procedure with Dr. S. Umar (700 grafts)

[ChiaPetHead]

A little bit delayed in posting....But finally getting around to writing this.

Had a procedure with Dr. Umar mid-March. I was scheduled for two days and 2000 graphs. 400 head, 300 chest, 1300 beard. Very low donor area dictated this selection. (A few transplants were done in the 90s and early 2000’s )

The goal:

1) Scar repair in the back of my head.

2) fill-in area that has become bald from the receding hair on the sides of my head that have happened in the last 15 years. This has caused the transplanted hair from previous years in the middle of my head, to be more obvious.

The plan was to use 800 beard hairs to repair/camouflage scars in the back of my head. The other 1200 were to fill in the area on both sides of my head, from hairline and extending toward the back. Basically, a 1“ x 2 1/2“ area on the left, and the same on the right.

 

The actual procedure turned out to be one day only. This was due to the doctor having a very bad flu. He was a trooper and performed the day one procedure while sick. Day 2, wisely he stayed home. Because their schedule was already full for the week I was not able to finish my procedure at that time.

 

The day 1 procedure: 400 graphs from my head, and 300 from chest.

Transplanted to the sides of my head.

700, instead of the 1200 total that would’ve been accomplished with the day 2 procedure.

Scar revision/camouflage was not done. That was also going to be day 2

It was disappointing everything was not completed because of the recuperating downtime I scheduled and planned for. Time off work and such. But.... no complaints. That’s the way it goes. I did have another procedure rescheduled for May (just to take care of the scar)… because I was so anxious to get that part finished, But just canceled that when reality set in. Can’t take time off work. Can’t prolong the ugly duckling period all the way through the summer. My hair is very thin back there and would not cover up the work on my scar areas. Client meetings, weddings, just general life would be extremely uncomfortable.

My thoughts on the procedure that did take place: Of course it will take some time to see the growth until I know how it looks. I’m assuming it will be a bit thin because of the small amount of grafts that were placed.

The procedure was less painful than I remember in the 90s. Also, I was surprised my head was not all bandaged up… Again, like they did in the 90s. Another difference, previous transplant had me hooked up to an IV the entire procedure. This time I was not. That’s a plus for me. The office staff was all very nice and seem to be knowledgeable and caring about every aspect. The chair was comfortable and they had a TV going where I was able to watch the NCAA basketball tournament games. My overall impression was the procedure was much more comfortable than what I remember from my previous procedures. And after we were done, 2 assistants walked me out and waited with me until my ride came. This was a car service they arranged for me. Nice touch.

Dr Umar was quiet and serious during the procedure, but during consultations, and postop check ups, he is engaging, knowledgeable and is there to answer any and all of my questions. Very professional and a likable guy.

It’s been just over six weeks, and as of now, there is the usual shock loss and shedding so I have less hair than I started with… But that’s to be expected. Recipient area is still red but looking better. The donor area of my chest has healed nicely. Just little red dots that are fading every day, and would probably not be too noticeable to anyone else.

When the time is right for me, I will go back to Doctor Umar and have the scar taken care of and perhaps add some density to the sides if needed. For now, I anxiously await the new grafts to grow.

I will try to add photos here of the before, during, and when I have growth, the after

[Melvin- Admin]

Do you mind posting pre op pictures?