2623 graft FUE with Dr. Hasson

[KShattsy]

Overview:

2623 graft FUE with Dr. Hasson on December 19, 2016. I am 27 years old and wanted to share my experience start to finish with Dr. Hasson from Hasson & Wong. Here is the graft breakdown of the surgery:

1's - 432

2's - 1642

3/4's - 549

Transcetion Rate 1%

 

Background:

 

I have always been pretty vain about my hair and noticed thinning when I was 19/20. I didn't do much about it other than take longer to style my hair to make sure every hair was "perfect". 2012 I got a consultation done with a hair loss institute and ended up buying a laser comb and starting taking Continuite by Ross Shampoo/conditioner. I used the comb 3/week 20 minutes at a time and even introduced a DHT blocker with a massager about a year later. This seemed to slow thinning down a bit and it seemed like I was maintaining fairly well.

 

For those out here I am sure you are familiar with becoming obsessed about your hair, constantly checking the mirror and heaven forbid someone touches it playfully! It consumed my thoughts every time I had to get ready I would take extra time and I just started to wear hats as often as I could when I worked out or went out. Not that it was that bad but just to put my "head" at ease. None of my friends or even girlfriend at the time knew that I was that vain about it because it didn't seem that bad as neither of them really ever commented on it that I was losing my hair. But I knew Of course you get jealous for every man that walks by on the street or friends that have awesome hairlines and flowy hair.

 

About 2 years ago I added in "Hair Essentials" by natural wellbeing to the mix and 1.5 years ago I took up rogaine, the shedding phase sucked! We all know how it goes, the more you stress about it the more you seemingly lose, but the more you lose the more you stress - vicious cycle. I also hated putting rogaine in my toiletree bag knowing that my friends could see it any time. Also applying it I didn't like as it is tough to style with it and a pain if you are having someone over late and need to apply at night.

 

My barber who I had been to for years knew of my situation and she would do her best to cut my hair appropriately. For example my left side is stronger so she would let that grow out so that I could essentially comb it over and into the other hairs when I styled it. The illusions worked! As long as I didn't have to go swimming, sweat working out profusely or be in the wind.

 

Long story short- I knew I didn't want to keep spending all the time & money on consumables to AT BEST maintain what I was have or slow it down. Cue my research for hair transplant, which is something I joked about with my cousin in the past that we would have to resort to (but always remained a joke). Earlier in 2016 I met with Doug and Dr. Wong and was initially quoted 1000-1200 grafts (because I had my hair styled I even fooled them!). After researching proscar I got on it in about March 2016 with no side affects even though I let my mind question it at times. I considered a HT but had to do more due diligence to see if Hasson & Wong was right for me and at the time they were still a little more fresh to it as they had changed a couple things with it.

 

Mid-2016 I met again with much more research done and they answered my countless questions. I was quoted for 2,000 grafts by Dr. Wong. Still being cautious I went back and met with them yet again and this time was quoted 2,500 by Dr. Hasson (I didn't style my hair). I knew that if I didn't do a hair transplant there was no "end in sight" to get better and going with one of the best places in the world helped keep my mind at ease in regards to the outcome I would get. Now at 27 it isn't easy to come up with cash for a 2,500 graft surgery but really money is nothing compared to putting my mind at ease and to know I can hopefully finally put my head to rest and not spend so much time worrying about it. Dec 19 was the big day with Dr. Hasson.

 

Day of the Surgery - December 19 2016

 

If this already wasn't one of the craziest days of my life, Vancouver decided to have its biggest snowfall in years overnight causing havoc on the roads. My appointment was at 7am, I left my place at 5:45am for a normallly 30 minute drive and ran into accidents all over. Already 30 minutes late, I ditched the car which was at a full stop for an hour due to the havoc ahead of me and ran to the skytrain where I took 3 skytrains and a 15min dash to the clinic. I ended up getting there, sweaty, at approximately 8:45am. Elena was great at coordinating with me and they were all very understanding the ill-timed act of god that gave me quite the adventure in the morning. I was worried about this affecting the speed of the surgery that they would rush but they assured me it would not.

 

Luckily my blood pressure wasn't over the top so we proceeded to shave off my precious existing hair, first time I have had a buzz cut since I was a kid! We got right into the extraction process by 9:30/10am and aside from a small lunch break Elena was working her magic until about 4pm straight. The only thing that fell asleep were my arms from time to time I was I guess too excited to fall asleep myself, but the process was fairly painless. People talk about the anasthetic injections but they are not more painful than when you go to the dentist for a cavity. It was encouraging to hear my grafts were really high quality, I was aware the back of my head was very thick but this was reassuring. The convo was good with Elena and I was relaxed to a constant playlist of Kygo which I enjoyed.

 

4pm or so rolled around and it was time for Dr. Hasson to make his slits. We drew the hairline and I left it mostly up to him, he is the expert after all. My hairline was goign to be the same and essentially the grafts are just for the front density. Of course it is hard to not let my mind wander on what is the best for me in terms of the grafts where they should be placed and if they should be more spread out to the back or to bring my hairline a tingle lower but you gotta let the expert do his thing! Time will tell. I honestly thought I was going to need some in my crown, but after shaving it looks as though I got hair through it all which I was pleasantly surprised at.

 

approx 1-2 hours of slits and anathesia and Dr. Hasson was out. He is an incredible guy and for how long he has been doing this, super understanding and kind (good sense of humor too!).

 

Small dinner break and other than that the next 6-7 hours were putting the grafts in! I swear I finished about 1.5 seasons of brooklyn nine-nine on netflix while two ladies switched on and off putting grafts in. One of the nurses shoulders was super sore, and she was a trooper to fight through the pain. The overhead light was a little low as well and they kept hitting their heads/topbun on it. I was discharged at 12:45am with head bandaged up. So I guess me being late due to the weather did not compromise the time they put in to make sure the quality was good! I was happy to stay as long as needed and for them to take their time, I just felt bad for them. Towards the end my anathesia was wearing off so it started to get fairly painful. Almost was a trade-off as the needles were more painful to inject because the head was sensitive.

 

The first sleep was uncomfortable I was just worried about staying straight up. Head was throbbing but a couple t-3's fixed that. I work from home so getting up at 7am the next morning to catch up on e-mails was challenging to say the least. It wasn't my most productive week of work lets say that.

 

Days 1-5 after

 

They fairly blend in. I went in for a wash by the clinic 4 straight days. The swelling in day 2-4 was at its peak and was f*cking hilairous. I laughed hard every time I looked at myself in the mirror. Despite my ear being in tact, it looked like I had gone 12 rounds with Tyson in his prime. Obviously being extremely careful each day to make sure I don't dislodge any graft I slept on my back each night which made sleeping pretty uncomfortable. Had some pain here and there, nothing that advil can't fix. I think the most challenging part honestly was coming up with excuses for family/friends why my parents and I couldn't spend Christmas with them or why I couldn't go to social events with my friends.

 

Summary

 

You get what you pay for, and for me in this life changing process it is important to go with the cream of the crop. Through the whole process, the doctors, nurses, Doug were all fantastic. I know this post is a bit of ramble, but it was past threads from people in my age range (trashpanda, N0Air, spidey) that made me feel more comfortable with this, so I hope I can do that for others. I am ALREADY getting impatient and nervous for the next 3 months with respect to the recovery process and to what my final result will be.

If you have any further questions or comments feel free to post here or privately message me!

[LosAngelesOrangeCountyPati]

Excellent density and thanks for sharing. I'm sure you will have fantastic results!

 

I am 4 days post op myself with Dr. meshkin. A tad regretful I didn't push for more grafts to ensure density but it is what it is.

 

Can you let me know your cost?

 

Feel free to check my thread and comment as well. Happy growing!

[KShattsy]

Thanks LA!

Here is the cost link to Hasson & Wong --> https://hassonandwong.com/hair-transplant-surgery/hair-transplant-cost/

 

To be honest, my donor area while it looks recovered it is very sore! Not sure if it is nerve damage or what, but getting to sleep is hard while I am constantly in pain.

 

1 week post op pics coming soon!

[KShattsy]

Here are some one week post op pics.

 

Still some soreness around the sides, I have started to apply vitamin E oil to the recipient area. The scabs are still prevalent, and the thinning on the rest of the top of my head worries me a bit that it will not grow back to what it was.

 

When can I shave the sides and back (donor area) so that the top doesn't seem so thin comparatively?

 

I stopped using the shampoo I was using on it and rogaine was stopped a couple months ago and laser earlier this year so wondering if that had anything to do with it. I thought proscar (have been taking for 9 months) in replacement of the above would help me retain.

 

Any advice/thoughts?

[KShattsy]

Here are some pics of 10 days post-op. Things are coming along, seems like most scabs/crusts are gone. I know I just have to be patient but I would be lying if I said I didn't have periods of anxiety for various reasons like:

 

- did I lose a graft?

- am I being careful enough

- is the grafted hair thick enough

- is my native hair worse

- redness/recovery and applying vitamin E/Aloe

- how to handle social scenarios

- anticipation of result and when it will come

- scabs/crusts and if I have some left how to remove

 

Hasson & Wong is closed over the holidays as well or I would go in to get my questions answered and be reassured everything is going according to plan.

 

My question:

 

1. when can I get a haircut on the sides so my thinner hair on top has a chance to "catch" the sides?

2. crusts and scabs - I have spent 10 minutes in the shower since day 6/7 gently rubbing in a circular motion to help get the scabs to fall out. I then apply Vitamin E after I am done, it seems there are still crusts how vital is it to get these out?

 

Since Hasson & Wong is closed, I would love to hear from the community with questions, answers and honest comments on what they think!

Edited January 2, 2017 by KShattsy

[N0Air]

KShattsy,

 

I think your HT looks great so far! You're going to be happy with this hairline design as well.

 

By week 3 you should be fine getting a haircut. I actually got one 2 weeks post op, but I don't know if I would recommend it for everyone (I heal very very quickly).

 

On the scab situation, it's helpful to remove them to allow your scalp to breathe. I would spend a lot of time in the shower, allowing the scabs to soften, and then gently massaging them with the shampoo.

 

You're doing the right things! Keep up and you'll have a great result to look forward to.

[KShattsy]

KShattsy,

 

I think your HT looks great so far! You're going to be happy with this hairline design as well.

 

By week 3 you should be fine getting a haircut. I actually got one 2 weeks post op, but I don't know if I would recommend it for everyone (I heal very very quickly).

 

On the scab situation, it's helpful to remove them to allow your scalp to breathe. I would spend a lot of time in the shower, allowing the scabs to soften, and then gently massaging them with the shampoo.

 

You're doing the right things! Keep up and you'll have a great result to look forward to.

 

Thanks for the advice N0Air!

[KShattsy]

Sorry this post is late, but here are some pics 2 weeks post op.

 

I gave myself a haircut around the sides after these pics which helped the way things looked. I have seen a couple pimples but they have not been big enough where it was worth trying to pop.

 

I showed a couple friends my head today at 2 weeks, while gathering excuses so that they couldn't rub my head or examine it closely, all is ok! Long 2 weeks.

 

I have noticed a slight shedding at about 17 days and know it may get worse from here before it gets better.

 

How have people thought about the use of rogaine at the 2-3 week mark on native hair? to help the regrowth?

[Melvin- Admin]

Congrats on your procedure, you should check with your clinic on when to resume minoxidil, typically it's ok to resume around 2 weeks but every clinic is different. With that said, I'm not sure it will speed up the growth of native hair, you can try biotin and msm.

[KShattsy]

Congrats on your procedure, you should check with your clinic on when to resume minoxidil, typically it's ok to resume around 2 weeks but every clinic is different. With that said, I'm not sure it will speed up the growth of native hair, you can try biotin and msm.

 

Thanks for the input HTsoon!

I have just started to apply it to my native hair (3 week mark) and to the transplanted hair. I take "hair essentials" as well which has biotin in it so hopefully this helps.

 

I would love to hear advice/input for those that have had to shave their whole head for their transplant.

 

3 week pics are coming soon.

[Ernie]

Thanks for the input HTsoon!

I have just started to apply it to my native hair (3 week mark) and to the transplanted hair. I take "hair essentials" as well which has biotin in it so hopefully this helps.

 

I would love to hear advice/input for those that have had to shave their whole head for their transplant.

 

3 week pics are coming soon.

 

Hi KShattsy,

 

I shaved my entire head for the procedure, and again a few months later to even everything out. In retrospect, the time flew by. Hang in there -- shaving your head HELPS the doc in my opinion, and Hasson was a fantastic choice.

[KShattsy]

Hi KShattsy,

 

I shaved my entire head for the procedure, and again a few months later to even everything out. In retrospect, the time flew by. Hang in there -- shaving your head HELPS the doc in my opinion, and Hasson was a fantastic choice.

 

Thanks Ernie! You have an awesome thread and it is evident you are helpful and willing to support others, thanks for that.

 

Here are some updated pictures at the 3 week mark. I have been shedding a bit and now using 5% minoxidil on the native area as well as the transplanted area (although much less there).

 

Wearing a hat as much as possible now as the top is much thinner (native & transplanted hair) than I thought it would be. My question/concern at this point are:

 

-The spot behind my transplant, I noticed this right away after my transplant as a weaker area that did not get "filled in". Is this a mistake and was just missed? I have pointed to it in the pic attached (you can see it in past pics as well). I would have loved a few grafts in there, not sure how or why it was disregarded by Hasson.

[KShattsy]

I have attached some one month pics. Went through a huge shed right around the 3-5 week mark.

 

I got a wash done at the clinic, and have attached some pics prior the wash and after the wash as they rubbed out a lot of the transplanted hair.

 

All thoughts/comments/advice/questions are much appreciated!

[mosd]

thats some shock loss right there. Youll be out of it 2-3 months

 

Did you get some shockloss in the crown aswell?

[rev333]

Looks totally normal for 1 month. Looks like a lot of grafts didn't shed. You're going to be very happy next X-mas!

 

Congrats!

[KShattsy]

thats some shock loss right there. Youll be out of it 2-3 months

 

Did you get some shockloss in the crown aswell?

 

Hey Mosd, I agree! I have never buzzed my head so the growth back on top has been "shocking" to say the least

 

My native hair looks a lot worse, have you heard of scenarios where shock loss also gets to areas on top of the head where nothing was transplanted?

 

I will post some updated pics soon for the 1.5 month mark.

[KShattsy]

Looks totally normal for 1 month. Looks like a lot of grafts didn't shed. You're going to be very happy next X-mas!

 

Congrats!

 

Thanks Rev! The waiting game is definitely on and as advertised, it will continue to be challenging.

 

I would say 80% of the grafts came out. After my wash at the 1 month mark at Hasson & Wong clinic they rubbed vigorously and a ton came out!

 

I will post updated pics soon

Edited January 30, 2017 by KShattsy

[KShattsy]

I thought I'd give a mid month update on my transplant. Some main points at this stage:

 

-I am using toppik when I need to but only underneath a hat still (let me know if you want to see pics with it applied).

-I am back to using my regular shampoo prior to surgery

-Rogaine seems to be speeding up growth on native hair in transplanted area

-shockloss is bad but seems to be improving

-I am getting 1-2 pimples per day that subside in 1-2 days. A positive sign!

-Shedding phase is completely over

 

Here are some pics of me before surgery, day of surgery, a couple days after, 1 week, 2.5 weeks, 3 weeks, 1 month (my worst) and 1.5 months

 

I am starting to get excited as it seems like it will be all progress from here.

Any comments (negative or positive) and questions are welcomed!

[Melvin- Admin]

Things are improving, but there is still shock loss, this is quite common and I'd say most shock loss turns around by the 3rd month. Don't worry though it will come back and then some just need to be patient.

[Bugatti]

Haven't read the whole thread. Are you taking finasteride?

[KShattsy]

Haven't read the whole thread. Are you taking finasteride?

 

Hey Bugatti,

 

I am taking 1mg of proscar a day. I started taking Proscar about 8 months ago 1mg 3x/week and moved to 1mg daily about 3 months ago

[KShattsy]

Here is a 2 month update. Things are improving, hardest part is making excuses to why I am wearing a hat all the time.

 

My questions:

 

1. In your experience - is it better to pop pimples or leave them in the recipient area?

2. You can see the gaps in my hair on the sides at the donor area. Do you know if this recovers more? I didn't feel like I had my hair too short on the sides (about a 2 - 2.5 clipper). Not too big of a deal but noticeable to me in light.

[KShattsy]

I am thinking about giving myself a haircut to even out the top. I would love to hear your opinion!

 

HTsoon I remember was against it because essentially the more you cut now the longer the wait to enjoy the hair

 

Ernie was a big advocate of doing a number 3 all over so that there isn't as big of a discrepancy between the native hair and transplanted front 1/3.

 

I am at the 2.5 month mark and sick of wearing a hat constantly but no pain no gain right :cool:

[Melvin- Admin]

You had FUE, the big benefit of doing FUE is cutting the hair on the sides short, if I were you I would cut the sides down to a half guard, keep the top the length it is, once the sides are shorter this will automatically make the top look fuller, in the mean time I would suggest using some dermmatch or toppik to further enhance the top. I really do believe that cutting it now on top would extend your results by another 2 months, remember most transplants require a certain length or sweet spot to achieve the optimal look. You're right around the corner from growth, literally another month and you'll start seeing growth. It'll be worth it if you can tough it out trust me.

[KShattsy]

You had FUE, the big benefit of doing FUE is cutting the hair on the sides short, if I were you I would cut the sides down to a half guard, keep the top the length it is, once the sides are shorter this will automatically make the top look fuller, in the mean time I would suggest using some dermmatch or toppik to further enhance the top. I really do believe that cutting it now on top would extend your results by another 2 months, remember most transplants require a certain length or sweet spot to achieve the optimal look. You're right around the corner from growth, literally another month and you'll start seeing growth. It'll be worth it if you can tough it out trust me.

 

I appreciate the prompt advice HTsoon! And all of your consistent contributions to the community. You have your wicked hairline result I hope the crown matches up