, my post op instructions and my stylish new hat =]

 

The night of the surgery I fell asleep with no issues. I didn't need the pain meds, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to take them. I slept from 11'ish all the way until 7 the following morning. I don't think I woke up once throughout the night. That morning everything looked great. I had no seepage from the donor area and the grafts looked to be doing well. We packed our luggage and headed for my first wash.The visit was fairly brief. One of the technicians washed my hair and the Doc came to check on everything. I was given a little reminder on the post op instructions and sent on my way.

 

Crossing the boarder was no problem. Seriously took 5 minutes. No line, just a couple questions when we got to the booth and we were back in the states. I rode shotgun the whole way back and was even able to sleep part of the way. For some reason the trip back seemed faster than the trip there.

 

Let me tell ya, It was nice to get home! The first night I slept a little better than last night. I normally sleep on my side so its difficult adjusting to my back but my gf has our bed set up nicely with a wall of pillows on either side of me so I don't roll over. She's SUPER SUPER cautious for me and every time I move she wakes up and asks if I'm OK. My first wash on my own was pretty nerve racking. I want to make sure I don't cause any harm to my new best friends.

 

This is my 3rd day post op and I'm just taking it easy and plan to continue that for the next few days. I will say that I'm anxious to get past this delicate stage where I can sleep and shower normally. Dealing with it is no problem, the consequence of something happening is the biggest fear. I have some minor swelling on forehead and the top of my head is a bit numb but other than that everything seems to be going great. I plan to make a several updates within the next few weeks then shy off to about once or twice a month. Let me know if you guys have any questions

 

Sorrry for writing a book guys, I figured the more about the procedure and the process I share the better for potential patients that are interested in having a procedure.

 

In a closing note, I want to say Dr. Hasson and his team were nothing short of amazing. I felt completely comfortable and confident through the entire process. I think with a transplant you have to have realistic expectations, otherwise you're setting your self up for disappointment from the gate. I wasn't going in there searching for my teenage hairline. All I want is a natural age appropriate head of hair that I can style and go out and enjoy life with and I truly believe that's what I'll get. Big thanks to the doctor and all the staff. October, 4th 2010 marks the start of a new beginning.

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  • Senior Member

YouOnlyLiveOnce,

 

Congratulations on your procedure with Dr. Hasson! I think you made a great choice, and I'm eager to follow your progression. Good luck, and keep us updated!

"Doc" Blake Bloxham - formerly "Future_HT_Doc"

 

Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

 

All opinions are my own and my advice does not constitute as medical advice. All medical questions and concerns should be addressed by a personal physician.

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  • Senior Member

Sounds great. Curious, did you need to shave your recipient area ahead of time, or did he insert the grafts between your existing native hairs?

Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR)

Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro

Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro

Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro

 

My Hairloss Blog »

__________________

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Thanks for the positive feedback. I have my photos online I'm trying to link my album so you guys can see what I was working with.

 

Multiplier- I didnt shave but he shave me once I got there. Once I get my pics up you can see exactly what was cut. I think its easier for him to make his incisions without the native hairs in the way.

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Just curious, do you plan to shave your whole head soon so that the front and back are even and can grow in evenly? (Which I'd guess is intimidating since it would expose your scar.) Otherwise, how do you plan on covering the recipient area in the next few months? Or do your friends/family already know about the surgery? I asked about the shaving just because it seems to make post-op coverup that much harder. Thanks!

Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR)

Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro

Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro

Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro

 

My Hairloss Blog »

__________________

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Honestly, I wish I had shaved my head prior but at this point its too late, people would notice and ask to see it. If you want to shave, do it prior so people can get used to seeing you with a shaved head.. I typically wear a hat so I plan to do that until my hair evens out a bit or until the shaved native hair comes back.

 

I plan to keep this procedure a secret from anyone other than you guys and my gf. From my before pics it looks like my hairloss is super bad, which it might be. I dont know if its the texture of my hair or what, but I when I style my hair with typical styling products ( no concealer) I can still pull of a decent look so i dont think many people would notice a the transplant.

 

Heres one of my passport pics from about 10 days ago and another pic from the 18th of last month. Its clear my temples are going but the rest looks decent.

 

24o5bhi.jpg

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The density in that passport photo which you're saying is 10 days old looks like twice the amount than the pre-op pics from H&W taken this week. Am I misunderstanding? Or maybe the pic is just deceptive?

Jan 2000 - 600 FUT with Dr Kurgis (MHR)

Sept 2011 - 1411 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro

Jan 2013 - 1800 FUT with Dr Paul Shapiro

Sep 2014 - 1000 FUE with Dr Paul Shapiro

 

My Hairloss Blog »

__________________

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No, as I said, my hair has good characteristics. The 2 pics show my hair at its very worst and at its very best. It was getting harder and harder to maintain a non-balding look. I'd have to check on it often to make sure the balding areas were covered well by the supporting hair. I never tried any concealers, though I wish I had. Maybe I could have pushed this transplant off a couple more years. At any rate, the reverse is in full effect.

 

I was sorting through some old pics from 6-7 ears ago, when my I feel my hair style was at its best, & from what I can tell the placement of Dr. Hassons transplanted hairs almost matches it to a T. As long as the density is good, I'll be thrilled come summer time

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Its great to see you are happy with the transplant. Great job. Looking forward to the final results. :)

Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealth you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will.

 

Jawaharal Nehru

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  • 11 months later...
  • Senior Member

Any update?

 

I see that you said that "Im about 10 months out and I've noticed my hairs up front don't let straight like the rest of my hair."

 

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/162047-14-months-hair-curls.html

 

Has this issue improved?

 

Also, you mentioned on another thread that you were having density issues, how is that coming along?

 

 

Corvettester

Edited by corvettester

My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Dorin

 

1,696 FUT with Dr. Dorin on October 18, 2010.

 

1,305 FUT with Dr. Dorin on August 10, 2011.

 

565 FUE with Dr. Dorin on September 14, 2012.

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Congratulations, and good choice with your choice of surgeon (his partner did my 2nd procedure).

 

If I could give you any advice, it's to never stop taking the finasteride. I had my first procedure at age 30, which brought my Norwood 6 back to a nice looking, well defined hairline. I continued to take finasteride for the next 2 years, but then started to slack off.

 

After several years, the hairs that were programmed to fall out eventually, did, and brought me back to Norwood 6, or worse. Thankfully, Dr. Wong, was able to bring me back to what I had 10-12 years ago.

 

I still have a lot of hairs destined to fall out, and my donor area is nearing depletion, so I need to make sure I take finasteride to slow down that process, and cross my fingers that hair-multiplication will become a reality in several years (plus obtaining FDA approval which takes another few years).

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