Dr. Umar

[Jim]

First time post, but have been using this extremely valuable resource for more years than I'd like to admit. Briefly, I have had about 3000 (strip) grafts placed in the hairline at various times over the last 15 years, the most recent being the best (from Ron Shapiro a few years ago).

I guess I have become a hair junky of sorts and want to refine the hairline a little by adding some density and reducing somewhat the extent of temple recession. I have been told 1,200-2,000 grafts will be required, depending on how aggressive I want to get. Unfortunately no good pics to offer.

I have decided to use FUE this time around and have shortlisted Umar and Cole as the likely docs. Umar has really impressed me just lately.

Here are my questions: (1) Why are his post op pics of the recipient areas so bloody and scabby compared to many other docs procedures? The finished product usually seems fine, but the interim pics are of concern to me. (2) Does he have assistants to help him during the procedure? I get the distinct impression that he has only one or two assistants helping him, that he personally does the bulk of all the tasks involved. While some of you may think that is a positive feature, I am a little concerned about the possibility of physical fatigue and the length of time between graft removal and implantation, which in turn affects graft survivability. I admit to being a bit of a worry wart and just want to make sure I make an informed decision.

Thanks for any observations you guys can offer.