NHI Los Angeles - Dr. Jae Pak

[Dr. Pak's patient]

Originally posted by phil mascallpen:

Originally posted by Dr. Pak's patient:

Originally posted by phil mascallpen:

Would you please tell us who was the highly recommended surgeon? Thanks.

 

Phil I'm curious as to why it matter which one, is it that you don't believe that a doctor on this site would cite those numbers to me? I even went as far as decribing everything I heard on this forum...did my best to pushing for him to move up from 1,800 - 2,000 but he was not inclined to budge. I'll tell y'all later if that is OK with you, seems like opinions are very rigid now and I don't know how this doctor would appreciate backlash.

 

No conspiracy, I just wanted to know who it is. If a doctor on this site gave an estimate and stands by it I don't see why he would care if people knew that. Doctors do consultations all the time and they gets discussed here.

 

Since you said your surgery is this week I just want to wish you good luck and I hope you get a great result.

 

Please keep us updated.

 

Phil it was Dr. Ken Siporin.

[Dr. Pak's patient]

These photographs were taken on the day of my surgery; 12/10/09.

 

HAIR LINE DESIGN

 

THE FRONT, 2,431 GRAFTS (#1 = 970, #2 = 1,398, #3 = 63, TOTAL HAIRS = 3,955)

 

RIGHT SIDE

 

LEFT SIDE

 

DONOR AREA

[thanatopsis_awry]

Glad everything went well. Post-ops look solid. How many grafts did you end up yanking out?

[Dr. Pak's patient]

Originally posted by thanatopsis_awry:

Glad everything went well. Post-ops look solid. How many grafts did you end up yanking out?

 

THANKS

2,431 GRAFTS (#1 = 970, #2 = 1,398, #3 = 63, TOTAL HAIRS = 3,955)

[Ventuoguy]

Congrats! The work does look good and clean! It's a done deal so best of luck and keep us posted. Happy Holidays!

[aaron1234]

I'm happy to say that it looks like very good work. Please keep the forums posted with your progress with pictures. It's going to be long ride, so hang in there.

[Leeson]

The way he did the hairline design, it definitely looks like it will look totally natural and irregular, like it should be.

[phil mascallpen]

It looks very good post-op. I like that he came down toward your temple points. I think that the tie in zone there is very important to make a hairline look natural. Also I think you'll be very happy you bumped it up to ~2500 grafts.

 

Do you know the size of the strip?

[rpachigo]

Agree with all the above especially the tie-in to your temple points.

[Dr. Pak's patient]

Thank you guys, your posts on the hairline design and post-op pics are very encouraging, and something that is rather soothing to hear right now. Apparently my surgery went easy as compared to other stories I've read. I believe I was unconscious over 50% of the time, fading in/out, at least I don't remember the majority. I've had virtually no pain. Other than the medication(s) provided me for pain during the day of the procedure, I have had only some discomfort but no need for pain management pills following post-op phase. I've had no bleeding after the day of surgery, and the healing has begun, I know this because itching started today and for me that is the normal healing sign. Now that 3 days have passed, I am starting to see some facial swelling...bags under my eyes. I called Dr. Pak's cell number and in 10 minutes he called back to remind me that we went over all of that...not to worry tomorrow the swelling should go down. I should also report that Dr. Pak has an excellent beside manner, he connected very well with me, his surgical staff (5 or 6 techs) I took as being very professionally focused and polite, and NHI's services in general I found to be top quality and accomodating. I have been carefully following all of the post-op instructions provided by NHI, and will stay away from the gym until after the New Year. I am so looking forward to watching my hair line grow back in this summer...wow, can't hardly wait! I'd like to again express my graditude for the support from this community and the great advice, most of all for getting across your conviction that I needed to significantly increase the number of grafts. Time will tell all, but I have a good feeling about my procedure, the results should follow in suit, and I'll definately post my progress photos here.

[Dr. Pak's patient]

Nine days after HT

 

Dr. Rassman's clinical assesment of grafts dislodging after HT when a hair is pulled on is as follows: "When you pass day 5 you generally can not dislodge the graft with simple traction of the hair and even if you can pull the hair out, the graft stays in and is capable of making a new hair." However, pulling on scabs (crusting) is different and grafts can be dislodged up to the ninth day after HT when a scab is pulled. Dr. Rassman and Dr. Berstein conducted a clinical study on this subject with 42 patients participating, using an array of criteria, a truly fascinating read http://www.newhair.com/resourc...-graft-anchoring.pdf

 

Below I am posting on pre-operative, operative, immediate post-operative developments, and general experience to this point.

 

Pre-operative interface Dr. Pak: Excellent, he answered everything in-depth without talking over my head, straight forward approach, very real, no sugar coating with ideals or offering false expectations whatsoever, and he gave me a sense of confidence (indirectly) that I was in very capable hands.

 

Operative interface with Dr. Pak: What I remember was excellent, but I have little recollection therefore I believe I may not have been concious during the majority of the surgery.

 

Post-operative interface Dr. Pak: Excellent. He saw me the day following the surgery. I have paged him twice since the surgery (questions on facial swelling) and both times he called me within 15 minutes. Dr. Pak has been very reassuring.

 

Interface with NHI staff before, during, and after surgery: Office staff was excellent, never pushy, very accomodating and polite. The surgical staff at NHI was top caliber, always technically focused yet they maintained a light sense of humor which immediately put me at ease with them.

 

Pain management: I am a big baby with pain and discomfort, but I had NO real pain, nor do I have any still. I did not even feel a needle pick when Dr. Pak administered the anesthesia. After the surgery I was given Vicodin for pain, Endocet in case of more severe pain, and Valium to help me sleep, but never had a need for any of the above.

 

Impression of hairline design: Excellent, Dr. Pak drew it on the day before, we discussed options and what I wanted, and he modified it accordingly. The day of the surgery he drew it on, I commented and he slightly modified it. I am optimistic it will yield a satisfactory result (even with me being a self-consumed neurotic perfectionist).

 

Aftercare: I've read Dr. Rassmans papers and posts on aftercare, and followed Dr. Pak's advice religeously. The morning after the surgery I had my head washed clean at NHI. For the first 7 days I washed my head every 12 hours using Graftcyte shampoo (which NHI gave me), by soaking the donor area with direct water for 10 minutes and gently lathering, while still keeping the recipient area dry. Then for the last 5 minutes I would very gently apply shampoo and suds to the recipient area and rinse immediately with indirect water. After each shower I have my wife apply the Bacitracin Zinc Ointment that NHI gave me lightly and thin across the incision/scar. On the 8th day I switched to showering once a day, and have begun a gentle message of the recipient area which is removing the crusting.

 

Crusting: For the first week I had significant crusting all over the recipient area. Notice in today's photo above at nine days, that nearly all crusting at recipient area is gone. I was a little self conscious going to work, but my wife, family, and a friend all said it wasn't noicable because the little hair I have in the recipient area worked very well as camoflage, and honestly not one person noticed. I feel like I've had no 'ugly duckling' stage.

 

Facial swelling: This began exactly 3 days after the HT, it was pretty bad but my eyes were not swollen shut. I took Advil, Naproxen, and an antibotic for dental infection but it did not go back down for two days. It was for this reason alone that I had to call in sick to work, but I returned to work on the 6th day after the procedure looking perfectly fine.

 

Scalp tightness: Very tight, and this not comfortable and makes me a little nervous. I don't want to accidentally strech the incision and cause a wider scar. Taking a 15 hot shower seens to sooth and relax the tightnes of the donor area. I will not return to the gym until January 1st which will be 21 days after the surgery, and still will not be doing my crunches with hands behind my neck for 2 to 3 months for fear of stretching the incision/scar.

 

Scalp tenderness: The donor area is not too tender to touch by bluntly covering the entire area with my hand. However, if my donor area is contacted in a single point, like touching the headrest while I'm driving, then it is very tender. I'm not real happy with this tenderness and hope it will subside soon, as part of my job entails regular visits to a large construction site with a hard hat on for extended periods of time.

 

Scalp numbness: It feels partially numb still in both donor and recipient areas, I can't wait until my old scalp feeling returns to normal.

 

Iching: It has not been all that ichy in the donor area. The recipient area has had minor iching and Dr. Pak advised that I can lightly tap it but no more, this seemed to work alright. Itching has not been a real concern for me.

 

Shock loss: I have experienced very minor shock loss, approximately 30 hairs, directly adjacent to the donor incision in two tiny spots. I have not detected any shock loss of hair at the recipient area. No real concern with shock loss thus far.

 

General: Although it is way to early to tell still what the results will be, I won't know really until about September, I do have a high degree of confidence and believe my procedure to be about as good as it gets with the technology available today. I am counting on Finasteride to work for my vertex, filling in the minor loss at the crown, and help me to maintain the hair I currently have as long as possible. I hope not to need another procedure for sometime, and when that time comes I hope that hair cloning is widely in practice. I'm also contemplating starting to take hair thickening supplements, but I am not sure which yet...as always suggestions and experience feedback is much appreciated.

[aaron1234]

Everything looks good so far. You should put up a webblog.

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dr. Pak's Patient,

 

It looks like the surgery went without a hitch and you are healing very well. I'm looking forward to seeing your results in the coming months :-)

 

All the Best,

 

Bill

[Dr. Pak's patient]

I appreciate the support, thanks fellas. I'll be sure and update this thread.

[hairthere]

"I am banking on Finasteride filling in my crown and do not have immediate plans for grafts in that area."

 

Finasteride, especially for someone your age, will probably not re-grow or thicken your hair at all, but may help you maintain it. Unfortunately there are no proven hair thickening supplements, although many doctors are hoping PRP will be a natural alternative to Finasteride.

[Dr. Pak's patient]

Originally posted by hairthere:

Finasteride, especially for someone your age, will probably not re-grow or thicken your hair at all, but may help you maintain it. Unfortunately there are no proven hair thickening supplements, although many doctors are hoping PRP will be a natural alternative to Finasteride.

 

What is PRP, I want to learn more about it?

[Bill - Seemiller]

Dr. Pak's Patients,

 

Here are a few articles on Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for you that I'd encourage you to read.

 

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) - The Next Major Breakthrough in Treating Hair Loss?

 

Is Platelet Rich Plasma Really Effective in Treating Hair Loss?

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

[Iwant2feelprettyagain]

Where are the updated pictures "Dr. Pak's Patient"

[Sony]

Dr. Pak Patient, I have a HT with Dr. Pak coming up real soon. Just discovered this site tonight. What a read! Yours is the first threat I have read. VERY helpful, thanks for all the detail - I am glad you are a self-described neurotic perfectionist because it makes you a very detailed writer. Also, thanks for all the suggestions by others. The back and forth is informative.

I would REALLY appreciate seeing photos of your scalp current day if you can post. Thanks.

[papiking]

Maybe its just me guys, but I have been perusing this website for years, and the intro to this seems to be like an ad promotion for Dr. Pak

 

"I believe I have selected world class surgeon at a very good rate. With my tight budget cost is a considerable factor for me, but it's still a far second to selecting the right surgeon."

I agree with the other guys, it looks like you might need more than the estimated grafts, but since he is a world class surgeon and the cost is "far second to selecting the right surgeon", I'm sure you will do everything you can to get the surgery with a "world class surgeon."

 

Dr. Pak's work, in my opinion is not that impressive, certainly not worthy of the high prices that Rassmann charges. Jon Gosselin's pics show alot of thinning recently. Just my opinion. I would go with someone with a great reputation who has been around a long period of time like H and W.