Dr. Jerry Cooley - 4103 grafts (FUT) - 11 Dec 2017

[UKLad81]

Hi folks, I just wanted to share my recent experience following an FUT procedure with Dr Jerry Cooley yesterday. I apologise if this post is long and detailed but I took a lot of value from all the various posters and wanted to give the same back.

 

Days leading to the procedure

 

I had been speaking to Cooley’s clinic in September and had various conversations with Lollie as well as telephonic conversation with Dr Cooley himself. After speaking to them both I kind of knew that this was the clinic I wanted to go with. I paid a deposit at the end of October for a 4000 FUT procedure. During the lead up, I must admit it was a mixture of emotions and last week was possibly the worst. At one point I just wanted to cancel and not go through such was the nerves and anxiety. But ploughed through it and as the day got closer the more excited I felt.

 

Travel to Charlotte from LHR

 

Some of you may be aware the UK experienced snow fall which as per usual played havoc with some of the outbound flights. I was due to fly out at 13:30 and came to know in the morning prior to reaching the airport that the flight had been delayed to 14:20. 14:20 came and there was still no news about what gate to go to or if the flight had been delayed or even cancelled, despite repeated attempts to find out information from the relevant information desks. Finally, we were given a gate and told to expect to take off at 16:30. We boarded the flight around 17:00 and didn’t take take off till 19:30. Which meant we didn’t arrive in Charlotte till 23:30!! Immigration control was no issues, just told them I was here for vacation and they asked some additional questions such as “where I am staying, how long, what I do for a living, how much currency I have etc?”. Breezed through with no problems. The clinic had arranged for us to be put up in the Hilton Garden Inn which is about 20 mins or so from the airport and approximately 5/6min drive to the clinic.

 

Day of procedure

 

I was advised by Aileene to be at the clinic at 7am. The hotel offers a shuttle bus and because of the late check in they were unable to schedule this for me at short notice, so had to get an Uber to the clinic. Arrived at the clinic and was greeted by Stephanie and taken to a room where I was asked to complete the normal paperwork. These were actually sent to me prior so I could’ve made my life a little easier by completing these prior to arriving. Stephanie was very kind and didn’t make an issue out of this. She was very calming and friendly. Once the paper work was completed, I was asked to choose some movies (like most clinics they had a large range) and also lunch (again loads of options and if anyone is interested I had a turkey panini wrap). Once this was all done Dr Cooley arrived to greet me. Following an initial conversation about goals etc I knew this guy was top notch, such was his confidence, personality and straightforwardness. I had my photos taken and the hairline drawn not that there was much to draw as I already had frontal tuft it was just a case of bridging the areas which had been lost. He looked at my donor and said it was excellent and that laxity was very good. We both agreed that the frontal third would be the most dense and continuing in to the mid-scalp area with less density and also shrink the crown outside in but not completely fill. Once this was all agreed, I was given my meds; antibiotics, valium and two prednisone’s (these are to help reduce any swelling).

 

Once that was done, I was taken to the room. The room was exactly how I expected it to be. I had previously watched Joe Tillman’s visit to the clinic and if anyone wants to see it, take a look on YouTube. My hair was then slightly shaved where the strip was due to be taken. At the same time Brandy was taking my blood pressure. It was a little high, not sure why as I was super calm and excited.

 

Anyhow, I was asked to lie face down on the chair for strip removal and was also given something to calm me down. After this was done I don’t remember much. I vaguely remember the anaesthetic shots and these were not as painful as I thought they would be. After this I must have dozed off as I cant remember anything thereafter. I do remember it was around 08:30 when I was asked to lie down. I woke up later and asked for a rest room break (I was literally bursting!). Dr Cooley advised that it wasn’t an issue as he was almost done closing the strip. I got up and felt a bit light headed, so sat down, I looked at the time and it was 10:30. Dr Cooley advised that it was a straight forward removal and there was no heavy blood loss or any other issues which I was very happy about. The strip was closed with sutures.

 

After the rest room break Dr Cooley and Brandy started to make the incisions in the scalp and at the same time I think I counted six technicians in the room doing the graft dissection. I felt absolutely no pain at all during this process. I just had my headphones in and probably nodded off a couple of times. I cant stress enough how painless everything was so far!

 

Time for lunch around 12noon. I asked Dr Cooley how the work was going and he mentioned that they had done around 2000+ incisions and would be inserting the grafts after lunch. We broke for lunch for about 20/30mins or so. I ate and at the same time was talking to the extremely friendly technicians.

 

After lunch the work continued and at the same time I was watching the selected movies. Don’t really remember the first two films. I had selected the Batman series and I do remember during the Dark Knight, Dr Cooley saying a few dialogues which I found pretty funny. Dr Cooley and Brandy meticulously inserted the grafts for the next 7 hours. Yes it was that long but this is purely down to both being perfectionists. One thing to note the anaesthetic shots (I actually don’t remember where these were placed in the front, I assume around the forehead area) but a couple did hurt just slightly but literally lasts for 5/10 seconds. It really isn’t that bad at all!

 

During the latter part of the procedure I was quite alert and conversing with both Cooley and Brandy. They are both amazing people and extremely friendly to talk to. They actually bounce off each other was really refreshing. I did joke with them that they are like husband and wife which they found quite funny!

 

The last hour was probably the most discomforting mostly because I had been in the chair for almost 11 hours and my shoulders and neck were getting pretty sore. Again I ploughed through. We eventually finished the entire procedure around 20:30ish. I asked how many grafts I got and was told over 4000 which I was really happy about. Post op pictures were taken and I was shown the back of my head and the top. I was slightly nervous about strip and where it was being taken from and if it would be visible. I can honestly say that Dr Cooley and Brandy have done a fantastic job as I couldn’t find it at all. The top of the head looked pretty good considering I had over 4000 grafts inserted. I was given my post op instructions, shampoos, meds, my post op ATP spray which I needed to spray every hour and every 2 hours when sleeping for the first few days. Dr Cooley showed how it is to be done (very simple!) and he asks to put a cling film type thing on top immediately after to help with healing, keeping the grafts moist and for the spray not to evaporate. He calls it the ‘green house effect’.

 

Once back at the hotel, I sprayed as instructed even through the night although not every hour, every two hours in fact.

 

In terms of pain, I feel minimal pain around the strip. Out of ten, I would rate it a two/three. I’ve honestly taken a pain killer since the procedure and today is the day after. The strip area does feel numb which I fully expected and also expect this to subside over the coming weeks.

 

Post-Op Day 1

 

As I said earlier I took a pain killer in the morning as I was expecting the pain to increase. However, after the pain killers had worn off I still felt the same, no increase at all. Since then I have had very slight plan on the left hand side of the strip. The rest of the donor area is still numb but pretty comfortable.

 

I did notice minimal swelling above my eyes, nothing like what I have seen on the forums and defiantly nothing major. Dr Cooley advises to take two prednisone’s the following morning after the procedure which I did and the has gone down.

 

As also mentioned above I’ve continued following Dr Cooley’s post op instructions in spraying the post op ATP spray every hour.

 

I also got my hair washed at the clinic and what can I say, the work looks extremely clean. Just a few blood spots but generally it looks just how I expected the work to be. Amy who washed my hair even mentioned that she found it difficult find the scar as she needed to put some antibiotic cream on it. This was refreshing to hear! Dr Cooley came in after the hair wash and checked things over and he mentioned that all looked well and that it looks exactly how it should be. He also mentioned me as the ‘model’ patient as I barely moved in the surgical chair and also kept the whole team entertained (while I was awake of course!)!! I did ask how many grafts we managed to get and he advised that the final figure was 4108. I’ll get the break down later this week and will share. He also mentioned that he could get another strip of about 2000-3000 if needed and some FUE grafts after that (again if needed).

 

Dr Cooley also recommends a Help Hair whey protein shake which I purchased and have started to take this as well. I just felt it cant do any harm.

 

Any how the day has been pretty comfortable and very pain less.

 

To summarise my experience so far, I’ve definitely had a great experience with Cooley and his team. They all work extremely hard and are very meticulous in everything they do. Cooley (and Brandy) is a perfectionist and wants everything to be 110% correct. I know the whole team has put in 110% effort so that I can achieve the desired result!! Dr Cooley and Brandy were by my side every time I would look up and I probably remember Cooley walking out for a short while but I am 110% confident that he was there and doing most of the work throughout the day!! It really does ease any anxieties when you know the lead doctor is there playing a pivotal part during the procedure and being so heavily involved!

 

I’m on my iPad and will be receiving a CD with post / pre op photos which I will update later this week. I have some on my phone and again I will post later (just need to blank out the face). If anyone has any further questions, please feel free to ask here or PM me.

 

Apologies for the long write up, I hope anyone considering Dr Cooley and his clinic finds this useful. If anyone is due for a procedure in the next forthcoming days with Cooley, I am staying at the hotel until Sunday and am more than happy to speak to anyone!

Edited March 10, 2018 by Bill - Managing Publisher

[UKLad81]

Post-Op Day 2

 

Nothing new to report today. Have been spraying the new grafts religiously at the required intervals. Have just arrived back from having my second hair wash with the Dr Cooley's clinic. Today it was Stephanie who was also part of the team dissecting the grafts on my procedure day. During the hair wash she was applying a little more pressure round the donor area to remove some blood spots. I felt some pain here and there, again nothing too unbearable.

 

The pain has really been non-existent which has really surprised me, in fact today i barely feel any pain whatsoever. My scalp does a feel a little itchy which Stephanie advised is fine and is all part of the process. Again its nothing major and just let it be.

 

I'm sorting out my pictures and should be able to update the thread later today. Once again if anyone has any questions, please feel free to reply or PM me!

[Spanker]

You picked a great doc, looking forward to following your progress.

[UKLad81]

Thanks Spanker, couldn't have done it without this forum and experienced posters like yourself.

 

As promised here are a few photos up until today (today being Day 2). Hopefully they render in the order that I uploaded them But to give you an idea, I've uploaded photos of my hair loss prior to the procedure and some photos of the day, day after the procedure including a picture of the scar if you can make it out. I've also added pictures of pre / post hair washes both yesterday and today.

 

I'll also be getting the photos from Dr Cooley later this week so shall add them as well and also get the graft breakdown. I'll also try and get an idea of how he placed the grafts in terms of density.

 

If anyone wants to see any additional views, please feel free to let me know and i'll be happy to accommodate. Once again appreciate any comments / questions.

[Speegs]

Wow, you certainly have a unique hair loss pattern, a prominent and strong frontal hairline/ forelock and almost complete loss behind, you should be very pleased in about 9 months or so at how different you look.

 

Another round to that crown in a different procedure should leave you with the appearance of a full head of hair in about two years time.

 

Congrats on taking the first big step.

[Sociallyakward]

I can't seem to figure out what Dr. Cooley does differently. His grafts directly after post op are difficult to see. Very clean and neat, but where as the usual pimple/bump appearance you see from most clinics isn't there so much. I wonder if he uses smaller grafts. any how, best wishes.

[UKLad81]

Wow, you certainly have a unique hair loss pattern, a prominent and strong frontal hairline/ forelock and almost complete loss behind, you should be very pleased in about 9 months or so at how different you look.

 

Another round to that crown in a different procedure should leave you with the appearance of a full head of hair in about two years time.

 

Congrats on taking the first big step.

 

Thanks Speegs, and thanks for all your help during the process! Appreciate it!

 

You're not wrong buddy, I'm so glad i have managed to hold on to frontal hair line otherwise I would've blown a fair few grafts in reconstructing and probably not got as much coverage.

 

Yep I'm already thinking about another pass next year but obviously need to wait for it to grow out.

[UKLad81]

I can't seem to figure out what Dr. Cooley does differently. His grafts directly after post op are difficult to see. Very clean and neat, but where as the usual pimple/bump appearance you see from most clinics isn't there so much. I wonder if he uses smaller grafts. any how, best wishes.

 

You know i was thinking the same thing as you. I've seen so many documented procedures on here and with some of those, 2 days post op you can really tell they've had something major done to the head. I'm 3 days post op and apart from a few blood spots, the work still looks really clean. I'm also shocked that i have had no swelling and such minor pain. Whatever he does, he does it well!

 

I'll be sure to ask him when i see him tomorrow and report back!

[Sociallyakward]

You know i was thinking the same thing as you. I've seen so many documented procedures on here and with some of those, 2 days post op you can really tell they've had something major done to the head. I'm 3 days post op and apart from a few blood spots, the work still looks really clean. I'm also shocked that i have had no swelling and such minor pain. Whatever he does, he does it well!

 

I'll be sure to ask him when i see him tomorrow and report back!

 

Yeah, it actually had me quite worried when I had surgery with him. When I went back for my second check up I think like 3 or 4 days post op, I tried to ask but I didn't really know how to ask that question without sounding like an ass or dumb. But I told them I was having a hard time seeing the grafts, the assistant said she had magnification and could see all the grafts and everything looked great. Then Dr. Cooley walked in and told me to just feel all the grafts. Which i did but I don't think i got the answer i was looking for. Because there is definitely a difference, when I had surgery at another clinic before I could see exactly where the grafts were places. With a bump/pimple appearance. And because of the ATP spray there really isn't in crusting to be able to tell either.

 

I was also worried about facial swelling because the prior surgery I looked like a lemon head. I asked Dr. Cooley prior to surgery. He said I shouldn't worry about it as he has "tricks" for that. and sure enough, I had no facial swelling. I don't know if it was partially because most of the grafts were placed in the crown this time. But he is definitely good at what he does.

 

Anyway, yeah please let us know what he says when you ask him! Super curious.

[UKLad81]

Whatever he's doing differently can only benefit us / his patients. I'm now on Day 5 and can definitely see the grafts now. Hard to believe that most of these will start to shed very shortly.

 

I did ask him what he does differently to other surgeons. To which he responded, its all his research, passion in the industry and constantly refining his techniques, ACell and his post ATP spray which he advises to use religiously (well until the bottle runs out!). He did also mention that he often connects with his peers and shares all of these techniques / research as well. I think also the time and care he takes per patient could also be a variable. He takes his time and will not finish until he is completely satisfied, be it 13.5 hrs for me or 18 hrs for another patient I met earlier this week. Whatever he does, he does it brilliantly and I mean no disrespect to any of the other surgeons!

 

Day 3 and 4 photos coming up.

[UKLad81]

Day 3 / 4 Post Op Update

 

To summarise up until now, I have had no swelling (which i am assuming is due to the swelling medication Cooley gives) and no scabbing either. The only pain i have experienced is during the hair wash and only in the donor area where the ladies have had to use a little bit extra pressure to remove the antibiotic cream (again Dr Cooley advises to use this twice a day until the sutures are removed) from the back of my hair. Still spraying the recipient area with the post ATP spray every few hours. Dr Cooley recommends doing this until basically the bottle runs out.

 

I've attached photos of how the scalp looks pre and post hair washes. I'm still in Charlotte and it really has helped having the clinic clean on a daily basis. Not to mention having them assess the development. Yesterday I had the pleasure of Dr Cooley washing my hair (a bit rough compared to the ladies i had!) but both he and Brandi mentioned that the healing process is as it should be and that the grafts seem to be sticking in well. Which was pleasing to hear. I've also attached some photos of the scar on Day 3.

 

Any feedback / comments would be greatly appreciated.

[Sociallyakward]

Ha, guess the mystery still remains. Yeah, he definitely cares, i think it was like 15 hrs for me.

Looking good, keep us updated.

[UKLad81]

Anyone know how to update the name of the thread? Just realised there is a typo!!

[UKLad81]

Ha, guess the mystery still remains. Yeah, he definitely cares, i think it was like 15 hrs for me.

Looking good, keep us updated.

 

Thanks buddy! Yep the mystery still does remain.

Do you have a thread about your journey?

[Sociallyakward]

I don't right now. But I plan to when im ready because I have a hell of a story to tell. I am almost 2 months post op with Dr. Cooley. It was my 3rd HT. But if you have any questions ill be happy to answer.

[buzzbee]

Hey UKLad81, looking great! Your experience was very similar to mine and I'm excited to follow your progress! Since ours were in such close proximity, we should hit the major milestones around the same time. I'm also doing the Help Hair protein and can't tell if it "helps" or not, but I spoke to one of the main folks at the company and he gave me some confidence in the product, so I may continue for a few months.

 

Are you on propecia or anything else? I had been doing half a pill EOD but for the first 15 days I took a full pill daily to hopefully prevent shock loss, which I did not notice.

 

Hope you enjoyed the Charlotte area which I did!

[UKLad81]

It's great that you and I had the procedure around the same time, can bounce off of each other, cry about the forthcoming shed etc.

 

Yes i was advised by Lollie prior to the procedure that Cooley recommends the protein shake so decided to buy a few bags as they seem to be cheaper here than in London. Great to hear you did extra due diligence. It's got a whole load of good vitamins which can only do us good!

 

Yep, I'm propecia (1mg). Have been on it since Sept. Although started daily, Lollie and Cooley advised to take Mon, Weds & Fri. Which i have been doing. Not sure if it will prevent shock loss but should help in some early growth. Let's hope!!

 

Charlotte was great, not looking forward to getting back to chilly London and back to the normal work routine!

[buzzbee]

Definitely! I look forward to hitting those milestones and checking out your progress as well! It only gets better from here.

 

I agree with the Help Hair. At worst I get my protein from it and at best it will help my hair growth at the most critical time and all for $55/month, which is a no-brainer compared to what we just paid.

 

Interesting that they told you to take propecia 3x a week. I didn't ask them about it, but ultimately I do plan on doing the EOD routine, which I've been doing for a few years. I'll be posting my 21 day results soon and look forward to seeing more of your pictures!

[UKLad81]

As promised here are the graft breakdowns as confirmed by Dr.Cooley:

 

1's-1383

2's-1953

3's-510

4's-257

 

Total= 4103

 

I asked Dr.Cooley to provide me an idea of how the grafts were placed. He was very kind in providing the attached annotated post-op picture, which shows where all the grafts were placed.

 

One week update to follow!

Edited December 18, 2017 by UKLad81
Typo's and clarity

[DavidAnderson]

Congratulations on your recent surgery with Dr Cooley I have been very impressed with his work and he is very serious about getting the best possible results. We have incorporated using ATP after surgery and we are seeing really good growth and recovery as a result.

 

Look forward to following your progress.

[UKLad81]

Thank you David. I echo your words the whole experience with Dr.Cooley and his team has been outstanding and he certainly has a passion for ensuring ALL his patients have the best possible results!

 

Great to hear the use of the ATP spray is giving your clinic good results. Personally i think this has helped tremendously in the whole healing. It's now 7 days and aside from some white'ish areas (which Dr.Cooley advises as being dead skin) the work still looks really clean and healing has been pretty rapid.

[HTREGRETS]

Looking good UKLad! Heal well!!

[buzzbee]

Congratulations on your recent surgery with Dr Cooley I have been very impressed with his work and he is very serious about getting the best possible results. We have incorporated using ATP after surgery and we are seeing really good growth and recovery as a result.

 

Look forward to following your progress.

 

Hi David, I also had a procedure with Dr. Cooley and have been using the ATP spray everyday and I'm at 20 days post op. I plan on using it until the bottle runs out. Do you find that people who use it for over a month continue to see good results or do they plateau at a certain point?

[DavidAnderson]

Hi David, I also had a procedure with Dr. Cooley and have been using the ATP spray everyday and I'm at 20 days post op. I plan on using it until the bottle runs out. Do you find that people who use it for over a month continue to see good results or do they plateau at a certain point?

 

There is no real evidence that the ATP has benefits after the first 7 days and is really beneficial in hydrating and providing oxygen for the grafts in the first few days post op. Our patients have a supply for 4-6 days post op so have no experience on using it for 3-4 weeks.

[buzzbee]

There is no real evidence that the ATP has benefits after the first 7 days and is really beneficial in hydrating and providing oxygen for the grafts in the first few days post op. Our patients have a supply for 4-6 days post op so have no experience on using it for 3-4 weeks.

 

Thank you David. I sprayed ATP hourly during the day and every 2 hours at night for the first 10 days. I never had any scabbing or crusting and I'm now 21 days post op. Would you attribute this to the spraying or that I had A Cell and PRP or both?