Dr. Hasson | 3,000 graft | 31M Caucasian | Documenting the Journey

[Nordster34]

Since there's been a lot of activity on the thread, figured I'd jump in and share some responses even though the 5-month update is still a few weeks out. 

@H & W Doug Thanks so much for the detailed and thoughtful response! I really do appreciate how much you and the clinic care about all of your patients and their individual cases. Even though there are a few minor points where perhaps our perspectives diverge, I think we still see eye to eye on the vast majority of this! Very much appreciated. 

On 7/24/2022 at 4:21 PM, H & W Doug said:

There was no mix up. Going into the procedure, we initially estimated something in the 4,000-graft range. In the morning, it was determined that with the desired hairline placement and considering the additional weakness in the frontal zone, closer to 4,500 grafts would be required.  This was communicated and agreed upon. The final total ended up being 4,600.

Wanted to clarify the timeline here. The initial estimate based on photos was 3,000 grafts in a one-day mega session. When I arrived at the clinic the evening before the procedure, Dr. Hasson did an in-person exam and recommended we up it to 4,000 grafts over two days, to which I agreed. It was at the end of day 2 that they let me know the total came to 4,500 (not 4,600) grafts. I had figured the 4,000 estimate would be +/- a few hundred, though 500 was more than I was expecting. I went ahead and paid for the full amount as I want to be a good patient, am focused on the end result, and am not trying to nickel and dime anyone. 

On 7/24/2022 at 4:21 PM, H & W Doug said:

Not sure exactly how you got that perception, but the donor supply was not exhausted.  In general, we do not consider it possible to take all the donor hair in one session in a virgin scalp case such as this.

One of the techs made an offhand comment about the donor area being used up sometime in the afternoon of day 2. I asked her and every other tech I saw that day for clarification about how much donor was left, and they said they were uncomfortable answering that question as it's a matter for the doctor. My plan was to ask the Dr. at the final debrief/inspection that I mistakenly assumed would take place at the end of the procedure. I finally chatted with the Dr. via phone a month or so ago, and he said he didn't think my donor could be tapped out (though he obviously couldn't inspect in person). This is a great example of why I think a final check-of-work / debrief conversation would be a win-win for patient and clinic! It would've given me a definitive answer and clarity (and comfort) on donor usage and would've avoided some of the concerns posted online (better for the H&W brand) too. 

On 7/24/2022 at 4:21 PM, H & W Doug said:

Understandable. In some cases, Dr. Hasson will stop by at various stages and the patient may be sleeping and he does not want to disturb them.  There can be 3 technician shift changes in a 12 plus hour day and Dr. Hasson can’t be in the OR for all of that period of time of course.

Makes sense. In my case, I didn't fall asleep at all on either day. I totally get that the Dr. shouldn't be there for 12+ hrs every day (would lead to him being fatigued, which probably wouldn't be a net positive for the patient anyway). That said, in my case, since my day-2 ended around 5pm, I think it wouldn't have been too onerous for him to check on me at that time of day. In other cases where the end is later, perhaps it would be optimal to offer patients an in-person debrief with the Dr. the following day.

On 7/24/2022 at 4:21 PM, H & W Doug said:

The softening of the hairline and temples comes with the incisions for the single hairs. These incisions will in many cases extent slightly over the line. In the case of temples, singles hairs are placed in front of the line to soften the transition. Therefore, the peak or point may appear to be more pronounced when the skin is red.

This is super helpful information and context! I'll repeat that I think if the Dr. had done a debrief and told me all this info at the end of day-2, all of the anxiety and all of the consternation online would've been avoided. Better for patient and better for H&W brand! 

On 7/24/2022 at 4:21 PM, H & W Doug said:

We do and always have guaranteed our work. We stand behind our work. My patients are always welcome to reach out to me with any concerns or questions at any time during the process pre and post-op. I have emailed Nordstrr34 offering to set up a call. I would like to go over his concerns and help in any way I can to reassure him. In the end if he is not happy, we will make it right.  

I really, really appreciate this! Tbh, I'm still quite hopeful and even cautiously optimistic that the result will be excellent when month 12 rolls around and I won't need any follow-up work. But knowing explicitly that you guys would make it right if there is some reasonable issue is extremely comforting! 

On 7/24/2022 at 4:21 PM, H & W Doug said:

a fact is a thing that is known or proved to be true. Just because someone says something does not make it a fact. I too can be emotional and prematurely jump to conclusions. I try to be fair and balanced and gather information from both sides before I draw my conclusions.   

Yes, agreed! I've tried to be as factual/unbiased as possible, though it's true this is a rollercoaster emotional journey for any patient so I'm sure there has been some emotion coming into some of my posts. Overall, I'm committed to waiting until month-12 to make any conclusions and am trying to be as factual as possible!

On 7/24/2022 at 4:21 PM, H & W Doug said:

We expect in the end you will be happy as the full result grows in. From what we can see at this stage, it looks like it will turn out very good. I will look forward to hearing from you if you desire and updates on how everything is taking shape.

 A post like yours has a lot of value in that it chronicles the patient’s own experience including the feelings of doubt and anxiety.  Continued updates as your result progresses will provide value to those forum members and help in their journey to achieve their hair restoration goals.

Thanks! Yes, will definitely continue to post. Thank you so much again, @H & W Dougfor the very thoughtful and helpful response!!!

 

 

On 7/24/2022 at 5:51 PM, Kent said:

I think with limited information and full face pics it’s easy to misjudge a hairline and temple work. I may be incorrect but I don’t believe a full face image was posted to properly judge Hasson’s design. 

Yep, that's correct. I won't be posting full face photos or less-cropped photos for privacy reasons. Agree that it's harder to judge this way, but I think the trade-off is a reasonable one personally. Still, sorry guys for not being willing to share more informative photos. You're totally right that the way I'm cropping doesn't provide as much context. 

 

On 7/25/2022 at 10:14 AM, shiba1985 said:

This thread is probably the most unbiased "dissapointed" thread I have read. The OP definitely seems like a high functioning level headed person. The representative points are all valid, and we all ready know Dr Hasson is well regarded with respect to his skill. 

Thanks! I appreciate that. Definitely trying hard to keep it unbiased and level-headed! 

 

On 7/25/2022 at 3:15 PM, Vann said:

Personally, I think the mindset Nordster had throughout this process is one that should be used as reference. Its a great way to show what roller coaster of emotions you can go through and once you separate all those feelings see your next steps. Whether they are positive or negative this man went through a lot between picking the best choices at his disposal and reaching an outcome he was disappointed with. Not everything is perfect but you have made yourself aware of what is present and taken the steps necessary.

I hope you can put all the undue pressures behind you and get the best results and hope that H&W stick to honoring any deficiencies described by their patient and continue to make people happy with their results. Thank you for sharing and sorry you had to experience some of the negative emotions. I hope you get the best results you can yield and that it helps to put all this past you.

Thanks so much! This is a really supportive and helpful comment, and exactly the type of perspective that makes this community so great! (and props to @Melvin- Moderator for making this community exist in the first place)

@shiba1985 Thanks for all your thoughtful comments as well. I really appreciate it and you definitely seem to get it! Honestly, at this point it's looking like my originally major concerns about the temples, the sharpness/pointiness of the hairline and temple points, and donor area overharvest may all be much ado about nothing! This could have been avoided via an inspection and debrief conversation with the doctor at the end of the procedure. Definitely would've been a better patient experience and would've been better for the clinic as well.  

 

On 7/26/2022 at 5:34 AM, Z-- said:

Tech involvement is fine assuming they are qualified + have clear doctor direction, which they must have at H&W given the results. That said, the 2+ patients a day AND doctor leaving home before seeing the patients final result are both hard to write off. Imagine paying 20k+ or 30k+ and you don't even get the opportunity to see the doctor post surgery, let alone being their only focus for the day. That's just disappointing practice. 

Obviously something to think about when choosing a transplant doctor, even if the results are stunning 9/10 times from H&W. Plenty of other doctors have equally great results for that price point, AND they only focus on one patient per day (with the doctor having hands on involved throughout the procedure). As a patient, I care both about the result and the how -- because if it goes wrong on those rare occasions, I'd like to know that there was nothing more to be done; not because the doctor decided his job entails a 9-5 work-day or focused on someone else. Hopefully the clinic learns from this and improves on that front.

Yes, very much agree with you. I'm also ok with plenty of tech involvement, especially as the tech's at H&W are all very specialized and experienced in their particular roles. I think the most junior tech on the team had 6 years of experience in her particular role (and the most experienced had 24). So they were definitely excellent specialists. But yeah, a Dr. check-in and availability at the end would've been really, really appreciated. 

 

On 7/27/2022 at 7:56 AM, Etownone said:

Hopefully you have a great end result,   but if you don't, now that you posted here and got the spotlight on your experience,  I'm sure Dr Hasson will personally do the extra work and make sure you're happy with the end result.   

And if Melvin and anyone else is ok paying top dollar to have techs doing the majority of the work while having the Dr monitoring the surgery progress/end result by pictures while he's at his office or sipping margaritas at his house,   then cool.  

But this is information that should be provided and shared by this community.  

I've been to 3 different Dr's. 

(2) FUT - Dr Dorin NY - surgically removed the strip, put the stitches in and then did all the incisions,   the techs placed all the grafts.  Dr checked in during the process and we talked afterwards. 

(3) FUE - Dr Nader MÉXICO - performed graft extractions and all the incisions,    and the techs placed all the grafts.   Dr checked in during the process and we talk afterwards. 

(1) FUE - Dr Mwamba NJ - performed majority of all the work.   He had 1 tech that helped him at times when he would take very short breaks.  

Really helpful comment for others considering these docs. And yes, @Melvin- Moderator yet another reason why I'm so thankful for your work in standing up this forum/community! 

 

On 7/28/2022 at 12:55 AM, Legend007 said:

there is a difference from techs in h&w than in other clinics .. they worked with the clinic for many years .. n they get promoted to do extractions n other stuff .. so they have to earn the right to work on ur head .. they specialist !!! That work just for h&w , they promote from within .. I respect that .. 

Op raised some concerns that the clinic can try and improve .. but overall I think ur hair is growing in nicely .. it’s not going to be perfect .. mines wasn’t either .. but In the end u be satisfied .. 

Agree! The techs were excellent and I definitely hope the clinic considers all of this as constructive feedback! 

And @CarlosLaBlon thanks for posting your review! I wasn't upset about you "hijacking" the thread at all, and will be following your new thread! 

 

Thanks everyone for all the really great comments and discussion. I'll definitely be back with monthly updates and pictures as the hair grows in! 

[CarlosLaBlon]

Thanks @Nordster34 and good luck on your journey. I think it's all going to work out well for you. 

[Samuel90]

Update?

[Hairy Henderson]

Any update?

[Nordster34]

Thanks for checking in! Sorry for the delay. Here’s the 5 month (+10 days late) update.

Have been super busy so I’ll just post the pics without a ton of commentary. 

 

[Kent]

Looks great. 

[Hairy Henderson]

Starting to take shape and looking good

[Hairy Henderson]

Any update?

[SuperC]

Would love to see an update on this!

[mister_25]

Update?

[HappyMan2021]

Requesting an update as well. 

This thread is either going to throw a lot of shade on Hasson, or turn out to be a big false alarm 🤣

[Samuel90]

1 hour ago, HappyMan2021 said:

Requesting an update as well. 

This thread is either going to throw a lot of shade on Hasson, or turn out to be a big false alarm 🤣

🤣 defs a false alarm, judging by the last update pics and his lack of posting since 

[mister_25]

1 hour ago, HappyMan2021 said:

Requesting an update as well. 

This thread is either going to throw a lot of shade on Hasson, or turn out to be a big false alarm 🤣

There was no concerns on the final result. It was mainly aftercare, temple placements and amount of grafts used.

[Nordster34]

Sorry for the delay! Will take and post pictures as soon as I can. I’ve been busy with work and haven’t had a chance to take pics or do a detailed update. 
 

Basic update is that things are progressing nicely. Some of the major concerns have been alleviated and I only have a few minor concerns left. The temple points have mostly softened up which is a relief. 
 

The hairline I’ve received is still somewhat high relative to the strong temples. The corners of the hairline are still more sharply angular than I’d have liked (and vs what was sketched). I’m still hoping these will soften somewhat. We’ll see. And the left corner is still a tiny bit thin/patchy.
 

But overall I have gained confidence and feel I do look better than before.
 

Perhaps most importantly, the reassurance from h&w that they make things right in the end has been a huge relief. I’m really hoping I won’t have to take them up on it, but it’s comforting to know. I’ll post pictures as soon as I get a chance. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by Nordster34

[mister_25]

Update? It’s been a few months since we last saw pictures

[HappyMan2021]

Bumping as well. Update plz.

[GoliGoliGoli]

On 7/27/2022 at 4:56 AM, Etownone said:

Hopefully you have a great end result,   but if you don't, now that you posted here and got the spotlight on your experience,  I'm sure Dr Hasson will personally do the extra work and make sure you're happy with the end result.   

And if Melvin and anyone else is ok paying top dollar to have techs doing the majority of the work while having the Dr monitoring the surgery progress/end result by pictures while he's at his office or sipping margaritas at his house,   then cool.  

But this is information that should be provided and shared by this community.  

I've been to 3 different Dr's. 

(2) FUT - Dr Dorin NY - surgically removed the strip, put the stitches in and then did all the incisions,   the techs placed all the grafts.  Dr checked in during the process and we talked afterwards. 

(3) FUE - Dr Nader MÉXICO - performed graft extractions and all the incisions,    and the techs placed all the grafts.   Dr checked in during the process and we talk afterwards. 

(1) FUE - Dr Mwamba NJ - performed majority of all the work.   He had 1 tech that helped him at times when he would take very short breaks.  

 

 

Not to change the topic of the thread, but are you sure techs did the implants during your Nader surgery? He and 1 other tech did all of my implants. But I think previously he did all of the implants by himself. 

[Nordster34]

Sorry for the delay! Been quite busy lately. Pictures attached. Only comments as of now is the left side corner is still thin and patchy and the hairline is still more angular than I’d like. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Nordster34

[GoliGoliGoli]

How did your left temple corner end up working out? Can see it a bit in the final pic but only the top half. Do you consider it a problem anymore? 

[Nordster34]

3 minutes ago, GoliGoliGoli said:

How did your left temple corner end up working out? Can see it a bit in the final pic but only the top half. Do you consider it a problem anymore? 

Here’s a close up. Still a bit more temple point that I think I need and still learning how to style it (should I cut it short? Comb it back? I don’t know). But overall I definitely look better than I did before the procedure. 

[Hairy Henderson]

Super improvement from where you started, but, I see what you are saying about the temples.  The angles do like a little strange.

[Kent]

Beautiful work. Stay relaxed about the temple work. It needs time to soften. What I see is what I’d expect from Hasson - solid density and great angular incisions. Check out the hair line (magnificent). You went to the best and you got the best. Looking forward to the 18 month update when the new hair is mature and soft. 

[stephcurry30]

wow this looks like an  amazing RESULT!

[Sean]

Lookin good so far.  Looks natural and this is key.  

[Nordster34]

Posting 9-month update pics: