1830 graft HT with Dr Alexander

[vic1296]

Hello all

 

I just completed my 3rd HT procedure but 1st with Dr Alexander, the procedure was done back March 6th, so I’m a little late on posting but I’ll play catch up with my progress….This is my first time sharing in the forum, so will give a brief history of my hair loss and HT procedures..

 

A Little Background

i was in my mid 20s when I first started panicking about my hair loss, which runs in the family, my hairline was noticeably receding by the time I graduated college and within a couple years it became noticeably thin (similar to my before pics here) in the front hairline. This new realization shook my self confidence about my appearance and on top of that people would think I looked older than my age (not cool), I think way too much and this stressed me out. I didn’t want to go bald, I was too young and again, its in the genes, didn’t want to be like my uncle who was completely bald by his late 20s. Feeling insecure about my appearance, I did some research and found the HT network, spent a lot of time reading about the experiences of those on the same mission (regrow hair) using various hair products, usually without success, but the one solution that had consistent success (with the right doctor) was HT procedure, specifically FUT/ strip, so within a year I was having my first HT consultation and procedure with Ron Shapiro (Minnesota in 2003). His team transplanted ~1300 grafts (don’t know # of hairs) with the objective of maintaining (“stop the bleeding”) coverage in my front hairline. Visually I didn’t notice much improvement, but I did notice that the hairline did NOT get worse, so a part of me is thinking the transplanted hair replaced the hair I continued to lose. About 5 years later in 2008, I had my 2nd HT with Dr Keene (Tucson) ~1300 grafts; this time, the objective was to add some density to the hairline. I was happy with the results as I visually saw the improvement/ density I was HOPING for and was very satisfied with my hairline appearance up until last year (9 yrs later) when I noticed not only, once again, a thinning front hairline but the area behind the hairline as well; with the hair combed back, fresh from a shower (slightly damp) I could see an outline of male pattern baldness similar between a IV and V (Norwood scale) forming….not good. I’m 43 yrs now, at this point (before 3rd procedure), thanks to the first 2 HTs, I would say I have maintained a natural looking (as no one has ever noticed I’ve had work done) decent head of hair, although the family genes tell me I should have otherwise (I have cousins younger than me that have lost most all their hair), so with this 3rd procedure of 1830 grafts, on top of the ~2600 grafts already transplanted from the first 2 procedures (total of 4400 grafts in front half), I’m expecting a hairline I haven’t seen since my early to mid 20s ….maybe my expectations are too high and my logic is off but in selecting Dr Alexander for my 3rd procedure, I strongly believe by end of year, im going to be a very happy guy when im combing my hair in front of the mirror.

 

My Decision to go with Dr Alexander

As mentioned above, my first 2 procedures were performed by the teams of two highly rated/ highly recommended (based on experiences from patients read in the forum) physicians in Dr Shapiro (Minnesota) and Dr Keene (Tucson). No regrets in my decisions, although I believe the experience of my 2nd HT with Keene was more “successful” because of the nice results (increased density) I saw to my hairline, although this was most likely possible because of the initial work performed by Shapiro. For this 3rd procedure, I personally visited/ consulted with both Dr Keene and Dr Alexander. I’m from LA, and although the “network” recommends a few physicians in California, I believe 3 are in LA, the per graft rates are much higher than what Keene and Alexander charge. I’ve already experienced the good work of Dr Keene and, thru the forum, I’ve read much praise and seen the great work (before/ after results) of Dr Alexander’s work, so I was comfortable in narrowing my choice between these two physicians…So after personally meeting with both, I decided to go with Dr Alexander, the #1 reason being that he was recommending a larger session of 2000 grafts vs the 1500 grafts recommended by Dr Keene; I’m aware that one can argue that a # of grafts is not as important as the # of hairs (multi FU) per graft to achieve density as well as placement to achieve a natural hair line; I also remember reading somewhere that larger sessions can also potentially cause trauma to surrounding native hair in a newly transplanted recipient area, but Dr Alexander was confident that this shouldn’t be a concern. In my mind, I’m thinking I want this procedure to be my last HT session, so I want to optimize the # of hairs transplanted and achieve as much density as possible…. BOTTOM LINE, in my mind either choice would be a WIN WIN situation for me, In this decision, Im going for the quantity as well as the quality.

 

Arrival to Phoenix, Pre-Op, and Day of Surgery

The procedure itself is routine for Dr Alexander and his team so I wont regurgitate what other Alexander patients have already detailed in their experiences thru the forum, but will instead share some key info about my experience that could be unique/ valuable to the potential out of town patients…..Again, im from Los Angeles, so I flew into Phoenix the afternoon the day prior to surgery. Rented a car and drove to meet with Dr Alexander for our Pre-Op meeting to talk about the game plan for the following morning and taking a closer look at the donor area and outlining the hairline/ recipient areas with a marker. Also very important to note is the option to shave or not to shave the recipient site. Doctor asked if it was ok for him to shave the area, I was fine with it (at least initially); The recipient areas were NOT shaved in my previous procedures with Keene and Shapiro but I agreed to have it done because #1) I want the best results possible and if the doc feels he can do a better job with a shaved recipient site, then go for it and #2), I’m taking a few months off of work as I had just been laid off the week before, so I have time to recover from the ugliness of a partial shaved head….Again this was my initial thinking….. Moving on, for those of us that are out of town patients, the office reserved a 2 night stay at the beautiful Biltmore resort, which is only a few driving minutes from the clinic; this is a perk for us out of towners at NO ADDITIONAL COST to us. The room is a beautiful spacious high end one bedroom + living room that has it all including a full kitchen (fridge, microwave, stove, etc), so if you rather cook, there’s a grocery store around the corner so you can do your shopping the night before.

On day of surgery, I drove the car rental to the clinic ( I also asked the doc the night before if would not be a wise thing to drive myself, maybe I’d still be heavily medicated but said I should be fine to drive), I’ve read that others also used Uber. As already mentioned I wont say much about the surgical procedure except that the most uncomfortable part is the prick from the needles to numb the donor and recipient sites. I needed another round of numbing after lunch time to the donor area as I started to feel some discomfort. The procedure was done ~430p and I drove back to the resort with post op instructions and a bandana provided by the clinic. I also learned that the team transplanted ~1830 grafts (see breakdown of singles vs multi below) vs the 2000 grafts originally recommended, I was billed for the 1830 grafts.

 

I didn’t sleep well that night, tried to sleep sitting on the couch as I tried not to put much pressure on the donor area, needed a couple of rounds of the prescribed pain pills to help me sleep and get some rest. The next day was departure day, instead of flying back to LA, I used the car rental to drive back home. I did not take the prescribed pain medication as it would have made me drousy and dangerous to drive, I took Tylenol instead and I got thru the day ok with that. If I had to do it all over again, I’d stay in Phoenix an extra day to relax and recover, I wouldn’t be able to afford an extra night at the Biltmore (~$500 night) but at least somewhere half as beautiful and half the cost.

 

Total 1,830 grafts

Singles 675

Doubles 977

Triples + 178

[Rawkerboi]

The work looks good! Hope you keep us updated periodically.

Heal well!

[Melvin- Admin]

Thanks for posting keep us updated on your progress happy growing.

[vic1296]

Notes:

 

Much of the discomfort from donor area reduced when sutures removed after week 1

 

After one month, still have that “numb” feeling in the scalp and donor area

 

Donor area is bright red , see pics

 

Was not taking any skin care products for donor scarring and to reduce redness in recipient site, Dr Alexander didn’t recommend any skin care for post op as this was not in Post Op instruction. I also didn’t use in prior HT procedures and all was well.

[vic1296]

Notes:

 

Looking at pics, no significant difference from month one, the hair that was shaved is growing back slowly

 

Donor area still bright red as of week 6, I don’t remember donor area being in this state from prior HTs so I emailed doc office, recommended Maderma...the redness from month 2 doesnt look as bad month 1 pix.

 

Numb feeling on scalp/ donor area started going away ~ wk 6

 

Experiencing frustration with shaved hair from recipient site not growing back as fast as I would like, a coworker of mine shaves his head from time to time and I swear his full head of hair is fully grown within 2 months…. Having some regret in shaving recipient site, trying to be patient and reminding myself of what the hairline will look like by year end..…putting a slight damper on my downtime from work though, love salsa dancing so was in my mind thought I would be back on the dance floor by end of 2nd month (don’t like salsa dancing with a hat as it can easily fall off). In prior HTs when recipient site not shaved, I was back on dance floor by no later than month 2 (although I remember a couple people making comments about redness on scalp) ….if I was working, I would not have shaven head. Reading in forum that some patients taking Biotin to speed up the growing……When out socializing with friends, im wearing caps.

[vic1296]

Notes:

 

The hair I had before the procedure in the recipient areas has almost grown back to normal length, will give a couple of more weeks.

 

I didnt take pix of the donor/ scar area, compared to the "month two" pix, theres slight improvement but still not significant difference, so i decided not to take pix and post.

[Legend007]

Hi thanks for sharing :. It’s appreciated when people past transplants post, I’m always curious how their hair is after a few years ..

Ur past two transplant gave u good coverage of hair .. but where were they transplanted ? Did u lose transplanted hairs because one side has a lot more hairloss , n patchy bald areas in some places.. I’m sure u lost native hair throughout the years but did u lose Any transplanted hairs ? Ur latest surgery looks good .. should give u Good coverage ..

 

Please keep us updated on ur progress , n let us know if u experienced Any shockloss , since u transplanted into areas that have hair already .. I’m worried about that myself when I do get surgery ..

[vic1296]

Hello Everyone

Heres a 6 month update, heres some "Before and After" pics....I took the "Before" pics about a month before my procedure... Im VERY HAPPY with the results. Dr Alexander said i would probably see changes after 6 months but thought that was too early as I didnt see improvements from my last procedure until around the 9 month mark.... If i don't see any more improvement going forward, thats alright, i'm very happy with the results already. It was tough looking in the mirror for the first 3 to 4 months, with the shaving of the recipient areas, hair grew back slower than i thought BUT ALL IS WELL NOW....im loving what i see in the mirror....

Thank You Dr Alexander

[vic1296]

Legend 007

Sorry for the late reply, the first two transplants focused on the front side hairline, i'm positive no work was done from the middle back..... When Dr Alexander examined the hairline before surgery, he mentioned that the front coverage was primarily from the transplanted hairs with a few strands of native hair remaining, so that tells me that i would have been close to completely bald without those first two procedures. As for your question on shock loss, i was initially thinking that myself at the 3 month point, but the appearance took a drastic turn for the better by the 4 month mark, and as you see in my 6 month update, i'm all good. 

[vic1296]

Hey All

Here are some pics i took this past week, 13 months after my surgery... since growth potential is realized after a year, these will be the last pics i'm sharing ........ I think the last time i had a hairline like this, i was in my early to mid 20s.... I'm very happy with the results, it looks damn good.... This completes my experience with 3 procedures, don't want to imagine what id look like without the transplants, some guys look good bald/ with a shaved head, i'm not one of them.....good luck to those that are considering the procedure, if you do, give Dr Alexander a call, can't go wrong...