HAIR TRANSPLANT FORUM

I had a previous strip procedure in 2001 at the age of 22 by Dr. Brandy and swore off hair transplants forever. At the time I had almost no hair loss but was very vain and concerned none the less. Dr. Brandy performed 1500 graphs and I noticed really no difference because my hair wasn't really thinning. I was left with a large scar and no results. Over the years I have had hair loss mostly due to the use of anabolic steroids. I have no history of hair loss in my family and believe that I would have none myself, or very little, if not for the use of these drugs over the years. I stopped taking them two years ago when I retired from sports but the damage had been done. I began obsessing over my hair because it was falling out so fast. Within two years it went from not even noticeable to very thin. Especially on the hairline. I always thought "as long as I make it to 30 with my hair I'll be happy". Once I hit thirty it was falling out so fast that I really regretted thinking that. The last couple of cycles I did really ate up my hair and I started researching another transplant. I had always said that I would never do another strip surgery and was excited when I found out about CIT. I always wondered why that wasn't done before. I had less fear due to the lack of visible scarring and it seemed to me that if it didn't make a huge difference the only thing I would be out was some money.
I began researching and the name I kept seeing was Dr. Cole. I researched for about a year and was convinced. I had to do some magic to come up with the money to begin and was able to do it. I decided to work on just the hairline at first because I could not afford a very large procedure. I live in Cleveland, Ohio and decided to drive down to Atlanta to avoid an embarrassing trip through the airport after the procedure. I drove straight through and stayed at the Fairfield Suites, which was on the recommended list provided by Dr. Cole's office. They gave me a low rate based on the recommendation and it was very close to the office.
When I arrived in the office in the morning I was very nervous because I didn't know what to expect. The staff puts you at ease immediately and are extremely friendly. All of the techs are great and talk to you while during the procedure. Dr. Cole is very nice and very down to earth. I asked him several questions and he answered them all patiently and joked around as well. I was extremely happy to feel put at ease. The only pain I felt was from the numbing shots but it was very tolerable. It mostly hurt in the recipient site and along my old strip scar. I watched movies all day and it took about eight hours which I was prepared for. I ended up with 1260 graphs all in the hairline and directly behind it. I have seen some amazing results in Dr. Cole's patients and have every intention of having my hair fully restored over the next couple of years as money allows.
The scabs have all come off by day 12 after I began scrubbing my scalp and all the tiny hairs were left. They began falling out as well, like they are supposed to. I am now playing the waiting game for the next few months and can't wait to see the results of the hard work put in by Dr. Cole and his staff. Dr. Cole said that if I have a good yield I should be very happy with my result and I feel that he is right based on the hairs left behind after the surgery.
In conclusion, I would not recommend a strip procedure based on my experience. It can leave you permanently disfigured and unable to shave your head. The CIT procedure leaves you looking normal within a month with no side effects or numbness and tightness in the back of your head. You can almost forget you had anything done at all. It is good that Dr. Cole is trying to make this the standard for hair transplantation and I think it will save a lot of people from the problems associated with a strip scar. If you are looking for a transplant doctor, I would recommend Dr. Cole over anyone else. I will post some pictures.