First off, a huge thank you to all the forum members on here who have contributed so much information regarding their HT journeys-without that input, i don't think I would've forged ahead with my own hair transplant. A special big thank you to Pat, founder of our community, and also for all his visits to various clinics and HT doctors- which enabled all of us to make our decisions a bit more easier as to whether an HT, and who our HT doctor choice might be. It was becasue of Pat's visit and subsequent writeup of Dr. Siporin that i discovered Dr. Siporin's practice.
Also, another big, hearty thank you goes to Falceros, who seems to LIVE on these boards- patiently answering questions and providing insight into the complex world of hair transplant ummm...stuff!

On Thursday, Dec 20th, 2007 I had a 2300 graft procedure done with Dr. Siporin. Ironically, with the hectic schedule i had in December, I didn't have time to fret or worry about the surgery itself. I travelled to Los Angeles a day before the procedure to relax, have a pre-op meeting with Dr. Siporin, sign the documents, and pick up any prescriptions and supplies that i might need for my 4 day stay in LA after the surgery. That list that Spex created (the neck-rest pillow, getting scripts filled, etc) was a blessing- i felt armed and ready when i hit the chair Thursday morning.Spex: can i add a suggestion to the list? I would also advise those who are "scratchers" to cut and file their fingernails down- i did this and i think it helped immensely as i wanted to scratch due to the itchiness i was experiencing, but instead resorted to the vigorous massaging with my fingers!

(side note: I am in awe of some of you who obviously had computer access and wrote up about your procedures the next day! I was physically fine, but could not have imagined writing up about my procedure so soon after it!)

Hopefully the pix of my pre and immediate post-op look will give an idea of what was my MPB and what Dr. Siporin and I were hoping to achieve. Like the pre-surgery visit from the day before, Dr. Siporin drew his lines on my forehead of where we were going to lower my hairline, and his techs, led my Yami and Israel, prepped me with the numbing shots in the donor area. OK, about the numbing shots- for me, it was pretty painless-i equate it with someone poking me with a pin in my head about 16 times- more of an annoying "ouch" than any real pain. I should also mention that becuase of my rather animated, hyper personality, it was quickly assessed that i be given another Valium to "chill me down"(sic). I mention this because after the numbing shots, i only vaguely recall what happened next- my next clear thought was that everyone had moved away from me and was working at the microscope areas- turns out Dr. Siporin had removed my donor strip- AND I DIDN"T FEEL A THING! I was quite shocked my all this, and as i was gently turned over to face upright for the recipient incisions, I already knew i was in good hands!

Ok, besides lovering my hairline, Dr. S. also wanted to fill in the center, hence why i agreed to have the recipient area shaved. If I'm using the term correctly here, it seems my ultra fine hair and my MPB made me a "diffuse thinner". I have also in the last few years developed a bald spot in the crown. For me though, the biggest hair hurdle i had was the receding temples-i already have a high forehead, having those triangular recessions is what most troubled me and affected my confidence level. I don't want the hairline of a 22 year old, I just don't want such a wide patch of real estate of bare areas dominating my facial features and appearance. Dr. Siporin's goal was then multi-fold: lower my hairline, fill in the center, and fill in most of my crown area with the 2300 grafts. Oh, and do a little side work on the left and right temple areas.

Again, i only have vague memories of the actual incision cuts. I seem to recall some slightly annoying "scratches" occuring, but nothing resembling what any of us would define as pain- I guess the painkillers and numbing shots did their job also!

Everybody broke for lunch, where I had a tasty quesedilla, and i loaded up the DVD player witht he movies i rented the day before. As a few members on here have recommended, i stayed away from comedies or horror or action stories- anything that might make me "jump" suddenly, and went with the Great Female British acting trifecta of Helen Mirren (The Queen) and Judi Dench & Kate Blanchett (Notes on a Scandal)- both movies I and the staff enjoyed quite immensely!

Yami and Izzy (israel) performed the insertion of the grafts. This was the hardest part for me. Why? Not because of any pain (again, only slight annoying "pecks" to the head), but becuase this was the longest and tedious part of the procedure. My sciatica (sp?) actually started acting up near the end, giving me a serious case of restless leg syndrome- this is where they gave me a shot of something (that sucker DID hurt- it was "thick") but in a few minutes, my sciatica had calmed down, and we were able to finish the insertion of the grafts.

At 5pm (been there since 8am), i was all done! My friend, who travelled with me, picked me up from the clinic, and back to the hotel we went. I don't recall much of Thursday night, except that i slept with my head elevated, Friday was also a blur. I can report that other than an annoying throbbing, I felt no pain. Saturday, we changed hotels, and actually visited a friend that night in Santa Monica. Sunday, did some shopping, WINDOW shopped on Rodeo Drive, and joined some more friends for a bit and a couple of beers. All this time i was wearing a loose fitting cap. The notorious swellling was really only predominant Friday evening/Saturday day. Wasn't all that bad actually! I also appeared to have not incurred any of the redness or pinkness I've heard about.

Monday, after having Dr. Siporin take a post-op check of me, flew back home to San Fran.
The only problems that I have really encountered was what i thought was a crusty, scabbing itchiness and some hairs falling out, but actually turned out to be dried flaky skin of hairs that have apparently done their job and leaving the dome. A week later, on New Years Eve, I had one of my docs up here remove the triglyo stitching- of course i forgot to have them take pix of the donor scar!

So as it stands now, I am 2 weeks plus form the surgery. As this essay shows, I had very few problems. Dr. Siporin and his staff were great, and Dr. Siporin, who thought i might be "difficult" becuase of all the knowledge and nervous energy i had before, is a first rate surgeon and answered all my questions in that calm, laid back, reassuring casual manner that us Californians are known for! I still can't believe that a chunk of my scalp was removed while i was awake, and i didn't feel a thing! I also credit my excellent healing skills to a vitmin regimen that was prescribed to me for another medical procedure that i had earlier this year- I am highly skepticle of all that vitamin stuff, as is my friend- but on two occasions now, i have healed quicker and more effieciently than in previousmedical procedures. We are convinced this regimen actually does work! I was able to return to classes and work stuff much, much sooner than originally anticipated.

I hope this looooong HT essay will help reassure and assist others when they are reaearching HT surgery, and at least based on the surgery itself, i do highly recommend Dr. Siporin.

Now..........the waiting.....

Quick add-on: These are all taken with my Canon digital camera- I know not all of the pix are perfect, but hopefully there are some in here that will give yall enough visual detail to opine away!

I'm really looking forward to hearing the feedback, particularly from Nervous Nelly, Gorpy, B-Spot, Spex, EmuSteve and the rest of those who have helped me get to this point.

And yes, I do have an email in asking for the numbers breakdown!

hi lucky,
seems like you had a hell of a big area done with only 2300 grafts.in my opinion if you lose your thinning hair your not going to have much density with so little grafts.i had 2400 put in the front 2 thirds with a much more mature hairline than yours,and ive just had another 2200 put in the crown and i wont have super density. have you any pre op pics to see how much existing hair you have?sorry i dont want to down you,was this what you planned?

hi lucky,
congratulations on your ht.
I agree with balody in that 2300 fu over such a large area will give u very low density but the work looks solid.

good growing to you.

Lucky,

Congratulations for selecting a quality hair transplant surgeon my friend. Thank you for sharing such a detailed account of your hair transplant experience. In the next few days, I'd like to post your story on our Hair Transplant Network Patient Story site. Stay tuned!

The pictures aren't very clear but based on the pictures, I'm surprised to hear that you have only received 2300 grafts. It just appears like more.

I also noticed that you didn't post any "before" pictures in this album. If you have any to post, I'm sure this would help our members get a better idea of your final result when it grows in.

Best wishes for restoring your hair.

Falc

Balody & Josh: Thanks for your comments- even though the "field" looks immense, I wasnt completely bald or badly thinning- but was starting to thin in the center- my main goal was to fill in the receding temples in front-everything else was hair gravy.
I also do have ONE "before" pic on the front page of my blog at the link below- it took great patience to post the slideshow album on here, hence why all pix didnt make it.

Falc: Thanks for the comments and behind the scenes assistance! PIc/Album questions:
Can i add more pix to this same album, or do i need to create <groan> another album?
If i email some of the pix to you, do u have the software where you can blur out the person's face?

Well,i think your front density is ok but grafts in the crown and CENTER area are not densely packed.
Ideally you should have two sessions for such area !!!

Lucky,

You are welcome my friend .

You can add photos to the same album up to 25 since that is the limit.

You can add as many photos as you like however to your hair loss weblog. I'm glad to see that you have linked to it in your profile so our members and guests can find it.

Best wishes,

Falc

OK- I've added a couple of pre-HT pix into the album so folks can get a better idea of what Dr. Siporin and I are shooting for.

Remember, my main goal was to lower my hairline, with the hopeful bonus of filling in the middle and Dr. Siporin also added to the crown and temporal regions.

Sometime in the future, I will probably have a 2nd HT to finish off the crown and possibly beef up other areas. As yall can see, i have very fine hair, so that makes it more of a challenge with me. I was surprised with the 2300-2500 range Dr. Siporin had proposed, as i was expecting at least a 1000 more. However, based on his gameplan with an eye toward my MPB future and how this HT develops. Hence why i was so keenly interested with Gorpy and NN's assessment as I"m particularly interested in lowering the hairline and pulling off that "illusion of density" I read so much about on here.

quote:

I'm really looking forward to hearing the feedback, particularly from Nervous Nelly, Gorpy, B-Spot, Spex, EmuSteve and the rest of those who have helped me get to this point.

Not sure what I did to help, but it looks like you had a pretty clean job. Take it easy for a while (easier said than done). I've tried to be super super careful with my donor area and I am still afraid that its stretching a little.

Shoot me an email if you have any questions I can help with. Remember to take your pain meds. Also, remember that ICE IS YOUR FRIEND. =)

Good luck bro.

Lucky,

I really like the work. Very clean and refined. I personally believe that the hairline chosen with your native hair should work out well for you. The addition of the temporal angle adds a lot also. Only time will tell as far as illusion of density however 2300 Fu is fairly decent with a conservative hairline and existing native hair. Take the time for healing.

Not sure if I'd qualify that as "ultra-refined" work. Those incisions/grafts look kind of large. Also, the grafts do look like they are spaced very far apart, even in the areas where it's suppossed to be dense packed. For that area of balding plus your donor type, i think you should have shot for at least twice the number of grafts. did you consult with other docs and was their estimate roughly the same? i don't mean to bring you down, and of course in 12 months we might all be blown away by results, but i'm a bit skepitcal right now....

I think the spacing in some of the grafts is because they were being placed in between a fair amount of native hair (?). And that the "larger" looking ones is just due to pic quality and blood (?).

Not totally sure, but while 2300 grafts does seem to be on the lower end of the possibe graft count spectrum, I think it will provide you really good coverage and set you up great for the future if you decide you wanna go back for added density.

Looking forward to seeing your updates!

the spacing where he had no hair vs. native hair looks exactly the same. and look at the grafts in the temples. they look huge and are spaced very far apart.