H. Rahal HT Experience and Results - 1827 grafts

[ProteinPeep]

Hello everyone! I received a FUT hair transplant from Dr. H. Rahal on December 13, 2012 that consisted of 1827 grafts. I have written up a decently comprehensive story of my hair loss history and hair transplant experiences to educate others on the process. Please ask additional questions if you so desire.

 

My hair loss story:

My hair loss at the temple regions became noticeable during my last year of college at 22. The loss was minor and it never really bothered me from an emotional or social perspective. Over the last ten years I receded back to a Norwood 3 pattern but my curly hair and low hair-scalp contrast allowed me to cover the recession to a large extent with a well-placed comb over. I became more self-aware of my hair loss when I accepted a post-doctoral position in a university setting. The sight of Norwood 1s on an everyday basis created envy within me that I was unable to shake. I wanted my hairline back…even if it was higher than when I started!

 

I hastily choose Bosley for my first hair transplant based on their generic photo results. I was under the impression that hair transplant procedures were now a simple surgical procedure on par with a breast enhancement surgery. I did enough research to determine that hair transplantation had greatly improved since the "plug days," therefore, I knew I could obtain a natural result. Unfortunately, I did not realize that some surgeons were vastly superior based on their scientific knowledge of hair transplantation and artistic ability.

 

Due to Bosley’s poor post-op care, I took to the internet to find photos of other hair transplant patients to determine what I should expect over the next 12 months. Although, in my opinion, there are several excellent hair loss sites on the web, I found myself glued to this hair transplant network due to its professionalism and accurate/helpful information. The other sites at times seemed like the wild, wild west. The amount of nonsense pandered on those sites was too much for me. I credit the dedication of the moderators, patient advocates, the highly educated patients and the doctors who post here frequently for the high quality found at this site.

 

Fortunately, I found this site. Unfortunately, after looking at hundreds of hair transplant results, I realized that I was going to need another hair transplant to obtain the results I desired. It was at that time I committed to intense research through this website and several on-site visitations to hair transplantation clinics. After six months of research, I choose Dr. H. Rahal for my second procedure based on his ethics, his hairline philosophy and consistent results. Hopefully after this procedure I can forget about hair loss for the next 5-10 years since I am taking propecia/proscar, I currently do not have thinning anywhere else (based on visual and microscopic analyses) and my family hair loss history is favorable (worst cases are Norwood 3v or 4).

 

Medications:

I started taking Propecia at the beginning on January 2012. I have not noticed any changes due to the fact that I was not thinning anywhere else other than my hairline and the temple regions. I am only taking it to slow down future hair loss (family history of crown loss later in life).

 

First hair transplant story with Bosley:

I’m not going to discuss the details of the Bosley procedure. In short, I received ~1500 grafts for an area of ~40cm2. It was a decent experience, I wasn’t butchered at least, but it became clear I was going to need another procedure to increase the density.

 

My on-site consultations after the Bosley procedure: I wanted the see a variety of hair transplant surgeons based on their scholarship, artistic abilities, innovation and of course, final results. I choose to visit Dr. William Rassman due to his scholarship in the field of hair transplantation, Dr. H. Rahal for his artistic ability and Dr. Sanusi Umar for his innovations.

 

I saw Dr. Rassman one month after my hair transplant with Bosley (March 2012). He did a miniaturization study and declared me a Norwood 3. Based on his analysis and my answers about my family hair loss history, he said I could use my donor anyway I desired. He predicted I would never be worse than a Norwood 3V. He then stated he would like to do an additional 1000-1500 grafts on top of the Bosley surgery to create a denser hairline

 

I then visited Dr. H. Rahal in August 2012. He agreed with Dr. Rassman’s assessment (hair loss would not be significant and I would have plenty of donor for any future procedures) about my hair loss and prediction. He stated that I would need an additional 2000 grafts. I thought that was a bit excessive at the time, but he added that I also have very good laxity so I shouldn’t be worried about running out of donor.

 

Lastly, I flew out to see Dr. Sanusi Umar at his Redondo Beach clinic in August 2012. He also agreed with Dr. Rassman and Dr. Rahal about my future hair loss. I asked him numerous questions about body hair transplantation. This is my interpretation of his view of body hair transplantation: he only uses body hair if and only if it increases the cosmetic result significantly (e.g. leg or nape hair for the hairline and beard hair for the middle and crowd) for “normal” cases. He argued the he must use body hair for repair cases and severe balding, but scalp hair is always preferred, especially for cases like mine. He also recommended 2000 grafts in addition to my 1500 grafts I received at Bosley.

 

My decision:

 

I choose Dr. Rahal for my second hair transplant due to several factors. First, I agree his hairline philosophy. It’s aggressive, but not absurd. I was worried that an aggressive, flat hairline might look weird if I ever start thinning in the crown area. But after looking a many, many older men over the last year, my fears more or less receded (pun intended!). I saw a large amount of older men who had an adult hairline (several centimeters above the crease), no corner recession, yet had crown thinning. Second, I choose him because of the consistency of his results, especially the ones that were posted by the patient. His results were constantly “wow” results, especially for cases that resembled my balding pattern (hairline and corner recession only). Third, the price was right. I can’t believe he doesn’t charge more for his surgeries.

 

Why did I go with FUT instead of FUE? Quite simply, I already had a FUT scar, so there was no reason to go the FUE route, especially since I need a larger procedure. Second, it was cheaper. Third, I’ve kept my sides longer the last eight years, and I don’t see myself wanting to shave my sides like I did in my teens and 20s. Fourth, and I know this is debatable, but based on my research, but there were a massive amount of “wow” FUT results in comparison to FUE results. Could I be wrong about this…of course, but that was my conclusion based on my research. I truly believe FUE will become king in the next 5-10 years for small and medium sized cases, but for now, I believe FUT consistently gives the best results. Fifth, I have great healing characteristics. I had a hard time finding my Bosley scar, so I’m confident that I will be fine in the hands of an elite surgeon.

 

My second hair transplant story:

 

First on-site consultation - already discussed above

 

Patient advisor - Chad Charles was my personal patient advisor. He answered my questions swiftly and accurately. Whenever I had a question he couldn’t answer (due to the medical expertise required) he spoke to Dr. Rahal and then returned with an update. Chad was unbelievably helpful and is an all-around good guy. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking to have a hair transplant with Dr. Rahal.

 

Payment – I paid for the hair transplant with an international credit card through Bank of America. This card allowed me to make purchases in other countries without a foreign transaction fee. I then swiftly transferred the balance to a 0% card which I will pay over an entire year.

 

Travel – I traveled by car to Ottawa, Ontario from the Washington DC suburbs. It was about a 10 hour drive. Not bad. I had trouble at the border convincing the staff that I was going to Canada for hair transplant. It might be helpful to bring a letter of intent so that you have proof of the hair transplant surgery.

 

Lodging – I stayed at the Brookline Guesthouse. I highly recommend this lodging arrangement for a couple of reasons. First, it is much cheaper than the other places around town (according to my research). Second, it is sooo nice talking to other hair transplant patients. I felt so alone after my hair transplant with Bosley (like no one in the world could understand what I just experienced), so talking with sympathetic persons was a true blessing. Third, the place was stocked with breakfast food which can be eaten at all points during the day. It was nice knowing that food was available when I didn’t want to go out and buy something. Fourth, the place was set up for hair transplant patients. I believe every room had a reclining couch which is necessary for the first five days after the surgery to minimize swelling.

 

Surgery Experience - What can I say other than the Rahal surgical team is a perfectly oiled machine. Dr. Rahal is a true master at his craft. I don’t know about rankings, but he must be at least one of the top hair transplant surgeons in the world. Numerous persons on his technical staff had been with him for 10 years or more. It feels nice to know that the surgical staff members placing the grafts have over 10,000 hours of experience…each! Below is a timeline for the surgery:

6:30am – I entered the Rahal facility and immediately met Mike, the lead surgical technician. He is a really good guy. He has an unbelievable bedside manner. He seemed to be by my side the entire day (I’m exaggerating, but he made it seem that way). He gave me the consent forms to fill out and had them completed by 7:15am. I would recommend you read them over before you arrive. Have your patient advisor send them to you by email or fax. Bottom line is this: a hair transplant is a surgery, and surgeries can go wrong even in the most capable of hands due to a number of reasons (e.g. patient healing characteristics).

7:15am – Pictures with Shane, a member of Dr. Rahal’s staff

7:30am – I met with Dr. Rahal in his office and he immediately determined my growth over the last couple of months since my last consultation with him. He recommended a slightly lower number of grafts – 1600 to 1800. He looked at my facial characteristics and drew a line where he believed the hairline should be placed. I agreed we walked into the surgical area.

~8am – I was prepped for surgery and given numbing shots to my donor area. These shots are not for the weak at heart. They hurt like hell. Once Dr. Rahal determined that I was ready, he began to remove the strip. There were a lot of surgical staff members in the room determining whether I was stable during the whole process. I’m going to be blunt about the strip removal…it doesn’t hurt…but a shiver goes down your spine knowing that a piece of flesh is being removed from your head! It’s all for a good cause, I suppose!

~8:30am – an enormous team assembles to cut up the grafts for transplantation. This step took about 2 hours.

~9:30am – Dr. Rahal came in to make the recipient sites while his staff separated the grafts. We had a nice chat about the state of the hair transplantation field. Mike then entered the room to inform us that they were able to obtain 1827 grafts. Dr. Rahal was quite pleased since we only removed a strip from the back and lower right side.

~11am – Three surgicial staff members went about placing the grafts into the recipient sites.

~1pm – Done! I was amazed with the speed and efficiency of the Rahal team. For comparison, I was at the Bosley clinic until 5pm for 1500 grafts!

 

After the surgery: Not much to note. I actually didn’t experience much pain at all. But please do not think this a normal scenario. I experienced tremendous pain after my Bosley surgery. I don’t think the pain was all due to the surgeon and the staff. I was and am currently following the post-op instructions down to the smallest detail. I had the surgery on Thursday and was back to work on Monday. This is not the ideal situation. Please, at least, take a week off if possible.

 

Pictures: I've attached preop and postop pics. They should be pretty self-explanatory. Remember, ~1800 grafts are not adequate for the area that was covered (assuming you are a Norwood 3 and need to blend it into the thick hair behind it). I had ~1300 to 1500 grafts already implanted from the Bosley procedure. I will be including full facial pictures (eyes, nose and mouth blotted out) because I think it is supremely important to see how the hairline frames the entire facial structure. Pics of the hairline and forehead only are great, but it doesn't give me an idea of how the hairline fits in with the overall face of a person.

 

Remaining Donor: In terms of remaining donor, Dr. Rahal said I should have at least another 4000 grafts available by FUT. I'm estimating that I may have another 1000-2000 available by FUE.

 

Future Hair Loss Plan: I am currently taking Proscar/Propecia so I'm estimating that my hair loss should stabilize for the next decade or so (I hope!). My maternal grandfather had thinning in the forelock and crown (his temples were completely bald like mine, but strong mid-scalp), so I'm assuming I'm following his pattern. I intend to keep up with my hair loss from this day forward, so I may have smaller FUE sessions to fill in the thinning areas when the finasteride starts to become less effective. I may start taking Dutasteride at that point as well. This plan assumes that no new treatments come out during this time period. Unless I have extreme hair loss later in life, I do not think I'll have another FUT procedure since I'm assuming I won't need another "large" procedure, despite the fact I have a good amount of donor remaining.

 

My place of residence: I live in the suburbs of Washington DC. If anyone in the area would like to meet to discuss my experience, I would be more than happy to meet at an agreeable location.

Edited January 20, 2013 by ProteinPeep
More information included

[Slickers]

Look forward to hearing your update.

[ProteinPeep]

I've attached preop and postop pics in my initial post. I also updated my first entry with my hair loss story and hair transplant experiences.

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Nice write up! Dr Rahal is great! He changed my life with his work. I don't know Chad. I dealt with Kara and Mike. They were both great. Dude, your hair already looked excellent. Your results are gonna be rediculously great!

[ProteinPeep]

Thanks NewHair. I don't have to repeat that your hair is looking great...the Rahal magic strikes again!

 

It's sad (in my opinion) observing guys in their 20s, 30s and 40s losing their hair in my everyday life...so seeing results like yours makes this site seem like a real fantasy-land! Guys gaining hair instead of losing as they age.

[Getsome1]

Why were so many grafts recommended for the second surgery? Your hairline already looked amazing and you have great hair characteristics. Thick, wavy, blond. It seems like 3500 grafts to a hairline that isn't that recessed with your characteristics is a lot. Makes me nervous about the 1000 I just got in mine and I have dark straight fine hair. Makes me think I needed three times as much as I got at least. Also why did you only end up doing 1827 and not the recommended 2000?

[ProteinPeep]

Why were so many grafts recommended for the second surgery? Your hairline already looked amazing and you have great hair characteristics. Thick, wavy, blond. It seems like 3500 grafts to a hairline that isn't that recessed with your characteristics is a lot. Makes me nervous about the 1000 I just got in mine and I have dark straight fine hair. Makes me think I needed three times as much as I got at least. Also why did you only end up doing 1827 and not the recommended 2000?

 

Hello Getsome,

 

Those are good questions. Before I began with my justification, allow me to say I'm not a medical practitioner, these are my own opinions and the recollections of the conversations I had with the hair transplant surgeons are my own.

 

First, you are correct, I did not need to have another hair transplant surgery. Even the surgeons who I visited had to push and pull my hair out of the way to see the areas of less density. I do not believe others would have said I was thinning or receding after my first transplant. Actually, even my father at Thanksgiving had complimented me on how I styled my hair to hide my recession! Little did he know! So in a sense, it was sufficient to create the illusion under most lighting conditions. But, I got greedy. I wanted a hairline that was dense under almost every condition (e.g. wet, with gel, under bright lights, etc.).

 

Second, although I have good hair characteristics, my individual hair shafts are average to medium fine (based on a hair shaft measurement). I had to cover about 37cm^2 of recessed area, so 1500 grafts from my Bosley procedure left me with a density of about ~40% of my original density. Even though I have a lower hair to scalp contrast and my hair is wavy/curly, you could still see thinner areas under close inspection due to the smaller size of my hair shafts. This is another reason I needed/wanted to be transplanted at a higher density.

 

Third, I also needed a higher number of grafts because I desired an adult hairline with no recession at the corners. I think (maybe) I could have been one and done if I had asked initially for an adult hairline height with slight recession at the corners. Based on my hairline desires, it seems that the strategy of the Bosley surgeon was to pack the hairline and then leave the area thinner behind it. It just looked strange, especially when I combed my hair forward.

 

Fourth, was this an intelligent decision based on the fact that balding is progressive and I'm "somewhat" young (33)? This is the question struggled with for some time. To solve this dilemma, I then decided to pose some unreasonable hair transplant desires (from my perspective at the time) to each doctor and listen to their responses. To my surprise, each doctor stated (this is my interpretation) that I was a candidate for high density highline since they did not see miniaturization anywhere else on my head (visual and microscopic analysis), my donor density was sufficient and my balding family history was favorable (Norwood 3V being the worse case).

 

Fifth, remember I had this first hair transplant with a Bosley physician. Hair transplantation is not only a medical procedure, but an art. Even though technically the hair transplant with Bosley was a success, the artistic design was clearly inadequate. I have seen some outstanding results from hair transplants using only 1000 grafts...but they came from the hands of the best hair transplant surgeons in the world.

 

So in conclusion, in really depends on your individual desires, situation (hair characteristics, family history, hairline philosophy) and the skills of the hair transplant surgeon. Probably most people would be ecstatic after my first hair transplant. I was not. I saw those "Rahal" hairlines, and I had to have one!

 

Finally, why 1827 instead of 2000? These recommendations (2000 grafts) were made at the sixth month period after my hair transplant with Bosley. I didn't have much growth at that time, so the HT surgeons recommended ~2000 grafts to create the dense hairline that I desired. I then had an explosion of growth between months 6 and 9. Once Dr. Rahal examined me before my surgery, he stated that I may just need ~1600. He took a "normal" strip from the right side only (overlapping slightly with the Bosley strip scar on the left) and obtained 1827 grafts. We didn't aim for that high of number, but that's what we obtained.

 

I hope you find my response sufficient. If not, you can PM me or post another response on this thread.

[Getsome1]

Protein Peep,

Thank you for your response. It all makes perfect sense and your going to be extremely happy I'm sure of it. You answered all my questions and actually made me feel better about my situation. I think I will probably need a second pass for density and possibly lowering my hairline as the doc didn't lower it. I will probably aim for something like 1200 grafts or so. Also I am very interested in possibly going to Dr. Rahal as I really admire his consistent great hair lines. I too am 33. I had around 250 grafts about 12 years ago with Bosley and then never thought about my hair again until recently. I never took any meds, I am on the big three now. There is some significant balding in my family and my little brother is pretty bald. I somehow have managed to maintain most of my hair but my hairline is starting to get bad. Basically I could style my hair to conceal my loss until the last couple years and I started having more and more bad hair days and decided to take the plunge. The doc recommended only 800 grafts and we ended up doing 1004. I wish now I would of done more but he said he doesn't think I will need to come back and that I will be satisfied with what I received. I guess time will tell. I am only 2 1/2 months out and have a long road ahead. I suffered a lot of shock loss and look worse than pre op. Hopefully that all works itself out soon, I can feel a lot of stubble so I hope it's the native hair coming back in. Grow well friend and thanks again.

[Blake Bloxham]

Thanks for keeping us updated!

[Raphael84]

PP,

 

Brilliant write up. I always find patients write ups very interesting to hear their personal experiences and feelings toward their procedure. But I thoroughly enjoyed yours. Very informative!!! After your Bosley experience, you obviously conducted a huge amount of research, asked the right questions to the right people, and pretty much picked the whole preparation thing up a level. I'm sure that you will achieve the results that you both desire and deserve. Dr. Rahal is undoubtedly the very best in my opinion, and you are almost the perfect patient in regards to amount of loss, hair type, age, future loss etc... Very much looking forward to following your journey through the new year as the changes take shape. Best of luck progressing with this, and thanks again for the write up!

Have a great holiday season!

[ProteinPeep]

Getsome:

No problem whatsoever. I completely understand your anxiousness. I began doing intense research after my hair transplant last year and was disheartened to discover that I would probably need a second transplant (the recovery is such a pain, literally and figuratively!).

 

I actually went back to your first set of posts and scanned your pictures. If it makes you feel any better, I think 1000 may be enough for the areas that were covered. It’s hard to see all the grafts with the pics you provided, but it seems that the transplanted hairs most likely will blend in with your native hair once it has grown out. Again, take my word with a grain of salt since I’m not a professional medical practitioner, only a semi-knowledgeable layman. You had less recession than I did initially and the physician transplanted you with a slightly receded hairline. As you can see from my pics, the Bosley physician transplanted me with a relatively straight hairline. So there are a number of differences between your transplant and mine.

 

Based on the differences that I observe you and I, please don’t use my case as a comparison with your experience. Also, I’m somewhat of an extreme case. I was transplanted at a high density and with a straight hairline because my circumstances allowed it. Additionally, you have extensive balding in your family, I do not. It seems that you dodged the bullet since your hair looks strong and non-miniaturized at 34 (normally you at least see the pattern of hair loss by that age), but if I were you, I would be a bit more cautious. If I were in your shoes, I would use the current HT examples of Spanker and Chrisdav as my guide:

 

Spanker’s thread can be found here:

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/167017-spankers-2-110-graft-fut-dr-konior.html

 

Chrisdav’s results can be viewed here:

http://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/eve/168628-my-year-plus-update-after-repair-surgery-dr-feller.html

 

Their hairline designs (in my opinion) have slight temple recession. For someone in their late twenties and thirties, this is an excellent hairline design in my opinion. Plus, when it grows out, the hair naturally covers the temple areas so it looks like a straight hairline even when it isn’t (see Chrisdav’s last photo in the first part of that thread as an example).

 

But be patient for now. Allow this transplant to grow out and then seek out second opinions if you aren’t satisfied. I might wait for the 7-9 month mark. If I had to do it all over again (in terms of in-person research), I would see Umar and Rassman in the LA area and then fly out to New York for appointments with True/Dorin, Bernstein and Feller. Dr. Rahal’s clinic is somewhat in the middle of nowhere, so it’s hard to see him in person unless you make a special trip.

 

Grow well and Happy Holidays!

 

Future_HT_Doc:

I will definitely keep everyone informed of my progress on a monthly basis. I just hope to find a better camera before my first month update!

 

Also, I really appreciate your dedication (and the moderators in general) to this site. It seems that when there is a controversy of some type or someone starts peddling non-proven techniques or products, you are there to calm the situation or respectively challenge their claims. This is the reason, in my opinion, for the high quality status of this website.

 

Raphael84:

Thanks for the comment…and congrats on your procedure! I read your story…and it’s poignant. I’m really happy you were able to finally have a HT with Dr. Rahal. I can’t wait to see your results. You will definitely be a poster child for the power of the meds/transplant combo. 2013 is going to be a great year for us…I can feel it. Here’s to unbelievable growth in 2013….Happy Holidays to you as well!

[Getsome1]

Protein,

Again thank you for your response. Your write ups are among the best I've seen and you have given me some of the best advice I have gotten. As I haven't told any one of my procedure this forum is my only outlet. I will follow your progress and let you know what happens with me down the line. I am in Southern California so the two Los Angeles docs you recommended would be very convenient for me. I will start to follow their results as well. One more thing, regarding shock loss, I have experienced a lot of it in my transplanted area. So I'm pretty much living in a cap right now. I have read that most shock loss grows back and only the ones on their way out or gone for good. I have also read that it's mostly only minaturized hair the gets shocked. So if that is the case wouldn't the majority of hair your loosing through shock loss be hair on it's way out? I am nervous that I might be thinner due to the shock loss of the procedure and when the transplanted hairs come in they might get me back to my base pre op. I started propecia three days before my ht and maybe that had something to do with shedding as well. I can feel a lot of stubble on my hairline and see small hairs poking through I am hoping these are the native hairs and that the transplanted hairs will come later. I am 2 and a half months post op. The hair started feeling the stubble about two weeks ago. Thanks again for all your help.

 

Good growing, 2013 is the year bro!!

[ProteinPeep]

Protein,

Again thank you for your response. Your write ups are among the best I've seen and you have given me some of the best advice I have gotten. As I haven't told any one of my procedure this forum is my only outlet. I will follow your progress and let you know what happens with me down the line. I am in Southern California so the two Los Angeles docs you recommended would be very convenient for me. I will start to follow their results as well. One more thing, regarding shock loss, I have experienced a lot of it in my transplanted area. So I'm pretty much living in a cap right now. I have read that most shock loss grows back and only the ones on their way out or gone for good. I have also read that it's mostly only minaturized hair the gets shocked. So if that is the case wouldn't the majority of hair your loosing through shock loss be hair on it's way out? I am nervous that I might be thinner due to the shock loss of the procedure and when the transplanted hairs come in they might get me back to my base pre op. I started propecia three days before my ht and maybe that had something to do with shedding as well. I can feel a lot of stubble on my hairline and see small hairs poking through I am hoping these are the native hairs and that the transplanted hairs will come later. I am 2 and a half months post op. The hair started feeling the stubble about two weeks ago. Thanks again for all your help.

 

Good growing, 2013 is the year bro!!

 

Hey Getsome,

 

I cannot take credit for my current knowledge of the HT profession...I truly owe it to this website and the physicians that I've conversed with over the last year. As you can probably tell from my avatar, I'm a scientific researcher and I've worked with some of the brightest minds (in their respective fields) in the world. Based on my background, it is my opinion that the doctors, moderators and educated laymen (and women!) on this site are first-rate. I would even argue (this is debatable of course) that the laymen on this site know more about hair loss than most general practitioners and dermatologists that I know!

 

Ah, the thorny issue of shock loss. Again, take my statements with a grain of salt since I'm not an expert in the hair loss field. From my research, shock loss can happen to miniaturized and non-miniaturized hairs. A clear example non-miniaturized shock loss is shock loss in the donor area after a FUT procedure. The shock loss occurs because the area has been subjected to trauma. If the hair that is lost is miniaturized at the time of trauma, there is a chance it may not return. If the hair is not miniaturized, then it should return over the next several months. But there is one type of exception to this rule: permanent shock loss due to transection. For example, the HT physician must take care not to transect or cut nearby hair follicles when creating recipient sites in an area with existing hair. This is why some of the top hair transplant surgeons (Rahal being one of them) shave the recipient area before they make the incisions. They want to know the exact angle the hair exits the skin. When the hair is long, the weight of the hair may disguise the true angle. There are obviously differences on this issue as some world-class surgeons require shaving and some do not.

 

I understand your apprehension about shock loss. I had it in my first procedure. I'm convinced that I had irreversible shock loss of non-miniaturized hairs. But how do you prove such a thing? You can't. You just have to trust that the doctor did not cause it through negligence.

 

In conclusion, a number of factors may be at play in your shock loss. It's hard to say. I know this is hard to hear, but you'll have to wait it out to determine the extent of the "permanent" shock loss. A hair transplant is terribly difficult...from a physical and emotional perspective!

 

If you decide that you want to pursue a second HT (we can talk in more detail about what I've learned) or just need a sympathetic ear, PM me and I'll give you my cell number.

 

Continued growth in the New Year!

[Getsome1]

Thanks Protein,

Your right, I need to just wait this out and stop stressing about every little detail. In six months it should be more clear as to whether or not I will need a second pass and I will probably start preparing then. I will definitely be contacting you regarding my situation at that time. Thanks again for all your advice and council it has been well received and much appreciated. Grow well friend, I will be following.

[ProteinPeep]

Hello everyone,

 

I've just passed the two week postop mark. I have been spending time with family in Cleveland, OH for the holidays, so I looked up HTN approved surgeons in the area since I wasn't comfortable having a GP or nurse take out the sutures. I found Dr. Robert Haber was recommended by the HTN. so I scheduled an appointment with his office. It was a great experience. The removal of the sutures by one of the technicians was painless and the conversation I had with Dr. Haber was quite pleasant. He checked the recipient and donor areas and gave the check of approval (in terms of healing and the work done). Despite my protests, he didn't accept any payment. Although it seems that Dr. Haber doesn't showcase as many final results as other HT surgeons, I found his work to be of high quality when I perused his website and the examples of his results on the HTN website.

 

As for my progress, the recipient site in unbelievable. The redness has already faded despite my fair complexion. The recipient area was red for two entire months after my Bosley surgery. I started slowing massaging the recipient area to remove the scabs per Dr. Rahals' instructions. The donor scar is still exhibiting some redness, but it easily covered by my longer hair in back. I can't wait for my haircut at one month to even everything out.

 

One more thing for potential or upcoming Rahal patients: please take off at least two weeks from work or life in general after the HT surgery unless you can wear a hat. In my opinion, I've looked absolutely terrible for the last two weeks. Even though I kept my hair long in front to create a combover effect, the hair was constantly wet or greasy due to the postop care instructions. I got a lot of confused comments ranging from, "did you just get done running?" to "why is your hair always wet?"

[NEWHAIRPLEASE]

Dr Haber is solid as they come!!

Yes, I agree two weeks I looked terrible. I would recomend a month. How nice was the first normal shower???

[hairshopeing]

Great thread!! Very informative and you seem a top bloke!! You already had great hair but I predict this will be perfect!!!!

[ProteinPeep]

Hey guys,

 

Sorry for the late response, work is killing me these days.

 

NHP: Yes, I was really impressed with Dr. Haber's practice. It was great to meet him in person. And omg, that two week shower was the best...but it was sad to see all transplanted hairs falling out...but I know they'll return soon enough!

 

HH: Thanks for the compliment! I feel a bit embarrassed posting my results knowing that many of the hair loss sufferers on here are on a much higher Norwood scale than I, but I felt obligated to give back to this community. Plus, I'm infuriated with Ontario's "socialist" medical laws (ok, I had to say it, I'm a political libertarian), so this is my way of protesting against that system. I have a strong belief that patients have a right to know the track record of each doctor they visit.

 

My one month anniversary is almost here...I'll post pictures of my current state later next week.

[ProteinPeep]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm at the 1 month mark, 1 week mark. All the transplanted hairs have shed at this point and I am squarely in the middle of the doldrums stage. The remaining hair in the thinning areas is hair from my first HT.

 

Pain: The pain and irritation in the donor area have subsided altogether. I still feel some numbness in the recipient area, but based on my last HT experience, this is normal.

 

Redness: The recipient area is still slightly red, but this is due to my pale complexion.

 

Shockloss: I didn't have any shockloss after this procedure. I had a good amount in the recipient and donor area after my HT with Bosley, so the lack of it this time was a nice surprise.

 

Scar: I no longer have any tightness in the donor area, and I cannot find the scar. I know this means nothing and I will have to wait until the 6-7 month mark to see the final result.

 

Normal activities: Since I am past the one month postop stage, I have returned to normal activities except for weight training. Per the Rahal postop instructions, I will wait until three months after my HT to commence weight lifting to mitigate any scar stretching due to that activity.

 

Application of minoxidil: The Rahal postop instructions state that patients should apply minoxidil to the recipient area to encourage faster growth of the transplanted hair. I have elected not to do this since I found that the medication irritates my scalp when I applied it to my hairline last year before my Bosley procedure.

 

Overall state: So far, so good.

 

Pictures: I have included four pictures. They are of somewhat poor quality, so I'm going to look into different image producing options before my next update.

Edited January 20, 2013 by ProteinPeep

[Getsome1]

Looking good brother, just a waiting game now. Grow well!!

[ProteinPeep]

Thanks Getsome! Until I hit the 5-6 month mark I'll just keep rockin the frontal combover!

[chrisdav]

I read your write up last night in bed Proteinpeep.

 

You seem very bright and switched on.

 

I am sure you will get the result you want with Dr Rahal.

[ProteinPeep]

Thanks for the well wishes chrisdav! I very much appreciate them.

 

As for being bright, I'm not so sure about that! lol Severely and foolishly over-educated might be a better description of my current state.

 

Anyway, your HT result with Dr. Feller is unbelievable....and I really mean that. I love that Feller circular hairline. It really does look like a straight hairline when grown out...without using a large amount of grafts.

[orlhair1]

Somehow I missed your post until now. Great write up. You chose one of the best and you did your homework. You should have a fantastic result. I look forward to following your progress.

[Baldtom]

Looks Great !! Good luck !