5035 Grafts with Dr Cole (4463 CIT and 572 Beard Hair) July 2011

[Kiwi]

@CIT_Girl - can you please tell us what the ballpark figure is for this sized procedure?

[Neil-UK]

Hi CVAZBAR

To answer your questions about my donor area, Dr Cole’s team estimated that I had 16485 FUs in my donor area, of which they harvested just over a quarter (although I suspect that there might have been a higher rate of harvesting at the edge of the donor above the ears in order to get finer hair for the hairline). The original density was slightly above average and my hair is wavy and coarser than average, so has good donor characteristics, although as you rightly point out, the hair at the sides tends to be finer. I attach a photo before the op that will give you an idea of how the hair at the sides originally was. I intend to let my hair grow back out to a similar kind of length i.e.5-6cm, although of course the density will be lower now.

Dr Cole advised me that he might be able to harvest a further 2000 scalp hairs in future, but I don’t think that I will use them unless I suffer further hair loss, which as discussed above is possible but unlikely. It’s good to have something in reserve. And as you rightly point out, the donor area might start to look thin if I push the envelope.

Also my procedure included 572 grafts of beard hair to see how they grow. If the results are good I might consider using beard hair as filler hair to make the crown a bit denser. Beard hair is worse than useless on the face so if a good use can be found for it on the scalp then so much the better. But I don’t want to consider this too much until I’ve seen the result of my first surgery, which won’t be for at least a year. I’ll keep you updated.

I agree that it’s tough to make a decision on how to confront hair loss with so much conflicting information and uncertainty. I wish you all the best with whatever approach you decide to adopt. Thanks for your support.

Neil

[CIT_Girl]

Hello Kiwi,

I apologize for the delay and thank for your interest in our clinic. Our pricing depends on the procedure you desire to have and the amount of hair loss you have. Here at our clinic we perform a variety of different procedures, for example, the C2G, Shaven, BHT, and repair. It is difficult to give you a ball park figure because each patient is different and each procedure is different.

The good news is a lot of physicians are doing FUE these days so the pricing varies with each clinic. Each physician has his own personal techniques when he performs hair transplant surgery. This means you can probably find an FUE procedure that fits your budget. For the most experienced physicians of course the pricing may be a little more.

[CVAZBAR]

Originally Posted by Neil-UK

Hi CVAZBAR

To answer your questions about my donor area, Dr Cole’s team estimated that I had 16485 FUs in my donor area, of which they harvested just over a quarter (although I suspect that there might have been a higher rate of harvesting at the edge of the donor above the ears in order to get finer hair for the hairline). The original density was slightly above average and my hair is wavy and coarser than average, so has good donor characteristics, although as you rightly point out, the hair at the sides tends to be finer. I attach a photo before the op that will give you an idea of how the hair at the sides originally was. I intend to let my hair grow back out to a similar kind of length i.e.5-6cm, although of course the density will be lower now.

Dr Cole advised me that he might be able to harvest a further 2000 scalp hairs in future, but I don’t think that I will use them unless I suffer further hair loss, which as discussed above is possible but unlikely. It’s good to have something in reserve. And as you rightly point out, the donor area might start to look thin if I push the envelope.

Also my procedure included 572 grafts of beard hair to see how they grow. If the results are good I might consider using beard hair as filler hair to make the crown a bit denser. Beard hair is worse than useless on the face so if a good use can be found for it on the scalp then so much the better. But I don’t want to consider this too much until I’ve seen the result of my first surgery, which won’t be for at least a year. I’ll keep you updated.

I agree that it’s tough to make a decision on how to confront hair loss with so much conflicting information and uncertainty. I wish you all the best with whatever approach you decide to adopt. Thanks for your support.

Neil

How are you doing Neil?? How is your progress?

[CVAZBAR]

Originally Posted by CIT_Girl

Hello Kiwi,

I apologize for the delay and thank for your interest in our clinic. Our pricing depends on the procedure you desire to have and the amount of hair loss you have. Here at our clinic we perform a variety of different procedures, for example, the C2G, Shaven, BHT, and repair. It is difficult to give you a ball park figure because each patient is different and each procedure is different.

The good news is a lot of physicians are doing FUE these days so the pricing varies with each clinic. Each physician has his own personal techniques when he performs hair transplant surgery. This means you can probably find an FUE procedure that fits your budget. For the most experienced physicians of course the pricing may be a little more.

How is this patient doing? Can you share anything on Neil?

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by CIT_Girl

Hello Kiwi,

I apologize for the delay and thank for your interest in our clinic. Our pricing depends on the procedure you desire to have and the amount of hair loss you have. Here at our clinic we perform a variety of different procedures, for example, the C2G, Shaven, BHT, and repair. It is difficult to give you a ball park figure because each patient is different and each procedure is different.

The good news is a lot of physicians are doing FUE these days so the pricing varies with each clinic. Each physician has his own personal techniques when he performs hair transplant surgery. This means you can probably find an FUE procedure that fits your budget. For the most experienced physicians of course the pricing may be a little more.

I want the best results which is why I'm asking you.

Also do you guys transplant nape hair?

[northeastguy]

Neil.... not sure if you are still around but was hoping to get an idea of how well your beard grafts took?

[youngin]

Incredible results. Would like to know how it looks now.

[ITNEVERRAINS]

Originally Posted by Neil-UK

I’ve just returned to London, UK, from Atlanta, where I received a hair transplant at Dr Cole’s office. I have detailed below my experiences for those of you who are interested.

I had a NW5A pattern that stabilised at about age 33. I am now aged 40. I was a hairpiece wearer who wished to replace my hairpiece with a transplant. I had not had hair surgery before. My objectives from the surgery were to create a new hairline and frontal region and get some coverage in the midscalp and crown.

I had a 3 day procedure that included the following:

1) 4463 CIT grafts i.e. FUE, not strip.
2) 572 beard grafts taken from below the jawline and placed in my crown.
3) Platelet rich plasma (PRP) to encourage hair growth in the recipient area. See below for details:

http://www.forhair.com/News_Release/...Plasma_PRP.htm

4) A-Cell to promote healing in the donor area. It may reduce scarring and there is some evidence of regeneration of hair follicles at the extraction sites, which could possibly lead to some replenishment of donor hair.

http://www.forhair.com/Articles/Clin...s_of_Acell.htm

Day 1, Tues 19 July 2011, 3888 CIT grafts

The main focus of the day was on the hairline, frontal region and to a lesser extent the midscalp and crown. I experienced no significant discomfort above the level of the initial anaesthetic injections. Surgery finished at 6.30pm, by which time the team had placed a remarkable 3888 grafts. When I saw their work I was amazed by the density of the frontal region and very pleased with the coverage further back and with the tidyness of the graft placement. It must have been a tiring day for the team but they maintained remarkable concentration and professionalism, reflecting their considerable experience. Saveth celebrated her 7th anniversary as a member of Dr Cole’s team today!

Day 2, Weds 20 July 2011, 575 CIT grafts

We started at 9am and had much less to do today, partly as a result of the team’s extra efforts the previous day. Dr Cole and his team extracted and placed 575 grafts in the crown, with work finishing at lunchtime.

Day 3, Thurs 21 July 2011, 572 beard grafts

Surgery lasted from 11.30am to 4.30pm and went at a more relaxed pace. The objective of the session was to transplant a small amount of beard hair so that I could consider whether beard hair might be usable as donor hair on a larger scale in future. Beard hair is coarse but might serve as “filler” hair in the crown (certainly not in the hairline). Dr Cole had earmarked an area in the lower crown for the beard grafts.

Post-op follow up, Mon 25 July

I returned to the office the following Monday so that Dr Cole could check that all was well and so that Kim could meticulously clean some of the surplus crusts off my recipient area.

Summary

The procedure gave good coverage and great frontal density and my post-op recovery was quick. Dr Cole and his team did a fantastic job and I was amazed by their ability to do such painstaking and meticulous work so diligently. As pictures are better than 1000 words I attach 3 before and after photos (after day 1, day 6 and 2 weeks), plus one of the beard donor area less than 4 days post-op. If any of you have any questions then please let me know.

Neil

Looks great

I only did a few beard grafts in the previous strip scars at Dr. Cole's at the end of March, as that's my next procedure, but I was amazed at the heal time, in 4 days there was no visible sign of donor extraction. Those beard hairs are well trained I guess.