hairtransplant in stages

My result and next step

2009-04-14T20:36:00.000-07:00

My thanks to Dr. Arvind and his great team. An extraordinary doctor with exceptionally skilled team. I would also like to thank Dr. Ruby. I highly recommend Dr. A's clinic and consider myself fortunate to have such great doctors in my country. I had my first transplant in '08.

I am happy to say, that all the grafts grew and there is no scars anywhere in the donor regions. I am now confident that I will be able to acheive most, if not all, of my hair regrowth aims.
The 1st picture was me before any hair transplants in 2008.
The 2nd picture was taken in 2009 March after successful results of the first stage of my hair restoration. I am now proceeding with the next stage.

1100 grafts from head and beard

2008-07-27T05:39:00.000-07:00

710 from the head and 419 from my beard.
Incredible, no?
And not a scar anywhere. I am a fan of FUSE.

This is me before my transplant (picture courtesy Dr. A's clinic)

This picture I took recently, 5 months after my HT. I did not go for an all out HT on purpose. I wanted to see the result in a small area first. As the picture shows, its impossible to make out head hair from the beard hair. I can feel the beard hair when they start to sprout (they feel stubbier), but as they grow out, texture becomes a non issue.
The next time, I am going to use a similar mix of head and beard hair. I find this to be a good choice for myself.

Choosing the right doctor

2008-07-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

The bulk of the spadework is choosing the right doctor.

I read many sites and came across many lists of recommended top doctors. I consulted 4 of them who could do what I wanted.
I chose Dr. Arvind Poswal. I am happy with the choice of my doctor. There were many reasons why I chose Dr. Arvind.
1. He is the actual inventor of the FUSE technique,
2. He did the world first beard hair to scalp transplant. In 2006. Since, I planned using lots of beard hair, this was an important consideration for me.
3. He is regarded as one of the best HT doctors in the world and a very innovative and versatile one at that.
4. I met many satisfied patients of his. What I liked even more is how much he cares for his patients and his work. I researched the net and there was not ONE disgruntled patient of his.
5. No arrogance, no ego. Unlike some of the doctors I came in contact with, his approach and behaviour evoked confidence and compassion, sans attitude.

6. He has the most number of HT results. Its the results that finally sold me.

7. Since he has invented so many of the techniques, and has the most experience, it made sense to go to him rather then the less experienced ones.

These are just some of the reasons that convinced me that Dr. Arvind is the best for me.
Early this year, '08, I had my first FUSE surgery using hair from head and beard.

It was an eye opening event. No amount of meeting past patients prepares one for the actual event. I was always sceptical when people said the transplant was a piece of cake. Its only when I went through it myself that I realized how true they were.
That is when I decided to document my HT and result.
Its 5 months since my HT. I cant begin to describe how happy I am. Now, that I have hair growing on my bald pate, I see light at the end of the tunnel.
I do have a regret. I wish I had known everything I do now, earlier. I wouldnt have to spend a bald semester in my college.

Here we go

2008-07-27T00:32:00.000-07:00

Surgery. The word frightened me. Really.
I don't know if it gives you the chills too. It was not as if I had some terrible illness and operation was the only option.
I had only lost hair. It wasnt as if I had some cancer or something like that.
Getting a surgery on my head to get hair again was not an easy decision.

I consulted many doctors. I read up so many sites, I could recite all the medical terms they have there.
Like the medicine selling doctors, I found most of the hair transplant doctors were equally unscrupulous.
Good hair transplant doctors, like good HTs, are few and far between.

I decided, I didnt want any radical surgery. That ruled out strip for me. I wasnt going to let anyone cut a slice from the back of my head. No way.

I also decided to proceed in stages. No point rushing in where angels tread softly. :)

I decided to go for FUSE and to go for the gradual approach.

The good, the bad and the ugly

2008-07-27T00:14:00.000-07:00

Hair transplants are the only thing that work to get back hair. My personal experience with the charlatans who sell oils, potions and lotions convinced me that I have wasted good money, and time, on stupid medicines.

All hair transplants are not the same though.
You may have seen some of the ugly ones. People having bunches of hair on a barren head. They are the Ugly transplants. Whatever happens, make sure you do not fall in for them.

The bad hair transplants are the strip HTs with thin cover on top. Hair growing a cm apart. You dont get terribly disfigured, but you end up with a smiley scar on the back of your head and stupid, sparse cover on the head that still makes you look bald.

The good hair transplants exist. Just like honest politicians, they are less common. Good hair transplant look natural and dense.
They come in 2 forms - with or without a strip scar in the back of the head.

The one without the strip scar is done by the FUSE method. Personally, I keep the FUSE transplant in the category of "Angelic" . FUSE has many good things going for it. Like no strip scar, no pain and you can get hair moved from beard to the head. Nonetheless, it is more expensive.

Bald n bold

2008-07-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my blog.
I think of myself as young, bald (somewhat) and bold.
If you are in the same boat, read on.

Having lost hair in college was depressing. I took the decision to remedy my situation. At one stage, I wore a crap hair weave for 2 weeks.
I tried Batra's homeopathy and richfeel medicines. For me, both did not work. In my personal opinion, both are big time scams that feed off the insecurities of the bald.

I came to know about hair transplants. A lot of what I heard was negative. But, I had read that Salman Khan and Nawaz Sharif got hair transplants. They look good.
So, I decided to google hair transplants.

There are the good, bad and ugly hair transplants. :)

I did my spadework and started down the road top my hairy future.
I am happy with my decision and sharing my experience is going to help many young and bald.
I have decided to blog my experience for all to read.