SMG n' Me

[aaron1234]

Many of you remember my feelings about the first procedure that I underwent a year ago. It wasn't a terrible job but there were some issues; average yield, slight cobble-stoning, 2's in the hairline, and very low density. I couldn't go out in public without caking the dermmatch and toppik on.

 

Well, this past Wednesday I underwent my second procedure with Dr. Paul Shapiro for 2,348 grafts and I could not be more pleased. Here's the story.

 

At about 7:30 AM, I met with Dr. Paul to discuss a strategy for the procedure. There were a few things to address. One was how to deal with the bumps / cobblestoning in my recipient region. Dr. Paul grabbed Dr. Ron to get a look and they both agreed it'd be best to do a number of punch-outs, especially removing the 2 haired grafts in my hairline. They also thought that the added density from this procedure should disguise the rest of the bumps. One interesting thing is that Dr. Paul noticed a few bumps in my recipient region that were not producing any hair.

 

The next issue was what to do with the scar from my first surgery. I have been happy with how the scar turned out, but apparently it was taken fairly high. The Shapiro Bro's agreed that it would be better to leave the original scar alone for now and extract a new one below it. My first strip was taken so high that it might've had a negative effect on the net yield. So the bad news of the day was that I'd be left with two scars. If my crown continues to bald further where my first scar begins to show, I'll have to undergo a FUE procedure to disguise it. But it was certainly reassuring to have two world class docs agree on what would be the best approach for me.

 

Now onto the surgery. It lasted from about 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. I know many surgeons leave the graft placement to many of the techs and I have no problem with that. But Dr. Paul didn't just say 'see ya' after the donor removal. He was there for much of the graft placement, placing many of the grafts himself. The technicians at SMG were outstanding, friendly, and professional throughout the entire day, even with a tornado watch going on! The guy on the weather channel actually said, 'We are just really happy that no one is ok.' LOL

 

I did shave for the procedure and I look pretty damn funny right now. I'm hoping for a quick recovery as I'm starting a new job in about 20 days and I can't wear a hat. But after a disappointing first procedure, I was willing to do whatever necessary to make it easier on the SMG crew to do what they do best.

 

I'll be posting some pictures and hair counts from the surgery for you once I receive them. Much thanks to everyone at SMG with special shout outs to Jason (B-Spot), Janna, Matt, Pam, Dr. Ron and especially Dr. Paul. This looks to be a first-rate job and I can't wait to see the results. You all were more accommodating than I can say and I won't forget it.

 

Now the let the growing begin.

 

 

 

[mrkneed]

Good luck man!! I hope things work out for you - everything looks good in the pictures so I bet you will be very pleased come 12 months from now.

[new2thissite]

aaron1234 ??“

 

I agree with mrkneed. It looks very good. And, of course, we have seen excellent results from SMG. I think you will be very pleased when all is said and done. I hope the best for you. And best of luck with your new job. Remember, no one looks as close as we do at our hair as we go through the transition.

[Lastchance]

Best of luck Aaron. I reckon your on the way to a top result thanks to SMG. What happened your old blog entries though?

[aaron1234]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Lastchance, I just took them all down. Fresh start. Don't worry though, you'll see my pre-op pics soon. I had quite a nice photo session against the famous blue wall before the surgery went down. I'll post as soon as I get 'em.

[aaron1234]

Just for a quick reference... here's the link to the thread of my previous procedure.

 

http://hair-restoration-info.c...=835107792#835107792

[Rachmunas4life]

I've only seen excellent results posted by SMG on here! I met with Dr. Ron Shapiro on his vacation and he is as friendly as they come! I'm happy that you went to them for a second chance! It will work out!

[aaron1234]

For sure Rachmunas4life..... Ron and Paul are both class acts.

[TooThin]

You picked the right clinic. The work looks solid. I too had a similiar experience with SMG. They repaired some previous botched work I had done. I also had a number old micro/mini grafts punched out at the hairline. Just be patient. The waiting is the hardest part. The first three to four months are tough. I actually grew a beard for the first time to take some of the focus off my buzzed head. I found at about month 5 onward, the positive changes really accelerated. I shaved the beard at about 5.5 months. By month 6 and 7, I was getting lots of positive compliments. People couldn't quite put their finger on what I'd changed. Everyone told me I looked a lot younger and better without the beard or that they thought I'd lost weight. Good luck.

[aaron1234]

Thanks TooThin. I know the waiting stage sucks but I'm hoping I look presentable in three weeks for my new gig. I might need to come up with a story for why my head is shaved. For the next few days, I'll just be a hermit. Lord willing, I won't go insane.

[Lastchance]

Originally posted by aaron1234:

Just for a quick reference... here's the link to the thread of my previous procedure.

 

http://hair-restoration-info.c...=835107792#835107792

 

Thanks, just to clarify, was your previous procedure 2100 grafts or hairs?

[aaron1234]

Lastchance,

 

I still don't really know for sure. We looked at the paperwork from my first surgery and some numbers weren't adding up. In my old thread, you'll see that there was some discrepancies about what I actually got in my first go around. Not very cool. Fortunately, Dr. Paul said I still had a good laxity even after having one surgery.

[Lastchance]

No worries, its all in the past now, thankfully.

[the B spot]

Hi Aaron, I got your message about 6 days after you left it!!!! My phone is screwed...I ordered a new blackberry today.

 

Anyway, I am very happy for you my friend.... For those that do not know, Aaron is in the public eye and needs to be undetectable so we wanted to make sure he got the best possible outcome given his situation.

 

Your going to look fantastic and be in good shape for any possible future work.

 

Take Care,

Jason

[aaron1234]

Thanks B. Couldn't have done it without ya. And I just put up some pre-op pics so that everyone can see what I had before SMG.

[aaron1234]

Got the SMG Pre and Post pics up.

[bullitnut]

hey dude congrats you will be a changed guy soon couldnt be happier for you

 

best wishes bn

[NW4recession]

What happened with the first surgery? It doesn't look like you had any yield when looking at the pictures on your blog.

[aaron1234]

I had some yield from my first surgery. The pre-op pics in my bathroom are under some pretty harsh lighting. The pre-op pics in the SMG photo room don't look as bad. Still, I don't know for certain if I had 1,000 or 2,000 grafts from my first surgery. If it was 1,000 grafts, it was probably par for the course. If it was 2,000 grafts, then something definitely didn't click. The results of my first surgery looked better when my hair was long and I could hide it with the comb-forward look. When I buzzed it, things became a bit more clear.

[NW4recession]

Yea, hopefully it was only 1000 grafts that were used up. Even then though, the doc should have known that 1000 grafts would not produce a satisfiable result.

I think the work on your 2nd surgery looks solid and I wish you the best of luck with your growth.

[thanatopsis_awry]

Hey man, work looks predictably great! I def feel confident for you and SMG hitting a homerun here. SMG isn't just a hairline clinic, but they have their esteemed reputation for refined, hairline cases like this for a reason! Look forward to seeing your updates, m8.

[aaron1234]

Thanks Thana. I'll keep posting updates. Right now I got a few days until the sutures are taken out. I've had a tough time with these things for some reason. Can't wait to get 'em out! My skin is just way too sensitive.

[lost my swagger]

dude aaron...... all the best brotha... the work looks good and i honestly cant wait to see your result.... and about the before HARSH lighting pics you posted.... I LOVE THEM!! when the sun is high in the sky its quite similar to the effects of florecent or downward overhead lighting.

 

... if you will notice you got a comment saying that it looked like you got almost no yield from HT#1...but you did yield and i would BET that in particular rooms and particular times of days with particular styles of with a touch of concealer you can make your hair (before HT#2) look quite passable, maybe even an improvment from your PRE HT days.... but overhead lighting KILLS you. just as it kills me...and many other ht guys... just another reason EVERYONE sould be cautious of posted pics.. especially by clinics themselves... because i can take befores of myself that look EXACTLY like yours and at the same time i can easily take pics that would leave all of you saying "wow. LMS got a very good bosley transplant".......

 

aaron, i admire what youve done to remedy your situation and i cannot tell you enough how much im wanting #2 to be great for your... your situation closely resembles mine... please keep the forum updated with your pics...

 

i believe a case like yours will go a long way in showing what "repair" options are available... believe me there are MANY MANY young guys whos transplants ended up like yours and mine and they are comming from all different doctors.. even if the majority of them never find or get vocal on the forums for various reasons they very much exist....

[aaron1234]

Thanks LMS. Truly appreciate it man. Yeah, the before pics in my bathroom are pretty harsh, huh? And to be honest, those pics don't really show all the little bumps I got on my head. Like you said, it wasn't so bad when my hair was long, combed forward, with some concealer. But when I gave myself the crew-cut, there was no way to hide the fact that I had to go in for round 2. I'll definitely be posting updates with pictures. I'm very confident that this one will turn out great. Dr. Paul and SMG were very good to me and still are in this process.....

[Shadow of the EMpire State]

Wish you the best of luck, but I'm always a little peeved when people gush about their doctors right after the surgery. These procedures pay off on results, not "professional" office personnel, streamlined procedures, or anything else.

 

And if there are no results, then the doctor did a poor job, good guy or not.

 

Give it time. If you're still pleased in none months, be sure to tell us all about it.