Dr. Cam Simmons - 3,140 grafts

[Megatron]

Hey guys, I would love to hear anything you have to say about my HT. The surgery itself was a very positive experience mainly thanks to the courtesy, care and diligence of Dr. Cam Simmons and his very experienced technicians.

 

Click on the link below for details/pics:

[aaron1234]

Megatron,

 

I've been loving the results coming from Dr. Simmons. It sure is a bloody post-op due to the stick n' place technique but it certainly works for him. From the looks of it, your post-op pics are similar to many of his patients who turned out great in the end. I'm looking forward to your results!

[phil mascallpen]

Megatron does Dr. Simmons place all the grafts himself?

[Megatron]

Originally posted by phil mascallpen:

Megatron does Dr. Simmons place all the grafts himself?

 

Perhaps he'll answer this Q himself.

 

I could be wrong, but I think he placed some of the 1s along the hairline and in a few other places. The majority of the work was done by two technicians that each had > 15yrs experience.

[phil mascallpen]

Originally posted by Megatron:

Perhaps he'll answer this Q himself.

 

I could be wrong, but I think he placed some of the 1s along the hairline and in a few other places. The majority of the work was done by two technicians that each had > 15yrs experience.

 

So he makes the recipient incision and as he moves to the next one a tech places a graft? I'm just curious as I've never seen a stick and place HT before.

[Megatron]

again, he's better suited to answer this than me, of course. but, I believe stick and place means there are no pre-made incisions at all. whoever makes the incisions immediately places the graft in.

[Cam Simmons MD ABHRS]

Thanks Megatron, aaron1234, and Phil

 

I will preemptively give a long answer to Phil's short question.

 

Hair transplantation is a team sport. No doctor can prepare every graft, make every incision, and place every graft alone. Every step is equally critical for a successful outcome. Different doctors divide the resposibilities among the team differently but no doctor can do a good hair transplant without a good team.

 

I map out the entire transplant plan in the morning, including the densities by area and the hair direction. After I have given the medications and administered the local anaesthesia and done the donor strip excision and closure, I pre-make the slits for the leading edge of the hairline. After that, my experienced staff fills in the 1s in the pre-made slits and does the stick-and-place. From about 11 am onward, I am in and out of the room, spot-checking, and adjusting the plan as needed. I am always immediately available.

 

I can do stick-and-place but my staff do it much more than I do and they are more adept and faster planters than I am. We have worked together for 10 years and I have great confidence in them. I stand behind their work just as I stand behind my own.

[Fingers Crossed]

Megatron,

 

You're going to have a killer hairline! Dr. Simmons did an excellent job...I'm looking forward to tracking your progress.

 

My Hair Loss Website - HT with Dr. Hasson

[SharpTooth]

I agree with Fingers --- Megatron, I think you'll be excited as the hairline starts growing in.

[Megatron]

^tnx for the encouraging words I guys, it's always nice to get positive reinforcement.

 

I've updated my blog with Day 10 pics. I'm going back to work tomorrow, so I'm crossing my fingers that people either don't notice or pretend not to notice

[Bill - Seemiller]

Megatron,

 

Congratulations on getting your hair transplant done with an outstanding hair restoration physician. Given the exceptional work we've seen from Dr. Simmons over the last year and beyond, I feel confident that you're in for an excellent result.

 

I look forward to your updates and following your progress.

 

All the Best,

 

Bill

[Megatron]

Here's my 1 month synopsis with pic included in my blog:

 

I've probably shed 50% of the transplanted hairs. I'm wondering if some of the thin hairs remaining could be new growth, but it's probably not. We'll see if they stick around past the 6 week mark when shedding is supposed to stop.

 

The acne is continuing. I'm also unsure whether this is a positive sign of early hair activity or whether it's something that I should be concerned about. Several have burst on their own and bled which concerns me a bit. I don't know if it's related, but I seem to be experiencing increased acne also on my face, chest and back. Weird.

 

I'm seeing Dr. Simmons for a one month follow up next week so it'll be interesting to get his insight on things.

 

As always, all opinions and/or similar experiences of your own are very much welcome.

[Forrest Gump]

Everything looks good so far. In about a couple of months, you should start noticing new hair growth! Good luck!

[Megatron]

7weeks amd I'm definitely in the worst of it.

 

The negatives:

 

- lots of acne all over the recipient area

 

- Dr. Simmons had concerns that it might be impetigo and has given me Bactroban 2%, an ointment to apply over the area 3x per day for 10 days

 

- my hair looks like shit with the greasy ointment, acne and moderate shock loss

 

- I had to stop using Rogaine, MSM and Biotin as I feared they contributed to my severe facial acne breakout

 

The positives:

 

- the acne on my face & back is nearly gone thanks to Dr. Simmons' perscription of Minocycline and/or the stoppage of those things above

 

- there is definitely some growth after only 7 weeks, albeit sporadic and by no means aesthitically pleasing yet, but it's growth all right

 

- I could be way off, but perhaps, just perhaps the acne I'm continuing to experiencing in my recipient area is a sign of growth soon to come...why else would I continue to see pimples there and nowhere else? hmmm...one can dream.

[aaron1234]

Megatron,

 

It is common to see pimples in the recipient region a few weeks/months after a transplant. I had quite a few after my first HT, and just a couple this past time around. But I will say that I didn't have the amount that you have. Did Dr. Simmons say you have a case of folliculitis? At any rate, hope the medication calms things down a bit. The first three months are always the most brutal.

[Harry Monster]

Megatron,

 

If you ingest a lot of sugar in your diet, that may be helping to contribute to the acne issue. Something to consider.

 

I hope it clears up for you.

 

HM

[TheEmperor]

Megatron,

 

It appears that the majority of existing hair that you had before the transplant is not regrowing.

 

My experience is that when grafts are dense packed into an area of respectable density, than much of the native hair is transected and does not regrow. If that hair were going to regrow, it would be 3/4" in length by now.

 

If I were you, I would shave the top to 1/2" and the sides as short as you can go. Tell anyone that asks that you had an allergic reaction or folliculitis and had to shave down for treatment. Hopefully the acne will clear up, but trying to conceal things is not going to help with the acne.

[Megatron]

aaron- no he didn't mention folliculitis. I certainly hope that's not what it is, because I think that means that the hair follicles are damaged and therefere, may impact the final result. tnx for bringing that up, I'll ask him when I see Dr. Simmons again if he doesn't choose to respond first on this thread. I am seeing him again in a couple of days as he wants to keep a close eye on things.

 

Emperor - not sure why you say the existing hair isnt' regrowing. I had a haircut between now and the HT, that's why you see the hair being the same length. I do think I lost a bit due to shockloss, but I would think it's too early to tell if/when it's coming back.

 

The pics are really, really ugly I know. They probably make it look a bit worse than it is though, because my camera really emphasizes the redness.

 

Thanks for the comments/concern/advice guys. I've battled severe acne most of my life, so that's why I'm not overly alarmed by all of this. The upcoming months should tell the story.

[hairthere]

megatron, you're in the doldrums right now, but it will get better man. Just be patient and remember it takes at least 12 months to see the final results. Good growing.

[Anouar]

Wholly Megazits and Megaredness . I don't think ive seen anyone with this type of redness and zits. Hope it gets better for you.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Megatron,

 

In my opinion, please send your current photos to Dr. Simmons for his feedback ASAP. It looks like you may have an infection (folliculitis) and I wouldn't want to see a potential infection affect your growth yield.

 

Hang in there,

 

Bill

[Megatron]

I'm seeing Dr. Simmons in a couple of days. I'm not trying to downplay it, but trust me when I say the pics look worse than it is in real life. I also think it was a bit irritated as I took those pics right out of the shower.

And as I said, in the past I've had acne on my face that you wouldn't imagine possible. This isn't something completely foreign for me. Regardless, I will be sure to take every possible precaution.

 

Feel free to keep sharing ideas/concerns. I do appreciate all the feedback guys.

[MikeTheDane]

Holy.. that looks like a warzone. I hope nothing bad comes of it. Happy growth.

[Cam Simmons MD ABHRS]

I called Megatron today and have his permission to comment here.

 

Megatron has been prone to acne in the past. He developed a general flare-up of acne over his face, chest, and back as well as extensive pimples of his scalp. When I saw him last at the 6 week mark he had a lot of yellow-brown crusting which suggested that he had a superimposed infection called Impetigo.

 

Impetigo is usually caused by Staph. or Strep. bacteria, just like Folliculitis. These are ordinary skin bacteria that take advantage of breaks in the skin and grab hold and multiply. Impetigo can be spread from one place to another by scratching or rubbing.

 

Minocin is an antibiotic that has both anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties so it is very good at suppressing the formation of new pimples. There are probably millions of teenagers currently taking long-term Minocin for acne. However, it takes about 2 weeks for the effect to start to kick in and 4 weeks to really settle things down. In the first 2 weeks the pimples can even get worse.

 

While Minocin does work against Staph. and Strep. it is not a first-line treatment for Impetigo. At the 6 week mark we wanted to start the Minocin as soon as possible to settle down the generalized acne as well as the scalp pimples. At the same time as starting the Minocin, we had a choice between starting another oral antibiotic like Keflex or Cloxacillin or a topical antibiotic like Bactroban to get rid of the Impetigo faster. Taking 2 antibiotics at the same time can be hard on the GI tract so we elected to go with a combination of oral Minocin and topical Bactroban, even though the ointment is really greasy. If it had not been for the generalized acne flare-up, we might have started Keflex first then switched to Minocin.

 

Even though Megatron's 7 week photos look pretty scary, they are clearly better than his 6 week photos. The crusting is disappearing and the general acne has settled already. He still has a lot of scalp pimples but they should start to settle down within the next week or so. Megatron is quite confident that he is getting better and we will be meeting again in a couple of days to assess his response to treatment and adjust the plan, if needed.

 

Megatron had a bad case of post-op pimples, general flare-up of acne, and secondary Impetigo. He is the first patient I have seen that got Impetigo after a hair transplant. The pimples and the Impetigo are surface infections and they don't ordinarily cause scarring or affect the final growth. Sometimes post-op pimples can lead to delayed growth but it is rare for them to cause poor growth. Deeper infections like Folliculitis Decalvans i.e. Dissecting Cellulitis can lead to scarring and hair loss but fortunately this is a rare condition and, more importantly for Megatron, he has no signs of deeper infection.

 

Cosmetically, Megatron has had a very tough time. Unfortunately, bad things sometimes do happen to good people. Fortunately, he should be looking more like himself again soon and he should still expect good growth.

 

If Megatron ends up having more hair transplantation in the future, we will likely start prophylactic Minocin on the day of his hair transplant to prevent pimple formation before it happens. I have successfully used this strategy before for others who are prone to pimples.

 

In the first few months after a hair transplant, the hair doesn't look any better and there can be problems like pimples, redness, numbness, shock loss etc. Once we get through this period and he can see some new hair growing around the 4th month, hair transplantation should be a lot more fun for Megatron.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dr. Simmons,

 

Thanks for your professional reply. While nobody wants an infection, I'm glad you and Megatron are making headway in treating it and that it shouldn't impact the final result.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill