Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 13, 2020 Regular Member Share Posted September 13, 2020 Hello there folks - long time lurker in this forum. I finally decided to go in for my procedure this week. I chose Dr. Scott Alexander in Phoneix for my procedure. I had consulted with a few other doctors as well, and all of them gave me pretty much the same recommendations (except one): 1. Dr. Blake Bloxham - 2500 - 3000 FUT 2. Dr. Jae Pak - 2000 - 2500 FUT 3. Dr. Sahar Nadimi(Konior) - 2500 - 3000 FUT 4. Dr. Shaver (Bernstein) - 2500 FUT 5. Dr. Hasson - 5000 FUE 6. Dr. Alexaner 3000+FUT I also tried contacting Dr. Gabel a couple of times, but didn't get a response. I decided to go in with Dr. Alexander because of his excellent results that look extremely natural. Also, he was closer to me than the others (I live in NorCal) I am not going to bore you all with the details of my history - but just a quick background - Norwood 5A, Age 28 and been on Fin for past 1.5 years. I initially had a FaceTime consult with Dr. Alexander where he examined my hair and answered any questions I had. He recommended a 3000+ FUT as a first procedure to address the hairline and frontal scalp. And another 3000+ FUT after a year for the crown area. I booked a procedure date with him for Sept 10th. Since he had not physically seen me before, I was asked to come in the day before my procedure. He examined my donor and drew the hairline he thought would look good. I liked the design. I was out in about 20 minutes. The next day I was asked to be in the clinic at 7.30 AM. I was kinda nervous in the beginning. I had to sign some paperwork and they offered me a Xanax (which I refused). I then went in to meet Dr. Alexander. He started by drawing the hairline again. A few changes and we were ready to start. I was numbed at the back and he started to cut out the strip. This took about an hour. I was told I have thick skin. LOL (turns out my Mom was right all these years) Dr. Alexander then started stitching me up. He uses two layers of stitches. This procedure took about 1.5 hours. In the meantime, his techs started dissecting the strip in the next room. I was also asked for my choice of lunch. Next, I was numbed up in the front. Dr. then started making the incisions into which he would place the grafts. He told me he wanted to concentrate and not to talk to him. I selected a movie, and let him do his work. This took about 2-3 hours. I then had a quick lunch and went back into the procedure room. The techs then started placin the grafts into my head. Dr. Alexander only came in to numb me up when needed. The techs took turns working on me (about 4 of them in total, 2 of them planting hairs at one time). This took about 3.5 hours. I finally finished around 5.40 PM. A couple of tips for others looking to have a HT soon: 1. Eat well the morning of your procedure. I usually do not eat breakfast. But since this was a big day, I had a light breakfast (I couldnt eat well because I'm not used to it and I was nervous). Even though you are sitting the whole day, you get exhausted. Also its good to eat well as you will be medicated. So make sure you have a good breakfast. 2. A neck pillow is a lifesaver for the first few nights after the procedure. It prevents your implanted area from rubbing against the bed/pillow and gives you good neck support. Below are pre-op photos: Hairline design: After Incisions before graft implants (during lunch): Immediately post Op: Day 1 Post OP after rinsing the area: Donor area (not the best pic): Day 2 post Op: That's all for now. Will keep this thread updated as often as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member ShadowMoon Posted September 13, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2020 Thanks for the write up, looks like clean work. I like the macro and micro irregularities. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aaron1234 Posted September 13, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2020 Good stuff! Work looks like the high standards Dr. Alexander is known for. Enjoy the process! 1 Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008 Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013 Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020 My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member yesplease Posted September 13, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2020 Looking good. Best of luck! I’m curious, did Dr Hasson mention FUT as a possibility? If not, why did he push for FUE only? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted September 13, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2020 Interesting write up. In particular which dr estimation of how many grafts they recommended. I believe you chose really well and your work looks super refined! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 13, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 13, 2020 3 hours ago, yesplease said: Looking good. Best of luck! I’m curious, did Dr Hasson mention FUT as a possibility? If not, why did he push for FUE only? @yesplease - I just did the initial consult where I sent him some photos. He only spoke about FUE in his response. Maybe if I spoke to him after that he may have recommended FUT as well. Since Canada was not an option for me right now, I didn't consider H&W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 13, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 13, 2020 3 hours ago, JohnAC71 said: Interesting write up. In particular which dr estimation of how many grafts they recommended. I believe you chose really well and your work looks super refined! Thanks @JohnAC71 - Im glad you found the work refined. Looking forward to the long journey ahead. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted September 13, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 13, 2020 It’s a long journey but certainly worth it 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 15, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 15, 2020 (edited) Just an update on the breakdown of grafts: Singles - 627 Doubles - 1812 Triples + - 462 Edited September 15, 2020 by naakmuka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member home1212 Posted September 15, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 15, 2020 beautiful hairline design and work looks pristine, you chose a great doctor, best of luck in your healing, recovery and growth 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 16, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 16, 2020 Thanks @home1212, I'm glad you liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member OliverAtom Posted September 17, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 17, 2020 That looks really nice man. Cant wait to see the evolution. Why did you choose FUT over FUE? Best of luck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 18, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 18, 2020 Thanks @OliverAtom, I chose FUT because Im a Norwood 5A. In order to maximise my donor, I thought it will be wise to do an FUT for my first procedure. I also usually never have my hair really short, so the scar should not be a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Kaya Posted September 18, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 18, 2020 (edited) Wonderful, super natural hairline; one of the best I have ever seen. You will be very happy when all grow. Edited September 18, 2020 by Kaya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 18, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 18, 2020 UPDATE - Post Op Day 8 Got my sutures removed yesterday. I couldn't go back to Dr. Alexander since I am not in Phoenix. So I went to a local clinic and got it removed. The Dr. that removed it said the stitches were very well done. That made me feel great! It feels so good to have the sutures removed. I am still sleeping on a recliner. Just trying to take care of the recipient area. Here are some photos of the donor area. I trimmed my hair around the donor to around a 2.5 guard, so that I can clean it well. There was some dried up blood, so I wanted to remove it. How do you think the scar is coming along? Do you think it looks good? Will it continue to heal and look better? The receipient area, ive been washing with baby shampoo for the past four days. I have not been rubbing it. I just pour some soapy water over it and let it soak, and then rinse it off. Should I be more aggressive and try to wash away the scabs now? Please let me know. Any comments/opinions/feedback is most welcomed guys. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted September 18, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 18, 2020 All looks totally on track to me. Very neat and slim FUT scar. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 18, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 18, 2020 2 minutes ago, JohnAC71 said: All looks totally on track to me. Very neat and slim FUT scar. Thanks @JohnAC71 for the response. Its good to hear the scar is looking great. What do you think about the recepient area? How do the scabs look? Should I be more persuasive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member Britanium Posted September 18, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 18, 2020 Scabs look normal for this many days out. Just keep following your post op instructions. No you shouldn’t be more persuasive. You can soak them for longer which will soften them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member baldforalongtime Posted September 20, 2020 Regular Member Share Posted September 20, 2020 Congrats on the procedure! Looks really good and brings back memories of my day with Dr Alexander 6 months ago. The next two months are the hardest, but focus on the light at the end of the tunnel. You look like you have strong donor hair. Happy growing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 21, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 21, 2020 Update - Day 10 Post OP Here is how it looks: I am soaking my recepient area with shampoo and lightly touching them with my fingertips. I see some white residue on the recepient area? Is this normal? I'm hoping this is not any infection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member O Hare 57 Posted September 22, 2020 Regular Member Share Posted September 22, 2020 Infection very unlikely, more likely clumps of dead skin cells sloughing off. Your doing better than me. I'm at day 95 and my head is still pink. If you get a flair up you can dab it with a little rubbing alcohol. At day 10 you can wash head under shower. Then warm water will help exfoliate more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member aaron1234 Posted September 22, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted September 22, 2020 (edited) White residue is just dead skin, grafts are secure at this point, you're ok to do a good ol' fashioned shampooing with lukewarm water... just don't scrub too vigorously. Scar is looking good, continue to take it easy. 👍 Edited September 22, 2020 by aaron1234 Dr. G: 1,000 grafts (FUT) 2008 Dr. Paul Shapiro: 2,348 grafts (FUT) 2009 ~ 1,999 grafts (FUT) 2011 ~ 300 grafts (Scar Reduction) 2013 Dr. Konior: 771 grafts (FUT) 2015 ~ 558 grafts (FUT) 2017 ~ 1,124 grafts (FUE) 2020 My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member naakmuka Posted September 24, 2020 Author Regular Member Share Posted September 24, 2020 (edited) Day 13 post OP - Almost all the scabs came out in the past two days after soaking in suds. Will hopefully get all of them out by tonight What do you guys think about the density? Edited September 24, 2020 by naakmuka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member baldforalongtime Posted October 26, 2020 Regular Member Share Posted October 26, 2020 On 9/24/2020 at 2:43 PM, naakmuka said: How are things looking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Member JohnBob Posted November 2, 2020 Senior Member Share Posted November 2, 2020 (edited) What was the reason for adding Acell into the the mix? Edited November 2, 2020 by JohnBob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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