2,030 Graft FUE From Dr. Arocha NW3

[Hardigity]

I received a 2030 graft FUE from Dr. Arocha in Houston Texas. I will be posting the full recovery here as it proceeds.

I just turned 29 and have had a high hairline with thin hair since I was in high school. I started minoxidil in 2015 with limited results since I only used it topical on the temples. The minoxidil solution caused severe dry and itchy scalp and honestly probably caused more hair loss. I moved onto the foam with limited results. I started finasteride in 2018. I didnt have any hair growth but I definitely believe it stopped my current hair loss. A few months ago I decided to get a hair transplant and originally scheduled with Advanced Hair Restoration in Bellevue Washington. After discovering this website I canceled on them and went with Dr. Arocha in Houston Texas. 

Overall it was a very good experience. After 3 consultations with different facilities, Dr. Arocha was the only doctor that actually met with me. He was extremely knowledgeable and answered all my questions. He was also very realistic with my situation and didn't promise me a low hairline that some doctors will do just to get your business. We agreed on a hairline that was mature, dense, and backfills in the case I recede further. 

The surgery was not bad at all. Dr. Arocha was very present the whole day and he was personally involved in the graft recipient location and the prp injections.

The process that Dr. Arocha took is the following:

• Initial hairline drawing and pictures. Recommended 2000 grafts with prp.
• We started with punching the recipient area. (I though this was an interesting time to do this step) Dr. Arocha did this part himself. He also kept my existing hair on the top and front.
• Then they shaved my donor area and started harvesting the grafts. They split it into 4 sections. 250 grafts from each side, and 750 grafts from two sections on the back. They mistakenly took all 2030 grafts before they got to the left side of the donor area so then they stopped harvesting grafts. I thought that was kind of off, but its fine.
• They provided some awesome Texas BBQ for lunch then we went to the easiest part on implanting the grafts. Two of the technicians implanted them fairly quickly into the pre made area. While that was happening Dr. Arocha took my blood and administered two syringes of PRP. 
• When we finished up it had already been 10 hours since we started. They sent me on my way with a goody bag filled with gauze, surgical caps, and extra stength tylenal. I would have liked to see them give a spray bottle of saline like other places. 

Overall it seems like a great place with an honest doctor. 

Pre Operation Photos:

 

 

[Hardigity]

Post Operation Photos taken the following Day. I was hoping for a lower hairline but I guess it makes sense that its a smarter idea to keep it dense at a reasonable hairline. Let me know your opinion! I am not in any pain but on day 3 I have a ton of swelling with some black eyes. I tend to swell more than average so that makes sense. I have been spraying saline on the recipient area every few hours. It makes it less itchy and helps the scabbing. On day two I poured a warm water baby shampoo mix gently over my head and that made the scalp feel great! I also started taking oral minoxidil 2.5 mg. 

Edited April 20, 2023 by Hardigity

[duckling]

Do upload your post op pics once you have them and also give regular updates. Will be following your journey. 

Them taking grafts from just one side might be bad but lets see how donor looks (fingers crossed) . On a positive note, Guess this helps your surgeon in 2nd surgery extraction as one side is untouched.

[Hardigity]

3 minutes ago, duckling said:

Do upload your post op pics once you have them and also give regular updates. Will be following your journey. 

Them taking grafts from just one side might be bad but lets see how donor looks (fingers crossed) . On a positive note, Guess this helps your surgeon in 2nd surgery extraction as one side is untouched.

Ya I will update as time goes on. The goal is to be educational and informative for peoples decisions. 

[duckling]

Ok so you went for unshaved, which is in your case was surely the better option. The hairline is good as this one will give you more density. The extraction looks good too.

Happy growing ! and do the after care properly. 

[TEXAN35]

Very clean work. Happy growing.  Since you are young, its prudent to start with conservative hairline. In case you lose more hair, you should have enough donor supply. And if in 3-5 years you keep your hairline is stable, you can lower the hairline a tad bit. But I think once the hair grows in 6 months you may find this hairline good enough. Because with hair grown the hairline doesn't look as receded as when shaved.

[Gatsby]

Very nice work. Wishing you all the best @Hardigity and I look forward to following your results!👍

[Rafael Manelli]

You look like you have very straight and fine hair. It looks nice but it’s not as good for coverage. Cautious hairline was a wise choice.

[A_4_Archan]

Hairline design and density both looks good...good that you didn't lower your hairline too much...you will going to get a good outcome ..Happy Growing and keep updating ..

[Hardigity]

Starting on day 4 post op!

Overall scabbing is really minimal in the recipient area. I think the saline spray really helps with this. The donor area doesn’t bleed anymore but still some minor scabbing. I’m using Neosporin to try and heal as fast as possible with minimal scarring. I saw my first shaft shed today, I’m expecting to see more as time goes on. I’m still sleeping at an angle for the swelling. 

Question to the forum: when can I roll to my side when I sleep?  I.e. when would my pillow not affect grafts? 

Swelling started to go down today, still had some pooling of red and yellow by my eyes. I was a boxer and I know I bruise more than the average person. 
I appreciate your comments and I’m excited for this journey! 

[Yd684]

This should be a great result! 

[Surf]

Looks great. Going to be brilliant once it’s finished - nice job OP!

[Hardigity]

Week 1 post!

It’s been exactly 7 days and I think I’ve healed nicely! I took a shower for the first time at a really low pressure with my baby shampoo. I don’t have any red scabs but some white flakes. Maybe it’s just a dry scalp? Doesn’t look quite “normal” but I’m not concerned. I’m tempted to sleep without a travel pillow and on my side. What are your opinions about that? 
I haven’t seen much shaft shed yet, and they have grown to about 6-8mm. They feel thick like carpet. I’m expecting them to shed and soften up a lot this week. 
The donor area doesn’t really have any scabs left but still itches when touched. I learned an anti-histamine will fix the itching for the most part.

I am on day 5 of 2.5mg oral minoxidil and no major side affects yet. Think I will shed if I used topical before the surgery? I asked for the oral because I don’t like how it dried my scalp and it was hard to use at normal times. It also caused my hair to look very greasy. 
 

Overall I’m optimistic with the results so far and excited to see it after a month. Please comment with any tips or opinions on the matter. Happy Growing!

[Hardigity]

On day 9 I’ve been lightly shampooing and using the pour method until day 11. I’ve developed a bunch of crusts that are yellow not red. Does this look normal? Also on day 11 what do y’all recommend to get the rest of the crusts off? Thanks for the help! 

[Hardigity]

9 hours ago, Hardigity said:

On 4/20/2023 at 11:18 AM, duckling said:

Ok so you went for unshaved, which is in your case was surely the better option. The hairline is good as this one will give you more density. The extraction looks good too.

Happy growing ! and do the after care properly. 

Hey @duckling does the above photo look like a normal crusts? Thanks for the help! 

[duckling]

That happens to many people. Just keep spraying saline water on them to soften them up and be gentle with your shampoos. By the 2 week mark they should fall off. No need to put any extra pressure to remove them. Let them come off naturally.

If incase they are still there after 2 weeks then just check with your doctor. Actually you can check now too as you will feel more at ease talking to a doctor. 

[Hardigity]

3 hours ago, duckling said:

That happens to many people. Just keep spraying saline water on them to soften them up and be gentle with your shampoos. By the 2 week mark they should fall off. No need to put any extra pressure to remove them. Let them come off naturally.

If incase they are still there after 2 weeks then just check with your doctor. Actually you can check now too as you will feel more at ease talking to a doctor. 

Thanks for the help. As long as grafts aren’t falling out I’m happy! 

[Sunset Dune]

What made you choose Dr. arocha? Are you from the area? How was the clinic? I’m also based in Houston but I decided to go to Canada for surgery 

[Hardigity]

On 4/27/2023 at 4:47 PM, Sunset Dune said:

What made you choose Dr. arocha? Are you from the area? How was the clinic? I’m also based in Houston but I decided to go to Canada for surgery 

So I am located in the Seattle area so I am quite close to some really great doctors. However I had a very small time window to get off of work and none of the doctors in this area were available. I saw some happy patients (including my brother) with Dr. Arocha and the date I wanted was available. 

[Sunset Dune]

48 minutes ago, Hardigity said:

So I am located in the Seattle area so I am quite close to some really great doctors. However I had a very small time window to get off of work and none of the doctors in this area were available. I saw some happy patients (including my brother) with Dr. Arocha and the date I wanted was available. 

Haha that’s funny we both went to each others back yard basically, you went to Houston for a transplant and I went to Vancouver which isn’t that far from Seattle 

[Hardigity]

Week 2 update:

Scabs shed around day 12 after leaving shampoo in for about 5 minutes and lightly rubbing. Back of the head is no longer itchy and looks like it healed nicely. Shafts still haven’t shed, I’m hoping they just keep growing lol. 

[TyPrime]

update?

cost?
looks good!

[Melvin- Admin]

Updated would be nice 👍🏼 

[goodbyedream]

@Hardigity Do you have an update for us?