Senior Member Drew35 Posted February 17, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) I decided to have my 3rd hair transplant with Dr Sanusi Umar of Redondo Beach California. Dr Umar was a friendly and fun guy to talk to. Dr Umar's staff was also very friendly and made me feel at ease immediately. Since I am a borderline Norwood 7 I asked Dr Umar to transplant 5,000 grafts. I also asked him to address my scar as I would like to be able to cut my hair shorter in the future. My ultimate goal is to be able to cut my hair pretty short in the future. The surgery lasted for 3 days from 7:30am to 8:00pm every day. I stayed at the beautiful Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club, which is only a short walk to Dr Umar's clinic. In total Dr Umar was able to transplant 5,035 grafts. 2300 came from my beard and the remaining came from head and nape hair. 1,750 head and nape hair was used in my hairline/frontal scalp region. 3,285 head and beard grafts were used in my crown. 300 beard grafts were place into my strip scar. Originally Dr Umar thought I would need 750 beard grafts, for my scar, but Dr Jerry Wong did such a phenomenal job that the scar was so thin I only needed 300 beard grafts. HAIRLINE/FRONTAL SCALP: CLOSE UP OF HAIRLINE: LEFT TEMPLE: RIGHT TEMPLE: BEARD GRAFTS INTO SCAR: BEARD GRAFTS INTO LEFT SIDE: BEARD GRAFTS INTO RIGHT SIDE: I think for my next hair transplant I will ask Dr Umar to try some body hairs, into my crown, and see how they grow. Edited March 17, 2011 by Drew35 - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Blake Bloxham Posted February 17, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted February 17, 2011 Drew, Thank you for sharing these updates and congratulations on your procedure with Dr. Umar! I think the community really enjoys following some of the larger follicular unit extraction (FUE) cases from Dr. Umar's clinic, and I'm sure your case will be no exception. I hope you'll keep us updated on your progress. Good luck, and happy growing! "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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Drew35 Posted February 17, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thanks Future H T Doc! - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member maverik Posted February 17, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted February 17, 2011 That is a pretty nice looking scar, how short can your hair be at the back for it to be noticeable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member TakingThePlunge Posted February 17, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted February 17, 2011 Drew35, Congratulations! The work looks very good and I'm definitely looking forward to your future updates. Happy growing! David - Former Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice. View my Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Stingray Posted February 18, 2011 Regular Member Share Posted February 18, 2011 Hey Drew Have you got any pre-op pics? SR ----------------------------------------- 2425 FUE - Dr Armani - Nov 2007 (poor result) 1000 FUE Procedure with Dr. Bisanga - March 25th 2010 (great result) 1599 FUE Procedure with Dr. Bisanga - Feb 3rd 2011 My Hair Loss Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aaron1234 Posted February 19, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted February 19, 2011 Dear God Drew! Your HT journey has been E P I C. Hoping for nothing but the best for you! Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008 Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013 Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020 My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member corvettester Posted February 20, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted February 20, 2011 Wow! I've never seen a case of this magnitude. It's really amazing that they took hair from your beard and neck. I'll be following your case closely. All the best man... hells ya! 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Drew35 Posted March 7, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 7, 2011 Hey Drew Have you got any pre-op pics? SR Hi Stingray, Here are my pre-op pictures. I had shaved my head about 4 weeks prior so my hair is shorter. - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Drew35 Posted March 7, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 7, 2011 And to provide perspective please remember I was a borderline NW 7 before starting this. Dr Wong started me off with a great base to start from, but I have a HUGE area to cover. This is where I started from: - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member uncjim Posted March 11, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 11, 2011 Wonderful Drew! Your results remind me of a Young Jotronic after shaving his head. CONTRATULATIONS on your latest procedure. You are a trooper indeed. The HT world will be following your results. Jim "Temples 'n Crowns Forever" Uncjim's Hair Loss WebLog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Drew35 Posted March 13, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 13, 2011 Thank you Jim! - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Drew35 Posted March 13, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 13, 2011 I forgot to post my crown photo: CROWN: - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairthere Posted March 13, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 13, 2011 Drew, I don't mean to dwell on the past, but considering your session sizes with Dr. Wong, I would have expected much better results from those strip surgeries (as I'm sure you did). Did the clinic feel your results were up to par? Also, was your donor area tapped out for another strip session? I am the owner/operator of AHEAD INK a Scalp Micropigmentation Company in Fort Lee, New Jersey. www.aheadink.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Drew35 Posted March 14, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 14, 2011 Drew, I don't mean to dwell on the past, but considering your session sizes with Dr. Wong, I would have expected much better results from those strip surgeries (as I'm sure you did). Did the clinic feel your results were up to par? Also, was your donor area tapped out for another strip session? You aren't the first to say this to me. I didn't want to go through another strip surgery anyways. And even if only 50% of the grafts grow, from Dr Umar's surgery, I still would end up with more grafts than what Dr Wong said he could get in a 3rd surgery. So my only recourse was to ask for a refund and I didn't do that. I am moving on. - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairthere Posted March 14, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 14, 2011 Hey Drew, I understand. At least you had a base to start with for your surgery with Dr. Umar. Good growing to you and please keep us updated on your results. I am the owner/operator of AHEAD INK a Scalp Micropigmentation Company in Fort Lee, New Jersey. www.aheadink.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member uncjim Posted March 14, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 14, 2011 Drew, Here's my 2 cents if you don't mind. This of course is a subjective thing, a matter of opinion. Considering where you came from, your results are excellent. Certainly, wearing your hair short will magnify any lack of density. It also appears to me that your hair is rather fine, which will also contributes to the appearance of thinness. My point in this isn't to cheerlead for Dr. Wong (Lord knows I've done enough of that through the years) but to hopefully give you a well deserved boost. I'm not sure if you need that, but those are my thoughts. I really do think your results are great. All the best. Jim "Temples 'n Crowns Forever" Uncjim's Hair Loss WebLog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairthere Posted March 14, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 14, 2011 Jim, Sorry, I have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. Let me preface this by saying I think H&W do amazing work, and their results, yours included, are usually worthy of a "Wow". But Drew's results from 8,585 grafts are not acceptable, IMHO. Obviously Drew wants to just move on from this, so I'm not going to badger him for details on exactly what happened here. I do think this is a good cautionary tale for guys with high NW numbers. Restoring a NW 6-7 can be very difficult and costly. I do hope this last HT gets you to where you hope to be Drew... I am the owner/operator of AHEAD INK a Scalp Micropigmentation Company in Fort Lee, New Jersey. www.aheadink.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member uncjim Posted March 15, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hairthere, Unacceptable, by definition, means poor yield as I don't think the graft placement can be questioned. Personally, from Drew's pictures, I don't believe the yield is poor. On the other hand, I can't say for certain. This is between Drew and Dr. Wong. Bottom line: I do hope this last HT gets you to where you hope to be Drew... Amen. Jim "Temples 'n Crowns Forever" Uncjim's Hair Loss WebLog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hairthere Posted March 15, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 15, 2011 (edited) Jim, I agree, I don't think this was a case of poor yield, nor was it a case of doctor/tech error. I do question whether or not, given the patient's donor characteristics and high NW number, he had reasonable expectations, and if the clinic promised him something they couldn't possibly deliver on. That being said, I'm going to stop posting on Drew's thread as he is moving on.... take care! Edited March 15, 2011 by hairthere I am the owner/operator of AHEAD INK a Scalp Micropigmentation Company in Fort Lee, New Jersey. www.aheadink.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Drew35 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 15, 2011 Drew,Here's my 2 cents if you don't mind. This of course is a subjective thing, a matter of opinion. Considering where you came from, your results are excellent. Certainly, wearing your hair short will magnify any lack of density. It also appears to me that your hair is rather fine, which will also contributes to the appearance of thinness. My point in this isn't to cheerlead for Dr. Wong (Lord knows I've done enough of that through the years) but to hopefully give you a well deserved boost. I'm not sure if you need that, but those are my thoughts. I really do think your results are great. All the best. Jim I am not holding anything against Dr Wong. I like Dr Wong as a person and think he is a great surgeon. I have no idea what my yield was, but I can't cut my hair as short as I would like. Hopefully the beard grafts work in the scar. Am I unhappy. No. Was I expecting a little bit better result. Yes. I was definitely hoping for more density in my frontal region. And I do have fine hair. That is correct. I am just praying I get a good yield from this last surgery. Dr Umar does fantastic work also, so I am in good hands. The only reason I continue to come back is to give other Norwood 6 patients an honest presentation and realistic expectation. Be prepared for a marathon. - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Drew35 Posted March 15, 2011 Author Senior Member Share Posted March 15, 2011 Jim, Sorry, I have to respectfully disagree with you on this one. Let me preface this by saying I think H&W do amazing work, and their results, yours included, are usually worthy of a "Wow". But Drew's results from 8,585 grafts are not acceptable, IMHO. Obviously Drew wants to just move on from this, so I'm not going to badger him for details on exactly what happened here. I do think this is a good cautionary tale for guys with high NW numbers. Restoring a NW 6-7 can be very difficult and costly. I do hope this last HT gets you to where you hope to be Drew... Here is what Dr Wong did in my first surgery. Dr Wong originally wanted my hairline to be about 1 cm higher. You can actually see where he rubbed the original line away. [/q] - 1st Transplant: 5,485 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 2nd Transplant: 3,100 grafts with Dr Jerry Wong 3rd Transplant: 5,035 grafts with Dr Sanusi Umar My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Wong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member uncjim Posted March 15, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hairthere, Thanks for the clarification as I didn't understand previously. All the best to you also. Jim "Temples 'n Crowns Forever" Uncjim's Hair Loss WebLog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member uncjim Posted March 15, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 15, 2011 Drew, I'm sorry your unhappy. After all these years, I log on infrequently and always find myself wondering what happened in your case. Like all here I'm sure, I'll be rooting for you. Take care and all the best. Jim "Temples 'n Crowns Forever" Uncjim's Hair Loss WebLog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member hdude46 Posted March 15, 2011 Senior Member Share Posted March 15, 2011 i think with your level of baldness you would be better off finding a good system then spending all this money on hair transplants. i hope it turns out ok for you but right now i just dont see it. bobman cases re one in a million... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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