FUT/FUE with Dr. Ron Shapiro 2 days ago

[Hairtoday54]

JUST returned yesterday to my home state after a FANTASTIC experience with the Shapiro Medical Group! I am posting, as I found them, and ultimately chose them to do my work thanks to their stellar reputation on this and one or two other blog sites.

 

If you review my previous posts, I had previously had two flaps done by Dr. Toby Mayer ('97 & '98) - and was VERY pleased with the results! However, I had recession behind the flaps (WISH I there had been propecia then, or at least that I had known about it!). At any rate, after 16 years I was in need of more work - and of course the flaps created some interesting problems.

 

Based on reviews on this site, I personally visited Dr. Robert True in New York, consulted telephonically with Dr. Robert Frechet in Switzerland, and Dr. Mark DiStefano in MA, and finally, visited Ron Shapiro in Minnesota. Quite frankly, I was impressed with ALL of them - and believe all would probably done great work. However, I just really seemed to click with Dr. Ron - he was very down to earth, very honest, and offered ideas other doctors had not thought about. His staff is OUTSTANDING! Put me at ease, all had great sense of humor, and were very solicitous of my needs. Probably however, my decision was cinched in part due to the pricing structure Shapiro offers: discount for out of town patients, reduction in price per graft after 2000, and just very competitive pricing on their base rates (let's fact it, money matters - even though I would pay more for a better result, I was very comfortable that I would get great results at Shapiro!)

 

At any rate, when I first met with Dr. Ron, he was not sure if he could get more than 1500 grafts (I really only needed the crown, though I was was very interested in softening my frontal hairline, and a small area in one part between my two flaps). However, I spent 6 weeks doing the scalp stretching exercises he suggested, as well as opting for an injection of a drug that actually increased scalp laxity. The end result: 2,356 grafts!! He was able to soften the front (actually came up with the idea of punching out some along the hairline as well, then re-positioning those), filled in the gap between the flaps, then pretty much completely covered my crown! It looks like it will be pretty dense (cosmetically), especially when the dense hair from my flaps blend in. He (and Tom) were able to actually take some flap hair, and from some other areas do some FUE (donor area was covered by existing hair) and sort of recreate a whirl in the crown.

 

I am praying ALL the grafts take (I am doing EVERYTHING they told me to do!), and that it will look great in a year! IF I need further work, they said I still have a good amount of donor hair available (especially from my very dense flaps). I know it has only been two days, but I am VERY thrilled so far! Because the small hairs have not yet fallen out, I can get an idea of what it will look like once it finally begins growing again.

 

So far, I cannot recommend the Shapiro Medical Group strongly enough!! They took a good number of photos, pre- and post op, so I am going to email them and see if they would email me copies. Perhaps I can post some of those (if someone can advise me as to how to blur my face).

 

SHAPIRO MEDICAL GROUP ROCKS!!