HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

I'm a current patient of Dr Distefano and I have had 2 sessions.. total 2,973 grafts… 855 - single hair follicles…. 1,318 - 2 haired follicles …. 800 - 3 haired follicles. I had a significant receding hair line and decided in early 2007 to get my 1st procedure done. I am happy to say after two procedures my hair is growing great and I now have a full head of hair. The procedure was very comfortable as the team of people who work with you during the procedure are very personable as is Dr. Distefano, you really feel like you're with friends, which I never felt at a Drs. Office. The procedure itself was pretty painless with minor discomfort, but after the numbing it's clear sailing with a good movie and good conversation with the Dr. Assistants. I can confirm that the Dr used a single blade knife, also will share my photos as you cannot tell I had a HT, so Im told.. . Dr Distefano did a great job and several friends are considering the procedure. I would be glad to share helpful information on the procedure please see my before and after photos (7 months and 1 year). I kept great notes..

Congrats, I assume it was a strip and you have a scar in your donor area.
The after photos show longer hair, can you post a photo with your hair pulled back stright (not to the sides)?

Yes I have a strip donor area but the scar is undetectable unless you had someone sift through the hair looking for it. I can't find it myself.. The good thing is with these strip scars and my type of frontal balding, they are never an issue. The back hair isn't going anywhere and even if it thins there's no way to see them, lol. My hair is back in the pics as I blow dry it that way. That's the great thing about my results, I dont have to wear it a certain way to cover anything, I wear it back as you can see. I'm getting my final procedure next month, can't wait! See attached pic of me holding my hair back. Dr Distefan actually increased my hairline 1.75" from my temples to the eye brow and .75" from the font center hair line to the nose bridge. I kept the measurements :^)

chrisdige,

I'm really happy that you're pleased with the work that you had done. For the life of me though I don't know why anyone in this day and age would CHOOSE to have a scar put in the back of their head?!? I don't care if you wear your hair long or short, I just don't get it. If I had my appendix taken out I would want minimal scarring even though I wear a shirt 99% of the time. I got the EXACT same procedure as you did WITHOUT the scar.

Can anyone on this forum explain to me why people still have the strip procedure done? It's obsolete technology in the field of hair transplantation in 2008.

To each there own I suppose but whenever I read that someone had the strip procedure I just have to scratch my head...no pun intended.

Spinner

I cannot explain much more than I already have, It's really a non issue for myself. I've investigated this with several people and the scar has never been an issue for anyone I know. I guess the word is intimidating but the reality of it is I'll never have to see it or feel and neither will anyone else. I really look at the end result and positives of the procedure Dr Distefano performed. The scar that ultimately disapears really isn't in the thought process. Unfortunatly when I investigated the cost and the expected results I didn't recieve any medical solutions that would give me more than what I have for the results. The fortunate thing is medical procedures evolve. I'm just happy I wasn't part of the hair "plug" days! Could you share your results and procedure? Good Luck!

chrisdige,

I hear ya man. I'm not trying to be negative or rain on your parade...your hair looks great. I'm just wondering why when, all other things being equal, you would go with the strip as opposed to Cole's technique? Is it cheaper? I don't even know the cost of a strip procedure and I don't know what other doctors charge. If it was a financial decision, then I suppose that makes sense. Anyway, I'll drop it. Maybe I'm just just very loyal to Dr. Cole!

I had 1,100 grafts done by Dr. Cole last December and I'm scheduled for another 1,100 or so this December. All of my grafts were used to bring the hairline down slightly and make the hairline thicker and more pronounced. The results were amazing, the recovery was a breeze, and I actually do wear my hair quite short, so the lack of any visible scarring was an absolute must for me.

This is the first time I tried to attach pictures. Unfortunately, I can't find my before-pics and I haven't taken a real after-pic since a week after the surgery. So, I'm attaching two sets of pictures. The first set were taken two days after surgery when I got home. The second set were taken exactly a week after surgery. The "money shot" is the healing from the back where the grafts were removed. I was shocked how quickly the little holes faded away. Compared to even the best strip "scars" I don't think anyone could argue that the healing with Cole's technique is nothing short of a miracle.

Note: the white stuff on the back of my head was an ointment given to me by Dr. Cole that kept the donor area clean and free of infection. Notice that there are no stitches and that grafts were able to be removed evenly throughout my donor area, even the sides.

Also...just to give you a quick background, I was 33 when I had the procedure last year. My hairline had been thinning since I was about 23 years old...at least that is when I noticed it, so it probably started even before that. I do have slight thinning in the crown, but I think I'm going to hold off on that for now. I take Rogaine Foam to handle the crown since I do have coverage, it's just thinner. I also take Propecia RELIGIOUSLY. I use Hair Cycle AND Nizoral Shampoo. The program is simple and effective.

I apologize in advance for the quality of the pics...

Spinner

Hey Spinner, Thanks for the updates. Well, the proof is in the pudding. The lack of a scar at all, is interesting. The pics look great. In the future it may be something to look at. I appreciate the feedback. I understand the loyalty and I do have loyalty to Dr Distefano and am happy with his work. I'll look into the procedure your speaking about. I'll update my newest pics in about 7 months after my final procedure. I say final but in 3-5 years, who knows? My hair has receded very slowly over 28 years so I really haven't taken any special medications, etc.. Another thing to look at :^).

Take Care, Chris

The most important consideration to keep in mind is that hair loss can be a progressive condition. That said, patients should realize that efficient donor harvesting is imperative in every case. Typically, a strip surgeon will destroy at least 5% of the follicles surrounding the strip incision. Once the same strip is dissected, another 2% to 5% will be destroyed.

The average strip graft will contain 2.0 hairs. The average CIT graft contains 2.9 hairs. In CIT, we maximize the coverage value of each transplanted graft and leave the donor area plentiful in consideration of any future loss. Each patient naturally has a finite amount of donor supply that varies from donor area to donor area.

I have also attached a photo that shows the ideal presentation of framing work on the frontal hair line. The hair is pulled back and the complete hair line can be seen.