Ask the guy who's had hair restoration surgery...twice

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Inspired by this thread, here’s my ‘Ask the…’ thread on my experience with hair restoration surgery.

Let me preface this thread by saying that any responses I give to questions in this thread are based on my personal experiences. Yours, if you decide to pursue a hair regrowth solution, may be the same as mine, but also may be quite different, depending on many factors. I’ve read success stories as well as tales of utter dissatisfaction, so keep that in mind.

I also do not work for, nor am I affiliated with any company or organization that promotes or has any financial or legal interest in hair recovery procedures, nor, conversely, with any entity that has an axe to grind in this matter.

As the title says, I’ve had two surgical hair restoration procedures. Both of my procedures were with Bosley. My first was in the Summer of 2004. My second was in November of 2011, so a little over seven months ago. My post-op consultation is scheduled for the 20th of this month.

Ask me anything you like.

Mods: Please correct the word ‘whose’ in my title to ‘who’s’. Thanks.

2

The obvious one: did it work? And if so, are you happy with the results?

3

Skipping over the meat of my story and cutting to the chase to give you concise answers to your questions, yes, and somewhat.

I await further questions.

4

Was their a period where you looked “funny” following the surgery?

5

How much did it cost?

What motivated you to go with that option rather than, say, shaving it off?

6

Can you post some pics somewhere?

Did they do single hair transplants?

7

With the exception of the recovery periods immediately following each procedure, no one could tell I’d had anything done. That stated, the recovery periods for each procedure were quite different, and for a number of days after each, 15 for the first procedure, and 4 for the second, I had to take certain measures to promote healing, minimize inflammation, and reduce pain.

8

How long did the procedures take?

Can you describe the procedure?

9

Both procedures cost a little over $10,000 each. I had 1430 grafts implanted in the first procedure, and 2024 in the second. I was given a discounted price per graft on the second procedure because of a promotion Bosley was running late last year.

The first answer that popped into my head when reading your question is vanity, so let’s go with that as my primary motivation. I don’t believe I have the proper-shaped head to pull off the bald look.

I began losing my hair in my late 20s. Sometime in my mid 30s, after my hairline had receded noticeably, and what I had left on the top and crown was so thin you could easily see my shining dome beneath it, I resorted to measures I’m sure lots of guys in my position have. First I let the hair that was still growing grow out longer and longer, but after over a year of this, I was done with looking like Bozo’s brother. I then began to cut my hair shorter and shorter, except for the top, which I tried to style to mask the balding. Months later, when I realized I’d begun doing the comb-over, which is a ridiculous look by the way, I became sickened with myself and decided to shave it, not completely, but very, very close to my scalp, in an effort to even it out with the hair I had left on the top and crown. I was, in a word, horrified. I hated it.

10

I can. Bosley takes before and after shots. I’m sure I could get them. I didn’t take pictures of myself for a long time because I was very self-conscious about my balding. I have taken quite a few photos since my hair started growing in.

I don’t think so, but I’m not sure. I know each of my grafts contained a number of follicles.

11

Where do they harvest the grafts from?

12

Although the procedures were different in a number of ways, in this they were the same. Each started at 7:30 in the morning, and ended at approximately 5:00 in the evening. There was a 20 or so minute break sometime in the middle there for lunch.

Okay. I’ll try not to be excessively gory here.

In my first procedure, I was wide awake. They would not allow me to fall asleep (not that I could as I was completely wired), nor was there any sedation available. For my second procedure, sedation was available and, although I am by no means a religious person, THANK GOD.

One thing to note is that the doctor performs very little of the actual procedure himself. Most of the work is done by a number of technicians, with the doctor supervising.

The first thing the doctor did was map my head with a marker of some sort. He identified and marked the donor site, and then the implantation sites, determining the placement of the grafts based on expected inventory.

The entirety of my head was then numbed with, and this is just a guess, 40 or so separate pricks of the Novocaine needle, or whatever the local anesthetic was. It was so painful that I stopped counting after 10. It ended with the numbing of the donor site, which consisted of the anesthetic being applied from the hairline adjacent to the ear, going around the middle of the back of my head, all the way to the hairline adjacent to my other ear. I’d say this was approximately 10 separate injections.

The technicians then cut a strip of my scalp away, almost hairline to hairline, ear to ear, but not quite. I don’t know the thickness of the strip, but it was determined by how many grafts they wanted. One of the technicians then sewed up the extraction site.

After the donor section was extracted, a number of the technicians then went about segmenting it into grafts in another area of the room. At this time the doctor, working with other technicians and a nurse, began to create and prep the implantation sites by cutting a place for each graft. I could hear the sites being created with whatever instrument they used cut into my scalp and the doctor counting off each one with the technician. I also felt the pressure of the instrument as the sites were created. Note that there was a lot of blood during this part. There may have also during the extraction, but that was on the back of my head, so I didn’t see it.

As the implantation sites were created, another set of technicians began to place the grafts in the prepared sites. This went on for hours.

Over time, a number of times, the anesthetic began to wear off, requiring another round.

During my second procedure, there were a number of rounds of sedation, which kept me loopy, but awake.

That, in short, was the procedure.

13

From the back of the head.

14

Can we see a photo of you now anywhere? So we can admire it and shower you with flattery?

Does it require any special care? Can you swim with it, etc?

What does your girl/boy/friend/spouse think of it?

15

Why are you only “somewhat” happy with the results?

16

Is this the same thing as “plugs”? If you closely does it look like doll hair?

[quote=“Onomatopoeia, post:12, topic:627313”]

The technicians then cut a strip of my scalp away, almost hairline to hairline, ear to ear, but not quite.

Oh wow. Does this create scarring?

17

I can post a few ‘after’ pictures, but without the ‘before’ pictures it wouldn’t be impactful at all.

As I alluded above, it required special care for a short period after the procedure. When the hair begins to grow in which, for me, was approximately 5 months after the procedure, there was no special care required. Yes, I can swim with it. I scrub it when I shampoo. It’s my natural hair. I don’t treat it any differently.

One thing I will say is that I’ve noticed that my new hair grows differently than my old. What I mean by that is the texture is different, as the hair on the back of my head has a different texture than the hair I’ve lost on the top of my head had. Also, I’ve found that I have to comb my hair differently. I used to comb it back, away from my face. I now find that I look better if I comb it forward, away from the crown.

My wife loves it. It’s been over twenty years since I’ve had a full head of hair so it’s still a bit weird to her, but no complaints. She says I look younger. I agree.

18

Because the new hair doesn’t grow in in the same configuration/direction as the hair that I’ve lost. I can’t style my new hair in exactly the same way as my old hair because it doesn’t stay put. I’ve therefore had to change how I comb/brush my hair. It’s still growing in so that may change, but it seems as the new growth continues, the more I’m struggling with styling issues. Hey, it’s better than being bald, so I shouldn’t complain too much.

19

Yes, I believe it’s the same as what is called ‘plugs’, but no, my results, and the results from other transplantation patients I’ve seen and spoken to, doesn’t have the dolls hair effect. It makes sense to me as each graft contains small numbers of follicles. I guess it would also depend on the texture and thickness of one’s hair as to whether or not individual graft sites would be noticeable by others.

Yes, it does. But the scars heal over the course of a week or so, and the other negative issues begin to resolve themselves shortly thereafter. I am now scar and scab free. :slight_smile:

20

One thing no one has asked, surprisingly, but that is important to address, is why I had two procedures.

In Spring of 2004, I was, for all intents and purposes, bald on the top of my head. I had a small tuft of hair at the front hairline, but that was it. I looked ridiculous. When I went in to Bosley for my initial consultation, the consultant and doctor both told me that there was a somewhat likely chance that I would need more than one procedure because of the amount of hair loss I suffered. I didn’t like the idea at all, and definitely didn’t commit to anything further than the one procedure.

When my hair began to grow in during the Winter of 2004 I was thrilled. By the Fall of 2005 I was very dissatisfied. Although my hair was growing, it was insufficient. I had coverage as hair was growing over all the previously bald areas, but I had no density. Over the next 7 years, I looked as though I was “going” bald but not actually “getting” there.

Late last Summer, I thought enough was enough and, although the thought of going through the procedure again gave me panic attacks, decided it was worth it and went in for another consultation. The doctor told me a second procedure would definitely help as it would increase my density, so I went through with it, and am now seeing positive results.

That said, some people have had 3 procedures as the second didn’t produce quite the results desired.

The point is if you’re as bald and as dissatisfied with it as I was, you’re probably going to need to at least consider the possibility of 2 procedures, and that’s not something to take lightly.