Patient jbny's hair transplant review

About

I have been slowly losing hair in both the crown and front part of my head for about 10 years now. I have always been able to cover it up for the most part with certain styles and products (Xfusion keratin fibers). I tried Rogaine but saw very little results. I have never tried and am not sure I will ever use finasteride due to the possibility of certain side effects.

After several years researching extensively, I decided to go ahead and get FUT surgery done. I am creating this website as a tool for others who are considering having surgery, since the people that have posted in these forums have had such a tremendous influence on my decisions. I would like to thank all the posters who take the time to upload photos and share their stories. Only people like us know how devastating hairloss can be, and people like you make the journey a whole lot easier.

3774 Graft FUT with Dr. Rahal, October 10, 2013

As I mentioned before, I had been researching surgeons for a long long time. What ultimately led me to my decision to choose Dr. Rahal was a combination of the posts on this forum, blogs on his website, and my two consultations with him in Ottawa. I am now seven days post-op and can safely say that i am incredibly satisfied with my decision so far. I know there is a long way to go, but so far soo good.

The surgery was pretty much what i had expected going in. After having read so much beforehand from many of his patients, I was quite comfortable and relaxed and ready to get it over with. The most uncomfortable part of the entire process was a couple of the numbing shots just above the eyebrows. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but even for me these were not much fun at all. They are very quick however, and are over before you know it. I had decided to only cut my hair down to about a #3, but I think that in the next couple weeks I am going to buzz everything the same length. You will be able to see this from my photos. During the whole strip removal process, you really cannot feel anything. The entire process of strip removal and suturing took about 30 minutes. After this, there is a little bit of down time while they are seperating the individual grafts.

Once Dr. Rahal felt it was time to go, he numbed me up and began designing my new head of hair. I was reclined way back in a chair, quite comfortable, while he poked my head countless times strategically. As many have said before me, he is a true artist in this craft and you can tell the moment you walk in the door.

Once the grafts were ready, I was reclined again told that I could choose to watch a movie or just lay there with music on. After a little while I chose a movie, laid back and relaxed while the rest of the team went to work placing 3774 grafts in my head. It took a few hours to complete, and by the end my neck was sore but I wasnt in any pain. I was extremely tired, but very excited to have the procedure behind me. We took some more photos and one of Dr. Rahal's employees gave me a ride back to the Brookline Guest house (Which is an amazing place to stay and I will cover this in more detail later).

Post-OP

The night of the surgery was a bit rough, but nothing unbearable. Im also sure that it varies from patient to patient on how uncoforable it will be. I had quite a lot of pain and tightness in the scar area so I took some pain meds that I was given and tried to sleep. This may sound weird to some people, but the thing that helped me the most when I could not sleep was taking a regular 16 oz bottle of water out of the fridge and putting it behind my neck. It was incredible and I fell asleep within 30 minutes after doing that...dont ask me why.

The next few days were rough due to the fact that my face swelled up like a balloon. I looked like an alien with black eyes. After the third day though, the swelling starts to go down and you will look normal again, but with a much better looking hairline!

The Result so far

Like I said before, I know there is a long way to go. However, I am very happy with everything so far. We originally were lookinig for about 3500 grafts, and ended up getting 3774. I was also told that I still have at least 2500 more grafts if I might need work on my crown in the future. I had always had a very high hairline, and can honestly say that the one I got last week is actually lower than the one I had 10 years ago, and I am very happy about that. I also have not had temple points in many years, and I look forward to seeing how they will help to frame my face.

This is as much as I could write today but will continue to update as much as I can. Please feel free to ask me any questions on the forums or privately.

My Surgical Treatments to Date

FUT with Dr. Rahal on October 10, 2013 (3774 Grafts totaling close to 7000 hairs)

My Non Surgical Treatments

Some Rogaine use

Bald Class

Norwood stage 3 Vertex

In terms of the receding hairline, stage 3 vertex balding is a less drastic version of stage 3.
However, people experiencing stage 3 vertex balding will also begin losing hair on the crown of their head. This often starts as one small bald spot.

Extremely satisfied so far.

Do plenty of research, ask tons of questions. This is a very big decision and should be treated as such.

Back to patient reviews

My Latest journal entries

jbny

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

3 Month Update Here are my 3 month photos

jbny

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

4 Months Alright, so I am finally at the 4 month mark and am being completely honest when I say that I am extremely happy with whats happening. I have seen a lot of new growth in the past month, and new hairs seem to be popping up all the time. Density isnt quite there yet but I know that there is still lots of time for that. I took these pictures after I just had a shower and a haircut so there is nothing in my hair at all. The last picture is how I style my hair with xfusion hair fibers before I go out just to give you guys an idea of how great the stuff is in the early stages. Its virtually undetectable and everyone is raving about how good my hair looks. Just the tiniest bit can add the look of so much density its crazy. Even if I did not experience any more growth I would still be very very happy with having this result that I have now. My life has changed, my confidence is back, and I cant wait to see what happens at 5 months and beyond. There is no pain left at all and all numbness is gone. The scar is still very hard to find. I was worried about my left temple point not keeping pace with my right, but now I can clearly see the outline of it cause it is filled with very small, fine, new hairs that are clearly growing.

jbny

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

2 Months Post OP Here are my 2 month updated photos.

jbny

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

2 Weeks Post OP Sutures Out Had my sutures out today and it was quite a relief. There was a little discomfort but nothing bad at all. Here are some updated photos taken with my camera on my phone. I will try to take some better, higher quality pictures soon to show more detail. Overall, I am very happy so far and very excited for things to come. The scar is still red and a little tender, but I have been taking very good care of everything. I have also started shedding hairs, but I knew this was part of the process and in order to grow new hairs the old ones have to go!

jbny

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

1 Month Update Things are going pretty well for me. Ive lost the majority of my grafted hairs but I have many that are refusing to fall out. Who knows, maybe they took root but I wont be surprised if they all fall out. I started using rogaine at the two week mark. It gives my head a nice tingling sensation. The scar is better than I could have hoped for. I had a haircut down to a # 2 two weeks ago and the scar is barely visible. I took the best pictures that I could by myself with my phone. There is still some soreness in the scar area but nothing bad at all. Recipient area is still quite numb but I can tell that a lot of the sensation is coming back. This month has flown by and now I have to settle in and look ugly for a few months, but I cant wait to see what happens.

jbny

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

My 3774 FUT with Dr. H Rahal 3774 Graft FUT with Dr. Rahal, October 10, 2013 As I mentioned before, I had been researching surgeons for a long long time. What ultimately led me to my decision to choose Dr. Rahal was a combination of the posts on this forum, blogs on his website, and my two consultations with him in Ottawa. I am now seven days post-op and can safely say that i am incredibly satisfied with my decision so far. I know there is a long way to go, but so far soo good. The surgery was pretty much what i had expected going in. After having read so much beforehand from many of his patients, I was quite comfortable and relaxed and ready to get it over with. The most uncomfortable part of the entire process was a couple of the numbing shots just above the eyebrows. I have a pretty high pain tolerance but even for me these were not much fun at all. They are very quick however, and are over before you know it. I had decided to only cut my hair down to about a #3, but I think that in the next couple weeks I am going to buzz everything the same length. You will be able to see this from my photos. During the whole strip removal process, you really cannot feel anything. The entire process of strip removal and suturing took about 30 minutes. After this, there is a little bit of down time while they are seperating the individual grafts. Once Dr. Rahal felt it was time to go, he numbed me up and began designing my new head of hair. I was reclined way back in a chair, quite comfortable, while he poked my head countless times strategically. As many have said before me, he is a true artist in this craft and you can tell the moment you walk in the door. Once the grafts were ready, I was reclined again told that I could choose to watch a movie or just lay there with music on. After a little while I chose a movie, laid back and relaxed while the rest of the team went to work placing 3774 grafts in my head. It took a few hours to complete, and by the end my neck was sore but I wasnt in any pain. I was extremely tired, but very excited to have the procedure behind me. We took some more photos and one of Dr. Rahal's employees gave me a ride back to the Brookline Guest house (Which is an amazing place to stay and I will cover this in more detail later). Post-OP The night of the surgery was a bit rough, but nothing unbearable. Im also sure that it varies from patient to patient on how uncoforable it will be. I had quite a lot of pain and tightness in the scar area so I took some pain meds that I was given and tried to sleep. This may sound weird to some people, but the thing that helped me the most when I could not sleep was taking a regular 16 oz bottle of water out of the fridge and putting it behind my neck. It was incredible and I fell asleep within 30 minutes after doing that...dont ask me why. The next few days were rough due to the fact that my face swelled up like a balloon. I looked like an alien with black eyes. After the third day though, the swelling starts to go down and you will look normal again, but with a much better looking hairline! The Result so far Like I said before, I know there is a long way to go. However, I am very happy with everything so far. We originally were lookinig for about 3500 grafts, and ended up getting 3774. I was also told that I still have at least 2500 more grafts if I might need work on my crown in the future. I had always had a very high hairline, and can honestly say that the one I got last week is actually lower than the one I had 10 years ago, and I am very happy about that. I also have not had temple points in many years, and I look forward to seeing how they will help to frame my face. This is as much as I could write today but will continue to update as much as I can. Please feel free to ask me any questions on the forums or privately.

jbny

Bald class: 3V

Procedure 1

Pre OP Photos Here are my immediate pre-op photos at the Rahal clinic. The last photo is after buzzing my hair just before we started.