Surgery scheduled with Dr. Rahal…

[Homestead1]

Hi everyone,

After having read countless posts on this forum and several others, I have decided to go with Dr. Rahal for my second HT procedure; I’m looking at circa 4000+ grafts to help fill in the frontal region and crow area. My surgery is scheduled for mid June and I feel fairly confident in my decision.

My question relates to the amount of time needed to recover from a procedure of this size, I have read some inconsistent answers on this topic, some say it only took 2 weeks while others say they required over a month before being able to return to work. I am only afforded 3 weeks before going back to work so I need to plan accordingly and the fact that my job requires face to face interactions, I can’t afford to look like I just had a this procedure done.

After having spoken to Adrian, I was told that Dr. Rahal will not perform the surgery if the patient does not consent to having the recipient area shaved. I was hopping that I would be able to keep the modest hair that I have left to cover the area but I guess that’s not an option and once the top is shaved I will have no choice but to do the same with rest before going back to work.

My first surgery of 1300 grafts was performed by Dr. Samuels of St Louis, Mo. No shaving was required and given the size of the procedure, I was able to go back to work after 3 weeks with minimal inconsistency in my appearance.

To any one who had a HT specifically patients of Dr. Rahal, how did your scar look 3 weeks post-op? What was your explanation to colleagues concerning your new appearance (3 weeks post-op)?

To be honest, the surgery side of it does not bother me as much as the explanations that will inevitably follow. I interact with clients and potential clients on a daily basis and my major fear is that they will automatically focus on my head and if my scar is apparent… I don’t want to be the butt of any jokes, I’m sure most of you are familiar with the stigma attached to HT…

Thanks for reading and for any suggestions you may have.

-H

[Jotronic]

I get this question posed to me all the time. If the issue was such a negative one to deal with in reality then our clinic as well as others that require shaving would pretty much be out of business.

Before I worked for Dr. Hasson and Dr. Wong I worked in outside sales in the Seattle area in the enterprise level IT industry. This means I sold high end servers, network equipment and software and I was on Microsoft campus, at Amazon and other high profile clients on a weekly basis. When I had my first surgery with Dr. Wong I was afraid of the shave as well but after about two days I decided that going commando (with no hat) wouldn't be such a big deal because in six months no one would remember anyway.

Once the scabs came off at about day six I had a haircut to shorten the back and the sides to blend in with the shave on top but still long enough to cover the donor incision and it worked very well. The only comments I got were regarding my new shaved look and some people thought it looked good on me. You won't need to get your entire head shaved, Homestead, just the top where Dr. Rahal will be working. Below is a pic of my donor area two weeks after my 2nd surgery cut to a #2 guard.

I know some people will still have an issue with the shaving, as history has shown, and that is fine but I think as long as you realize you don't have to shave your entire head and the donor area can be covered relatively well then three weeks out you should be just fine.

[Homestead1]

Thanks Jotronic! I’ve actually encountered your story on several occasions during course of my research. At the risk of being presumptuous, your results are without a doubt an inspiration to many of us here.

I honestly do understand the necessity of the shave and realize that it is for the greater good. At the end of the day, regardless of the circumstances, I would go through with the surgery without any hesitation and deal with the consequences, but I would rather not!

The picture you posted is quite encouraging! If I manage to resemble your picture by the end of my 3 weeks, I’ll be more than confident to go back to work!

-H

[Jotronic]

Homestead1,

Thanks for the acknowledgment. The one caveat I think you should be aware of is the issue of donor shock. This happens, in my opinion, to between 5% and 10% of patients and is usually about the size of a quarter. If it does happen then a little Dermatch can hide the issue and no one should be any the wiser but you should know about this possibility just the same. Good luck with your procedure and I expect to see full documentation once you get home

[Plum]

I just wanted to say congratulations on your decision to go with Dr. Rahal. He is a wonderful surgeon and I am sure you will be pleased. It looks like you don't have to travel overly far either since you are in Montreal.

[Homestead1]

Thank you, I absolutely plan to document my procedure! After having been inspired by so many great results from Dr. Rahal, I hope my own HT results (fingers cross) will inspire someone else.

It was in fact a tossup between H&W and Dr. Rahal, with both clinics showcasing some serious talent, it was a difficult decision to arrive to but the fact that my wife and I just had a new born, and I did not want to be to far from home swayed me to choose Dr. Rahal.
No matter the decision, I feel I really can’t go wrong with either one.

-H