UPDATED- 4 MONTH Pics Posted - Dr. Hasson ~ 4,159 grafts

[Fingers Crossed]

First, I just want to say that Dr. Hasson is a true professional and I would recommend him to anyone who is interested in having a hair transplant. I left Pennyslvania on Friday, January 15, 2010. Airport security wasn't as bad as I thought is was going to be. It was a very long day of traveling, so once I found the Park Inn & Suites, I went to my room and went to sleep. Monday morning came quick...my appointment was at 7:30 AM and I got there 15 minutes early. Christina had me fill out some paper work and after that Elaina (technician) took me to a room and checked my laxity and density (both average). I performed scalp laxity exercises for 2.5 months / 30 minutes a day prior to the surgery. I took some antibiotics and other medications and Dr. Hasson walked in shortly there after. He spent about 45 minutes designing my hairline and he took pre-op pics as well. He told me that my scalp was inflammed from having Seborriec Dermatitis but he told me not to worry about it because he worked on other patients that had the same condition and had excellent results. He also told me with my condition not to bother with Rogaine because it would only irritate my scalp even more. I had slight miniaturization in the mid scalp / crown area and said that he was pretty confident that Propecia will address this concern. After he took the pics, he then began removing the donor strip. As everyone has already mentioned, the worst part of the whole procedure is anesthetic shots (the worst is in the temple region!). It took him about 45 minutes to remove the donor strip and then he began making the slits in the recipient region, while the techs were cutting the grafts. Dr. Hasson then made 3,400 slits in the recepient area (I don't know how he does it every day but I would get so tired of counting to one hundred over and over again!). It was then time for lunch (12:30) and after lunch the techs began planting the grafts. Around 2:30 we got the final word on the total number of grafts, it was 4,159. I wasn't too sure if I'd reach 4,000 because I thought my density was below average but I was very happy with the amount of grafts Dr. Hasson was able to harvest. They have 250+ movies to choose from and the whole afternoon I was comfortable with the exception of my neck. We took a 5-10 minute break every hour to hour and a half. After it was all said and done, I left the clinic around 8:15 pm and was sent home with a goodie bag, apple juice, and second dinner from Red Robin. Dr. Hasson also prescibed me a stronger antibiotic (Cipro) due to the extra inflammation I had. It was very hard sleeping that night, the donor region was sore and the worst part was my neck. My neck was terribly stiff from laying in the same position for so long. I took some Tylenol 3 and the sleeping pill the clinic provides you and the pain went away. The next morning i arrived at the clinic around 9 AM and one of the techs washed my donor and recipient areas. I flew home on Wednesday and I was a bit concerned because I had a bandana on for almost 11 hours during traveling (delays due to mechanical problems). I washed my hair twice on Wednesday (before leaving to go to YVR airport and once again when I was home). Overall, my experience with Dr. Hasson was excellent and I highly recommend him. I will be updating my hair loss web site frequently...check it out and tell me what you guys think. Take care

 

Fingers Crossed Hair Loss Website

Edited May 28, 2010 by Bill - Managing Publisher
Title change at request of topic starter

[Fingers Crossed]

Photos are now updated

[hdude46]

Did you know about the Dermatitis before you went to H&W or did you find out while you were there. What were your symptoms and did Dr. Hasson say how to treat it not only now but in the future?

 

Other than that congrats!

[Fingers Crossed]

hdude46

no i didn't know about the dermatitis. He didn't seem too concerned about it, and said it was quite common. Some side effects are excessive dandruff, and scalp irritation in some areas. He told me to use a shampoo called Polytar AF. I've never heard of it but I'll definitely be looking for it next week.

[hair_me_out]

Looks like a really nice hairline, fingers. I look forward to tracking your results. Best of luck and keep in touch here on the forums.

[ned]

Congratulations!!..Your in safe hands with Dr Hasson..

 

I dont think you need to worry to much about having your bandana on for that long...I had a baseball cap on permanently for about 3 months. The only thing you need to avoid at your stage is bumping your head, scratching, or getting sunburnt...and I dont think theres much chance of that with all the rain were getting!!

 

Good luck!!

[bighosedragger]

Fingers....Im sure in six monthsyou will be looking awesome. You went to one of the top drs. and with the amount of graphs and the hair you had behind them you should have a great head of hair! Hopefully the proscar wil help you keep the rest!

[TC17]

I'm not trying to hijack a thread or start trouble, but am I the only one who feels that the strip was taken way too high on the left side? I've seen countless men who have dropped well below where that strip was taken from. And, wasn't almost 4,200 grafts a bit much for the area covered?

[hairthere]

tc17, I'm also wondering why the scar rises so high on the right side. It looks very asymmetrical. And I agree, seems like a high number of grafts, but perhaps a lot of his native hairs were miniaturizing?

[Fingers Crossed]

TC17 & hairthere,

 

I understand where both of you are coming from, but i've seen countless Hasson patients that had the strip taken just as high, if not higher. So that's why I didn't question Dr. Hasson about that because he's the doctor, I am not. Hopefully everything turns out alright

 

[splitting hairs]

I am extremely relieved to hear that Dr hasson has operated on many patients with scalp dermatitis. I suffer from a mild form which is well controlled and have always been worried I would be turned down for a transplant because of this!!

[Fingers Crossed]

Splitting Hairs

 

Dr. Hasson said that a lot of hair loss sufferers have scalp dermatitis but are unaware that they even have it (like me). He recommended Polytar AF shampoo and Nizoral twice / week.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Fingers Crossed,

 

Congratulations on your recent hair transplant and selecting an excellent surgeon to perform it. Your lucky to be starting off with so much natural hair too :-). This combined with the vast number of follicular units should just about provide you with a full looking head of hair!

 

In the meantime, rest up and heal well. I'm looking forward to watching your transformation as it unfolds over the next year :-).

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Leeson]

Looks solid!

[splitting hairs]

this is a very interesting case with regard to the number of grafts used for this level of hairloss.

 

4200 grafts would at first seem far too much for this level of hairloss, but if you look at the placement of these grafts, it covers the front third and mid scalp. In my opinion, this is the best approach, because if Dr hasson just addressed the receding corners, in two years time this guys hairloss could progress and he would look unnatural.

 

But, with the placement that has been chosen, he will have a natural appearance even if his hairloss progresses.

 

My question is this: why isn't this approach used more often. Transplanting into native hair gives higher risks of shockloss, but ultimately, this area will need transplanted at some stage, so if there are signs of thinning, why not address it at the same time??

 

I guess each case needs to be judged on its merits, but some Docs are more willing to take this approach than others. What the patient can afford at the timne would also come into it.

[Fingers Crossed]

splitting hairs,

 

what you said is exactly what Dr. Hasson told me. I was quite surprised by the number of grafts used but after he explained this, it made perfect sense. However, I am experiencing a little bit of shock loss already and it's just my 6th day after surgery. Is this common? I read that it can happen at anytime but I didn't know it could happen this early.

[hair_care]

Dr Hasson has been producing amazing results consistently, so I would just trust his judgement. When the hair fully grows out you are going to have an awesome head of hair.!

[hair_me_out]

Originally posted by splitting hairs:

this is a very interesting case with regard to the number of grafts used for this level of hairloss.

 

4200 grafts would at first seem far too much for this level of hairloss, but if you look at the placement of these grafts, it covers the front third and mid scalp. In my opinion, this is the best approach, because if Dr hasson just addressed the receding corners, in two years time this guys hairloss could progress and he would look unnatural.

 

But, with the placement that has been chosen, he will have a natural appearance even if his hairloss progresses.

 

My question is this: why isn't this approach used more often. Transplanting into native hair gives higher risks of shockloss, but ultimately, this area will need transplanted at some stage, so if there are signs of thinning, why not address it at the same time??

 

I guess each case needs to be judged on its merits, but some Docs are more willing to take this approach than others. What the patient can afford at the timne would also come into it.

 

splitting hairs: If you have a look at my blog, you can see that this is the same plan Dr. Hasson used on my hair. I was really impressed with the idea because I hadn't even thought about that.

[splitting hairs]

Yeah guys, this is the best approach. You guys are gonna have brilliant hairlines when they grow out!!

 

I'm 23 (nearly 24) with a receding hairline. I sent Dr Hasson pics a couple of months back and he suggested adding 2000 grafts to the front third and temples. But after deliberating quite a bit over it, I decided I'd give it a couple of years until the front third thins out a bit, then go and get transplants like yours : 3500 grafts to the front third.

 

It makes the most sense, gives the best long term results in the fewest procedures, without having to wait until your slick bald.

 

Happy growing and keep us posted.

[Fingers Crossed]

Well guys, things are becoming pretty tough. I have a lot of shock loss already and it seems like I've been losing transplanted hair ever since Day 5 post-op (mainly in the hairline region). There has been no bleeding what so ever and I haven't seen any "bulb like" structures at the end of hair shafts. I'm still sleeping on my back and making sure I don't sleep on the grafted areas. I'm kinda depressed because I feel like I shouldn't be losing hair this early I'd post pictures but a friend is borrowing my digital camera for a few days.

[BigBill1234]

Dude, don't sweat it.. You'll be fine.

[phil mascallpen]

FC your grafts are supposed to be falling out now. Also you can sleep any way you want at this point and it will not harm the grafted area.

 

I can relate because I'm at 10 weeks and you just want it to grow but we all know the first 3-4 months are going to be tough.

 

Look forward to small milestones. For me getting the staples out was huge. Then I looked forward to the 1 month and 2 month marks. Now I'm seeing small hairs starting and am really looking forward to the 4 month mark.

 

Just remember it'll all be worth it in 8 months.

[Fingers Crossed]

Thanks for the support guys, I really appreciate it a lot. I received my digital camera back from my friend today and I took and sent pics to the H&W clinic. The clinic called and I spoke with Dr. Hasson and Christina. They both said what I'm experiencing is called "rivering". Basically, the recipient area has various amounts of white "lines" going through it every which direction (it looks like rivers) and it looks abnormal; however Dr. Hasson said that this is perfectly normal and many patients heal this way. He said a lot of patients who receive dense packing experience this; it's just your scalp trying to heal. They both really put me at ease...I'll post the photos I sent to them tomorrow and I'll show you guys what they mean by "rivering".

[hair_me_out]

Fingers: Pretty sure I experienced this same exact thing around the 1 week mark. Take a look at my "One Week Post-Op" photos from my blog. Is that what you mean? The clinic also told me this was perfectly normal.

 

hair_me_out

[Nicky]

cant wait to see your growth!