Jumping in the chair 7/24 with Dr Cole!

[LookingGood!]

Well after yrs of research and meds and hair counting and all that stuff that drives a man crazy about his hair...I decided now is the time to do this. I'm taking the plunge. I decided to go the FUE route instead of strip. I will go for 1200 to 1400 grafts to close off my temple angles and solidify my NW2+ hairline that I have preserved for the last 15 yrs with the help of Propecia and minoxidil with retina A. I cant believe I am doing this but hey you only live once and if you do it right, once is enough!

Anyone like to share their Cole experience with me? Please chime in gents!

 

[Guest]

Just out of curiosity, how old are you? What is your family history for male pattern baldness? Are you sure you want to start surgery at a Norwood 2?

 

[CCS]

i don't know about cole, but I just wanted to respond to the eagle:

if he has been fighting it for 15 years, then he is probably at least 28 if not 34. If he has been using propecia and other stuff like he said, and it sounds like he as used it more than a year from the way he said it, I think he is a good candidate. I mean, NW2 after 15 years of fighting hair loss? that is not fast hair loss. and the hair line is the hardest part to regrow.

yeah, definitely make the most of your youth while you have it. as for dr cole, I can't help you with that. I read the posts on another thread, and no one there new. Only a few people said he is good, but did not say how they know, and other people believed these people were working for the Doctor. Just try to find any sights that put down follicular unit extraction, look at what they list, find other sights that say it is good, find many of both, and see what they each say in rebutal, and then see what dr cole says on his web site about his techniques. also email dr cole for some close ups of the donor area of body hair extraction. you can see it much better than head hair extraction. if it looks good enough for someone's chest, then your head should be fine.

if you can't find what you want, email dr shapiro or dr keene (both strip surgeons) and ask them if they think FUE is a legit option. they probably will not recommend you to anyone, but they will give their opinion on surgical techniques.

 

[doggfather]

LookingGood,

I too am a Norwood 2 or maybe a Norwood 2.5 who is also seriously considering FIT from Dr. Cole. How did you end up on going with Cole? How did you come up with 1200-1400 grafts? Is that what Dr. Cole recommended in an online consultation? And what kind of density are you expecting? Did you consider going to any other doctors for FUE like Feller or Umar? And finally could you keep us updated of your progress. I am really curious to see what a hairline restoration using just FIT on a Norwood 2 is going to look like.

 

[Guest]

It certainly does sound like LG has been successful in stabilizing his hairloss, maintaining the Norwood 2 class. I talk to many guys who would love to be in that class! Hopefully the meds will help to minimize the effects of shockloss, but the risk of course is further hairloss near the recipient sites. I am curious if the natural hair near the temporal areas is diffused but it sounds like it may just be recession more than anything.

The potential 1200-1400 grafts will undoubtedly have many single hair grafts. Your graft count might be adjusted on the day of surgery. How is your crown?

Good advice from CCS on doing research on both methods before making a decision. :wink:

 

[LookingGood!]

My crown hasnt changed in 15 yrs. I guess the propecia and monixidil with retina A has kept it.

I just turned 42, I look like I am 32 when I color my hair. 50% salt/pepper mostly on the sides

I was born with a condition called Congenital Temporal recession. It goes under a few other names.

I am a Norwood 2.5. The "island is thin on the sides. Good coverage. My hair is wavy/curly and straight which makes me an excellent candidate.

I have a donor density of 80-90 hairs/cm squared

My hair density is medium to thick

I am a perfect candidate.

I want to close up as much of my temple recession, mostly on the right where it is more irregular.

My goal is NOT a mature hairline but to solidify it. When I dry my hair it looks full and I do have great coverage but when the wind blows and there is no hair spray my temples are exposed and it makes me sick! That's why I will get 12-14 with Cole to build it up. Originally they said 800-1200. 800 for minimal cosmetic result.

I have consulted with Armani...decided against strip.
I have consulted with Feller...didnt like his consultation at all.
I considered Shapiro but for FUE Cole is top notch and will preserve my donor region b/c he has the best technology/tools.


What else do u want to know.

 

[LookingGood!]

CCS,

I did all that for the last 5 yrs. I know all the forums. I used to post on HHL but was kicked off b/c I had an arguement with another poster who threatened me b/c I had an opinion. Personally I think most of these forums are just boards for people to vent and really arent objective in any sense of the word. I went directly to the source. I did get some info here and there. All honesty, It has been widely rumored that most people on this forum dont know him b/c he had a fallening out or misunderstanding with this forum's managment, but who cares. FUE is what I want now, if hair multiplication comes out in the next 5 yrs then I can do more or have a touch up in a yr or 2 with more FUE but no strip for me. I cant do it plus too much down time with post op.

 

[LookingGood!]

Dog father,

I met Cole's group in NY. They took pics and hair samples. Cole followed up with a detailed report.

 

[doggfather]

LookingGood,
What kind of density will you get with your 1200-1400 grafts? And are you going to do just one surgery with a lower density and then add more density later or just one shot? Also, did you meet any of Cole's FIT patients at your consultation in NYC?

 

[LookingGood!]

Dogg,

We discussed 60-70 g/cm2 but remember one thing, grafts per cm squared means nothing in the world b/c everyone's hair characterisitcs are different. 60 on one guy with medium to thick density vs one with 60 with fine hair is a world over. Everyone gets caught up in that and it screws up everyone's expectations. I dont have alot to cover just the edges and some of the temple points. 12-1400 is more than enough for this job.

 

[doggfather]

I agree with you that density can have different effects for each person depending on their hair characteristics. But I was curious if Dr. Cole would implant over 50 grafts/cm2 because I know that he's referenced a study showing that the avg yield % on 50 grafts/cm2 was lower than the lower densities like 20g/cm2, 30g, 40g for the patients that were part of the study, which is one of his points on doing two passes for achieving desired density instead of one. Oh, and I was also wondering if Dr. Cole is going to use the automated extraction device that is currently a prototype? In any case, good luck to you on everything and I hope you can keep us updated with some before/after pictures.

 

[LookingGood!]

df,

I do not know if he will be using that extraction device. I will know the day I get there....Monday. Most likely no b/c they are scheduling me for 3 days 1200 which is the norm for this. Heck I will sit all day if he can complete it.

 

[Guest]

LG,

Thanks for the additional info. And I agree, you make an excellent candidate especially considering your age, your minimal hairloss to date, and the very good news about your crown. I was wearing hair systems but also waited until I was 41 before I did my first hair transplant yet I was already a Norwood 4/5 by then so you're far ahead of me. :wink:

IMO, there are many other talented FUE surgeons too. I could never rate "one" of them as being "the best" or having exclusively "the best instrumentation" or producing the "best results". The same goes for strip surgeons. But you are entitled to your opinion as myself and obviously you have done extensive research so I commend you for that. I have also enjoyed reading some of your other posts on other threads. Any chance on seeing your pics when your procedure grows out?

BTW, I never liked the other forum you mentioned. Lots of bashing and money politics. There are a few other forums like this one where most of the participants are there to help others objectively whether it involves surgery or not.

BTW, if you don't mind my asking, what went wrong with Dr. Feller?

 

[Guest]

dogfather,

I agree with your comments on yields and concur with those studies. That's why I have always been an advocate of doing everything one can to lower shockloss and boost yields since our hair is finite.

 

[LookingGood!]

Gil,


I went to see Feller who is well regarded for his FUE skills but it didnt turn out well. I live in NY so it behooved me to consult w him. The problem was I specifically stated I wantred FUE and inquired about his lunchtime FUE sessions but he totally sold a strip to me. I told him that I consulted with Armani's group but didnt want strip. They wanted to do 2720. :freaked2: I think he built his decision on the info I provided which was too much. He even made a comment about my head which I thought was out of touch w reality. He didnt take hair samples. All he did was state I dont want to take your money w FUE so I think you are 2000 grafts. I said what about density, g/cm2 etc and he ran his hand thru my donor area and said I could easily get 100 g/cm2 easy with you. OK where's the door see ya!!!!! :freaked:

As for my opinion on MDs I didnt say Cole was the best but he is definitely up there. His results are amazing. He really strives to preserve donor areas and uses different "punches" that are appropriate.
I do think highly of Ron Shapiro, really considered him.

 

[LookingGood!]

The yield study was on HHH and was most interesting but it did have some flaws if you read the whole piece.

 

[doggfather]

LookingGood,
What does HHH stand for? And this was the post from Dr. Cole that was posted on hairlosshelp that I was referring to. I don't know if this is the same study that you are talking about.

"There was a study recently published out of Korea. The results are worth noting as these physicians perform meticulous work.
It relates to hair growth survival rates based on density. Up until now there have been three other studies looking at this off the top of my head. All showed that survival rates can be less as density is increased. Patients should be aware of these studies. Until this recent study I did not put much stock in them because they involved only one or two patients and the investigators were not meticulous hair counters. In other words, I did not respect the results. I think you have to respect these results. The results are listed by patient, density of grafts, and survival rate.

Pt #1) 48/cm2.....77% survival
39 " ..........79%
30 "..........90%
21 " .........95%

Pt#2) 50/cm2......74%
40 " ..........90%
30 " ........87%
20 " .......95%

Pt#3) 47/cm2......81%
39 " ..........82%
30 " ...........97%
20 " .............95%

Pt#4) 50/cm2........74%
39 " ............72%
30 " .............90%
20 " .............95%

 

[techprof]

I agree with gilenator and I like this site the most.
We can mention hairlosshelp or hairsite in this site only (for reference).
I can't do this when I write in HLH or hairsite (cannot use the word hairloss talk).

I have benefitted a lot from HairLossTalk.com. Though I would say this. Other than Gilenator, Oldbaldy and few others we don't have many users contributing in the surgical alternative section. I went through hair transplant and posted my story in the other two sites also.
(I am more comfortable here, but the doctor posts only in hairsite. In hairlosshelp I didn't get any response, probably because Dr. A is kind of banned here).

Irrespective of the doctors we choose, we need to be able to discuss our situations for our benefit. I hope to contribute to the surgical section after my hair grows.

HairLossTalk.com rocks. (Even the offtopic section is very interesting)

 

[Guest]

LG,

Thanks for the reply and I totally understand where you are coming from and why you are making the decisions you have chosen. And BTW, I think you make an excellent candidate for FUE because of your minimal hairloss, your age, and the strong probability that you won't need as much work as most guys with male pattern baldness.

Honestly, if I were in your situation, I would be choosing FUE as well. And if my premonition is true, you should be able to buzz cut your scalp since you won't have thousands of extractions done. Both FUE and strip have their place.

DF,

I have seen those numbers on yields before and it proves a very good point, and you're right that the data is coming from respectable surgeons. We all appreciate that information. How long do you think a thread like that would last on some of the other forums? It would probably get shot down in a nano second!

Tech,

I have always liked this community for the same reasons and appreciate your willingness to hang with us hair junkies. :hairy:

 

[Guest]

LG,

I just remebered that you're having your procedure this Monday, the 24th right? Keep us in the loop and best wishes man!