Dr. Rahal - FUE 2532 grafts

[mav23100gunther]

I am now a few days past my five month post-op with Dr. Rahal. Things seem to continue to thicken and grow of course.

 

I am very happy with the results already and even if things became stuck at these results I would be a 98% happy customer ... but with 7 months left of growth and maturation I am expecting to be a 100% satisfied customer.

 

The hair is thick for sure, growing at a slower rate than my native hairs and each time I get a hair cut the shorter hairs are always the transplanted hairs, which creates a wave of hair in the front of shorter hairs probably a inch or two shorter than the native hairs. Not noticeable from a non-critical viewer's eyes though. The right temple which was the more recessed temple is aesthetically 'cured' however again with critical observation - especially after applying Rogaine and the hairs clumping a bit together it is a bit less dense than I would be comfortable with if my hair were to ever get wet in public. Having spoken with Rahal's clinic I was told that new hairs tend to pop out until about 9 months so that this area will get denser and continued maturation of the hair follicles would occur to 12 at which time the transplanted hairs will grow the same speed as the native hairs.

 

So even if I can get my right temple just a little denser I will be content and I have no doubt that it will as I have seen a few stubble hairs here and there within the temples, though its hard to see with the longer transplanted hairs obscuring the view. Again this has no real aesthetic benefit from where it is currently - as to me it looks great still - just to calm my critical eye just a tad more :-)

 

As Ive said all along I would highly recommend Dr. Rahal's clinic to anyone as even by 4 months post-op I had already let go of my hair insecurities.

 

One thing I smile about whenever I see us transplanted hair guys post pictures, especially Norwood 3s or 4s who get transplanted to a Norwwood 2 - we always like to grow our hair as 'TALL' as possible and spike it up in the front as we like to proclaim now 'Look how dense and spiky my hair is!! Hear me ROAR!!" ... I am doing the same thing and will see how tall and bushy I can get it ... that whole 'pompadour look' that so many of us had wished we could achieve years ago.

 

Z

 

Absolutely wow!!!!!! Dr Rahal is proving to be a bad man, what a stunning hairline - I think I should reconsider my choice of surgeon and switch to the bad man Rahal - wow

[davehhh1]

Hi,

 

Your result is phenomenal.

 

I actually paused typing then as I couldn't think what to type.

 

Your before state and story/age is similar to mine. If I build up the courage to take the plunge I would gain confidence from your posts here thank you.

 

One question, your forelock looks quite strong but you mention it was a concern prior to surgery. How was it? In my case it's there but the density is a touch thinner that the rest and the left side giving out. How was yours and how reinforced di Dr Rahal make it?

[zx_toth]

Hi,

 

Your result is phenomenal.

 

I actually paused typing then as I couldn't think what to type.

 

Your before state and story/age is similar to mine. If I build up the courage to take the plunge I would gain confidence from your posts here thank you.

 

One question, your forelock looks quite strong but you mention it was a concern prior to surgery. How was it? In my case it's there but the density is a touch thinner that the rest and the left side giving out. How was yours and how reinforced di Dr Rahal make it?

 

Thanks davehhh,

 

Glad I can help on your own quest for hair reclamation. I was concerned about my forelock because there was miniaturization on either side of the forelock meaning that over the next few years it would further move inwards and get smaller. I could notice this miniaturization quite dramatically before surgery - I would say a half a centimetre in the left side of the forelock less so on the right though that area was more recessed anyway. The density of the forelock in general was/is fairly thick but like you not as thick as behind. Dr Rahal transplanted densely into the area where it was minaturizing because those hairs would be gone in a few years anyway - so no loss if they were shock lost. The integration is so awesome that its hard for me to tell where the integration starts, I often forget where my old hairline is within my hairline. Certainly on the outside I know I never had hair but looking at pre-op pics I can't really visualize now where my old hairline was. Again kudos to the surgeon. As far as how much he reinforced it my understanding is that in the hairline I have 60 grafts per cm2 while in the rest of the frontal third I had implanted 45 grafts per cm2 ... in the front it would mostly be single hair grafts to give a softer appearance while just behind the hairline it would be more double and triple hair grafts so in fact I would have similar hairs per centimetre transplanted in that miniaturized area. I had asked him specifically if I would benefit aesthetically if we kept it 60 grafts per cm2 all throughout the transplanted area and he said no it would not be a visual improvement because of the above mentioned logic that more hairs per graft would make it a more even appearance and would be a waste of grafts as they would not visually benefit the appearance. That is being honest because a money hungry surgeon would see it as a way to agree with the patient and add an extra 500 grafts or so because I was willing to but he assured me this was the way to go.

 

If you have the financial means to go ahead with a hair transplant and it is bothering to the extent that it does anyone that bothers signing up to a forum I would suggest contacting Rahal's clinic and having an initial consultation and discussion. They are low pressure and don't force you to do or sign anything in the beginning. Reading peoples' posts it seems that once hey have a good result the only regret is that they hadn't done it sooner.

 

I think the timing for me was perfect. About 6 years ago I had actually put down money to do a FUT with Dr Rahal's clinic but cancelled due to the demise of my first marriage but in retrospect am happy that I waited and went when Dr Rahal had perfected his FUE technique and started offering it widely.

 

I feel that in 4 years time or so Ill go back get a check up to see when I might need a touch up as I would want to keep up on any maintenance. Because my hair had been fairly stable with only slow changes in the hairline from age 21-37 I probably will be ok but don't want have to start looking weird before I go back. Saw a chap going in to see Dr Rahal with fantastic looking result and was told perhaps in 4 years time he would need a touch up, so that is the type of check up I would want to do once in a while when I am in Ottawa area.

 

Best of luck.

 

Z

[zx_toth]

Got a hair cut today ... a style I would have NEVER got in my previous state of hair. The pics are quite low resolution for some reason ... poor lighting and iPhone 4S camera spells grainy pictures. Should be getting my iPhone 6S in a couple of weeks so that will be an improvement in pictures here on in.

 

The sides and back are a guard 2. I was trying to see whether I could see any tell tale FUE scarring but with the poor resolution I can't get a good picture of the back. Of course I would rather not have them but if I do I wouldn't really care to be honest as the trade off is worth it for me. Ill take some pics on the weekend with my good camera and good lighting to see whether any scarring can be seen at a guard 2. I don't notice any scarring on the sides where they also extracted from so I should be able to see any scarring with direct vision there but I don't see anything.

 

I am going to cultivate this look for a while, let the top continue to grow and keep the side shaved, see how I like it. Not sure if this hair style is 'on the way out' already or not but I could never pull it off before so for me it is in ... lol.

 

Z

[win200]

This result is out of control. One of the best I've seen on here, ever.

[mav23100gunther]

That hairline again - I challenge anyone to find a better hairline produced by a HT than that

[Rawkerboi]

Impressive!

 

More thickness is on the way!

[thatoldchestnut]

Should have gone FUT, that 20-30% extra growth would really have made this a great result. ;)

 

Congrats man, you must be over the moon.

[davehhh1]

You know what I like?

 

The fact that if you have a hairline with a decent density like you now have (excellent density infact), you can have a haircut like what you got and it still looks good

 

In UK we call that hair a 'bastard' haha. No man it looks great. Grow it long on top and make it a proper pomp.

 

How excited and relieved you must be to be able to have a hairstyle that you now want and not have to have it just in position.

 

So good mate. Really really pleased for you.

[win200]

Should have gone FUT, that 20-30% extra growth would really have made this a great result.

 

Congrats man, you must be over the moon.

 

How on EARTH is this result not already great? I'm a big FUT over FUE advocate, but I really don't see that there's any deficiency at all with this density. It really looks like the 60cm2 that Rahal implanted.

[ItHasToLookNatural]

Does Rahal perform his FUE with a motorized punch? I remember reading that somewhere. What did he use on your head?

[thatoldchestnut]

How on EARTH is this result not already great? I'm a big FUT over FUE advocate, but I really don't see that there's any deficiency at all with this density. It really looks like the 60cm2 that Rahal implanted.

 

The winks were meant to denote sarcasm, haha. It was said tongue planted firmly in cheek, with all the FUE/FUT controversy going on around here.

 

I couldn't agree more, this result is unbelievable, Rahal is an artist.

[NoTakeBacks]

Agreed, this is nothing short of amazing. Enjoy that result and keep up with the topical meds, you'll want to hold onto a result this great:D

[zx_toth]

Squeezing in some time to post here. These are pictures of my 6 month post-op results a day after I got a hair cut. The sides and back are shaved to a grade 2. I am over the moon with the results with still plenty more time to grow. Not sure how the results will improve from here on in as I would be ecstatic if they even stayed like this but I guess Ill take some more thickening and additional hairs popping out if they want to :-)

 

Like me you may be able to detect a bit of 'something' in back of the head if you look for it, not noticeable in person I would say as you don't sit still for people to stare at the back of your head for 15 seconds straight. It doesnt bother or worry me at all - to be crude for a second its like getting a bigger schlong but also getting a scratch on your balls in the process... I am so happy with the former that I couldn't care about the latter.

 

Still using Rogaine twice daily, no oral medications, no hair thickening agents.

 

Best of luck to everyone else on this journey!

[thatoldchestnut]

Looks superb man! What caliber was your hair out of interest? The density is some of the best I've ever seen from any result on this forum, regardless of FUT/FUE.

[zx_toth]

I was never given a caliber measurement for my hair though I was told I had good hair characteristics. I can't comment much more than that though ... I don't have curly hair as you can see which seems to have the best cosmetic results though I don't have extremely thin wispy hair either. :-)

 

Z

[Petchski]

Excellent density, and at 6 months you are a quick grower. Lookin good

[zx_toth]

After 8 years I am going back for a second hair transplant with Dr Rahal. Going to increase density, bring forward the temple points and lower the hair line a bit - the last point is a bit of hair greed.

the transplant has held up very well over nearly a decade however there either has been some native hair loss in the previous area of combined native and grafted hairs or I’ve just become obsessed with minutia again like I did before.

Hadn’t taken finasteride for probably 5 years if the 8 - restarted it about 3 years ago as I started TRT and was concerned about having higher testosterone and accelerating hair loss. 

I had a great 8 year run and would be happy with how it actually is but I am really looking forward to get refining the hair just a bit more.

Procedure is on April 17th. Will post once I have some images to post; pre/post.

Edited April 8, 2023 by zx_toth

[HairFunk]

Great result !

[jwolfe890]

22 hours ago, zx_toth said:

the transplant has held up very well over nearly a decade however there either has been some native hair loss in the previous area of combined native and grafted hairs or I’ve just become obsessed with minutia again like I did before.

is it possible to post a current pic? i'm very curious to see how the transplant held up over time.

[zx_toth]

Looking at these new pictures to the older pictures uncomfortably reminds me I am aging … 8 years later. Face is more droopy lol, more grey hairs … oh well. I’ll work on losing 15 lbs and the face should improve its shape a bit. 

Usually I would keep the sides shaved at a #2-3. The sides are a bit scraggly as we are not supposed to have a hair cut for 6 weeks before the procedure. Makes things look less neat.

anyway - you may not be able to see however there is a bit less density on the front-sides which was present 8 years ago. The front had more volume from the front which has noticeably been absent for a few years. Again wouldn’t be a big deal - I mean come on I’m in my mid-40s now but when you are as vain and most of us are on this forum … let’s be honest, we are … then that volume loss is less desirable. since I’ve got the time to heal, the money to pay for this and the utmost confidence in Dr Rahal I’m more than happy to dive back in and lower the hair line just a tad, bring the temple points forward a bit and increase the density. It will likely be my forever hair after that because honestly it didn’t really change over a decade so don’t expect much to change in another 10 years. Never say never but 10 years from now I’d probably looking more at a face lift than a hair transplant lol. Yes and FYI yes the Botox keeps the forehead smooth at 45 years of age.

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by zx_toth

[zx_toth]

2nd hair transplant with Dr Rahal - 2069 grafts FUE … and it begins.

the results won’t be as dramatic as my 2015 before-after as I am only adding density I lost over the 8 years. No real change in the hair line boundaries.

Before

 

Post op

 

pre-op with shave. Sorry out of order pics

Edited April 22, 2023 by zx_toth

[SuperC]

Incredible result the first time around, and the photos from the second procedure look promising as well.

Has Dr. Rahal's process or the overall experience changed much since 2015? Also, do you have any post-op photos of the donor area?

Edited June 5, 2023 by gaz9318054

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

@gaz9318054,

Thanks for your interest.  Yes, this patient definitely had an excellent result.  Since Dr. Rahal now solely performs FUE and has for many years now, he's had a lot of time to evolve and improve his FUE technique.  His donor extraction process in particular has changed, resulting in smaller, even more refined extractions and even fewer signs of visible scarring.\

For starters, Dr. Rahal uses a scientific formula to determine exactly just how many extractions can be taken safely over the course of a patient's lifetime.  To quote him from an email he sent me on this issue during a conversation about donor extractions....

"One thing to mention in these cases is that we calculate the coverage value, based on hair caliber, density of grafts, hairs/per graft, and size of area to come up with a number of grafts that can be harvested safely in life time.  The size of the punch and distribution of extractions make a huge difference".

Dr. Rahal also now uses a variety of tools to carry out the donor extractions based on the patient's individual scalp and donor hair characteristics instead of sticking to only one.  Since he has vast experience with a plethora of tools, he'll select the ones he feels best suit the procedure for that specific individual.  Note that it's not uncommon for him to use more than one kind of extraction tool during a procedure (depending on scalp and hair characteristics in a particular area, etc.).

Since you've asked for them, below, I've provided some recent donor extractions that show the scalp immediately after surgery and only a few weeks later (so the hair is still nice and short).

Example 1 - Post-Op

Example 1 - 2 Weeks

Example 2 - Post-Op

Example 2 - 6 Weeks

[Rahal Hair Transplant]

Here are a few more examples.

Example 3 - Post-Op

Example 3 - 1 Month

Example 4 - Post-Op

Example 4 - 9 Days