Dr Hasson | November/December 2022 | 3872 FUE Grafts | 22M

[mister_25]

At the end of November I flew from Australia to Canada and had my procedure with Dr Hasson. I was nervous/excited as I've been battling hairloss extensively for up to two years at this point (but been losing my hair since I was 16). My expectations from the start was always two surgeries to reach my goal. I asked Dr Hasson if my goal was realistically attainable and I described that as "A head of hair that is uniform when wet, meaning it can look thinner and scalp can show but not patchy and still quite good, and when dry and in harsh lighting if someone was to rummage their hand across my hair/scalp randomly they would not see any thinning/weak points what so ever" From memory he believes this is attainable.

My experience with the clinic was positive, back in Australia when I asked questions to various dermatologists about the current state of my hair loss they would be evasive and not give me clear answers however Dr Hasson would give me clear answers, I asked things such as "Do I have any thinning in my Norwood 6/7 Zone" which Dr Hasson did confirm and showed me under a microscope some examples, unlike my experience back in Australia where they took a look under a microscope and told me the exact opposite. My procedure took around 14 hours on both days.

On the second day of the procedure, I developed severe tonsillitis and I was coughing non stop throughout the procedure, Dr Hasson noticed that it was worsening and within a hour of the implanting stage he changed my pre-op medicine and gave me a injection which helped me relaxed and my coughing slowed down to a much more manageable level. On the first day of my hair wash (Day 1 Post-Op) Dr Hasson went out of his way to clear all my questions, and gave me advice on medications by telling me I should include Topical Dutasteride and switch to Oral Minoxidil 5mg from Topical Minoxidil. This came as a surprise as from what I've gathered Dr Hasson has been against Minoxidil. He explained to me that I have a large amount of hair in the telogen phase and that switching to Oral Minoxidil would benefit that situation. Also after advising me with new medications he gave me stronger Tylenol then the post-op package originally included to help me with my tonsillitis.

On Day 1 the graft count was:

Singles: 300, Doubles: 1102, 3-4s: 620 Total: 2022. All implanted in the hairline

On Day 2 the graft count was:

Doubles: 1357, 3-4s: 493

The plan was to strengthen the frontal third to a strong degree and anything else would work towards giving me a "illusion" to work with on my crown. If I read the chart right around 950 grafts went into my crown. Dr Hasson estimates that I will need 2000 Grafts on a second procedure to finalize it.

Sorry for the Poor Photos, I actually lost my phone after the first day of the surgery so I had to improvise with my Ipad which is lesser quality camera.    

Day 1: Post Op

 

Day 4

Day 6

Day 8

Day 9

Day 9 Donor

 

Pre Op: July 2022

Pre-Op September Harsh Lighting HD

Would love to hear feedback on the surgery and the condition of my Norwood 6/7 Zone and Donor Area.

 

I also have a concern and I will email this to the clinic but also wanted to get some opinions, below is a photo and I wanted to highlight a small area I noticed when I arrived home. I know that Dr Hasson said I do have miniaturization in my Norwood 6 Zone (He said I lost about half of my hair in that area) and said I have small Norwood 7 Zone miniaturization. When I looked in the mirror and examined my donor I noticed this line of hair, almost like a FUT scar but it only goes from the middle of my donor to my left side. It doesn't extend to the right side of my donor at all. Does this look like shock loss in my donor?

If you have any questions, I will answer at the best of my ability

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by mister_25
Added Pre-Op Photos from my Finasteride Thread

[davidn]

Goddamn with that beard I see you going to eugenix if you ever run out of grafts 🤣

 

This is a command.

Edited December 9, 2022 by davidn

[Gatsby]

You've gone to one of the best @mister_25 and thank God you didn't go with anyone here. There is no one here in Oz. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to following your results! 💯👌

[mister_25]

7 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

You've gone to one of the best @mister_25 and thank God you didn't go with anyone here. There is no one here in Oz. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to following your results! 💯👌

Thanks mate, if you don’t remember I was on a crossroads and one of your private messages set me straight and away from Aus. I wouldn’t of felt confident in my decision if it wasn’t for your advice.

[HappyMan2021]

8 hours ago, mister_25 said:

Dr Hasson estimates that I will need 2000 Grafts on a second procedure to finalize it.

can you please clarify why Dr. Hasson couldn't implant these additional 2000 grafts during this 1st round? 

While of course the vast majority of people need multiple rounds, its depressing to be told you will need another procedure when the current surgery is still ongoing.

[mister_25]

11 hours ago, HappyMan2021 said:

can you please clarify why Dr. Hasson couldn't implant these additional 2000 grafts during this 1st round? 

While of course the vast majority of people need multiple rounds, its depressing to be told you will need another procedure when the current surgery is still ongoing.

I believe the reason why Dr Hasson couldn’t do around 5500 grafts is that I was a difficult case as in the surgery itself was difficult and would require more time than others, I was told that the angles of my native hair was a bit unusual and it’s not the first time I’ve heard this, I heard it from hairdressers back in Australia. Also there was other difficult factors that limited how much could be implanted, including my non stop coughing from tonsillitis. Both days were 14 hours and in the end I almost met the original quote of 4000-4500 grafts. Although I should still expect a good result nonetheless as the technicians that were working on it said it will grow nicely

I also was aware before the procedure began that it was probably going to be a two procedure process with my communications with the clinic via email.

Edited December 10, 2022 by mister_25
Grammar + Clarity

[WhereIsMyMind]

Following! 

I think it is never possible to criticise a Dr for wanting to go on the 100% safe route. Some Drs are willing to take risk if the patient agrees, and some others consider it unnecesary or unethical, which is actually true. But some of us, are willing to take risks in order to speed the whole process because we are in a very bad mental state.

I think it will be a very good result to get to that "im not a balding person anymore" situation for sure. Maybe you will want to add extra density in future. But this is definetely the best and safest approach and in the long term it will always pay off.

Btw you have a luscious beard, have you considered BHT in any of the whole future process? I personally dont like BHT on scalp much but I think it makes a lot of sense for donor restocking or repairs.

[mister_25]

4 minutes ago, WhereIsMyMind said:

Following! 

I think it is never possible to criticise a Dr for wanting to go on the 100% safe route. Some Drs are willing to take risk if the patient agrees, and some others consider it unnecesary or unethical, which is actually true. But some of us, are willing to take risks in order to speed the whole process because we are in a very bad mental state.

I think it will be a very good result to get to that "im not a balding person anymore" situation for sure. Maybe you will want to add extra density in future. But this is definetely the best and safest approach and in the long term it will always pay off.

Btw you have a luscious beard, have you considered BHT in any of the whole future process? I personally dont like BHT on scalp much but I think it makes a lot of sense for donor restocking or repairs.

Haha I always hear about my beard, I'll post some pre-op pictures when my scabs are off. My hair is black/dark brown but my beard is a completely different colour, almost ginger/red. Its why I'm a bit hesitant with using beard grafts. I did think about this though and If the colouring didn't matter I would save my beard hair for recovering on future loss if I ever hit Norwood 6/7 which Dr Hasson did confirm I do have signs of miniaturization under a microscope when checking those areas.

To be honest, I don't know if any of the top doctors would consider this, but my body hair is really robust and rivals my beard hair. I know the general idea is that body hair is significantly weaker in coverage value/survival rate but at times it really does look like it rivals my beard hair as a alternate source. Such a pain to tame cause it grows back so fast, would rather move it where it matters hahaha.

[WhereIsMyMind]

Difference in colour is surely a matter of thought. 

My donor is 60-70micron, but my beard is 110 micron, and chest is 40micron. Mwamba told me, then, would make more sense to use the beard ones because they are single hairs.   1x double donor hair is 60microns x 2, and one single beard hair is 110 micron, so in the end, they should look similar. Something to consider!

I wonder if its possible to put two BHT hairs together to mimic a double hair though? I think this is something I must explore lol. That would make my chest hair very useful.

[mister_25]

Hey Everyone, I got my pre-op pictures from the clinic. I also got my scabs off and will edit this post later with the photos. Let me know what you think and if everything is well on track.

On 12/11/2022 at 1:57 AM, mister_25 said:

Haha I always hear about my beard, I'll post some pre-op pictures when my scabs are off. My hair is black/dark brown but my beard is a completely different colour, almost ginger/red.

I believe these photos do reveal the difference in the colour of my scalp hair and beard hair quite well

Pre Op:

After Day 1/2 of Surgery:

After Day 2/2 of Surgery:

Day 2/2: Donor

 

Would love to hear feedback, I am a bit nervous to see how it all turns out especially regarding my untouched midscalp. What do you guys think?

Edited December 13, 2022 by mister_25

[asterix0]

It looks like you've got excellent donor hair so I think you should expect a great result.

[davidn]

Hey mate,

Thanks for sharing. Work looks good. Maybe I would have recommend to work from hair line to back and do mid scalp instead of crown, but let's see. You seem to have a lot of donor left and a good beard too, and you can always color your hair!

 

 

 

 

 

[Kent]

Looks like great work. I also felt well taken care of by Hasson and his team. 

You had two long days with what sounds like a nasty cough. The hard work is over. 

Looking forward to seeing your progress. 

Thanks for sharing!

[mister_25]

Got my scabs off at Day 11, These photos were taken shortly after a shower. First 3 Photos are taken in bedroom lighting, the last photo is in bathroom lighting

Day 11:

Here are my Day 13 Photos which are Today. These are all with overhead bathroom lighting so quite harsh. 

Day 13:

Feedback and Questions is always appreciated.

Edited December 13, 2022 by mister_25

[Henry]

You're 22 and you've already got a full beard? Some people are just blessed in certain areas and cursed in others. 

[Kent]

Looking healthy and healing well. Nice!

[Gatsby]

The work looks excellent as you would expect from Dr Hasson. 💯

[mister_25]

Hey everyone here is my three week update. 

I've noticed a increase in hairfall the past two days. Before I would count how many thicker hairs I get on my fingers throughout the day and it would end up being 2-5 on average. The past two days its gone from about 10-20. Otherwise shedding in the recipient site isn't that visible yet.

Now that my hair is growing longer, what I presume to be donor shockloss stands out a lot more in some areas.

Here are some photos through week 2 and on the first day of week 3.

I try to list all the different lighting conditions to maintain consistency.

Day 16: Moderate Lighting

Day 19: (Bedroom Lighting, Moderate Lighting) - EDIT - Including these photos to show side profile, It also shows the donor area on the left/right side in normal lighting whilst also showing the difference in length between my untouched midscalp and the transplanted hairs.

Overhead Bathroom Lighting

Day 20: (Overhead Bathroom Lighting)

Day 21:

Donor (Harsh Bathroom Lighting)

Moderate Lighting

Curious to know what the community thinks of my donor area and how its healing. The areas of concern on the donor are quite noticeable in person as well as on photos.

I presume that the transplanted hairs growing longer is a good sign for the future. Otherwise all questions and feedback is appreciated.

Next update will be the 1 month update. 

 

Edited December 21, 2022 by mister_25
Additional Photos + Clarity and Transparency.

[mister_25]

I developed this red mark overnight. I know its probably nothing and was going to ask the clinic this but they are away on holidays until January 3rd. Let me know if this damages a graft, or its something I will need to treat, etc. There was no bleeding, and it doesn't hurt at all, doesn't look like a pimple either.

Day 23:

 

[Gatsby]

@mister_25 that mark is nothing more than a hair working it's way out or just a pimple which you can expect from now and through the ugly duck phase. Don't be alarmed. The work is excellent!

[stephcurry30]

Looking good!

[Kent]

You’ll get lots of those. lol. You’re completely fine. 

[mister_25]

Small update. Got a bit of bleeding so just will post the photo here for my own documentation and also for any feedback. I don't think it looks too bad but better be safe than sorry.

Going to start Oral Minoxidil in about 6 or so days, so I’ll monitor any improvements in the untouched midscalp 

I’m also going to see about adding topical dutasteride as the recommendation from Dr Hasson. Probably within 3 weeks. 

Shedding has been noticeable, I feel like I can see my native hair in-between all the transplanted hair a bit more clearly than I could 5 or so days ago. shock loss is worsening on the right side of my head. I asked the clinic a day before they left on holidays what they thought of how my donor is healing and the weakpoints of the donor and their answer from Dr Wong was that I should let it grow longer to cover it up, give it 3-5 months for shockloss to recover, really common question because patients don't realize the scalp doesn't have uniform density. I'll stop worrying about it and be patient.

I also woke up feeling itchy in the back of my crown and woke up to a bit of blood. Everything alright? Here are three photos. One of the photos I gently cleaned a little bit of blood, and the last photo I had a shower. Doesn't look like I scratched any hairs out but does look redder in those areas. These photos are under direct bedroom lighting, so pretty harsh in this instance. You can see the scalp shine in these images.

Day 24 Direct Overhead Lighting

Edited December 24, 2022 by mister_25

[mister_25]

4 Week Update | Day 28 |1 Month Update (2 days off a month so it will serve as my 1 month update)

Today marks 4 weeks since I got my hair transplant. Roughly on Day 22 is when the shed started to pick up. I started averaging 30-40 hairs on the shower until today where it picked up to 60 hairs in my shower.

Recipient site looks like its following the standard process,  a tiny bit more shedding on the left side rather than the right side but a negligible amount (was concerned at first but it equaled out today), I also noticed shedding on the back of the crown more than the front. I can see the outline of my native hair quite clearly as it towers over the rest of the hairs in length and the transplanted hairs have become more sparse (due to the shedding of course). I don't have a accurate estimate on how much has shed but there is still a fair amount of transplanted hair left, If I were to say I would say something like 25-35%? Here are some photos with overhead bathroom lighting, I couldn't replicate it exactly compared to the three weeks/two weeks/9 days but its somewhat close.

Moderate-Harsh Overhead Bathroom Lighting

Itching has been pretty bad, I tend to rub my fingers in a circle motion like how I was getting the scabs off on the recipient area, and I rub my donor like normal and scratch it lightly if its really itchy on the donor. I'd say all lingering signs of pain was gone on about day 23-24, except for a bump I've developed in the very middle of the thin strip of my scalp, its a tender spot that hurts when I rest on it but other than that no pain. When it comes to numbness I would say that the top of my head is back to normal, maybe 90% returned on the transplanted sites, the sides of my head have returned to normal but the back of my donor are still a little bit number. Maybe 80% normal. Redness looks like it will be a slow process.

Noticed some hairs come out with white bulbs at the end of them, looks like grafts. Pretty positive its normal, seen a couple of 5 hair grafts and maybe even a 6. Not really worried as none of them have any blood on them and that's the telltale sign if something went wrong. 

Regarding that small bit of blood on Day 24, I haven't noticed anything like a bloody graft or something come out. Was a bit tender to touch for two days and that's it.

This is where my concerns come into play.

The donor has got me a worried and I am pretty concerned, I haven't seen anything like it before. It has continued to shed and become more patchy everywhere on my scalp, except for one small area where its thicker/longer. To be honest when I research donor shock loss online there isn't many clear cut cases on it as I would of hoped, but from what I could find donor shock loss usually comes in small bald/thin patches that are very obvious and resolve on its own in 3-5 months. In my case its different cause I feel like my whole scalp suffered from it except a small portion on the left side of my head, I don't need to highlight it as its fairly obvious in the below photos. On the original post, I circled in a area that I noticed was thinner/obvious in moderate-harsh lighting, it was a strip at the time that was quite small and not really noticeable until I took some a HD photo, now that strip has become quite obvious and now stands out even in dark conditions, it also extends to the right side of my head.  Here are some photos in generous lighting

Mild Lighting Conditions

I didn't get a good shot of my donor area before 9 Days post op, so the earliest photo I could find of my donor was the original one posted (other than post op clinic photos). I can't tell when the shockloss occured but I can say with confidence it intensified probably around Day 17 or Day 18 as on Week two if wasn't that bad, but by week three it was very noticeable. I am considering buzzing my head down so that it would be less noticeable like in the day 9 photos.

I am pretty concerned about it, would like to hear peoples thoughts on it. Sorry that these photos are low quality, I'm working on getting a new phone soon so I can have a better camera.

Edited December 28, 2022 by mister_25

[Zoomster]

Your donor will be absolutely fine …I very much feel your concerns as I’ve been through the wringer 3 times now with the same donor anxiety around months 1 to 4 ish ….it’s like we know the recipient area is boxed off and asleep for a few months now let’s go and obsess over the next nearest thing ..aha..the poor old donor …and the little divil In 99% of cases bounces back and surprises the hell out of us …except your Surgeon …you’re good to go @mister_25