+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 21
  1. #1
    Junior Member capelli's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    15

    Default My HT with Dr. Rahal- 4,616 FUT

    Hey Everyone!
    I have been researching on this site for a very long time and I finally had my HT with Dr. Rahal this past Tuesday and I'm really excited so I decided to pay back this community and post my story. Soooo...here is my write up...I will post a separate write up on FOXBAR (the house a lot of Dr. Rahal patients stay at) shortly after this one. I am going to give as much detail as possible as I always enjoyed reading detailed write ups as they help future HT patients like it did for me.

    The week leading up to my HT I was very anxious not at the fact that I was worried that Dr. Rahal wouldn't give me great results but that I was worried how my hairline design would come out. So to ease this anxiety, I drew a hairline on myself utilizing what Dr. Rahal and I came up with during my consult in the privacy of my home and really took a lot of pictures and analyzed it like crazy in my mirrors. The reason why I did this was because when you are in the doctors office and he draws the hairline you can get very overwelmed in that you have to make a decision within a few seconds. So to avoid having this anxiety, I drew it on myself as the hairline I would love to have and then I took pictures and showed the doctor so that when he drew the final design he would completely know where I stood and wanted for my hairline.

    DAY BEFORE HT:
    I decided to drive to Ottawa (didn't want to have to put up with airports)...which was about a 9 hr drive...thankfully there was no snow!!! I had my pre HT consult at 3:30 and brought my pictures with me. The dr and I went through them and he said that my hairline was feasible. I kept stressing how I wanted a nice straight hairline with no widows peak and I also wanted my temple points done as this is a crucial part of hairline restoration. He thankfully agreed with my drawing and he said we would draw the hairline the day of my surgery. I left feeling very confident and at ease in that he saw my pictures and knew exactly what I wanted so there wouldn't be any surprises the day of...I truly recommend everyone do this before their HT...draw one on yourself and provide the pics to your doctor.

    I also signed all the paperwork and consent forms...boy...as all consent forms are...that was interesting to say the least...u sign your life away on those things! But we all know the potential risks associated and we all accept that and I know Dr. Rahal is great and gladly signed everything.

    DAY OF HT:
    I didn't really sleep that good the night of bc I was so anxious to just get it over with. You are supposed to shower and wash your hair thoroughly. Also enjoy your last shower for a while as well as a great nights sleep which I def tried to!!! I arrived at 9:30 am and filled out some more paper work in that I had to pick my lunch that I wanted. I then met with the doctor to draw my hairline. He drew it on and we tweaked it from there...it definitely helped having him see my photos the day before and for me as well because I knew how it should look...I was a pain and asked to see a mirror and went into the bathroom to see it in private and from all angles...once I was ok with this I agree to it. In the process of it, I told him that I really wanted this to be as much of a one and done kind of HT for at least a few years in that I didn't mind if he went further back as I did have further recession that I wanted to take care of while I was here now instead of in a few years. Plus by increasing my temple points this added to increased graft count. So once we started measuring my head and area it came out that I would be covering a 90 cm area...so factor that with on avg. 50 FU/sq cm and that is where you get around 4,500 grafts...we agreed on around 4,200 at that point. I originally was scheduled for 3,000 grafts and didn't really expect it to come up that much but I was ok with it because I just wanted as much coverage as possible in this session instead of having to worry about further procedures in like a year or two...granted I am well educated in that I may need further work but I just didn't want to have to come back in a year...i'm sure u all can understand this. I also informed him I wanted a nicely dense packed hairline and he kept telling me I would definitely be happy with what he was going to give me. To confirm this we looked at other patients with similar hairlines and his results were literally jaw dropping...the density is unbelievable...so that made me happy and I was now ready for my life changing procedure!!! Dr. Rahal was so patient during this process as I can definitely be very anal with this...he was great and never rushed me making sure I was happy with the design and I was!

    PROCEDURE:
    WHAT TO WEAR:
    I recommend wearing comfortable clothes...I wore jeans but recommend like sweat pants for my comfortability. Also wear a button down shirt but you won't be wearing this during the HT...they give you a hospital type gown to put on during the surgery...but u will need your shirt afterwards to wear when you leave.

    PRE OP PICS:
    Mike (who is the head nurse) is wonderful...he is very nice and down to earth and joked around with me which helped put me at ease. I must say I wasn't nervous at all and was so excited the whole time to be getting back my hair! He took pre-op pics of me then we went into the operating room to prepare for the strip extraction.

    STRIP EXTRACTION:
    I always thought you were seated face down but I was seated in a barber like chair upright. Mike then shaved my front and I asked to see myself with a shaved head...It looked weird as I never had my head shaved before! So he shaved my top and the back and taped my remaining hair up...it was quite an extensive tape job! Mike then gave me some pills and a sedative in my arm and that made me feel a little relaxed. The Dr. then came in and gave me the numbing shots...these weren't really that bad...like a normal needle feeling...nothing that crazy at all. The whole strip removal was very quick...I would say like 25-30 min and it was painless. I didn't really hear anything as some people state it sounds funny but I didn't really hear anything just felt some pulling as he was suturing but def no pain at all.

    INCISIONS:
    Once this was done he started the incisions. He positioned me so I was practically laying on my back as he reclined the chair all the way down. He numbed me up and this didn't feel too great but def not that painful. After this he started making incisions...this is where the genius happens...he was maticulous and is def a perfectionist which I really enjoyed about his work. This lasted about a good hour give or take. It sounded like a crunching noise as he poked my head over 4,000 times! I kept talking to him asking to hook me up and make it dense! lol. He kept looking at the front and making tweaks to it and that is how he is a perfectionist...he kept tweaking it to make it look just perfect and especially even!

    AFTER INCISIONS:
    Afterwards, there was a little time in between as they were slicing up the strip...so Patrick (a nurse) asked me to pick about 2 movies and I did...there was quite a good selection of movies and the TV was right in front of you and pretty big! I chose Mr. and Mrs. Smith so I could stare at Brad Pitt's great hairline hoping mine looked half way good as his! lol. The nurses and staff were soooo great asking me if I needed a break all the time and they were so diligent too.

    IMPLANTING:
    I was feeling good at this point...just felt my back of my head was a little tight and my face was tight too almost like what a face lift would feel like! The whole time I just kept invisioning my new hairline!!! You need to totally trust your dr. because I couldn't see what my incisions looked like at this point and knew Dr. Rahal would hook it up! So the movie started and so did the implanting..I was now sitting in an upright position as they did this. There were a lot of staff...I would say around 10 people in total...they all were working like a very well oiled machine as each member knew exactly what was their role and communication was great between them...i guess they did this a few times before! lol. This was the worst part if I had to choose one...worst in that it took a LONG time for this to be completed and there were a lot of staff working on me. It took at least like 5 hours because I burned through over 2 movies and then more time afterwards! I surprisingly didn't get anxiety for sitting still for so long as all I was thinking about was I am sooo close to getting my hair back and I was so excited the whole time I think I had a smile on my face the whole time! The Dr. kept coming in asking how I was doing every so often and he also was doing some quality control in watching the staff and often directed them. He then came in and said that they were able to get 4,600!!! I was like OMG...so he had to make additional incisions...I was worried that he wouldn't hit the mark and would have to cut me open again but thankfully it was the opposite...guess it was all those scalp exercises I did! lol. I also had a good density in my donor too which is great also! Often throughout the procedure he had to keep freezing my head as the numbness wore off...this happened a few times but didn't really hurt bad.

    POST HT:
    When the implanting was over...it was now around 7:30 pm ish...and I was shot...just such a long day. They bandaged me up quite extensively, I changed and Mike went over with me my meds that I had to take and also gave me a care package of everything I would need to clean my head so you don't have to buy anything as they provide this for you which is great! The Dr. was so nice in that he drove me back to Foxbar...it was like 8 pm at this point. I got home and felt pretty good actually...I didn't feel any pain really just a lot of tightness in my back. I had such a huge smile on my face in that it was finally alllll over...and my road to new hair has started!!!


    Attached are my post op pics...I am very happy with the hairline and I finally got my temples back too!!! Let me know your feedback!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version

Name:	Front.JPG

Size:	38.9 KB
ID:	12637   Click image for larger version

Name:	Left Side.JPG

Size:	57.4 KB
ID:	12638   Click image for larger version

Name:	Right side.JPG

Size:	43.9 KB
ID:	12639   Click image for larger version

Name:	Front looking down.JPG

Size:	49.3 KB
ID:	12640   Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_0429.jpg

Size:	39.6 KB
ID:	12641  

  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Posts
    41

    Default

    Congrats, your hair will look great! I'm booked with Dr Rahal in February, and can't wait to get on with my life and move past my hairloss.

  3. #3
    Doctor Representative mattj's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    1,268

    Default

    Nice write-up, Capelli. Considering where your existing hairline was situated, (what was left of it) I don't think you could've gone much higher anyway. With the temple points included this should be a very nice hairline.
    I am a patient and representative of Dr Rahal

    My FUE With Dr Rahal - Awesome Hairline Result

    I can be contacted for advice: matt@rahalhairline.com

  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    1,046

    Default

    Congratulations. It's going to turn out fantastic. May I ask, density wise have you gone 60, 50, 45 in the bands/areas marked? I wish you great growth. Can't wait to see the end result.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    191

    Default

    This is gonna look great!! Congrats capelli.

  6. #6
    Junior Member capelli's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Thanks everyone!

    Follicle: I told the doctor that I wanted dense packing in the frontal zone so that I can have a nice dense hairline and corners. So he put around 65 in the first zone then feathered it back...not sure on the specifics after 65...I gather like 55, 50, 45, etc. I already had decent coverage back there so 45-50 would be still a denser look.

  7. #7
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Adelaide, Australia
    Posts
    12

    Default

    Congrats Capelli!
    I'm the aussie guy you met in the foyer on the 19th when you were having your sutures out. You're going to have an awesome hairline and look like you did when you were 20
    I had my surgery yesterday with Dr Rahal and agree with everything you've said and had a very similar experience. I ended up getting 3500 grafts, my hairline was a bit higher than yours.
    Like you said the surgery is pretty much pain free and I was able to sleep for 7 hours last night in the recliner with little discomfort.

    I wish you good growing and will track your progress with interest, keep us all updated on how your going/growing

  8. #8
    Junior Member capelli's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Hey! That's great that everything went great....told you it would...he is great! Glad you also received more grafts...it will definitely look great when it grows out! Sleeping is a challenge but its good you were able to get some well needed rest afterwards. Enjoy Foxbar and also New York!!! Keep me posted on how you are doing!

  9. #9
    Junior Member capelli's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Posts
    15

    Default

    Hey Everyone!

    Status Update: Got my sutures removed on Day 13 yesterday. I went back to see Dr. Rahal as opposed to having my local GP take them out. My rational was that I wanted Dr. Rahal to see how I was progressing as this is a crucial time to make sure everything is going according to plan. Plus I just figured I came this far why risk going to a GP to have my sutures removed regardless of how easy it may be. He said everything was going great and my scar looked really good and was going to be a good one! I now am able to shower and have to massage my scabs off at this point. Felt sooo good to finally shower my head...felt human again! I now have to put Polysporin still on the scar for the rest of this week and see how it looks from there. My scabs should be gone by this week. I love feeling my hair as it feels like nice stubble...a feeling I haven't felt in years!!!! Now I am going to unfortunately lose my hairs...getting upset about it bc I love my hairline design! Mike shaved me down again to a # 2 to even it out...so now it seems to be better and as even as I am going to get for now...starting to really dislike looking like this but I understand it is a journey so Ugly duckling stage here I come!

    In regards to Rogaine post HT...I tried getting out of not using it but the Dr. heavily recommended using it as it stimulates the follicles to grow quicker...it is recommended to use it for at least 12 months. I really didn't want to use Rogaine as I don't want to marry it forever but I have come so far so I figured I didn't want to stray from Dr. Rahal's recommended plan post op. So starting this Monday after my scabs are gone, I will start and see how it goes.

    Pic 1 is Day 8 and Day 9 (Top Row) and Day 10 -11 (Bottom Row)
    Pic 2 is Day 12 and Day 13 (Top Row) and Day 14 top view and Day 14 pic of my scar (Post suture removal)
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version

Name:	Collage Day 8-11.jpg

Size:	96.1 KB
ID:	12715   Click image for larger version

Name:	Collage Day 12-14.jpg

Size:	97.9 KB
ID:	12716  

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Posts
    67

    Default

    very nice pics thanks

Similar Threads

  1. Fue with Dr Rahal
    By Smiley in forum Hair Transplant: Start Your Own Topic
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 11-06-2011, 05:37 PM
  2. Considering Dr. Rahal
    By thickhead in forum Hair Transplant: Start Your Own Topic
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 11-04-2010, 06:28 PM
  3. my FUE @ Rahal
    By born76 in forum Hair Transplant: Start Your Own Topic
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 08-24-2010, 06:14 PM
  4. my FUE @ Rahal
    By born76 in forum Hair Transplant: Start Your Own Topic
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 08-18-2010, 06:10 PM
  5. 2 HT with Dr Rahal
    By Boumchari in forum Introduce Yourself & Share Your Story
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 12-08-2009, 12:43 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts

» IAHRS

hair transplant surgeons

» The Bald Truth

» Recent Threads

1800 graft repair case results by Dr. Lindsey
Yesterday 08:38 AM
Last Post By Dr. Lindsey
Yesterday 08:38 AM
Navigating the German Job Market as a Kenyan Citizen
11-04-2023 06:31 AM
Last Post By Keegan212
Yesterday 03:51 AM
DR HAKAN DOGANAY/ 4500 GRAFTS / Implanter Pen+FUE
03-26-2024 04:15 PM
Last Post By Hakan Doganay, MD
03-26-2024 04:15 PM
The Mane Event for Thursday, June 15th, 2023
06-15-2023 02:59 PM
Last Post By gisecit34
03-26-2024 08:05 AM