My experience with DR. LINDSEY in Mclean, VA -- Wow.

[ThinToWin]

Hey all,

 

(This is my first post, though I've spent a decent amount of time here lurking, reading reviews, results, questions, and answers. Thanks for helping me feel comfortable getting to where I am in the HT process today, which is exactly 1 week post-op...)

 

On 1/25/13, I had a 3553-graft FUT session with Dr. Lindsey in Mclean, VA. Yesterday, I had my sutures removed. Today, whereas I don't have the time lapse to show results that I hope to have in a year's time, I have the pleasure of discussing my experience with Dr. Lindsey and his professional staff.

 

Never mind that Dr. L and I share the same alma matter, that we're both Jeep fans, and that we discovered that our families were friends before either of us was born. I found myself at Dr. Lindsey's office for a consult because of his reputation here and throughout the industry, his results, his willingness to answer questions and be accessible here, and because of Spex's assistance right from the start. Being right between NY and DC, I thought I'd meet with Dr. Lindsey before maybe making some appointments with some other respected doctors in the Big Apple. After 10 minutes speaking with Dr. Lindsey in his office, I knew that if I were going to have a hair transplant done, it was going to be with him -- and I felt comfortable enough to tell him that at the time. A few days later, Dr. L, Spex, and I set the HT date for the end January.

 

Dr. Lindsey informed me the morning of my procedure that I had won the award for the most emails/questions he'd ever been asked before an HT. (That was a glimpse of what I know to be "classic Dr. Lindsey" right there.) The fact of the matter is that whereas I suspected I was asking a bunch of questions of Dr. L -- and that he had probably heard them all a million times and could be really tired of them -- he answered every last one of them (and quickly), and put me at ease with his straight-forward, honest, no-sugar-coating manner. There can be a fine line between being straight-forward and honest and appearing cold and callous. Dr. L has the rare ability to confidently deliver information without appearing cocky or "smarmy", all while making you feel comfortable and assured. He is also a very good judge of character (in some cases, he might bring into question a patient's manliness and tell him to stop worrying so much before a procedure)...

 

I don't have a previous procedure [with a different doctor] to compare to my experience with Dr. Lindsey, so I can only describe how the experience was compared to my expectations -- and I can say with relief that my expectations were exceeded. We all have a finite amount of donor hair, time, and resources, and I imagine we all hope when we schedule our procedures that we've gotten things right the first time. Clearly, assuming the patient performs the recommended pre/post-op care, it all comes down to the doctor's and staff's skill. Dr. L operates with precision and confidence. He talked with me throughout the different aspects of the procedure (maybe I did more of the talking), keeping me both informed and comfortable. After the initial couple of numbing injections, the procedure was painless. Truly, from the initial consultation, to his recommendations as to where to stay and eat in McLean, and through having my sutures removed, Dr. L made the entire process painless.

 

As good as Dr. Lindsey is, he has help. The symbiotic nature of Dr. L's office became clear in a hurry when I first met the folks behind the high-power scopes (dividing the donor strip) and his assistants Wendy and Chi Chi. The whole operation has to happen within a certain amount of time, and with precision. His "cutters" were pros (I didn't get to know them as well, as they were quiet and uber-focused behind those scopes all day), and Wendy and Chi Chi have mastered the art of making soothing conversation while carrying out intense follicle-placing tasks. Quite frankly, I don't know how anyone can do what they all do, and with such skill, and more than once EVER, let alone the 2 or 3 times a week that they might perform HTs there. There is an incredible work-ethic and skill in Dr. L's office that must have helped put Dr. L's practice amongst the best. The personalities of Wendy (outgoing and feisty) and Chi Chi (quiet and calming) are the intangibles that must help keep it there. I really can't thank everyone in his practice enough, although I'll keep trying.

 

My session was a long one, and I stayed in the hotel in Mclean a couple days more than I had expected to, but neither of those facts seems to account for the feeling of closeness to Dr. Lindsey and his staff that I took away from this experience. Even if those feelings are wholly one-sided, Dr. L and his staff's professionalism and nurturing allowed me to feel like I wasn't "just another patient." For me, getting a HT was a huge deal, so coming away with these feelings is a huge deal, too.

 

Thank you Dr. Lindsey & Co, for exceeding my expectations. Now, I guess it's just a matter of waiting for results that exceed them, too!

 

Thanks for reading, folks. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them. And pictures are forthcoming.

 

Incidentally, Dr. L told me in an email this morning that I'm "wordy." Did I mention that he's a good judge of character?

[Blake Bloxham]

Congratulations!

 

Dr Lindsey is excellent, and I'm glad to hear your experience was nothing less!

[HappyValley]

Congratulations!

 

I have my HT with Dr. Lindsey and his staff this Friday.

 

Yes, I too was very impressed with Dr. Lindsey during my consult with him and he has been great at returning my emails quickly.

 

I really appreciated your post... it gave me one more boost of confidence in preparation for my big day.

[ThinToWin]

HappyValley -- You're in great hands there. I hope you'll consider posting in this thread again after Friday to to share some more thoughts on the experience.

 

Best of luck to you, although you're not going to need it. Dr. L and his crew aren't lucky-- they're good.

 

PS - If you're sticking around McLean at all, make sure to check out Kazan restaurant (Dr. L's recommendation). You can get the food to go if you're not up for dining out with your new do.

[HappyValley]

Kazan is already on the schedule.

 

I definately will post after the procedure.

 

I just sent Dr. Lindsey an email with a few more questions... how long until I can resume weight lifting at the gym (don't want to stretch the scar) and if there are any special sleeping instructions after the procedure?

 

Thanks again and the best to you!

[ThinToWin]

Congratulations!

 

Dr Lindsey is excellent, and I'm glad to hear your experience was nothing less!

 

Thanks. Blake. I appreciate it.

[ThinToWin]

Kazan is already on the schedule.

 

I definately will post after the procedure.

 

I just sent Dr. Lindsey an email with a few more questions... how long until I can resume weight lifting at the gym (don't want to stretch the scar) and if there are any special sleeping instructions after the procedure?

 

Thanks again and the best to you!

 

He'll respond, but in the meantime I'd say that you'll be sleeping with your head propped up for a few nights (I normally sleep on my side, and didn't want to be rubbing my new grafts into a pillow, so I'm still sleeping on my back after a week). You'll want to experiment with your pillow set up and find a position that's not uncomfortable against your incision initially.

 

As for weightlifting, Dr. L won't want you to do any prior to getting your sutures out (6-7 days). After that, he'll tell you to keep it light for a couple weeks to not put strain on the scar.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Thin to win:

 

Oh my goodness. I haven't read that much since med school. Great post. Maybe a little exagerative in parts but reasonably accurate I'd say. You should put up some of those pics that I gave you so folks know that you actually had surgery and aren't just a writer.

 

I still don't know what swarmy means but I'll take it in context.

 

Make sure I see you all in about a month to look at that scarline.

 

Thanks

 

Dr. L

[ThinToWin]

Thin to win:

 

Oh my goodness. I haven't read that much since med school. Great post. Maybe a little exagerative in parts but reasonably accurate I'd say. You should put up some of those pics that I gave you so folks know that you actually had surgery and aren't just a writer.

 

I still don't know what swarmy means but I'll take it in context.

 

Make sure I see you all in about a month to look at that scarline.

 

Thanks

 

Dr. L

 

I don't know what "swarmy" means, either -- that's why I wrote "smarmy."

 

And there's a difference between being wordy and stretching the truth. I'll agree that the post was long, but it was all true.

 

Let's see if I can get these pics to show up...

[ThinToWin]

Wow -- pics worked. Amazing.

 

Those pics show pre-op, pre-op hairline/quadrant drawings, donor area and strip (that thing is a monster, yet it's amazing how it DOESN'T come as forward as I imagined it would, nor does the back of my head feel taut after a week), the Chicago River colored red for Valentine's Day (I guess -- I mean, that can't be my head), excellent suture job, lots of graft incisions, those incisions filled with hair and hope, donor area after a few days (I think it was just a few days), and my poor job of cleaning less than a week out.

 

My recipient area is now clean and transplanted hairs are growing. It's going to be a shame to shed them!

[HappyValley]

Hey ThinToWin... how goes the growth? You must be well into month 5... any pics to share?

[Denny]

Thintowin, your thread was very well written, thank you! Could you please share some updated pics?

[ThinToWin]

Hey folks,

 

Just hit the 5-month mark last Friday, and the early results are impressive. I'm able to comb my hair forward some, and now it meets a new hairline that makes it look like I have a full head of hair. It has completely changed the way I look. My face is framed once again (it hadn't been for YEARS). My wife keeps commenting at random times, "Your hair is crazy. I can't believe you have hair there where you just didn't have any before." It's pretty remarkable, and by all accounts it's very "early."

 

If I had to just kept combing my hair forward from here on out, I'd call this a complete success right now. That's how different (how much better) I look already. But, the plan of course is to let this new hair stand on it's own, which is just going to require some more time so that it gets some length to it.

 

I have some pics, but I'm not where I can get them uploaded at the moment. I'll get them up next week.

 

This has already made a real difference for me. Just amazing.

[ThinToWin]

Here's an update with pictures, folks. Sorry for the delay!

 

The first (2) pics are from April 29th, 3 months post-op.

Next (2) are from May 29th, just over 4 months post-op.

Next (2) are from June 8th, 2 weeks short of 5 months post-op.

Next (2) are from July 4th, 2 weeks after 5 months post-op (sorry for the blurriness.. You can still get a sense of things, though).

Last (3) are from today, July 8th, @ 3 weeks prior to 6 months post-op.

 

As I said previously, I'm combing some longer hair forward from the back, and holding things in place with a pump of hairspray. Maybe the result at this point may look skewed to some. But, if you go back and look at my pre-op pics, you'll notice that the difference in hairline -- ALREADY -- is night and day. Before, I had no hairline -- just two tufts that I used to try to create some kind of hairline with. Today, what you see there isn't a hairline created by the forward-combed hair. What you see is that hair coming forward and meeting an all-new hairline (the forward-combed hair just adds to the effect by keeping light from shining down on only the new hair, which still isn't even 6 months old yet). Not only do I think I can easily "get away" with this current look, it is SO much better than my pre-op look that it's already more-than-satisfying. My face looks completely different, now that it's framed again.

 

I don't have any pics of my "scar," which probably isn't a very accurate name for it at this point. I looked for it the other day, and after not remembering exactly where it was and not finding anything after 30 seconds, I stopped looking. When I go to Dr. L again, I'm sure he'll take a pic of the area, and you all can see how the incision area looks.

 

Dr. Lindsey had told me that most folks don't notice anything new/significant, growth wise, until maybe 5 months out, but more likely not until 6 months out. Seeing what I'm already seeing, and knowing that the real assessment of an HT really shouldn't be made until 12-18 months out, all I can say is that I'm extremely excited with the prospect of things getting even BETTER.

 

Regarding numbness, I still have some in the middle of the recipient area. I notice it only when the shower water hits it. There's no "sensation" like tingling or anything like that -- it just feel a bit "out-of-body" when the water hits it. I can feel the water hitting it, but the sensation is dulled. Folks have described the feeling like you're wearing a crash helmet or something. That's not an entirely bad description. Frankly, if sensation never returned to 100% there, I wouldn't be concerned. In the meantime, I play golf and hockey and wear hats and a helmet with no second thought of any numbness.

 

Keep checking here for more updates. I promise I'll make them (and won't take so long to do so).

 

Dr. L -- It's been a while since I've checked in (which is allowing you to have a much more peaceful summer, I'm sure!). I hope everyone is doing ok. Thanks again for all of your help. I'll get down there for my 6-month check in/up (and Kazan's) shortly.

[HappyValley]

Looking great! Its obvious that there have been big changes already... "already" being the key word. Can't wait for month 12, huh?

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Thanks for the update. I'll look forward to seeing you all when you get down later this summer. Keep growing.

 

Dr. L

[ThinToWin]

It's been 10 months since my HT with Dr. Lindsey. Where has the time gone?!

 

So, what do you think? (Make sure you check out my pro-op pics earlier in this thread.)

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Thanks for the update. If I don't see you before, I'll see you at the beach next August.

 

Thanks

 

Dr. L

[ThinToWin]

You'll see me well before August, Dr. L. I'm interested to see what you and your staff will think of my progress after a year. And then there's the need for Kazan's, too, which can't go unfulfilled for another year.

 

Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving.