I just had my 2nd HT surgery and thought I would share my experience to help the community . . .

Pre-Op: I was originally a 2A on the scale but was heading for a 3A. I had my first HT at age 35 in San Diego done by Dr. DeYarmin. (1041 Follicular Units) for $4000. The original HT was to restore a "U"-Shaped patch of real estate that used to be my hairline. The results were very good and I was very happy with the growth by 6-7 months post-op. Five years later at age 40 I was really getting bugged by the thinning taking place behind the restored hairline. I could tell the top of my melon was catching a bit more sun too. I'm just not a "bald is beautiful" kind of guy.

Just a few days ago I had another 1200 FU HT (actually 1245 Total FUs) for $4,560 or $3.80 each. I was not really bargain-hunting but in the current economic conditions of the US, I noticed that in all four consults I was offered discounts. I chose Dr. Zufelt (MHR) in Salt Lake City, Utah because that's where I live now, and because he has had some great results. His personality was a big plus and he listened to me better than I felt the others did. I know that MHR (Medical Hair Restoration) has some real negative remarks on this site but Dr. Mayer in San Diego's MHR clinic is one of the best in the biz, and Dr. Zufelt trained under him. I saw one of the doc's 4000+ FU cases in-person and it looked like perfection. Great density and totally natural hairline!

Dr. Zufelts office is small but everybody seemed to know what they were doing. Everything was explained and the procedure went off without a hitch. I took a Valium and watched two full-length movies during the procedure. They had me come back the next day for a post-op hair wash and an evaluation by the doctor. It was a reassuring touch I didn't get with my first HT. Now, 4-days post-op I'm mostly sitting on the couch watching college football and pre-season NFL. I hope I don't have the shock-loss some people have warned about but I sure am an "ugly duckling" right now. The thousand little blue-black scabs are just lovely - I think the blue hue comes from the Folligen Copper-peptide spray that was recommended after the grafts. Even with the Prednisone, my forehead and eyes are pretty swollen, and my wife calls me "the elephant man."

The doc has me on:
Lortab for pain (only took a couple the first two nights)
Prednisone for the swelling
Keflex (antibiotic) to fight possible infection
Propecia (3-weeks of free pills from the doc.)
Folligen Spray (Mixed about 50:50 with water)

I did not buy the recommended $400 post-op kit with the shampoo and spray but opted for the products on-line for a fraction of the cost.
Dr. Zufelt offers the Laser-comb optional treatments but was very honest with me about the clinical results. He said it was effective for about 30% of subjects at achieving about a 20-25% better growth. I choose to stay laser-free.

I will try to attach some pics of the fun . . .

- ElephantMan

Post-opSwellingThird-Day2.jpg (34 Kb, 116 downloads) Post-Op Swelling Day3

Another Pic:
Pre-Op (day of surgery 8-27-08)

Pre-Op1.jpg (8 Kb, 114 downloads) Pre-Op-Day-Of-HT

Another Pic
Donor Site Slice . . . (Don't Look if your'e a sissy!) Dang good thing they use plenty of lidocaine!

Procedure-DonorSite1.jpg (56 Kb, 97 downloads) Donor Site Slice

Another Pic:
Follicle dicing and slicing . . . Yep, those little meat chuncks from the back of my melon are the "staff of life" for my new head of hair! (This new iPhone Camera is really handy!)

Follicle_Strips2.jpg (53 Kb, 76 downloads) Follicle dicing and slicing

Another Pic:
Doctor Zufelt sewing up the donor site . . . and I think it looks quite nice - as far as bloody gashes go (20cm x 1cm). I made sure to ask for some extra Marcane (long-lasting local anesthetic)so that the first night's sleep would be easier. Worked like a charm!

Procedure-DonorSiteSuturing.jpg (55 Kb, 62 downloads) Donor Site Sutures

Another Pic:
The Doctor makes tiny inciscions, some at angles, and not in neat rows or straight lines to make sure the little hairs will look natural when they grow out. Some of them seem to bleed more than others and they recommend laying off vitamin E, Aspirin and exercise for a week before the procedure to keep the bleeding to a minimum.

Procedure-incisions2.jpg (62 Kb, 68 downloads) Inciscions

Another Pic:
Placing of the FUs (follicular units) takes the most time of the whole procedure. One, two and three-hair follicles are inserted into the tiny cuts. I didn't feel a thing and quite enjoyed the Valium and National Treasure II on DVD during this part.

Placing_Follicles3.jpg (53 Kb, 61 downloads) Placing the follicles

Another Pic:
Procedure Complete for the day and now, it's a waiting and healing game! (No heavy lifting, wild passion or gravity boots.) I can totally handle the couch-potato thing . . . and just in time for football season!

Post-op2.jpg (59 Kb, 56 downloads) Procedure Done!

Another Pic:
Post-Op after 24 hours - still looks pretty tidy but the scabs are yet to really form and get itchy. No real swelling in the forehead yet.

Post-op-one-day1.jpg (60 Kb, 61 downloads) Post-op 24-hours

Another Pic:
72-hours post-op and I don't leave the house. The swelling has deformed my forehead and nose and my wife calls me "the Elephant Man!" The little scabs are ugly and itchy too! I don't know if the Folligen Copper Peptide spray makes it better or worse but I spray it on (50-50 mix with water) about 8-10 times a day. Just a few more days and the itching and swelling should be over.

Post-opSwellingThird-Day2.jpg (34 Kb, 63 downloads) Swelling and scabs

Another Pic:
4 days post-op. The swelling has gone down a bit but the little scabs are driving me nuts. The follicle sites feel "fuzzy" but after about 10-14 days the little shoots will fall off and the real growth will take a few months!

Post-op-four-days1crop.jpg (78 Kb, 80 downloads) 4 Days Post-Op

Heal and grow well! The swelling will pass - drink lots of water and sleep upright.

Thanx for the encouragement Spex!
- Another Pic:
6 days post-op. Yep, I'm living up to the name "Elephant Man." The scabs are starting to release in the shower but itchy and red scalp is driving me nuts! I hope I have given an accurate blow-by-blow account of the hair transplant process. I don't want to alarm anyone with the pictures, especially with the donor site incision and post-op temporary deformities. I just want to give a helpful look at the aftermath. Is it all worth it? As I mentioned above, I was very happy with results after my first HT but needed some more fill 5 years later. It will all be worth it again I'm sure.

Day6-UglyScabbyScalp.jpg (164 Kb, 39 downloads)

- Another Pic:
7 days post-op. After 7 full days of healing, about 95% of the scabs have come off with gentle washing in the shower. The scalp is a bit red but a good quality aloe vera product seems to soothe the itch really well! The swelling in my brow and forehead is not noticable now and I get stitches out in 2 days. I'm still puting Bacitracin on the donor scar in the morning and after my nightly shower. I have noticed some "shock-Loss" but I know this is a part of the deal.

Day7-RedScalp.jpg (138 Kb, 53 downloads)