Dr. Dorin 1,464 grafts

[salami]

Hello everyone. I had a transplant with Dr. Dorin yesterday, June 21st. 1,464 grafts strip.

This was my second procedure. My first was in 1997 with a Dr. in NY named Joel Kassimir (unknown # of grafts, but probably in the 500 range).

 

Dr. Dorin and his staff were great. Went back today for a follow-up, and they said it's looking very good.

 

Dr. Dorin was able to excise my old scar, leaving me with a single scar (which I greatly appreciated).

 

Here is a before and immediately after photo. I know this won't give me a completely full head of hair, but I think it will be sufficient to give me much better coverage up there.

 

Now the healing and waiting begins.

 

Here is the breakdown:

1,464 grafts

516 singles, 899 doubles, 49 triples

2,461 total hairs

 

[Dutch]

Congrats dude, that's a large area with those grafts, all the best with it!

[corvettester]

Salami,

 

Awesome! I'm so happy that you got that old scar revised! I thought that you told me that Dorin was originally going to have to make a new one, or was that another doctor?

 

Anyway, I'm trying to imagine how 1,450 graft will look with your hair characteristics. You should definitely get some good coverage.

 

Did Dorin give you an estimate of how many grafts you have remaining in your donor?

 

Now for the waiting.... Happy growing!

 

Corvettester

Edited June 22, 2011 by corvettester

[salami]

Thanks Dutch!

 

 

Corvettester,

Thank you as well!

 

Actually, both Dorin and another doc originally said I would have a second scar, as my previous one was too low. When Dorin did the final evaluation just before the surgery, he was able to excise it, and take the strip completely from the area above it. The scar is still near the bottom of the "safe zone", but I'm glad to only have the one.

 

Dorin estimates about another 2,500 - 3,000 in the tank...then on to chest hair! :eek:

[corvettester]

Salami,

 

Last time we spoke, I thought you said that you only had 2,000 - 2,500?

 

2,500-3,000 grafts is a real game changer. I mean, another 2,500 grafts is probably all you'd need anyway with your amount of loss. Plus, you don't have to worry about a second scar.

 

You painted a much dimmer picture of your situation the last time we spoke. I think you really came out on top on this one. I'd be very happy if I were you.

 

 

Corvettester

Edited June 22, 2011 by corvettester

[salami]

Thanks Corv. Those are just estimates, but pretty much in the same ballpark.

Either way, I'm not one of the lucky ones with 8-10k in reserve.

 

I should probably conserve a few for the hairline if it starts to go (it's a bit sparse, but it's still there).

[multiplier]

Curious why not more than 1464 in one session? Why not 3000? Will be neat to see how your growth looks in a few months.

[TakingThePlunge]

salami,

 

Congratulations! I'm very happy to hear that Dr. Dorin was able to excise the old scar. Please continue to update us on your progress.

 

Best of luck and happy growing!

Edited July 2, 2011 by TakingThePlunge

[salami]

multiplier,

 

Thanks for your reply.

I knew there might be some questioning the graft count as low.

 

There were a few factors at play here (a couple based in my request):

1. I don't have a large donor supply, and 3,000 would have been a very significant percentage of my available donors. My hairline is still somewhat intact, and I need to keep some in reserve if that starts to go.

 

2. I asked Dr. Dorin to excise my old scar. This was in an area that was lower in the zone. If he went higher (in a completely virgin donor area), he probably could have gotten more, but then I would have had a second scar (a trade-off that I was willing to accept).

 

3. I asked Dr. Dorin not to go too high on the sides with the strip, because even at normal length (I grew my hair a bit longer for the procedure for better coverage for when I go back to work), I have poor density, and there is a decent chance that the scar (regardless of how thin it is) might show through.

 

 

With all of this being said, we probably could have gotten a few hundred more grafts, but no where near 3,000.

 

So, I guess you can say I went a bit conservative. We'll see how it looks in about a year, and I will re-evaluate the need for an additional procedure at that time.

 

 

TakingThePlunge,

Thanks! I will do my best to provide updates.

[orlhair1]

Salami, congrats on your procedure. Heal and grow well.

[salami]

Thanks orlhair1!

So far, so good.

[bonkerstonker]

Salami I wish you all the look in the world but i'm sorry to say that i've got to be real imo you're really up against it. I'd say you'd of been better of just shaving your head for all the reasons you mentioned above. Hair transplantation is hard enough when god deals you good Ht options so I think you have hard days ahead.

 

For a second i questioned why dorin would take you on but obviously you were already in scar territory so his efforts could only be positive. I don't think he'd of taken you on if you'd of been without scar. I really hope you get a freak wow result from this small amount of grafts.

Edited July 1, 2011 by bonkerstonker

[salami]

bonkerstonker,

 

Thanks. I actually really appreciate your honesty. I'm sure you're not alone with those thoughts.

 

While my old scar was actually fairly thin, it was raised, and that bothered me. Dr. Dorin said that he will take extra precautions (additional follow-up visits, possible cortisone injections, etc...) to help ensure that it lies flat.

 

I also have some cobblestoning/pitting from my previous procedure that I was looking to camouflage.

 

I was relatively happy with the results from the procedure I had in 1997. It's not until I went off Propecia last year that I really noticed significant thinning (and the cobblestoning), and decided to take action. I'm since back on it, and my hair loss seems to have stabilized again.

 

If I could do it all over again (where have we heard that before), shaving my head would have probably been the way to go, but I don't really regret having an HT at age 22 because it definitely increased my confidence at that time.

 

Also, another Dr. I consulted with was ready to take me on as a patient without hesitation.

 

Here is another picture taken directly before my procedure. You can see that my native hairline is still somewhat intact, and helps to give me some coverage on top (yes, if the hairline goes, that will be tough).

 

I am hoping that this procedure, while relatively small, will help reduce some of the "see-through" effect. When this fully grows out in a year or so, I will reassess and take it from there.

 

[Spanker]

Salami,

 

I see that you are hitting a year soon. Any update?

[salami]

Salami,

 

I see that you are hitting a year soon. Any update?

 

Sure. Here are a few.

 

Also an update on my potential future plans:

I have met with Dr. Dorin, Dr. True, and Dr. Rahal, and they all essentially told me the same thing. My donor density is very poor, and that I should wait to see how my hair loss progresses before having another HT.

 

They all felt that I had maybe around 3000 grafts total available. That stinks.

 

My HT didn't exactly turn me into Elvis, but it is a significant improvement, and I can now use Nanogen (I like it much better than Toppik). Whereas before, my hair was almost too thin too use these type of concealers...it did not look natural.

[Spanker]

Has anyone described you as a diffuse thinner? It appears that a lot of your density is HT, so I think 3000 will make a big difference when you are ready,

 

It looks a lot better. Your hair/skin color combo doesn't do you any favors, but overall, and especially for the tiny about of grafts you used, seems to be a great success.

[BadBeat]

Pretty amazing change for the small amount of grafts and the loss you had. At least you can use concealers now and go on with your life if you wish. If you do decide on the 3,000 extra I think it will look fantastic.

[salami]

Has anyone described you as a diffuse thinner? It appears that a lot of your density is HT, so I think 3000 will make a big difference when you are ready,

 

It looks a lot better. Your hair/skin color combo doesn't do you any favors, but overall, and especially for the tiny about of grafts you used, seems to be a great success.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

Yes, every doc has classified me as a diffuse NW6.

 

I am definitely happy with the result given the small number of grafts.