Successful Transplant for Female of 56 yrs.

[JackieWoo]

I am a 56-year-old female who first noticed significant hair loss at the age of 28 after giving birth to our second child. There was some all-over loss, but the predominant loss was in the area of my bangs. I didn't take notice on a day-to-day basis, but I was sometimes startled by photographs that clearly showed my hair was thinning. I treated my hair and scalp gently, using health-oriented products, and did not dye or perm my hair. I am a very healthy person and use biotin supplements, fish and flax seed oil, adrenal health support, etc, and still I went from parting my fine, strawberry blond hair in the middle of my scalp to a side-part, then to a deeper side-part. Four years ago, after seeing photos of a close-up of me on Facebook and reacting with alarm at the near baldness of the front of my head, I began to investigate the possibility of a transplant. That photo catapulted me past worrying about being perceived as vain or superficial to being eager to discover the means to hold on to this symbol of femininity for my own comfort and confidence. Further, both of my grandmothers were nearly bald when they passed away; having an adult daughter and niece gave me courage to seek a remedy before they might face a similar challenge.

 

It took little searching to discover that one of the premier hair restoration surgeons in the US is in Charlotte, NC, my home state. Of the small number of credible specialists in the country, Dr. Jerry Cooley's credentials most inspired my confidence. I emailed Dr. Cooley's assistant, Ailene, with worries and queries, and received a quick, patient response, informative and reassuring. It took another year to adjust my thinking - the thinking of most women, I imagine - that it was really, really alright to do this great, daring thing for my personal benefit.

 

That initial appointment introduced me to great possibilities. I found that I am one of thousands of women whose hair follicles are adversely affected by DHT, which is converted from testosterone, so a primary step toward preventing further hair loss was to begin a regimen of 5 mil. finasteride, an androgen blocker, every other day. After a thorough explanation of a pioneering procedure that Dr. Cooley was using, I left the office with an appointment for a modest hair transplant!

 

The surgery, involving the use of the ACEL with the plucked-hair technique, was performed painlessly in Sept. 2010. I went back to work a couple of days later, wearing scarves to conceal the plastic wrap placed over the site to keep an antibacterial spray in place. I continued to wear scarves for a couple of weeks as tiny scabs worked their way off my scalp and to buy time for the inevitable bruising to diminish. I have to tell you, when little sprigs of hair started sprouting a few months later I was deliriously happy! My very fine, light-colored hair, which is hard to distinguish from the color of my skin, was first felt as a velvety little patch before I could see it, but by years end, that former bald spot was shaded with new growth.

 

An appointment to photograph the results came with the pronouncement that the pluck technique had been at least 50% successful. I had hair where a year earlier I had none. Dr. Cooley could visualize more; I had another surgery in December, 2011. This time a strip was taken from the back of my plentiful crop of hair, divided into one- and two-hair grafts, and dexterously and artfully inserted in the front/top of my scalp. Ah, now - the most impressive element of this procedure was the next step - to insert a plucked hair into the newly grafted tissue. These new plucks would be "fed" by the grafted tissue and hopefully regain vigor.

 

This technique has produced incredibly positive results for me. To the naked eye, as well as to the fine camera lens, the results are amazing; the grafts are a complete success, and the roots of the little plucks have not only survived but continue to emerge months after the surgery! Which reminds me, for the yet-uninitiated, immediately following a hair transplant surgery, the transplanted hairs are going to fall right out of your head! Aggghhhh! And then they're going to grow back in! Ahhhhhh..... And THEN, each time one of those hairs shed, as all hairs do repeatedly throughout your lifetime, it comes back a little thicker and more visible! YAY!!!

 

I started using a protein-shake supplement daily about a month before this surgery and continue to use this supplement and the finasteride. NOBODY detected the surgery, so fine were the grafts and the workmanship of Dr. Cooley, Ailene, and their wonderful, capable staff. My extended family has been awed as I've revealed the surgical site - appearing perfectly normal and as it was thirty years ago - and no longer wear my hair in a comb-over style. I have saved some cell-phone pictures of my immediate post-op scalp, and if I can bear it I'll post them eventually, as well as new photos. I'm not clever with posting photos but I'll try to figure it out for the benefit of all of you weighing the value of hair restoration.

 

This is one of the best things I've ever done for myself, and potentially for my daughter, niece, and granddaughter. My gratitude to, and my esteem for Dr. Cooley, Ailene, Lolly, and the marvelous young women who've given me this life-changing experience is almost unspeakable. Without hesitation, I would jump into this adventure again in a heartbeat.